2019 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: WR strategy and Tiers 1.0

How many elite wide receivers do you want on your team? Dave Richard looks at the state of the position for 2019, and gives his first positional tiers

Positional Tiers 1.0: QB Tiers | RB Tiers | WR Tiers | TE Tiers

Wideouts bounced back in a big way last year. As a whole, receivers scored a record-high 532 touchdowns, leading to an obvious boost in Fantasy production. Their running back counterparts didn't average as many Fantasy points per game in PPR based on top-12 (WR were 0.3 higher), top-24 (1.9 higher) or top-36 averages (1.8 higher). Can't remember the last time that happened.

But maybe the best news of all for Fantasy drafters is this position isn't quite as top-heavy as last year. The first four rounds will decorate draft boards with no-brainer starters, and the next four to five rounds offer appealing breakouts and sleepers.

If there's a position to build your draft strategy around, this is it.

PPR WR Tiers 1.0

MEGA-ELITE	ELITE	EXCELLENT
ROUND 1	ROUND 2	ROUND 3
DeAndre Hopkins	JuJu Smith-Schuster	T.Y. Hilton
Julio Jones	Antonio Brown	Amari Cooper
Davante Adams	Mike Evans	Adam Thielen
Odell Beckham	Keenan Allen	Stefon Diggs
Michael Thomas	A.J. Green	Julian Edelman
		Kenny Golladay
VERY GOOD	HIGH-UPSIDE VALUE	MID-VALUE UPSIDE
ROUND 4	ROUND 5	ROUND 6
Robert Woods	Dante Pettis	Will Fuller
Brandin Cooks	Tyler Boyd	Mike Williams
Calvin Ridley	Cooper Kupp	Tyler Lockett
Chris Godwin	Jarvis Landry	Sammy Watkins
	D.J. Moore	Christian Kirk
		Robby Anderson
		Alshon Jeffery
HIGH-POTENTIAL BACKUPS	MID-POTENTIAL BACKUPS	BENCH DEPTH
ROUNDS 7, 8	ROUNDS 9-10	ROUND 11+
Parris Campbell	Keke Coutee	Emmanuel Sanders
Marvin Jones	Corey Davis	John Brown
Dede Westbrook	Courtland Sutton	Kenny Stills
Mecole Hardman	Anthony Miller	Robert Foster
Allen Robinson	DeSean Jackson	Hakeem Butler
Larry Fitzgerald	Marquise Brown	N'Keal Harry
Geronimo Allison	James Washington	Deebo Samuel
Golden Tate	DaeSean Hamilton	D.K. Metcalf
	Curtis Samuel	Jamison Crowder
	Sterling Shepard

Expect nearly every Fantasy manager to select at least one elite-level receiver before the end of Round 3. That doesn't mean it's a mistake to lock up two stud receivers early if you want to differentiate your lineup. But that is a move that's best saved for PPR formats and smaller leagues (10 or fewer teams).

What if you prefer to go after running backs and an elite tight end with your first three picks? Because of the depth of the receiver position, you can get away with this move. Assume Round 4 is the last time you can draft a respectable No. 1 receiver, then collect wideouts from the fifth tier. That's the grouping with the highest-remaining upside, offering great draft value.

What about punting on receivers and not taking any until after 50th overall? That's the kind of plan you're going to have to follow if you insist on drafting two stud running backs, a stud tight end, and a top-shelf quarterback. It's hard to imagine drafting all of those pieces before taking a receiver, but if we're talking about a smaller non-PPR format, it's doable and it carries a chance at being successful, especially if you pull the lever on the right receivers starting in Round 5.

Non-PPR WR Tiers 1.0

MEGA-ELITE	ELITE	EXCELLENT
ROUND 1	ROUND 2	ROUND 3
DeAndre Hopkins	Odell Beckham	A.J. Green
Julio Jones	JuJu Smith-Schuster	Amari Cooper
Davante Adams	Michael Thomas	Keenan Allen
	Antonio Brown	Stefon Diggs
	Mike Evans
	T.Y. Hilton
VERY GOOD	HIGH-UPSIDE VALUE	MID-VALUE UPSIDE
ROUND 4	ROUND 5	ROUNDS 6, 7
Kenny Golladay	Chris Godwin	Will Fuller
Adam Thielen	Dante Pettis	D.J. Moore
Julian Edelman	Cooper Kupp	Mike Williams
Robert Woods	Tyler Boyd	Jarvis Landry
Brandin Cooks		Tyler Lockett
Calvin Ridley		Sammy Watkins
		Robby Anderson
		Alshon Jeffery
		Marvin Jones
		Mecole Hardman
HIGH-POTENTIAL BACKUPS	MID-POTENTIAL BACKUPS	BENCH DEPTH
ROUND 8	ROUNDS 9-10	ROUND 11+
Parris Campbell	Corey Davis	Emmanuel Sanders
Christian Kirk	Courtland Sutton	Sterling Shepard
Dede Westbrook	Marquise Brown	Curtis Samuel
Allen Robinson	Anthony Miller	John Brown
Geronimo Allison	DaeSean Hamilton	Kenny Stills
DeSean Jackson	Golden Tate	Robert Foster
	James Washington	Hakeem Butler
	Larry Fitzgerald	N'Keal Harry
	Keke Coutee	Deebo Samuel
		D.K. Metcalf
		Devin Funchess

The safest plan on Draft Day is to pick enough receivers from the top-four or five tiers to cover your starting spots, then another two or three for the bench. Receivers who tend to play the best in Fantasy are those who regularly get a sizable piece of the target pie from good quarterbacks. When you're drafting a receiver who doesn't already carry stud status, ask yourself if he has the potential for 120 targets (to yield 70-plus receptions) and/or eight touchdowns. Those are the stats we're shooting for from the non-obvious guys in Round 6 and beyond. The more of those players you get, the more likely you'll compete for a trophy in December.