2018 Fantasy Football Rankings – Wide Receiver Rankings

SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 06: Wide receiver Michael Thomas #13 of the New Orleans Saints is congratulated by Willie Snead (back) after scoring a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium on November 6, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. The New Orleans Saints defeated the San Francisco 49ers 41-23. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)

Fantasy Football Is Back!

The Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens kick off the preseason this week! That is right, we are only 5 weeks from regular season NFL football. And that means we are less than 5 weeks away from your fantasy football draft. Luckily for you, I have you covered. There is no need to stress over who to take in your upcoming draft. Yes, ideally you should do some research of your own. However, if you just use my rankings you will be a step ahead of your friends. Why is that? Because my tiered positional rankings are simple to implement during your draft, and I have even included a small write-up of my favorite plays for each tier so you know something about your picks.

This post is all about the Wide Receiver, and stay tuned to FantasyCPR.com  for my Running Back rankings. My position rankings will be released during the week of July 30 – August 2 in honor of the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, August 2nd. In case you missed it, here are my released Quarterback and Tight End rankings.

Top Wide Receiver Targets

Antonio Brown, PIT – ADP 6 (1st round)

Brown finished 5 points behind DeAndre Hopkins to finish 2nd in fantasy points among wide receivers last season. In fact, AB has finished in the top 3 at the position in each of the last 4 years. Now that is consistency! I love the thought of taking Brown early, but there are at least 5 running backs that I would take over AB this year in redraft leagues. That is not a knock against AB, but the depth at the wide receiver position is far superior to the depth at running back.

Amari Cooper, OAK – ADP 34 (3rd round)

If you have been reading my rankings this week (Quarterback, Tight End), then you know how high I am on Derek Carr and the Oakland offense from a fantasy perspective. Amari Cooper had a somewhat disappointing season last year, finishing 31st in fantasy points among wide receivers. That was the worst fantasy production of his 3 year NFL career. Cooper will finish as a top 10 fantasy wide receiver this year.

Golden Tate, DET – ADP 61 (6th round)

I am a sucker for Golden Tate in fantasy. The guy is not incredibly flashy, but is a true lunch-pale player. He does his job! Two consecutive seasons finishing as a top 25 fantasy wide receiver, yet he is being drafted as the 25th WR off the board. His floor is probably his draft position, and if he can actually start to find the end-zone then you will be in-line for a great season.

Randall Cobb, GBP – ADP 105 (9th round)

The fantasy community is extremely high on Davante Adams, which after 2 solid fantasy years I can understand. However, I do not see such an extreme talent gap between Adams and Cobb as the rest of the industry. With Jordy Nelson out of the picture, I see Cobb stepping up and making a major contribution this year.

Tyler Lockett, SEA – ADP 139 (12th Round)

Russell Wilson has to throw the ball to someone, right? It is not like the Defense will save him this year. Now his offense lost Paul Richardson and Jimmy Graham to free agency and only added 34yo Brandon Marshall. Lockett will get plenty of targets in this offense. As low as he is being drafted, this is a calculated pick.

Mike Williams, SEA – ADP 141 (12th Round)

It is possible that Mike Williams is another Kevin White, a wide receiver drafted high in the first round who never quite pans out. I am fearful of missing out, so I will draft Mike Williams in the final round of all of my fantasy drafts just in case Mike Will makes it. This is a pure value play.

James Washington, PIT – ADP Undrafted

Another value play is backing James Washington. I loved watching Washington at Oklahoma State, a wide receiver who wears the number 28 and plays the position like a running back. Now he is reunited with Mason Rudolph in Pittsburgh, but with Big Ben Roethlisberger throwing him the ball. I loved it on draft day, and I still love it now. James Washington is not going undrafted in any league I am drafting in.

Wide Receiver Rankings

The rankings on this list are meant to be used for standard scoring, 0.5ppr redraft leagues.

Check out more articles by the author and make sure to follow @Mystery_Main for up-to-date fantasy football information and advice. Also, follow @FantasyCPR for your daily fantasy fix.The rankings on this list are meant to be used for standard scoring, 0.5ppr redraft leagues.