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Wide Receiver Rankings - Standard Leagues

Training camps have started, and the first preseason game is right around the corner. Robert offers his top 75 WR's to help in preparing for upcoming drafts.

By rk1101
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Just last year when writing this article we had already seen Kelvin Benjamin get hurt in the first practice. While so far no big injuries have occurred yet, we do see a few top players that are currently on the training camp PUP list. As of writing this, I am using the reports that I have seen from these teams in making my determination on the health of these players. As we move further along in the preseason, more information will be obtained that can give us a clearer picture of what to expect. For the time being though, the following are my WR Rankings if you were to be drafting right now. On Saturday morning I will be posting my overall top 200 for standard scoring leagues, and will be updating that each week based upon what happens during the training camps and preseason.

These rankings are for standard scoring leagues. For PPR rankings, see the content that other writers here have offered as those will be better suited towards your leagues scoring system. And now let's get to the rankings

Rank Player Team Notes
1 Antonio Brown Steelers Was #1 WR last year, and that was with him having to play with a backup QB for 4 games. Imagine what he could do with a full season of Big Ben.
2 Julio Jones Falcons Who else is going to get the ball in Atlanta? Julio is the premier and only threat outside of Devonta Freeman catching the ball. Expect numbers similar to last year.
3 Odell Beckham Jr. Giants The last guy in the first tier. In 27 career games, he has scored 25 TD's, and averaged 102 yards per game. Those are crazy numbers, and I don't think we should expect that to stop anytime soon.
4 A.J. Green Bengals Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu are gone. Insert a rookie in Tyler Boyd opposite him. We are looking at getting the volume A.J. Green from two years ago now as the only other receiving targets are Bernard and the oft injured Tyler Eifert.
5 DeAndre Hopkins Texans Brock Osweiler has to be an upgrade over the revolving door that Hopkins had last year. Biggest problem is the addition of Lamar Miller being able to carry the load on offense, which will cut into the volume Hopkins got used to last year.
6 Dez Bryant Cowboys Throw out last year and the injury riddled season he and his QB had. Both are now fully healthy and looking to go back to what worked in 2014. Only thing keeping Bryant back from being number 4 are the potential injury concerns to Tony Romo.
7 Jordy Nelson Packers Suffered a bit of a setback to start training camp, but I don't think this goes into the regular season. Averaging out his last two healthy years, you get just over 1,400 yards and 10.5 TD's. Nelson himself is the only thing that can hold him back.
8 Mike Evans Buccaneers Last year was his first with Winston. I am expecting Winston to take a leap forward this year, which will translate directly to Evans. After his bye week, once he could be fully healthy from his hamstring injury, he put up 1,032 yards over 11 games.
9 Sammy Watkins Bills This is a player who could vault himself into the upper tier if everything goes according to plan. After the bye week he put up 900 yards and 7 TD's over that 9 game span. He has now had a full year with Taylor at QB, so the sky is the limit.
10 Alshon Jeffrey Bears Injuries derailed his 2015 season. Now with full health going into the year, he should revert back to his 2014 production as a top 10 WR.
11 Allen Robinson Jaguars A big play receiver who also picked up 5+ receptions in 11 games, 8 of them in a row. His TD production can't be sustained on a team with Julius Thomas and Allen Hurns, not to mention the lack of rushing TD's that Ivory will now get at the goaline.
12 Keenan Allen Chargers Would have finished as the 8th best receiver if he had his stats extrapolated over an entire season. Rivers looked at him more than ever last year, and that should happen again this year. His injury last year was a lacerated kidney, so don't expect any lingering effects to his game or health.
13 Brandon Marshall Jets Another player who can't sustain the 14 TD's he scored last year. While he does have Fitzpatrick back for this season, one has to wonder if Matt Forte's presence in the passing game will take away from his targets.
14 Amari Cooper Raiders Over 1,000 yards as a rookie with a second year QB. His numbers should improve this year, as he has the opportunity to be a top 10 WR if he takes some of the targets that would have gone to Crabtree last year.
15 Golden Tate Lions Even with Calvin Johnson last year, Tate put up 90 receptions on only 128 targets. Someone has to get the targets Calvin left behind, as they all won't go to Marvin Jones. In 2014 without Calvin for 3 weeks, Tate put up 349 yards and 2 TD's. In the two weeks prior with Calvin being a decoy, those numbers for 5 weeks go to almost 600 yards and 3 TD's.
16 Demaryius Thomas Broncos No Peyton Manning and no Brock Osweiler. All that is left is Mark Sanchez and Paxton Lynch. Yeah I don't like the sound of that either, even factoring in the noodle arm that Manning had last year. This team will be a lot more run heavy going forward.
17 Kelvin Benjamin Panthers Posted over 1,000 yards in his rookie season. Now that Newton has broken out as a passer, we may see Benjamin's full potential unleashed.
18 Brandin Cooks Saints Started slow, but played well after the first four games. The additions of Michael Thomas and Coby Fleener threaten some of his targets, along with presumably a full season from Mark Ingram.
19 T.Y. Hilton Colts Andrew Luck is going to be back, which is the best news you can have if you are Hilton. The emergence of Moncrief and possibly Dorsett may stop Hilton from reaching his 2014 numbers again, but he should be pretty close to it.
20 Julian Edelman Patriots Is Edelman ever going to play another full season? He has only done it once in his career. He is a borderline top 12 receiver when he plays, it just comes down to whether he can stay on the field or not.
21 Randall Cobb Packers Last year was ugly for him. Either he regressed and is already starting on his decline, or the loss of Jordy Nelson stretching the field hurt him. I tend to think the latter. Don't expect 2015 numbers, but don't expect 2014 numbers either. Something around 1,000 yards and 7 TD's seems right.
22 Doug Baldwin Seahawks Nobody finished the year like Baldwin did. In weeks 10-16 he scored 12 TD's. The problem is that was done when Thomas Rawls, Marshawn Lynch, and Jimmy Graham were hurt. Rawls and Graham are going to be back this year, as well as the emerging Tyler Lockett getting more looks. Don't overpay for that 7 week stretch.
23 Jeremy Maclin Chiefs Whether you notice Maclin or not on Sundays, he provides results. While the TD total may come down slightly with Charles back, don't expect him to lose any of his targets or yards.
24 Eric Decker Jets Similar to Marshall expect for the difference in targets, which leads to less receptions and yards. Also like Marshall expect his TD total to fall from 12 to a more reasonable 7-8.
25 John Brown Cardinals I thought he would breakout as the top guy last year and that didn't happen. Well I think this is the year, as he is clearly the most dynamic receiver on the team. Preventing him from jumping higher is the ever lingering presence of Fitzgerald and Floyd.
26 DeVante Parker Dolphins Finally healthy for all of training camp and has no competition for his spot. Last year Rishard Matthews emergence as a legit receiver held back Parker till the last 6 weeks of the year. He is still the guy I loved last year, and now he has his chance to shine.
27 Emmanuel Sanders Broncos See Thomas, Demaryius.
28 Jarvis Landry Dolphins Emergence of DeVante Parker shouldn't impact Landry too much, as he operates out of the slot and runs different routes. His lack of scoring hurts him in standard leagues. In PPR he is much higher in the rankings.
29 Torrey Smith 49ers Chip Kelly seems to always have one top receiver every year. Even if you figure Jordan Matthews disappointed last year, he still finished as the 20th best receiver last year. Now it is Torrey Smith's turn, and really is Gabbert or Kaepernick really worse than Sam Bradford at this point?
30 Marvin Jones Lions Has big shoes to fill as the Calvin Johnson replacement. I expect Tate to pick up most of the slack for what Johnson leaves behind, but Jones could be that big redzone presence that has been left behind.
31 Michael Floyd Cardnials Until one of these three guys is gone from Arizona, they are going to have capped ceilings. Big play guy that can go for 100+ yards and 2 TD's, or have 1 reception for 16 yards.
32 Jordan Matthews Eagles Disappointed last year, and now doesn't get to play in the fantasy friendly Chip Kelly offense. Lined up a lot in the slot last year, which may no longer be an option with Doug Pederson liking to run bigger 2 WR sets.
33 Josh Gordon Browns Gordon is sitting out the first four games of the year. Really tough to rank this guy, but at this point, his upside is worth a flier. If you need this pick to be a starter, look at one of the next two guys instead as they are safer.
34 Sterling Shepard Giants Top rookie receiver for redraft is Shepard. He is stepping into the number 2 role opposite of Beckham Jr. Should see plenty of targets from Eli, and will be often looked at when Beckham Jr. has double coverage.
35 Larry Fitzgerald Cardinals He surprised out of the gate last year showing some signs of life. After that though, he fell right back to where I thought he would be. I think you may see some weeks where he flashes the old self again, but he is too old to do it consistently.
36 Tyler Lockett Seahawks Showed flashes of what he could be last year. Wasn't able to breakout down the stretch with Baldwin commanding most of the attention, but going into his second year he could easily be the one who we look at as the top Seattle receiver going into next season.
37 DeSean Jackson Redskins Do you feel lucky? Ask yourself that question whenever you think about starting him. Jordan Reed is the big receiver on this team, and Josh Doctson could emerge as the second target ahead of Jackson by midyear.
38 Donte Moncrief Colts Like Hilton, should benefit from the return of Andrew Luck. Is going to be the number 2 receiver from day one, and shouldn't have to worry about people impeding on his targets. Needs to bring consistency to his game before he can be fully trusted though.
39 Michael Crabtree Raiders Cooper should start to steal away from Crabtree's targets, leaving him with less work to try and make plays with. Still a safe option late though.
40 Allen Hurns Jaguars The TD production can't stand, and like I said with Allen Robinson, the TD's should be more spread out this year amongst the RB's, WR's, and TE's.
41 Kevin White Bears Missed all of last year, but don't let that deter you. He is still the same physical freak he was when he was drafted 7th overall in 2015. Has serious potential, but should be a little cautious to start the year before going all in.
42 Michael Thomas Saints Has to battle with Willie Snead to get the number 2 receiver spot. I think he has enough skill to overtake Snead by week 8, and after that could become a great option.
43 Laquon Treadwell Vikings Are the Vikings going to throw enough to sustain 2 WR's, let alone one? My guess is Treadwell becomes the top guy, but Diggs did have a connection with Teddy last year.
44 Philip Dorsett Colts Stuck as the number 3 receiver on the Colts, but should still see enough targets in the new 3 WR offense to make him viable in deep leagues on a week to week basis.
45 Josh Doctson Redskins Will be fighting with Garcon for targets in the preseason and the first couple of weeks. Shouldn't have trouble beating him out, and after that, all he has to do is show he can be trusted more than DeSean Jackson to get more looks.
46 Steve Smith Sr. Ravens Is Smith going to stay healthy? When is he going to return? All of these questions push him down to 46 in the rankings, even though he is productive when on the field.
47 Stefon Diggs Vikings See Treadwell, Laquon.
48 Willie Snead Saints Like I said with Michael Thomas, they are going to be fighting each other for looks, and I see Thomas winning the role by week 8, rendering Snead after that a tough option to like.
49 Corey Coleman Browns Coleman is a rookie that is lightning quick. Problems arise though when considering his QB situation, and the fact that Josh Gordon will be playing again this year. May have a couple of great weeks, but will have far more disappointing ones.
50 Vincent Jackson Buccaneers Saw a huge reduction in targets last year compared to past, and also got hurt. Will see more of his usual work from the past again go towards Mike Evans, making Vincent Jackson a boom or bust guy that won't have too many weeks of boom.
51 Travis Benjamin Chargers Keenan Allen is the go to guy, with Antonio Gates and Danny Woodhead coming next, leaving Benjamin too far down in the pecking order to make a difference.
52 Chris Hogan Patriots Currently looks like the starting receiver opposite of Edelman, but that can quickly change as he had problems with drops last year, something Belichick has benched other starters for in the past years.
53 Tavon Austin Rams Was a great big play guy last year, but difficult for him to keep up that kind of production. Rookie Jared Goff is under center now, which limits Austin's opportunities, not to mention Todd Gurley will be leaned on all year.
54 Dorial Green-Beckham Titans Run heavy offense for the Titans will leave Green-Beckham on simmer as a potential breakout candidate for another year. Rishard Matthews and even over-the-hill Andre Johnson were brought in which is not exactly a vote of confidence.
55 Breshad Perriman Ravens We may finally see Perriman play this year, but with the Ravens offense in question, and the crowded depth chart at receiver, it is hard to see him making big impact for more than a couple of weeks.
56 Mohamed Sanu Falcons Is going to be starting opposite of Julio Jones, but don't be fooled. He had his chance as a starter before in 2014 and was mediocre then. Nothing has changed.
57 Kamar Aiken Ravens Crowded receiver room leaves Aiken further down then his talent should be. When all guys are healthy, he will be lucky to be the 3rd receiver on a team that isn't great at passing.
58 DeAndre Smelter 49ers Should be the starting receiver opposite of Torrey Smith. In a Chip Kelly offense that actually does mean something. Missed all of last season with a torn ACL, but has the potential to be one of the late guys here who could move farther up the board. Flier late in drafts looking for a big upside guy.
59 Markus Wheaton Steelers Has to fight with Coates to keep the number 2 spot, and while Wheaton has the upper hand right now, he can easily lose it as he was not impressive last year.
60 Rishard Matthews Titans Had a nice year last season, but that is all over now. Green-Beckham should be the number one, and on a team that is going to run the ball a lot, Matthews isn't appealing.
61 Devin Funchess Panthers Was supposed to be the number one guy last year once Benjamin went down, but proved he just wasn't ready yet. I still don't think he is ready, and now you are adding Benjamin back into the mix. Should see a fair number of redzone scores, but he isn't going to pile up the yards.
62 Tyler Boyd Bengals Should step in and fight Brandon LaFell for the number 2 spot. Either way it won't mean much for his value, as Green should see all the targets he can handle this year. As a dynasty guy though Boyd has potential.
63 Will Fuller Texans Drops. He is going to have plenty of drops this year. He was known for them in College, and with a team that has playoff aspirations, you can't let a rookie potentially get in the way of that with those kinds of mistakes. Will he have a great week once in a while? Sure, but don't expect it going into a week.
64 Nelson Agholor Eagles Well last year didn't go according to plan. Now no Chip Kelly, and he is fighting with Rueben Randle for the starting spot. Maybe he beats out Randle at somepoint, and if that is the case, Agholor becomes interesting.
65 Victor Cruz Giants Will he play this year? If he does, what kind of shape is he in? This late take the upside flier on him, but be prepared to cut quick for other emerging talent.
66 Terrance Williams Cowboys Is going to have a couple of weeks where he catches a deep ball for a TD. I don't know when those weeks are, and if Romo gets hurt, they may only be a couple of them.
67 Sammie Coates Steelers Has to surpass Wheaton to try and make an impact on the game. Shouldn't be too tough, but last year he didn't show much to make me believe that if given the number 2 spot he can put up solid numbers.
68 Jaelen Strong Texans May get the number 2 WR spot by default if Will Fuller drops passes during games like he did in College.
69 Kenny Britt Rams Rookie QB on a run heavy offense. Maybe Goff is better then I expect, but I just don't see that happening. Britt still has the skills, but nobody can unleash them.
70 Pierre Garcon Redskins Is going to lose his battle to Doctson, and then will have to fight Jamison Crowder to get on the field. I think Crowder is better then him as a slot receiver, so we will see if Garcon can make an impact this year.
71 Mike Wallace Ravens Has been bouncing around the league the last 4 years. Now entering into a crowded receiver situation that won't be conducive to helping Wallace standout.
72 Kendall Wright Titans A short yardage guy on a run heavy team. Yeah not much scoring or yards will happen here, but you will get some receptions that may in turn result in a couple of decent weeks.
73 Justin Hardy Falcons Is the number 3 receiver on a team that targets one guy for most of the game. Has the potential to pass Sanu though if Sanu hasn't improved from his days as a Bengal.
74 Robert Woods Bills Tyrod Taylor loved Sammy Watkins last year. Robert Woods value lies with the injury status of Watkins. If hurt, Woods can step in and become a deep league play.
75 Ted Ginn Jr. Panthers The veteran Will Fuller, except we already know what is going to happen when he is thrown the ball. At best the 3rd receiver on the team, and may even get beat out for that job, leaving him on the outside.