Now that the 2020 regular season is over, we're starting to look ahead to the 2021 campaign. It's never too early to start preparing for the upcoming Fantasy season, and we want you to be ready.
Obviously, things will change with free agency and the NFL Draft, among other things that will happen this offseason. But this is our first look at the top 12 wide receiver rankings in 2021 for me, Dave Richard, Heath Cummings and Chris Towers.
These rankings will change many times between now and August. But based on what just happened in the 2020 regular season, as well as what we project to happen in the future, here's how we view the top 12 wide receivers for next year.
Experts' 2021 Positional Rankings: QB | RB | TE
As a reference point, here are the top 12 wide receivers in 2020 based on total Fantasy points for the season on CBS Sports. The scoring is based on six points for all touchdowns.
1. Davante Adams 353
2. Stefon Diggs 320
3. Tyreek Hill 317
4. DeAndre Hopkins 281
5. Calvin Ridley 277
6. Justin Jefferson 267
7. DK Metcalf 265
8. Tyler Lockett 260
9. Allen Robinson 258
10. Adam Thielen 246
11. Mike Evans 243
12. Keenan Allen 238
And here are the top 12 wide receivers in 2020 based on points per game.
1. Davante Adams 25.2
2. Tyreek Hill 21.1
3. Stefon Diggs 20.0
4. Calvin Ridley 18.5
5. DeAndre Hopkins 17.6
6. Keenan Allen 17.0
7. A.J. Brown 16.9
8. Will Fuller 16.8
9. Justin Jefferson 16.7
10. DK Metcalf 16.6
11. Adam Thielen 16.4
12. Tyler Lockett 16.3
Dave and Jamey reveal their top 12 players for 2021 on the Fantasy Football Today podcast. Listen below and subscribe at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts:
The rankings
Jamey Eisenberg
1. Davante Adams
2. Tyreek Hill
3. Stefon Diggs
4. DeAndre Hopkins
5. Calvin Ridley
6. A.J. Brown
7. DK Metcalf
8. Michael Thomas
9. Keenan Allen
10. Justin Jefferson
11. Mike Evans
12. Adam Thielen
Dave Richard
1. Tyreek Hill
2. Davante Adams
3. Calvin Ridley
4. Stefon Diggs
5. A.J. Brown
6. DeAndre Hopkins
7. Justin Jefferson
8. Michael Thomas
9. Keenan Allen
10. Allen Robinson
11. DK Metcalf
12. Mike Evans
Heath Cummings
1. Tyreek Hill
2. Davante Adams
3. DeAndre Hopkins
4. A.J. Brown
5. DK Metcalf
6. Stefon Diggs
7. Justin Jefferson
8. Mike Evans
9. Calvin Ridley
10. Terry McLaurin
11. Keenan Allen
12. Michael Thomas
Chris Towers
1. Davante Adams
2. DeAndre Hopkins
3. Stefon Diggs
4. Michael Thomas
5. Tyreek Hill
6. Calvin Ridley
7. Julio Jones
8. D.K. Metcalf
9. Terry McLaurin
10. Allen Robinson
11. Keenan Allen
12. Justin Jefferson
Despite missing two games in 2020, Adams was the top Fantasy receiver by a wide margin, and he became one of three receivers in NFL history -- joining Randy Moss (2003) and Cris Carter (1995) -- with 100-plus receptions and at least 17 receiving touchdowns in a single season. As long as Aaron Rodgers doesn't severely decline in 2021, Adams should be locked in as the first receiver off the board in all formats.
Hill is never going to be among the leaders in receptions, and his 87 catches were No. 15 in 2020. But he scored 17 total touchdowns with more than 1,300 total yards, and he plays with the best quarterback in the NFL in Patrick Mahomes. Hill and Adams will be the only two receivers I likely will draft in Round 1 in 2021.
Diggs' first year in Buffalo was exceptional, and he led the NFL in receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535), while also scoring eight touchdowns. Dave is the only one who doesn't have him ranked third, and Diggs should be drafted in Round 2 in all leagues. With the way Josh Allen should continue to play in 2021, having stock in Diggs makes a lot of sense.
Hopkins' first year in Arizona was fantastic, and he scored at least 17.6 PPR points per game for the fourth year in a row and fifth time in the past six seasons. He also plays with an elite quarterback in Kyler Murray, and it was great to see Hopkins get at least 150 targets for the sixth year in a row.
Ridley has passed Jones as the No. 1 Fantasy receiver in Atlanta -- for now. Ridley was better in 2020 and will hopefully continue to be better in 2021, at least based on our expectations. Ridley only had two games with fewer than 11 PPR points and five games with at least 21 PPR points in 2020.
Thomas could end up as a tremendous value pick in 2021, and hopefully he'll be healthy for most of the season after playing just seven games in 2020. Now, he did score at least 16 PPR points in three of those games, and he still has the chance to return as the No. 1 PPR receiver like he was in 2019. But we don't know what's going to happen at quarterback for the Saints if Drew Brees retires, and that's something to monitor.
Metcalf was awesome as a sophomore in 2020, but he could be even better in his third season in 2021. He started off 2020 with at least 19 PPR points in six of his first eight games, although he only topped that number just once over his final eight outings. I'm excited about Metcalf continuing to improve in 2021, and hopefully we see Russell Wilson continue to lean on him as the No. 1 receiver for Seattle. Metcalf had at least eight targets in 10 games.
In his first 12 games with Justin Herbert in 2020, Allen averaged 19.9 PPR points per game. That would have made him the No. 4 receiver behind only Adams, Hill and Diggs. We'll see what happens with the new coach in Los Angeles, but I love the idea of Allen playing with Herbert for hopefully many years to come.
Jefferson was amazing in 2020, as he finished the season with 88 catches for 1,400 yards, giving him the record for rookie receiving yards in the Super Bowl era. He also added seven touchdowns and scored at least 14 PPR points in seven of his final eight games. There's so much to like about Jefferson heading into 2021, and he's worth drafting as a No. 1 Fantasy receiver, even ahead of Adam Thielen. Jefferson will be drafted early in Round 3 in most leagues.
Brown only played once in the first four weeks of the season, but he scored at least 15 PPR points nine times in his final 13 outings, including six games with at least 20 PPR points. And he could continue to improve in his third year in the NFL in 2021. Dave and Chris don't have Brown ranked in their top 12, which is surprising. He has top-five potential, and he had at least seven targets 11 times in the 14 games he was able to play.
I'm curious to see what the Buccaneers do this offseason with Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown since both are eligible for free agency. But even if both return, Evans should still be the No. 1 receiver in Tampa Bay. It was an inconsistent start to 2020 in his first year with Tom Brady, but Evans finished the season with at least 15 PPR points in five of his final six healthy games. And he reached 1,000 receiving yards for the seventh season in a row, as well as scoring at least 12 touchdowns for the third time in his career.
Robinson is a free agent this offseason, so where he ends up will ultimately determine his Fantasy value. Hopefully, he picks a team with a great quarterback situation after playing with Blake Bortles and Mitchell Trubisky for most of his career. In 2020 with the Bears, he was once again a standout Fantasy option with at least 12 PPR points in 11 games, including six games with at least 20 PPR points. While he might fall out of my top 12 at receiver depending on where he signs, he will still remain someone to draft no later than Round 4 in most leagues.
There's a lot to like about both Higgins and McLaurin, especially Higgins getting a healthy Joe Burrow (ACL) back, and there's hope McLaurin gets a better quarterback situation in his third season in the NFL in 2021.
