One of the vital standard methods to conduct a fantasy football draft is by using tiers. Whereas rankings are vital in figuring out the order to draft gamers, tiers assist fantasy managers determine worth throughout positions. On the previous two episodes of PFN’s Premier Fantasy Football Podcast, PFN Senior Fantasy Analyst Tommy Garrett and I went over our prime 24 broad receivers for the 2022 season. Here’s a breakdown of our consensus 2022 fantasy soccer WR rankings in tiers.
Notice: Yow will discover our full rankings in a conventional record type here.
Tier 1: Cooper Kupp, Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase
Cooper Kupp earned the suitable to be the general WR1 with the best fantasy broad receiver season of all time. Kupp led the NFL in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns en path to averaging 25.9 PPR fantasy factors per sport.
Regardless of having Kupp ranked No. 1, Justin Jefferson is my decide to complete as the general WR1 this season. He’s simply 23 years outdated, coming off a season the place he noticed a 30% goal share. Vikings ought to throw extra this season with Kevin O’Connell changing Mike Zimmer as head coach.
Ja’Marr Chase completed as the general WR5 as a 21-year-old rookie. He averaged 17.9 ppg regardless of enjoying on a low-volume, slow-paced passing assault. Chase’s 2021 season seems like his ground.
Tier 2: Stefon Diggs
Stefon Diggs sits in a tier by himself. He’s very clearly behind the large three, however now we have extra confidence in him than anybody within the subsequent tier. Diggs caught 24 fewer passes in 2021 than in 2020. The Payments had the second-highest neutral-game-script go price within the league. Josh Allen is elite, and if 16.8 ppg is Diggs’ ground, I need Diggs this season.
Tier 3: Davante Adams, CeeDee Lamb, Mike Evans, Tyreek Hill, Deebo Samuel
Davante Adams remains to be an elite broad receiver, however there are extra questions than ever. He’s on a brand new staff with a worse quarterback and considerably elevated goal competitors in Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow. A 30% goal share appears unlikely.
CeeDee Lamb was a mid WR2 final season. Now, Amari Cooper is gone, and Michael Gallup is ready to overlook the beginning of the season. Lamb lastly will get his probability to be the clear alpha for Dak Prescott. Search for his goal share to extend to round 25%. The price of the breakout is baked in, however I feel it’s coming.
With 1,000 receiving yards yearly of his profession, Mike Evans is the epitome of consistency. He scored 27 touchdowns over his previous two seasons. With Chris Godwin set to overlook the beginning of the season and Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown gone, Evans ought to see his highest goal share of the Tom Brady period in Tampa Bay.
I’m shopping for Tyreek Hill as being simply fantastic in Miami. I feel he’s the clear WR1 forward of Jaylen Waddle. Hill turned Alex Smith from a check-down artist right into a deep-ball machine again in 2017. He can do it with Tua Tagovailoa in 2022.
Deebo Samuel was a really robust one to judge. On the one hand, he’s an elite expertise who simply averaged over 21 ppg. However, Samuel doesn’t need to be used as a operating again anymore, however he averaged simply 5 targets per sport from Weeks 10-18. Trey Lance taking up at quarterback will make a run-heavy staff much more run heavy.
Tier 4: Keenan Allen, Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman Jr.
Keenan Allen is 30 years outdated, and his effectivity is declining. But, the quantity stays a certainty, and he’s a lock for no less than a 25% goal share, conserving him as a low WR1.
Tee Higgins is the one broad receiver within the first 4 tiers that isn’t his staff’s WR1. He noticed a 24% goal share final season, and the Bengals have room to develop in tempo of play and total go quantity.
Michael Pittman Jr. is Matt Ryan’s WR1. Ryan’s WR1s have at all times gone for over 1,000 yards. Pittman’s 88-1,082-6 from final season seems like his ground.
Tier 5: Courtland Sutton, A.J. Brown, DJ Moore, Allen Robinson, Diontae Johnson, Mike Williams, Terry McLaurin
Courtland Sutton remains to be solely 27 years outdated. He’s one other yr faraway from his ACL tear. In his breakout 2019 season, Sutton averaged 13.9 ppg. Now with Russell Wilson at quarterback, the sky is the restrict.
A.J. Brown goes from one run-first offense to a different. He’s the clear WR1, however after averaging 13.9 ppg final season, I’m nervous he can’t do a lot better.
Baker Mayfield gives DJ Moore the perfect QB of his profession. At worst, Mayfield is a slight improve on Sam Darnold. Moore has totaled between 1,157 and 1,193 receiving yards over his previous three seasons. Thus, his 14 ppg final season seems like his ground.
Matthew Stafford is, by far, the perfect quarterback Allen Robinson has ever performed with. Robinson averaged 16.4 ppg in 2020 and 15.9 ppg in 2019. For those who assume his terrible 2021 was as a result of he’s performed, then there’s no motive to draft him. But when, like Tommy and I, you blame it largely on his offensive state of affairs, then it’s wheels up for Robinson in 2022.
Diontae Johnson was my man final yr, and he didn’t disappoint, ending as a low WR1. His 28.5% goal share was the fourth-highest within the NFL. Whereas his goal share ought to stay elite, I fear that the general goal pie will drop from the 664 passes the Steelers tried final season.
Over the primary month of the 2021 season, Mike Williams averaged 23.2 ppg. Nonetheless, he averaged simply 11.9 ppg for the rest of the season. I like Williams and assume he can be extra constant this season, however I don’t know if I need to pay for it upfront.
Terry McLaurin can be getting a QB improve going from Taylor Heinicke to Carson Wentz. The latter led Pittman to a 14 ppg season. That’s about McLaurin’s ground because the locked-in WR1 for the Commanders.
Tier 6: Brandin Cooks, Jaylen Waddle, Marquise Brown, DK Metcalf, Adam Thielen, Rashod Bateman, Gabriel Davis
Brandin Cooks is simply perennially undervalued. Final yr, Cook dinner averaged 14.5 ppg, and he’s averaged no less than 13.7 ppg in yearly of his profession besides in 2019. He’s the clear WR1 and the perfect participant on the Texans.
Jaylen Waddle’s worth hinges completely on whether or not he’s the Dolphins WR2 or their 1a alongside Hill. Waddle averaged 15.4 ppg final season on a 24.8% goal share. I simply can’t see him sustaining these numbers with Hill on the town.
Marquise Brown reunites with school teammate Kyler Murray. He’ll be the WR1 for the primary six weeks whereas DeAndre Hopkins is suspended. Final season, Brown averaged 18.1 ppg over his first eight video games and 9.5 ppg over his final eight video games. I simply don’t purchase him as something greater than a boom-or-bust WR3.
DK Metcalf really averaged extra factors per sport with Geno Smith (17.2) than Russell Wilson (13.9). Thus, he’ll be harm by the QB downgrade far lower than Tyler Lockett. Metcalf is a surefire prime 10 broad receiver with high quality quarterback play. We’re already getting a reduction. Simply anticipate very erratic manufacturing this season.
Adam Thielen is one in all my favourite values this season. He’s 32 years outdated however didn’t escape till age 26 so he’s a younger 32. Thielen is Kirk Cousins’ favourite end-zone goal, scoring 24 touchdowns in his final 28 video games. He averaged 15.4 ppg final season in his 13 video games performed. If he can keep on the sphere, he’ll outperform his ADP.
Rashod Bateman takes over as Lamar Jackson’s clear WR1. Whereas I like Bateman as a participant, anticipate the Ravens to return to their run-heavy methods this season. If Jackson is just trying 25-28 passes a sport, what’s a 25% goal share actually price?
Gabriel Davis is a participant everybody appears to have a robust opinion on…besides me. He’s fantastic. I’ll take Davis if the value is true, as I’m not going out of my option to keep away from him. Nonetheless, I’m additionally not reaching for him.
Tier 7: Michael Thomas, Darnell Mooney, Drake London, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jerry Jeudy, Amari Cooper, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Elijah Moore
We didn’t cowl this group of gamers on the podcast, however I contemplate all of them grouped collectively on this tier and thought it was price together with right here to go slightly deeper within the article than we did on the present.
Every one in all these gamers has a comparatively big selection of outcomes. You can also make a case for them as mid WR2s and even low WR3s.
