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2021 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers for Week 4

That Ja’Marr Chase guy looks pretty good, huh?

Cincinnati Bengals v Pittsburgh Steelers Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images

Admitting when we’re wrong is a level of self-awareness that is key in life. Remaining stubborn on a certain topic or opinion when we have information that reveals the truth on something is a questionable tactic. So with that being said, I would like to formally admit I was wrong about Ja’Marr Chase. I wasn’t hesitant to take Chase because of his preseason woes, but more so because of him playing in an offense that has a quarterback that is less than a year removed from a serious knee injury. While Joe Burrow hasn’t played particularly great, he and Chase have rekindled the rapport that they had at LSU. Besides the reality of Chase being the WR1 for the Cincinnati Bengals, check out my updated wide receiver rankings entering Week 4 of the 2021 NFL season.

WR Rankings Week 4

NAME PREVIOUS RANK NEW RANK
NAME PREVIOUS RANK NEW RANK
Davante Adams 1 1
Tyreek Hill 2 2
DeAndre Hopkins 3 3
Stefon Diggs 4 4
Calvin Ridley 5 8
D.K. Metcalf 6 6
A.J. Brown 7 11
Keenan Allen 8 7
Cooper Kupp 9 5
CeeDee Lamb 10 10
Allen Robinson 11 16
Justin Jefferson 12 9
Amari Cooper 13 13
Tyler Lockett 14 12
Terry McLaurin 15 14
Chris Godwin 16 15
Robert Woods 17 19
D.J. Moore 18 17
Mike Evans 19 18
Adam Thielen 20 20
Diontae Johnson 21 24
Julio Jones 22 23
Courtland Sutton 23 22
Deebo Samuel 24 25
Kenny Golladay 25 28
JuJu Smith-Schuster 26 30
Tee Higgins 27 31
D.J. Chark 28 27
Brandin Cooks 29 26
Mike Williams 30 21
Corey Davis 31 34
Tyler Boyd 32 32
Chase Claypool 33 37
Robby Anderson 34 36
Antonio Brown 35 35
Marvin Jones Jr. 36 33
Ja'Marr Chase 37 29
Sterling Shepard 38 41
Christian Kirk 39 38
DeVonta Smith 40 44
Laviska Shenault 41 45
Marquise Brown 42 39
Michael Pittman Jr. 43 43
Jaylen Waddle 44 42
Rondale Moore 45 49
DeVante Parker 46 48
Odell Beckham Jr. 47 40
Brandon Aiyuk 48 46
Nelson Agholor 49 54
Bryan Edwards 50 47
Jakobi Meyers 51 56
Tim Patrick 52 51
Henry Ruggs 53 52
Gabriel Davis 54 55
Darnell Mooney 55 57
Hunter Renfrow 56 50
Mecole Hardman 57 58
Will Fuller 58 60
Cole Beasley 59 59
Elijah Moore 60 64
Jamison Crowder 61 69
Jalen Reagor 62 63
Emmanuel Sanders 63 53
Sammy Watkins 64 62
Quintez Cephus 65 72
Parris Campbell 66 73
Russell Gage 67
Terrace Marshall 68 61
Van Jefferson 69 67
A,J. Green 70 66
Cordarrelle Patterson 71 65
Darius Slayton 72 70
Marquez Callaway 73 71
Marquez Valdes-Scantling 74 68
Donovan Peoples-Jones 75 N/A
Cedrick Wilson N/A 75

Notable omissions (Previous Rank):

Donovan Peoples-Jones (75)

Notable additions:

Cedrick Wilson

Biggest Movers (Increase or Decrease From Previous Rank):

  1. Emmanuel Sanders (+10)
  2. Mike Williams (+9)
  3. Ja’Marr Chase (+8)
  4. Jamison Crowder (-8)
  5. Terrace Marshall, Odell Beckham Jr. (+7)

Notes:

  • On any given week, a different wide receiver could lead the Buffalo Bills in scoring. Stefon Diggs remains the alpha — despite his quiet outings to begin the season — but Emmanuel Sanders, Cole Beasley, and Gabriel Davis are all involved in the passing game. With the Bills having a pass-heavy offense, all four of them have some sort of relevancy in fantasy football. Besides Diggs, Sanders could very well finish as the No. 2 wideout in Buffalo if he can remain healthy. Sanders is coming off of a two-touchdown performance versus the Washington Football Team and gets the Houston Texans in Week 4.
  • The time has finally come for Mike Williams to evolve into what a lot of people — myself included — thought he could when he’s healthy. Despite having two fewer targets than Keenan Allen, Williams is outpacing his running mate in receptions (22), receiving yards (295), and receiving touchdowns (4). While Williams’ aDOT is down from previous seasons, he’s being used in a variety of ways, making him a valuable option in fantasy football moving forward. Williams currently sits as WR2 in half-PPR formats.
  • I have already spoken about being wrong about Chase in his rookie season, but he’s been fantastic thus far. Chase has caught at least one touchdown in each game this season, hauling in two scores in Week 3 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. Burrow is targeting Chase down the field often and the LSU duo is clearly on the same page. I would put Chase higher but there are still 14 games to go for the Bengals, so things could be subject to change in certain weeks, especially when Tee Higgins returns to the field.
  • Even though Jamison Crowder hasn’t played this season yet, I’ve been holding out hope that he can be a viable option in fantasy football. The New York Jets desperately need someone to step up at wide receiver outside of Corey Davis. And with Elijah Moore having a quiet start to his rookie season, Crowder still can become a main fixture in New York’s offense. That being said, I have to continue lowering his ranking until we see him make his debut in 2021.
  • Both Terrace Marshall and Odell Beckham Jr. rounded out my list of biggest movers. Marshall just posted a career-best stat line of four receptions for 48 yards in Week 3 and his role should increase with Dan Arnold being traded. At the same time, Marshall’s ceiling is capped with the presence of D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson. As for Beckham, he looked decently explosive in his debut in Week 3 as he caught five passes for 77 yards, along with a 10-yard run. With Jarvis Landry sidelined for the Cleveland Browns, Beckham is the clear No. 1 target for Baker Mayfield right now.