Hardly any position group has changed as much over the offseason as the wide receivers – and here we are talking primarily about the fantasy impact of the numerous trades. Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill and Marquise Brown, among others, will wear new jerseys in 2022. What to expect from these stars compared to last year and established greats like Cooper Kupp? We tell you in our TOUCHDOWN24 fantasy football rankings.
–
–
Click here for TOUCHDOWN24 quarterback rankings
Click here for the TOUCHDOWN24 running back rankings
Before we jump into the rankings, a small note from me: Ranking players before each fantasy draft is a good way to keep track of time pressure. But even better are tiers, i.e. groups of players who have roughly the same value. They help you to see where the value currently lies in the draft and where you might leave it.
A small example to illustrate: You are “on the clock” and still have not picked a quarterback for your team. There are about four to five quarterbacks left on the board, though, all ranked in the same tier (let’s say Tier 2). The running backs, on the other hand, only have one option from their own tier, behind which there is a massive drop-off in quality.
In this case, it makes more sense to take the running back, even though it might be the third or even fourth on your team, since you can be sure that there will still be a Tier 2 quarterback on the board in the next round is. It’s decisions like this that will help you keep value on the draft board and put together the best possible team.
If you’ve mastered this strategy, you’re now ready for our 2022 NFL Year Receiver Rankings – specifically designed for leagues where wideouts get one point per reception (PPR). Here we go:
Tier 1: The best of the best
1. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
2. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
3. Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
What else is there to say about the “Big Three” of fantasy receivers that hasn’t already been said? For me, Chase belongs in a group with Target monsters Kupp and Jefferson because he had by far the highest “explosive play rate” of the trio last year according to Pro Football Focus – which means he can do a lot with fewer targets. Ultimately, which of the top three wideouts is number one is a personal question: for me it’s Kupp, since he’s on a better offense than Jefferson and has less competition than Chase (there’s still a bit of Tee Higgins there). ).
Justin Jefferson is 1️⃣ of 1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/oW6phPnbeQ
— PFF (@PFF) July 6, 2022
Tier 2: Saddle-up WR1s
4. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
5. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
6. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
7. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders
8. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
Diggs played a rather weak season in 2021 by his standards and still made it into the top eight fantasy receivers at the end of the season – mainly thanks to a target share of 25 percent in an offense with Josh Allen under center. For me, he has a realistic chance of ending the season as an overall WR1 and could well be in Tier 1. The rest of the wideouts in Tier 2 are all very safe options as the first receiver on your team. Barring injuries, I don’t see any of the players from this tier not finishing in the top 15 at the end of the season.
Tier 3: WR1 potential present
10. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
11. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
12. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts
13. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
14. D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers
15. Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
16. Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers
17. Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers
For a long time I debated whether I should still count Hill among the “surefire” WR1s, but finally decided against it. For me, Patrick Mahomes’ quarterback downgrade to Tua Tagovailoa is huge, no matter how much Hill praises his new signal caller. In addition, the Dolphins will probably rely on a somewhat more balanced offense than the Chiefs, who are very pass-heavy. Perhaps a point of reference for Hill’s 2022 season is Alex Smith’s final year as a starter for the Chiefs, when Hill finished the year as a WR9 (16.1 PPR points per game).
Tyreek Hill Fantasy GMs seeing this: ?
(H/T: @NFL) pic.twitter.com/gq6MxzPIjG
— TSN EDGE (@TSN_Edge) July 6, 2022
Tier 4: Solide WR2s
18. Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals
19. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
20. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
21. Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens
22. Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans
23. Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos
24. Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns
I have Bateman significantly higher than many other experts in their rankings and that is primarily because I believe in Bateman’s talent. According to Pro Football Focus, 90 percent of all rookie receivers with a grade like Bateman’s in his rookie season have made it into the top 24 PPR options for the coming season. Also, Marquise Brown is now playing in Arizona, making the 22-year-old a clear breakout candidate. I’ll have a lot of Bateman shares this year, that’s for sure.
Tier 5: WR3s amongst themselves
25. Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears
26. Allen Robinson II, Los Angeles Rams
27. Gabriel Davis, Buffalo Bills
28. Russell Gage, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
29. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
30. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kansas City Chiefs
31. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
32. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals
33. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
34. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
35. Elijah Moore, New York Jets
Gabriel Davis is a name that’s going through the roof in the fantasy community right now, but I can’t rank the Bills wideout as a WR2 (yet). There are several reasons for this: on the one hand, Davis hasn’t exactly excelled on the field (PFF grades of 66 and 72 in his first two years), on the other hand, apart from a short span at the end of the season, the Bills have not yet shown that they can support the 23-year-old really trust – at the end of the day Davis is “only” a fourth-round pick. The upside is definitely there in the strong Bills offense, but I wouldn’t make the top 20 for Davis.
With Josh Allen under center, Jamison Crowder could have a career year in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns with the Bills.
The fantasy football world is so enamored with Gabriel Davis that no one really cares. pic.twitter.com/gbV3DQEHqf
— Moody (@EricNMoody) July 8, 2022
Tier 6: Deep league dart throws
36. Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans
37. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings
38. Skyy Moore, Kansas City Chiefs
39. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
40. Hunter Renfrow, Las Vegas Raiders
In addition to the three rookies Burks, Moore and London, who all bring huge upside with them, but whose role is not yet certain, there are two veterans in Tier 6 with Thielen and Renfrow. Renfrow’s position in my ranking in particular could surprise many managers, was he was still a solid top 20 option last year. But with Davante Adams new to the team and Darren Waller fit again, my guess is that Renfrow is only the Raiders’ No. 3 passing game — and that doesn’t have enough volume to support three fantasy options week-in-week.
And now it’s your turn: Which ranking do you not agree with at all? Who flies under the fantasy radar for you and who gets overrated? Feel free to write us your opinions via our social channels such as Facebook and Instagram.
–
