Early 2024 Fantasy Football Rankings And Analysis: Wide Receivers

Fantasy football players are already looking ahead to their 2024 drafts. So, I have released some of my early 2024 seasonal rankings, along with those from the RotoBaller staff, which can be found here.

In this feature, I share some of my insights when building the 2024 wide receiver rankings. I help you make the close decision between the two top players at the position, and spotlight value plays from the higher tiers to deeper sleepers.

Below the WR rankings analysis, you will find my latest WR ranks, which are powered by FantasyPros. Other positions are featured and will be adjusted as I roll out these early rankings by position.

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Early 2024 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings Insights

No. 1 at WR - Lamb or Hill?: Last season, CeeDee Lamb delivered a career year, leading all fantasy WRs with 403.2 PPR points and an average of 23.7 points per game. Tyreek Hill was second at 376.4 and 23.5. He has finished in the top two at WR in three of the past four seasons, so Hill is more established at the highest tier of the position.

Not much has changed for either standout WR in terms of the passing games on each of their respective teams, but the Dallas running game could be weaker. These two are essentially tied for the WR1 spot. Hill might be slightly safer to finish top two, but there are no reasons to expect a much different outlook from Lamb, so he gets the slight nod.

QB concerns about Jefferson?: This season, Justin Jefferson will work with either or both of rookie J.J. McCarthy and journeyman Sam Darnold. Some fantasy players may have second thoughts about taking Jefferson third overall when considering the departure of Kirk Cousins from Minnesota. Jefferson, however, averaged 19.6 points in the last five games of the 2023 season when Cousins was out and the Vikings were dealing with major issues at QB. The fifth-year superstar will flourish no matter who is throwing the ball.

Will Puka remain prominent?: In 2023, Puka Nacua burst onto the fantasy scene as the ultimate sleeper pick and was a key performer on many championship teams. Nacua was either a final-round pick or early-season prime waiver add after scoring over 51 points in the first two weeks.

Now, the question is whether the 23-year-old can approach similar type of production in his second season. If any fantasy player worries about a “sophomore jinx,” that is creating worry when it really doesn’t exist and there are no obvious factors to suggest a projected falloff. Nacua won’t be handed a top-five spot by me after one outstanding season, yet he should be a priority target once the top five at WR are off the board.

Since 2000, there have been 7 rookie WRs who put up 17+ fantasy PPG:

Odell Beckham Jr.
Randy Moss
Ja'Marr Chase
Anquan Boldin
Justin Jefferson
Michael Thomas
Puka Nacua 👀

— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) May 27, 2024

Will Marvin Harrison Jr. be an instant WR1?: As noted recently by my good friend Frank Ammirante, since 2000, only seven rookie WRs have averaged 17 points per game in a season. Will Marvin Harrison Jr. be the next to join the list? The son of the Pro Football Hall of Famer possesses a rare blend of talents and can instantly challenge NFL defensive backs on a regular basis. Harrison sits just outside my top 10 based on his rookie status.

If Kyler Murray stays healthy, the first-year potential star can challenge to finish in the top five at WR. If the Cardinals have to turn to Desmond Ridder at some point, he should be able to help Harrison sustain at least top-15 status. The 6-foot-3, 209- pounder can create a lot of his own success and make it easier on his QBs to get him the ball.

The Drake London breakout?: It seems obvious that the arrival of Cousins in Atlanta will significantly elevate the appeal of Drake London. In his first two seasons, Atlanta’s WR1 has hovered in the range of 70 receptions and 900 yards despite dealing with very shaky QB play. He will get a big boost in TD production after only finding the end zone six times in two seasons. I can see his 2024 numbers raised to the neighborhood of 85 receptions, 1,100-plus yards, and eight TD catches. London does have to fully prove he is ready to function as a true No. 1 WR for the Falcons, yet he ranks just outside my top 15 at WR.

Figuring out the Houston situation: Stefon Diggs is coming off a disappointing season and now becomes a teammate of Nico Collins, who finished as WR7 in points per game during his breakthrough 2023 campaign. The former Bill is on a one-year deal and will be eager to prove he can still perform at a high level. Collins already has an established strong rapport with ascending star C.J. Stroud.

Diggs will turn 31 during the upcoming season, and while that is not quite the end of the line for an NFL WR, Collins is on the rise at age 25. The arrival of the ex-Buffalo WR1 does kick the younger of the two outside of the top 15 at WR, but Stroud and Collins will be connecting for many years to come and their on-field relationship will continue to develop. So, Diggs is just outside my top 20, three slots behind his new teammate.

Tank Dell was another great late-round rookie in 2023. He is coming off a broken fibula, though, and may be inconsistent in a three-WR scenario. The second-year man has more upside and downfield playmaking gears than Diggs and Collins. The other two, though, will cut into his weekly reception totals and targets, so Dell sits outside my top-30 WRs for now.

Hooray for Hollywood: I have never been a big fantasy backer of Marquise Brown. I believed he was miscast as a WR1 type in Baltimore, and his two seasons in Arizona were forgettable, although QB issues played a part in his mediocre production. In Kansas City, however, a career year is possible. Brown can be the No. 1 WR Patrick Mahomes has lacked over the past two seasons. Travis Kelce is the clear first target as always, but now Mahomes will have a veteran WR he should be able to rely on for all types of receptions. Brown ranks just inside my top 30.

"We've done a great job of mastering the intermediate and short stuff, but we want to get back to having the [deep passing game] as well."

Patrick Mahomes spoke about the Chiefs' vertical passing attack and his early impressions of Hollywood Brown during today's presser. pic.twitter.com/JAtOUx5Xam

— Matt McMullen (@KCChiefs_Matt) May 22, 2024

Beyond The Top 30

-Terry McLaurin may prove to be a value outside the top 30 as Jayden Daniels could unlock his statistical promise again.

-Keon Coleman is penciled in as Buffalo’s WR1, but most rankers seem to place him outside of the top 40 right now. The opportunity and QB situation in Buffalo puts the rookie at 35 for me. He will have some true potential as a TD threat.

-If we see real improvements from Bryce Young, he will be relying heavily on Diontae Johnson, who can certainly outperform his rank of 38.

-Mike Williams is an interesting risk/reward type. If both he and Aaron Rodgers stay healthy, they could operate as quite a big-play combination. We do know Williams’ concerning injury track record, yet he has fantasy WR2 upside.

-I am not too confident in Joshua Palmer being an authentic WR1 type for Justin Herbert. I do think the Chargers will spread the ball around a lot, and Palmer can be the most productive guy, fantasy-wise. He is a top-half WR4 in my rankings.

-I didn’t think it was going to happen last season, but this can be the year when Jaxon Smith-Njigba surpasses Tyler Lockett in fantasy production. The latter will ultimately be regarded as one of the better Seahawks WRs to wear the uniform and will still make some important and timely catches. Smith-Njigba, though, should provide better fantasy stats this season while Lockett functions as a more important real-life player for Seattle.

-I have Patriots rookie Ja'Lynn Polk just outside my top 50, which is higher than most other rankers. He can quickly become a reliable target for New England. That may prove to actually be too low of a rank.

Ja’Lynn Polk at ADP 151 is the best WR value on @UnderdogFantasy

- Easy path to WR1 on his own team

- Solid NFL draft capital (pick 37), other guys who went in 30s go much earlier

- High ceiling QB prospect could be much better than expected

— Sam Sherman (@Sherman_FFB) May 27, 2024

-Two of my deeper sleepers outside of the top 60: A.T. Perry may emerge as the No. 2 WR for New Orleans, and Jalin Hyatt might unleash some of his upside in Year 2.

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