Fantasy Football draft prep 2021: Wide receiver rankings by tiers, plus Dave Richard's positional strategy

If running backs are top-heavy and tight ends are in short supply, wide receivers are the all-you-can-eat buffet of the century. The position is insanely deep and not particularly top-heavy, meaning you can find starters you'll feel good about with plenty of your picks.

All the more reason to focus on other positions early on. Hint hint.

College football has spawned so many exciting new receivers, and they're adapting to the pro game faster than their predecessors. Not that their more recent predecessors are getting pushed out the door -- plenty of really good veterans are still big-time factors.

But if we're looking for 15 PPR points per week from a starting Fantasy receiver, we should be able to find someone who has the outlook to deliver it pretty easily. On average, 25.9 wide receivers averaged 15 PPR points per week in 2020. On a per-person basis, 17 receivers averaged 15 PPR points per game and another 15 averaged between 13 and 14.9.

Make no mistake, receivers are safe. That's why it's understandable to go after these guys with, say, two of your first four picks. These pass catchers tend to stay healthier than their running back counterparts and can provide some good consistency. Plus the game is changing in their favor -- teams are passing more and the league is loaded with exciting quarterbacks. 

But as has been the case for a few years, offenses are employing more spread formations, meaning that wide receiver target shares are getting watered down a little. Maybe that changes as the league moves to a 17-game slate, but it's unlikely to alter anything greatly.

The rush to draft running backs early will push some great values into your face at receiver. Take advantage. You should feel comfortable drafting anyone into the sixth tier, or Round 7, as a startable part of your lineup. You might even feel OK with a couple of other receivers you'll find one round later. And even if you don't, there are always players out there, both later on Draft Day and on the waiver wire, who should at least provide a floor of 10 PPR points. 

But even if that makes you nervous, you could always choose just enough wide receivers from the first five tiers to cover your league's lineup requirements. Chase a couple of other receivers later, namely, those who you believe can pick up at least six targets per game and/or have early-season breakout potential (good role, good quarterback, friendly schedule).

DAVE'S FAVORITE STRATEGY: Bake your receiver picks into your strategies at other positions. Don't force yourself to take one when there's a better value at running back or tight end early on. Assume you'll be able to find a receiver you'll like until you get to Round 8. 

• More tiers: QB | RB | TE | K/DST
  

Wide receiver PPR tiers (updated 9/1)

Wide receiver Non-PPR tiers (updated 9/1)

So which sleepers, breakouts and busts should you target and fade? And which QB shocks the NFL with a top-five performance? Visit SportsLine now to get Fantasy cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that called Josh Allen's huge season, and find out.