Top 25 Fantasy Football Wide Receivers for 2017

By Thomas Delatte on

There are very few positions in Fantasy Football that are “deep” with talent like the Wide Receiver position. For the last few seasons, the WR position has become a truly important one, flooded with talent. The depth of talent at skilled positions like WR has provided fantasy owners with some flexibility heading into this season’s drafts.

Even with depth at the WR position, there are still some amazing players that are simply the best. Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr., and Julio Jones are the three best Wide Receivers in the game and have been since 2014 when ODB entered the league as a fresh-faced rookie from LSU. So if you have a shot at one of these three players, there is no reason to pass them up, regardless of which round you are in.

But if you can’t draft them, then you have to figure out who else to grab and that is where the rankings become important. The Wide Receivers ranked between 4th and 12th could end up being the most important parts of your lineup each weekend. For example, in a standard 12-team league, with a snake draft, even the person picking in the 12th slot gets to draft two top-15 players overall. Since the Running Back position is always crucial in the early rounds of a fantasy draft, this leaves even more of a chance to grab a pair of WRs that will carry your team for the entire year, right into a championship.

There are even some big names in new places that could prove to be more valuable than anyone imagined or maybe even a bust. Brandin Cooks might be the biggest candidate for having a boom or bust season. After leaving New Orleans, where you knew what you were going to get each season, he is heading to the New England Patriots, where he could end up just another name in the Patriots system. Or maybe he connects with Tom Brady like Randy Moss did and the two form a ridiculous 1-2 punch that turns him into a top-3 player.

Let’s take a look of the 25 best Wide Receiver players heading into the 2017 NFL season. Enjoy.

25) Stefon Diggs, MIN

Average Draft Position (ADP): 69
Bye Week: 9
Key Games
- Home: Tampa Bay, Baltimore
- Away: Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Green Bay
Projected Points: 107
Projections
- Receptions: 45
- Receiving Yards: 500
- Total TD: 2

24) Tyreek Hill, KCC

Average Draft Position (ADP): 62
Bye Week: 10
Key Games
- Home: Denver
- Away: New England, Los Angeles (C), New York (G), Denver
Projected Points: 118
Projections
- Receptions: 40
- Receiving Yards: 350
- Total TD: 3

23) Davante Adams, GBP

Average Draft Position (ADP): 58
Bye Week: 8
Key Games
- Home: Seattle, Baltimore
- Away: Atlanta, Minnesota, Pittsburgh
Projected Points: 134
Projections
- Receptions: 50
- Receiving Yards: 600
- Total TD: 4

22) Terrelle Pryor, WAS

Average Draft Position (ADP): 63
Bye Week: 5
Key Games
- Home: Minnesota, Jacksonville
- Away: Baltimore, Houston, Pittsburgh
Projected Points: 142
Projections
- Receptions: 55
- Receiving Yards: 750
- Total TD: 2

21) Jarvis Landry, MIA

Average Draft Position (ADP): 52
Bye Week: 11
Key Games
- Home: Denver, New England
- Away: Los Angeles (C), Atlanta, New England
Projected Points: 166
Projections
- Receptions: 70
- Receiving Yards: 700
- Total TD: 3

20) Michael Crabtree, OAK

Average Draft Position (ADP): 68
Bye Week: 10
Key Games
- Home: New England, Denver, New York (G)
- Away: Denver, Kansas City
Projected Points: 175
Projections
- Receptions: 65
- Receiving Yards: 800
- Total TD: 5

19) Alshon Jeffery, PHI

Average Draft Position (ADP): 54
Bye Week: 10
Key Games
- Home: New York (G), Denver
- Away: Los Angeles (C), Seattle, New York (G)
Projected Points: 179
Projections
- Receptions: 75
- Receiving Yards: 800
- Total TD: 4

18) Golden Tate, DET

Average Draft Position (ADP): 71
Bye Week: 7
Key Games
- Home: Atlanta, Minnesota, Green Bay
- Away: New York (G), Baltimore
Projected Points: 181
Projections
- Receptions: 68
- Receiving Yards: 845
- Total TD: 4

17) Keenan Allen, LAC

Average Draft Position (ADP): 52
Bye Week: 9
Key Games
- Home: Denver
- Away: Denver, New York (G), New England, Kansas City
Projected Points: 182
Projections
- Receptions: 84
- Receiving Yards: 800
- Total TD: 3

16) Brandin Cooks, NEP

Average Draft Position (ADP): 40
Bye Week: 9
Key Games
- Home: Kansas City, Atlanta, Los Angeles (C)
- Away: Denver, Oakland
Projected Points: 183
Projections
- Receptions: 70
- Receiving Yards: 835
- Total TD: 4

15) Allen Robinson, JAX

Average Draft Position (ADP): 42
Bye Week: 8
Key Games
- Home: Los Angeles (C), Seattle
- Away: Houston, Pittsburgh, Arizona
Projected Points: 184
Projections
- Receptions: 70
- Receiving Yards: 900
- Total TD: 4

14) Demaryius Thomas, DEN

Average Draft Position (ADP): 50
Bye Week: 5
Key Games
- Home: Los Angeles (C), New York (G), New England
- Away: Los Angeles (C), Kansas City
Projected Points: 187
Projections
- Receptions: 80
- Receiving Yards: 950
- Total TD: 2

13) Sammy Watkins, LAR

Average Draft Position (ADP): 46
Bye Week: 6
Key Games
- Home: Seattle
- Away: Jacksonville, New York (G), Minnesota, Arizona
Projected Points: 195
Projections
- Receptions: 70
- Receiving Yards: 825
- Total TD: 7

12) Amari Cooper, OAK

Average Draft Position (ADP): 24
Bye Week: 10
Key Games
- Home: New England, Denver, New York (G)
- Away: Denver, Kansas City
Projected Points: 196
Projections
- Receptions: 72
- Receiving Yards: 875
- Total TD: 6

11) T.Y. Hilton, IND

Average Draft Position (ADP): 26
Bye Week: 11
Key Games
- Home: Arizona, Denver
- Away: Seattle, Jacksonville, Baltimore
Projected Points: 205
Projections
- Receptions: 80
- Receiving Yards: 1,005
- Total TD: 4

10) Doug Baldwin, SEA

Average Draft Position (ADP): 40
Bye Week: 6
Key Games
- Home: Atlanta, Arizona
- Away: New York (G), Arizona, Jacksonville
Projected Points: 208
Projections
- Receptions: 90
- Receiving Yards: 875
- Total TD: 5

9) DeAndre Hopkins, HOU

Average Draft Position (ADP): 34
Bye Week: 7
Key Games
- Home: Jacksonville, Arizona
- Away: New England, Seattle, Jacksonville
Projected Points: 246
Projections
- Receptions: 95
- Receiving Yards: 1,150
- Total TD: 6

8) Dez Bryant, DAL

Average Draft Position (ADP): 33
Bye Week: 6
Key Games
- Home: New York (G), Seattle
- Away: Denver, Atlanta, New York (G)
Projected Points: 249
Projections
- Receptions: 83
- Receiving Yards: 1,300
- Total TD: 6

7) Michael Thomas, NOS

Average Draft Position (ADP): 22
Bye Week: 5
Key Games
- Home: New England, Atlanta
- Away: Minnesota, Green Bay, Atlanta
Projected Points: 258
Projections
- Receptions: 98
- Receiving Yards: 1,175
- Total TD: 7

6) Jordy Nelson, GBP

Average Draft Position (ADP): 26
Bye Week: 8
Key Games
- Home: Seattle, Baltimore
- Away: Atlanta, Minnesota, Pittsburgh
Projected Points: 259
Projections
- Receptions: 97
- Receiving Yards: 1,200
- Total TD: 7

5) A.J. Green, CIN

Average Draft Position (ADP): 15
Bye Week:
Key Games
- Away: Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Denver, Minnesota, Baltimore
Projected Points:
Projections
- Receptions: 96
- Receiving Yards: 1,300
- Total TD: 7

4) Mike Evans, TBB

Average Draft Position (ADP): 11
Bye Week: 11
Key Games
- Home: New York (G), New England, Green Bay, Atlanta
- Away: Atlanta
Projected Points: 270
Projections
- Receptions: 93
- Receiving Yards: 1,290
- Total TD: 8

3) Julio Jones, ATL

Average Draft Position (ADP): 10
Bye Week: 5
Key Games
- Home: Minnesota
- Away: New England, Seattle
Projected Points: 285
Projections
- Receptions: 97
- Receiving Yards: 1,340
- Total TD: 9

2) Odell Beckham Jr., NYG

Average Draft Position (ADP): 7
Bye Week: 8
Key Games
- Home: Los Angeles (C), Seattle, Kansas City
- Away: Denver, Arizona
Projected Points: 290
Projections
- Receptions: 99
- Receiving Yards: 1,375
- Total TD: 8

1) Antonio Brown, PIT

Average Draft Position (ADP): 6
Bye Week: 9
Key Games
- Home: Minnesota, Jacksonville, Baltimore, New England
- Away: Kansas City
Projected Points: 310
Projections
- Receptions: 108
- Receiving Yards: 1,500
- Total TD: 8