Wide Receiver Draft Rankings for 2023

As early-round running backs become a dying breed in fantasy drafts it becomes ever more important to stockpile elite receivers. Unlike their rushing counterparts, there weren’t any overly-dramatic contract disputes or major trades shaking up the receiver rankings.

The first tier of receivers is the best of the best. Justin Jefferson is the consensus best receiver in the NFL, but the other five guys in this tier have realistic paths to outscoring him if things break right. Ja’Marr Chase was a little unlucky in the touchdown department last year and could take another step forward entering his third season. Tyreek Hill lost his quarterback for significant stretches, but when everything was clicking, he was on pace for over 2,000 yards. Likewise, Cooper Kupp was leading the position in fantasy points per game before his season was derailed by injury. Stefon Diggs and Davante Adams round out the tier as two of the best receivers in the league who have consistently returned elite production.

The second tier is a small one, composed of receivers with an outside chance to finish as the overall WR1 if things go perfectly for them. CeeDee Lamb is on the cusp of joining the top tier, but questions about Dallas’s new offensive direction keep him in Tier Two for now. Garrett Wilson gets possibly the biggest quarterback upgrade in the history of the sport, and managed a dominant rookie season despite spending a good chunk of it weighed down by Zach Wilson. A.J. Brown took the Eagles’ offense to new heights, but his upside appears a bit capped with DeVonta Smith right on his tail in target share.

Speaking of Smith, he slots into the third tier. These receivers seem unlikely to realistically challenge for the WR1 spot, barring injury to a teammate or a drastically different role this season, but they should have no problem providing fringe WR1 value. Amon-Ra St. Brown showed his late-season rookie heroics were no fluke, but his touchdown upside appears limited. Jaylen Waddle, Tee Higgins, and Smith are super-talented wide receivers playing second-fiddle on their own teams through no fault of their own. Their ceiling is lowered thanks to their teammates, but they shouldn’t be overlooked just because they won’t be the top dog on their own team.

The fourth and fifth tiers make up the majority of the remaining receivers who are either in a top offense or are the best option on a middling-or-worse offense. Calvin Ridley was once a Top 5 receiver before off-field issues temporarily derailed his career. He is a steal if he returns to form in an explosive Jacksonville offense. Amari Cooper managed a high level of production despite awful quarterback play and should benefit from a better version of Deshaun Watson than the one he endured last season. Drake London, Christian Watson, and Chris Olave are second-year receivers poised for huge breakouts but questions about their offenses are enough to drop them in the rankings.

The sixth tier is the best of the rest, comprised of past-their-prime receivers who formerly were elite and young players seeking to establish themselves among the game’s very best. There’s an interesting mix of high floors and enticing ceilings in this particular group.

Below are our Top 40 receiver rankings as of August 19, 2023, with notes detailing the logic behind each ranking. Be sure to check back for updates after any major receiver-related news.

2023 QBLIST WIDE RECEIVER RANKINGS

Rank	Name	Team	Tier	Notes
1	Justin Jefferson	MIN	1	Needing little introduction or analysis, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Justin Jefferson has had a historic start to his career. After leading the league in both receptions and receiving yards, Jefferson is once again poised to contend for top fantasy receiver honors. He offers an almost untouchable combination of ceiling and floor.
2	Ja’Marr Chase	CIN	1	Ja’Marr Chase missed five games with a hip injury and still put up over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. Joe Burrow’s preseason injury is a little concerning, but otherwise, the 23-year-old Chase’s role and talent are second to none. He’s more of a 1B to Jefferson’s 1A.
3	Tyreek Hill	MIA	1	Tyreek Hill led the league in yards-per-route-run among receivers with at least 50 targets and put to bed any doubts about his production without Patrick Mahomes throwing him the ball. Hill set career-highs in yards and receptions and could have pushed for 2,000 yards if Tua had stayed healthy. His game-breaking speed is a perfect fit for Miami’s offense.
4	Cooper Kupp	LAR	1	A year after dominating fantasy football, Kupp missed eight games due to injury. When healthy, Kupp thrived despite the mess that was the Rams’ offense. There are health risks with both Kupp and quarterback Matthew Stafford, plus the chance that the Rams never fully recover from last season’s disaster of an offense, but Kupp is still a top fantasy receiver as he proved by leading the position in fantasy points per game.
5	Stefon Diggs	BUF	1	Diggs was great last year, posting his third consecutive 100-plus reception season and 11 touchdowns. Josh Allen’s elbow injury seemed to slow down the whole offense, but Diggs remains one of the safest receivers. Off-season tweets complaining about the offense aside, Diggs should remain at the top of the position.
6	Davante Adams	LV	1	Davante Adams turns 31 this season and has to break in another new quarterback, but he’s given no indication of slowing down. Adams was elite again last year by every metric, including a career-high in targets and another 15 touchdowns. Adams remains the focal point of the Raiders’ offense and has at least one more year of elite production left in him.
7	CeeDee Lamb	DAL	2	Dallas may want to run the ball more but Lamb will still finish toward the top of the league in targets. He finished Top 5 in targets, receptions, and touchdowns and figures to continue his ascent to the upper echelon at the position. He hasn’t quite hit the rarefied air of the receivers above him, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see him make that leap this year.
8	Garrett Wilson	NYJ	2	Wilson has a fantastic rookie season despite being anchored down by Zach Wilson’s horrible performance. It’s hard to imagine a bigger boost in quarterback play going from Wilson to a motivated Aaron Rodgers. Wilson’s talent and knack for producing on in-breaking routes should be a perfect fit for Rodgers’ style, and a year-2 breakout seems all but certain.
9	A.J. Brown	PHI	2	Brown put to rest any concerns about the Eagles being too run-heavy by elevating the entire passing offense on his way to career highs across the board. Brown is an accomplished deep threat and one of the best after-the-catch threats in the league. Facing a tougher schedule that may incentivize the Eagles to pass more, Brown could see a production boost with another year of chemistry with Jalen Hurts.
10	Amon-Ra St. Brown	DET	3	St. Brown has one of the best PPR profiles in the league, but his ceiling isn’t quite the same as the other receivers drafted around him. St. Brown likely won’t catch a ton of touchdowns or rack up long receptions, but his steady production should lock him in as a WR1. I’d prefer him as my second receiver rather than drafting him to be the keystone of my receiver core.
11	Jaylen Waddle	MIA	3	The best of the receivers playing second fiddle on their own team, Waddle’s speed and fit in Miami’s offense makes him a big-play threat on every route. He led the league last year with an average of 18.1 yards-per-reception and his yards-per-route-run numbers are among the very best. His volume may be hampered by Hill’s presence, but there’s more than enough to go around in this offense.
12	Devonta Smith	PHI	3	Smith finished with just nine fewer targets than A.J. Brown and enters his third season primed for another jump in production. Smith displayed a penchant for acrobatic catches in the playoffs, and it’s not too hard to imagine him overtaking Brown as the alpha in this offense.
13	Tee Higgins	CIN	3	Higgins is a little further behind the lead in his offense than some of the other secondary receivers above him, but Higgins is tied to one of the best passing offenses entering the league. Coming off back-to-back seasons of WR2 production, Higgins is entering a contract year and should be plenty motivated. Unless Chase misses time, Higgins likely lacks true WR1 upside, but his steady production through his first three seasons justifies his high ranking.
14	Chris Olave	NO	4	Olave burst onto the scene with a strong rookie season and now gets a quarterback upgrade in the form of Derek Carr. Olave’s yards-per-route-run were elite last season and he’s almost certain to improve as a second-year receiver. Michael Thomas’ potential return to the field might eat into Olave’s target share, and the Saints’ offense might not be very good. But betting on second-year receivers with Olave’s metrics almost always works out.
15	Calvin Ridley	JAX	4	We haven’t seen Ridley in over a year: he stepped away from the game to focus on mental health and then received a gambling-related suspension. The last time we saw a full season from Ridley he was one of the league’s very best while playing on a broken foot, and all reports so far are that he’s back in form. Trevor Lawrence broke out in the second half of last season and is ready to join the ranks of the elite passers in the league. Ridley carries some risk; we don’t know his role after coming off such a long layoff. If he’s still the receiver that put up 1,300 yards and 9 touchdowns with a declining Matt Ryan, the sky’s the limit.
16	Amari Cooper	CLE	4	Cooper was fantastic last year despite relatively poor quarterback play. He posted better than 2.0 yards-per-route-run, eclipsed 1,000 yards, and added nine touchdowns. Now, he’ll get to play in what should be a better offense, assuming Deshaun Watson has shaken off the rust, and Cleveland is giving off a lot of signals that they want to feature a more aggressive passing attack this year. Cooper, as the alpha receiver on this team, would be the clear beneficiary of an uptick in passing volume. But even if he just replicates his prior year’s production he’ll return value at this ranking.
17	Mike Williams	LAC	4	If Williams and quarterback Justin Herbert stay healthy, an admittedly big if, Williams should flirt with a top-5 fantasy season. Williams should see utilization in the same big-slot role that helped propel CeeDee Lamb to the WR1 ranks, and Williams’s ability to make plays downfield should mesh well with a more aggressive Chargers offense. When Herbert was healthy back in 2021 Williams posted a 76/1146/9 and should be able to improve on that line over a full season with an improved offensive scheme.
18	DK Metcalf	SEA	4	Placing Metcalf this low is the first ranking that makes me a little uncomfortable. He’s playing in what looks to be a great offense, coming off a career-high in targets, and should catch more touchdowns after finishing near the league in endzone targets. But he also has more target competition by way of rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Tyler Lockett is coming off a strong year in his own right. Metcalf will post big weeks, but consistency may be hard to come by.
19	Deebo Samuel	SF	5	Deebo’s a guy I never personally seem to land on. He’s not a high-volume receiver and relies on his impressive efficiency coupled with his contributions as a rusher. As explosive as Deebo is he’s only broken 1,000 yards once in four seasons, and his career-high in receiving touchdowns is six. Injuries have slowed him down, and with the addition of Christian McCaffrey over a full season Deebo’s floor seems precarious at best. His high-upside style keeps him high in the rankings, but more often than not I’ll be looking elsewhere.
20	D.J. Moore	CHI	5	Moore is an elite talent in an unclear situation. For the first time since his rookie year, he didn’t break 1,000 yards, but I’ll give him a pass given the mess that was Carolina’s offense. Had Moore been sent to a better offense he’d be much higher on this list, but the Bears passed the ball at a historically low rate last season. If Justin Fields takes a step forward as a passer this year, Moore’s elite upside will elevate a previously lackluster passing game, just as Stefon Diggs and A.J. Brown did before him. If Fields continues to produce at a similar level, Moore will struggle to provide a return at ADP.
21	Keenan Allen	LAC	5	Allen was great in the 10 games he played in last year, averaging over 75 yards per game and notching four touchdowns. Allen, however, enters his age-31 season and has played just two full seasons in his career. He’s unlikely to get healthier as he gets older. The new scheme offensive coordinator Kellen Moore brings over should feature more down-field throws. At this stage of Allen’s career, that’s not his strength, which likely means he’ll cede some of his target share to more explosive teammates.
22	Christian Watson	GB	5	Coming off a 600-plus yard rookie season, Watson may seem a little out of place this high on the list. He posted an elite yards-per-route-run number, 2.26, and has the build and athletic profile to be a truly dominant receiver. This is a bet that Watson will take a big step forward from a consistency standpoint, as most second-year receivers do. There are obviously question marks surrounding his quarterback, but assuming Jordan Love is at least league-average the sky should be the limit for Watson.
23	Drake London	ATL	5	London had a slightly more productive, but less efficient rookie season than Watson. London also posted an elite yards-per-route-run number, but the concern with London is that Atlanta barely threw the ball last season. They didn’t do much to indicate they want to pass more after turning the offense over to a second-year quarterback and spending a Top 10 pick on running back Bijan Robinson. London has the profile of an elite fantasy receiver, and likely at some point in his career, he’ll hit that mark. But it’s unclear if Atlanta will pass enough to support both London and Kyle Pitts.
24	Tyler Lockett	SEA	5	Lockett put up a fourth consecutive strong season for his age-30 campaign. He tallied over 1,000 yards and added nine touchdowns. At his age, we can start to expect a decline in the near future, but given his track record and performance last year he’s shown no signs that the cliff is forthcoming. He’ll face additional target competition from rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but Lockett should have at least one more good year left in him.
25	Chris Godwin	TB	5	Chris Godwin is a difficult player to rank because on talent alone he’s probably a top-five receiver in the NFL. Now over a full year removed from his ACL injury, Godwin should be poised to return to the ranks of the elite. He’s ranked this low because he’s saddled with one of the worst quarterback situations in the NFL, but if either Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask can just give him league-average quarterback play, Godwin is a steal at ADP.
26	Diontae Johnson	PIT	5	Diontae Johnson managed the seemingly impossible last year by scoring exactly zero touchdowns on 147 targets. Johnson has never struggled to score touchdowns before and is one of the easiest positive-regression bets to make. His ability to earn targets is among the very best in the league, and second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett should improve after taking over midway through his rookie season.
27	Christian Kirk	JAX	5	Facing stiffer target competition after the Jaguars added Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk earned 133 targets last year but could see similar volume if the Jaguars’ offense takes the leap to join the elite offenses. Reports out of camp are that Kirk has been relegated to slot-only duties, but the Jaguars figure to employ a lot of three-receiver sets so that isn’t too concerning. Jacksonville paid Kirk a lot of money and he rewarded them with a career year featuring 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns. Fantasy managers have been quick to cast him aside for the shiny new toy in Ridley, as Kirk can still produce as a strong WR2.
28	Terry McLaurin	WAS	5	All McLaurin has done since entering the NFL is produce. He has three straight seasons of earning over 120 targets and breaking the 1,000-yard mark. Scary Terry also put up over 2 yards-per-route-run. We don’t really know what the new Commanders’ offense will look like with fifth-round pick Sam Howell in command and Eric Bienemy calling the plays, and Jahan Dotson’s breakout appears imminent. Still, McLaurin is a high-upside receiver every week thanks to his big-play ability, albeit a sometimes frustrating one when the downfield plays aren’t connecting.
29	DeAndre Hopkins	TEN	6	Hopkins is 31 years old, coming off a season in which he missed six games due to a PED suspension, and just signed with one of the run-heaviest teams in the league. There’s not a lot to like there, but Hopkins was elite when he played last season, and much like the other 30-plus-year-old receivers ranked above him, he seems to have at least one more year of solid production left in him. Hopkins should command as many targets as he can handle for the Titans, especially with Treylon Burks now dealing with an injury. Hopkins isn’t without risk given his age, but assuming good health he should be a solid fantasy asset once again.
30	Marquise Brown	ARI	6	If we knew Kyler Murray would be healthy to start the season Marquise Brown would be much higher on this list. Brown was great to start the year, earning a ridiculous 64 targets in the first six games without DeAndre Hopkins on the field last season. Brown then went down with an injury and returned to a struggling offense with more target competition but finished with solid per-game numbers. Brown showed last year he’s more than just a deep-ball guy, and should be the unquestioned WR1 in Arizona. The question is what that title is worth if Colt McCoy or Clayton Tune are the ones throwing him the ball.
31	Jerry Jeudy	DEN	6	Many have Jerry Jeudy much higher, predicting a bounce-back season for Russell Wilson with Sean Payton now running the show in Denver. I’m more inclined to believe Russ is cooked, given how terrible he looked last year and how seamlessly Geno Smith ascended in Seattle when he took Russ’s spot. Regardless, Jeudy is clearly talented but he hasn’t really put it together in the way he was expected to when he entered the NFL as a highly-touted prospect. Having said that, Jeudy did average 2.18 yards per route run last season and appears to have comfortably surpassed Courtland Sutton as the number-one option in this offense. If you believe in the Russ bounce-back then Jeudy should be a lot higher, but I’ll be avoiding this offense entirely unless the pieces fall significantly in my drafts.
32	Brandon Aiyuk	SF	6	Bradon Aiyuk broke out last year to the tune of 114 targets, over 1,000 yards, and eight touchdowns. He plays in a run-first offense with a lot of other mouths to feed, but he might be the best pure receiver on the team. Aiyuk likely won’t be consistent given the nature of the 49ers’ offense, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him outscore Deebo Samuel over the course of the season. Aiyuk’s discounted ADP relative to his more highly-regarded teammate feels like a bargain.
33	Treylon Burks	TEN	6	Burks just suffered a sprained LCL which seems likely to sideline him for several weeks. Assuming he’s good to go for the start of the regular season Burks is a potential breakout to watch. He’s an electric player after the catch, and although his rookie season was derailed by injury he showed an impressive ability to earn targets when he found his way onto the field. His target ceiling is likely capped by DeAndre Hopkin’s presence, but Burks can make up for that if he maintains his efficiency with an increased workload.
34	Michael Pittman	IND	6	Michael Pittman is another super-talented receiver in a seemingly bad situation. Anthony Richardson is possibly the most athletic quarterback we’ve ever seen, but was wildly inaccurate in college and requires a lot of refinement as a passer. The Colts are expected to be a run-heavy team and not one that will be particularly efficient when they do decide to pass. Pittman is the clear number one in this offense and has thrived with less-than-stellar quarterback play before, but his upside is limited by what appears to be a bad offense.
35	Mike Evans	TB	6	It’s difficult to fade a receiver who has never failed to reach the 1,000-yard mark in nine pro seasons. Mike Evans has been one of the most consistently great receivers for almost a decade, but he’ll be 30 by the start of the season and is saddled with what is likely to be very poor quarterback play. Evans needs touchdowns to break into the upper tier of fantasy receivers, and those will be hard to come by with either Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask throwing him the ball.
36	Gabe Davis	BUF	6	Gabe Davis had a ton of hype last season, sprained his ankle early in the year, and disappointed fantasy managers who bought into his incredible four-touchdown performance in the prior year’s playoffs. Davis is now healthy and he remains a dangerous deep threat on a team quarterbacked by one of the league’s best deep ball-throwers in Josh Allen. A bet on a healthy Davis is essentially the same bet as last season, only at a steep discount compared to last year’s fourth-round ADP.
37	Quentin Johnson	LAC	6	Johnson is 6’3″, explosive, and was taken in the first round by the Chargers in April. The Chargers project to have one of the best offenses in the league this year with an increased emphasis on both the deep ball and getting the ball to their playmakers in space. Johnson fits the bill on both fronts. “QJ” broke out in college at the age of 19, typically a strong indicator of future NFL performance, and he brings a much-needed speed element to this offense. Rookie receivers tend to take a little bit to get going, but Johnson should offer week-winning upside by the end of the season.
38	Jordan Addison	MIN	6	Addison, another highly-regarded rookie, is currently dealing with a concussion. There’s really no such thing as a minor concussion, so this is definitely a situation to monitor heading into peak draft season. Assuming Addison is good to go, the former Biletnikoff Award winner as the best receiver in college football should make an immediate impact for the Vikings opposite Justin Jefferson. Addison’s upside is a bit capped by Jefferson’s massive target share, as well as T.J. Hockenson, but Adam Thielen left behind over 100 targets for Addison to inherit. Addison, a great separator who knows how to get open, should command a healthy amount of targets from Day One.
39	Jaxon Smith-Njigba	SEA	6	Jaxon Smith-Njigba will compete with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett for Geno Smith’s attention, but he’s no stranger to earning targets in a crowded receiver room. The last time we saw a healthy JSN, he led Ohio State in receiving yards despite sharing the field with elite talents such as Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. JSN will likely be limited to slot-only duties for the majority of his rookie year, but his upside is immense if anything happens to Metcalf or Lockett. Even if he’s stuck as the third receiver, this offense looks like one of the better ones in the league, so JSN should find ways to produce solid fantasy output.
40	Brandin Cooks	DAL	6	After several years of consistent production, it almost looked like Brandin Cooks gave up on the Texans last season after they failed to honor his trade request. If Cooks was mailing it in last season and still possesses the talent that made him a perennial top receiver, he should shine as the deep threat in the Cowboys’ offense. There are concerns around Cooks as he is turning 30 soon, but prior to last season, he had two strong years with subpar-at-best quarterback play. Paired with Dak Prescott, Cooks should once again be a viable fantasy contributor.

Below are the other receivers on our radar heading into drafts. Michael Thomas was once the NFL’s best receiver and a coveted fantasy asset. Years lost to injuries have taken the shine off his career a bit, but he appears to be healthy; if he is, he could be one of the key inflection points this season.

Ditto Odell Beckham Jr., who the Ravens paid a lot of money to come in and help revamp their passing attack. The last time we saw Beckham, he was dominating the playoffs en route to helping the Rams capture their second Super Bowl (their first in Los Angeles). If that player is still in there, he should feast in the new Ravens offense.

Elijah Moore was a prime “change of scenery” guy entering the offseason. The Browns paid up for him, sending a second-round pick to the Jets for the once highly-regarded prospect. Moore had an elite prospect profile before last season tanked his value, so it’s easy to forgive him for struggling given the cast of characters throwing him the ball.

Michael Gallup is now a full year removed from an ACL tear. The last time we saw him and Dak Prescott healthy together, Gallup was on his way to becoming an elite deep threat. Both of them are healthy now and it doesn’t cost a high draft pick to bet on a return to form.

BEST OF THE REST: 2023 WIDE RECEIVERS

Rank	Name	Team	Tier
41	Michael Thomas	NO	7
42	Rashod Bateman	BAL	7
43	George Pickens	PIT	7
44	Jahan Dotson	WAS	7
45	Zay Flowers	BAL	7
46	Odell Beckham Jr.	BAL	7
47	Juju Smith-Schuster	NE	7
48	Elijah Moore	CLE	7
49	Michael Gallup	DAL	7
50	Courtland Sutton	DEN	7
51	Jakobi Meyers	LV	7
52	Sky Moore	KC	7
53	Jonathan Mingo	CAR	7
54	Kadarius Toney	KC	7
55	Zay Jones	JAX	8
56	Nico Collins	HOU	8
57	Tyler Boyd	CIN	8
58	Darius Slayton	NYG	8
59	John Metchie	HOU	8
60	Romeo Doubs	GB	8

Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter) / Photography by Tony Quinn, Ian Johnson & Rich von Biberstein / Icon Sportswire

3 responses to “Wide Receiver Draft Rankings for 2023”

Jesse says:

August 18, 2023 at 6:01 pm

The disrespect on Jahan Dotson’s name! Literally. Misspelled it and then ranked him 44th to add to the insult. 8 spots behind Gabriel Davis haha

- Dan Adams says:
  
  August 18, 2023 at 6:31 pm
  
  Hey thanks for catching my spelling mistake. I’m not a big fan of Washington’s offense, and while I think Dotson is ascending like I mentioned in my notes about Terry McLaurin I think that offense as a whole just doesn’t offer much upside. He’s certainly talented enough to prove me wrong though!
  
Jesse says:

August 19, 2023 at 11:56 am

Right on man, I’m just a fan of his. And if we didn’t disagree, we wouldn’t have a game. Solid argument.

Wide Receiver Draft Rankings for 2023

3 responses to “Wide Receiver Draft Rankings for 2023”

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