Wide Receiver Fantasy Rankings

We give you our NFL Fantasy Football Rankings and Tiers for the top 30 wide receivers leading up to the 2022 NFL season.

Today, we continue down our NFL fantasy rankings series with our top 30 wide receivers for the 2022 NFL season. The general assumption here is for single QB, half PPR leagues. Each tier should be considered as such, a tier. The individual ranking within each tier do not speak as loudly as the tiers themselves. All ADP and strength of schedule figures are sourced from PFF and Fantasy Pros.

Tier 4 Wide Receiver

Tier 4 Fantasy Wide Receivers for the 2022 season

These individuals are players we deemed to be somewhere between WR2 and a flex spot. In other words, these guys are not quite locks to be a mainstay in your WR2 starting slot, but they could be if needed. Typically, this tier has a higher floor, but not all that high of a ceiling due to limiting factors such as target share, trust in their QBs ability, etc.

  • Devonta Smith has an ADP of 89 despite having the 7th easiest schedule among all WRs. The Eagles second year receiver finished 2021 as the #29 fantasy WR while playing in a run heavy offense. The main question this year is how the target share will look with the addition of star WR A.J. Brown. The Eagles offense appears to be building a multiple system that can lean on any number of concepts against any given defense. How will Smith fit into that? I am a little worried that his volume could be up and down as A.J. Brown fits the any-scheme mold that the Eagles seem to be building towards. But I would not be surprised to see Devonta Smith’s efficiency improve from the lighter coverage that comes with being the WR2.
  • Hunter Renfrow has an ADP of 66 after finishing as the #10 fantasy WR in 2021. In 2022, the Raiders will face the 4th most difficult schedule for WRs after playing an easier schedule in 2021. Despite his excellent production in 2021, Renfrow continues to be underrated by ADP due to his slot role and lack of typical WR traits. Although targets will be more difficult to come by in 2022, I expect Renfrow to provide excellent value in most drafts.

Tier 3 Wide Receiver

Tier 3 Fantasy Wide Receivers for the 2022 season

Tier 3 players have a similar floor to the tier 4 players, but their ceiling is what pushes them above the tier 4 guys. These are players that we could see creeping into WR1 territory if everything goes right for them.

  • Brandon Aiyuk has an ADP of 96 after finishing the 2021 season as the #35 WR. This year, the 49ers will face 9th most difficult fantasy schedule for wide receivers. Last year, Aiyuk was nursing a hamstring injury through the first 8 games of the year as he averaged 5 points per game. Then, over the final 9 games he averaged 13.6 points per game. But the real story here is the emergence of Trey Lance as QB1. During the offseason, Aiyuk spent much of his time training with Lance. Seeing Aiyuk open downfield without anything to show for it has been a common occurrence over the past few years. Now, with Trey Lance at QB, the 49ers might have the firepower to capitalize on it.
  • Michael Pittman Jr. has an ADP of 29.2 after ranking as WR18 in 2021. This season, the Colts have the 11th easiest schedule for fantasy wide receivers. Last year, Pittman ranked 8th in the NFL in target share with Carson Wentz looking his way early and often. While that figure could trail some with Matt Ryan coming in at QB, we still think Pittman will get the lions share of targets in the Colts offense. Especially once you consider that Calvin Ridley had the 6th highest target share in the NFL with Matt Ryan throwing to him. Despite some expected touchdown regression, we are still high on Pittman Jr.
  • D.J. Moore has an ADP of 41.7. Last season, he ranked as WR19 despite a revolving door at the QB position. In 2022, he will face the 11th most difficult schedule for fantasy WRs. But the upgrade at QB to Baker Mayfield should be enough to give Moore a boost. It is truly incredible how consistently Moore has performed (3-straight 1,000-yard seasons) over the years without any consistency at the QB position. I am excited to see what an upgrade at the position will mean for him.
  • Tyreek Hill has an ADP of 22.2, and how anybody truly feels about him this year is a complete mystery. The Dolphins WR finished as WR6 in 2021 but was also playing in a much more explosive offense in Kansas City. If he were still in KC, he would undoubtedly be considered a top 5 WR. But while Hill continues to hype up QB Tua Tagovailoa, we just do not know what to think.

Tier 2 Wide Receiver

Tier 2 Wide Receiver Fantasy Rankings
Tier 2 Fantasy Wide Receivers for the 2022 season

Tier 2 wide receivers are locks to start at either the WR2 or WR1 roster slots. These guys most likely belong in the WR1 slot unless you somehow get a tier 1 WR and manage to snag one of these gems. These guys can max out as potential league winning players, but at the least should be reliable mainstays in your fantasy lineup.

  • Amon-Ra St. Brown is a DOG. This man has an ADP of 80.4, but he is #1 in our hearts. The Lions will face the 17th easiest schedule for fantasy WRs in 2022. He finished the 2021 season ranking as WR24, which feels like great value for a guy with an ADP in the 80s. Over the final 6 weeks of the 2021 season, St. brown commanded a 33% target share on 11 targets per game. And he is still hungry.
  • Mike Evans stands 6’5” tall, weighs in at 231 lbs, runs a 4.5 forty, and is basically a superhero for the Buccaneers. Yet, his ADP is somehow 24.5. That is because his target share is not strong enough. But I do not care. Do you know why I do not care? Because this man has eight straight 1,000-yard seasons and has caught 8+ touchdowns in 6 of his 8 NFL seasons. He finished 2021 ranking as WR8. Just stop overthinking it and take this man before somebody else gets a steal.
  • Deebo Samuel does it all. And he just got PAID. One thing I love to do in fantasy is target players who are in contract years. Whether they get an extension right before the season starts does not really matter. Because these players have prepared all off-season as if their contract will hinge on this season. Deebo has an ADP of 17.8 and finished last season ranking as WR2. Although, his fantasy production was heavily earned on the ground, with 30% of his fantasy points coming on rush attempts. Maybe his rushing usage will decrease with his new contract, but I still love this players upside and versatility within a scheme that is so multiple in run fronts.

Tier 1 Wide Receiver

Tier 1 Wide Receiver Fantasy Rankings
Tier 1 Fantasy Wide Receivers for the 2022 season

The world is yours. This is some King Kong stuff. The stuff of legends. The bona fide league winners that can carry you to championship glory. These guys are top tier WR1’s.

  • Justin Jefferson has an ADP of 5.1, and he has earned that after finishing the 2021 season ranking as the #4 fantasy football WR. The Vikings will face the 5th most difficult fantasy schedule for wide receivers in 2022. But this kid cannot be stopped. With the most receiving yards in NFL history through a players first two seasons, Jefferson is a special player who is a WR1 lock for any roster.
  • Cooper Kupp has an ADP of 4.5. The Rams Super Bowl MVP was the #1 WR in fantasy points, yards, receiving touchdowns, and target share in 2021. Now, maybe that dips some with the addition of Allen Robinson. Despite playing the 7th most difficult fantasy schedule for wide receivers, Kupp is still a safe of a bet as you can find for true WR1 production.
  • Davante Adams has an ADP of 11.4, largely pushed down because of his move from the Packers to the Raiders. In 2021, Adams finished the season ranking as the #3 fantasy wide receiver. In 2022, the Raiders will face the 4th most difficult fantasy schedule for WRs. But that Adams – Carr connection from Fresno State lives on. These two were setting records in the college ranks before reaching the NFL. While I expect Adams target share to take a hit in Vegas, he still garners Tier 1 status here.
  • Ja’Marr Chase won leagues across the country in 2021. Initially, I was a little more down on Bengals star WR going into 2022 because of how up and down he was last year from a fantasy production standpoint. While he did rank as WR5 for the season, he only had 3 weeks inside the top 5. But those three weeks were ridiculous. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Chase single handedly won me a championship last season with his late season surge. And that type of production deserves to be in Tier 1.

Handcuffs

Handcuff Wide Receivers for the 2022 season

Let us know what you think of our NFL Fantasy Rankings for the wide receiver position. Our full reasoning and discussion for every player listed here can be heard on the podcast. We will be back next week with more next week, so make sure to tune in! And do NOT sleep on the Lions.

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