The 2023 Wide Receiver Rankings: Fantasy Football Deep Dive

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings: Who’s Ranked #1?

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

Is there much to say here?
Jefferson has separated himself in a short time as the best wide receiver in the NFL
- He has the most receiving yards in his first three seasons in the league with 4,825
- He also has the most receptions in his first three seasons in the league with 324
He plays in an offense that likes to air it out, so these numbers are going to sustain through this coming season at least
Kirk Cousins is in a contract year, so you’d expect him to try to put up gaudy numbers through the air, which benefits Jefferson as well
Upgrading from Adam Thielen to the rookie Jordan Addison will overall help Jefferson’s production more than hurt it

Darius Slayton, New York Giants

The biggest thing that Slayton has going for him in the Giants offense is that he stays healthy
- Over the course of four seasons in the NFL, he’s only missed seven games.
Now we’ve talked about this offense not exactly lighting it up through the air, but Slayton is easily the most dependable option on this roster.
Also, considering that his average draft position (ADP) at the receiver position is around 75 then you can get this guy for free!
- That’s a great flier option for a starting wide receiver for your fantasy squad.
The hope is that Daniel Jones can take another step forward under Brian Daboll and he will throw the ball more often than tucking and running with it
- The Giants threw the ball 520 times last season, which was the 8th fewest pass attempts in the league.
Slayton finished as the 52nd-ranked wide receiver, but going in as the starter now should speak volumes for a production increase for the New York Giants on offense

Calvin Ridley, Jacksonville Jaguars

Ridley may get overlooked due to people just straight-up forgetting about him or being worried about him missing nearly two seasons.
All signs out of training camp and mini-camp have been that he is firing on all cylinders
He was the fifth-best WR in 2020 and is more versatile than Christian Kirk
- Don’t share the same volume concerns as I do with Kirk with Ridley

Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars

There are so many mouths to feed on this offense now
- Calvin Ridley
- Evan Engram
- Travis Etienne
- Christian Kirk
We’re also assuming Trevor Lawrence will continue his upward development.
Best case scenario is this turns into one of the top offenses in the league
Worst case scenario is that Lawrence takes a step back, gets hurt behind a questionable offensive line, or someone’s production suffers (leaning toward Kirk)
- In the last seven games of the season, he only scored 15 fantasy points or more once and that was 15.9

Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This team is going to be a lot different than previous years under Tom Brady and it makes you think twice before taking a Bucs receiver this year
It’s going to be a mighty dropoff going from Brady and an air-it-out attack under Bruce Arians/Byron Leftwich to Baker Mayfield and a defensive-minded head coach in Todd Bowles
Mike Evans is going to risk being less targeted as well, but his big body will help get him open to move the chains when needed, so he’s more trustworthy
Godwin is a dynamic threat, but the opportunities will come few and far between to make him a viable starting receiver in fantasy leagues
While he’s still worth drafting, Godwin will not be reliable in the starting lineup with a new-look offense that may not pass enough for fantasy managers

No Packers receiver will have more than six touchdowns or 1,000 yards

Allen Lazard was the leading receiver in terms of yards with 788 and now he’s a member of the New York Jets
Christian Watson was the leading receiver in terms of touchdowns with seven and he apparently has lost the starting job
Let’s not forget that Jordan Love has not been lighting things up with Aaron Rodgers now in New York
- If they couldn’t make this offense perform well fantasy-wise with a good quarterback like Rodgers, how can they make it work with a quarterback who looks like a total bust so far?
  - Three touchdowns, three interceptions, and less than a 60% completion rate in 2021

Amari Cooper will finish as a top-5 fantasy wide receiver

In the three seasons that DeAndre Hopkins and Deshaun Watson played together, Hopkins finished as a top-5 receiver all three times
- This includes a first-place finish in 2018, the first year Watson was the starter in Houston
Cooper, last season, had the second most receiving yards in his career and set a career-high in receiving touchdowns and targets
Let’s push past the season that Watson had last year and clearly take that as rust for not playing for practically two seasons
The offense has tied themselves to Watson now, so you can expect them to air it out more than usual under head coach Kevin Stefanski
- Cleveland was very much down the middle in runs vs. plays as they called 540 passes and called 532 rushes last season
The Watson-Cooper connection will be called a lot on Browns broadcasts next season and you’d be smart to roster one or both of those players this coming season.