Top 5 fantasy wide receiver rankings for the NFL’s Wild Card round
1) Stefon Diggs vs. Indianapolis Colts
2) A.J. Brown vs. Baltimore Ravens
3) Terry McLaurin at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4) Chris Godwin vs. Washington Football Team
5) Allen Robinson at New Orleans Saints
Stefon Diggs finished as the WR3 in fantasy with 328.6 points on the season. His 20+ ppg are matched only by Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill.
If you need a home run, few players can deliver like Titans WR A.J. Brown, who scored in 10 different games in 2020. In his second season, Brown has back-to-back 1,000 yards seasons, 19 touchdowns, and averaged 17.2 points per game in 2020.
Both Godwin and Robinson could be suiting up for their teams one last time
Despite having three different QBs start at least four games, Terry McLaurin proved he is one of the best in the game. The second-year wideout finishes the season with 87 receptions for 1,118 yards and four touchdowns. He came into Week 17 banged up but seemed to exit no worse for wear. Washington will be playing from behind, and the target share McLaurin will see has him inside my top fantasy wide receiver rankings for the NFL playoffs.
With Mike Evans potentially out, Chris Godwin has a chance to end the season on a high note as he approaches free agency. Godwin has scored four touchdowns in the last three games. But those games were against the Falcons twice and the Lions. This week things are harder against Washington, whose 30.71 points per game allowed to WRs are the third-fewest. Volume and scoring opportunities will offset the matchup.
In likely his final regular-season game as Chicago Bear, Robinson was quiet, catching two of five targets for 37 yards. However, don’t let that get in the way of just how good of a season Allen Robinson had in 2020. The All-Pro wideout had 1,250 yards and six touchdowns off a career-high 102 receptions. He should be one of the most highly sought after WRs in 2021.
NFL Wild Card fantasy rankings for WRs 6-10
6) D.K. Metcalf vs. Los Angeles Rams
7) Robert Woods at Seattle Seahawks
8) Diontae Johnson vs. Cleveland Browns
9) Antonio Brown vs. Washington Football Team
10) JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. Cleveland Browns
D.K. Metcalf took a backseat to Tyler Lockett on Sunday. He was blanketed all night by the 49ers, and his matchup against Jalen Ramsey won’t get any better. In his two games against the Rams in 2020, Metcalf has eight receptions on 12 targets for 87 yards and no touchdowns. He is a threat to break a long play at any time and is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.
The value of Robert Woods is directly tied to the status of Jared Goff and Cooper Kupp. After testing positive, Kupp missed Week 17 and needs a series of negatives results to come back. If he misses and Goff can play, Woods could see double-digit targets in a must-win game.
A trio of current and former Steelers crack the top 10
I think the message was well-received for Diontae Johnson after being benched in Week 14. In his last three games, Johnson has 31 targets, catching 19 for 229 yards and two touchdowns. He has seen double-digit targets in 10 games. He will get Roethlisberger back for their Wild Card game against Cleveland and should be his top option.
It took a while, but Antonio Brown is looking like himself again. He’s scored four times, including in three straight games. He also recorded his first 100-yard game in Sunday’s win. In Sunday’s game, where Evans went down early on, Brown finished with 11 receptions on 14 targets for 138 yards.
Smith-Schuster finished the regular season with a career-high nine touchdowns thanks to a 2-yard touchdown on the team’s final drive. He has scored in back-to-back games has a great chance to make it three in a row.
Tight end rankings for the Wild Card Weekend
1) Mark Andrews at Tennessee Titans
2) Logan Thomas at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3) Jared Cook vs. Chicago Bears
4) Rob Gronkowski vs. Washington Football Team
5) Eric Ebron vs. Cleveland Browns
From Weeks 10 to 16, Mark Andrews never finished outside TE10 in fantasy with three games inside the top five at the position. Andrews saw a 24% target share on the season and is Lamar Jackson’s most reliable target. The Titans allow the third-highest fantasy points per target to TEs at 2.06 PPR and are fourth in yards per target (8.31).
In a position devoid of depth, Logan Thomas was a pleasant surprise and finished as the TE3 on the season while averaging 11 points per game. His 110 targets were tied for second on the team (McKissic), but he led Washington in touchdowns with six. The Buccaneers give up on average 13.89 points per game to the position.
Jared Cook and Rob Gronkowski could have larger roles due to injuries
Jared Cook has logged 82 yards or scored a touchdown in four of his past five games. He gets a terrific opportunity for a monster game next week against a Bears defense that has been lit up by tight ends all season. Chicago is 31st in points allowed (15.7), has given up 12 TDs (third), and is sixth in points per target at 1.99. If either Alvin Kamara or Michael Thomas can not play, expect a heavy dosage of Jared Cook, especially in the red zone. His potential to score has him inside my top fantasy tight ends rankings for the NFL playoffs.
With Both Brown and Godwin going off, Rob Gronkowski had a quiet end to the season. But with Evans out of the picture, he is likely to be Brady’s safety blanket in the red zone. He won’t light it up in yards, but hardly anyone is better at getting open and knowing where Brady will be looking. When ranking fantasy TEs for the NFL playoffs, it’s hard not to go with one of the best to ever play.
Eric Ebron comes in as TE5 in the fantasy TE rankings for the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend. He missed Week 17 after being placed on the NFL’s reserve list as a close contact. He finished the 2020 regular season with 56 receptions on 91 targets for 558 yards and five touchdowns over 15 games.
NFL Wild Card fantasy rankings for TEs 6-10
6) Tyler Higbee at Seattle Seahawks
7) Cole Kmet at New Orleans Saints
8) Austin Hooper at Pittsburgh Steelers
9) Dawson Knox vs. Indianapolis Colts
10) Jonnu Smith vs. Baltimore Ravens
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Tommy Garrett is a writer for PFN covering Fantasy Football. You can read more of his work here and follow him at @TommygarrettPFN on Twitter.