2019 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: Wide Receiver Tiers 6.0 and updated strategies

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PPR WR Tiers 6.0

Non-PPR WR Tiers 6.0

Wideouts bounced back in a big way last year. As a whole, receivers scored a record-high 532 touchdowns to boost their Fantasy numbers. Their running back counterparts didn't average as many Fantasy points per game in PPR based on top-12 (0.3 higher), top-24 (1.9 higher) or top-36 averages (1.8 higher). Can't remember the last time that happened.

But it might not happen again. Due to training camp injuries to receivers like Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper, uncertain situations surrounding Antonio Brown and T.Y. Hilton and a lack of reliable stud-muffin pass-catchers, the position has not only become top-heavy but insanely popular! Between fourth and 20th overall, expect all of the top-8 receivers to be gone.

The good news? The position is rich with receivers with a 900-1,200-yard profile. So missing out on those top-eight receivers isn't so bad.

In addition to knowing your lineup requirements and scoring system, you must answer these questions before you draft:

How risk-averse are you?
How badly do you want to fill your starting lineup with no-brainers?
How deep do you think this position is?
Are you good at finding replacement receivers off waivers?

The first two questions go hand-in-hand: Wide receivers are generally safer than their running back counterparts, but they typically don't score as much in non-PPR, and only the top guys come close to matching up in PPR. The more of those "safe" picks you want for your starting group, the more receivers you should target early in your draft. You won't get any of them if you have a top-3 pick.

You can use my tiers to determine how deep you think the position is, but after stewing on this for six months (that's right, while you were living your life, I was studying these guys), I feel real good about the wideouts in the first four or five rounds being good enough to start. I'm also confident that the receivers in the fifth and sixth tiers make up a bunch of breakout and sleeper candidates who carry enough upside to warrant starting. You should find the entire class to your liking and may even decide to wait to draft your third or fourth receivers.

That last question? I'm not you, so I can't exactly answer that. But if you've played Fantasy Football for a while, you know that there are receivers with at least decent upside on waivers every week. No one who will cement himself into a starting spot, but someone who offers a chance at scoring a touchdown, going for 70 yards, etc. The better you (and we) are at finding them, the less urgency you'll need to draft deep.

Just know that nearly every Fantasy manager will select at least one very good receiver before the end of Round 3. That doesn't mean it's a mistake to lock up two of them if you want to differentiate your lineup, but that is a move that's best saved for PPR formats and smaller leagues (10 or fewer teams).

But the safest plan on Draft Day is to pick enough receivers from the top-five or six tiers to cover your starting spots, then another two or three for the bench. And always remember that receivers who tend to play the best in Fantasy are those who regularly get a piece of the target share from good quarterbacks. When you're drafting a receiver who doesn't already carry stud status, ask yourself if he has the potential for 120 targets (to yield 70-plus receptions) and/or eight touchdowns. Those are the stats we're shooting for from the non-obvious guys in Round 6 and beyond. The more of those players you get, the more likely you'll compete for a trophy in December.

What about Zero WR?

Imagine not taking your first receiver until after 50th overall.That's the kind of plan you're going to have to follow if you insist on drafting two stud running backs and a stud tight end with your first trio of picks. This is do-able in smaller non-PPR formats and it carries a chance at being wildly successful, especially if you pull the lever on the right receivers starting in Round 5. Heath cummings lays out a blueprint for it here.

Tiers 6.0

Wide Receivers - PPR

Round 1

Mega-Elite

D. Hopkins TEN DeAndre Hopkins TEN

J. Jones PHI Julio Jones PHI

D. Adams LV Davante Adams LV

O. Beckham Jr. BAL Odell Beckham Jr. BAL

J. Smith-Schuster NE JuJu Smith-Schuster NE

Round 2

Elite

T. Hill MIA Tyreek Hill MIA

M. Thomas NO Michael Thomas NO

M. Evans TB Mike Evans TB

Round 3

Excellent

K. Allen CHI Keenan Allen CHI

J. Edelman NE Julian Edelman NE

B. Cooks DAL Brandin Cooks DAL

A. Thielen CAR Adam Thielen CAR

A. Brown TB Antonio Brown TB

T. Hilton DAL T.Y. Hilton DAL

S. Diggs HOU Stefon Diggs HOU

A. Cooper CLE Amari Cooper CLE

Round 4

Very Good

C. Godwin TB Chris Godwin TB

C. Kupp LAR Cooper Kupp LAR

C. Ridley TEN Calvin Ridley TEN

R. Woods HOU Robert Woods HOU

T. Lockett SEA Tyler Lockett SEA

K. Golladay NYG Kenny Golladay NYG

Round 5

High-upside Value

T. Boyd CIN Tyler Boyd CIN

D. Moore CHI D.J. Moore CHI

J. Gordon TEN Josh Gordon TEN

A. Green ARI A.J. Green ARI

Round 6

Mid-value Upside

A. Robinson PIT Allen Robinson PIT

A. Jeffery PHI Alshon Jeffery PHI

M. Williams NYJ Mike Williams NYJ

C. Samuel BUF Curtis Samuel BUF

R. Chosen MIA Robbie Chosen MIA

D. Westbrook GB Dede Westbrook GB

C. Kirk JAC Christian Kirk JAC

Rounds 7-8

High-potential Backups

S. Shepard NYG Sterling Shepard NYG

W. Fuller MIA Will Fuller MIA

E. Sanders BUF Emmanuel Sanders BUF

C. Davis NYJ Corey Davis NYJ

J. Landry NO Jarvis Landry NO

D. Jackson BAL DeSean Jackson BAL

L. Fitzgerald ARI Larry Fitzgerald ARI

S. Watkins BAL Sammy Watkins BAL

D. Pettis CHI Dante Pettis CHI

M. Jones DET Marvin Jones DET

Rounds 9-10

Mid-potential Backups

T. Williams DET Tyrell Williams DET

M. Valdes-Scantling KC Marquez Valdes-Scantling KC

J. Crowder WAS Jamison Crowder WAS

A. Miller KC Anthony Miller KC

D. Moncrief HOU Donte Moncrief HOU

G. Allison ATL Geronimo Allison ATL

J. Brown BUF John Brown BUF

Round 11+

Bench Depth

K. Coutee MIA Keke Coutee MIA

J. Washington IND James Washington IND

M. Gallup LV Michael Gallup LV

D. Hamilton MIA DaeSean Hamilton MIA

A. Wilson LV Albert Wilson LV

C. Sutton DEN Courtland Sutton DEN

K. Stills NO Kenny Stills NO

G. Tate TEN Golden Tate TEN

R. Cobb NYJ Randall Cobb NYJ

M. Boykin NYG Miles Boykin NYG

C. Beasley NYG Cole Beasley NYG