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Bye weeks ruin everything. In previous weeks, for my weekly wide receiver rankings articles, I was listing each wide receiver’s new ranking, along with their previous ranking. While it was rolling along smoothly, bye weeks would skew the numbers drastically each week, so I will be changing things up going forward. For every week for the rest of the season, I will rank each wideout for that given week and explain my reasoning with a small blurb.
Also, since my rankings were released after the Thursday night game, any wide receivers on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Philadelphia Eagles were omitted. So without further ado, with everyone now needing to make decisions around bye weeks moving forward, here are my top 50 wide receivers in Week 6 of the 2021 NFL season.
If you have a rebuttal for any of my rankings — or if you just need advice in fantasy football — my Twitter username may or may not be skyler_carlin.
WR Rankings Week 6
| RANK | NAME | TEAM | OPPONENT | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | NAME | TEAM | OPPONENT | NOTES |
| 1 | Davante Adams | GB | @ CHI | Adams has received 45 targests in the past three weeks and should have double-digit targets again in Week 6. |
| 2 | Tyreek Hill | KC | @ WAS | Washington's defense has given up the 4th most points to WRs this season. Hill is questionable, so keep tabs on his status for Sunday's game. |
| 3 | Stefon Diggs | BUF | @ TEN | Diggs has been somewhat quiet thus far, but he gets the Titans in Week 6. Tennessee's defense surrenders the most points to WRs per game in the first five weeks. |
| 4 | Cooper Kupp | LAR | @ NYG | Kupp should remain Stafford's favorite weapon in Los Angeles' explosive offense. |
| 5 | Terry McLaurin | WAS | vs KC | It's going to be a shootout between the Chiefs and the Football Team in Week 6, setting McLaurin up for a big-time performance. |
| 6 | DeAndre Hopkins | ARI | @ CLE | Hopkins saw a season-high nine targets in Week 5, which is what we are accustomed to seeing from the All-Pro wideout. |
| 7 | D.J. Moore | CAR | vs MIN | After a quiet showing in Week 5, Moore is poised to bounce back at home versus the Vikings in Week 6. |
| 8 | Justin Jefferson | MIN | @ CAR | Jefferson has seen 7+ targets and 5+ receptions in each game this season, giving us a safe floor. |
| 9 | Mike Williams | LAC | @ BAL | It is officially Mike Williams SZN in 2021. Ravens are shorthanded in the secondary, which only boosts the likeliness of Williams having another great outing. |
| 10 | Ja'Marr Chase | CIN | @ DET | Chase has caught a touchdown in four out of his first five games for the Bengals and he could easily find the end zone again versus the Lions. |
| 11 | Keenan Allen | LAC | @ BAL | Allen has yet to see fewer than eight targets in a game this season. |
| 12 | Diontae Johnson | PIT | vs SEA | With the injury to JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson's role expands in Pittsburgh. Johnson draws a Seahawks defense that has given up the second-most receiving yards to WRs this season. |
| 13 | CeeDee Lamb | DAL | @ NE | Lamb is the preffered deep target for Dak Prescott and the Patriots just allowed Davis Mills to carve them up down the field. |
| 14 | D.K. Metcalf | SEA | @ PIT | Metcalf gets just a slight downgrade at QB from Russell Wilson to Geno Smith in Week 6. With Smith being asked to take over for Wilson, Metcalf could be force-fed targets, even in a tough matchup on the road versus the Steelers. |
| 15 | Courtland Sutton | DEN | vs LV | Sutton is third in the NFL in air yards and leads the entire league in deep targets. |
| 16 | Amari Cooper | DAL | @ NE | Amari Cooper has been dealing with multiple injuries in recent weeks, causing concern for people who have Cooper. However, as long as he continues to suit up, there's no reason not to start Cooper against the Patriots on the road. |
| 17 | Robert Woods | LAR | @ NYG | We finally got a Robert Woods game in Week 5 as he exploded for 12 receptions for 150 yards on 14 targets against the Seahawks. |
| 18 | Marquise Brown | BAL | vs LAC | Marquise Brown has been spectacular in his past 13 games (including the playoffs). In Brown's last 13 outings, he's either eclipsed 50+ receiving yards or he's caught a touchdown for the Ravens. |
| 19 | Chase Claypool | PIT | vs SEA | The absence of Smith-Schuster for the Steelers should lead to more opportunites for Claypool. Claypool had his best week of the season in Week 5 as he caught five passes for 130 yards and one touchdown against the Broncos. |
| 20 | Brandin Cooks | HOU | @ IND | The Colts could be shorthanded in the secondary in Week 6 and the Texans could be playing from behind. In that case, even with Davis Mills throwing him the ball, Cooks should have a solid showing on Sunday. |
| 21 | Tyler Lockett | SEA | @ PIT | All offensive players on the Seahawks will see their value decline with Smith under center instead of Wilson. Lockett was Wilson's security blanket, but it will be tough to expect consistent production from Lockett with Smith targeting him. |
| 22 | Tee Higgins | CIN | @ DET | Higgins returned from a two-game absence in Week 5 and caught five passes for 32 yards on seven targets. |
| 23 | Michael Pittman Jr. | IND | vs HOU | Pittman Jr. continues to blossom into a talented wideout and gets the lowly Texans in Week 6. |
| 24 | A.J. Brown | TEN | vs BUF | The defense of the Bills has limited WRs to the fewest points per game, which is why Brown is a fringe WR2 in Week 6. |
| 25 | Adam Thielen | MIN | @ CAR | Thielen seems to be the clear No. 2 target to Jefferson, but he continues to stay relevant due to Kirk Cousins' affinity to targeting Thielen in the end zone. |
| 26 | Jakobi Meyers | NE | vs DAL | Could this FINALLY be the week Jakobi Meyers scores a touchdown? In the 35th game of his career, I predict Meyers scores a touchdown against the Cowboys on Sunday. |
| 27 | Emmanuel Sanders | BUF | @ TEN | It's hard not to like the No. 2 wide receiver on a Bills team that runs the 11th most pass plays per game. |
| 28 | Tyler Boyd | CIN | @ DET | While the return of Higgins hurts his stock, Boyd still has a favorable matchup against an inexperienced Lions secondary. |
| 29 | Jaylen Waddle | MIA | @ JAC | DeVante Parker is questionable to play on Sunday and Will Fuller is already sidelined. Waddle should have a heavy usage in London against the Jaguars. |
| 30 | Tim Patrick | DEN | vs LV | Patrick has stepped into a prominent role in Denver's offense ever since Jerry Jeudy went down with an injury, and he gets a Raiders team that is a mess right now. |
| 31 | Allen Robinson | CHI | vs GB | If Allen Robinson can't produce against a Jaire Alexander-less Packers squad, then when will he? |
| 32 | Sterling Shepard | NYG | vs LAR | Nearly the entire offense of the Giants is questionable or doubtful to play in Week 6 against the Rams. The good news is that Shepard is trending toward playing on Sunday. |
| 33 | Marvin Jones Jr. | JAC | vs MIA | Jaguars are a mess right now, but the Dolphins have surrenderded the fourth-most points to WRs in the past four weeks. |
| 34 | Darnell Mooney | CHI | vs GB | Mooney has been Justin Fields' favorite wideout to target thus far. I have a feeling this is a Robinson week, so I have the veteran ahead of Mooney in Week 6. |
| 35 | Mecole Hardman | KC | @ WAS | If Hill is out for the Chiefs, Hardman gets a massive boost against Washington. Even if Hill plays, Hardman should have plenty of success against a disappointing Football Team defense. |
| 36 | Hunter Renfrow | LV | @ DEN | Renfrow continues to be a viable flex option in PPR leagues as he's recorded 6+ targets and 5+ receptions in each game this season. |
| 37 | Kadarius Toney | NYG | vs LAR | It remains to be seen if Toney is available due to an ankle injury in Week 6. If he's active, Toney will likely garner a large workload against the Rams. |
| 38 | Odell Beckham Jr. | CLE | vs ARI | Baker Mayfield hasn't been able to connect with Beckham down the field and the Browns face the Cardinals, who are much improved on defense in 2021. |
| 39 | Laviska Shenault | JAC | vs MIA | Maybe the Jaguars realize Shenault is useful when he has the ball in his hands? |
| 40 | Rondale Moore | ARI | @ CLE | The Cardinals know Moore is lethal with the ball in his hands, it's just a matter of him facing a tough defense in the Browns. |
| 41 | Cole Beasley | BUF | @ TEN | There are weeks where Beasley could be a viable PPR option and the Titans permit the most points per game to WRs this season. |
| 42 | Henry Ruggs | LV | @ DEN | The Steelers had multiple big pass plays against the Broncos in Week 5, so Ruggs could have a chance to catch mutiple deep passes from Derek Carr. |
| 43 | Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET | vs CIN | Amon-Ra St. Brown has turned 16 targets into 13 catches for 135 yards in the past two weeks. |
| 44 | Robby Anderson | CAR | vs MIN | Anderson is going to explode one of these weeks when Sam Darnold is able to connect with him down the field. |
| 45 | Van Jefferson | LAR | @ NYG | Jefferson has emerged as the No. 3 wideout on the Rams, making him a decent bye-week option in Week 6. |
| 46 | Christian Kirk | ARI | @ CLE | Kirk has a chance to make inserting him in your lineup on just one play. |
| 47 | Zach Pascal | IND | vs HOU | Pascal is second on the Colts in targets and has a juicy matchup versus the Texans. |
| 48 | A.J. Green | ARI | @ CLE | Green had three straight games with 100+ yards or a touchdown before a quiet showing in Week 5. |
| 49 | Nelson Agholor | NE | vs DAL | Patriots could be playing catch up versus the Cowboys, giving Agholor ample opportunities to be relevant on Sunday. |
| 50 | Kalif Raymond | DET | vs CIN | Quintez Cephus is going to miss time with a shoulder injury, making St. Brown and Raymond the top two wideouts on the Lions. |