If you're looking for the ultimate fantasy football hot take, then here it is – linear fantasy football rankings are making you worse at this game. There, I said it. We’ve held our tongue on the topic for far too long but it’s becoming abundantly clear. And no amount of fantasy football mock drafts or fantasy football trade analyzers can save you. Running through a long list of players, trying to pick out the fantasy football sleepers and identify the busts, is an antiquated approach. You need to start thinking differently. You need to start thinking DYNAMICALLY.

 

Here's an example of a section of "best" available" wide receivers that could be on the board on draft day based on our current composite ADP.

These are quite literally very different types of players. Cooks is a field stretching deep threat on a new team. Sutton is a split end with a new coach. Michael Thomas is an injury prone superstar. Quentin Johnston is a rookie wild card. Jameson Williams is suspended for six games. JuJu Smith-Schuster is a low aDot slot type. Allen Lazard relies on red zone targets. If that's the board and you are just looking at a linear set of rankings, how do you actually know what's right for you? And that's without factoring in who you've drafted already.

Think back to past seasons. Have you ever played it too safe? Ended up with a bunch of guys like JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jakobi Meyers, Tyler Boyd, Hunter Renfrow etc. that all had solid floors but offered little upside? Or have you gone the other way and drafted too much risk? Maybe last year you took a Keenan Allen, Michael Thomas, and Allen Robinson along with a suspended DeAndre Hopkins and an injured Chris Godwin. In that case you would have LOVED to have a JuJu Smith-Schuster to throw in there.

So what if I told you there was a better way to look at fantasy football sleepers and busts? To break free from the constraints of linear rankings? Where you can have a better idea of when to take the “best player available” or when to balance safety and upside. Where you can get the right exposure to breakout players without sacrificing the crucial early games of your season. For that, we introduce to you our new Dynamic Rankings!

 

Dynamic Tier Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Player Rankings

The idea is pretty simple. Nearly every league has at least two starting wide receivers. Some have three, some might even have four. Maybe you have one flex spot, maybe you don’t have any, or maybe you have a bunch. Regardless of your setup, our goal is to help you build a more dynamic roster that minimizes your risk while providing you the correct exposure to the upside. Because not every league is the same, so not everyone should be thinking the same way. And you definitely don’t want to just draft off some arbitrary list.

Here’s a look at how the dynamic rankings are set up and how to use each section.

Top 24 Upside Stash
Must StartJameson Williams
Justin JeffersonChris Olave 
Ja'Marr ChaseAmon-Ra St. Brown 
Tyreek HillDK Metcalf 
Cooper KuppAmari Cooper 
Stefon DiggsKeenan Allen 
A.J. BrownDeAndre Hopkins 
CeeDee LambDeebo Samuel 
Davante AdamsCalvin Ridley 
Jaylen WaddleChristian WatsonThe Rest
DeVonta SmithJerry Jeudy 
Garrett WilsonMike WilliamsRashid Shaheed
Tee HigginsTerry McLaurinSkyy Moore
WR ThreeMichael Wilson
Safe WR3Upside PlayRomeo Doubs
Christian KirkDrake LondonJosh Downs
Chris GodwinMichael PittmanTank Dell
Diontae JohnsonTreylon BurksIsaiah Hodgins
Mike EvansDJ MooreDonovan Peoples-Jones
Brandon AiyukMarquise BrownMecole Hardman
Tyler LockettJordan AddisonMarvin Jones
Brandin CooksKadarius ToneyRobert Woods
Rashod BatemanMichael ThomasParris Campbell
Courtland SuttonJahan DotsonAllen Robinson
JuJu Smith-SchusterGeorge PickensDeVante Parker
Gabe DavisJaxon Smith-NjigbaCedric Tillman
Allen LazardElijah MooreNick Westbrook-Ikhine
Rondale MooreZay FlowersKhalil Shakir
Adam ThielenOdell Beckham JrMarvin Mims
Jakobi MeyersJonathan MingoTerrace Marshall
Darnell MooneyDJ CharkJoshua Palmer
Chase ClaypoolAlec PierceJosh Reynolds
K.J. OsbornJayden ReedKendrick Bourne
Hunter RenfrowNico CollinsSterling Shepard
Tyler BoydJohn MetchieCorey Davis
Zay JonesWan'Dale RobinsonMack Hollins
Curtis SamuelQuentin JohnstonGreg Dortch
Michael GallupTyquan ThorntonDarius Slayton
Van JeffersonJalin HyattKyle Philips
Marquez Valdes-ScantlingRashee RiceTim Patrick

How It All Works

Must Start: Virtually every league has at least two starting wide receiver spots. If you have these players, you find a way to get them in your lineup every week, whether it’s a WR spot or a Flex spot.

WR Three: This is where you need to start considering your league rules and format in who to draft or roster. You don’t want to exclusively have guys from one side or the other. You want some sort of balance.

  • Safe WR3: If you have three WR spots, I’d strongly consider having three guys from the top section or this secondary area. You should also have at least someone dependable from this section on the bench for bye weeks. 
  • Upside Play: You need to have some exposure to upside if you want to win. If you took relatively safe guys from the top group or are in a relatively shallow league, load up from this group. Just know these guys also carry higher risk and a potentially lower floor so you may not be able to depend on them early on. Some might end up being bench stashes that never pan out and that’s okay if you have the right balance. 

Upside Stash: Do you have an IR spot? Does your league have deep benches? Or are the starting spots shallow enough that you really just want to maximize long-term upside and ignore short-term production? These guys are typically either injured, suspended, or unsigned so they offer limited usefulness early on but also provide a glimpse of high upside down the stretch.

The Rest: For deep leagues and deep benches, this is how we prioritize the remaining fantasy-relevant options. 

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