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2022 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings & Tiers — McFarland

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) celebrates a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Isaiah McKenzie is the Bills’ starting slot receiver, catapulting him into Tier 5C

Jahan Dotson is locked into the No. 2 role in Washington, pushing him into Tier 5A

George Pickens is dominating training camp headlines and is a starting receiver for the Steelers, earning him Tier 4C status

Treylon Burks is in the dog house in Tennessee and slips multiple spots but is still in the Tier 4 conversation

Click here for the rest of PFF's fantasy rankings


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Ranking players by position is integral to fantasy football preparation, but grouping them into tiers is crucial to identifying the value you might be leaving on the draft board.

For example, if you're on the clock and looking at several wide receivers in the same tier, it could make sense to wait until the next round — someone equally as worthy will probably be available with your next pick.

Tiers can also help group players with similar expectations based on upside and floor. Most importantly, we don't want to pay more than the next drafter for a similar player.

There are seven primary criteria used to create wide receiver tiers:

  • Target pedigree: Recent adjusted target shares and targets per route run
  • Performance peripherals: Yards per route run, deep targets (20-plus yards), yards after the catch and explosive target rate (15-plus-yard receptions)
  • Offense quality: Projected team wins (winning teams typically score more and passing YPA correlates strongly to wins)
  • Passing volume: Projected team pass attempts per game (excludes overtime)
  • Quarterback quality: Team QB1 ADP (combined with passing volume to offset quarterbacks with a higher ADP due to rushing ability)
  • Target competition: Number of teammates with a significant ADP (wide receivers with a top-36 ADP plus tight ends with a top-12 ADP)
  • Player average draft position (ADP): Positional rank based on FFPC best ball slim data from Fantasy Mojo

The first two criteria focus on the player’s ability to generate and create production from targets, while the following four data points analyze the team environment. ADP is a final check against the current market sentiment that helps us extract maximum value from our selections.

The ultimate options are receivers who demand targets at all levels of the field and make plays after the catch on winning pass-heavy teams. After that, every tier is some variation of strengths vs. weaknesses in the profile.

For example, a talented receiver on a run-balanced offense with a high projected win total and low target competition is better than the same situation with multiple teammates challenging for opportunities. On the other hand, two talented receivers can co-exist in a quality pass-happy attack.

Overall, the receiver pool has far more questions in 2022 versus ADP.

The first table is a quick view of the complete tiers and rankings, and a more detailed heat map is included below as we break down each tier.

Last Updated: August 25, 2022
Tier Rank Pos ADP Overall ADP FFPC Pos ADP FFPC Overall ADP Player Team
1A 1 2 6 2 4 Justin Jefferson Vikings
1A 2 1 4 1 3 Cooper Kupp Rams
1A 3 3 9 3 6 Ja'Marr Chase Bengals
1B 4 5 12 4 11 Stefon Diggs Bills
1B 5 6 15 6 14 CeeDee Lamb Cowboys
1B 6 4 10 5 12 Davante Adams Raiders
1C 7 12 32 10 26 Tee Higgins Bengals
2A 8 7 16 8 22 Deebo Samuel 49ers
2A 9 8 19 9 24 Tyreek Hill Dolphins
2A 10 11 30 13 31 A.J. Brown Eagles
2B 11 9 26 7 20 Mike Evans Buccaneers
2B 12 15 41 14 35 D.J. Moore Panthers
2B 13 13 37 11 29 Michael Pittman Jr. Colts
2B 14 10 27 12 29 Keenan Allen Chargers
2C 15 19 49 15 37 Mike Williams Chargers
2C 16 23 56 16 40 Courtland Sutton Broncos
2C 17 21 54 21 46 Marquise Brown Cardinals
2D 18 14 39 17 41 Jaylen Waddle Dolphins
2D 19 17 44 19 44 Terry McLaurin Commanders
2D 20 16 42 18 43 Diontae Johnson Steelers
2D 21 18 48 23 51 D.K. Metcalf Seahawks
2F 22 28 67 20 45 Allen Robinson II Rams
2F 23 31 74 34 73 Michael Thomas Saints
2F 24 24 57 30 63 Chris Godwin Buccaneers
2F 25 20 53 22 50 Brandin Cooks Texans
3A 26 34 83 25 54 Rashod Bateman Ravens
3A 27 22 55 28 58 Amon-Ra St. Brown Lions
3A 28 26 60 26 55 Jerry Jeudy Broncos
3A 29 29 70 24 52 Gabriel Davis Bills
3A 30 32 75 29 61 JuJu Smith-Schuster Chiefs
3B 31 36 86 32 68 Elijah Moore Jets
3B 32 25 59 27 57 Darnell Mooney Bears
3B 33 35 85 39 82 DeVonta Smith Eagles
3C 34 30 72 33 69 Adam Thielen Vikings
3C 35 27 61 31 65 Amari Cooper Browns
3C 36 33 81 36 77 Hunter Renfrow Raiders
3D 37 38 89 37 80 DeAndre Hopkins Cardinals
4A 38 39 90 38 81 Drake London Falcons
4A 39 47 110 41 86 Kadarius Toney Giants
4A 40 40 96 44 98 Treylon Burks Titans
4A 41 41 98 40 85 Christian Kirk Jaguars
4A 42 51 124 46 101 Skyy Moore Chiefs
4A 43 43 102 48 103 Chris Olave Saints
4A 44 49 112 35 76 Russell Gage Buccaneers
4B 45 48 111 50 116 Garrett Wilson Jets
4B 46 44 103 45 98 Brandon Aiyuk 49ers
4B 47 46 108 49 106 Chase Claypool Steelers
4C 48 45 104 43 96 Robert Woods Titans
4C 49 50 118 52 123 Tyler Boyd Bengals
4C 50 37 88 47 103 Tyler Lockett Seahawks
5A 51 60 152 54 128 Rondale Moore Cardinals
5A 52 54 130 60 143 Jakobi Meyers Patriots
5B 53 42 101 42 87 Allen Lazard Packers
5B 54 55 132 51 118 Marquez Valdes-Scantling Chiefs
5C 55 58 146 57 138 Jahan Dotson Commanders
5C 56 66 179 62 152 Jalen Tolbert Cowboys
5D 57 65 174 72 186 Julio Jones Buccaneers
5D 58 62 156 64 156 DeVante Parker Patriots
5D 59 53 129 53 125 Kenny Golladay Giants
5D 60 52 126 59 141 Jarvis Landry Saints
6A 61 99 300 95 214 K.J. Hamler Broncos
6A 62 70 192 65 157 Josh Palmer Chargers
6A 63 57 137 55 132 Christian Watson Packers
6A 64 82 235 83 202 Isaiah McKenzie Bills
6B 65 86 254 75 192 Wan'Dale Robinson Giants
6B 66 64 173 76 193 George Pickens Steelers
6B 67 59 150 61 147 Jameson Williams Lions
6B 68 78 223 70 178 Nico Collins Texans
6B 69 69 189 71 179 Alec Pierce Colts
6B 70 61 154 63 153 Mecole Hardman Chiefs
6B 71 77 219 67 164 K.J. Osborn Vikings
6B 72 85 247 73 187 Parris Campbell Colts
6C 73 71 200 66 159 Jamison Crowder Bills
6C 74 56 133 56 134 Michael Gallup Cowboys
6C 75 67 184 74 190 Robbie Anderson Panthers
6C 76 63 163 68 167 D.J. Chark Jr. Lions
6C 77 73 203 77 196 Marvin Jones Jr. Jaguars
6C 78 74 206 80 199 Sammy Watkins Packers
6C 79 81 234 81 199 Will Fuller V Free Agent
6C 80 76 212 82 201 Corey Davis Jets
6C 81 83 238 92 213 Kendrick Bourne Patriots
6C 82 75 209 86 208 Curtis Samuel Commanders
7A 83 84 240 85 206 David Bell Browns
7A 84 88 258 87 209 Romeo Doubs Packers
7A 85 90 261 98 216 Terrace Marshall Jr. Panthers
7A 86 68 187 69 175 Van Jefferson Rams
7A 87 72 202 89 211 Odell Beckham Jr. Free Agent
7A 88 80 230 97 216 Laviska Shenault Jr. Jaguars
7A 89 135 384 110 228 Khalil Shakir Bills
7A 90 107 317 99 216 Velus Jones Jr. Bears
7A 91 89 260 101 219 Devin Duvernay Ravens
7A 92 100 307 107 222 Zay Jones Jaguars
7A 93 79 227 91 213 Donovan Peoples-Jones Browns
7A 94 97 294 111 229 Cedrick Wilson Dolphins
7A 95 87 257 102 219 A.J. Green Cardinals
7A 96 101 309 106 222 Byron Pringle Bears
7A 97 104 314 96 216 Sterling Shepard Giants
7A 98 92 267 79 198 Randall Cobb Packers
7A 99 127 364 84 204 Braxton Berrios Jets

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Tier 1 Wide Receivers

TIER 1A – TALENT AND OPPORTUNITY AND A QUARTERBACK, OH MY!

Justin Jefferson will be only 23 years old and already has WR7 and WR4 finishes to his credit, averaging 16.9 and 19.5 points per game, respectively. Only Odell Beckham Jr. and Michael Thomas posted better point-per-game totals in their first two seasons since 2011. He is one of only four receivers who ran at least 250 routes to eclipse the 2.50 YPRR (Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams and A.J. Brown) mark against man and zone coverages. Jefferson’s profile checks every box and is currently going in the early first round.

Kupp set career highs in target share (31%) and YPRR (3.11) by dominating man and zone coverage. His connection with Matthew Stafford is undeniable, and while his 2.6% touchdowns per route will likely regress (the three-year average for a WR1 is 1.6%), the Rams’ schedule is loaded with shootout matchups. Kupp was the WR4 in points per game in 2019 and has eclipsed the 2.00 YPRR barrier every season except for one. There were underpinnings to a great season before 2021.

Ja’Marr Chase posted the second-most points per game (18.0) for a rookie behind another LSU Tiger — Odell Beckham Jr. (24.8 over 12 games). His target share isn’t as high as Kupp and Jefferson, but he doesn’t have to, thanks to his explosive play rate. No other receiver brings a more potent combination of downfield prowess and ability to generate yards after the catch (YAC) to the table than the second-year receiver. Tee Higgins will challenge for targets, but the Cincinnati Bengals have an ascending offense projected for a good season behind a top-six ADP quarterback in Joe Burrow.

TIER 1B – MOST LIKELY TO CATAPULT INTO TIER 1A

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