We’re officially through the second week of the NFL preseason and are just two weeks out from real, live, regular-season football. Week 3 should contain more valuable information for fantasy managers, as it’s likely the closest we’ll get to a preview of the regular season for us to make some final adjustments in our fantasy football rankings for the season.
Here, we’ll take a look at where things stand for our PPR wide receiver rankings heading into Week 3 of the 2021 NFL preseason to help prepare you for your fantasy football drafts.
2021 PPR Fantasy Football rankings: Wide receivers
If your league observes a point-per-reception (PPR) scoring format, wide receivers are always going to be a great place to make strides in your fantasy football lineups. Capitalize on your league’s scoring format by chasing wide receivers bound for a voluminous target share.
Adam Thielen vs. CIN, ARI, SEA
Word officially came Wednesday morning that Vikings TE Irv Smith Jr. would miss the entire 2021 NFL season after undergoing knee surgery. The team made a move to trade for Jets TE Chris Herndon, but the fact remains that the wide receivers are still likely to be the stars of the show. Adam Thielen led all Vikings skills players in 2020 in and zone target and continues to have upside moving forward into 2021. He is being drafted well beyond second-year wide receiver Justin Jefferson, and a favorable strength of schedule to start the year may make him a big value for fantasy football managers.
Brandon Aiyuk vs. DET, PHI, GB
There are plenty of questions within the 49er offense. Who is the number one wide receiver? Who is the quarterback, for that matter? Though we aren’t yet sure of the plan for this offense, the preseason gave us one indication – the office will be productive regardless. It remains unclear whether or not we will see Brandon Ayiuk resume his role as a touchdown machine, but the matchups versus the Lions and Eagles weak secondaries in Weeks 1 and 2 are sure to at least provide him the opportunity for two statement games to start the year.
Tyler Lockett vs. IND, TEN, MIN
DK Metcalf is the preferred Seattle Seahawks asset to roster in fantasy football, but it’s difficult to argue that teammate Tyler Lockett isn’t the better value. Lockett is typically available as late as the fourth to fifth rounds of fantasy football drafts and will see a similarly decent schedule to start the season. In Weeks 2 and 3, he’ll see the Titans and Vikings who allowed the second-most and fifth-most fantasy points to wideouts, respectively, in the 2020 season.
When making your draft selections in PPR leagues, always remember that you can compensate for a lack of efficiency with volume. In this scoring format, one catch is equally as valuable as 10 receiving yards — meaning you can chase those “possession receivers,” even when they’re not being targeted deep down the field or scoring a ton of touchdowns.
PPR Wide receiver rankings for 2021 fantasy football leagues
Rk | Name | Tm |
---|---|---|
Rk | Name | Tm |
1 | Davante Adams | GB |
2 | Stefon Diggs | BUF |
3 | Tyreek Hill | KC |
4 | Calvin Ridley | ATL |
5 | DeAndre Hopkins | ARI |
6 | D.K. Metcalf | SEA |
7 | Justin Jefferson | MIN |
8 | Keenan Allen | LAC |
9 | Terry McLaurin | WAS |
10 | CeeDee Lamb | DAL |
11 | Allen Robinson II | CHI |
12 | Chris Godwin | TB |
13 | Mike Evans | TB |
14 | A.J. Brown | TEN |
15 | Robert Woods | LAR |
16 | Julio Jones | TEN |
17 | Amari Cooper | DAL |
18 | Adam Thielen | MIN |
19 | Cooper Kupp | LAR |
20 | Diontae Johnson | PIT |
21 | Kenny Golladay | NYG |
22 | Tee Higgins | CIN |
23 | Tyler Lockett | SEA |
24 | D.J. Moore | CAR |
25 | Brandon Aiyuk | SF |
26 | Odell Beckham Jr. | CLE |
27 | Chase Claypool | PIT |
28 | Brandin Cooks | HOU |
29 | Jarvis Landry | CLE |
30 | Jerry Jeudy | DEN |
31 | Will Fuller V | MIA |
32 | Robby Anderson | CAR |
33 | Tyler Boyd | CIN |
34 | Marquise Brown | BAL |
35 | Courtland Sutton | DEN |
36 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | PIT |
37 | Marvin Jones Jr. | JAC |
38 | Deebo Samuel | SF |
39 | Mecole Hardman | KC |
40 | DeVante Parker | MIA |
41 | Corey Davis | NYJ |
42 | T.Y. Hilton | IND |
43 | Cole Beasley | BUF |
44 | Michael Pittman Jr. | IND |
45 | Antonio Brown | TB |
46 | DeVonta Smith | PHI |
47 | Michael Thomas | NO |
48 | Laviska Shenault Jr. | JAC |
49 | Michael Gallup | DAL |
50 | D.J. Chark Jr. | JAC |
51 | Mike Williams | LAC |
52 | Tyrell Williams | DET |
53 | Jakobi Meyers | NE |
54 | Quez Watkins | PHI |
55 | Ja'Marr Chase | CIN |
56 | Curtis Samuel | WAS |
57 | Henry Ruggs III | LV |
58 | Marquez Valdes-Scantling | GB |
59 | Rondale Moore | ARI |
60 | Gabriel Davis | BUF |
61 | Tre'Quan Smith | NO |
62 | Darnell Mooney | CHI |
63 | Sammy Watkins | BAL |
64 | Marquez Callaway | NO |
65 | Elijah Moore | NYJ |
66 | KJ Hamler | DEN |
67 | Bryan Edwards | LV |
68 | Jaylen Waddle | MIA |
69 | John Brown | LV |
70 | Nelson Agholor | NE |
71 | Jalen Reagor | PHI |
72 | Terrace Marshall Jr. | CAR |
73 | Donovan Peoples-Jones | CLE |
74 | Jamison Crowder | NYJ |
75 | Christian Kirk | ARI |
76 | Sterling Shepard | NYG |
77 | Josh Palmer | LAC |
78 | Darius Slayton | NYG |
79 | Breshad Perriman | DET |
80 | Parris Campbell | IND |
81 | Randall Cobb | GB |
82 | Denzel Mims | NYJ |
83 | Emmanuel Sanders | BUF |
84 | Jalen Guyton | LAC |
85 | Russell Gage | ATL |
86 | Allen Lazard | GB |
87 | A.J. Green | ARI |
88 | Byron Pringle | KC |
89 | DeSean Jackson | LAR |
90 | Tim Patrick | DEN |
91 | Josh Reynolds | TEN |
92 | Rashod Bateman | BAL |
93 | Preston Williams | MIA |
94 | Dez Fitzpatrick | TEN |
95 | Anthony Miller | HOU |
96 | Quintez Cephus | DET |
97 | Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET |
98 | Amari Rodgers | GB |
99 | Rashard Higgins | CLE |
100 | Hunter Renfrow | LV |
101 | Kendrick Bourne | NE |
102 | Keke Coutee | HOU |
103 | Zach Pascal | IND |
104 | James Washington | PIT |
105 | Cam Sims | WAS |
106 | Scotty Miller | TB |
107 | Tyler Johnson | TB |
108 | Tyron Johnson | LAC |
109 | Travis Fulgham | PHI |
110 | Kadarius Toney | NYG |
111 | Dyami Brown | WAS |
112 | Nico Collins | HOU |
113 | D'Wayne Eskridge | SEA |
114 | David Moore | CAR |
115 | Tylan Wallace | BAL |
116 | Cornell Powell | KC |
117 | Tutu Atwell | LAR |
118 | Keelan Cole Sr. | NYJ |
119 | Collin Johnson | JAC |
120 | Auden Tate | CIN |
121 | Cordarrelle Patterson | ATL |
122 | Dede Westbrook | MIN |
123 | Van Jefferson | LAR |
124 | N'Keal Harry | NE |
125 | Demarcus Robinson | KC |
126 | Andy Isabella | ARI |
127 | Devin Duvernay | BAL |
128 | Marquez Stevenson | BUF |
129 | Anthony Schwartz | CLE |
130 | Ihmir Smith-Marsette | MIN |
131 | John Ross | NYG |
132 | Greg Ward | PHI |
133 | Antonio Gandy-Golden | WAS |
134 | Albert Wilson | MIA |