2024 preseason rankings: Top 40 wide receivers

32. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Age: 28
2023 rank: 32 (standard), 28 (PPR)
Quarterback: Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask
Other receivers: Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer, Cade Otton (TE)

For the first time in his career, Baker Mayfield topped 4,000 yards in 2023 and supported two fantasy receivers in Godwin and Mike Evans. But with five unimpressive years preceding his breakout in 2023, it is difficult to trust that Mayfield will be able to sustain that level of production. Godwin's 28th-place finish in PPR was a decent result on paper but considering he saw the 19th-most targets in the league, the ending is disappointing in the big picture. Luckily for him, the way Tampa Bay's defense is looking will likely force the offense to throw early and often regardless of game plan.

31. Mike Williams, New York Jets

Age: 29
2023 rank: NA
Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers, Tyrod Taylor
Other receivers: Garrett Wilson, Xavier Gipson, Tyler Conklin (TE), Allen Lazard

The up-and-down career of Williams took a nosedive in 2023 when he played just three games before tearing his ACL against Minnesota. The injury was unfortunate for all parties involved, as Williams was having his best game of the season until then. Now catching passes from Aaron Rodgers, Williams' ceiling figures to increase theoretically but his boom-or-bust style makes his weekly outlook a coin flip. At 6-foot-4, his red zone usage should fit right into what Rodgers wants in that area of the field but his tendency to be invisible at any given moment will give managers headaches all season.

30. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

Age: 31
2023 rank: 41 (standard), 40 (PPR)
Quarterback: Matthew Stafford, Jimmy Garoppolo
Other receivers: Puka Nacua, Tyler Higbee (TE), DeMarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell

Kupp's name value may lead him to be ranked above this spot by some, but at 31, his best days are firmly in the past. With injury issues continuing to plague him, Kupp appeared in three more games in 2023 than he did in 2022 but saw his yardage total decrease by nearly 100 yards as he took a back seat to emerging star Puka Nacua. Not only did Kupp finish firmly behind Nacua at the end of the year in all major categories but he had merely half the receiving yards of his 23-year-old teammate. Kupp's chemistry with Matthew Stafford keeps him in the top 30 but it would not be surprising to see him quickly fall below that.

29. Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers

Age: 24
2023 rank: 18 (standard), 25 (PPR)
Quarterback: Jordan Love, Sean Clifford
Other receivers: Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Luke Musgrave (TE)

Green Bay's passing game often a frustrating guessing game for fantasy managers but Reed should have the upper hand after being the most efficient receiver in 2023. He still saw two less targets than Romeo Doubs on the year and Christian Watson was effective in the games he played but of the four main receivers on the team, Reed has the highest floor with most of his teammates merely offering boom-or-bust potential. Still, the revolving door of this receiving room limits all of their ceilings.

28. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins

Age: 25
2023 rank: 31 (standard), 34 (PPR)
Quarterback: Tua Tagovailoa, Mike White
Other receivers: Tyreek Hill, Jonnu Smith (TE), Odell Beckham Jr., Braxton Berrios

Unless Tyreek Hill falls off a cliff in his ninth year, his presence will always limit Waddle. But while his superstar teammate limits his ceiling, Waddle has still topped 1,000 yards in every year of his career in Miami's explosive offense. As has been the case for the past two seasons, Waddle's fantasy value will largely depend on the consistency of Tua Tagovailoa, who has played just one full season since being drafted in 2020. With Tagovailoa on the field, Waddle has weekly WR1 upside but is prone to letdown games with Miami's offense notoriously inconsistent.

27. Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers

Age: 28
2023 rank: 43 (standard), 45 (PPR)
Quarterback: Bryce Young, Andy Dalton
Other receivers: Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette, Jonathan Mingo, Tommy Tremble (TE)

Even if Bryce Young does not take the second-year leap that most fans are hoping for, the value of Johnson should be there regardless if he gets the usage he projects. After it was reported that Carolina desperately wanted a No. 1 receiver for their young quarterback in 2023, the team went out of its way to acquire Johnson, the previous alpha in Pittsburgh. The belief Carolina has in Johnson to boost the value of Young should give him the volume he needs to thrive in fantasy and while he consistently struggles with drops, the current state of this receiving room should give him little competition at the top of the pecking order.

26. Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens

Age: 23
2023 rank: 29 (standard), 30 (PPR)
Quarterback: Lamar Jackson, Josh Johnson
Other receivers: Mark Andrews (TE), Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor, Russell Gage

Baltimore bringing in Derrick Henry magnifies their emphasis on the run which limits Flowers' ceiling but he is still firmly in control of the passing game. Even with Mark Andrews back from injury, Flowers should be the alpha outside, especially with the Ravens doing nothing to replace the modest production of Odell Beckham Jr., who was second on the team with 565 receiving yards.

25. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

Age: 24
2023 rank: 24 (standard), 16 (PPR)
Quarterback: Derek Carr, Jake Haener
Other receivers: Rashid Shaheed, AT Perry, Juwan Johnson (TE), Cedrick Wilson Jr.

Losing Ryan Ramczyk will really hurt Derek Carr and the entire New Orleans passing offense but Olave should have no problem topping 1,000 yards for a third straight season. With no real No. 2 option behind him, Olave racked up 138 targets in 2023, a trend that should only continue with Alvin Kamara aging and Juwan Johnson beginning the year on IR. The touchdowns will need to increase for Olave to rise in the rankings but for now, he is a solid back-end WR2.