2024 tier-based wide receiver rankings

Tier 1: The Elites

1. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
2. Ceedee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
4. Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
5. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

These guys are all the best of the best. It is really just a matter of what order managers prefer them in for fantasy.

Hill finished 2023 as the WR2 with 376.4 points in PPR, compiling 119 receptions for 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns. Lamb was the only receiver to finish higher than Hill in fantasy as he was the WR1 with 403.2 points. He led the way with 135 receptions for 1,749 points and 12 touchdowns. St. Brown was the WR3 in 2023 with 331.9 points, a good bit away from Lamb and Hill. He racked up 119 receptions for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns. It should be more of the same for all three of these guys in 2024.

Chase was slightly behind them, putting up 100 receptions for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns, but still had an elite season. Even though it was a great season, he only finished as the WR11. However, there shouldn’t really be any concern for Chase for 2024, as he should get back to being a top-five fantasy wide receiver quickly.

At the beginning of the season, Joe Burrow’s struggles from injury gave Chase a very low floor. He was still great throughout the year, just with some duds here and there. Unfortunately, he also got injured late in the year with a shoulder A/C joint sprain. This caused him to miss Week 17 and only average 7.8 points from Week 15 to Week 18. In 2024, I expect Chase to bounce back and be an easy top-five option.

In 2023, Jefferson finished as the WR33 due to missing seven games from injury. In just 10 games, Jefferson had 68 receptions for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns. Jefferson now is going into 2024 with some concern due to the Vikings’ quarterback position.

Having Sam Darnold instead of Kirk Cousins is concerning for Jefferson. With rookie J.J. McCarthy being ruled out for the year, it looks like Darnold will be the full-time starter all season long. Even with Darnold, Jefferson will still be great for fantasy. He is the best wide receiver in football. Just let the man do his thing.

Jefferson may not have that same ceiling of being the overall WR1, but I think it’s clear he belongs in this tier and will be a top-five option. After Cousins was ruled out for the year, the Vikings had a hodgepodge of Josh Dobbs and Nick Mullens at quarterback.

When Jefferson came back from injury, he had four full games to end the season, those being from Week 15 to Week 18. Mullens was the starter in all four of those games. He had a lower floor, but he still averaged 22.5 PPG in that span with 30 receptions for 476 yards and two touchdowns. Darnold is a good bit better than Mullens, too. Draft Jefferson stress-free and expect him to be a top-five receiver option.

Tier 2: Rising superstars

6. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
7. AJ Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
8. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
9. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
10. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons

This tier is full of young receivers who either are looking to make their true leap in fantasy — Wilson, Olave and London — a young receiver who made his fantasy statement in his rookie season in Nacua, or a veteran who just happened to end up in this tier because he belongs the high ranking he got.

Wilson, Olave and London are all entering their third season in the NFL and hoping to make it their first as a WR1 in fantasy. Wilson is the most talented of the three and won’t have to deal with Zach Wilson anymore. Aaron Rodgers is not the same player in 2024, but he is the best NFL quarterback Wilson has ever had, and it’s not close. Wilson finished as just the WR26 in 2023, but expect a huge 2024 for him.

Olave should have had his WR1 season in 2023, but being a little banged up and Derek Carr being Derek Carr caused him to finish as the WR16. He still has Carr, but if he can stay healthy he will only get better.

London has been the victim of Arthur Smith and Desmond Ridder. The film backs London up and he is the clear WR1 for the team. If Cousins can just be average, expect a WR1 season for London.

As for Brown, his 2023 was sort of a tale of two seasons. From Week 1 to Week 9, he was the WR2 and averaged 22.6 PPG. From Week 11 to Week 18, he was the WR30 and averaged 10.8 PPG. Now that Brian Johnson is out of the offensive coordinator job and Kellen Moore is in, don’t expect that to happen again. Expect Brown to be a consistent mid-WR1 for any team.

Nacua exploded onto the season as a rookie in 2023, breaking rookie records and finishing as the WR4 in fantasy. Expect him to continue to be elite, just not with a top-five ceiling. Now that Cooper Kupp is back, fully rested and healthy unlike how he was when he came back in 2023, it’s not just Nacua’s team. He will still be the WR1 for the Rams, but Kupp will get his. All indications point to him being ready by Week 1. Nacua should finish as a mid-low WR1.

Tier 3: Fringe WR1s

11. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
12. Deebo Samuel, San Fransisco 49ers
13. Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
14. Nico Collins, Houston Texans
15. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

All of the receivers in this tier should, at the very least, be locked-in WR2s with the ceiling of finishing as low-end WR1s. They are great fantasy options and should finish right around the WR12 area, juts without the same ceiling as the players in front of them.

Evans and Collins both finished as WR1s in 2023, finishing as WR7 and WR12, respectively. Evans should have a similar season to 2023, just with a few other receivers making leaps to jump ahead of him, which is what drops him in the rankings. Still a WR1, just not the same ceiling.

Year three breakouts like Collins' case don’t happen too often, but this 2023 was not just an outlier season. Collins should also have a similar season to what he did in 2023. He got paid like an alpha receiver with a contract extension and that shows the Texans view him as that. He gets just a slight downgrade due to Stefon Diggs joining the Texans, but Collins is still the clear WR1 for Houston.

Samuel is the only guy in this tier that could have a ceiling higher than a low-end WR. That is all dependent on what happens with Brandon Aiyuk, though. Whether Aiyuk is on the team or not, Samuel should finish as a fringe WR1. But, if Aiyuk does leave, he would become a mid-WR1.

Samuel finished as the WR15 in just 15 games played, including an injury game where he only played 15 percent of the snaps. When you throw away that game, where he only had 1.1 points due to only playing 15 percent of snaps, he averaged 17.3 PPG. That would’ve been good for WR7 in PPR on the season. Samuel is an extremely efficient receiver who is difficult to bring down as a touchdown machine.

As amazing as Harrison is, his ADP is just wild. He is being drafted as the WR9 in fantasy drafts right now as a rookie when he is more of a fringe WR1. Where he is being drafted right now is more so his ceiling. Nonetheless, Harrison is one of the best wide receiver prospects of all time and will be the clear top target in an explosive Cardinals offense with a healthy Kyler Murray at quarterback.

Higgins is one of the best values in fantasy drafts, as you can snag him all the way in the sixth round as the current WR28. He has been a great fantasy option his whole career as the WR2 behind Ja’Marr Chase, and he is only going to get better for fantasy in 2024 as long as he stays healthy. When Chase played the majority of snaps, he averaged 14 PPG in 2023 and 16.6 PPG in 2022. As long as Higgins is healthy he will be a fringe WR1.