Fantasy Football 2019: Top 30 Wide Receivers To Target In Your Draft
This could be a weird (like, really weird) season for fantasy football receivers.
Sure, you’ve got some surefire studs — DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones — but there are a ton of question marks at this position. Will Odell Beckham Jr. have a normal season for once? Is Antonio Brown sane? Is Tyreek Hill going to get suspended at some point?
Fantasy players have those questions to consider, and many more, ahead of their drafts. Thankfully, we’re here to give you advice that almost certainly won’t come back to bite us.
With that said, here are our top 30 receivers for the upcoming fantasy football season:
1. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans (Bye Week: 10)
We believe Hopkins now is the best receiver in the game, as well as the one that carries the fewest question marks. He caught 115 balls for 1,572 yards and 11 touchdowns last season — enough said.
2. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints (Bye Week: 9)
Will Thomas grow complacent with his new contract, or will he take his game to another level? We side with the latter, as Thomas has proven himself to be one of the most dependable, electric and professional receivers in the game. He also is Drew Brees’ favorite target, making him a fantasy goldmine.
3. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers (Bye Week: 11)
Aaron Rodgers’ favorite target finished second in the NFL with 169 targets last season. And he deserved every one of them, as he’s really, really good. Adams could finish atop the receiver rankings by the end of the season.
4. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons (Bye Week: 9)
We worry a little about Jones’ age (30), but we’re still talking about one of the best receivers in NFL history. Plus, he’s coming off a season in which he finished with 113 catches for a league-leading 1,677 yards to go along with eight touchdowns. Those numbers hardly forecast a decline for this future Hall of Famer.
5, Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Bye Week: 7)
Ever-underrated, Evans is coming off another fantastic season, despite dealing with a quarterback carousel and playing for a perpetually inept Buccaneers franchise. With head coach Bruce Arians now at the helm, we expect Evans to take his game to another level.
6. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers (Bye Week: 7)
With Antonio Brown now out of the picture, Smith-Schuster should be free to ascend to elite receiver status, if he hasn’t already. If Ben Roethlisberger stays healthy, Smith-Schuster should be a fantasy stud.
7. Odell Bekcham Jr., Cleveland Browns (Bye Week: 7)
You know the deal with this guy. If he can stay healthy and keep his head on straight, he’ll put up stupid numbers, even if Baker Mayfield has a sophomore slump. But if Mayfield takes another step forward — look out.
8. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs (Bye Week: 12)
Hill could make a case for being at the top of this list, but the risk of suspension down the line simply is too high. Fantasy owners should target more stable wideouts at the top of the draft, if they can.
9. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers (Bye Week: 12)
Also criminally underrated, Allen is one of the best receivers in the game and also is Philip Rivers’ favorite target. If he stays healthy, he’ll be a stud.
10. Brandin Cooks, Los Angeles Rams (Bye Week: 9)
Cooks is one of those guys who’s a better fantasy receiver than a real-life receiver. In real life, He’s marshmallow-soft, but his gaudy stats are impossible to ignore for fantasy owners.
11. Antonio Brown, Oakland Raiders (Bye Week: 6)
Are his feet about to fall off? Is he going to cry about his helmet all season? Is Derek Carr capable of keeping him happy? All of those questions have Brown outside our top 10. His ridiculous talent keeps him at No. 11, though.
12. T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts (Bye Week: 6)
We might have put Hilton higher if we weren’t so worried about Andrew Luck, who is expected to miss all of the preseason with a mysterious ankle/calf injury. When these two are on the field together, though, massive point totals usually follow.
13. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings (Bye Week: 12)
Thielen was a fantasy monster early last season before finishing with a relative whimper. If Kirk Cousins can stop checking down a million times and actually target Thielen down the field, fantasy owners will reap the rewards.
14. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys (Bye Week: 8)
Cooper finished with 53 catches for 725 yards and six TDs in nine games after being traded to the Cowboys last season. We think he’s overrated, but the numbers — and obvious rapport with Dak Prescott — speak for themselves.
15. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks (Bye Week: 11)
Doug Baldwin retired during the offseason, leaving Lockett to assume No. 1 wideout duties in Seattle. The 965 yards and 10 touchdowns he posted last season suggest he’s up to the task.
16. Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings (Bye Week: 12)
We like Diggs, but much like with Thielen, playing with Cousins could ruin him. The fifth-year wideout has a ton of upside, though.
17. Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons (Bye Week: 9)
Ridley probably would be a No. 1 wideout if Julio Jones was playing somewhere else. Alas, the presence of Jones keeps Ridley firmly in the WR2 tier. However, should Jones suffer an injury, Ridley could go off.
18. Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals (Bye Week: 9)
With A.J. Green hobbled and likely out for the first few weeks of the season, Boyd is poised to see a ton of targets from Andy Dalton. That’s the good news. The bad? He’s seeing targets from Andy Dalton. Still, Boyd is coming off a breakout season and should be a solid WR2 in 2019.
19. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams (Bye Week: 9)
Woods probably is the best pure receiver on the Rams, as well as the most dependable. But there are a lot of mouths for Jared Goff to feed, so temper expectations.
20. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals (Bye Week: 9)
If Green can regain his usual form once his ankle injury is healed, he should post WR1 numbers. Obviously, that’s a big “if” for a 31-year-old wideout.
21. Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions (Bye Week: 5)
Golladay seemingly alternated between huge performances and clunkers last season. Still, his inconsistent efforts were enough to finish with 1,063 yards and five TDs in just his second season. Year 3 typically is when receivers take that next step.
22. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccanneers (Bye Week: 7)
We don’t see the hype with Godwin, but there are too many in-the-know people who love this guy for us to completely ignore him. He’s coming off a sophomore season in which he caught 59 balls for 842 yards and seven touchdowns.
23. Josh Gordon, New England Patriots (Bye Week: 10)
Gordon has been reinstated by the NFL and should play for the Patriots in Week 1. You know the risks here. Draft at your own peril.
24. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams (Bye Week: 9)
Coming off an ACL tear, Kupp probably will take a while to get back to his pre-injury form. But if he gets there, fantasy owners could see huge point totals in the second half of the season.
25. Alshon Jeffery, Philadelphia Eagles (Bye Week: 10)
Jeffery is coming off his fourth straight season of posting at least 789 receiving yards. He also had six TDs a year after scoring nine. He no longer is a game-breaking, downfield threat, but there’s something to be said for knowing what you’re getting from someone you draft.
26. Jarvis Landry, Cleveland Browns (Bye Week: 7)
Landry is the kind of low-floor, high-ceiling receiver that is a staple of fantasy champions. Yes, the presence of Beckham caps his value a bit, but Landry still should post great numbers.
27. Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans (Bye Week: 11)
Like Golladay, Davis could reach another level in his third season. Catching passes from Marcus Mariota could relegate Davis to WR3 status, though.
28. D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers (Bye Week: 7)
Moore showed promise in his rookie season, catching 55 passes for 788 yards and two scores. If he and Cam Newton can build upon what they did last year, Moore could be a fantasy steal.
29. Sterling Shepard, New York Giants (Bye Week: 11)
With Beckham now in Cleveland and newcomer Golden Tate suspended for the first four games of the season, Shepard could be a fantasy stud in the first month. After that, he probably will be what he always has been: boom or bust.
30. Julian Edelman, New England Patriots (Bye Week: 10)
A virtual lock for roughly 70 receiving yards per game and around six touchdowns, Edelman should have another solid if unspectacular fantasy season. His age (33) and injury history are big concerns, though.
