It’s a new year. Relying on 2023 alone when creating your fantasy football rankings for 2024 is dangerous, as much has changed across the landscape. Here is my early look at the top wide receivers and how I see them stacking up for the upcoming season.
Ranking the Top Fantasy WRs
FIND MORE POSITIONAL RANKINGS: QB | RB | TE | K | DEF
1) CeeDee Lamb | Dallas Cowboys
2) Tyreek Hill | Miami Dolphins
3) Ja’Marr Chase | Cincinnati Bengals
4) Amon-Ra St. Brown | Detroit Lions
5) Justin Jefferson | Minnesota Vikings
6) A.J. Brown | Philadelphia Eagles
7) Garrett Wilson | New York Jets
8) Brandon Aiyuk | San Francisco 49ers
9) Nico Collins | Houston Texans
10) Michael Pittman Jr. | Indianapolis Colts
11) Puka Nacua | Los Angeles Rams
12) Chris Olave | New Orleans Saints
13) Davante Adams | Las Vegas Raiders
14) Marvin Harrison Jr. | Arizona Cardinals
15) Rashee Rice | Kansas City Chiefs
16) Amari Cooper | Cleveland Browns
17) Drake London | Atlanta Falcons
18) Tee Higgins | Cincinnati Bengals
19) Mike Evans | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
20) Cooper Kupp | Los Angeles Rams
21) Deebo Samuel Sr. | San Francisco 49ers
22) Jaylen Waddle | Miami Dolphins
23) DJ Moore | Chicago Bears
24) DK Metcalf | Seattle Seahawks
25) DeVonta Smith | Philadelphia Eagles
26) Terry McLaurin | Washington Commanders
27) Malik Nabers | New York Giants
28) Stefon Diggs | Houston Texans
29) Jayden Reed | Green Bay Packers
30) Keenan Allen | Chicago Bears
31) Christian Kirk | Jacksonville Jaguars
32) Tank Dell | Houston Texans
33) George Pickens | Pittsburgh Steelers
34) Zay Flowers | Baltimore Ravens
35) Brian Thomas Jr. | Jacksonville Jaguars
36) Hollywood Brown | Kansas City Chiefs
37) Jameson Williams | Detroit Lions
38) Ladd McConkey | Los Angeles Chargers
39) Xavier Worthy | Kansas City Chiefs
40) Chris Godwin | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
41) Diontae Johnson | Carolina Panthers
42) Calvin Ridley | Tennessee Titans
43) Courtland Sutton | Denver Broncos
44) Mike Williams | New York Jets
45) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Seattle Seahawks
46) Christian Watson | Green Bay Packers
47) Jakobi Meyers | Las Vegas Raiders
48) Jerry Jeudy | Cleveland Browns
49) Gabe Davis | Jacksonville Jaguars
50) DeAndre Hopkins | Tennessee Titans
51) Curtis Samuel | Buffalo Bills
52) Michael Wilson | Arizona Cardinals
53) Joshua Palmer | Los Angeles Chargers
54) Romeo Doubs | Green Bay Packers
55) Brandin Cooks | Dallas Cowboys
56) Keon Coleman | Buffalo Bills
57) Rome Odunze | Chicago Bears
58) Rashid Shaheed | New Orleans Saints
59) Jordan Addison | Minnesota Vikings
60) Jahan Dotson | Washington Commanders
61) Tyler Lockett | Seattle Seahawks
62) Adonai Mitchell | Indianapolis Colts
63) Khalil Shakir | Buffalo Bills
64) Dontayvion Wicks | Green Bay Packers
65) Darnell Mooney | Atlanta Falcons
66) Ja’Lynn Polk | New England Patriots
67) Josh Downs | Indianapolis Colts
68) Jalen Tolbert | Dallas Cowboys
69) Adam Thielen | Carolina Panthers
70) Marvin Mims Jr. | Denver Broncos
71) Rashod Bateman | Baltimore Ravens
72) Malachi Corley | New York Jets
73) DeMario Douglas | New England Patriots
74) Zay Jones | Arizona Cardinals
75) Jermaine Burton | Cincinnati Bengals
76) Quentin Johnston | Los Angeles Chargers
77) Rondale Moore | Atlanta Falcons
78) DJ Chark | Los Angeles Chargers
79) Elijah Moore | Cleveland Browns
80) Darius Slayton | New York Giants
81) Greg Dortch | Arizona Cardinals
82) Alec Pierce | Indianapolis Colts
83) Ricky Pearsall | San Francisco 49ers
84) Troy Franklin | Denver Broncos
85) Odell Beckham Jr. | Miami Dolphins
86) Xavier Legette | Carolina Panthers
87) Luke McCaffrey | Washington Commanders
88) Wan’Dale Robinson | New York Giants
89) Treylon Burks | Tennessee Titans
90) Tyler Boyd | Tennessee Titans
91) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | Buffalo Bills
92) Jalin Hyatt | New York Giants
93) Jonathan Mingo | Carolina Panthers
94) Kendrick Bourne | New England Patriots
95) Roman Wilson | Pittsburgh Steelers
96) Kalif Raymond | Detroit Lions
97) Andrei Iosivas | Cincinnati Bengals
98) Javon Baker | New England Patriots
99) Jacob Cowing | San Francisco 49ers
100) A.T. Perry | New Orleans Saints
Who Are the Best Wide Receivers To Draft in Fantasy?
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
Remember when we weren’t sure if his late-season spike was a flash in the pan or not? I think it’s safe to say those times are in the past and that Detroit has one of the premier talents in the game.
PPR PPG since St. Brown’s breakout in Week 13, 2021:
- Justin Jefferson: 21.1
- Tyreek Hill: 20.2
- St. Brown: 19.7
- Cooper Kupp: 19.6
- CeeDee Lamb: 19.6
He’s posted consecutive seasons with a target share north of 28%, and the scariest part of his entire profile is the room for growth. In those two seasons, just seven of his 310 targets (2.3%) have come in the end zone. St. Brown can get open in a phone booth — it’s only a matter of time until that skill is unlocked in a major way in scoring situations.
Nico Collins, Houston Texans
Some connections are just special. Peanut butter and jelly. Mario and Luigi. Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
You just kind of know it when you see it and it becomes a staple in our lives. Not to be overly dramatic, but could Nico Collins and C.J. Stroud be that?
Years 4-6 Anquan Boldin: WR4 (17.5 PPG)
Years 4-8 Brandon Marshall: WR4 (17.6 PPG)
Years 4-5 Dez Bryant: WR4 (19 PPG)
Year 4 Michael Thomas: WR1 (23.4 PPG)
Years 4-8 Tyreek Hill: WR1 (20 PPG)Nico Collins enters Year 4 with a QB top-3 on betting boards for yards and TDs … pic.twitter.com/LJvhAMxUFV
— Kyle Soppe (@KyleSoppePFN) August 7, 2024
We’ve seen these supersized, alpha receivers get paired with a high-end pocket passer in years past and become a printing press when it comes to fantasy production. Here are a few recent examples that come to mind (second full season with their QB, “full” requiring 10+ games from both parties):
- 2011 Calvin Johnson with Matthew Stafford: WR1 (22.5 PPG, career-high in TDs)
- 2012 Dez Bryant with Tony Romo: WR4 (18.7 PPG, career-high in yards)
- 2012 Julio Jones with Matt Ryan: WR12 (16.4 PPG, career-high in TDs)
- 2022 Ja’Marr Chase with Joe Burrow: WR4 (20.2 PPG, career-best season)
Players like Jason Witten, Roddy White, and Tee Higgins did stand in the way of greatness from a target distribution point of view for the three most recent players on that list. I’m not suggesting that Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell won’t have fine seasons, but if Collins follows the trajectory from last season, the impact of the supporting cast will give us a nice little discount on Collins in drafts.