Wide Receiver Tiers for 2024 Fantasy Football

Pass catchers can help you reach fantasy glory, so prepare yourself with IDP+’s rankings and analysis with our Wide Receiver Tiers!

In my third article (first on offense!) of the redraft season (check out dynasty thoughts and analysis on the “Ride or Dynasty” podcast with the great JJ Wenner and Jameson Hutchison, live on Thursday evenings), we will hit on a few highly ranked Wide Receiver Tiers for the 2024 season. Our expert team has ranked all players for the upcoming season.

In this series, our writers will break down the top tiers of players in each position and analyze the groupings and rankings. Today, we hit the Wide Receivers Tiers, a position that can give your squad incredible upside and floor, if you hit the right players. 

For today’s exercise, I have broken our top 32 ranked wide receivers into five (four that will be discussed) tiers. From here, we will hit on three (or more, we all know I love a smuggle or two) players in more depth; one value, one bust, and one slept-on. These headers are explosive, but remember, these are only in relation to that specific tier. A tier 2 “bust” still could have a good year but would not live up to an early-round selection. Let’s dive into those Wide Receiver Tiers!

Tier 1:

These are the top 6 WRs in the game right now. We are not going to outline the “value, bust, sleeper” categories here as any discussion with these players comes down to picking nits. All of the players in this tier have a risk or two that could cause them to be labeled a bust. However, all have proven ability to overcome and be top-tier players. If you are able to get one (or two!) of these guys early in your drafts, you should feel great about it! 

Tier 2:

Value: Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

Coming off of two straight years with a 23+% target share, Olave’s Saints did not add much to the receiver room. He is the clear top target on a team switching to a Shannahan-style scheme, which will only help targets gain efficiency. QB Derek Carr is frustrating on-field but has been great for WR1s lately, which should continue in 2024 with Chris Olave.

He may not have top-5 upside with limited YAC ability, but his great routes, hands, and alignment versatility paired with a better infrastructure and fantasy-friendly QB make him a strong pick at the end of the second tier.

Bust: Drake London, Atlanta Falcons

Staying in the NFC South, Drake London is my tier 2 bust pick. Like Olave, London is getting a Shannahan/McVay-style scheme. However, we have not quite seen Olave’s level of production from London thus far. London should be good, but having a top-of-tier 2 grade feels like we are over our skis.

London has another great receiving weapon on the team, an elite running back, and a QB who is coming off of a major injury. He should have the best season of his career, but projecting a top-8 WR already with so many risks feels like it could be setting yourself up for disappointment.

Sleeper: Garrett Wilson, New York Jets

We complete tier 2 with yet another WR from the 2022 class. I have massively struggled with Wilson since his Ohio State days, but he is the clear choice to potentially make a jump to tier 1. Unlike the others in the tier, Wilson has the post-catch ability to make himself relevant with atrocious QB play (see his career thus far). Now if Aaron Rodgers can stay healthy (big if, like Kirk Cousins with Drake London) and be good, Wilson is protected enough with other weapons (none who can really threaten him, save Breece Hall) and talented enough to produce a top-5 season.

A severely diminished Rodgers or even Tyrod Taylor would provide the best QB play of his career. Despite my hesitant feelings on the NFL player, the talent is undeniable and primed for a fantasy breakout (plus, the dude just deserves better for the QB play he has dealt with and how gracious and poised he has been through it).

Tier 3:

Value: Michael Pittman Jr, Indianapolis Colts

Over the past 3 seasons, Michael Pittman Jr has slashed 98.67/142/1053/4.67. That nets you an average of 182.66 points per season in traditional half-PPR scoring despite playing with 6 different QBs. He has been rock solid for 3 seasons and with better surrounding weapons and consistency at QB (please stay healthy ARich!) he should be primed to have another rock-solid near-WR1-type season.

Bust: D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears

This was one of the toughest calls of the entire quest. D.J. Moore is an awesome wide receiver who had a spectacular 2023 despite poor quarterback play. Caleb Williams is almost guaranteed to be a passing upgrade over Justin Fields and Tyson Bagent, so why may Moore “bust”?

The additions of Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze are massive; pushing last year’s second-best option (TE Cole Kmet) to the fourth option. Other great passing target options and a new offense (4th in as many years) that has not been the most WR-friendly, cause concerns for returning on a tier-3 investment. 

Sleeper: Nico Collins, Houston Texans

Alongside rookie phenom C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins finally had his (statistical!) breakout in 2023. His film and underlying metrics had increased greatly in 2022, but atrocious QB play did not allow for any production. 2023 saw him improve even more while also having awesome QB play, netting an absurd 3.11 yards per route run (YRR) this season along with nearly 1300 yards and 8 touchdowns.

The Texans upgraded their weapons, bringing in Joe Mixon and Stefon Diggs, but neither aging player scares me off from stealing Collins’ production. Nor does flanker Tank Dell, who has already been injured multiple times. The other targets could hamper upside/floor in any given week, but Collins has legitimate top-5 upside as the top target with a near-elite QB in the second year of a Shannahan-style scheme.

Tier 4:

Value: Davante Adams and Mike Evans, Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers

How have these veteran receivers performed over the past six seasons (half-PPR)?

• Adams: 2, 24, 1, 3, 3, 11
• Evans: 9, 12, 10, 8, 16, 5

Of these seasons, there was one occurrence of less than 1000 yards and one with less than 6 TDs. Both were Adams’ WR24 finish in 2019 when he finished with 997/5 while missing 4 games. These future Hall-of-Famers have QB concerns but are models of consistency who have not slowed down much yet. Could the age cliff hit this year? Sure. But could easily finish as top-8 WRs again.

They may not be as sexy as the next tier of players, but they have the talent, experience, and pedigree of being elite WRs. Both players also have more than enough surrounding talent (Meyers and Bowers in Vegas while Tampa has Godwin) to alleviate pressure and defensive focus from them. Bet against Adams and Evans at your own risk!

Bust: Stefon Diggs, Houston Texans

Stefon Diggs started 2023 hot but fell off the fantasy cliff after Joe Brady took over the Bills’ offense. He moved to Houston this offseason, where he is in one of the most crowded rooms in the league. Nico Collins (see above) broke out and Tank Dell showed a lot of promise when healthy. Diggs has slowed down more than Adams and Evans, but the biggest difference between Diggs and them is the surrounding talent.

The path to WR1 in Houston is much more difficult, capping Diggs’ upside. He still can be a great WR2 play, but having him in the same tier as some established WR1s opens the door to far more risk, even if it is the WR2 of an elite QB.

Sleeper: D.K. Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks

For a tier 4 sleeper, you want to shoot for the stars. D.K. Metcalf offers a ceiling almost as enormous as he is. Over the past two seasons, he has disappointed slightly, but still finished as a top-18 WR in both years. Ryan Grubb’s offense poses a risk from the collegiate game, but if it hits it will mean great things for Metcalf.

The offense’s aggressiveness to the boundaries meshes perfectly with Metcalf, giving him space to make plays and catering to the uber-aggressive style of QB Geno Smith. Tagging Metcalf as a sleeper coincides with my pro-Geno Smith agenda, of course, but if the line holds up Smith will be able to fit passes all over the field to the big-bodied athlete, giving him chances to make plays and be a sneaky value at this stage of the Wide Receiver Tiers article. 

Tier 5:

Sleeper: Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

We are switching the order up here and starting with the sleeper of tier 5. Cooper Kupp has missed 13 games (while being banged up for many more) over the past two seasons. However, he still has flashed the elite talent and skill set that saw him win the triple crown in 2021. Puka Nacua is the WR1 now, but this may just take pressure off Kupp.

He has a great rapport with Matthew Stafford and is a workout warrior. If he (and Stafford) stay mostly healthy, he can produce. On a PPG basis, Kupp was WR27 in 2023 and WR1 in 2022 (half-ppr). Kupp still has the talent to produce, and if any of these players can ascend to WR1 status, it feels like it may be Kupp.

Wide Receiver Tiers for those outside the top 24!

Once drafting outside of the top 24(ish) WRs, all players are really upside shots. All players at this point have flaws, whether it be with their own profiles (is Zay Flowers capable of being a team’s top target?), quarterback/offense (what will Malik Nabers really be able to do with Daniel Jones?), surrounding talent (Keenan Allen, Chris Godwin, and Tee Higgins have elite options around them), or something else.

A player like George Pickens I would avoid due to not being a believer in his talent, the quarterback(s), and having concerns with weekly consistency (offense and the player himself). However, if you need a massive swing for the fences, he has flashed that ability. Then there are the Christian Kirk and Amari Cooper’s of the world. Solid-to-very good WRs who are the clear top WR on their teams. But how high is Kirk’s ceiling? Will Deshaun Watson rebound or fall apart? 

If I had to make a decision on Bust and Value, I would tab Pickens and Kirk as those players. At the same time, you can easily argue Pickens is the best shot at a WR1 year from this group and Chris Godwin (who I adore) has been a top 3 WR before and is moving back to the slot. Once you are in this tier, your team build will tell you more of what you need: a safer point-getter or a swing for the stars! 

The 2024 season is almost here! I hope this Wide Receiver Tiers article was informative and helps you to blow by your competition. Pull up a chair and join myself, Jameson Hutchison (@Jamesonrulez), and host JJ Wenner (@JJWenner) every Thursday evening (7EST) LIVE for the Rod Pod (@RideorDynasty)! You can find my other work on the IDP Guys Author Page, and feel free to reach out to me directly @JoeLow63 on X, where you can also find and follow @IDP_Plus!