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More and more fantasy football managers are taking wide receivers in the first round of fantasy drafts. In a standard 12-team league, 7-8 wide receivers go in the first round. Most of those wideouts also have an overall WR1 upside this upcoming season.
CeeDee Lamb finished as the overall WR1 last year, marking the seventh straight year that a wideout hasn't repeated as the overall fantasy WR1. The last player to finish as the top fantasy wide receiver in back-to-back seasons was Antonio Brown in 2015 and 2016.
So, which wide receivers have overall WR1 upside for fantasy football this year? Let's dive in and look at five wide receivers who could finish as the overall WR1 in 2024.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
No wide receiver has finished as the WR1 in fantasy in consecutive seasons since 2015 and 2016, but Lamb has every opportunity to stop that streak in 2024. The Cowboys wideout totaled a career-high 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns last year while also averaging 23.7 PPR fantasy points per game.
'Jerry gotta pay you man.' 😅
This guy drafted CeeDee Lamb 1st overall in his fantasy football league with CeeDee watching live over Zoom. 😅
(🎥: fuhleedee/TT) pic.twitter.com/5R92cbzAEE
— theScore (@theScore) August 13, 2024
Lamb was one of the most valuable fantasy players last year, scoring the second-most PPR fantasy points among all positions. He saw at least nine targets in each of the final 11 games and averaged over 28 PPR fantasy points during that span. In that Cowboys offense with an elite quarterback (Dak Prescott) throwing him passes, another strong fantasy season should be in store for the All-Pro wideout.
Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill hasn't finished as the overall WR1 since 2018 with the Kansas City Chiefs. But he has come close in three of the past four years, finishing as the WR2 in 2020, 2022, and 2023. Last season, Hill finished as the WR2 while averaging just 0.2 PPR fantasy points per game less than Lamb (23.5).
Money, money, money for Tyreek Hill pic.twitter.com/XrFsdJcIxm
— Fantasy Footballers (@TheFFBallers) August 6, 2024
As a result, Hill has every opportunity to finish as the WR1 this season. He scored the fourth-most PPR fantasy points among all positions last year and scored in double figures in PPR formats in all 17 games. Given how the Dolphins use the speedy wideout in their offense, a WR1 finish is there for the taking.
Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase has never finished higher than the WR5 (2021) in fantasy, but this could be the year that changes. Chase has an elite quarterback in Joe Burrow throwing him the ball, and the wideout has seen at least 130 targets in each of the past two seasons. That high target share gives him the potential to finish as the overall WR1 this season.
Injuries to Chase and Burrow have not allowed the wideout to reach that WR1 status in his career. In 2022, he dealt with a hip injury that caused him to miss four games, and last season, Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury. However, when the two have been on the field together, they have been unstoppable.
The last time Chase and Burrow played a full season together was back in 2021 when the 24-year-old finished as the WR5 in PPR formats as a rookie. Now, the Bengals wideout has every opportunity to finish higher than that in 2024, given his high involvement in Cincinnati's offense with an elite quarterback under center.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has improved his fantasy numbers every year he's been in the league. In 2021, he finished as the WR21, and in 2022, he finished as the WR7. Last season, St. Brown was one of the best fantasy wide receivers, finishing as the WR3 and totaling 119 catches for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns.
AMON RA ST BROWN IN YEAR 3 🤩🤩
16 GP
119 REC (2nd in NFL)
1515 YDS
12.7 YPC
10 TD
73 CTH %
9 100 YD Games (1st in NFL)Not bad for the “Slot Merchant” pic.twitter.com/TZ5Rjtrm1g
— 26🃏🐐 (@GibbsIntern) January 7, 2024
Many managers agree that St. Brown has one of the highest floors among all fantasy wideouts in 2024. But he also has the upside to finish as the overall WR1 this year. He saw the fifth-most targets last season (164), which helped him average 20.7 PPR fantasy points per game. With Jared Goff and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson still with the team, he has the potential to finish as the WR1 in 2024 on an elite Lions offense.
Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Some fantasy managers are avoiding Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson in drafts this year due to his quarterback. With Sam Darnold expected to start the season as the team's QB1, there is some risk in selecting Jefferson in the early-to-middle part of the first round. However, the All-Pro wideout still has the upside to finish as the overall WR1 again in 2024.
It was just two years ago that Jefferson finished as the overall WR1 in fantasy. Of course, Kirk Cousins was his quarterback during that season, and Darnold is a significant downgrade from Cousins. Nonetheless, the Vikings wideout did average over 22 PPR fantasy points in the final four games of the 2023 season with Nick Mullens as his quarterback. In those contests, the 25-year-old saw at least 10 targets in every game. As a result, look for the Vikings to lean on their top wide receiver early and often in 2024 -- regardless of who the team's quarterback is.
Going Deeper: Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
When looking at what makes an overall WR1 in fantasy, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. For starters, you need to be the primary target on your team's offense with little competition for targets. Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London surely fits that category. With Kyle Pitts and Darnell Mooney as the only two other options in Atlanta's offense, London should see more than enough targets to put up big fantasy numbers.
Secondly, you need to have a solid quarterback who slings the ball a lot. Kirk Cousins will definitely help London's fantasy potential, given he has thrown over 550 passes in two of the past three years (2021 and 2022). Cousins has also supported an overall WR1 before (Jefferson in 2022).
While this one is more of a long shot, the potential is there for London to finish as the overall WR1. He has a quarterback who should throw it 35 to 40 times per game, and the 23-year-old wideout is talented. He was a former top-10 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft but hasn't lived up to that due to Atlanta's poor quarterback play over the past two years.
Now, though, the young wideout finally has an above-average passer throwing him the ball every week. Cousins has always fed his WR1s, which should benefit London in 2024. Take a chance on him in the second round because he does have overall WR1 upside on a solid offense with strong quarterback play.
Other Overall WR1 Candidates
- Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
- Nico Collins, Houston Texans
- Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
- Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
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