Trenton Corn’s 2023 fantasy football WR rankings 1-20

Getting you prepared for your fantasy football season, Trenton Corn breaks down his rankings for the ever so popular wide receiver position.

These past few seasons, it seems as if the WR position is getting more and more popular in the fantasy football community, as the position could have four players be selected within the first six picks in many leagues this year.

In my WR rankings, I’ll not only break down my favorite early round wideouts, but will also mention my favorite late round sleepers as well, so look out for that at a later date (20-40 rankings coming soon).

1. Cooper Kupp

After a record breaking performance in 2021, Cooper Kupp was only able play in nine full games last season. In those games, he averaged the most fantasy points per game (20.3) at the position and should see an even bigger target share this upcoming season with Allen Robinson gone and the Rams likely playing from behind more often.

2. Justin Jefferson

Jefferson finished last season second overall in fantasy points per game (behind Kupp) at the position and led the league in targets. He scored 19.1 more points than the second place finisher at the position (Davante Adams) and was the only wideout that eclipsed the 300 total point threshold. Only Austin Ekeler and Christian McCaffery scored more points than Jefferson from the skill positions in fantasy last season.

3. Ja’Marr Chase

Chase only played in 13 games last season, but finished the year averaging the 6th most fantasy points per game. However, he saw six more targets in five fewer games. If he draws the crazy amount of targets he received last year and extrapolates that into a full season, he could have WR1 overall upside.

4. Tyreek Hill

Hill scored 3.8 less fantasy points than Davante Adams last season, finishing as the WR3 overall, but he finished with more receptions and yards than Adams & should surpass him in points scored this year, considering his seven touchdowns were tied for the second lowest total in his career.

5. Davante Adams

Many May view Jimmy Garropolo as a lateral move from Derek Carr, but the former 49er did best him in yards per attempt and completion percentage last season by a good bit. If you’re thinking Adams could see a drop in production with the QB change, don’t.

6. Stefon Diggs

Diggs averaged the 5th most points per game last year, finishing as WR4 on the season. He’s attached to one of the best QB’s in all of football in Josh Allen (not to mention Allen should be healthier) and will see plenty of targets. He’s one of the safest wideouts at the position.

7. Amon-Ra St. Brown

After TJ Hockenson got traded, St. Brown was the WR6 in fantasy scoring from weeks 8-18 and was third in targets in that time frame behind only Justin Jefferson and Davante Adams. With a full season being the unquestioned go to weapon for one of the league’s best offenses, expect St. Brown to take a leap forward this season.

8. AJ Brown

Brown received career highs in targets, receptions, yards and tied a career high in touchdowns in his first year with the Eagles, posting a WR5 finish, scoring the 7th most points per game. I don’t know if he can continue that level of production, but I fully expect Brown to continue to be a top ten fantasy wideout.

9. Ceedee Lamb

There’s not eight wideouts in the league better than Lamb, who finished last season as WR6 in fantasy. However, he will have more target competition this season with the Cowboys bringing in Brandin Cooks and Mike McCarthy appears to be set on running the ball more often this season.

10. Garrett Wilson

Wilson’s rookie year saw him see the 6th most targets at the position and tally over 1,000 yards receiving, but inconsistent QB play only allowed the Ohio State standout to receive four trips into the end zone. Now with Aaron Rodgers under center, I’m fully expecting Wilson to take a big step forward next season.

11. Keenan Allen

Allen had an injury riddled beginning of the season, but went on a tear once healthy towards the end of the season, posting WR4 overall numbers from weeks 11-18, ranking second in targets in that span behind only Justin Jefferson. With his volume and the arrival of Kellen Moore, I expect Allen to post WR1 numbers and be very reliable this season if healthy.

12. Deandre Hopkins

Once reinstated this past season, Hopkins was back to his old self, as he was WR7 overall in fantasy from weeks 7-15. Not only does Hopkins still have “it”, but he also has had fantasy success in spite of bad QB play in the past (including last year when Kyler Murray went down with injury), which gives me confidence in his success, even with Ryan Tannehill throwing him passes. Let’s not forget AJ Brown’s success as the WR-1 for the Titans a couple years back.

13. Jaylen Waddle

Waddle finished last season as the WR7 overall in fantasy, but was just WR13 in points per game. Many may look at Waddle competing with targets against Tyreek Hill and shy away, but similar to what I said about RB committees in my RB rankings, there’s a LOT of value in WR2’s in certain offenses, Miami being one. He’s one of the few guys at the position that can go nuclear and win you a week.

14. Amari Cooper

Amari Cooper finished last season as fantasy’s WR9 and that was with bad QB play. With Deshaun Watson surely taking a step forward in his second year on the Browns, I fully expect his number one option to flirt with being a WR1 for fantasy lineups and be a reliable high end WR2.

15. DeVonta Smith

Smith finished one spot lower than Amari Cooper last season and is another number two WR that should be targeted in your fantasy drafts and viewed as a reliable option. He had just eight fewer targets than AJ Brown last season.

16. Tee Higgins

Higgins averaged the 15th most fantasy points per game last season and although his upside is capped when it comes to him being a 1,200 plus yard receiver due to the presence of Ja’Marr Chase, Higgins will be a 110 target, 75 reception, 1,000 plus yard receiver, who could push in the top 12 at the position if he could crack double digit touchdowns for the first time in his career.

17. Christian Watson

Christian Watson hit his stride from weeks 10 on in his rookie campaign, as he was WR7 for fantasy from weeks 10-18. Aaron Rodgers isn’t around no more, but Watson should lead the Packers in receiving touchdowns, with his big play upside.

18. Calvin Ridley

It’s been essentially two years since we’ve seen Calvin Ridley play football, and the last time we saw him outside of Julio Jones shadow, he wasn’t exactly ripping off jaw dropping performances, scoring just twice in five games In 2021. That, on top of the target competition between Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Evan Engram has me concerned, but I also can’t ignore the opportunity he has at being the Jaguars WR1 and the fact that the last time we saw him play a full season, he finished as the WR4.

19. Mike Evans

Evans scored more fantasy points than Tee Higgins, Amari Cooper and DeVonta Smith last year and kept his 1,000 yard streak alive, as he’s never failed to reach that benchmark in his nine years in the league. It never seems pretty, but at the end of the day, Evans will post end of season numbers similar to Tee Higgins, Christian Watson, Mike Williams and DK Metcalf.

20. Deebo Samuel

Deebo is a hard player to project, considering he finished 2021 as the WR2 overall, but has more career touchdowns on the ground (14) than through the air (12) and averaged less fantasy points per game in 2022 than Brandon Aiyuk. However, I’m going to rank Samuel ahead of Aiyuk and bank on him having a healthier season in 2023.

John 3:16

¹⁶ “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”