The NFL season is fast approaching. Now only one day away from the preseason opener between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, the regular-season opener is only a little more than a month away.
Leading up to the start of the season, these rankings will be updated regularly.
Note: These rankings are for half-PPR scoring.
More scoring formats:
More 2021 fantasy football rankings:
- Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings
- Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings
- Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings
1. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers
Not only did Adams miss two games in 2020, but he has missed multiple games in three of his past four seasons. Even so, the seven-year veteran led the NFL in receiving touchdowns (18) and yards per game (98.1) and also set a career high in receptions (115). With double-digit touchdowns in four of five seasons, Adams has a total of 58 scores in 71 games over that span. With Aaron Rodgers still playing at an MVP level, Adams moves back into the WR1 spot with the Rodgers drama behind us.
2. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs
Few players at any position have as much upside as Hill to erupt for a massive performance in any given week. Setting a career high in touchdowns (17), Hill had 87 receptions for 1,276 yards and 13 carries for 123 yards in 2020.
3. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
Things could not have gone better for Diggs in his first season with the Bills. Buffalo's starters played fewer snaps than usual in Week 17, as Diggs played a season-low 48% of the team's offensive snaps in the regular-season finale. Even so, that Week 17 performance (7/76) was the only game over the final five weeks where Diggs had fewer than 128 receiving yards. A top-three performer across all scoring formats, Diggs led the league in targets (166), receptions (127) and yards (1,535) in 2020.
4. Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons
Ridley closed the season the same way he started it -- with 100-plus yards in four of five games. Along with Davante Adams (six) and Stefon Diggs (three), Ridley was one of three receivers to finish as a top-two weekly fantasy receiver at least three times in 2020. Ridley finished last season with 90 catches on 143 targets for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns and should be a top-five fantasy wide receiver in 2021, especially with Julio Jones in Tennessee.
5. D.K. Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
The sky is the limit for Metcalf, who is coming off a breakout sophomore campaign (83/1,303/10). Through Week 9, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks passing offense were unstoppable and Metcalf had more than 90 yards in seven of his first eight games. Through Week 9, only Tyreek Hill had scored more fantasy points than Metcalf.
The only concern for Metcalf (and Wilson) is the Seahawks' desire to establish the run. Over the final eight regular-season games, Metcalf exceeded 61 yards in only two games. As great as Metcalf was in the first half of the season, he was tied with (now WFT receiver) Curtis Samuel as the WR25 from Weeks 10-17.
6. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals
In his first season in Arizona, Hopkins tied a career high in receptions (115) and his 1,407 receiving yards were the third most of his career. Meanwhile, Stefon Diggs (166) was the only receiver with more targets than Hopkins (160). While his six touchdowns were a four-year low, Hopkins still finished as a top-five fantasy receiver in half-PPR/PPR formats. (Hopkins was WR9 in non-PPR.)
7. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Jefferson exceeded all expectations in his inaugural season with 88 catches for a rookie-record 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns. Not only did the former LSU Tiger have seven 100-yard games, but he had double-digit targets in five of his final six games after doing so in only two of his first 10 games. Going forward, Jefferson should be the 1(a) to Adam Thielen's 1(b) in Minnesota's passing offense.
8. A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans
Brown missed a couple of games in 2020, but he followed up a strong rookie campaign (52/1,052/8) with career highs across the board -- 70 catches, 1,075 yards and 11 touchdowns on 106 targets. Despite playing in a run-first offense, Brown has averaged 17.4 Y/R and scored a touchdown on 15.6% of his receptions through his first two NFL seasons.
There is the potential for even better numbers in 2021 for the ascending third-year receiver, but many of the vacated targets left by Corey Davis, Jonnu Smith and Adam Humphries will be soaked up by Julio Jones and (to a much lesser degree) Josh Reynolds.
9. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Allen missed a couple of games and was limited in others, but he finished with 100 catches for the third time in four seasons despite playing with a rookie quarterback. Although just shy of the 1,000-yard mark and averaging a career-low 9.92 Y/R, Allen tied his career high (set as a rookie in 2013) with eight touchdowns. Along with Davante Adams and Diontae Johnson, Allen was just one of three receivers to get double-digit targets in 10 games in 2020.
10. Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Team
While the team's quarterback play hasn't done him many favors, McLaurin managed to set career highs with 87 catches and 1,118 yards in his second season. While his Y/R dipped to 12.9 from 15.8, he set career highs in YPG (74.5) and catch rate (64.9%). Even though WFT didn't draft a QB in April, signing Ryan Fitzpatrick in free agency boosts McLaurin's outlook and puts him squarely in the WR1 (top 12) mix.
11. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys
Cooper finished 2020 with a career-high 92 receptions for 1,114 yards and five touchdowns. It was his third consecutive 1,000-yard season and fifth of his career. In 41 games as a member of the Cowboys, Cooper has averaged 73.9 yards per game. Recovering from ankle surgery, Cooper is expected to return to practice after the Aug. 13th preseason game and play a few snaps before the regular season begins.
12. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
With a healthy Dak Prescott, Lamb began his NFL career with two 100-yard games and a minimum of 59 yards in each of his first five games. During that five-game span, Lamb scored the 11th-most fantasy points (Amari Cooper was 12th) and only five other receivers had more receiving yards (433). Based on his skill set, Lamb should eventually emerge as the 1(a) for the Cowboys to Cooper's 1(b) ... potentially as early as 2021. Prescott recently said of that his "expectations are super-high" for Lamb, whom he described as "a special playmaker that we're privileged to have and he'll be big-time and definitely have a breakout season."
13. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams
It was a disappointing season for Woods and the Rams offense in general. Woods tied a career high in receptions (90), but his receiving yardage (936) and yards from scrimmage (1,091) were three-year lows. Replacing Jared Goff with Matthew Stafford generates some optimism for all of the skill-position players.
14. Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears
Preventing Robinson from reaching free agency, the Bears used their franchise tag on Robinson. While disappointing for fantasy managers that had hoped for an upgraded situation for the 27-year-old receiver, Robinson has a total of 200 receptions and a minimum of 1,147 yards over his past two seasons in Chicago with less-than-stellar quarterback play.
15. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings
Thielen averaged only 61.7 YPG, but he scored 14 touchdowns in 2020. Only three receivers were targeted more often in the red zone than Thielen (19). While Justin Jefferson has moved ahead of him in the wide receiver pecking order, Thielen remains a strong WR2 in both real life and fantasy.
16. Julio Jones, Tennessee Titans
Jones missed nearly half of the season, but he finished with at least 94 yards in five of his nine games played in 2020. Averaging 85.7 YPG last year, Jones was still on a full-season pace of 1,371 yards. Before last season, he had a minimum of 1,394 yards in six consecutive seasons. As Jones transitions to Tennessee's run-first, Derrick Henry-centric offense, his per-game numbers are certain to drop. That said, he's still a high-end WR2.
17. D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers
Moore averaged only 6.9 targets per game through his first 10 games, but that number jumped to 9.8 over his final five games. In addition, three of his four 100-yard games occurred over that final five-game stretch. Even though his 55.9% catch rate was a career low, the 23-year-old receiver's ADOT (13.2), Y/R (18.1) and receiving yards (1,193) were all career highs.
18. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Although he set a career low in yards per game (62.9), Evans exceeded the 1,000-yard mark -- now seven consecutive seasons to begin his career -- and set a career high with 13 scores. The Bucs have franchise tagged Chris Godwin and re-signed Antonio Brown, which could lead to more week-to-week inconsistency for all of the team's receivers.
19. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Missing four games in the first half of the season, Godwin finished a disappointing 2020 campaign with a receiving line of 65/840/7 as he averaged 25.2 fewer yards per game than in 2019. An assortment of injuries and the presence of Antonio Brown (7.75 targets per game) interfered with Godwin's consistency last season. Godwin ranked third in targets (55) over the final eight games behind Evans (63) and Brown (62).
20. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
While Kupp averaged a career-high 6.1 receptions per game, he set career lows with 10.6 Y/R and only three touchdowns. As noted with Woods, the upgrade at quarterback should provide a boost to Kupp, Woods and the offense overall.
21. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
The full-season numbers (100/1,054/10, WR9 in half-PPR) look great and Lockett now has back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns and three consecutive seasons with at least eight touchdowns. That said, there were three spike games (9/100/3, 15/200/3 and 12/90/2) and mostly modest performances the rest of the season. From Weeks 4 to 16, Lockett finished as fantasy's weekly WR45 (or worse) in nine of 12 games. Given Seattle's run-first tendency, there is week-to-week volatility with the team's top pass-catchers.
22. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
Former college teammate Justin Jefferson dominated as a rookie in 2020. If Chase were draft-eligible last year, the 2019 Biletnikoff award winner would have been the first receiver off the board. Reunited with his former college quarterback, Chase should be able to establish immediate chemistry. While Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd will still see substantial (perhaps equal) targets as well, Chase should emerge eventually as the team's WR1.
23. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
From Week 2 until Week 11 (Joe Burrow's knee injury), Higgins scored the 19th-most fantasy points (half-PPR scoring) amongst wide receivers. With the Bengals drafting Ja'Marr Chase over Penei Sewell, it took some steam out of Higgins' opportunity to build upon his strong rookie season. On the other hand, A.J. Green and his 104 targets (6.5/G) are no longer on the roster.
24. Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Tied with Davante Adams and Keenan Allen, no receiver had more games with double-digit targets than Johnson (10). The second-year receiver averaged only 10.5 Y/R, but he turned his 144 targets into 88 catches for 923 yards and five touchdowns. While he needs to cut down on the drops, Johnson should be one of the league's most-targeted wideouts in 2021 even though the team re-signed JuJu Smith-Schuster.
25. D.J. Chark, Jacksonville Jaguars
Chark missed three games in 2020 and averaged 12.9 yards per game less than in 2019, but improved quarterback play with Trevor Lawrence makes Chark a bounce-back candidate for 2021. Two seasons ago, Chark had 73 catches for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns in his age-23 season.
26. Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers
Claypool scored 11 touchdowns -- nine receiving and two rushing -- in the regular season and added two more receiving scores in the team's playoff loss to Cleveland. Re-signing JuJu Smith-Schuster to a one-year deal puts a dent into Mapletron's upside in year two, but it wouldn't surprise me if he was the team's top-producing wideout in 2021.
27. Laviska Shenault, Jacksonville Jaguars
Shenault Jr. played only 10 snaps in Week 9 and then missed the following two games. Outside of those three games, the rookie had a minimum of three receptions in every game. Over the final five games of the season, he had 25 catches (on 36 targets) for 246 yards and four touchdowns and added six carries for 31 yards and he was the WR16 (half-PPR) over that stretch.
28. Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans
Averaging a career-high 76.7 YPG, Cooks finished his first season in Houston with 81 catches for 1,150 yards and six touchdowns. From Week 5 on, Cooks had at least 59 yards in 10 of 11 games. During that 11-game span, he averaged 6.5 catches and 92 yards per game.
Given Deshaun Watson's uncertain status as we approach the 2021 season, it's reasonable to project lower year-over-year numbers for Cooks, even with Will Fuller now in Miami. At the same time, he should be the recipient of as many targets as he can handle.
29. Robby Anderson, Carolina Panthers
Year 1 in Carolina was generally a success for Anderson, who set career highs in targets (136), receptions (95) and yards (1,096). On the other hand, he set a career low in Y/R (11.5) and his three touchdowns were a career low outside of his rookie season. Getting off to a great start, Anderson had 74-plus yards in six of his first seven games with all three of his 100-yard games during that span. Beyond that point, however, he reached 74 yards in only two of nine games and averaged nearly 40 YPG less over the final nine-game span (91.4 YPG in first 7G vs. 50.7 in final 9G). The free-agency departure of Curtis Samuel should help Anderson improve upon his 2020 numbers.
30. Odell Beckham, Cleveland Browns
OBJ has now missed at least four games in three of the past four seasons. Since becoming a Brown, Beckham has averaged 4.6 and 3.3 receptions per game in 2019 and 2020, respectively, both of which are the lowest per-game averages of his career. In addition, Beckham's per-game averages of 4.2/58.9/0.3 as a Brown are significantly lower compared to his per-game averages as a Giant (6.6/92.8/0.75).
31. Kenny Golladay, New York Giants
Golladay exceeded the 1,000-yard milestone in back-to-back seasons (2018 and 2019) with the Lions and led the NFL in receiving touchdowns (11) in 2019. Although 2020 was a lost season due to a hip injury, Golladay had either 100-plus yards or 50-plus yards and a score in the four games he played before sustaining the injury. Signing a four-year deal with the Giants, the QB downgrade from Matthew Stafford to Daniel Jones and a more crowded receiver room limits his ceiling a bit.
32. Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals
Boyd had just one catch for one yard in Weeks 15 and 17 -- he was out in Week 16 -- as he failed to extend his 1,000-yard streak to three seasons. Through Week 11 (when Joe Burrow tore his ACL), however, Boyd was averaging 71.0 yards per game, which put him on a 16-game pace of 1,136 yards. Even though the Bengals drafted Chase, a healthy Burrow keeps Boyd in the WR3 mix.
33. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
Sutton had a breakout season in 2019 -- 72 catches for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns -- but missed nearly all of 2020 with a torn ACL. While Sutton is our top-ranked Broncos fantasy wide receiver, it's more of a 1(a)/1(b) situation with Jerry Jeudy and both are viable WR3 types heading into 2021. A low level of quarterback play could hold both back, however.
34. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
Aiyuk missed four games as a rookie, but he showed why the 49ers selected him in the first round in 2020. Finishing with 60 receptions for 748 yards and five touchdowns and added 77 rushing yards over 12 games, Aiyuk had a six-game stretch (Weeks 7 to 15 excluding missed games) with a minimum of 73 yards per game and an average of 94.7 over that stretch.
35. Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers
In 2018, Williams had 10 touchdowns. In 2019, he led the NFL with 20.4 Y/R and posted his first (and only) 1,000-yard season. Not only were overall numbers (48/756/5) disappointing, but he had only four top-36 performances (half-PPR) out of his 15 games last season. That said, Lombardi said that he'd "bet on nice numbers coming from [Williams] on the stat sheet, that's for sure."
36. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
Foot and hamstring injuries (plus the COVID-19 list) limited Samuel to only seven games in 2020. Samuel played only one snap (his final snap of 2020) against WFT in Week 14, but he had 65-plus yards in each of the final four games in which he appeared before that. Due to his physical playing style, he's always a threat to miss time, but he's a viable WR3 in the weeks that he's on the field.
37. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers
After averaging 65.5 and 89.1 yards per game, respectively, in his first two seasons with the Steelers, Smith-Schuster has averaged 46.0 and 51.9 per game in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The Steelers re-signed Smith-Schuster to a one-year contract and he is a WR3 (both in fantasy and on his own team).
38. Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys
It was a down year (59/843/5) for Gallup, who averaged 26.4 fewer yards per game than he did in 2019. Of course, the offense as a whole struggled without Dak Prescott and Gallup had 50-plus yards in four of five games with Prescott and in only three-of-11 games without him.
39. Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos
Jeudy had his moments, but it was generally an underwhelming rookie season given the Week 1 season-ending injury to Courtland Sutton. Per NextGen Stats, Jeudy's 31.46% share of his team's air yards ranked 14th in 2020. That said, he had a 46.0% catch rate on the year.
40. Jarvis Landry, Cleveland Browns
While he has typically exceeded his preseason expectations, Landry finished 2020 as fantasy's WR36, identical to his final 2020 half-PPR ADP (via Fantasy Football Calculator). Landry set career lows in targets (101) and receptions (72) last season and his yards from scrimmage (850) and total touchdowns (four) were either the lowest or second-lowest of his career. Given that those numbers were mostly without Odell Beckham Jr. (torn ACL), it's unlikely that Landry outperforms last year's modest numbers (by much) in Cleveland's run-first offense.
41. Curtis Samuel, Washington Football Team
Across scoring formats, Samuel was a top-25 receiver in 2020 despite playing with D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson, both of whom outscored Samuel in half-PPR formats. Samuel set career highs in receptions (77), receiving yards (851) and rushing yards (200) in 2020. Immediately slotting in as WFT's WR2 behind Terry McLaurin, Samuel is once again a viable WR3 in fantasy.
42. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
It was an injury-plagued 2020 season for Thomas, who failed to score in seven regular-season appearances. Thomas decided to postpone ankle surgery until June and now he's likely to miss the start of the 2021 season.
Before 2020, Thomas had improved every season -- 1,137 yards (2016), 1,245 (2017), 1,405 (2018) and 1,725 (2019). In his last full season (2019), he led the NFL in both receptions (149) and yards (1,725). Drew Brees' retirement and the injury dampen his fantasy outlook for the upcoming season.
43. Will Fuller, Miami Dolphins
Once again, Fuller missed five games, but this time it was due to suspension. In fact, he will finish serving his six-game suspension in Week 1 of the 2021 season.
Fuller set career highs in receptions (53), yards (879), YPG (79.9), Y/R (16.6) and touchdowns (eight) in 2020. Before the suspension, he was on a 77/1,279/12 pace. Signing with the Dolphins lowers Fuller's upside with the corresponding downgrade at quarterback from Deshaun Watson to Tua Tagovailoa.
44. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
Reunited with his former college quarterback, Waddle (as does Fuller) provides Tagovailoa with more speed on the outside. While the upgrade at receiver helps the quarterback, all three of the team's top receivers -- Fuller, Waddle and DeVante Parker -- could negate each other's upside.
45. Cole Beasley, Buffalo Bills
The recipient of triple-digit targets in back-to-back seasons, Beasley posted career highs in receptions (82) and catch rate (76.6%) as well as in yards (967), yards per reception (11.8), per target (9.0) and per game (64.5) in 2020. Catching only four touchdowns last season, Beasley has still finished as a top-36 wide receiver in both of his seasons as a Bill. While he will most likely outperform his ADP, Buffalo News' Jay Skurski included Beasley on his list of candidates that could be surprise cuts.
46. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
One year after selecting Jalen Reagor in the first round, the Eagles traded up for the Heisman Trophy winner. The only thing to dislike about Smith is his slight frame, but he was uber-productive as he set Alabama school receiving records -- receptions (235), yards (3,965) and touchdowns (46).
47. Corey Davis, New York Jets
Davis had a career-best season in 2020 (65/984/5, 15.1 Y/R). Transitioning to a new offense with a new coaching staff and a rookie quarterback, Davis may be the team's WR1, but it will likely be difficult to build upon last year's success.
48. T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
Over the past two seasons, Hilton averaged 50.8 (2020) and 50.1 (2019) YPG, which are the two lowest of his NFL career. While Hilton currently sits atop our Colts wide receiver rankings, the trio of Hilton, Pittman and Campbell are bunched together and it wouldn't be much of a surprise if the 31-year-old vet finishes the season as Indy's WR3 as the youngsters emerge.
49. Marquise Brown, Baltimore Ravens
Brown's catch rate (58.0%) and yards per target (7.7) dropped in 2020 from his rookie season of 64.8% and 8.2 Y/T, respectively. Since he played a full 16-game season, his overall numbers (58/769/8) improved last season. In a run-first offense with added competition from Rashod Bateman and Sammy Watkins, Brown has more appeal in best ball formats and DFS tournaments during the season than he does in standard season-long leagues.
50. Antonio Brown, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In a half season of action, Brown posted a respectable 45/483/4 line on 61 targets in 2020. Ranked as a WR4 in fantasy, it will likely take an injury to either Evans or Godwin for Brown to become a weekly starter.
51. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts
Pittman Jr. (6-4, 223) scored only one touchdown in 13 games as a rookie, but the second-year wideout is a breakout candidate and will be an upside WR4/5 in fantasy drafts.
52. Marvin Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jones averaged 61.1 YPG -- a three-year high -- last season and has averaged no less than 56.4 YPG over the past five years. In addition, he has scored nine touchdowns in three of his past four seasons. While Chark is a bounce-back candidate and Shenault Jr. is a breakout candidate, Jones is a solid depth option later in drafts.
53. Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears
A fifth-round pick out of Tulane, Mooney had a highly productive rookie campaign (61/631/4). Earlier this offseason, coach Matt Nagy talked up Mooney by saying that he "has a rare element of speed, combined with route-running, hands and passion. And commitment." With the Bears trading Anthony Miller to the Texans, it further boosts Mooney's outlook for 2021.
54. Henry Ruggs III, Las Vegas Raiders
No team makes the tight end a bigger focal point of their passing offense than the Raiders do with Darren Waller. While Ruggs was the first receiver off the board in the 2020 NFL Draft, he was often used more as a decoy than a featured part of the passing offense. As a rookie, Ruggs finished with a 26/452/2 line (17.4 Y/R). Better things are in store for Ruggs in 2021, but until Derek Carr starts taking more shots down the field, there will be a lot of boom-or-bust to the second-year receiver's game log.
55. DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins
Following up his breakout 2019 campaign, Parker disappointed fantasy managers with nearly 20 fewer yards per game and less than half as many touchdowns compared to the previous season. While Tua Tagovailoa should improve in his second season, the addition of Fuller and Waddle to a defensive-minded team means Parker's 2020 numbers (63/793/4) should be considered more of his baseline than his 2019 numbers (72/1,202/9).
56. Elijah Moore, New York Jets
Mostly aligning in the slot at Mississippi, Moore, the 34th-overall pick this year, broke A.J. Brown's single-season reception record last season. It would make sense for the Jets to part ways with Jamison Crowder, but Moore has the potential to excel both inside and out.
57. Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs
Many fantasy managers expected Hardman to take a step forward in his sophomore campaign, but his year-over-year production was nearly identical -- 26/538/6 (20.7 Y/R) in 2019 and 41/560/4 (13.7 Y/R) in 2020. With Sammy Watkins now in Baltimore and no significant additions to the receiving corps, Hardman offers upside at his late-round ADP.
58. Breshad Perriman, Detroit Lions
With injuries to Tampa's receivers, Perriman closed 2019 strong -- three 100-yard games to end the season and 25/506/5 over his final five games. That end-of-season success exceeded his production as a Jet (30/505/3) in 2020. The former first-round pick will play for his fifth team in as many seasons, but he's as good of a bet as any of the team's other wide receivers to lead the position group in target share. That alone makes him a last-round dart throw to consider.
59. Gabriel Davis, Buffalo Bills
Without signing Emmanuel Sanders to partially fill the void created by John Brown's release, there would be more hype for Davis as a 2021 breakout candidate. As a rookie, the 2020 fourth-round pick ended the year with 35 receptions for 599 yards (17.1 Y/R) and seven touchdowns.
60. Parris Campbell, Indianapolis Colts
After an injury-plagued rookie season, Campbell, a second-round pick in 2019, played only two snaps in Week 2 prior to a PCL injury that ended his 2020 season. Before the injury, he had 6/71 on nine targets and a nine-yard rush attempt in Week 1 last season. If he can stay healthy, he should challenge Hilton and Pittman as the team's most productive fantasy receiver.
61. Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey says that the Ravens "got a pretty good one" with Bateman, their first of two first-round picks in 2021. It wouldn't surprise me if he outperformed fellow former first-rounder Marquise Brown even as a rookie, but no team averaged fewer passing yards per game than the Ravens (171.9) in 2020.
62. Sammy Watkins, Baltimore Ravens
Entering his eighth NFL season playing for his fourth NFL franchise, Watkins had career lows in yards (421) and touchdowns (two) in 2020 despite playing with Patrick Mahomes. Missing six games in 2020, Watkins has missed at least that many games in three of the past five seasons. His Y/R (11.4) was a career low and his 42.1 YPG was the second lowest of his career.
With all of that said, Watkins has generated glowing reviews in minicamp and training camp thus far. Watkins played under OC Greg Roman in 2015 when he had 60/1,047/9 in his age-22 season.
63. Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons
With the Falcons trading Julio Jones to Tennessee, Gage should rank second or third on the team in receiving behind Calvin Ridley and possibly rookie Kyle Pitts in 2021. Gage set career highs across the board in 2020 with 72 catches, 110 targets, 786 yards and four touchdowns.
64. Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots
Meyers led the Patriots with 81 targets, 59 receptions and 729 yards in 2020. While the team added Nelson Agholor and Kendall Bourne in free agency, there's a good chance that the Meyers leads the position group in receiving once again.
65. Jalen Reagor, Philadelphia Eagles
Selected one pick before Justin Jefferson (88/1,400/7) in the 2020 NFL Draft, Reagor's disappointing 2020 campaign (31/391/1) becomes even more pronounced. Durability (five missed games) and sub-par quarterback play didn't help, but Reagor's breakout potential makes him a high-upside late-round pick.
66. Sterling Shepard, New York Giants
Shepard missed four games in 2020 and he has now missed four-plus games in three of the past four seasons. Adding Golladay to the receiving corps pushes Shepard down a spot on the depth chart, but he'll likely see the second-most snaps among the team's receivers barring injury.
67. Tyrell Williams, Detroit Lions
Like Perriman, Williams is a wideout that has had some success elsewhere that will play a heavy amount of snaps by default. Williams broke out in 2016 (69/1,059/7), but he has hovered in the 651-728 yardage range since then excluding last season's injured campaign (shoulder).
68. Christian Kirk, Arizona Cardinals
With DeAndre Hopkins dominating targets, Kirk's targets dropped from 108 (8.31/G) in 2019 to 79 (5.64/G) in 2020. The vast majority of his fantasy production including all of his touchdowns occurred during a five-game stretch from Weeks 4-9 (20/343/6, 17.15 Y/R, WR7). While Larry Fitzgerald has not yet retired, the team has signed A.J. Green and drafted Rondale Moore, which means that Kirk's 2021 numbers are unlikely to improve much from last season and may even decline. Kirk has missed multiple games in all three of his NFL seasons.
69. A.J. Green, Arizona Cardinals
After playing a total of nine games in 2018-19, Green played a full 16-game slate in 2020, but he set career lows in yards (523), Y/R (11.1), Y/TGT (5.0) and catch rate (45.2%). In addition, he had five goose-egg games and another with only a three-yard reception. Perhaps a change of scenery and a more potent offense will help his peripheral stats, but targets could be inconsistent given Hopkins target-hog status.
70. Tre'quan Smith, New Orleans Saints
Smith posted career numbers in receptions (34) and yards (448) in 2020. Even with Brees retiring, Smith should set new career highs with Emmanuel Sanders leaving for Buffalo and Thomas likely to miss the start of the season.
71. Nelson Agholor, New England Patriots
Agholor set a career high in receiving yards (896) and tied a career high in touchdowns (eight) in his lone season in Las Vegas. While I expect Meyers to continue to perform as the team's WR1, it wouldn't surprise me if Agholor duplicated his 2020 numbers.
72. Emmanuel Sanders, Buffalo Bills
Most fantasy rankings will project Diggs, Beasley and Davis as the team's top-three receivers, but at least one beat reporter (The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia) believes that Sanders could factor into the offense more than Davis. Buscaglia described Sanders' contract as a "weighty contract indicative of a substantial role in the offense" and wrote that "all of the Bills' actions in the offseason were not of a team confident that Davis was ready to step into an enormous role."
73. Nico Collins, Houston Texans
Based on his combination of size (6-4, 215) and speed (4.45 forty), Collins enters 2021 with some sleeper appeal for a team that should be trailing often.
74. Rondale Moore, Arizona Cardinals
The Cards will look to manufacture touches for their dynamic rookie. Playing only seven games over the past two years, Moore was uber-productive as a true freshman in 2018 (114/1258/12 receiving and 21/213/2 rushing).
75. Allen Lazard, Green Bay Packers
After Adams, there are a number of receivers that could emerge as the team's second-most productive fantasy wide receiver. Unfortunately, Lazard (or whomever performs as the team's WR2) is unlikely to be a consistent fantasy performer.
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