Updated Wide Receiver Draft Rankings for Half-PPR Scoring

Alright RotoBallers, we are just about there. It's been a long offseason but the NFL season finally kicks off tomorrow! With that being said, folks are still having drafts today and tomorrow before the first game kicks off, and we here at RotoBaller are constantly updating our rankings to bring your the latest and greatest.

Today I finish out our staff's Half-PPR rankings series, taking a look at wide receivers and the different tiers that they should be targeted in. Below the rankings table below you will also find my analysis, touching on various players that we like / dislike more than others.

A friendly reminder -- in our Rankings Wizard, you can find the rest of our staff rankings and analysis for Half-PPR, PPR and Standard scoring leagues as well. Without further ado, let's get to it.

Half-PPR Fantasy Football Rankings - Wide Receivers

Below are RotoBaller's consensus staff rankings for the 2019 fantasy football season. These rankings are compiled by Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus, Scott Engel, Bill Dubiel, Dominick Petrillo and Spencer Aguiar.

In case you missed it, our very own "Big Pick Nick" Mariano was the #11 overall most accurate industry expert ranker for the 2018 season, and #9 overall in 2017. Additionally, industry legend Scott Engel recently joined the RotoBaller team and provides his insights as well. Scott is an FSWA Hall Of Famer and award winner.

Tier 1

Best of the best. Davante Adams, Julio Jones, and DeAndre Hopkins are the top receivers in fantasy going into the 2019 season. Julio Jones to many is regarded as the best WR in football, and it would be quite difficult to place him anywhere but this tier, even with his historic struggles in scoring touchdowns (just one double-digit year). Nevertheless, Jones has been targeted over 150 times three times in the past six seasons and provides one of the safest floors in fantasy due to this sheer volume.

Adams might not be a target hog like Jones, but his ability to find the end zone puts him on the same platform, especially since this is not full-PPR. Adams has scored at least 10 touchdowns each of the past three seasons and is being fed the ball from arguably the most talented quarterback of all time.

Nuk Hopkins provides the best of both worlds between Jones and Adams. Although he did have a rough 2016, he gets a pass given that Deshaun Watson was not throwing him the ball yet. With Watson, the Texans offense, and Hopkins, in particular, will produce. Not only that, but due to the fact that the rest of the supporting wide receivers, Will Fuller V and Keke Coutee are injury prone, Hopkins comes with ridiculous target upside.

Tier 2

The top of wide receiver mountain is crowded and interchangeable. It's honestly difficult to discern the top tier from the second tier because these pass catchers are all so talented in their own right but have mild differences in their situations which separate them. Odell Beckham Jr. is arguably the most skilled WR in the game, but due to injuries and Eli Manning, he has had his fantasy value dinged. With a significantly more talented quarterback in Baker Mayfield and a hopefully healthy season, OBJ can potentially reclaim his title as the best WR in fantasy.

Michael Thomas is an interesting case. If this were full-PPR, he would have no business anywhere but tier one. Unfortunately, it is not, and Thomas must find the endzone just a bit more to propel himself there in all formats. With an aging quarterback in Drew Brees, there are concerns as to whether Thomas could continue to repeat his performances. His yards per reception have declined each of the past three seasons and Brees has shown his age at times towards the end of the past few seasons.

JuJu Smith-Schuster is the de jure WR1 on the Steelers going forward with Antonio Brown out of the picture. The Steelers throw the ball as much as any team in the league, and although Ben Roethlisberger is getting up there in age, his cannon is just as potent. JJSS is the most up-and-coming WR in the league and could be in line for a full-on break out this year given the potential target share coming his way. The only concern is to whether he can thrive with stronger coverages focusing on him with Brown out of the picture.

Tyreek Hill should be in tier one, but his repeated transgressions off the field keep some concerns as to whether he could face an unexpected suspension mid-season. God forbid he commit another heinous act, but with his past, it is not impossible. Mike Evans is consistently one of the best WRs in the game but just has not had that breakout season where he blows owners away. He has not had a double-digit touchdown season in three years and even with Bruce Arians calling the shots on offense, there is worry around Jameis Winston as the franchise QB in Tampa. The rise of Chris Godwin and O.J. Howard may also cap Evans' ceiling but he's still very, very good.

Tier 3

How in the world is Antonio Brown in tier three?? Well, when you downgrade from Big Ben to Derek Carr, the Steelers' offense to the Raiders', and come into the season with mysterious foot AND helmet issues, there will be some brakes pumped. Brown is as talented as any tier one WR but with all of these question marks surrounding him, he is deservedly lower in rankings than he typically would be. Brown is a wild card on and off the field and if you draft him, you're gambling, regardless of format.

Keenan Allen is a curious case. His injury history lowered his value in past drafts, but now that is generally disregarded. Now, the only thing keeping him low-ish is the fact that he does not score much and the recency bias of his struggles through the first half of last season. Allen's solid but not exactly elite for fantasy. His ceiling is that of a lower-end tier two receiver.

Julian Edelman takes a small hit in half-PPR formats. Given his role in the Patriots' offense, he sees a lot of targets (and reels most in) but they are typically shorter passes that would be extremely valuable in point-per-first-down leagues. He's had non-severe injury issues and a recent suspension, but his Super Bowl performance should remind everyone that he is maybe the best slot receiver in the game. Age will get to him eventually, but it probably won't be this season.

Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen should be drafted right around each other. Diggs gets the edge due to his superior talent, however, if this were full-PPR, Thielen would be ahead due to his target volume. Brandin Cooks is as consistent as they come. He is the lead WR in a talented trio and comes with the highest ceiling due to his downfield abilities. The targets may be capped, but one of these years he will find the end zone more than 10 times.

Tier 4

Robert Woods leads this group as one of the premier mid-level WRs in the game. He is not flashy at all but gets the job done down-in and down-out. The upside is capped but he could serve as a fantastic WR1 for RB-heavy teams, especially if he finds the endzone more this year.

Amari Cooper is in unfavorable territory. He's dealing a mysterious leg injury that was first described as plantar fascitis but then turned into a muscle issue. Whatever it is, does not sound good. Cooper came out and said that he played through pain last year and will do it again (red flag). He's risky, but the upside is huge as the WR1 in a more potent Cowboys' offense that may be getting Ezekial Elliot back soon.

Tier 5

These WRs are preferable in this format and standard. Generally, it's a group of larger receivers who are touchdown threats but may not be target hogs like those in previous tiers. Allen Robinson and Alshon Jeffery are perfect encapsulations of this archetype. Both have plenty of competition for targets on their respective rosters, but will be utilized in the red-zone due to their size and possess double-digit touchdown potential.

Mike Williams is basically the younger version of these two. He was not targeted much at all last year (66 times in 16 games) and managed to score 11 times, although one was rushing. He is a very likely candidate to receive more work this year but might lose some of that touchdown luck he had. Nevertheless, the upside is sky high with someone as talented as he is. Robby Anderson, Calvin Ridley, and D.J Moore are all in a similar position where they are candidates to see an increase in targets as they progress in their respective careers.

Tier 6

Now we get into the more questionable tiers. The upside is lower than that of the prior one and the floor is much lower as well. Players like Corey Davis, Curtis Samuel, and Dante Pettis have all flashed throughout the past few seasons, however, none have broken out and these values reflect that. Davis has had a quarterback/offense problem, Samuel is a gadget receiver who's been hyped throughout the preseason but really has a lot to prove to validate it, and Pettis is getting downplayed by his own coach. The talent on these three is undeniable, it's all about putting everything together on game day.

Josh Gordon may be the greatest receiver of this generation, we just may never find out if he can't stay out of trouble. It's always a risk to draft him and the safest bet is consistently to just avoid it. Marvin Jones Jr. and Sammy Watkins are both similar vertical threats in good offenses but come with injury and consistency issues. Sterling Shepard is on a horrendous offense but will be the de facto WR1 all year and should lead the squad in targets. There are risks all over and the only reason to target much of this group is if they fall or if you ignore WR early on and need upside.

Tier 7

My favorite tier. The value is depressed due to the lack of name-value (for the most part) and the upside is plentiful. Guys like Christian Kirk, Dede Westbrook, and Michael Gallup are all young, talented breakout candidates who could take over as the WR1s on their respective teams (Gallup is the least likely with Amari Cooper around).

Kirk produced well with Josh Rosen last season and could take a step further in his sophomore campaign with Kingsbury and Murray running the show. The talented receiver should see plenty of targets in an offense that will have to throw early, and often. Westbrook is not on the best offense in the league but is the most talented receiver there. He should primarily play out of the slot where Nick Foles most favorably targets and thrive due to the fact that there is not much else challenging him for touches.

Gallup is in a lower rung in this same tier than the previous two receivers but remains a worthwhile selection. He is the WR2 on a good Dallas offense that could be without its primary touch-getter in Ezekial Elliot for a while. Amari Cooper is dealing with a mysterious leg injury which leaves a sliver of possibility that Gallup may take over as the WR1 down the road if it were to linger. Gallup's rookie season was filled with inconsistency, but he is talented and possesses upside that is hard to find deeper in drafts.

Tier 8

Injuries and question marks fill up this tier. Keke Coutee, Anthony Miller, and DeSean Jackson are all starting the year on the injury report, but could each play in week one. Miller's role in the Bears' offense is set, however, he has missed about a month of training and could be rusty coming into the year. He's probably a better full-PPR target given how the Bears' offense should operate.

Keke Coutee was a popular sleeper rookie candidate last season but failed to stay healthy to produce throughout the year. He was impressive when he was on the field and could see plenty of play even with the addition of Kenny Stills in a Texans' offense that just lost their top-two tight ends. The Texans might just go all out and spread the field with four wide receivers to start the year.

DeSean Jackson is coming into the year with a hand injury that is not considered serious. He may even play in week one with a cast/splint. Regardless of if you plan to start him the or not, DJax is finding himself in a significantly more favorable position. He is back in Philadelphia with one of the league's best quarterbacks in Carson Wentz. Jackson still has wheels, it was just unfortunate that he and Jameis Winston never formed a consistent connection. As long as he's healthy, a bounceback year could be in line.

Tier 9

Names that should interest drafters from this tier include James Washington, Jamison Crowder, John Brown, and DK Metcalf. Washington is stepping into a larger role in Pittsburgh this season. The Steelers are notorious for developing wide receivers, and Washington may just be the next product of that system. He has shown out in the preseason and looks to have a significant role in just his second season. He played more than half of the Steelers' snaps last season in a majority of his games played last season and will be in for more work in 2019. The addition of Donte Moncrief certainly muddies his outlook early in the season, but, as long as Washinton outplays him, then he should entrench himself as the WR2 in one of the league's pass-happiest offenses.

Crowder will be a target hog out of the slot in New York. Sam Darnold loves his slot-receivers and looked to have a connection with JC in the preseason. The former Skin was a focal-point in the Washington offense just a few seasons ago and is just 26 years old. Don't expect too many touchdowns, but he is in line for a bounceback.

John Brown is a deep threat, Josh Allen is a deep-thrower. Bada bing, bada boom! There might be some magic in Buffalo if Allen improves his accuracy just slightly and they can mesh well. Brown would be ideal as a boom-or-bust play in weeks that may seem out of reach.

DK Metcalf is a pure upside pick. He is a huge unknown coming out of Ole Miss due to his raw game and injury history. The positives outweigh the negatives for anyone looking to draft him. Not only does he have Russell Wilson throwing him the ball, but there is not much else to throw to. Outside of himself and incumbent WR1 Tyler Lockett, the depth chart is barren. Metcalf will play plenty if healthy and could be another boom-or-bust weekly play.

Tier 10 and Beyond

As if you weren't throwing darts before, things get extremely open-ended after this double-digit threshold. The breakouts are largely unpredictable, yet we must try and peg those with the best odds of returning on the light investment.  Kenny Stills, Deebo Samuel / Marquise Goodwin, Andy Isabella / KeeSean Johnson, and Miles Boykin / Marquise Brown present some interesting value.

Kenny Stills is probably the most valuable of this group due to the fact that he just got traded to the Houston Texans. That is a jump from a bottom-three offense to a potential top-three. Health-permitting, he should be in line for an increased workload given that Houston will be throwing often this season with the unfortunate loss of Lamar Miller along with the return of their WR2 Will Fuller V. Stills may share snaps early on, but will immediately become a near-every snap player if one of the other wide receivers get injured (very likely given the track records of Coutee and Fuller V).

Deebo Samuel is in a spot where he could play himself into the WR1 role in San Francisco. The 49ers as of now plan to rotate their receivers to not only keep them fresh but also keep defenses guessing. No one player, in particular, has overtaken a particular role and it is up for grabs. Marquise Goodwin could also be a solid speculative add in this range due to the potential outcomes. Samuel is merely a rookie, but possess easily translatable skills around the field that have shown up in the preseason. He can play all around and provide value in the short, intermediate, and deep field along strong run-blocking to keep him on the field.

Andy Isabella is another boom-or-bust type who may not have much of a role early on in Arizona due to the signing of Michael Crabtree. Although Crabtree may just be veteran depth, and a locker room presence, he dampers the potential of Isabella and fellow rookie KeeSean Johnson. Both have tremendous upside, especially in this offense, yet are blocked from truly displaying it and merely remain speculative adds in deeper leagues.

Miles Boykin and Marquise Brown are in a bit of a different situation than their Arizona counterparts. These two have a clear path to playtime, but there is an issue with volume that will keep their respective ceilings low. Brownis the type of receiver that truly does not require too many targets to make an impact which probably puts him in a more favorable position over Boykin. However, Boykin is the type of receiver that may form a better rapport with quarterback Lamar Jackson due to his size/catch radius. His potential target share may be higher than that of Browns which murks up some of their value. Brown's the one they spent a first-round pick on though.

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