Wide Receiver Rankings for 2021 Fantasy Football [Standard]

From running backs to wide receivers our fantasy experts are back to break down the wide receiver rankings for the upcoming 2021 season. Keep in mind these are indeed standard rankings. Players such as, DK Metcalf and Mike Evans (who was top four in touchdowns last season) receive a boost in this format. PPR ranks will follow in the upcoming months as we pump out more fantasy draft ranks here at Fantrax! Which analysts suggest a WR heavy approach in 2021? Find out below!

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Meet the Rankers

Below are the analysts that will be breaking down our Non-PPR Wide Receiver Rankings. In the upcoming months, we will have updated PPR Scoring formats. In the meantime, we have four analysts from you to draw from. We’ve included their initials so that you know who is who in the rankings table, and also their Twitter handles, so you can give them a follow and let them know what you think of their wide receiver rankings.

MO – Mike Omelan – @mikeomelan
JD – Jordan Daniel – @jordand09
JJ – Justin Johnson – @FF_Johnson
BK – Bradlee Kilgore – @SirBradleeK

Draft Strategy

JD – First thing you need to accept…wide receiver is the most inconsistent position in fantasy. Calvin Ridley, who finished last season as the No.4 receiver, had himself weeks with 4.2 FPTS, 2.6 FPTS, and even a 0 FPTS week. It’s simple, understand and accept that bust weeks will occur. The focus however needs to be on high target volume players. Touchdowns are difficult to project on a weekly basis, however, give yourself the best chance at multi-touchdown games with players in a position to see the ball thrown their way often. Don’t stress too much if you find yourself in a draft without one of the top-ranked players, there are gems to be found in the later rounds.

BK – The wide receiver position is where I try to find my value picks. I never reach for a WR because only the elite ones are consistent. The WR position is very matchup/game script-dependent after the Top 15. In my view, you’re more likely to win your league with solid RBs than you are without solid WRs. Be patient at this position. Don’t be afraid to live on the waiver wire, here.

JJ – It is entirely dependent on where I’m at in the draft on how I attack wide receiver. If I’m in the later-half of the draft, I’ll draft at least one stud wide receiver. Otherwise, I’ll wait until the third or fourth round, and then hammer the position throughout the rest of the draft. Late-round rookie wide receivers are my personal favorite sleeper targets.

MO – As JJ stated, depending on draft placement is key. I think it’s in our best interest not to get gung-ho on specific trends like 0 RB or 0 WR. Starting off with a top-five pick? A running back is probably the best choice but let’s not get cute and start taking an Austin Ekeler or Joe Mixon over a Tyreek Hill in the first round. Within the first six rounds I like to have at least three WR choices selected. I love to zig when others zag and make sure my WR3 and 4 are much more dominant than my opponents. A backup-RB in AJ Dillon has the same ADP as 2019 1,000-yard receivers in Courtland Sutton and DJ Chark. Give me the 1,000-yard WR every day of the week over the backup RB. I’ll take an upside rookie/sophomore RB with the next pick or two, thanks.

Breakouts

JD – CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

CeeDee Lamb showed us the type of performances he can bring to the fantasy world in 2020, despite poor quarterback play with Dak Prescott sidelined. With little improvement to the defense, the Cowboys will certainly lean on Dak’s arm to stay competitive. Lamb is the No.2 passing option on a team that could be in the top 3 scoring offenses this season.

BK – Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s Calvin Ridley SZN!!! No running game. No Julio Jones. Matt Ryan will need to sling it to keep the Falcons competitive. Rookie tight end Kyle Pitts is the only competition for target share. Everything is shaping up for Calvin Ridley to be the guy in Atlanta, and I believe he’s talented enough to handle every team’s number one corner. He showed that last year while Julio missed games/snaps. I have Ridley ranked as my WR1 this year.

JJ- Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos

Jerry Jeudy will likely be on nearly all of my teams. Not only is he one of the best route runners in all of football, he is also set for positive regression in terms of his catch rate. Jeudy had 113 targets in 2020, but only caught 52 passes (46% catch rate). The targets ranked him 21st in the entire league. Unfortunately, poor quarterback play and drops all came into play, and Jeudy didn’t put up the production to match the volume. Jeudy is too talented to let that duplicate. 2021 will tell a different story, as Jeudy and his talent will shine through, and he will firmly finish as a WR2.

MO- Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts

Sticking with another sophomore, Michael Pittman Jr., is someone that’s continuing to climb my wide receiver rankings. The Colts were reportedly in on a few free-agent receivers but brought in noooobody! It’s the Pittman and T.Y. Hilton show, and that Hilton show is getting way too old for me. I’m switching hotels to the Marriott with my nice rewards card and selecting Pittman. Carson Wentz to me, is an upgrade over Philip Rivers. You can’t go wrong with gunslingers as your QB for fantasy purposes. According to PFF, in 2019, Carson Wentz was graded as a top-10 passer on 20+ yard throws downfield and that was with Greg Ward as their no.1 WR down the stretch. Pittman became the first Colts rookie to have 100 receiving yards in a single game since 2014 and played great in his first playoff performance racking up 90 yards against one of the best corners in football. When the Colts throw the ball, it’ll be to no.11 more often than not this season so take a shot on Pittman…as long as Wentz is not to hurt by losing his number to the sophomore we’re all gravy baby!

Busts

JD – Marquise Brown, Baltimore Ravens

It’s tough to imagine a clear No.1 receiver on a good offense be called out as a bust. However, Marquise Brown’s outlook this season isn’t great. Having poorly performed for fantasy in the early part of 2020, the passing volume from Lamar Jackson just isn’t there to support a weekly fantasy-relevant Brown. This is a team that wants to run the ball, giving Brown a low weekly ceiling.

BK – Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

Davante Adams is my WR21. He’s a Pro Bowl receiver, so I didn’t want to disrespect him too much. But it’s clear to me that Aaron Rodgers has no plans to play for Green Bay this year. That deflates Adams’ value. If he falls to you, take him. But certainly, don’t go looking for him. Jordan Love is going to be taking his lumps.

JJ– Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

As it stands today, June 22, 2021, if Davante Adams is without Aaron Rodgers, he is an obvious bust selection. Adams is going inside the top three at the position. There is a difficult path for that end-of-season finish if Jordan Love or Blake Bortles is at quarterback. As good as Davante Adams is individually, there are too many questions for me to invest a first or second-round pick.

MO – Kenny Golladay, New York Giants

Kenny Golladay continues to fall down my wide receiver rankings. For one, he’s coming back from a hip injury from which he took a long time to progress from. Changing teams always has its challenges learning new playbooks and lastly, there are a ton of receiving options in New York. Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram, as well as rookie Kadarius Toney and not to mention the return of Saquon Barkley! There are just way too many mouths to feed to put up top-16 fantasy numbers. Major bust potential is looming.

2021 Consensus Wide Receiver Rankings

Cons. Rnk	Player	Team	Bye	JD	JJ	BK	MO
1	Tyreek Hill	KC	12	1	1	2	1
2	Calvin Ridley	ATL	6	6	5	1	3
2	Stefon Diggs	BUF	7	4	3	3	5
4	A.J. Brown	TEN	13	3	2	7	7
5	DeAndre Hopkins	ARI	12	5	6	4	6
6	Davante Adams	GB	13	2	4	21	2
7	D.K. Metcalf	SEA	9	7	8	12	4
8	Justin Jefferson	MIN	7	8	7	11	8
9	Keenan Allen	LAC	7	10	10	5	10
10	Michael Thomas	NO	6	11	9	6	12
11	Mike Evans	TB	9	14	13	9	9
12	Terry McLaurin	WAS	9	9	12	14	11
13	Amari Cooper	DAL	7	13	11	13	14
13	Julio Jones	ATL	6	12	16	8	15
15	Allen Robinson II	CHI	10	15	15	15	13
16	Chris Godwin	TB	9	16	18	10	16
17	Robert Woods	LAR	11	17	14	17	17
18	D.J. Moore	CAR	13	19	17	16	18
19	CeeDee Lamb	DAL	7	18	19	18	21
20	Adam Thielen	MIN	7	20	21	22	19
21	Cooper Kupp	LAR	11	25	20	23	20
22	Tyler Lockett	SEA	9	23	23	24	22
23	Ja'Marr Chase	CIN	10	24	28	19	26
24	Kenny Golladay	NYG	10	21	22	30	27
25	Diontae Johnson	PIT	7	22	24	29	29
26	Courtland Sutton	DEN	11	26	29	34	28
27	D.J. Chark Jr.	JAC	7	30	30	35	23
28	JuJu Smith-Schuster	PIT	7	34	25	31	30
29	Chase Claypool	PIT	7	27	31	39	25
29	Tee Higgins	CIN	10	29	27	33	33
31	Brandon Aiyuk	SF	6	28	32	40	24
32	DeVonta Smith	PHI	14	33	35	25	34
33	Odell Beckham Jr.	CLE	13	41	39	20	31
34	Brandin Cooks	HOU	10	36	33	36	36
34	Jarvis Landry	CLE	13	31	44	26	40
36	Jerry Jeudy	DEN	11	40	26	32	44
37	Robby Anderson	CAR	13	35	36	41	35
38	Curtis Samuel	WAS	9	37	45	27	39
39	Deebo Samuel	SF	6	32	37	42	38
40	Antonio Brown	TB	9	45	34	28	46
41	DeVante Parker	MIA	7	47	38	37	42
42	Will Fuller V	MIA	7	39	46	46	37
42	Tyler Boyd	CIN	10	38	42	45	43
44	Michael Pittman Jr.	IND	14	43	49	49	32
45	Marquise Brown	BAL	8	42	41	44	53
46	Corey Davis	NYJ	6	61	43	38	41
47	T.Y. Hilton	IND	14	51	40	43	60
48	Henry Ruggs III	LV	8	57	47	47	45
48	Jaylen Waddle	MIA	7	48	48	48	52
50	Laviska Shenault Jr.	JAC	7	44	53	53	48
50	Marvin Jones Jr.	JAC	7	49	50	50	49
52	Michael Gallup	DAL	7	46	52	52	50
53	Nelson Agholor	NE	14	58	51	51	58
54	Mike Williams	LAC	7	50	61	61	47
55	John Brown	LV	8	52	60	60	55
56	Cole Beasley	BUF	7	53	55	55	65
57	Darnell Mooney	CHI	10	59	57	57	59
58	Parris Campbell	IND	14	72	54	54	57
59	Mecole Hardman	KC	12	67	56	56	61
60	Jalen Reagor	PHI	14	60	65	65	54
60	Terrace Marshall Jr.	CAR	13	56	62	62	64
62	Christian Kirk	ARI	12	62	68	68	51
63	Gabriel Davis	BUF	7	77	59	59	63
64	Sterling Shepard	NYG	10	54	69	69	68
65	Jamison Crowder	NYJ	6	55	70	70	67
66	Elijah Moore	NYJ	6	69	64	64	69
67	Rashod Bateman	BAL	8	68	72	72	56
68	Allen Lazard	GB	13	65	71	71	62
69	Bryan Edwards	LV	8	83	63	63	66
69	Denzel Mims	NYJ	6	70	67	67	71
71	Russell Gage	ATL	6	88	58	58	74
72	Darius Slayton	NYG	10	63	75	75	76
73	Rondale Moore	ARI	12	66	76	76	72
74	Amon-Ra St. Brown	DET	9	75	73	73	70
74	Breshad Perriman	DET	9	64	77	77	73
76	Josh Reynolds	TEN	13	80	66	66	81
77	Marquez Valdes-Scantling	GB	13	71	78	78	75
78	Emmanuel Sanders	BUF	7	73	79	79	80
79	Tim Patrick	DEN	11	74	81	81	79
79	A.J. Green	ARI	12	76	74	74	91
81	Jakobi Meyers	NE	14	81	80	80	78
82	Sammy Watkins	BAL	8	79	82	82	82
83	Kadarius Toney	NYG	10	86	83	83	77
84	Preston Williams	MIA	7	78	84	84	84
85	James Washington	PIT	7	82	85	85	86
86	Tre'Quan Smith	NO	6	87	86	86	85
87	Anthony Miller	CHI	10	90	88	88	83
88	KJ Hamler	DEN	11	85	89	89	92
89	Van Jefferson	LAR	11	93	90	90	87
90	Hunter Renfrow	LV	8	92	91	91	88
91	Tyrell Williams	DET	9	91	92	92	90
92	Randall Cobb	HOU	10	89	93	93	93
92	DeSean Jackson	LAR	11	84	87	87	999
94	Keke Coutee	HOU	10	94	94	94	95
95	Quintez Cephus	DET	9	999	95	95	89
96	Tyron Johnson	LAC	7	98	97	97	98
97	Rashard Higgins	CLE	13	99	99	99	96
98	N'Keal Harry	NE	14	96	100	100	100
99	Zach Pascal	IND	14	95	96	96	999
100	Kendrick Bourne	NE	14	97	98	98	999
101	Keelan Cole Sr.	NYJ	6	999	999	999	94
102	Scotty Miller	TB	9	999	999	999	97
103	Amari Rodgers	GB	13	100	999	999	999

Are you digging our wide receiver rankings? Then you probably want to take a peek at our Running Back Rankings.

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Wide Receiver Rankings for 2021 Fantasy Football [Standard Scoring]

Meet the Rankers

2021 Consensus Wide Receiver Rankings