Fantasy football Wide receiver tiers: Antonio Brown back in WR1 territory (2024)

Wide receiver is generally a deeper position than running back, and not only because there are often three times as many wide receivers on the field at any one time. I mean, we can all see that. However, this is a position in which so many performers produce similar numbers, and there is less roster churn -- in both real life and fantasy. Oh, sure, wide receivers get hurt as well, but the NFL views the position differently. Receivers simply have a longer shelf life than running backs due to the physical demands of the position.

As a result, fantasy managers tend to spend considerably more time focusing on running backs in the early rounds, rookies in the middle frames and late-round sleepers, well, later on. Still, as it is at running back, it is often prudent to establish a tiered system and see which wide receivers one values similarly because this comes in handy when one has just a few seconds to make a key decision on a player in a draft or auction. If there are several running backs of equal value leading the availability board and only one wide receiver, well, you should know what to do.

Here are one writer's thoughts on the wide receiver tiers for this season, and you can click here for the running back position. You might not think this information matters in early August, but trust me, in the midst of a draft, it tends to matter quite a bit. I find myself referring to tiers -- either externally in a spreadsheet or combing through my brain -- several times per draft. Fantasy managers should always plan things ahead because you never know what can happen in a draft or auction, and is this not the best day of the fantasy season?

UPDATED: Aug. 28

Tier 1: Second half of Round 1
DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers
Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns

Notes: One can move these players in different orders, and I would not argue, though I do think Hopkins and Adams stand out a bit more than the rest. And Beckham, too. He can be awesome, and you might have heard expectations are sky-high for his team and quarterback.

Tier 2: Round 2
Antonio Brown, New England Patriots
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

Notes: Former teammates now separated, one of them has to adjust to a new and clearly lesser quarterback, and that alone worries some fantasy managers. It is a fair debate too. Brown ends up in a better offense for him than Oakland, and value is restored. Derek Carr or Tom Brady is not a legit question. What a turn of events.

Tier 3: Rounds 3/4
Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings
Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys

Notes: There's a lot of weaponry in this tier, and this is a prime reason that one can be sitting there in Round 3, see the last reasonable running back of a decent tier and all these receivers and ignore the receivers. It sure seems like Round 3 is a popular time to take a wide receiver, and this is partly because running back depth, at the high end, has run out. It has not at wide receiver.

Tier 4: Round 5
Brandin Cooks, Los Angeles Rams
Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams

Notes: Call this the high-end Rams tier, though I am unlikely to draft more than one Rams receiver on any team. That hardly means multiple Rams receivers cannot thrive in the same week -- they were doing so -- but good luck trying to guess which ones to start or sit if you cannot start them all.

Tier 5: Rounds 5/6
Julian Edelman, New England Patriots
Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions
T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
DJ Moore, Carolina Panthers

Notes: Talented young players -- and Edelman -- lurk here, and a few of them could easily outperform their draft-day prices. Hilton fell a few tiers with the Andrew Luck retirement, but he remains a valuable player.

Tier 6: Round 6
Alshon Jeffery, Philadelphia Eagles
Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals
Jarvis Landry, Cleveland Browns
Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons
Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals

Notes: The first Bengal off the board is ... a surprise, perhaps to some. There are wild opinions about several receivers in this tier. So many people want to hate on Landry, but this is PPR, and I believe the volume of receptions will be there. Ridley was touchdown-dependent. Does it mean he cannot emerge as more? Williams was even more TD-dependent. Same deal. These are excellent, young receivers with upside, and multiple receivers can thrive in those offenses. Lastly, I found it odd that when Green injured his ankle in July, the Bengals were so sure he would miss only Week 1 of the regular season. I scoffed at this level of exactitude prior to August. How about a month or more? Green is 31! He missed nearly half of last season too. Give him respect for his career and be optimistic, but how about some realism too? This ranking and tier guarantees that I will not get him, and I am OK with this.

Tier 7: Rounds 7/8
Robby Anderson, New York Jets
Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants
Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans
Christian Kirk, Arizona Cardinals
Will Fuller V, Houston Texans
Josh Gordon, New England Patriots
Emmanuel Sanders, Denver Broncos
Marvin Jones Jr., Detroit Lions

Notes: Anderson is better than most realize, and his quarterback enters Year 2 ready for a breakout. Robinson's quarterback broke out in his Year 2, but Robinson hardly looked right one year after an ACL tear. Sometimes it takes a full two seasons.

Tier 8: Rounds 9/10
Dede Westbrook, Jacksonville Jaguars
Sammy Watkins, Kansas City Chiefs
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
Donte Moncrief, Pittsburgh Steelers
DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles
Curtis Samuel, Carolina Panthers

Notes: At this point, we still see the No. 1 wide receivers in underwhelming offenses and injury risks. It is hardly wrong to rely on either after the bulk of your running back/wide receiver crew forms. By the way, I still will not have a quarterback by this point in most leagues. It just so happens that the members of this crew are not exactly players I am targeting. Watkins, in particular; if one has to set an over/under for how many games a player will appear in, that is a bad sign. Look at the quarterbacks in this section! In addition, this is a PPR format, and it is tough to see any of these players catching more than 65 passes. Jackson has surpassed that mark once in a decade.

Tier 9: Rounds 11/12
Dante Pettis, San Francisco 49ers
Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
Keke Coutee, Houston Texans
N'Keal Harry, New England Patriots
James Washington, Pittsburgh Steelers
Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs
Geronimo Allison, Green Bay Packers
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers
Marquise Brown, Baltimore Ravens
Devin Funchess, Indianapolis Colts
DaeSean Hamilton, Denver Broncos
Andy Isabella, Arizona Cardinals

Notes: Harry and Hardman are rookies, and in a general sense, rookie running backs are far more likely to emerge as fantasy stars. Perhaps an Anquan Boldin lurks. If one of these Aaron Rodgers targets looks locked in way above the other, move him up a few tiers. Rodgers is that proficient. I doubt we will glean this information before Week 1, though, and no Packers wide receiver other than Adams reached 40 catches last season.

Tier 10: Rounds 13/14
Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys
Marquise Goodwin, San Francisco 49ers
Adam Humphries, Tennessee Titans
Tyrell Williams, Oakland Raiders
Jamison Crowder, New York Jets
DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
Golden Tate, New York Giants

Notes: Slot receiving options abound. Tate seemed a decent sleeper a month ago, but his four-game suspension complicates things. Just add him in late September ... or do not.

Tier 11: Round 14 on
Kenny Stills, Miami Dolphins
Paul Richardson, Washington Redskins
Quincy Enunwa, New York Jets
Tre'Quan Smith, New Orleans Saints
Anthony Miller, Chicago Bears
Miles Boykin, Baltimore Ravens
Nelson Agholor, Philadelphia Eagles
Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
Parris Campbell, Indianapolis Colts
Mohamed Sanu, Atlanta Falcons
Antonio Callaway, Cleveland Browns
DJ Chark, Jacksonville Jaguars
JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Philadelphia Eagles
John Brown, Buffalo Bills

Notes: Good luck!