Coming up with specific rankings is always a challenge because it represents an amalgam of different factors. What follows is not a ‘draft in order’ list. Drafting is part art and part intuition. Sometimes the optimal pick will be the player with the highest floor, other times the highest ceiling is what you want. Current draft construct along with the current available player pool are contributing factors guiding which to emphasize at any given point in time during your draft.
There are also players that are simply ‘not my guys’ and thus I won’t draft them no matter how far they fall, but to not list them in the top 50 when they’ll probably end up as a WR2 even in a down year just seems silly. I’ve tried to combine upside, downside, injury status and a few other things to come up with the top 50 wideouts for the NFFC drafting season:
1 – Antonio Brown
2 – DeAndre Hopkins
3 – Odell Beckham Jr.
4 – Michael Thomas
5 – Julio Jones
6 – Keenan Allen
7 – Tyreek Hill
8 – Davante Adams
9 – AJ Green
10 – Mike Evans
11 – Larry Fitzgerald
12 – Stefon Diggs
13 – TY Hilton*
14 – Doug Baldwin*
15 – Jarvis Landry*
16 – Demaryius Thomas
17 – Allen Robinson
18 – Michael Crabtree*
19 – Alshon Jeffery*
20 – Golden Tate
21 – Brandin Cooks
22 – Will Fuller*
23 – Adam Thielen
24 – Emanuel Sanders
25 – Amari Cooper
26 – Josh Gordon*
27 – Marvin Jones
28 – Randall Cobb
29 – Robby Anderson
30 – Devin Funchess
31 – Julian Edelman
32 – Chris Hogan
33 – Pierre Garcon
34 – Corey Davis
35 – Juju Smith-Schuster
36 – Cooper Kupp
37 – Sammy Watkins
38 – Randall Cobb
39 – Robert Woods
40 – Jamison Crowder
41 – Nelson Agholor
42 – Calvin Ridley*
43 – Allen Hurns
44 – Marqise Lee
45 – Cameron Meredith*
46 – DeVante Parker
47 – Anthony Miller*
48 – Marquise Goodwin
49 – Jordy Nelson
50 – Sterling Shepard
These rankings are fluid, changing week to week, and even day by day as new data comes in. Some of the potentially volatile receivers include:
1) TY Hilton – could climb up the rankings if Andrew Luck experiences no setbacks and looks 100% in the preseason, or the Stanford standout could fall if the news on the Colts QB is not so good.
2) Doug Baldwin – could rise or fall depending on how quickly the knee recovers.
3) Jarvis Landry – many will balk at the high ranking here, but Todd Haley’s arrival at the ‘mistake by the lake’ coupled with Josh Gordon’s uncertain status, has the former Dolphin climbing up my board. Yes, I realize Tyrod Taylor is the Browns starting quarterback.
4) Michael Crabtree – this ranking is based on the prognostication that Joe Flacco gives way to Lamar Jackson at some point. If you think Flacco keeps the job 16 weeks, then lower Crabtree considerably.
5) Alshon Jefferey – injury prone and not for the faint of heart. It’s been three years since we’ve seen WR1 production from this Eagle. Watch how the shoulder holds up in exhibition games(once/if he comes off the Physically Unable to Perform List) and adjust the ranking accordingly.
6) Will Fuller – dependent on the health of Deshaun Watson.
7) Josh Gordon – uncertainty makes ranking very difficult. Arguably the highest ceiling and lowest floor of any wide receiver this year.
8) Calvin Ridley – someone to track closely the next couple of weeks. If the Falcons coaching staff trusts the rookie enough to give him a high number of snaps, Julio Jones will draw the defense away, leaving lots of exploitable one-on-one matchups.
9) Cameron Meredith – monitor health AND just how involved the former Bear is in the offense. Tremendous upside with Drew Brees under center, but be wary of the ‘Devery Henderson’ effect: a monster week on your bench followed by a total of 5 total targets the following 3 weeks in your starting lineup.
10) Anthony Miller – could shoot up the rankings or fall out of them depending on his showing in the early going.
Other WR’s to watch/scout this preseason include: Mike Wallace, Dede Westbrook, Brice Butler, Corey Coleman, DJ Moore, Kevin White, John Ross, DJ Chark, Dez Bryant, Antonio Callaway, Terelle Pryor, and Michael Gallup. Plus any Packers receiver on Green Bay’s roster is worth keeping tabs on. Some of these could crack the top 50, or at least serve as viable lotto tickets on draft day.
Follow Greg @LiquidHippo.
