Non-PPR formats tend to have the most significant impact on total fantasy football production at the WR position due to the nature of the role on the team. This tends to drastically impact the value of smaller slot operators who may catch a lot of passes but don’t see a ton of work down the field or near the end zone.
Here is a closer look at the fantasy wide receiver rankings in a non-PPR format entering the 2024 NFL season.
Ranking the Top Fantasy Wide Receivers
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) A.J. Brown | Philadelphia Eagles
5) Amon-Ra St. Brown | Detroit Lions
6) Garrett Wilson | New York Jets
7) Justin Jefferson | Minnesota Vikings
8) Puka Nacua | Los Angeles Rams
9) Marvin Harrison Jr. | Arizona Cardinals
10) Chris Olave | New Orleans Saints
11) Michael Pittman Jr. | Indianapolis Colts
12) Drake London | Atlanta Falcons
13) Mike Evans | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
14) Brandon Aiyuk | San Francisco 49ers
15) Deebo Samuel Sr. | San Francisco 49ers
16) Amari Cooper | Cleveland Browns
17) Zay Flowers | Baltimore Ravens
18) Jaylen Waddle | Miami Dolphins
19) Rashee Rice | Kansas City Chiefs
20) Davante Adams | Las Vegas Raiders
21) DeVonta Smith | Philadelphia Eagles
22) Malik Nabers | New York Giants
23) Cooper Kupp | Los Angeles Rams
24) Ladd McConkey | Los Angeles Chargers
25) Christian Kirk | Jacksonville Jaguars
26) DJ Moore | Chicago Bears
27) DK Metcalf | Seattle Seahawks
28) Tee Higgins | Cincinnati Bengals
29) Nico Collins | Houston Texans
30) Stefon Diggs | Houston Texans
31) Terry McLaurin | Washington Commanders
32) George Pickens | Pittsburgh Steelers
33) Diontae Johnson | Carolina Panthers
34) Jayden Reed | Green Bay Packers
35) Tank Dell | Houston Texans
36) Chris Godwin | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
37) Khalil Shakir | Buffalo Bills
38) Keenan Allen | Chicago Bears
39) Ja’Lynn Polk | New England Patriots
40) Adonai Mitchell | Indianapolis Colts
41) Xavier Worthy | Kansas City Chiefs
42) Jordan Addison | Minnesota Vikings
43) DeAndre Hopkins | Tennessee Titans
44) Brian Thomas Jr. | Jacksonville Jaguars
45) Courtland Sutton | Denver Broncos
46) Rome Odunze | Chicago Bears
47) Calvin Ridley | Tennessee Titans
48) Romeo Doubs | Green Bay Packers
49) Keon Coleman | Buffalo Bills
50) Malachi Corley | New York Jets
51) Curtis Samuel | Buffalo Bills
52) Christian Watson | Green Bay Packers
53) Joshua Palmer | Los Angeles Chargers
54) Tyler Lockett | Seattle Seahawks
55) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Seattle Seahawks
56) Jermaine Burton | Cincinnati Bengals
57) Jameson Williams | Detroit Lions
58) Rashid Shaheed | New Orleans Saints
59) DeMario Douglas | New England Patriots
60) Jakobi Meyers | Las Vegas Raiders
61) Jahan Dotson | Washington Commanders
62) Gabe Davis | Jacksonville Jaguars
63) Josh Downs | Indianapolis Colts
64) Adam Thielen | Carolina Panthers
65) Jerry Jeudy | Cleveland Browns
66) Troy Franklin | Denver Broncos
67) Xavier Legette | Carolina Panthers
68) Brandin Cooks | Dallas Cowboys
69) Ricky Pearsall | San Francisco 49ers
70) Mike Williams | New York Jets
71) Marvin Mims Jr. | Denver Broncos
72) Quentin Johnston | Los Angeles Chargers
73) Elijah Moore | Cleveland Browns
74) Roman Wilson | Pittsburgh Steelers
75) Michael Wilson | Arizona Cardinals
76) Wan’Dale Robinson | New York Giants
77) Javon Baker | New England Patriots
78) Darnell Mooney | Atlanta Falcons
79) Zay Jones | Arizona Cardinals
80) Rashod Bateman | Baltimore Ravens
81) Tyler Boyd | Tennessee Titans
82) Dontayvion Wicks | Green Bay Packers
83) Jalin Hyatt | New York Giants
84) DJ Chark Jr. | Los Angeles Chargers
85) Darius Slayton | New York Giants
86) Luke McCaffrey | Washington Commanders
87) Treylon Burks | Tennessee Titans
88) Alec Pierce | Indianapolis Colts
89) Jonathan Mingo | Carolina Panthers
90) Odell Beckham Jr. | Miami Dolphins
91) Devontez Walker | Baltimore Ravens
92) Andrei Iosivas | Cincinnati Bengals
93) Brenden Rice | San Francisco 49ers
94) Malik Washington | Miami Dolphins
95) Rondale Moore | Atlanta Falcons
96) Jalen McMillan | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
97) A.T. Perry | New Orleans Saints
98) K.J. Osborn | New England Patriots
99) Kendrick Bourne | New England Patriots
100) Jacob Cowing | San Francisco 49ers
101) Cedric Tillman | Cleveland Browns
102) Demarcus Robinson | Los Angeles Rams
103) Trey Palmer | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
104) Noah Brown | Houston Texans
105) Michael Gallup | Las Vegas Raiders
106) Kadarius Toney | Kansas City Chiefs
107) Josh Reynolds | Denver Broncos
108) Tyler Scott | Chicago Bears
109) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | Buffalo Bills
110) Robert Woods | Houston Texans
Who Are the Best Wide Receivers To Draft in Fantasy?
CeeDee Lamb
Through the first five weeks of the 2023 season, Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb’s performance wasn’t great. He was the WR16 with just 27 receptions for 358 yards and one score, generating just 14.2 fantasy points per game.
However, Lamb’s next four games were outstanding, posting 7+ receptions and 115+ receiving yards to ignite his run to a WR1 overall finish. His final stat line last year was 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 TDs, which makes his 403.2 fantasy points the second-highest fantasy output we’ve seen from a receiver over the last 10 years.
Lamb’s production has trended in the right direction every season of his NFL career, which perhaps foreshadowed his breakout campaign in 2023.
Lamb’s Receiving Production Every Year of His NFL Career:
- 2020: 111 targets, 74 receptions, 935 yards, five TDs (WR22)
- 2021: 120 targets, 79 receptions, 1,102 yards, six TDs (WR19)
- 2022: 156 targets, 107 receptions, 1,359 yards, nine TDs (WR5)
- 2023: 181 targets, 135 receptions, 1,749 yards, 12 TDs (WR1)
Do you notice a trend? Lamb’s targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns have all increased each year of his NFL career. Is it difficult to project better numbers across the board after his exceptional production last year? Yes.
Lamb’s usage is excellent but not outlier-type outstanding. His target share (29.9%) ranked eighth at the position, while his average depth of target (9.5) ranked 70th. However, he is the poster child for how to deploy versatile receivers in today’s NFL to produce fantasy excellence.
Lamb’s 508 slot snaps show how the Cowboys move him all over the formation to help get his free releases off the line of scrimmage. From there, he can utilize his savvy route-running ability and elite yards-after-catch skills to generate fantasy points easily as the focal point of a high-powered passing attack.
He led the league in both red-zone targets (31) and receptions (17) last year in a Dallas offense that made a league-leading 71 trips to the red zone. This elite usage could continue in 2024, with Jake Ferguson likely being Lamb’s top target competition.
One could make an argument the Cowboys may be throwing the ball more this season with Ezekiel Elliott returning as the starting running back — who failed to generate a single rushing attempt of 20+ yards on 183 attempts in 2023 — behind an offensive line that lost multiple starters this offseason.
There’s nothing to suggest that either Ferguson or Brandin Cooks will significantly eat into Lamb’s elite target volume heading into this year. This makes his ceiling as the WR1 overall for the 2024 season well within the range of fantasy outcomes.
Zay Flowers
The historic rookie season we got from Los Angeles Rams WR Puka Nacua makes it easy to overlook just how encouraging Zay Flowers’ 77 receptions for 858 yards and five scores on 108 targets were in 2023, good for a WR31 finish in full-PPR formats.
Flowers had a 68-yard touchdown called back against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11 and didn’t play in the season finale because the Baltimore Ravens had already locked up their home-field advantage by that point, which means these numbers could have been even better last year.
During his rookie year, Flowers showcased his formation versatility (29% of his snaps coming from the slot), separation ability (2.27 yards of separation per target, seventh among receivers), and YAC — yards after the catch — ability (391 yards after the catch). These all feel like encouraging signs for a player entering his second season in the NFL.
Additionally, Flowers was among the league leaders at the WR position in manufactured touches, catching 23 screen passes last year, tied for third trailing behind just Tyreek Hill and Ja’Marr Chase. Still, he flashed the ability to win on the intermediate and third levels of the football field. Flowers even scored on one of his eight carries for 56 yards last year to further showcase his designed touches role in this offense.
But Flowers was so much more than just an underneath YAC threat. He was actually tied for the ninth most receptions to go for 40+ yards in the NFL last year with four such explosive plays in 2023. Even though those vertical shots connected occasionally, the argument can be made both Flowers and Lamar Jackson left a handful of plays on the field last year too.
Sure, it’s not exciting to watch “plays that could’ve been” go unrealized. However, Flowers’ ability to create separation on all three levels of the football field, exceptional YAC ability, and guaranteed touches with offensive coordinator Todd Monken — who makes it a point to get the ball in his hands — should excite you about him potentially taking a big step into fantasy stardom in Year 2.
The team let Odell Beckham Jr. walk this offseason and brought in an unpolished rookie, North Carolina’s Devontez Walker, to contribute. Walker operates as an outside vertical threat and shouldn’t threaten Flowers’ role in this offense.
As the preferred target near the end zone, Mark Andrews will hinder Flowers’ TD output. This was evident last season when the star TE saw more red-zone targets than Flowers despite playing in seven fewer games.
Ultimately, there is target competition present for Flowers, but it’s not enough to threaten projecting an even bigger role in 2024.