Now that the 2023 regular season is over, it's time for us to look ahead to the 2024 campaign. We know you're like us and already eager for those Fantasy drafts to begin for next season.
With that in mind, here is the first run of our 2024 top 12 wide receivers from me, Adam Aizer, Heath Cummings, Jacob Gibbs, Dave Richard, Dan Schneier and Chris Towers. These rankings will change many times between now and July when training camp starts, especially with free agency and the NFL Draft.
But we're ready to get started on the 2024 season, and we love doing rankings. First, let's take a look back at what happened in 2023.
Here are the top 12 wide receivers from this past season based on PPR points per game:
1. Tyreek Hill 22.2
2. CeeDee Lamb 21.6
3. Keenan Allen 21.6
4. Amon-Ra St. Brown 18.9
5. A.J. Brown 17.0
6. Puka Nacua 16.7
7. Justin Jefferson 16.6
8. Mike Evans 16.3
9. D.J. Moore 16.2
10. Ja'Marr Chase 16.1
11. Deebo Samuel 15.9
12. Brandon Aiyuk 15.2
It's fun to compare that list to the CBS Sports Average Draft Position data to see who lived up to the preseason expectations, who surprised us and, unfortunately, who let us down. And some of the bigger disappointments were Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp, Garrett Wilson, Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith.
Diggs (ADP WR4 and 15.2 PPR points per game), Adams (WR6 and 14.7), Kupp (WR8 and 13.7), Wilson (WR9 and 12.2), Waddle (WR11 and 14.1) and Smith (WR12 and 14.2) had good seasons, but they all finished outside the top 12 in PPR points per game through Week 17. Thankfully, other receivers like Allen, Nacua, Evans, Moore and the 49ers duo of Samuel and Aiyuk stepped up to fill the void.
Allen and Evans were two receivers that made me nervous heading into 2023 because of their age since both were now in their 30s, and Evans was going from Tom Brady to Baker Mayfield. Father Time hasn't caught up to either yet, and Allen had 108 catches despite missing the final four games of the season with a heel injury. Evans also had his 10th season in a row with at least 1,000 receiving yards, and he caught double digits in touchdowns for the fifth time in his career.
Moore had the best season of his career following his trade from Carolina to Chicago and being paired with Justin Fields, and we'll see what happens with Moore in 2024 if Fields is replaced (more on that below). Samuel and Aiyuk also thrived in their first full season with Brock Purdy, which was fun to watch. One of our staff members has both Samuel and Aiyuk still in his top 12 for 2024.
And then there's Nacua, who we named the 2023 Fantasy Football Rookie of the Year. The fifth-round pick in the NFL Draft from BYU was not selected in the majority of leagues based on the CBS Sports ADP. Yet from Week 1 on he was a star, and he set the NFL record for most catches (105) and receiving yards (1,481) by a rookie, which was remarkable.
With Kupp sidelined for the first four games of the season with a hamstring injury, Nacua scored at least 20.1 PPR points in four of his first five games. In total, Nacua had nine games with at least 18.7 PPR points, and he only had five games all season with fewer than 12.2 PPR points.
Where Nacua gets drafted in 2024 will be interesting. So let's see where our staff has him ranked.
Jamey Eisenberg
1. Tyreek Hill
2. CeeDee Lamb
3. Justin Jefferson
4. Ja'Marr Chase
5. Amon-Ra St. Brown
6. A.J. Brown
7. Garrett Wilson
8. Chris Olave
9. Puka Nacua
10. D.J. Moore
11. Michael Pittman
12. Rashee Rice
Of note: Based on everyone's rankings, three players will be in consideration for the No. 1 receiver next season. Me and Dan have Hill at the top, Adam and Chris have Jefferson there and Heath, Jacob and Dave have Lamb at No. 1. All three are deserving, and it will be a fun debate this offseason. Hill, he's had consecutive seasons of 119 catches and more than 1,700 receiving yards, and he averaged at least 19.9 PPR points in each year. He'll also try for 2,000 yards again, but he's going to be 30, which is a slight concern. Lamb had a breakout campaign in 2023 and scored at least 25.2 PPR points in eight games. He should be locked in with Dak Prescott again in 2024. And Jefferson scored at least 24 PPR points in six of the nine healthy games he played in 2023. Once we see who the quarterback is in Minnesota in 2024 then I will likely move Jefferson to No. 1 on this list.
Adam Aizer
1. Justin Jefferson
2. Tyreek Hill
3. Ja'Marr Chase
4. CeeDee Lamb
5. Amon-Ra St. Brown
6. A.J. Brown
7. Garrett Wilson
8. Stefon Diggs
9. Puka Nacua
10. Tank Dell
11. Chris Olave
12. Nico Collins
Of note: Adam is all in on the Texans in 2024 with Dell and Collins, and he's the only one here with both Houston receivers ranked in his top 12, although Heath and Dan have Dell on their lists. Dell led all rookie receivers in PPR points per game with 15, and he had six games with at least 17.2 PPR points of the 10 outings he played before suffering a broken leg in Week 13. Collins was slightly better than Dell at 15.1 PPR points per game, and he had a third-year breakout campaign in 2023 thanks to quarterback C.J. Stroud and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. We'll see if Dell and Collins can both finish as top-12 receivers, but I prefer to draft them as potential top-15 options in Round 3, with Dell coming off the board first.
Heath Cummings
1. CeeDee Lamb
2. Ja'Marr Chase
3. Tyreek Hill
4. Justin Jefferson
5. Amon-Ra St. Brown
6. A.J. Brown
7. Puka Nacua
8. Keenan Allen
9. D.J. Moore
10. Tank Dell
11. Garrett Wilson
12. Deebo Samuel
Of note: Only three receivers averaged at least 20 PPR points per game this season with Hill, Lamb and Allen, and Fantasy managers might forget just how good Allen was in 2023 since he missed the final four games of the year with a heel injury. Heath didn't forget, and he is the only one with Allen ranked in his top 12. Allen scored at least 21.5 PPR points in six of 13 games, and he should be a go-to option for Justin Herbert again in 2024. Now, the downside is Allen will be 32 next season, and hopefully he doesn't start to slow down. I'm worried about Allen still producing at a high level, and the earliest I would draft him is Round 4.
Jacob Gibbs
1. CeeDee Lamb
2. Justin Jefferson
3. Tyreek Hill
4. Ja'Marr Chase
5. A.J. Brown
6. Garrett Wilson
7. Amon-Ra St. Brown
8. Chris Olave
9. Michael Pittman
10. Rashee Rice
11. Brandon Aiyuk
12. Puka Nacua
Of note: Jacob is the highest on Wilson here, and I'm excited to see what he does in his third season in the NFL. He struggled in 2023 with only three touchdowns, and he scored 9.9 PPR points or less in seven games, including three in his final four outings to close the year. But we know why he had a down sophomore season since Aaron Rodgers ruptured his Achilles in the first quarter in Week 1, and now Rodgers will return in 2024. Wilson should be the go-to option for Rodgers, and this is easily the best quarterback Wilson has played with in his career. I have no problem drafting Wilson early in Round 2 in all leagues.
Dave Richard
1. CeeDee Lamb
2. Tyreek Hill
3. Justin Jefferson
4. Amon-Ra St. Brown
5. Ja'Marr Chase
6. A.J. Brown
7. D.J. Moore
8. Puka Nacua
9. Chris Olave
10. Deebo Samuel
11. Brandon Aiyuk
12. Garrett Wilson
Of note: Dave is all in on the 49ers since he has both Samuel and Aiyuk ranked in his top 12. That's different from me, Adam and Chris since we don't have any of San Francisco's receivers listed here. I'm excited about both, but they are just outside of my top 12. Both played well in 2023 by averaging at least 15.2 PPR points per game, and both should continue to thrive with Brock Purdy. In PPR, I'd draft Aiyuk ahead of Samuel because I'm always concerned about Samuel's touchdown total, and he had five rushing touchdowns in 2023. Still, both guys are exceptional thanks to Purdy, and both will likely be drafted in Round 3.
Dan Schneier
1. Tyreek Hill
2. Justin Jefferson
3. Ja'Marr Chase
4. CeeDee Lamb
5. Amon-Ra St. Brown
6. A.J. Brown
7. Puka Nacua
8. Rashee Rice
9. Deebo Samuel
10. Brandon Aiyuk
11. Jaylen Waddle
12. Nico Collins
Of note: Dan is one of three people here with Rice in his top 12, along with me and Jacob, and it will be fun to see what Rice does in his sophomore campaign. We'll see what the Chiefs do to upgrade their receiving corps this offseason, but Rice should continue to be a star with Patrick Mahomes. Rice took off in the second half of the season with at least 14.4 PPR points in five of his final six games, and he had at least nine targets in five of those outings. Mahomes finally started to trust Rice, and that should continue in 2024. He's worth drafting in all leagues no later than Round 3.
Chris Towers
1. Justin Jefferson
2. Tyreek Hill
3. CeeDee Lamb
4. Ja'Marr Chase
5. Amon-Ra St. Brown
6. A.J. Brown
7. Puka Nacua
8. Garrett Wilson
9. D.J. Moore
10. Mike Evans
11. Michael Pittman
12. Stefon Diggs
Of note: Chris has two receivers in his top 12 who could see their outlooks change dramatically this offseason in Moore and Pittman. For Moore, the Bears could either change quarterbacks if a rookie like Caleb Williams comes in to replace Justin Fields, or Chicago could draft standout incoming receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. Both situations could knock Moore out of the top 12, and he's ranked at No. 10 for me. Pittman is No. 11 for me and Chris, and Pittman could change teams this offseason as a free agent. I'm sure the Colts will do everything possible to keep him in Indianapolis, but Pittman's value could be altered on a new team. For now, I'm willing to draft Moore and Pittman no later than Round 3 in most leagues, and hopefully, both are stars again in 2024.
