Fantasy Analysis: Early WR rankings for 2019 fantasy season
By Daniel Davis
The 2019 season will be here before we know it and so will fantasy football. In our early season preview, we look at the wide receivers, and who should be considered in each tier.
With the offseason back in full swing, here are some early Wide Receiver rankings for the upcoming 2019 season.
Tier 1: The Elite
- Tyreek Hill, Chiefs
- DeAndre Hopkins, Texans
- Michael Thomas, Saints
- Devonte Adams, Packers
- Antonio Brown, Raiders
No surprise here. Tyreek Hill is the top WR for me this year mainly due to Patrick Mahomes nearly breaking the TD record Peyton Manning set in his first year as the starter. Mahomes is set to be a monster again this year and the Chiefs are looking to lock Hill down for many years to come. Hill also has rushing value and returns kicks too. He’s the easy #1 choice, and his value goes up in a PPR (Points Per Reception) league as well.
DeAndre Hopkins reminds me of Larry Fitzgerald back in his prime. He can contest the ball and has excellent route running skills. He has 25 contested catches last year which helped earn him the #1 spot in last year’s fantasy rankings. Hopkins and Hill are toss-ups and you can’t go wrong with either of them, but Hill gets the edge because of his rushing ability, return ability, and clearly a better Quarterback.
Michael Thomas was a killer for me last year. The league I play in is a 1 PPR league and had 125 points just from the receptions. What’s best about Thomas is his QB situation. Drew Brees is still an elite QB and has consistently thrown over 5,000 yards and over 30 touchdowns. Any WR on this team who is the #1 target will produce.
Devonte Adams easily has the best QB out of all the top 5 with Aaron Rodgers. What’s important to note about Adams is he has 18 catches of 20+ yards. If your league has bonus points, Adams is a good choice. Adams had 13 touchdowns to go along with 111 catches and nearly 1,400 yards. If the top RB’s and WR are gone in the first round, Adams is a good choice late first or early second as a #1 receiver.
Antonio Brown was traded to the Raiders on Sunday, March 10th, in the early hours of the morning. The Silver and Black gained an elite talent still in the prime of his career. Brown is motivated to prove himself on a team outside of Pittsburgh. Brown is a top receiver and has been for a long time, however, the Raiders and Gruden want to focus on being more balanced and that’s why Brown takes a hit from #1 down to #5. To me, he’s an early second or a late first home run and I’d have no problem drafting him as a #1 receiver.