Fantasy Football WR Rankings 2021: Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill lead the way

2021 Fantasy Football WR Rankings | 31-40

• WR31 – Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
• WR32 – Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals
• WR33 – Curtis Samuel, Washington Football Team
• WR34 – JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers
• WR35 – Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos
  
• WR36 – Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
• WR37 – Antonio Brown, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• WR36 – Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans
• WR39 – Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers
• WR40 – Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers

Boyd and Samuel are the seemingly forgotten receivers on draft day, but they might be the best values of WRs in this range for fantasy football in 2021.

Whether it is Drew Lock or Teddy Bridgewater under center, both Sutton and Jeudy will be fantastic. If it is Bridgewater, the route running of Jeudy takes a bump. With Lock, his aggressiveness and arm will pair beautifully with Sutton’s 6’4″ frame and contested-catch ability. 

I am in the camp that believes Tua Tagovailoa takes a significant step forward in 2021. If that is accurate, the Dolphins wide receiver I want in fantasy football is Jaylen Waddle.

WR Rankings | 41-50

• WR41 – Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys
• WR42 – Will Fuller V, Miami Dolphins
• WR43 – D.J. Chark Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
• WR44 – Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears
• WR45 – Elijah Moore, New York Jets
• WR46 – Laviska Shenault Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
• WR47 – Emmanuel Sanders, Buffalo Bills
• WR48 – Jarvis Landry, Cleveland Browns
• WR49 – Corey Davis, New York Jets
• WR50 – Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons

The player I want on every team and my breakout candidate at WR is Mooney. He played on 73% of the offensive snaps in his rookie year and accumulated a respectable 631 yards and 4 touchdowns on 61 receptions (98 targets). According to Sports Info Solutions, the Bears were 22 of 70 on deep attempts combined. Of Mooney’s 98 targets, only 68 passes (69%) were deemed catchable. This means Mooney caught 89.7% of his catchable passes while maintaining an 11.4 aDOT (average depth of target).

Of the WRs going in the mid-to-late rounds of drafts that I believe will be in the WR2/3 range of fantasy football rankings next season, Mooney is my No. 1 guy.

Do not be surprised if Moore has a Jefferson-type ascension in 2021. This is not the Adam Gase team of the past, and there has not been a single beat reporter that has not waxed poetically about what Moore is doing on the field. Zach Wilson appears as ready as a rookie can be, but Moore feels like a three-year veteran. 

Although all the hype is on Ridley and Kyle Pitts, Gage should see his second-straight 100-plus-target season in 2021. That is a rare find this far down in 2021 WR fantasy football rankings.

WR Rankings | 51-60

• WR51 – DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins
• WR52 – Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts
• WR53 – Sterling Shepard, New York Giants
• WR54 – Rondale Moore, Arizona Cardinals
• WR55 – Tre’Quan Smith, New Orleans Saints
• WR56 – Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots
• WR57 – Marquise Brown, Baltimore Ravens
• WR58 – Terrace Marshall Jr., Carolina Panthers
• WR59 – Gabriel Davis, Buffalo Bills
• WR60 – Jalen Reagor, Philadelphia Eagles

From Week 7 and on, Meyers was the WR22 in PPR formats with 12.8 ppg, averaging 7.3 targets, 5.3 receptions, and 65.6 yards. These are not numbers to overlook. He is the cheapest WR1 in all of fantasy.

If preseason games are any indicator, Marshall Jr. will be a heavily involved WR for the Panthers. Paired with his former LSU passing game coordinator, Joe Brady, Marshall has WR3/flex upside. And honestly, that might be underselling him.

Reagor looks like he has his swagger back that he showed off at TCU, which culminated in the Eagles selecting him in the first round last year. I am all in on Jalen Hurts, and I am also more than happy being a year early on Reagor. My projections have Reagor outperforming his current WR ranking, but due to his ADP, you can get him at a discount. Do not let him go undrafted.

WR Rankings | 61-70

• WR61 – Marvin Jones Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
• WR62 – Nelson Agholor, New England Patriots
• WR63 – Cole Beasley, Buffalo Bills
• WR64 – A.J. Green, Arizona Cardinals
• WR65 – Bryan Edwards, Las Vegas Raiders
• WR66 – Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
• WR67 – Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers
• WR68 – Tyrell Williams, Detroit Lions
• WR69 – T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
• WR70 – Van Jefferson, Los Angeles Rams

Who will be the WR1 for the Lions? Both Williams and St. Brown are in the running, but the lack of scoring chances, along with shaky play from QB Jared Goff, makes both hard to trust until we see more.

Edwards has received nothing but praise from beat writers and QB Derek Carr. He has prototypical size at 6’3″, 212 pounds, and he is the only pass catcher — outside of Darren Waller — who should be a legitimate threat in the red zone. 

WR Rankings | 71-80

• WR71 – Keelan Cole Sr., New York Jets
• WR72 – Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs
• WR73 – DeSean Jackson, Los Angeles Rams
• WR74 – Henry Ruggs III, Las Vegas Raiders
• WR75 – Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
• WR76 – Darius Slayton, New York Giants
• WR77 – Marquez Callaway, New Orleans Saints
• WR78 – Parris Campbell, Indianapolis Colts
• WR79 – Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens
• WR80 – Dyami Brown, Washington Football Team

If you draft Bateman, be willing to stash him until possibly October. While there is optimism he could be ready for Week 1, do not count on it. Not only does he need to be 100% healthy to return, but Bateman will also need to get his cardio back, something that can be a challenge for rookies early on.

WR Rankings | 81-90

• WR81 – John Brown, Las Vegas Raiders
• WR82 – Christian Kirk, Arizona Cardinals
• WR83 – Breshad Perriman, Detroit Lions
• WR84 – Nico Collins, Houston Texans
• WR85 – Deonte Harris, New Orleans Saints
• WR86 – Jamison Crowder, New York Jets
• WR87 – D’Wayne Eskridge, Seattle Seahawks
• WR88 – Byron Pringle, Kansas City Chiefs
• WR89 – K.J. Hamler, Denver Broncos
• WR90 – Quez Watkins, Philadelphia Eagles

Keep an eye out on Watkins as the preseason continues. He already had a sensational Week 1, recording a 79-yard TD and made fast guys look slow. He is in a competition for the WR3 role on the Eagles and could prove to be a massive steal late in drafts.

Tommy Garrett is a writer for Pro Football Network covering the NFL and fantasy football and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA). You can read more of his work here and follow him at @TommygarrettPFN on Twitter.