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PPR WR Tiers 5.0
Non-PPR WR Tiers 5.0

Wideouts bounced back in a big way last year. As a whole, receivers scored a record-high 532 touchdowns to boost their Fantasy numbers. Their running back counterparts didn't average as many Fantasy points per game in PPR based on top-12 (0.3 higher), top-24 (1.9 higher) or top-36 averages (1.8 higher). Can't remember the last time that happened.

But maybe the best news of all for Fantasy drafters is that wide receivers aren't quite as top-heavy as they were last year.

In addition to knowing your lineup requirements and scoring system, you must answer these questions:

  • How risk-averse are you?
  • How badly do you want to fill your starting lineup with no-brainers?
  • How deep do you think this position is?
  • Are you good at finding replacement receivers off waivers?

The first two questions go hand-in-hand: Wide receivers are generally safer than their running back counterparts, but they typically don't score as much in non-PPR, and only the top guys come close to matching up in PPR. The more of those "safe" picks you want for your starting group, the more receivers you should target early in your draft.

You can use my tiers to determine how deep you think the position is, but after stewing on this for six months (that's right, while you were living your life, I was studying these guys), I feel real good about the wideouts in the first four or five rounds being good starters. I'm also confident that the receivers in the fifth and sixth tiers make up a bunch of breakout and sleeper candidates who carry enough upside to warrant starting. You should find the entire class to your liking and may even decide to wait to draft your third or fourth receivers.

That last question? I'm not you, so I can't exactly answer that. But if you've played Fantasy Football for a while, you know that there are receivers with at least decent upside on waivers every week. No one who will cement himself into a starting spot, but someone who offers a chance at scoring a touchdown, going for 70 yards, etc. The better you (and we) are at finding them, the less urgency you'll need to draft deep.

Just know that nearly every Fantasy manager will select at least one very good receiver before the end of Round 3. That doesn't mean it's a mistake to lock up two of them if you want to differentiate your lineup, but that is a move that's best saved for PPR formats and smaller leagues (10 or fewer teams).  

But the safest plan on Draft Day is to pick enough receivers from the top-five or six tiers to cover your starting spots, then another two or three for the bench. And always remember that receivers who tend to play the best in Fantasy are those who regularly get a piece of the target share from good quarterbacks. When you're drafting a receiver who doesn't already carry stud status, ask yourself if he has the potential for 120 targets (to yield 70-plus receptions) and/or eight touchdowns. Those are the stats we're shooting for from the non-obvious guys in Round 6 and beyond. The more of those players you get, the more likely you'll compete for a trophy in December.     

What about punting on receivers and not taking any until after 50th overall? That's the kind of plan you're going to have to follow if you insist on drafting two stud running backs and a stud tight end with your first trio of picks. This is do-able in smaller non-PPR formats and it carries a chance at being successful, especially if you pull the lever on the right receivers starting in Round 5.

But the safest plan on Draft Day is to pick enough receivers from the top-five or six tiers to cover your starting spots, then another two or three for the bench. And always remember that receivers who tend to play the best in Fantasy are those who regularly get a piece of the target share from good quarterbacks. When you're drafting a receiver who doesn't already carry stud status, ask yourself if he has the potential for 120 targets (to yield 70-plus receptions) and/or eight touchdowns. Those are the stats we're shooting for from the non-obvious guys in Round 6 and beyond. The more of those players you get, the more likely you'll compete for a trophy in December.   

Tiers 5.0
Wide Receivers - PPR
WR Tiers 5.0
Mega-Elite
D. Hopkins KC DeAndre Hopkins KC
J. Jones PHI Julio Jones PHI
D. Adams NYJ Davante Adams NYJ
O. Beckham Jr. MIA Odell Beckham Jr. MIA
J. Smith-Schuster KC JuJu Smith-Schuster KC
WR Tiers 5.0
Elite
T. Hill MIA Tyreek Hill MIA
M. Thomas NO Michael Thomas NO
M. Evans TB Mike Evans TB
K. Allen CHI Keenan Allen CHI
WR Tiers 5.0
Excellent
A. Cooper BUF Amari Cooper BUF
S. Diggs HOU Stefon Diggs HOU
J. Edelman NE Julian Edelman NE
A. Brown TB Antonio Brown TB
B. Cooks DAL Brandin Cooks DAL
A. Thielen CAR Adam Thielen CAR
WR Tiers 5.0
Very Good
T. Hilton DAL T.Y. Hilton DAL
C. Godwin TB Chris Godwin TB
C. Kupp LAR Cooper Kupp LAR
K. Golladay NYG Kenny Golladay NYG
C. Ridley TEN Calvin Ridley TEN
R. Woods HOU Robert Woods HOU
WR Tiers 5.0
High-upside Value
T. Boyd TEN Tyler Boyd TEN
D. Moore CHI DJ Moore CHI
A. Green ARI A.J. Green ARI
A. Robinson DET Allen Robinson DET
WR Tiers 5.0
Mid-value Upside
C. Kirk JAC Christian Kirk JAC
A. Jeffery PHI Alshon Jeffery PHI
T. Lockett SEA Tyler Lockett SEA
J. Gordon TEN Josh Gordon TEN
D. Westbrook GB Dede Westbrook GB
M. Williams NYJ Mike Williams NYJ
C. Samuel BUF Curtis Samuel BUF
R. Chosen MIA Robbie Chosen MIA
WR Tiers 5.0
High-potential Backups
C. Davis NYJ Corey Davis NYJ
W. Fuller MIA Will Fuller MIA
S. Shepard TB Sterling Shepard TB
D. Pettis NO Dante Pettis NO
J. Landry NO Jarvis Landry NO
D. Jackson BAL DeSean Jackson BAL
L. Fitzgerald ARI Larry Fitzgerald ARI
S. Watkins BAL Sammy Watkins BAL
WR Tiers 5.0
Mid-potential Backups
C. Sutton DEN Courtland Sutton DEN
M. Jones DET Marvin Jones DET
D. Moncrief HOU Donte Moncrief HOU
T. Williams DET Tyrell Williams DET
M. Valdes-Scantling NO Marquez Valdes-Scantling NO
J. Crowder WAS Jamison Crowder WAS
A. Miller BAL Anthony Miller BAL
K. Coutee MIA Keke Coutee MIA
G. Allison ATL Geronimo Allison ATL
WR Tiers 5.0
Bench Depth
J. Brown BUF John Brown BUF
G. Tate TEN Golden Tate TEN
D. Hamilton MIA DaeSean Hamilton MIA
E. Sanders BUF Emmanuel Sanders BUF
A. Wilson LV Albert Wilson LV
J. Washington ATL James Washington ATL
N. Harry MIN N'Keal Harry MIN
M. Gallup LV Michael Gallup LV
R. Cobb NYJ Randall Cobb NYJ
K. Stills NO Kenny Stills NO
M. Boykin SEA Miles Boykin SEA
D. Metcalf SEA DK Metcalf SEA

Tiers 5.0
Wide Receivers - Non-PPR
WR Tiers 5.0
Mega-Elite
D. Hopkins KC DeAndre Hopkins KC
J. Jones PHI Julio Jones PHI
D. Adams NYJ Davante Adams NYJ
O. Beckham Jr. MIA Odell Beckham Jr. MIA
T. Hill MIA Tyreek Hill MIA
WR Tiers 5.0
Elite
J. Smith-Schuster KC JuJu Smith-Schuster KC
M. Thomas NO Michael Thomas NO
M. Evans TB Mike Evans TB
WR Tiers 5.0
Excellent
K. Allen CHI Keenan Allen CHI
A. Cooper BUF Amari Cooper BUF
S. Diggs HOU Stefon Diggs HOU
B. Cooks DAL Brandin Cooks DAL
A. Brown TB Antonio Brown TB
T. Hilton DAL T.Y. Hilton DAL
WR Tiers 5.0
Very Good
J. Edelman NE Julian Edelman NE
A. Thielen CAR Adam Thielen CAR
C. Kupp LAR Cooper Kupp LAR
C. Godwin TB Chris Godwin TB
C. Ridley TEN Calvin Ridley TEN
WR Tiers 5.0
High-upside Value
K. Golladay NYG Kenny Golladay NYG
R. Woods HOU Robert Woods HOU
T. Boyd TEN Tyler Boyd TEN
A. Green ARI A.J. Green ARI
D. Moore CHI DJ Moore CHI
WR Tiers 5.0
Mid-value Upside
A. Robinson DET Allen Robinson DET
C. Kirk JAC Christian Kirk JAC
A. Jeffery PHI Alshon Jeffery PHI
T. Lockett SEA Tyler Lockett SEA
J. Gordon TEN Josh Gordon TEN
M. Williams NYJ Mike Williams NYJ
C. Samuel BUF Curtis Samuel BUF
R. Chosen MIA Robbie Chosen MIA
WR Tiers 5.0
High-potential Backups
W. Fuller MIA Will Fuller MIA
D. Westbrook GB Dede Westbrook GB
C. Davis NYJ Corey Davis NYJ
S. Shepard TB Sterling Shepard TB
D. Pettis NO Dante Pettis NO
D. Jackson BAL DeSean Jackson BAL
J. Landry NO Jarvis Landry NO
S. Watkins BAL Sammy Watkins BAL
M. Jones DET Marvin Jones DET
WR Tiers 5.0
Mid-potential Backups
C. Sutton DEN Courtland Sutton DEN
D. Moncrief HOU Donte Moncrief HOU
T. Williams DET Tyrell Williams DET
M. Valdes-Scantling NO Marquez Valdes-Scantling NO
L. Fitzgerald ARI Larry Fitzgerald ARI
A. Miller BAL Anthony Miller BAL
J. Brown BUF John Brown BUF
WR Tiers 5.0
Bench Depth
K. Coutee MIA Keke Coutee MIA
G. Allison ATL Geronimo Allison ATL
E. Sanders BUF Emmanuel Sanders BUF
J. Washington ATL James Washington ATL
G. Tate TEN Golden Tate TEN
M. Gallup LV Michael Gallup LV
K. Stills NO Kenny Stills NO
N. Harry MIN N'Keal Harry MIN
J. Crowder WAS Jamison Crowder WAS
M. Boykin SEA Miles Boykin SEA
D. Hamilton MIA DaeSean Hamilton MIA
D. Metcalf SEA DK Metcalf SEA
M. Brown KC Marquise Brown KC

So which Fantasy Football busts should you avoid in your draft? And which superstar QB isn't a trustworthy QB1 option? Visit SportsLine now to get Fantasy Football cheat sheets from the model that called Allen Robinson's disappointing season, and find out.