Updated Fantasy Football Rankings: PPR Wide Receivers

Fantasy football rankings change as often as wide receivers change NFL teams the week before the season starts. The wide receiver merry-go-round is spinning quicker than Tyreek Hill does when he is breaking tackles in the secondary.

Some pass catchers are dealing with demotions, injuries or being cut, while others are finding higher spots on their teams’ depth charts, which may translate into higher fantasy values for them during the season. It is training camp madness out there, fantasy folks.

The rankings for wide receivers in PPR leagues have been greatly affected by what has gone on the past couple weeks, that is for sure. And that's why I'm here today, bringing your my take on RotoBaller’s updated fantasy football rankings for wide receivers in PPR leagues as we approach the final days of fantasy drafts before Week 1.

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2021 Wide Receiver PPR Rankings

Position Rank	Position Tier	Player Name	Overall Tier	Overall Rank
1	1	Davante Adams	1	8
2	1	Stefon Diggs	2	11
3	1	Tyreek Hill	2	13
4	2	DeAndre Hopkins	2	14
5	2	Calvin Ridley	2	15
6	2	D.K. Metcalf	3	20
7	2	Justin Jefferson	3	22
8	2	Keenan Allen	3	23
9	3	Allen Robinson II	3	24
10	3	A.J. Brown	3	25
11	3	Terry McLaurin	3	27
12	3	Robert Woods	3	30
13	4	CeeDee Lamb	3	31
14	4	Chris Godwin	3	34
15	4	Diontae Johnson	3	36
16	4	Mike Evans	4	38
17	5	Amari Cooper	4	39
18	5	Cooper Kupp	4	40
19	5	Tyler Lockett	4	41
20	5	D.J. Moore	4	42
21	5	Julio Jones	4	44
22	5	Adam Thielen	4	45
23	5	Tee Higgins	4	46
24	5	Jerry Jeudy	4	48
25	5	Brandon Aiyuk	5	58
26	6	JuJu Smith-Schuster	5	61
27	6	Odell Beckham Jr.	5	64
28	6	Robby Anderson	5	65
29	6	Corey Davis	5	67
30	6	Tyler Boyd	5	70
31	6	Kenny Golladay	5	72
32	6	Courtland Sutton	5	74
33	6	Ja'Marr Chase	6	76
34	6	Laviska Shenault Jr.	6	77
35	6	Chase Claypool	6	78
36	7	Deebo Samuel	6	79
37	7	Michael Pittman Jr.	6	80
38	7	DeVonta Smith	6	82
39	7	D.J. Chark Jr.	6	84
40	7	Mike Williams	6	85
41	7	Jarvis Landry	6	88
42	7	Will Fuller V	7	89
43	7	Curtis Samuel	7	97
44	7	Antonio Brown	7	98
45	7	Marvin Jones Jr.	7	99
46	7	Marquez Callaway	7	102
47	7	Brandin Cooks	7	103
48	7	Michael Gallup	7	104
49	8	Jakobi Meyers	7	106
50	8	Darnell Mooney	7	107
51	8	Jaylen Waddle	7	111
52	8	Russell Gage	8	117
53	8	Elijah Moore	8	119
54	8	DeVante Parker	8	125
55	8	Mecole Hardman	8	128
56	8	Henry Ruggs III	8	129
57	8	Marquise Brown	8	130
58	8	Marquez Valdes-Scantling	9	133
59	8	Sterling Shepard	9	134
60	8	Parris Campbell	9	137
61	8	Bryan Edwards	9	139
62	8	Michael Thomas	9	144
63	8	Terrace Marshall Jr.	9	152
64	8	Amon-Ra St. Brown	10	156
65	8	Nelson Agholor	10	159
66	8	Tyrell Williams	10	162
67	8	Jalen Reagor	10	165
68	8	Cole Beasley	10	166
69	8	Rondale Moore	10	167
70	8	Rashod Bateman	11	181
71	9	Emmanuel Sanders	11	183
72	9	A.J. Green	11	193
73	9	Tre'Quan Smith	12	196
74	9	Gabriel Davis	12	197
75	9	Jamison Crowder	12	199
76	9	Quez Watkins	12	200
77	9	Josh Palmer	12	201
78	9	Christian Kirk	12	202
79	9	Sammy Watkins	12	205
80	9	Dyami Brown	12	208
81	9	Darius Slayton	12	210
82	9	KJ Hamler	12	211
83	10	Adam Humphries	13	224
84	10	Donovan Peoples-Jones	13	229
85	10	Randall Cobb	13	231
86	10	Allen Lazard	13	233
87	10	Nico Collins	13	238
88	10	DeSean Jackson	13	241
89	10	Quintez Cephus	13	242
90	10	Zach Pascal	14	251
91	10	Hunter Renfrow	14	252
92	10	Kadarius Toney	14	253
93	10	Rashard Higgins	14	265
94	10	Frank Darby	14	266
95	10	Demarcus Robinson	14	268
96	10	Tutu Atwell	15	269
97	10	Amari Rodgers	15	271
98	10	Van Jefferson	15	272
99	10	D'Wayne Eskridge	15	273
100	10	Juwan Johnson	15	274
101	10	Josh Reynolds	15	277
102	10	Keelan Cole Sr.	15	278
103	10	Olamide Zaccheaus	15	281
104	10	N'Keal Harry	15	282
105	11	T.Y. Hilton	15	285
106	11	Tim Patrick	15	286
107	11	Denzel Mims	15	289
108	11	Byron Pringle	15	291
109	11	Kendrick Bourne	15	295
110	11	Jaelon Darden	15	296
111	11	Scotty Miller	15	299
112	11	Dede Westbrook	15	304
113	11	Deonte Harris	15	311
114	11	Devin Duvernay	16	317
115	11	Cornell Powell	16	322
116	11	Chris Conley	16	323
117	11	James Washington	16	326
118	11	Tyron Johnson	16	329
119	11	Jalen Hurd	16	331
120	11	Miles Boykin	16	332
121	11	Preston Williams	16	334
122	11	Cam Sims	16	336
123	12	Greg Ward	16	340
124	12	Auden Tate	16	341
125	12	Jakeem Grant Sr.	17	346
126	12	Damiere Byrd	17	348
127	12	Jalen Guyton	17	349
128	12	Albert Wilson	17	351
129	12	Cordarrelle Patterson	17	353
130	12	Breshad Perriman	17	354
131	12	Kalif Raymond	17	360
132	12	Anthony Miller	17	362
133	12	Cedrick Wilson	17	367
134	12	John Brown	17	370
135	12	Mohamed Sanu	17	375
136	12	Andy Isabella	17	380
137	12	Tyler Johnson	18	386
138	12	Collin Johnson	18	391
139	12	Ihmir Smith-Marsette	18	392
140	12	Willie Snead IV	18	394
141	12	Anthony Schwartz	18	397
142	13	John Ross	18	403
143	13	Keke Coutee	18	404
144	13	Isaiah McKenzie	18	406
145	13	Marquez Stevenson	18	408
146	13	Tylan Wallace	18	411
147	13	Braxton Berrios	18	413
148	13	Lil'Jordan Humphrey	18	418
149	13	Noah Brown	18	420
150	13	Kenny Stills	18	421
151	13	J.J. Arcega-Whiteside	18	423
152	13	Demetric Felton	18	427
153	13	Travis Fulgham	18	428
154	13	K.J. Osborn	18	430
155	13	Cameron Batson	18	431
156	13	Simi Fehoko	18	433
157	13	Zay Jones	18	434
158	13	Marquise Goodwin	18	444

 

Tier 1

After leading all wideouts with 18 touchdowns receptions and averaging 10.6 targets and 98 receiving yards per game in 2020, Adams should be rated right where he is. Thank goodness Aaron Rodgers is sticking around in Green Bay with him for one more year or else Adams’ fantasy value would have taken a Ronnie Lott-like hit. The only complaint is he has missed at least one game in each of the past four seasons, but that is not enough to knock him out of the catbird seat.

Diggs led the NFL in receptions and targets last season while making Buffalo’s brass look like geniuses for trading for him. The Bills did little in the offseason to upgrade their pass-catching corps (Emmanuel Sanders and Jacob Hollister?), so Diggs should be peppered by Josh Allen passes all season long again. Only reason he is not No. 1 is he does not score the touchdowns Adams does.

Hill is the most explosive receiver in the NFL. He can go catchless for three quarters and then bless fantasy managers with a 78-yard TD in the fourth quarter. But his improved route running is what has helped him the most in PPR leagues. Hill is no longer just a one-dimensional big-play-or-bust receiver, although he was only ranked 17^th in receptions in 2020, which is why he is slotted third despite having Patrick Mahomes as his QB and scoring 37 touchdowns over the past three seasons.

 

Tier 2

Hopkins is so good that his 115-1,407-6 line in his first year as an Arizona Cardinal might have disappointed some of his fantasy managers since his touchdown total was his lowest since 2016. Offensive mastermind Kliff Kingsbury will get the ball into Hopkins’ hands inside the end zone this year more than he did last year, and Hopkins is a PPR monster considering he has averaged 103 catches per year over his last six seasons.

It will be interesting to see how Ridley does as Atlanta’s No. 1 WR now that Julio Jones has been shipped to Tennessee. While you might assume Ridley will have trouble getting open versus constant double teams, that was not the case last season. In the seven games Jones missed due to injury, Ridley racked up five 100-yard games.

Metcalf could have ended up as a top-3 fantasy WR last season if a bum ankle did not slow his super speed and reduce him to an average receiver down the stretch. No receiver in the league has the natural physical ability that he has. Can Metcalf be a 100-reception receiver like his teammate Tyler Lockett was last season? That is the one question holding this premiere playmaker back a bit in PPR formats.

Jefferson set the NFL rookie record for receiving yards with 1,400 last season, although let’s hope his preseason shoulder injury is not a precursor to a sophomore slump. While Adam Thielen doubled Jefferson’s touchdown total in 2020, Jefferson will not have to worry about tight end Irv Smith Jr. eating up more touchdowns and targets since Minnesota’s top tight end tore his meniscus and will miss most of the season.

Allen has shaken the injury-prone tag he earned earlier in his career (two missed games in last four seasons). He is more valuable in PPR formats thanks to his targets and touches (591 and 403 respectively) over that same sparkling four-year span.

 

Tier 3

Robinson was able to post 1,000-yard years with the likes of Blake Bortles and Mitchell Trubisky throwing to him, so he can be a fantasy force if Andy Dalton is Chicago’s starting signal caller for the first several games. What will be intriguing is how well Robinson can do if/when phenom Justin Fields takes the reins.

Calvin Ridley had no trouble being a fantasy force with Julio Jones on the opposite of the field, so Jones’ presence should not hurt Brown’s fantasy value this year, either. Brown’s breakaway speed and big body make him a matchup nightmare for cornerbacks. He could have had 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns if his ankles and knees did not hamper him so often.

McLaurin is so good he was able to post 87 catches for 1,114 yards with Alex Smith, Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen and Taylor Heinicke as his quarterback foursome. Is 95 receptions for 1,350 yards possible with Ryan Fitzpatrick as his new battery mate? Maybe not, but McLaurin’s numbers have a better chance of going up then down.

Woods has Matthew Stafford throwing to him now, has less competition for targets than he has in years, and is coming off three consecutive seasons of at least 86 receptions and 129 targets. His lack of touchdowns and big plays makes him less attractive in other formats, but PPR plays to his strengths.

 

Tier 4

Lamb and Godwin are in similar boats and might sink or swim depending on how the target totals shake out in their respective receiving corps. I think Lamb has less bodies to overcome and the bigger upside between the two, so I would take him if I had to choose.

Johnson led Pittsburgh’s deep receiving crew with 144 targets in 2020. He is the best fantasy bet of the Steelers pass catchers, but with “Big Ben” Roethlisberger’s passes being divided between Johnson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chase Claypool, Eric Ebron and Pat Freiermuth, it is hard to envision Johnson having a 1,300-yard year.

Evans has been the picture of consistency during his career --- seven seasons, seven 1,000-yard years. His reception total has gone down due to Tampa Bay being blessed with so many talented pass catchers, but his TD total is still strong since Tom Brady looks for him first inside the red zone.

 

Tier 5

Cooper has had back-to-back 1,100-yard years in his first two full seasons with Dallas, but his fantasy needle is trending down in the eyes of many who see Lamb and Michael Gallup taking some of his targets. Having Dak Prescott back at the helm of the Cowboys offense definitely helps Cooper’s fantasy worth, though.

Kupp’s fantasy will probably go up slightly thanks to the quarterback upgrade of going from Jared Goff to Matthew Stafford. The jury is out on whether Moore going from Teddy Bridgewater to Sam Darnold as his QB is an upgrade or a downgrade.

The timing of Thomas’ offseason ankle surgery made his fantasy managers in keeper leagues just as angry as it did New Orleans head honcho Sean Peyton. It might cost him a month of games, but if we see the 2019 Thomas that dominated the NFL and not the 2020 incarnation that limped around catching seven-yard passes, it will be worth the wait.

The rest of the tier is split between longtime fantasy stalwarts who still produce great numbers but might be on the downside of their careers (Adam Thielen, Julio Jones) and young upstarts who might be on the verge of superstardom (Higgins, Jeudy, Aiyuk). I think Jones will want to prove naysayers wrong for thinking we have seen his best --- and the Atlanta Falcons wrong for trading him.

 

Tier 6

This is where fantasy managers can start taking some chances since they probably have their top two or three receivers on their rosters already. Golladay has to contend with a quarterback in Daniel Jones who has not exactly made the fantasy values of his receivers better in his early career, but Golladay could pile up 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns if he stays healthy and Jones can hit him when he is wide open.

Shenault is a sleeper because the injury to Travis Etienne in Jacksonville not opens up targets for him as a receiver, it opens up carries for him as a rusher. Shenault had 18 rushing attempts last season and might be in for double that this season.

I do not trust Beckham coming off another season-ending injury while jammed in a run-first offense with Jarvis Landry and three decent tight ends. I do not trust Davis (11 TD in four seasons) as a No. 1 WR even though the Jets paid him like he is one. Chase and Boyd are going to be in each other’s fantasy ways in Cincinnati, so not sure I trust either of them, either.      

 

Tier 7

Pittman has the most exciting skills out of Indianapolis’ mediocre receiving corps, and T.Y. Hilton’s neck injury now makes him the legitimate No. 1 WR in Indy. Pittman’s problem is that Carson Wentz rarely remains injury-free, so he might struggle mightily if Wentz is not on the field.

Smith has dynasty keeper/foundation player written all over his after his amazing college career. Let’s hope his fantasy value is not dragged down by Jalen Hurts, who seems to elevate the values of his tight ends more than his receivers.

I do not expect Fuller and Jones Jr. to do as well in their new homes as they did in recent seasons due to the situations both are in. In the latter’s case, I would definitely prefer going with Shenault or Chark over Jones if I had to choose a Jaguars WR.

Callaway clicked with new starting signal caller Jameis Winston during New Orleans’ preseason, so couple that with Michael Thomas missing the first four games and his name has been rising up fantasy draft boards. He was an undrafted rookie last season, though, so do not bank on him being a Thomas clone just yet.

 

Tier 8

Parker’s numbers were almost cut in half in 2020 compared to 2019 thanks to nagging injuries and inconsistent quarterback play. I expect him to bounce back and deliver No. 3 or 4 WR fantasy stats when he will likely be drafted as a WR5.

Hardman must prove he can be a home run hitter in Kansas City’s high-octane offense and not a slugger who strikes out all the time. Brown must prove he can be a 1,000-yard receiver on a team that throws the ball less than any team in the league. Ruggs must prove he can be Las Vegas’ No. 1 WR or else he will face the wrath of Jon Gruden (and fantasy managers)

Take a flyer on Thomas and pray he is back to his old self by Week 5 and is not the 2020 version where he was limping around the field catching Drew Brees’ seven-yard slants. He is a PPR demigod when his body is 100 percent and he could thrive with Jameis Winston throwing to him rather than Brees.

I love Tyrell Williams as a fantasy sleeper. Many will forget about him since he missed all of 2020 due to injury, but he is slated to be the No. 1 WR on what appears to be a god-awful team that will allow him to rack up meaningless yards and touchdowns when the Lions are nonstop throwing in the second halves of all the games they lose. Detroit releasing Breshad Perriman last week makes Williams even more inviting.

 

Tier 9 and Lower

You are not looking for steady veteran production here. No reason to settle for a 700-yard guy when you could use a low-round, low-risk draft pick or auction buck on a receiver who could be a boom. And if he is a bust, it is no loss --- just drop him for another WR on the waiver wire later in the season.

My faves in these lower tiers are:

A.J. Green --- He might now be a past-his-prime possession receiver now, but he could still muster 800 yards and eight touchdowns in Arizona's pass-often offense.

Gabriel Davis --- With John Brown no longer around, the door is Davis' to open if he wants to take advantage of the double teams Stefon Diggs gets and become Buffalo's No. 2 WR

Denzel Mims --- Despite having a training camp that would worry fantasy managers, Mims is one to watch since the Jets lack a true No. 1 WR and he showed flashes of brilliance when he finally got on the field last season. No downside to drafting him in the last round or two and praying for 800-1,000 yards.

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