2021 Fantasy WR Rankings 8/11/21

WR rankings/projections in PPR, half-PPR, and standard scoring for the top 84 receivers.

Here are the wide receiver rankings as we get ready for the first round of preseason matchups this weekend. Preseason likely won't effect the major player rankings, but we will certainly keep our eye on trends for the later round targets as camp unfolds.

Tyreek Hill is a safe bet at the WR1 spot, due to the offense he plays on and his big-play ability. I personally think we might see Hopkins end as the overall WR1 though, but that's betting on the Arizona offense improving but still feeding Hopkins heavily, which is a little riskier of a prediction than Hill remaining consistent. I'm really loving AJ Brown this year, and the addition of Julio Jones should stretch coverages and open the field for Brown way more than Corey Davis ever could. Steal of the draft at his current ADP is CeeDee Lamb, who I think will take over the WR1 spot in a high-powered Dallas offense and blow fantasy out of the water in 2021.

I have this tier of receivers projected pretty close together. The floor is solid and the breakout potential exists for every player. Stand-out players here are Antonio Brown, who I expect to take over the WR2 role from Mike Evans in Tampa, and Mecole Hardman, who is set to see expanded targets on the Chiefs top-scoring offense.

Here is where we enter the "league-winner" territory, if you can hit on a guy at this value, you could win your league. Mike Williams is a sneaky pick to blow up in the Los Angeles offense, and I'm willing to roll the dice on a Jerry Juedy or a Jamar Chase at this level. Robby Anderson pairing back with Sam Darnold is an interesting prospect as well.

Guys in this range that we can predict to out-perform their draft ranking are the WR1s. I'm super curious about whether we see Marquise Brown continue his TD-a-game clip he had at the end of 2020, and what does the WR1 role on questionable teams mean for guys like Corey Davis, Jacobi Meyers, and Brandin Cooks? Michael Thomas will be missing around 8 weeks, but if he comes back and produces at a WR1 level, he could be your league winner. Claypool is a solid floor guy, and there is nothing wrong with taking a flyer on a rookie like DeVonte Smith or Elijiah Moore here.

Tyler Boyd is the predicted one to suffer from the addition of Jamar Chase, but that doesn't make him worthless. Gabriel Davis could emerge as a value pick if Buffalo spreads the ball more, though Emmanuel Sanders doesn't help his target share. Waddle could be the breakout star from this range, but whatever you do, don't draft Devante Parker. Michael Pittman is a curious prospect, as someone has to catch the balls in Indy and TY hasn't been effective for years. The rookie Bateman in Baltimore will see the field a lot, but the Ravens can barely make their WR1 fantasy-relevant with Jackson at QB.

For all intents and purposes it appears Amon-Ra St. Brown will be the WR1 in Detroit, so keep your eye on him. I am a huge Terrance Marshall fan, and while it's rare to have an impactful WR3 on a mediocre offense that also has Christian McCaffrey...the guy has talent, and value if an injury were to happen to any receivers in Carolina. Keeland Cole has been impressing in Jets camp, Gallup will see targets in Dallas, and I'm fading Juju pretty hard this year based on the fact that Pittsburgh clearly showed they didn't want to re-sign him and they like their other receivers in Claypool and Johnson a lot more. A lot more. And don't draft any Raiders receivers.

Got a dart board? Any of these guys could easily out-perform expectations, but mostly because expectations are so low. Tyrell Williams could be the WR1 in Detroit, MVS always manages to have a few 20+ point games, Sammy Watkins might not be hurt all year. So many "mights". Hamler is Tyreek Jr, AJ Green could get a lot of red zone targets. Keep an eye on Coutee as well, despite that offense being super questionable, if Watson plays at all he is immediately elevated a few tiers.

Stay tuned for the WR Rank breakdown, scheduled release tomorrow.