With the NFL moving more and more toward spread, aerial offenses, wide receivers are becoming more and more important in fantasy football. Gone are the days that managers load up on running backs early and often, as multiple wide receivers come off the board in Round One now.
Seemingly every season, the wide receiver position gets deeper and deeper. This year added another talent crop of rookies that will help teams open up their offense even more. Which wide receivers will find themselves near the top of the rankings this season?
Here are the top five wide receivers for fantasy football in 2021.
Calvin Ridley
The Atlanta Falcons have one of the most potent skill position groups in the NFL with Calvin Ridley, Julio Jones and Hayden Hurst being joined by No. 4 overall pick, Kyle Pitts. While Jones has been the franchise cornerstone for years, it is Ridley who will cement himself among the best fantasy receivers in the game.
Ridley is a bonafide No. 1 target and should benefit from having so much talent around him as defenses won’t be able to key in on him. Even if the Jones trade rumors come to fruition, Ridley will dominate. He gained at least 100 yards or caught a touchdown in six of the seven games Jones missed last season. Expect more of that same in 2021 from Ridley with or without Jones in the fold.
READ MORE: 5 rookies you must target for your Fantasy Football roster in 2021
Keenan Allen
Keenan Allen is one of the most underrated receivers in the NFL. He is never discussed among the best in the game, yet each and every season, he produces at an elite clip.
The Chargers now have what looks like an elite young quarterback in Justin Herbert, who showed great chemistry with Allen last season. Despite playing in only 14 games and battling nagging injuries, Allen caught 100 balls for 992 yards and eight touchdowns.
As long as Allen can avoid injury, he is in for another great season. Los Angeles didn’t add any receivers in the offseason, so Allen’s target share is as safe as they come, as Jared Cook replacing Hunter Henry is the only real change to the receiving group.
Davante Adams
There is a lot of rumors surrounding the Green Bay Packers currently, as star quarterback Aaron Rodgers is in a staredown with the organizaiton. That is as big of a reason as any that Adams isn’t ranked No.1 on this list.
With Rodgers throwing him the ball, Adams is far and away the No. 1 receiver in fantasy football. His target share is gigantic and he makes the most of it with tons of yardage and scores.
Adams led the NFL in yards per game and touchdowns despite playing in only 14 games. He is as dominant as they come, but if he is partnered with Jordan Love, his stock will drop, and rightfully so.
Tyreek Hill
When the player throwing you the ball is as talented as Patrick Mahomes, you are going to find plenty of success. Tyreek Hill is as dynamic as they come and should continue to thrive in 2021.
Hill is a gamebreaker, as he can take it to the house any time that he touches the ball. Mecole Hardman, DeMarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle are unproven commodities at this point, and with Sammy Watkins moving on in free agency, Hill could receive even more opportunities in 2021.
Hill is prone to some letdown games, but if he pushes toward double-digit targets per game, his floor will be extremely high week in and week out.
DeAndre Hopkins
The Arizona Cardinals pulled off a highway robbery when they landed DeAndre Hopkins in a trade with the Houston Texans last offseason. Hopkins was a target hog with the Texans and that continued with Arizona.
Without someone stepping up as a No. 2 option in Arizona, Hopkins received plenty of attention from opposing defenses, but that didn’t stop Kyler Murray from targeting his newest teammate 160 times. Hopkins has been targeted at least 127 times for seven straight seasons and should reach that again.
Arizona signed A.J. Green in the offseason, but based on his recent history, that may not move the needle much. Expect another monster season from Hopkins and with an offseason to develop more chemistry, the results should be even better in Year 2 in the desert for Hopkins.
