Fantasy Football 2019 Wide Receiver Tier Rankings
By Bill Pivetz
Fantasy Football 2019 Wide Receiver Tier Rankings – Deep Sleepers
This tier features some starting wide receivers and some late-round sleepers with upside.
Gallup steps up to the No. 2 spot on the Cowboys roster after Cole Beasley went to Buffalo. According to FantasyPros, he went from 22 targets in the first seven games (3.1 per game) without Cooper, to 46 targets in the final nine games (5.1 per game) with Cooper. While the offense will likely revolve around Ezekiel Elliot (when his contract situation is worked out), Dak Prescott will still throw it 500 times this season.
Sanders is back on the field after recovering from an Achilles injury. He’s been banged up the last couple of seasons, so you don’t want to have to rely on him for your team’s success. The change in quarterback to Joe Flacco should help him as the receivers were catching passes from Case Keenum.
Miller’s been dealing with a few injuries since last preseason. He is working through a sprained ankle and is a question mark for Week 1. However, when he is on the field, Miller is a productive fantasy option. He scored seven touchdowns on just 33 receptions (54 targets). He is the slot receiver for what will be a pass-first offense.
Moncrief joins the Steelers with a lot of available targets. Though, we haven’t seen Moncrief start in every game. He started in a career-high 14 games last season with the Jaguars. He caught 48 passes for 668 yards and three touchdowns. Moncrief will be competing with Washington for the No. 2 spot but even Moncrief on the field for 80 percent of plays can be a breakout player.
After Davante Adams, it’s hard to figure out who is second on the priority chart. Between MVS, Geronimo Allison and Jimmy Graham, there are a lot of mouths to feed. With the breakout of Aaron Jones, Aaron Rodgers will likely not have to throw the ball 600 times this season. He’s a PPR target as the likely slot receiver.
Jackson is back in Philadelphia. He gets a big upgrade at quarterback going from Jameis Winston to Carson Wentz. Jackson still has a ton of speed and will have a good supporting cast around him with Alshon Jeffery and Zach Ertz. But because of his play type, he’s a boom-or-bust type of player, a great pick for best ball leagues.
Before suffering a season-ending injury, Allison caught 20 passes for 303 yards and two touchdowns. Allison will line up opposite of Adams, which should boost his value.
Fitzgerald recorded 100-plus catches in three straight seasons between 2015 and 2017. Last year was a down year, but I chalk that up to the bad quarterback play. Now, with Kyler Murray under center, Fitzgerald should bounce back. The offense will pick up speed and he’ll have some protection with the emergence of Christian Kirk. He’s a safe top-40 pick.
Sutton had a good rookie season, finishing with 42 catches, 704 yards and four touchdowns. While I praised the addition of Joe Flacco just before, he is not consistent enough for this offense to have two top-40 receivers. Plus, with a defensive-minded head coach, the Broncos will run the ball a bit more.
Westbrook has breakout speed, there’s no doubt about that. The hesitation with his ADP is the Jaguars offense. While Nick Foles is an upgrade over Blake Bortles and Cody Kessler, the receiving corps is a bit lackluster. He had 66 receptions for 717 yards and five touchdowns. If the offensive line can protect Foles, Westbrook is another solid option for best ball leagues.