Ellis Johnsons' Wide Receivers #20-29: Half PPR Draft Rankings

Last season my wide receiver draft rankings finished 15th in the FantasyPros accuracy contest. For this article, I have projected each player's stat lines and ranked where they line up. In this series of articles, I share my top 60 WRs, with a detailed analysis of each player. 

My projections are created based on the number of passing yards, completions, and touchdowns that I believe each team will get. Using previous year's data and the current betting lines for players' individual yards and touchdowns, I collected the data and made my projections

Here is the link to all of my rankings and projections for each position. I hope you enjoy the list!

• 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

Fantasy Football Wide Receivers #20-29

August 2022 update: I have included my pre-projection ranking in brackets

20. (8) Keenan Allen (WR, LAC): In classic changing of the guard fashion, Allen finds himself well behind his teammate. Perennially one of the most underrated receivers, Allen is elite. Last season, Allen was sixth in the league in receptions and finished as the WR11. In fact, Allen has been a top-12 fantasy WR each of the last five seasons. That’s remarkable. He is already a bonafide WR1, but If Allen can find his way to double-digit touchdowns, he could be a top-15 WR. With Herbert under center, that could easily happen. Obviously, I am a huge believer in Mike Williams this season (as I have him in my top 10), but if  Allen starts falling in drafts he could become an excellent value in drafts.

21. (36) Brandon Aiyuk (WR, SF): Let's break down what we know of Brandon Aiyuk. Drafted with the 25th overall pick by the 49ers, he has had a very up-and-down career so far. Thankfully, most of the positives have been his on-field production, while the negatives revolve around being in Kyle Shannahan's dog house. Right out of the gate as a rookie, Aiyuk managed to average the 17th most fantasy points per game at the position. Following this season, he was reported to have a great camp, but somehow found himself with only two targets and averaging less than half the snaps over the opening two games of 2021. This was very confusing, as no one seemed to understand the thought process behind his usage. Thankfully, as the season went on he displayed that his early season usage had nothing to do with ability, and most likely everything to do with some off-field team issue.

Now, heading into 2022 we find ourselves in a similar boat. All reports out of camp are glowing and even the coaching staff have said he has made a "giant leap" forward. Aiyuk has all the ability to be a great NFL receiver, the biggest question is Trey Lance. I am a huge Trey Lance believer which has me ranking both Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel high. I would love to have him ranked higher as I think he is a great talent, but I can't since he shares work with George Kittle and Samuel.

22. (26) Robert Woods (WR, TEN): There are four guarantees in life; death, taxes, Ochocinco will always be open, and Borreal Bobby will be underrated in fantasy leagues. I am shocked how few people have discussed the impact A.J. Brown leaving will have on Woods. Last season, Woods was the WR12 through the first nine weeks of the season. Although Treylon Burks is a great prospect, I don’t expect an immediate impact, especially with the negative reports from camp. This leaves Woods to be Tannehill’s guy. Don’t sleep (again) on the perennial WR2 this year.

23. (24) Rashod Bateman (WR, BAL): Touted to be one of the more talented receivers of the 2021 class, Bateman gets his shot in 2022. With an injury-plagued 2021 season, Bateman failed to statistically impress; however, if you watched him, you know he has what it takes to produce in the NFL. Although he has a very different skillset from Hollywood Brown, Lamar Jackson supported Brown as a top-10 fantasy WR for the first eight weeks of the season. With Brown now a Cardinal, the targets and opportunities will be there for Bateman to play a big role. Defenses should focus on Mark Andrews as the top option, which will leave Bateman primed for solid volume and fantasy production for 2022. 

24. (21) Terry McLaurin (WR, WAS): 1000+ yards and four-plus touchdowns, you might as well hand these stats to McLaurin, because that is what he does. The ultra-talented WR is another player brought down by the team around them. Thankfully, this season, he finally has a starter from Week 1 that should be there all season. Unfortunately, that QB is Carson Wentz. The good news is that we just saw Wentz carry Pittman to a WR17 finish in 2021. WR17 sounds right about where Terry could finish, and unless he scores a career-high in touchdowns, that might be his ceiling as well. McLaurin, Cooks, and Woods round out the veteran receivers that I love as a consistent WR2 in 2022.

25. (26) Michael Thomas (WR, NOS): There is nothing I can say to convince you that Thomas is still elite. That’s the inherent risk of making this pick. Thankfully, he remains the undisputed WR1 on the team even with Chris Olave joining the mix. The real question with Thomas is what we think of Jamies Winston and their new head coach. Vintage Winston was nowhere to be found last season, as he failed to crack 300 yards in a game and only threw three interceptions in eight games. Unless they unleash Winston and completely change from last year, this conservative play will limit Thomas’ ceiling and make him a volume-based WR2. 

26. (23) Allen Robinson (WR, LAR): Usually I am not a fan of aging receivers on new teams. However, everything from camp this offseason has been positive around Robinson. Not only is he looking good at practice and developing chemistry with Stafford, but the team has not managed to re-sign Odell Beckham Jr. (at least not yet). Plus, with Van Jefferson currently recovering from an injury, Robinson should cement himself as the clear second option to Kupp. My biggest concern here is the news about Stafford's elbow injury. If he is to aggravate this during the season, I expect Robinson to be impacted the most. This adds some risk to the pick, but the upside is certainly there.

27. (35) Allen Lazard (WR, GB): This was another WR that surprised me in my projections. When I was statting him out, I felt that I was being relatively conservative for Aaron Rodgers' top WR. However, you give anyone double-digit touchdowns and they are bound to shoot up rankings. Although I really like Loverboy Romeo Doubs, I think the hype is getting a little too loud. Doubs may steal some big games from Lazard, however, Lazard should be the consistent fantasy option throughout the season. He might not be the most talented WR, but being on the same page as Rodgers should easily make him a WR3 for fantasy.

28. (26) Jerry Jeudy (WR, DEN): This might be the year of receiver duos on the same team producing for fantasy. The Bengals, Dolphins, and Broncos are all primed to have two options at WR. Especially with the injury to Tim Patrick, Jeudy and Sutton are primed for a big season. Although I see Sutton being the clear 1A on this team, this offense can easily support both stars. What worries me is that despite being an ultra-talented prospect, we have yet to really see his skills succeed at the NFL level. In 26 career games, he has only cracked double-digit fantasy production in four games. As a result, I have a lot more confidence in Courtland Sutton dominating the main role, while Jeudy leads the cluster of receiving options behind him.

29. (25) Diontae Johnson (WR, PIT): Who would have thought it would take me three articles to get to Johnson? It’s near impossible to predict what this offense will look like in Week 1. All of a sudden, we have rumors that Mason Rudolph looks the best in camp and that Trubisky is struggling. Then, all of a sudden Trubisky appeared to regain the job, then proceeded to be outperformed by Kenny Pickett. As my new ranking reflects, the more I think of the situation, the more I worry about this entire offense. Despite having an elite head coach, it looks like the Steelers could compete for the worst offense in the league. Johnson’s target share should be locked and loaded regardless of who is under center. I don’t see much upside for Johnson, but in any form of PPR, he should find a way to flirt with being a top-30 option.

Stay tuned for my next article, where I discuss WRs #30-40!

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