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By far, the wide receiver position provides the most depth of any position from a fantasy football perspective. As offenses become more and more dependent on the pass, the greater the pool of wide receivers becomes. In 2018, 18 wide receivers had over 1,000 yards receiving, which was up from 14 the year prior and 10 had over 100 receptions, which was double the amount from the year before. So, when you are putting together your draft ranking for your best ball league, using a ½ PPR scoring scheme, what should you be thinking about? What WRs are the most durable? Will the offensive scheme they play in give them the best chance to accumulate as many receptions and yards as possible? Will any drastic changes to their team’s roster benefit or hurt their offensive output? Simple questions like those will be ones that could help guide you into making all the right picks as we get closer to your best ball draft.
The Elites
Julio Jones – Atlanta Falcons
In Julio Jones eight NFL seasons only twice has he failed to reach 1,000 receiving yards only twice, his rookie year where he fell 41 yards short while only playing in 13 games and in 2013 when he only played in five games due to injury. Other than the one season where he was injured, he has been a pretty durable player, having missed only two games in the last five seasons. Over this time, he is averaging 162 targets, 105 receptions and an unbelievable 1,661 yards receiving. On most fantasy draft boards, Jones is seen as a top three receiver with many projecting him to be the first WR to be picked. In the last four years, he is averaging almost 16 fantasy points per game in most half PPR leagues. With this combination of consistent excellence, reliable health, a strong offense and a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, Jones looks to be the elite of the elite in your best ball league.
DeAndre Hopkins – Houston Texans
If you are looking for durability and the ability to accumulate consistently great weekly fantasy point outputs, look no further than DeAndre Hopkins. Best Ball fantasy leagues are made for someone like Hopkins, who has missed only one game in his six seasons in the NFL. Since 2015, Hopkins averaged over 17 fantasy points per game, except for 2016 when he would only average 10 points per game. Although I think you can forgive him on that one, I don’t think many would have expected much from a team that had a suspect offensive line, as well as the two-headed quarterback tandem of Brock Osweiler and Tom Savage throwing him the ball. Flash forward to 2018, with Deshaun Watson under center Hopkins had perhaps the best statistical season of his career, hauling in 115 passes for 1,572 yards and 11 touchdowns. Needless to say, with a projected similar level of output and a history of good health, DeAndre Hopkins should most definitely be a Top WR pick in any Best Ball League draft.
JuJu Smith-Schuster – Pittsburgh Steelers
Perhaps no receiver in the NFL will be affected by the shakeup of his team’s offense in 2019 more than JuJu Smith-Schuster. With Antonio Brown now catching passes in Oakland for the Raiders, the Steelers air game will now be centered on the third-year pro as he attempts to build on an all-pro 2018 season. In his break-out season in 2018 Smith-Schuster finished 6th in the NFL in receptions (111) and 5th in yards (1,426), averaging just under seven receptions per game. According to Fantasydata.com, he is projected to average about 14.6 points per game, which is in line with how he finished last season. However, I see him beating his projected output for one reason; with Brown now in Oakland, as of this article’s publication, the current wide receivers on the Steelers roster last season combined for only 20 more targets, one more reception and 209 less yards than Smith-Schuster, and the bulk of that was by Donte Moncrief who comes to the Steelers as a free agent. The rapport that Smith-Schuster has developed over the last two seasons with QB Ben Roethlisberger will carry him through much of the season, at least until Roethlisberger develops a trust for one of the other receivers. Smith-Schuster has not had any real injury issues in his first two seasons and consistent game-by-game output, so he should be one of the top wide receivers taken off the board.
Antonio Brown – Oakland Raiders
It is not controversial to say that over the last six seasons, Antonio Brown has been the best wide receiver in the NFL averaging 114 receptions for 1542 yards and 11 TD in that span. So, it is not surprising to see that he has also been the #1 fantasy football wide receiver as well, averaging a crazy 17.9 ppg in half PPR scoring leagues. Antonio Brown is the best of the best, who is consistent and has only missed four games since 2013, which makes him a no doubt top three wide receiver pick in any best ball fantasy draft. The only caveat in any plan to take Antonio Brown as the top WR is the fact that Derek Carr will be throwing him the ball this season. Carr averaged a very mediocre 13.5 ppg in his first year playing in Head Coach Jon Gruden’s offense, in contrast to Ben Roethlisberger’s 21.3 ppg average.
Other Elites
Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints; Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers; Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings; Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Elite…If….
As the title of this section suggests, there are a number of obviously elite wide receivers that will be available, but for one reason or another, there is an issue that you will have to keep in mind when looking to take these players.
…Health holds up
Odell Beckham Jr – Cleveland Browns
The centerpiece of the most stunning trade in the NFL this offseason, Odell Beckham Jr. joins what looks to be one of the most talented Cleveland Browns team in their history. He is the very definition of the “Diva Wide Receiver” in today’s game, but for all of his brashness, he backs it up with his play on the field. The only caveat to any thought of Beckham being one of the first WR’s taken is that he has had health issues over the last few seasons. Having only played in half his team’s available games the last two seasons, Beckham needs to stay healthy this season to justify what should be a top 7-10 WR pick in any best ball fantasy league.
…The NFL doesn’t get to him first
Tyreek Hill – Kansas City Chiefs
If you follow the NFL, you are aware of the issues that Tyreek Hill has had over the last couple of years with regards to his off the field conduct. What makes Hill a potentially elite WR is his skills on the field. There might not be a more exciting, explosively fast WR than Hill, however, for those who are in best ball leagues, Tyreek Hill represents the ultimate risk pick. In the last two years, he has combined for 162 receptions for 2,662 yards and 19TDs. Fantasydata.com had him as the highest scoring WR in 1/2PPR leagues in the NFL in 2018 and fourth in 2017, so without a doubt, the talent is there. However, with a potential suspension by the NFL potentially looming, is Tyreek Hill still a top WR to take in your best ball league? My response and suggestion is that he is a last minute, draft-day decision. If by the end of the preseason, the NFL hasn’t handed down a suspension, then he might be worth taking a shot. However, with the inability to tap any kind of waiver wire in a best ball league to fill in for a possible suspension, I would wait at least a round or two and hope that his stock falls far enough to justify the potential risk of losing him and that roster spot for an extended period of time.
Potential Later Round Gems
Tyler Boyd – Cincinnati Bengals
Following a breakout season in 2018, Tyler Boyd looks to build on a season where he would break the 1,000-yard barrier for the first time in his career. Playing opposite former all-pro A.J. Green, Boyd became the go-to receiver for last year in Green’s absence due to injury. Interestingly, Boyd’s best games came when Green was in the lineup most likely due to defenses keying more on Green, which allowed Boyd to put up some pretty impressive numbers. This season will provide Boyd with the best gauge of whether he is on the cusp of stardom or not. With the returns of both Green and QB Andy Dalton, as well as new Head Coach Zac Taylor, there appears to be an even greater concentration on the offense, particularly the passing game, which can only positively affect Boyd’s fantasy stats. In a half PPR best ball league, Boyd looks to be a middle to late WR pick, but should he remain healthy, he catches 69% of the balls that are thrown to him and his number of targets have greatly increased since his rookie year, jumping just over 25% in three years. Fantasydata.com projects him to average 9.6 points per game this season, which in a regular league would make him a viable flex WR bordering on WR2. However, in a best ball league, he will maintain value as a mid to late WR pick because of his penchant for having the big game sprinkled in with his average game. In 2018, Boyd put up games of 100, 132 and 138 yards receiving and averaging 8.6 receptions in those three games.
Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals
Going into his 16th and potentially final NFL season, I am looking for Larry Fitzgerald to put a cap on his Hall of Fame career. He will no longer be the primary target for the Cardinals as Christian Kirk looks to have taken on that role, but even in late stages of his career, Fitzgerald proved last season he can still put up some pretty efficient numbers. He averaged 7.2 fantasy points per game on an offense that finished dead last in the NFL in virtually every offensive category. So, in comes Kliff Kingsbury and his “Air Raid” offense, as well as #1 overall pick Kyler Murray who will be the starting QB from Day 1. While I am not looking for a total 180-degree flip to the Cardinals offense and they still have a terrible offensive line, it is not a stretch to say that someone like Larry Fitzgerald is going to greatly benefit from the new offensive scheme, which will no doubt lead to an uptick in points. We are talking a best ball league, so you are not drafting Fitzgerald to be one of your top 2 WR, you will have him on your roster because he plays every game and he is still very much in the Arizona Cardinals playbook, which as I said will most likely get as much use of Larry Fitzgerald as possible.
Other Later Round Gems
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants; Dante Pettis, San Francisco 49’ers; Dede Westbrook, Jacksonville Jaguars; Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys; Adam Humphries, Tennessee Titans
The Rookies
Top 10 rankings
- N’Keal Harry – New England Patriots
- Marquise Brown – Baltimore Ravens
- Mecole Hardman – Kansas City Chiefs
- Deebo Samuel – San Francisco 49ers
- Parris Campbell – Indianapolis Colts
- DK Metcalf – Seattle Seahawks
- J. Brown – Tennessee Titans
- Hakeem Butler – Arizona Cardinals
- Diontae Johnson – Pittsburgh Steelers
- Terry McLaurin – Washington Redskins
