2022 Fantasy Football – Top 10 Wide Receivers

After a wild, but fun NFL off-season it is officially Redraft fantasy football season. We are going to be looking at the wide receivers, which a lot of the offseason madness came from. You will find some familiar names in this list, but new teams. This is a very deep position with loads of talent, so there are plenty of potential receivers not in these rankings that could finish as a WR1. Let’s get right to it with my Top 10 Wide Receivers, starting with number 10.

10. Mike Evans

Another completed NFL season, another 1,000-yard season for Mike Evans. That is eight straight seasons for anyone counting. Evans ranked top 15 in air yards (1,454-15th), touchdowns (14-2nd), and fantasy points (16.4-10th) last year. Not only will Tom Brady be back to fill up Evans’s box score, but the Bucs could be without Chris Godwin for a few games as he recovers from an ACL injury. Rob Gronkowski has also retired, freeing up 89 targets. With the proven consistency and vacated targets, look for Evans to have a big start to the year on his way to another top 10 finish.

9. Keenan Allen

Keenan Allen is just one of those wide receivers who simply gets it done. He does not rack up the air yards and has a low aDot, but he is a PPR machine. He finished last season with 106 catches (6th) for 1,138 yards (12th) good for a WR11 season. Last season he had 25 red zone targets, which was fifth-most in the league, but only finished the season with 6 touchdowns. I expect some positive regression, as Allen finished last season as WR9 in expected fantasy points per game. Also, he has a top-five quarterback in the league in Justin Herbert who threw the third-most attempts per game last season (39.9).

8. Tyreek Hill

Tyreek Hill will find himself in an unfamiliar spot next season as he is now a member of the Miami Dolphins. Simply not having Patrick Mahomes as your quarterback will have you in a lower spot in your rankings. Coming off a WR6 performance last season, Hill will now be thrown footballs by Tua Tagovailoa. This is a clear downgrade as Tagovailoa was 31st in the NFL in air yards per attempt, meaning he did not push the ball downfield.

Last season, Hill also regressed by having career lows in yards after the catch and his average depth of target fell to 10.6. With the declining numbers and a downgrade in his quarterback, Hill slots in as my WR8.

7. Deebo Samuel

After an up and down start to his career, mostly due to injuries, Deebo Samuel stayed healthy last season and enjoyed a breakout season all the way to WR3. Samuel finished the season with 77-1405-6 through the air on 121 targets. In addition, he rushed the ball 59 times for 365 yards and 8 touchdowns. Trey Lance is looking very likely to take over at quarterback for this San Francisco offense. With his obvious unhappiness with his role and pay, I see the 49ers scaling him back some and ultimately, the numbers for Samuel. take a hit. First, I do not envision him rushing this many times again, especially with Lance being an effective runner.

The 49er’s offense threw the ball second-fewest times in the NFL last season leading to Samuel being 41st in routes run. Given the state of the offense and potential touchdown regression, I have Samuel ranked as WR7.

6. CeeDee Lamb

A year ago around this time, CeeDee Lamb was being touted as a breakthrough player that could finish as a fantasy football WR1. While that did not happen, you can see the massive amount of upside he has flashed. He finished the season with 79-1102-6 on 120 targets which were good for WR19. Following the trade of Amari Cooper, Lamb is now the unquestioned WR1 for the Cowboys.

The departure of Copper leaves 102 vacated targets, and with Michael Gallup recovering from injury, Lamb should start the year off with a boatload of targets. Also, we have a Cowboys offense that threw over 39 times per game which was fifth-most in the league. With his talent, Dallas pass friendly offense, and the additional targets he will receive, Lamb comes in as my WR6.

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5. Davante Adams

Seeing Davante Adams as the WR5 feels wrong, but so does seeing him catch a pass from somebody other than Aaron Rodgers. Luckily, Adams caught passes in college from Derek Carr, so there is definitely some familiarity between the two.

One thing Adams enjoyed in Green Bay was his massive target share. Last season he ranked first in target rate, second in target share, and second in total targets.  But, he had no competition for targets. The second-leading receiver on the team was Aaron Jones, their running back.

Moving into this Raiders offense brings a much better receiving room and could hurt Adams’ volume. Both Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller have recorded big seasons and command a much bigger target share than any of Adams’s former teammates. Downgrading quarterback play and potential loss of volume, Adams is the WR5 in my rankings.

4. Stefon Diggs

After suffering from a little regression last season, Stefon Diggs still finished as the WR7. He finished the season with a 103-1225-10 line. Diggs is still on one of the most prolific offenses in the league and is paired with the quarterback who is now the consensus QB1 for fantasy football purposes in Josh Allen.

Last season the Bills threw the ball over 37 times per game which was at the 7th highest rank in the NFL. Diggs ranked top-10 in multiple categories including targets, routes run, air yards, deep targets, red-zone targets, receptions, and receiving yards. While the efficiency went down, the volume did not. Fantasy football is a volume-based game, so give me Diggs as my WR4.

3. Justin Jefferson

Another former LSU product, Justin Jefferson comes in at my WR3. After a massive rookie season, Jefferson followed that up with a masterful second year. He finished his season with a 108-1616-10 line on 167 targets. This was good for a WR4 finish.  Jefferson finished the season leading the league in air yards (1,996) and deep targets (34). He also finished inside the top ten in receptions, receiving yards, yards after the catch, red zone targets, targets, routes run, and target share.

Minnesota, who threw the ball at the 11th most times per game last season,  made no significant moves this offseason to hurt this production, so Jefferson will remain an elite option with his volume and red zone involvement.

2. Ja’Marr Chase

Ja’Marr Chase finished his incredible rookie season as the WR5. He finished the season with 81 catches for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns on 128 targets. With a full NFL season under his belt and Joe Burrow having a fully healthy offseason, look for this duo to make another leap in production this upcoming season.

Chase ranked inside the top 10 in air yards (9th), deep targets (30-3rd), and yards after catch (5th). His elite playmaking ability was on full display last season, and should only improve this season. The Bengals performed a massive overhaul of the offensive line, providing more time for Burrow and this passing game.

1. Cooper Kupp

Fresh off a 2021 campaign that saw him finish as WR1, Cooper Kupp received a big contract and will now be paid like it. Last season Kupp finished catching 145 passes for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns on 191 targets. While some regression is bound to happen, the volume alone will vault him to the top of most rankings. A huge reason for the success last season was his involvement in the red zone. He led the league with 37 targets and 13 touchdowns in the red zone.

While 16 touchdowns is a tall order to repeat, the volume inside the red zone gives him the ability to rack up the valuable touchdowns. The Rams lost Robert Woods to the Titans and Odell Beckham Jr. remains unsigned. They added Allen Robinson to fill the void, but Kupp remains the primary target for Stafford and the fantasy football WR1.

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