We’re starting our draft prep for the 2022 Fantasy season already, and this is the initial reveal of the wide receiver rankings from our staff. A lot will change between now and August when your Fantasy drafts are happening, but it’s never too early to start planning ahead.
With that in mind, let’s see what the wide receiver rankings could look like in 2022. But first, let’s look back at what happened in 2021 with the Average Draft Position compared to the actual finish of the running backs this past season.
Interested in hearing more top-12s? The Fantasy Football Today team dove into their top-12 overall for the 2022 season while also reacting to recent NFL head coaching changes and how they might impact the Fantasy Football landscape.
CBS Sports Average Draft Position for wide receivers:
1. Davante Adams 9.8
2. Tyreek Hill 12.7
3. Stefon Diggs 17.9
4. DeAndre Hopkins 20.8
5. Calvin Ridley 21.8
6. D.K. Metcalf 23.9
7. Justin Jefferson 29.4
8. Keenan Allen 30.1
9. A.J. Brown 32.4
10. Terry McLaurin 35.2
11. Allen Robinson 40.3
12. Robert Woods 42.5
Final 2021 top 12 wide receivers based on PPR points per game:
1. Cooper Kupp 25.9
2. Davante Adams 21.5
3. Deebo Samuel 21.3
4. Justin Jefferson 19.5
5. Ja’Marr Chase 17.9
6. Tyreek Hill 17.5
7. Chris Godwin 17.3
8. Antonio Brown 17.3
9. Diontae Johnson 17.2
10. Stefon Diggs 16.8
11. Mike Evans 16.4
12. Keenan Allen 16.1
Two of the best Fantasy options at any position this season were Kupp and Samuel, and both were Fantasy MVP candidates. Kupp’s ADP was 48.1, and Samuel was 105.2, making him the best value pick of any player in 2021.
Chase also was a great value pick at 83.3, and he was a star in his rookie campaign. And Brown, despite only playing seven games — maybe the final seven games of his career — was impactful whenever he was on the field. It’s too bad his time with Tampa Bay ended the way it did because Fantasy managers might have been excited to draft him again in 2022.
Early Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE
You’ll see below with our rankings that we like many of the same receivers in 2022 that we liked in 2021. The exception would be two of the biggest busts from last year, which were McLaurin and Robinson. I’ll draft McLaurin a lot in 2022 — likely in Round 4 — if Washington can find a quality quarterback, but Robinson’s Fantasy value will be determined where he plays as a free agent this offseason. He will likely be a late-round pick in the majority of leagues.
2022 Top 12 PPR WR Rankings:
Jamey Eisenberg
1. Davante Adams
2. Cooper Kupp
3. Justin Jefferson
4. Ja’Marr Chase
5. Tyreek Hill
6. Stefon Diggs
7. A.J. Brown
8. Keenan Allen
9. Deebo Samuel
10. Diontae Johnson
11. Mike Evans
12. Calvin Ridley
Adam Aizer
1. Davante Adams
2. Cooper Kupp
3. Ja’Marr Chase
4. Tyreek Hill
5. Justin Jefferson
6. Stefon Diggs
7. Chris Godwin
8. A.J. Brown
9. Keenan Allen
10. CeeDee Lamb
11. Calvin Ridley
12. Michael Thomas
Heath Cummings
1. Davante Adams
2. Cooper Kupp
3. Ja’Marr Chase
4. Justin Jefferson
5. Tyreek Hill
6. Stefon Diggs
7. Keenan Allen
8. A.J. Brown
9. D.K. Metcalf
10. DeAndre Hopkins
11. Michael Thomas
12. Jaylen Waddle
Dave Richard
1. Cooper Kupp
2. Davante Adams
3. Justin Jefferson
4. Tyreek Hill
5. Ja’Marr Chase
6. Stefon Diggs
7. Calvin Ridley
8. A.J. Brown
9. Deebo Samuel
10. Keenan Allen
11. Mike Evans
12. Jaylen Waddle
Dan Schneier
1. Davante Adams
2. Cooper Kupp
3. Justin Jefferson
4. Tyreek Hill
5. Stefon Diggs
6. Ja’Marr Chase
7. Deebo Samuel
8. A.J. Brown
9. Keenan Allen
10. CeeDee Lamb
11. Diontae Johnson
12. D.K. Metcalf
Chris Towers
1. Cooper Kupp
2. Davante Adams
3. Justin Jefferson
4. Tyreek Hill
5. JaíMarr Chase
6. Stefon Diggs
7. A.J. Brown
8. Deebo Samuel
9. Diontae Johnson
10. Tee Higgins
11. Keenan Allen
12. Mike Evans
Despite Kupp outscoring Adams in 2021, Adams is the No. 1 ranked receiver for everyone but Dave and Chris. We might all have Kupp at No. 1 if Adams or Aaron Rodgers leaves the Packers, and that’s a narrative to follow this offseason. The reason I have Adams ranked ahead of Kupp is his consistent production over the past four seasons, and I trust that slightly more than Kupp heading into 2022.
Everyone has Jefferson, Chase, Hill and Diggs, in some order, after Adams and Kupp, with Dan the only one ranking Diggs ahead of Chase. I’m sure Fantasy managers will like seeing a consensus of the top six receivers, and all of these guys should be drafted in the top 15 overall selections in PPR in 2022.
We all have Brown and Allen in the latter half of our rankings, but that’s where the similarities end among our consensus. Me, Dave, Dan and Chris have Samuel in our top 12, while Adam and Heath do not have him ranked.
Adam has Godwin, Lamb, Ridley and Thomas ahead of Samuel, while Heath has Metcalf, Hopkins, Thomas and Waddle ahead of Samuel as well. That should lead to fun debates this offseason on our podcast.
Dan, Chris and I are the only ones with Johnson in our Top 12, and I’m hopeful the Steelers upgrade over Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback in 2022 following his retirement. And Dave, Chris and I are the only ones with Evans in our Top 12, and I like his outlook with Godwin heading into free agency and Brown gone.
Godwin could return to Tampa Bay, which is what Adam is hoping for by ranking him at No. 7. And Adam, Dave and I are hoping Ridley returns in 2022 after stepping away from the Falcons this season to focus on his mental well-being. When healthy, Ridley should still be considered a No. 1 Fantasy receiver in all leagues.
