WR rankings for your 2024 fantasy football drafts

23/08/2024 14:02

Kate Magdziuk ranks the best wide receivers for 2024 fantasy football drafts. She looks at the rookies to keep an eye on, and breaks down some sleeper WRs.

The wide receiver position is an interesting one heading into 2024 fantasy football drafts. The players who were once the easiest picks at the top of your drafts are suddenly some of the most difficult you could make due to some extenuating circumstances that could affect their value this season.

Consider Dallas Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb, who's missed the team's entire offseason program holding out for a new contract extension that still hasn't arrived. Then there's the question of whether or not he'll be fully conditioned when the time does come to return to the field given all of the time missed.

Ja'Marr Chase suddenly seems at risk to miss playing time without a new contract, too, though the fact that he has two years left on his deal makes his situation all the more complicated. 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk, too, is in a similar boat, though luckily for fantasy managers, he's not holding first-round value in drafts like Lamb, and those two sides seem a bit closer on a deal.

Given the question marks around availability for Lamb and Chase, Justin Jefferson would be an easy smash pick as the overall WR1 this season... if there weren't questions about the Minnesota Vikings' quarterback situation. Tyreek Hill, too, has some concerns, set to play in his age-30 season, now also dealing with a hand injury.

In short, there might not be a right answer in the first round at WR... but the good news is, there are plenty of options in the rounds to follow. Here's a look at my 2024 wide receiver rankings to help you make your most difficult decisions in fantasy football drafts this season.

Players I like more than consensus

George Pickens (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Fantasy football managers are probably cooling on the Steelers after two disastrous preseason outings and question marks at the quaraterback position. However, the fact remains that Pickens is (at least, for the time being) the focal point of the existing pass attack, which will be an improved one from the first two seasons of his career. After all, the Steelers threw for just 25 total touchdowns over the past two seasons combined. It can't get any worse than that, right?

Barring a trade, which looks unlikely to happen at this point, Pickens looks on track for somewhere between 130-150 targets and somehow managed to rank top three in yards per reception on an offense quarterbacked by a combination of Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph. If that's not impressive, I don't know what is. Regardless of who's in at quarterback, it'll be an upgrade for Pickens, who's coming off an impressive 1,100+ campaign in one of the league's worst offenses. He's a smash at his current ADP of WR28.

Amari Cooper (Cleveland Browns)

There are plenty of questions about the Cleveland Browns and what Deshaun Watson is capable of as a passer at this point in his career. Still, even with Watson under center, there was one bright spot in the offense, and that bright spot was the Watson-Cooper connection — one that was among the most efficient QB-receiver pairings at any position in the league in the 2023 season.

In their limited opportunities together, the pairing of Watson-to-Cooper ranked top-10 in... [deep breath]... EPA per target (0.90), passer rating when targeted, completion percentage over expectation (15.8%), yards per attempt (12.3), air yards per target (15.9) and successful play rate (61.4%) per NFL Next Gen Stats. Not too shabby, eh?

Cooper has dealt with some health issues over the past couple of seasons (and in training camp this summer), but those risks feel baked into his current pricetag of WR25 in FantasyPros ADP once you consider the upside.

1 WR I like less than consensus

Chris Olave (New Orleans Saints)

As much as I like Chris Olave as an NFL wide receiver, we're still waiting on his first finish as a WR19 or better in fantasy football scoring heading into his third season in the league. That's not to say that he hasn't been successful to this point in his career. Over the past two seasons, Olave has ranked eighth among wide receivers with a 70.1% open target rate against single coverage and ninth in the league with 2.23 yards per route run — both testaments to his overall efficiency and polish as a route runner.

The biggest problem capping Olave's upside lies in his quarterback, Derek Carr, who doesn't have the greatest propensity for throwing touchdowns. In fact, Carr's exceeded 25 passing touchdowns just once over the past seven seasons. Time will tell how new OC Klint Kubiak's offense shakes out and whether or not it may be of benefit to Olave in fantasy, but for now, I'm out at his current cost. Expert consensus rankings have Olave as the WR12 on the season in comparison to my rank at WR17.

Then there's the stunning 2024 rookie WR class

The 2024 NFL Draft class was top-heavy with depth at wide receiver, with a whopping six (!) being drafted in the first round. Here are four of the top names to know (and prioritize) in your redraft leagues for 2024.

• Marvin Harrison Jr. (Arizona Cardinals) — MHJ is being drafted as a top-12 fantasy WR as a rookie, and it's for good reason. He's got the polish of a wideout with significantly more experience — a perfect blend of skill, ideal size and athleticism stepping into a wide-open Cardinals depth chart. Consider him one of at least two rookies with potential for a 150+ target season in Year 1.
• Malik Nabers (New York Giants) — Fantasy managers might be panicking a bit on Malik Nabers once they were reminded that it's Daniel Jones throwing him the football in 2024. However, I'll classify Nabers as the other wideout who I could picture posting a 150-target season right out of the gate, which makes him a very viable volume-based target with upside in Rounds 4-5.
• Xavier Worthy (Kansas City Chiefs) — I'm a little wary of Worthy's ability to earn a consistent target share now that the Chiefs have filled out the receiving room a bit and it seems unlikely that Rashee Rice will serve a suspension in 2024. However, it would be disingenuous to say there isn't significant upside for the first-round wideout in an Andy Reid offense with Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback. Worthy might be known for his 4.21 speed, but he's also got the finesse and quickness to create separation as a route runner. The weekly production could be somewhat up and down for Worthy, but his weekly upside is as a top-12 asset as long as Mahomes is under center.
• Brian Thomas Jr. (Jacksonville Jaguars) — The Jaguars aren't viewed as the most exciting offense coming off a disappointing 2023 campaign, but first-round pick Brian Thomas Jr. looks to be stepping into a key role for this team right out of the gate. Thomas Jr. looks primed for a role as a starting receiver on the outside, likely replacing a Calvin Ridley-type of role that could be conducive to big-time upside. He's arguably my favorite value among all of the rookie wideouts, currently the WR49 off draft boards.

2024 WR rankings

Kate Magdziuk is an editor and contributor for Yahoo Fantasy and co-host of the Locked On Dynasty Football podcast. She is also the managing editor for Behind The Steel Curtain, SB Nation's exclusive Pittsburgh Steelers blog. Her previous bylines include Pro Football Focus, NBC Sports Rotoworld and 4for4 Football, among others.