Fantasy Football: 2016 Wide Receiver Rankings

The Angle of Pursuit podcast team has you covered for the 2016 season with rankings for every position, including both standard and PPR leagues. Its very interesting to see how the rankers differ with their standard and PPR ranks especially at the wide receiver position. Some guys fell a handful of spots while others rose towards the top. Check out our rankings and let us know where you disagree. We will continue to update these rankings as the season approaches.

QB | RB Standard | RB PPR | WR Standard | WR PPR | TE

PLAYER	TEAM	BYE	KYLE	RON	DAMIAN	CONSENSUS
Antonio Brown	PIT	8	1	1	1	1
Odell Beckham Jr	NYG	8	2	2	2	2
Julio Jones	ATL	11	3	3	3	3
DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	9	7	4	4	4
A.J. Green	CIN	9	4	7	5	5
Dez Bryant	DAL	7	6	5	6	6
Jordy Nelson	GB	4	5	10	8	7
Allen Robinson	JAC	5	14	6	7	8
Alshon Jeffery	CHI	9	10	8	10	9
Mike Evans	TB	6	12	14	9	10
Brandin Cooks	NO	5	8	11	16	11
Brandon Marshall	NYJ	11	11	13	12	12
Demaryius Thomas	DEN	11	9	15	14	13
Keenan Allen	SD	11	15	9	15	14
T.Y. Hilton	IND	10	13	16	13	15
Amari Cooper	OAK	10	18	17	11	16
Randall Cobb	GB	4	16	12	20	17
Doug Baldwin	SEA	5	20	18	18	18
Sammy Watkins	BUF	10	23	19	17	19
Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	9	17	21	28	20
Donte Moncrief	IND	10	21	24	23	21
Julian Edelman	NE	9	29	22	19	22
Jeremy Maclin	KC	5	27	20	25	23
Michael Floyd	ARI	9	19	26	27	24
Eric Decker	NYJ	11	28	23	22	25
Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	7	25	25	24	26
Golden Tate	DET	10	31	27	21	27
Jarvis Landry	MIA	8	26	30	26	28
John Brown	ARI	9	22	31	30	29
Jordan Matthews	PHI	4	30	28	29	30
Tyler Lockett	SEA	5	24	29	34	31
Allen Hurns	JAC	5	32	33	31	32
Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	11	36	35	33	33
Kevin White	CHI	9	34	32	39	34
Michael Crabtree	OAK	10	39	34	35	35
DeVante Parker	MIA	8	49	36	32	36
Marvin Jones	DET	10	38	43	36	37
Willie Snead	NO	5	41	42	37	38
Kamar Aiken	BAL	8	35	47	47	39
Corey Coleman	CLE	13	53	39	38	40
Travis Benjamin	SD	11	40	37	53	41
Stefon Diggs	MIN	6	42	41	49	42
Vincent Jackson	TB	6	43	48	43	43
Michael Thomas	NO	5	37	38	60	44
DeSean Jackson	WAS	9	48	49	40	45
Dorial Green-Beckham	TEN	13	45	44	48	46
Sterling Shepard	NYG	8	58	40	41	47
Torrey Smith	SF	8	46	51	45	48
Laquon Treadwell	MIN	6	51	45	46	49
Josh Doctson	WAS	9	44	46	54	50
Josh Gordon	CLE	13	33	87	42	51
Tavon Austin	LA	8	65	50	50	52
Steve Smith	BAL	8	57	61	51	53
Devin Funchess	CAR	7	60	53	56	54
Phillip Dorsett	IND	10	47	66	58	55
Nelson Agholor	PHI	4	55	55	62	56
Markus Wheaton	PIT	8	68	65	44	57
Rishard Matthews	TEN	13	59	52	66	58
Kendall Wright	TEN	13	72	54	52	59
Terrance Williams	DAL	7	56	59	64	60
Mohamed Sanu	ATL	11	54	74	55	61
Mike Wallace	BAL	8	70	57	63	62
Ty Montgomery	GB	4	50	58	85	63
Pierre Garcon	WAS	9	52	82	61	64
Sammie Coates	PIT	8	79	56	65	65
Jamison Crowder	WAS	9	62	64	74	66
Chris Hogan	NE	9	67	79	57	67
Jeff Janis	GB	4	76	70	59	68
Tyler Boyd	CIN	9	66	68	73	69
Stevie Johnson	SD	11	63	78	67	70
Ted Ginn Jr	CAR	7	64	75	72	71
Jaelen Strong	HOU	9	77	67	71	72
Malcolm Mitchell	NE	9	69	60	86	73
Will Fuller	HOU	9	73	63	83	74
Bruce Ellington	SF	8	74	71	76	75
Leonte Caroo	MIA	8	81	62	81	76
Reuben Randle	PHI	4	80	76	69	77
Jermaine Kearse	SEA	5	71	73	82	78
Darius Heyward-Bey	PIT	8	61	86	80	79
Breshad Perriman	BAL	8	86	77	68	80
Branden Lafell	CIN	9	87	69	75	81
Danny Amendola	NE	9	78	85	70	82
Albert Wilson	KC	5	75	84	77	83
Pharoh Cooper	LA	8	84	80	78	84
Tajae Sharpe	TEN	13	83	72	87	85
Kenny Britt	LA	8	85	83	79	86
Rashad Greene	JAC	5	82	81	84	87

 

Allen Robinson | Jacksonville Jaguars
Kyle’s Rank: 14
Consensus: 8

This was a tough player for me to rank and one that could make me look foolish this season. Matt Harmon pegged Robinson a season ago as the breakout guy and boy did he break out. I love the talent he posses especially with his way to use his body and fight for the ball in the air. I still think a really good season is in store for Robinson but I do have my reservations. Blake Bortles exploded last season going from 11 to 35 touchdowns including 19 touchdown in the red zone. Robinson was on the other end of 14 of those scores. If I expect Bortles to regress which I do, I can’t expect Robinson to repeat his numbers. Just ask Mike Evans about touchdown regression going from 12 two seasons ago to 3 last year. Evans was still a good fantasy option with 1,200 yards a season ago but was not the elite option from the previous season. We shall see come seasons end who was right.

Where Damian Differs

Brandin Cooks | New Orleans Saints 
Damian’s Rank: 16
Consensus: 11

While I like Cooks as a player, there is no way I can rank him as a borderline top-10 WR in standard formats. Given his miniature size, he simply can’t physically win 1-on-1 matchups like other elite players at the position. And don’t even try to counter with Antonio Brown; he’s the exception not the rule. Aside from that Cooks’ wide home/road splits make him more volatile than other top tier receivers. Six of his nine touchdowns last year came at home and he averaged almost 18 yards per game less away from the Superdome. This is a player I love using in DFS and even PPR leagues, but in this context there’s no way I’m drafting him as high as my counterparts over at AOP.

Where Ron Differs

Phillip Dorsett | Indianapolis Colts 
Ron’s Rank: 66
Consensus: 55

It’s no secret that wide receivers drafted in the first round have a higher rate of success at the next level. Truth be told Phillip Dorsett has done nothing to justify the Colts taking him with the 29th overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft. In what turned out to be a lost season for the Colts Dorsett finished with only 18 receptions for 225 yards and a touchdown. Blame it on Andrew Lucks’ injury or poor play-calling regardless Dorsett didn’t look like a first-round prospect on the field. Some will argue Dorsett is primed for a breakout this year but let’s not forget that he’s behind an established T.Y. Hilton and emerging Donte Moncrief in the pecking order. I envision Dorsett helping Luck more in the short-intermediate passing game than taking the top off the defense. I’m not saying don’t draft him but I think it’s premature to anoint him as a viable WR3 just because he has Andrew Luck throwing him the pigskin. To put my #66 overall ranking into perspective I’d rather own Terrance Williams this year because he’s already proven he can make big plays and take the top off the defense. I would rather draft a player entering his fourth year as a pro who is entrenched in a high-powered passing offense, lining up opposite Dez Bryant. Don’t get caught up in the Phillip Dorsett hype-train and instead draft a player in a contract year with a guaranteed role like Terrance Williams.

For more Fantasy Football rankings talk, check out Fake Pigskin’s Angle of Pursuit podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

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