We are quite a distance away from traditional managed redraft leagues. For the next few months, Best Ball will dominate the redraft fantasy football discussion. To prepare fantasy managers for months of drafting, here are our top 100 Best Ball WR rankings for the 2024 season.
Best Ball WR Rankings for the 2024 Season
Other Positional Best Ball Rankings: QB | RB | TE
1) Tyreek Hill | MIA
2) CeeDee Lamb | DAL
3) Ja’Marr Chase | CIN
4) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET
5) Justin Jefferson | MIN
6) Puka Nacua | LAR
7) Garrett Wilson | NYJ
8) A.J. Brown | PHI
9) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND
10) Davante Adams | LV
11) Drake London | ATL
12) Marvin Harrison Jr. | FA
13) Chris Olave | NO
14) DJ Moore | CHI
15) Brandon Aiyuk | SF
16) Rashee Rice | KC
17) Nico Collins | HOU
18) Mike Evans | TB
19) Malik Nabers | FA
20) DK Metcalf | SEA
21) Tank Dell | HOU
22) Deebo Samuel | SF
23) Jaylen Waddle | MIA
24) Keenan Allen | CHI
25) Tee Higgins | CIN
26) Amari Cooper | CLE
27) DeVonta Smith | PHI
28) Cooper Kupp | LAR
29) Christian Kirk | JAX
30) Zay Flowers | BAL
31) Rome Odunze | FA
32) Jordan Addison | MIN
33) Stefon Diggs | HOU
34) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA
35) Jayden Reed | GB
36) DeAndre Hopkins | TEN
37) Terry McLaurin | WAS
38) Brian Thomas Jr. | FA
39) George Pickens | PIT
40) Diontae Johnson | CAR
41) Calvin Ridley | TEN
42) Marquise Brown | KC
43) Chris Godwin | TB
44) Courtland Sutton | DEN
45) Xavier Worthy | FA
46) Mike Williams | FA
47) Tyler Lockett | SEA
48) Josh Downs | IND
49) Jakobi Meyers | LV
50) Romeo Doubs | GB
51) DeMario Douglas | NE
52) Adam Thielen | CAR
53) Gabe Davis | JAX
54) Jameson Williams | DET
55) Brandin Cooks | DAL
56) Dontayvion Wicks | GB
57) Joshua Palmer | LAC
58) Curtis Samuel | FA
59) Adonai Mitchell | FA
60) Roman Wilson | FA
61) Troy Franklin | FA
62) Ricky Pearsall | FA
63) Darnell Mooney | ATL
64) Keon Coleman | FA
65) Rashid Shaheed | NO
66) Elijah Moore | CLE
67) Jahan Dotson | WAS
68) Christian Watson | GB
69) Jerry Jeudy | CLE
70) Michael Wilson | ARI
71) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN
72) Darius Slayton | NYG
73) Jalin Hyatt | NYG
74) Rashod Bateman | BAL
75) Michael Thomas | FA
76) Khalil Shakir | BUF
77) DJ Chark | FA
78) Wan’Dale Robinson | NYG
79) Tyler Boyd | FA
80) Zay Jones | JAX
81) Jonathan Mingo | CAR
82) Treylon Burks | TEN
83) Andrei Iosivas | CIN
84) Alec Pierce | IND
85) Quentin Johnston | LAC
86) Demarcus Robinson | LAR
87) K.J. Osborn | NE
88) Michael Gallup | DAL
89) DeVante Parker | NE
90) Odell Beckham Jr. | FA
91) Rondale Moore | ATL
92) Josh Reynolds | FA
93) Robert Woods | HOU
94) Kadarius Toney | KC
95) Cedric Tillman | CLE
96) Kendrick Bourne | NE
97) Hunter Renfrow | FA
98) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | FA
99) John Metchie III | HOU
100) Tutu Atwell | LAR
Top WRs To Draft in Best Ball Leagues
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
I didn’t think Rashee Rice was a particularly good prospect, and I certainly didn’t see him turning into an every-week must-start WR1 down the stretch last season. This is why it’s important to be willing to change our opinions based on new information.
Rice is far from the most polished receiver. I still don’t think he’s as talented as Jordan Addison, Tank Dell, or Puka Nacua, but he’s much better than I thought. And, most importantly, he’s good enough to be Patrick Mahomes’ WR1.
The Kansas City Chiefs added veteran help in the form of Marquise Brown. They desperately needed veteran help. But even with that move, I don’t see Rice just going away. He was too good.
MORE: Should You Trade A.J. Brown, Rashee Rice, and Wan’Dale Robinson in Dynasty?
Rice averaged 13.3 fantasy points per game as a rookie. Taken as a whole, his WR28 finish was impressive. When you split his season up into two parts, his accomplishments are even better.
Rice really started to take over as the clear WR1 in Week 12. From Weeks 12-17 (the Chiefs rested starters in Week 18), Rice averaged 18.5 fantasy ppg. Had Rice performed at this level over the course of a full season, he would’ve been the overall WR5.
Now, that doesn’t mean Rice will automatically be an 18-points-per-game wide receiver in 2024. Yet, he still isn’t a complete receiver. He’s getting better. So if he’s already this good now, it’s hard to argue Rice’s ceiling isn’t 20 points per game.
For a guy tethered to the best quarterback in the history of the sport firmly in his prime, I want all the Rice in 2024.
Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
I’m neither in nor out on Deebo Samuel. I really just wanted to write about him.
Samuel is a very fascinating player for 2024 because he’s priced in between his WR12 finish from 2023 and his WR28 finish from 2022.
In managed leagues, I may not be all that excited about Samuel. His playstyle is very conducive to injury. He’s probably going to miss games, and his tendency to leave games can already cripple fantasy matchups.
It happened twice in 2023, and Samuel served as a decoy in a third game. We talk about how players provide matchup-winning weeks. Well, Samuel gave managers three matchup-losing performances.
In Best Ball, though, it’s a different story. When Samuel gets hurt early or does his disappearing act, someone else will just enter your lineup.
You’re not going to just take the 0.6 points from Week 4 or the 1.1 points from Week 6. That allows you to purely benefit from when he does things as he did from Weeks 12-15, scoring 22.4, 35.8, 34.0, and 21.9 fantasy points, respectively, in those four games.
Samuel remains a volatile weekly option. That’s not always what you want in Best Ball. Few players offer as much upside as Samuel, while also possessing the downside he has.
MORE: Overall Best Ball Rankings 2024
Samuel saw just a 22.5% target share last season in a low-volume passing offense. His 6.6 aDOT (average depth of target) resulted in him having to do the majority of his damage after the catch. He also scored five rushing touchdowns.
I’m neither advocating for nor against Samuel. Rather, I’m merely presenting the information necessary for fantasy managers to make an informed decision in 2024 Best Ball drafts.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
The 2023 rookie wide receiver class is going to be looked back on very fondly in a few years. We had so many talented players enter the league, but not all of them had impactful fantasy football seasons.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s inability to make a dent in DK Metcalf or Tyler Lockett’s production is going to be held against him, just not by me.
Metcalf and Lockett combined to miss just one game in 2023. As a result, Smith-Njigba was relegated to the WR3 role.
Geno Smith can support two fantasy-relevant wide receivers. He cannot support three. Unfortunately, as a rookie, JSN was just never going to supplant Metcalf or Lockett. However, for one game, we did get to see what Smith-Njigba as the WR2 would look like.
KEEP READING: Buy-Low WR Dynasty Trade Targets
In the sole game Metcalf missed, JSN caught four passes for 63 yards and a touchdown, totaling 16.3 fantasy points.
In comparison to his fellow rookie receivers, Smith-Njigba was a disappointment. However, he still managed to catch 63 passes for 628 yards and four touchdowns. Thus, he did enough to make me believe that in an increased role, he could be a fantasy WR2.
I believe this is the year Smith-Njigba overtakes Lockett as the Seahawks’ WR2. Given his cost in early Best Ball drafts, JSN is a guy to target before a potential spike in cost. At a WR3 price tag, he’s being drafted near his floor.
