When you think about the Fantasy receivers from 2019, there are likely several prominent names that come to mind. Michael Thomas, who set the NFL record for receptions in a season, is probably the first receiver you'll remember. But DeAndre Hopkins, Chris Godwin, Davante Adams, Julio Jones and Kenny Golladay could also be on the tip of your tongue, among others.
And then there's Breshad Perriman.
The former first-round bust for the Ravens turned into a standout Fantasy receiver to close the 2019 campaign, and he finished with the highest win percentage of any receiver on CBS Sports Fantasy leagues this year at 0.632. It was an amazing turnaround for his career.
Perriman is the best example of what this win-percentage data represents. He was added late in the season to many Fantasy rosters with successful records, and he likely helped many Fantasy managers win a championship.
The data we're looking at here is how players impacted Fantasy leagues and not necessarily about individual performance. It is based on the winning percentage for Fantasy managers of all players owned in 60 percent or more of leagues on CBS Sports, which came to about 150 players, and shows total wins and not Fantasy titles. Only commissioner leagues were considered with at least eight Fantasy teams or more.
Once Mike Evans (hamstring) was hurt in Week 14 and then Godwin (hamstring) in Week 15, Perriman became a great Fantasy asset. He actually closed the season with at least 13 PPR points in five games in a row, and he had either a touchdown or 100 receiving yards in each of his final four outings.
He's a free agent this offseason, and we'll see where Perriman ends up in 2020. If he returns to Tampa Bay, he would go back to being the No. 3 receiver on the roster behind Evans and Godwin, which would hurt his Fantasy value.
But maybe in the right scenario -- in another high-volume pass attack like the Buccaneers -- Perriman can build off his finish to 2019. We'll see what Perriman decides to do, but he could be a good late-round pick in all Fantasy leagues.
As for this past season, at least based on win percentage, Perriman was the best Fantasy receiver and best player overall. Here are the top 50 wide receiver based on win-percentage data for 2019:
1. Breshad Perriman, TB - 0.632
2. Michael Thomas, NO - 0.571
3. A.J. Brown, TEN - 0.546
4. Chris Godwin, TB - 0.545
5. Kenny Golladay, DET - 0.534
6. DeVante Parker, MIA - 0.531
7. D.J. Moore, CAR - 0.531
8. Allen Robinson, CHI - 0.529
9. Cooper Kupp, LAR - 0.528
10. DeAndre Hopkins, HOU - 0.523
11. Darius Slayton, NYG - 0.522
12. Tyler Lockett, SEA - 0.519
13. Julian Edelman, NE - 0.518
14. Courtland Sutton, DEN - 0.518
15. Amari Cooper, DAL - 0.518
16. Terry McLaurin, WAS - 0.518
17. Keenan Allen, LAC - 0.517
18. Deebo Samuel, SF - 0.515
19. Julio Jones, ATL - 0.512
20. Mike Evans, TB - 0.511
21. Michael Gallup, DAL - 0.510
22. Davante Adams, GB - 0.509
23. Golden Tate, NYG - 0.508
24. D.J. Chark, JAC - 0.507
25. Sterling Shepard, NYG - 0.506
26. Tyler Boyd, CIN - 0.505
27. Mike Williams, LAC - 0.503
28. Tyreek Hill, KC - 0.503
29. Zach Pascal, IND - 0.502
30. Jarvis Landry, CLE - 0.500
31. D.K. Metcalf, SEA - 0.499
32. T.Y. Hilton, IND - 0.499
33. Stefon Diggs, MIN - 0.498
34. Will Fuller, HOU - 0.495
35. Christian Kirk, ARI - 0.494
36. Robert Woods, LAR - 0.488
37. Curtis Samuel, CAR - 0.486
38. Adam Thielen, MIN - 0.485
39. Robby Anderson, NYG - 0.484
40. Dede Westbrook, JAC - 0.483
41. Marquise Brown, BAL - 0.483
42. Jamison Crowder, NYJ - 0.483
43. Emmanuel Sanders, SF - 0.479
44. Odell Beckham, CLE - 0.477
45. Tyrell Williams, OAK - 0.473
46. Larry Fitzgerald, ARI - 0.461
47. Calvin Ridley, ATL - 0.458
48. Sammy Watkins, KC - 0.455
49. Marvin Jones, DET - 0.451
50. Brandin Cooks, LAR - 0.447
While Perriman had the best win percentage among receivers this season, Thomas was the best player at his position, which is why he's second on this list. His 149 receptions set the single-season NFL record, and he scored at least 16 PPR points in all but two games, including 10 games with at least 22 PPR points. He finished 2019 as the No. 5 overall player in PPR, behind just Lamar Jackson, Christian McCaffrey, Dak Prescott and Russell Wilson. I would draft Thomas at No. 2 overall in PPR behind McCaffrey and at No. 5 overall in non-PPR leagues.
A.J. Brown was the best rookie receiver in 2019, and he also had the best win percentage of his peers. He was followed by Slayton at No. 11, McLaurin at No. 16, Deebo Samuel at No. 18, Metcalf at No. 31 and Marquise Brown at No. 41. Only Marquise Brown failed to average at least 11.1 PPR points per game, so this group was highly successful in its first year in the NFL.
For 2020, I would draft A.J. Brown as early as Round 3 in most leagues, with Metcalf in Round 4. McLaurin and Samuel are worth drafting as early as Round 5, and Slayton can be considered a Round 6 pick in most formats. I would look for Marquise Brown in Round 8, and hopefully he's more consistent in his sophomore year.
It's funny that Perriman had the best winning percentage in 2019 because Godwin and Evans were stars. Godwin finished at No. 4 on this list, and Evans came in at No. 20, likely because he missed the final three games of the season. Godwin finished as the No. 2 Fantasy receiver at 19.4 PPR points per game, and Evans was No. 4 at 17.5 PPR points per game. Both are worth drafting in the first 15 overall picks in all leagues.
Several receivers we pegged as breakout candidates came through with their Fantasy production, as well as their win percentage, in 2019, including Golladay (No. 5), Moore (No. 7), Kupp (No. 9) and Lockett (No. 12). It was great to watch them excel this past year, and they helped many Fantasy managers win titles.
Golladay led the NFL in receiving touchdowns with 11, and hopefully he gets a healthy Matthew Stafford (back) all season in 2020. Moore did well despite Cam Newton (foot) missing most of the year, and he should be great heading into his third season in the NFL. Kupp got off to a hot start in 2019, and he finished second behind Golladay with 10 touchdowns. And Lockett finished No. 9 in PPR despite Metcalf pushing him to be the No. 1 receiver in Seattle. All four of these receivers are worth drafting in the first three rounds next season.
Perriman wasn't the only waiver-wire receiver to help Fantasy managers this year. Parker (No. 6) and Chark (No. 24) also delivered in a big way in 2019. Parker was a bust with the Dolphins prior to this season, but he scored at least 11 PPR points in 12 of his final 13 games. And Chark scored at least 16 PPR points in seven games, and he emerged as the No. 1 receiver in Jacksonville. I would draft both receivers in Round 5 in 2020, with Parker likely first off the board depending on the quarterback in Miami.
Some of the established receivers that we usually count on performed well in 2019, while others struggled. We're looking at guys like Robinson (No. 8), Hopkins (No. 10), Edelman (No. 13), Cooper (No. 15), Allen (No. 17), Jones (No. 19), Adams (No. 22) and Hill (No. 28). They all finished with a positive win percentage, including Adams and Hill, who missed time due to injuries.
But there were also receivers like Hilton (No. 32), Diggs (No. 33), Woods (No. 36), Thielen (No. 38) and Cooks (No. 5), who had losing records in 2019. Hilton struggled with injuries and lost Andrew Luck (retirement) before the year. Diggs was actually a good Fantasy receiver at 13.5 PPR points per game, but he must have been on too many losing Fantasy rosters this year. Woods had a hard time scoring with only three total touchdowns, and Cooks struggled with multiple concussions. And Thielen missed six games due to injury, which ruined his season.
You can label guys like Hilton, Thielen and Cooks as busts, but I don't like applying that tag to players who missed time due to injuries. For me, the biggest bust at receiver this season was Beckham, who was No. 44 on this list. He wasn't even the best Browns receiver since Landry had better Fantasy production (14.4 PPR points per game compared to 12.1 for Beckham) and a higher win percentage at No. 30. I hope Beckham can rebound in 2020 with a new coach in Cleveland, but the earliest I would draft him is Round 3 in all formats. Landry is worth drafting in Round 4 in PPR and Round 5 in non-PPR leagues.
Two other receivers who failed to make the top 50 list were JuJu Smith-Schuster (0.447) and Alshon Jeffery (0.443). It's hard to fault Smith-Schuster for his down year in 2019 since Ben Roethlisberger (elbow) was lost for the season in Week 2. Smith-Schuster should rebound in 2020, and he's worth drafting in Round 2 in all leagues. Jeffery ended 2019 on injured reserve with a bad foot, and hopefully he's healthy for the start of next year. He's worth a flier in Round 8 as of now.
Some other noteworthy receivers to mention here are Sutton (No. 14), Gallup (No. 21), Boyd (No. 26), Ridley (No. 47) and Watkins (No. 48). Sutton and Gallup made significant strides in their sophomore seasons in 2019, and both should continue to improve in their third year. Sutton will hopefully develop a quality rapport with Drew Lock, and Gallup could be the No. 1 receiver in Dallas if Cooper leaves as a free agent.
Boyd had a respectable season in 2019 at 13.4 PPR points per game despite the Bengals being a total disaster. He was the No. 1 receiver in Cincinnati with A.J. Green (ankle/foot) sitting out the entire year, and we'll see if Green is back with the Bengals in 2020. Either way, Boyd is worth trusting as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues, and he should be drafted no later than Round 5.
Ridley improved in his sophomore season, going from 12.8 PPR points per game in 2018 to 14.6 in 2019. He missed the final three games of the year with an abdomen injury, but he's on the verge of stardom in 2020 and should be drafted no later than Round 4 in all leagues.
As for Watkins, he was the ultimate Fantasy tease in 2019. He opened the season with 46 PPR points in Week 1 against Jacksonville with nine catches for 198 yards and three touchdowns on 11 targets, and Hill hurt his shoulder in that game. But that was the last time Watkins found the end zone for the season, which was insane. We'll see how the playoffs finish for Kansas City this year, but Watkins likely won't get drafted until Round 10 at the earliest in most leagues after his performance this year.
