More Fantasy Football Rankings for 2022-23 Season—Wide Receivers

I’m back with my fantasy football rankings for the 2022-23 season and I’m continuing with the best wide receivers.

1: I was looking at two wide receivers for a period of time before selecting who would be the best on my list. Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams looked better in my mind and he should be the first receiver off the board in your fantasy drafts. Kupp combines size with speed, which is exactly what you need to be a superstar in the NFL. Kupp posted one of the best seasons as a receiver in recent memory last year after a great QB in Matt Stafford arrived in Los Angeles. This just shows what happens when an elite receiver teams up with a great QB. I don’t see him posting the same season this year as he did last year but he’ll still be the best receiver.

2: The second-best receiver for fantasy by the slimmest of margins is Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings. Maybe he doesn’t have the size that Kupp has but he has more speed and just more playmaking as a receiver. He might be one of the most valuable deep threats to have in the NFL, which is great for your fantasy team. Although he doesn’t even have an above-average QB in Kirk Cousins, Jefferson showed his superstar potential last season as a rookie. Give him a good QB and he is easily the best receiver in the NFL. But for this season, expect an even better year than last even with other offensive weapons on the Vikings.

3: Ja’Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals is next. Like Jefferson, Chase showed his superstar potential last year. Unfortunately, Jefferson is the better player even though Chase has the far superior QB. Chase showed what he can do late in the season and in the playoffs last year. Here’s an interesting stat: Chase was 20^th in receptions last year but fourth in receiving yards. This just shows how explosive Chase is after he catches the ball. The Bengals have a stacked WR core but that doesn’t scare me as I expect Chase to have another dominant season.

4: Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders is at 4. Adams was easily a top 3 receiver in fantasy and the best receiver in football when he was on the Packers with back-to-back MVP Aaron Rodgers as his QB. I’m taking a risk by putting Adams at 4 here because the Raiders have more of a clogged offense and Adams has a worse QB in Derek Carr this year. Even though they have a fairly clogged offense, Adams is still the best one there. I still believe Adams will work his magic, wherever he is, Carr just has to find him.

5: Stefon Diggs of the Buffalo Bills is at five. Diggs is the slightly worse version of Adams. A fairly big body with elite route running skills and speed. Even though Diggs has the best QB in the NFL in Josh Allen, Adams is still better. Diggs will post a reliable 10-15 points per week with the potential to drop 30+ at least twice per year. He’s the best option on the Bills, so he’ll be getting the majority of the offensive touches. Diggs is a great option for you to get on your fantasy team, and he’s going way later than he should in drafts this year.

6: Ceedee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys is at six. Lamb has the potential to finish as a top-three receiver for fantasy this year, but I’m putting him at six just because he may also not even finish in the top 10. Nobody can figure out the Cowboys’ offense and who their main receiver will be. On paper, it’s Lamb, but what will their game plan be from week to week? Nobody knows. Lamb is a very fun player to watch, but he may not produce at the level people want. The Cowboys have an elite offense so they may decide to spread the ball around. If Lamb falls to you, take him, but don’t reach for him.

7: Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers. Something about Deebo makes me weary of him. He doubles as a running back for the ‘Niners so that’s an instant positive for Samuel but I just don’t think he’s going to deliver as much as he did last year. He surprised everyone last year with the number of touchdowns he scored, both receiving and rushing. The ‘Niners' offense just seems very clogged this season and I don’t like it. The defenses may hone in on Samuel and hamper his performance. By the way, in my main league, Samuel is my WR1, so I don’t hate him.

8: Show Tyreek Hill being the 8^th best fantasy wide receiver to someone in 2019 and they’ll call you crazy. But they’re totally right. Tyreek Hill was traded from the high-powered Chiefs to the “meh” Dolphins. The Dolphins have a better WR core than the Chiefs did and they also have a much worse QB. But it’s still blazing fast and explosive Tyreek Hill. He’ll be a very solid option for you to have and who knows, maybe Tua Tagovailoa has developed over the offseason and will be prepared to hit Hill for a massive completion.

9: Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is at nine. Evans is the best receiver in Tampa and probably Tom Brady’s favorite target this year. Chris Godwin is coming off an ACL injury so the only reliable receiver the Bucs have is Evans. Luckily for the Bucs and you, Evans is a big body that can go up in the red zone and come down with a lot of touchdowns. He will also get a pretty good amount of receptions and receiving yards. The Bucs didn’t supply Brady with a good running back, so Evans will be getting a lot of touches.

10: Keenan Allen of the Los Angeles Chargers is at ten. Allen is a big-bodied receiver on the elite Chargers’ offense. Although he’s on a clogged offense, and the main competitor is the WR2, Mike Williams, who’s even bigger, I still think Allen is going to be targeted a lot. The young QB, Justin Herbert will want to get the ball to the reliable guy in Williams and not Keenan Allen in the red zone but that’s why Allen is at nine and not top five; he’s not going to get a ton of touchdowns, but rather a lot of receptions and yards.

11: DJ Moore of the Carolina Panthers is at 11. While everyone was sleeping on DJ Moore last season, I wasn’t. DJ Moore was always an elite wide receiver buried under a below-average QB. He’s a real talent whose development was being hampered by not having one solid (at least average) QB. Moore is on the taller side and he can go up and get the ball, and he has pretty good speed, but he’s an elite route runner and a great playmaker. He had a lot of receptions and yards last season but not too many touchdowns. Moore would be a top 7 receiver if he had that great QB, but with Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold as his two options, I don’t see him having a top 7 season.

12: Michael Pittman Jr. of the Indianapolis Colts is at 12. I’ve seen mixed reviews on Pittman this offseason, but I only see one way his season will play out. He is going to play out of his mind this season. Pittman is the only playable receiver on the Colts this season. Every other receiver would be on the reserves of any average team. Someone has to catch the ball in Indianapolis, and that someone is going to be Pittman. Sure, they have the best running back in football in Jonathan Taylor, but they can’t run the ball every play. I’m pretty sure the defense is going to figure them out. Matt Ryan, the veteran quarterback the Colts added this season has played with a Pittman-type receiver before in Julio Jones. And as Ryan’s career is waning, he’s going to want to throw to the big, reliable receiver in the endzone and just to move the ball down the field. Pittman is a great addition to your team and I think he’s going to have a great season.