Wide receivers are the most plentiful position given that offenses use two or three on most plays. And value exists further out than it does on running backs as the only other position that requires more than one fantasy starter. That all said, a Top-10 wide receiver makes a difference, producing far better stats and consistent results each week.
Also see: QB | RB | TE
Fantasy drafters naturally raid the previous Top-10 in the first couple of rounds, and there’s even a “Zero RB” strategy where teams load up on wideouts and later collect whatever running backs that are still left. In the end, it’s all about picking the right players. This summer, a first round may hold more wideouts than any other position. That’s quite the transition from years past where maybe one or two may have been selected. Running backs and wide receivers have almost completely swapped their perceived value in the eyes of fantasy drafters.
Check out just how volatile the Top-10 has been for the last five seasons.
This shows just how consistently elite that Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, and Stefon Diggs have been for the last three years. Interesting too that there have been no wideout with more than three straight Top-10 performances over the last five years. And that block of four receivers are all entering their fourth season.
The other six from 2021 all fell significantly. Half of the Top-10 from last year were no better than No. 19 the previous season. Half of the 2022 Top-10 experienced their first Top-10 year.
Over the last five years, only 12 of the 31 receivers that reached the Top-10 in a season did so in any of the other four. Take away those top four wideouts, and no wideout repeated a Top-10 the next season for the last two years.
The position enjoys more fantasy popularity than ever, but the repeatability of a Top-10 wideout has been zero outside of the top four. That’s not to say they lose all value. They continue to provide WR2 or WR3 stats, but lack the difference-making of that top tier. There’s a fair amount of transition at the top tier with that set of four heading into all new territory while going for their fourth-straight Top-10 year.
