Who would you put atop your fantasy football WR rankings for the Divisional Round? It’s a simple question, but it comes without a simple answer. It requires you to blend upside with floor, matchups with the weather, and much more.
Do you prefer a high volume of targets, quality of targets, or scoring equity? It’s kind of like asking someone how they like their steak — there are a ton of answers, and the person answering will feel strongly that their take is the only way to go. Here are my thoughts to help guide you through the Divisional Round.
Which WRs Should You Start in Fantasy Football?
Of course, every league will offer tweaks (player limits per team, unique scoring bonuses, etc.), so use this as a guide more than anything. Or, hit me up on social media with your specific situation, and I’ll advise as best I can.
MORE: Soppe’s Divisional Round Rankings — QB | RB | TE | DST | K
Before I get to the positional rankings, many fantasy managers may take part in “rest of playoff” formats and/or are just curious as to how I see the remainder of the postseason playing out. Naturally, projecting results is a big part of doing the rankings, so these picks factor into my rankings.
AFC Playoff Picks
- Saturday: Baltimore Ravens over Houston Texans
- Sunday: Kansas City Chiefs over Buffalo Bills
Conference Champion: Ravens
NFC Playoff Picks
Saturday: San Francisco 49ers over Green Bay Packers
Sunday: Tampa Bay Buccaneers over Detroit Lions
Conference Champion: 49ers
Fantasy Football WR Rankings
1) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (vs. TB)
2) Brandon Aiyuk | SF (vs. GB)
3) Rashee Rice | KC (at BUF)
4) Mike Evans | TB (at DET)
5) Nico Collins | HOU (at BAL)
6) Deebo Samuel | SF (vs. GB)
7) Stefon Diggs | BUF (vs. KC)
8) Jayden Reed | GB (at SF)
9) Zay Flowers | BAL (vs. HOU)
10) Chris Godwin | TB (at DET)
11) Romeo Doubs | GB (at SF)
12) Odell Beckham Jr. | BAL (vs. HOU)
13) Jameson Williams | DET (vs. TB)
14) Gabe Davis | BUF (vs. KC)
15) Christian Watson | GB (at SF)
16) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (at SF)
17) John Metchie III | HOU (at BAL)
18) Khalil Shakir | BUF (vs. KC)
19) Robert Woods | HOU (at BAL)
20) Rashod Bateman | BAL (vs. HOU)
21) Trey Palmer | TB (at DET)
22) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | KC (at BUF)
23) Josh Reynolds | DET (vs. TB)
Top WR To Start in the Divisional Round
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs (at BUF)
If there was any doubt left as to whether this rookie was ready for the bright playoff lights, Rice erased them in the Wild Card win over the Miami Dolphins by turning a 35.3% target share into eight grabs for 130 yards and a score.
Rice has now seen at least nine targets in six of his past seven games. You could argue that he has passed TE Travis Kelce in terms of red-zone-target hierarchy.
MORE: FREE Fantasy Football Start/Sit Optimizer
Rice is closing in on matchup-proof status, given his array of skills, but even if you’re skeptical about making the leap in considering him as a WR1 in your 2024 fantasy football rankings, this is a perfect setup for him.
The Bills own the second-lowest opponent aDOT (average depth of target) this season, a defensive philosophy that would lower the ceiling of most. However, Rice isn’t most.
With him averaging 8.4 yards per catch after the reception this season (second to only Deebo Samuel), Rice figures to see plenty of volume and succeed at a high level with those looks.
Last season, QB Patrick Mahomes saw his aDOT dip by 14.6% during the postseason, and that was without a YAC monster as his WR1. I’m looking for that trend to continue and for Rice to be the primary beneficiary.