The 2020 fantasy football season is over, which means it’s time to update the dynasty wide receiver rankings. Winning your league is a year-long effort, and keeping a constant eye on your roster is the best way to ensure a successful season. While these rankings will change as the offseason progresses, this is where all of the most important fantasy football wide receivers stand after the NFL Wild Card round.
Note that these rankings are given for PPR scoring
Fantasy Football Dynasty Wide Receiver Rankings: 2021 NFL Offseason
Tier 1: Stupidly Elite
- Davante Adams
2. Tyreek Hill
3. Michael Thomas
4. Justin Jefferson
5. DK Metcalf
6. Stefon Diggs
7. DeAndre Hopkins
8. Calvin Ridley
9. A.J. Brown
Davante Adams is an unstoppable touchdown machine catching passing from one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever walk this Earth. Even if Rodgers regresses to his 2019 form in 2021, Adams should still be a top-three receiver. Even though he’s entering his age-29 season, he’s still the WR1 on my board. Entering the season, Tyreek Hill was considered a boom-or-bust player that lacked consistency. He found that consistency in 2020 and will probably be my WR1 in 2021 if he can maintain that weekly reliability moving forward.
Everything that could go wrong for Michael Thomas in 2020, did go wrong. The wide receiver suffered injury after injury and didn’t come close to living up to his hype. However, he should be fully healthy next year, and we know that Taysom Hill will target Thomas at an excessive rate. Hill might put a cap on Thomas’ ceiling, but he still has one of the safest floors in the league. If your team is a few years away from contention, Justin Jefferson could be the WR1 overall, considering he’s so young.
DK Metcalf is an absurd talent with a great quarterback in Russell Wilson, but Pete Carroll’s comments about needing to establish the run are concerning. Stefon Diggs and Josh Allen have a fantastic rapport, and their pass-heavy style of play combined with Allen’s evolution as a passer makes this combination fantasy gold.
DeAndre Hopkins proved he can still be a star with a different team, but Kyler Murray’s rushing ability will take away some touchdowns. Calvin Ridley is the new alpha in Atlanta, but Matt Ryan’s age makes him a little risky down the road. A.J. Brown would be a lot higher if the Titans didn’t run their offense through Derrick Henry.
Tier 2: Very, Very Good
- Terry McLaurin
11. Keenan Allen
12. Allen Robinson
13. CeeDee Lamb
14. D.J. Moore
15. Chris Godwin
16. Kenny Golladay
17. Mike Evans
18. Diontae Johnson
19. Tee Higgins
Terry McLaurin is a top-five receiver in terms of talent, but the Washington Football Team just doesn’t have a reliable quarterback. Keenan Allen might not have as many elite years in the tank as some of the other players in this tier, but he should be a top-five option for the next one or two years with Justin Herbert. Normally I try to stay away from receivers changing teams in dynasty, but it’s impossible for Allen Robinson to land in a worse situation than the one he’s in now.
CeeDee Lamb is a star in the making that should have a huge breakout with a full season of Dak Prescott. The Cowboys also hired Dan Quinn to be their defensive coordinator, so it’s safe to say that their defense will remain one of the worst in the league. D.J. Moore didn’t quite live up to expectations but should have a better year with an improved quarterback and no Curtis Samuel (presumably). Chris Godwin has all the talent in the world, but doesn’t have the target share thanks to Tom Brady’s ability to spread the wealth (no, the Buccaneers aren’t letting him go anywhere).
If Kenny Golladay signed a long-term deal with the Lions tomorrow, he’d jump up at least five spots on the fantasy football dynasty wide receiver rankings. However, there is a chance he goes somewhere else with a worse quarterback. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are in the same situation, but Evans is older. Diontae Johnson should’ve been a top-12 receiver this year based on my expected fantasy model, but injuries and drops prevented him from reaching his ceiling. Tee Higgins was a locked-and-loaded auto-play prior to Joe Burrow’s injury and even managed to put together a few good weeks with Brandon Allen and Ryan Finley. Unfortunately, it’s hard to be too confident in Higgins with Burrow’s health being such a mystery.
https://twitter.com/DLPatsThoughts/status/1347228019614765058?s=20
Tier 3: WR1 Potential
- Amari Cooper
21. Cooper Kupp
22. Courtland Sutton
23. Tyler Boyd
24. D.J. Chark
25. Jerry Jeudy
Amari Cooper will have a great season next year. However, the Dallas Cowboys are in cap hell and can release Cooper for essentially nothing after 2021. If you’re looking for a one-year, all-in receiver, go for Cooper. If you’re thinking long-term, you’ll probably want to steer clear of Cooper at his current cost. Cooper Kupp is the chain-mover and the red zone target, but the volume simply isn’t reliable in this run-heavy offense led by an underwhelming quarterback. Drew Lock or no Drew Lock, Courtland Sutton should return to health and reclaim his role as the top option in this passing attack.
Tyler Boyd is one of the most underrated receivers in football and should be a safe, albeit unspectacular, fantasy football dynasty wide receiver once again. DJ Chark had a rough year but should bounce back with Trevor Lawrence throwing him the football. Jerry Jeudy had a case of the drops as a rookie, but he still had plenty of great moments on tape. He should have a bright NFL future.
Tier 4: Good Players to Have
- Julio Jones
27. Robert Woods
28. Juju Smith-Schuster
29. Brandon Aiyuk
30. Chase Claypool
31. Will Fuller
32. Marquise Brown
33. Adam Thielen
34. Brandin Cooks
35. Laviska Shenault
36. Odell Beckham Jr.
People have been waiting for the end of Julio Jones for a while now. That time seems to have come, as the receiver didn’t look quite as dominant as usual even when healthy. He’s not totally done, but there is a reason he’s at the bottom tier of the fantasy football dynasty wide receiver rankings. Robert Woods can only do so much with such a limited volume. Juju Smith-Schuster quietly had a good fantasy season despite the issues at quarterback and could climb a tier if he lands in the right situation.
Brandon Aiyuk set the world on fire without George Kittle, but his target share will go down with Kittle and Deebo Samuel back to full health. Chase Claypool had a great rookie season and should take over as the WR2 in this passing attack with the presumed departure of Juju Smith-Schuster. Will Fuller would be a lot higher if I thought he’d be back with the Texans, but Houston is in cap hell and has plenty of other needs all over the roster.
Marquise Brown had a terrible start to the year, but came on strong down the stretch. If Lamar Jackson can be more consistent, Brown could be a reliable WR2 in 2021. Adam Thielen has clearly been usurped by Justin Jefferson, but he’ll still have enough of a workload to be a starting-caliber receiver for another season or two. Brandin Cooks will likely be Houston’s WR1 at this point next year, but his long history of concussions makes him a dangerous long-term asset.
Laviska Shenault is a great swiss-army knife that could be a fantasy goldmine if properly utilized by Trevor Lawrence and the new coaching staff. Odell Beckham hasn’t done much of anything for fantasy in quite some time, but he’s too talented to completely leave off this list. If he’s finally healthy and establishes a real rapport with Baker Mayfield, he could be the WR1 overall next year.
Honorable Mentions: Michael Pittman, Denzel Mims, Jalen Reagor, Deebo Samuel, Gabriel Davis
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
