Best Ball Wide Receiver Tiers: Drake London For Next Level?

Welcome to the first installation of NFL Best Ball tiers with the wide receiver position. Hopefully our NFL Best Ball wide receiver tiers help you as you get going.

Tiers help contextualize the gaps in player profiles and provide useful insights when selecting players. For example, a running back tier may only have one player remaining, while receiver or tight end have multiple. In this situation, it may be prudent to select the final running back from this tier. This piece will break down the wide receiver position into tiers, providing explanation to each.

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Ready to up your Best Ball game to the expert tier? Matt Gajewski has a guide on how to do just that; he breaks down everything, from stacking strategy to specific draft times to general roster construction.

Best Ball Wide Receiver Tiers

Best Ball Wide Receiver Tier 1

This is the unencumbered alpha wide receiver tier. These players should be locked into elite roles on varying levels of offensive efficiency. Each one has a strong chance of finishing as the overall WR1

CeeDee Lamb

While Lamb’s 29.9% target share ranked seventh in the NFL in 2023, he led the league with 181 raw targets. Dallas passed the ball 59% of the time last year and they enter 2023 with an elite 10.5 win total. Improving matters further, Lamb will actually face reduced competition with Michael Gallup moving on. Behind him, only Brandin Cooks and tight end Jake Ferguson pose legitimate threats. In addition to volume, Lamb ranked fourth in yards per route run among receivers with 100 targets. 

Tyreek Hill

There is a legitimate case for Hill as WR1. He ranked first in receiving yards (1,799), second in receptions (119), first in touchdowns (13), fourth in yards after the catch (652), second in target share (32.7%), and first in yards per route. Miami has a 9.5 win total and little else has changed in his current situation. Hill faces slightly more competition than Lamb, but that mattered little last year. 

Ja’Marr Chase

There is an argument for a tier break here, but the talent among the next three receivers rivals the top two. Chase finished with a 26.3% target share in Cincinnati, notching 1,213 receiving yards on 100 catches. His 20th ranked yards per route leaves something to be desired, but Jake Browning played quarterback for part of 2023. Tee Higgins provides some competition, but Chase brings undeniable upside. 

Amon-Ra St. Brown

Finishing sixth in yards per route in 2023, St. Brown registered 1,515 yards on 119 catches. His 30.3% target share ranked fifth and Detroit lost Josh Reynolds this offseason. The Lions ranked 21st in pass rate, which doesn’t project to change. However, St. Brown remains an unquestioned alpha. 

Justin Jefferson

Jefferson posted a 26.8% target share last year for 1,074 yards, but he only played in ten games. Minnesota has the most change among teams for the top five receivers. Sam Darnold or rookie JJ McCarthy will now play quarterback and Jordan Addison enters year two. The Vikings only have a 6.5 win total, which is enough to break some ties among the top five receivers. 

Best Ball Wide Receiver Tier 2

These receivers have shown glimpses of elite ability. However, they face some obstacle to attaining elite status. These obstacles include strong competition, poor quarterback play, or a small sample of elite play. 

AJ Brown

Brown continued a hyper efficient career by finishing seventh in yards per route last year. Unfortunately, Philadelphia ranked 26th in pass rate and Jalen Hurts handled an absurd amount of the goal line opportunities. Both pose a potential threat. However, Kellen Moore comes in as offensive coordinator and a new center could change those factors moving forward. Even with Devonta Smith in the offense, Brown saw 30.1% of the targets. 

Puka Nacua

While Nacua benefitted from Cooper Kupp’s injury riddled 2023, he still finished third in yards per route. He also posted a 28.7% target share, resulting in 1,486 receiving yards. Little else has changed in Los Angeles outside of Kupp’s presumed health ahead of 2024. A camp injury bumped him below Brown. 

Garrett Wilson

Wilson accounted for 29.9% of New York’s targets in 2023, but he finished 33rd in yards per route. Much of his inefficiency stemmed from Zach Wilson. With Aaron Rodgers now returning, the efficiency should receive a major boost. 

Drake London

While London requires some projection forward, he should benefit from the signing of Kirk Cousins and offensive coordinator change to Zac Robinson. London finished 24th in yards per route on a 23.4% target share in 2023. Both should rise without Desmond Ridder and Arthur Smith tanking the offense. Now entering year three, only Kyle Pitts poses a legitimate threat to targets in this offense. 

Marvin Harrison Jr.

Pegged as one of the best receiver prospects of all time, Harrison should immediately function as the unquestioned alpha in Arizona. The competition consists of Trey McBride, Michael Wilson, and Greg Dortch. The only thing standing in Harrison’s way is Arizona’s 6.5 win total and inexperience. 

Chris Olave

Despite a poor season from Derek Carr, Olave finished 16th in yards per route with a 27% target share. New Orleans changed offensive coordinators, hiring Klint Kubiak. This could boost efficiency and Olave will compete with just Rashid Shaheed and Alvin Kamara as legitimate threats to targets. 

Davante Adams

Adams led the NFL with a 33% target share in 2023. He still played efficient football, ranking 21st in yards per route. While the quarterback situation hasn’t improved, the target competition remains weak. 

Cooper Kupp

Now 31 years old, Kupp comes with some legitimate concerns. He hasn’t played a full season since 2021, which may explain his decline in efficiency. Last year, he dropped to 25th in yards per route and Nacua’s emergence puts a cap on his upside. Still, his 25.6% target share proved useful when active. 

Nico Collins

Riding the CJ Stroud wave, Collins finished second in yards per route in 2023. Surprisingly, he only registered a 22.2% target share and Houston added Stefon Diggs in free agency. However, there is potential for him to take another step from his 1,297 yards and 80 catches from last year. 

Malik Nabers

The opposite of Kirk, sixth overall pick Nabers oozes upside in New York’s offense. Nabers should immediately step in as the alpha with only Wan’Dane Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, and Darius Slayton as legitimate competition. Quarterback leaves something to be desired, but Daniel Jones is only two years removed from a career year in his first season under Brian Daboll. 

Jaylen Waddle

On top of Hill ranking first in yards per route, Waddle ranked seventh. With his 22.7% target share, this is one of the tightest target distributions in the NFL. 

Brandon Aiyuk

Aiyuk posed a 24% target share to Samuel’s 21.6% in 2023. He also ranked fifth in yards per route to Samuel’s 12th overall ranking. While most metrics have them close, Samuel did carry the ball an additional 37 times in the run game. This should be enough to break a tie between two talented players in the same offense. Trade rumors have him sliding slightly. 

Deebo Samuel

Mike Evans

Despite playing at age 30, Evans notched his tenth consecutive 1,000 yard season. Impressively, he still ranked tenth in yards per route and commanded a 24.6% target share. His only major concern remains a decline in efficiency due to age and the departure of offensive coordinator Dave Canales. 

Michael Pittman

Despite playing just a handful of games with Anthony Richardson, Pittman finished 18th in yards per route and fourth in target share (30.5%). AD Mitchell comes in with second round draft capital, but there this receiving room remains wide open. 

DJ Moore

A tough situation to project, Moore will face increased target competition with the acquisitions of Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze. However, moving to Caleb Williams from Justin Fields could boost overall efficiency. Moore finished 11th in yards per route last year. 

DeVonta Smith

Similar to Miami, Philadelphia played with one of the tightest target distributions in football. After Brown at 30.1%, Smith registered 22.8%. He also finished 22nd in yards per route. However, Philadelphia ranked 26th in pass rate, compared to Miami at 15th. Hurts also soaks up end zone opportunities, while Tua Tagovailoa is non-existent in that area of the field on the ground. 

Best Ball Wide Receiver Tier 3

While many talented receivers occupy tier 3, they face multiple obstacles to a higher rank. Many have proven the inferior counterpart to other elite receivers. Others play within poor offenses. Some are entirely unproven altogether and others have shown a recent decline in play. 

DK Metcalf

Metcalf finished with a 23% target share and finished 18th in yards per route. Tyler Lockett is another year older and Jaxon Smith-Njigba played as a clear WR3 last year. The offense should remain pass heavy under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. The concerns are continued efficiency from Lockett and a step forward for Smith-Njigba.

Stefon Diggs

Diggs has now seen his yards per route drop below 2.0 in two of the last three years. Even with last year’s decline, this still ranked 23rd in the NFL. This year, Diggs changes teams and maybe gets an upgrade from a passing perspective. Even in a good situation, he will face stiffer competition for targets with Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Dalton Schultz in the fold. How many pass catchers can Stroud prop up?

Rashee Rice

Rice ranked 13th in yards per route and a 17.9% target share. His suspension is unknown, but could come in north of six games or it may be deferred to next season. It is looking more likely to be a 2025 problem. 

Tee Higgins

It looks likely that Higgins will play out the 2023 season under the franchise tag with Cincinnati. Higgins posted his worst season from an efficiency perspective in 2023, but he battled injury along with poor quarterback play. He also saw his target share drop to 17.9% when healthy.

Zay Flowers

As a rookie, Flowers immediately commanded 24% of Baltimore’s targets and ranked 27th in yards per route. A dynamic player, Flowers also handled eight carries on the ground. Baltimore will take a run-first approach, but he should lead this team in targets.

Tank Dell

Perhaps the most impressive rookie receiver outside of Nacua, Dell’s 2.22 yards per route would have ranked 13th last season. Dell now faces increased target competition, but his role looks secure in Houston’s offense. 

Christian Kirk

Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones depart, but in comes Gabe Davis and first round rookie Brian Thomas Jr.. Kirk only received 80 targets last year due to injury, but his 2.07 yards per route would have tied him with Olave at 16th overall. This also marked a career-best for Kirk. There doesn’t appear to be much more upside to his game, but this is a safe place among the tiers. He hasn’t been running in two wide receiver sets this preseason. 

Amari Cooper

When healthy Cooper commanded a 23.6% target share in Cleveland, ranking 13th in yards per route. Cleveland still hasn’t received even adequate play from Deshaun Watson and they added Jerry Jeudy to their receiver room this offseason. Cooper still remains a solid bet to finish firmly as a WR2. 

Chris Godwin

In his second season removed from an ACL tear, Godwin ranked 26th in yards per route. With that said, his 23.8% target share only narrowly trailed Evans last year.  

Keenan Allen

Coming over to Chicago from Los Angeles, Allen still ranked ninth in the NFL in yards per route. His target share likely drops, but most believe Chicago will play efficient offense.

Best Ball Wide Receiver Tier 4

In general, tier four receivers look similar to tier three. However, they face significant hurdles to WR1 status. The offenses are often worse and the situations muddled. Some players are entirely unproven with more questions on their prospect profiles. These receivers have the slightest chance to finish as WR1’s. 

George Pickens

Pittsburgh has not been shy about their desire to run the ball. However, they shipped off Diontae Johnson leaving a void at receiver. Pickens handles a 21.9% target share, which almost certainly rises. He also ranked 17th in yards per route. Pittsburgh may have upgraded at QB, moving from Kenny Pickett to some combination of Justin Fields and Russell Wilson.

Terry McLaurin

Despite his WR1 status in Washington, McLaurin only handled a 21.7% target share, ranking 32nd in yards per route. Washington drafted quarterback Jayden Daniels at number two overall and hired failed head coach Kliff Kingsbury to coordinate the offense. There is plenty of change to be concerned with, but a 6.5 win total is the greatest of them all. 

Rome Odunze

The presumed third wide receiver in Chicago’s trio, the Bears spent the ninth overall pick on Odunze. His range of outcomes rests somewhere between alpha status and a Jaxon Smith-Njigba-type first year. 

Xavier Worthy

Worthy looks eerily similar to his teammate Marquise Brown. He comes in as an undersized blazer with first round draft capital. Unlike Brown, he hasn’t yet proven himself as an underachiever. However, Brown’s injury has Worthy rising. 

Jayden Reed

Parsing the Green Bay receiving room remains one of the trickiest tasks this offseason. Reed commanded 17.6% of Green Bay’s targets and ranked first among their pass catchers in yards per route. He looks like the safest bet among the pass catchers. 

Diontae Johnson

Johnson moves from Pittsburgh to Carolina, where the Panthers boast a league-low 4.5 win total. Bryce Young ranked among the worst starting quarterbacks last year, but offensive guru Dave Canales comes in to right the ship. Johnson had a 23.5% target share, but would have checked in at 23rd in yards per route. 

Calvin Ridley

Back from suspension, Ridley posted the 31st best yards per route on a 22.4% target share. Hopkins bested Ridley in both marks in an inferior offense. He should be the main beneficiary of the Hopkins injury. 

Brian Thomas Jr.

Jacksonville drafted Thomas 23rd overall to compete with Kirk, Evan Engram, and Gabe Davis. He could emerge as a WR1, but remain entirely unproven. 

DeAndre Hopkins

Despite playing at age 31 in a pitiful offensive environment, Hopkins registered a 28.6% target share and ranked 15th in yards per route. The addition of Calvin Ridley poses some threat, but Hopkins remains the safer bet. 

Keon Coleman

Without Diggs, Buffalo has a chasm at wide receiver. The Bills drafted Coleman 33rd overall, making him the favorite for targets in a battle with Dalton Kincaid, Khalil Shakir, and Curtis Samuel. 

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Many have projected Smith-Njigba for a leap ahead of an aging Tyler Lockett this year. Lockett did register his worst season from a yards per route perspective since 2017, but he still commanded a 22.3% target share. In comparison, Smith-Njigba checked in at 17%. Lockett’s 1.61 yards per route also bested Smith-Njigba’s 1.32. The projected gap will decide this situation, but neither is likely to eclipse Metcalf. 

Ladd McConkey

Los Angeles lost both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams this offseason, leaving 34th overall pick Ladd McConkey as the presumed WR1. More worrisome, the Chargers move from a pass-heavy offense under Kellen Moore to Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman. 

Best Ball Wide Receiver Tier 5

This team contains WR3’s with WR2 upside.

Christian Watson

Watson posted an elite 2.26 yards per route as a rookie, but has been unable to overcome hamstring injuries. With Green Bay’s receiving room showing plenty of juice last year, he isn’t a lock for a consistent role. 

Marquise Brown

Kansas City continues to brace for the Rashee Rice suspension and Travis Kelce will play most of the year past the age of 35. Brown has never lived up to his first round draft capital and posted an abysmal yards per route last year. However, he will play with Patrick Mahomes. Brown suffered an injury and will likely miss a few games. 

Jameson Williams

Williams has been woefully inefficient since coming out of Alabama as a first rounder in 2022. To sum up his career, he has failed to earn targets or generate efficiency in an offense where Detroit only asks him to run straight down the field. With that said, Detroit placed a considerable bet on Williams by letting Josh Reynolds walk. Perhaps Williams has benefitted from additional development after most of the last two offseasons after tearing his ACL in the College Football Playoff and gambling the following year. Still, he ranks behind St. Brown, LaPorta, and maybe even Gibbs for targets in a run-first offense. 

Josh Palmer

There is a non-zero chance Palmer operates as the WR1 in Los Angeles for Justin Herbert. 

Jordan Addison

In his first NFL season, Addison ranked 35th in yards per route. It should be noted that Jefferson soaked up more of the valuable Kirk Cousins targets. Much of Addison’s WR1 status overlapped with the Cousins’ torn achilles. Addison still suffers from the same potential systemic issues as Jefferson under a rookie quarterback in JJ McCarthy, who played in a run-first offense at Michigan. 

Courtland Sutton

Sean Payton clearly wants to run the ball, ranking 25th in pass rate last year. However, a 5.5 win total may force them to pass more than expected. Payton also hand picked Bo Nix at quarterback, which may or may not be an upgrade over Russell Wilson. Sutton has been the subject of trade rumors, but he saw a 20.1% target share. This number likely rises, if playing in Denver. 

Khalil Shakir

Shakir took a step forward efficiency wise in year two and would have ranked 25th in yards per route if he had received enough targets. He finished the year strong with 100 yards or a touchdown in each of his final three games. There’s a non-zero chance he is the top receiver on the roster, but these chances are slim. 

Curtis Samuel

Surprisingly, Samuel has eclipsed 600 receiving yards in four of his last five seasons with the lone exception coming due to injury. Samuel still plays a specific role and hasn’t seen an ADOT over 7.5 since 2019. There is no clear alpha in Buffalo, which adds some potential upside. 

Romeo Doubs

Doubs accounted for 908 yards and nine scores, but he registered the lowest yards per route among Green Bay’s main receivers. 

Rashid Shaheed

In line for WR2 duties in a Derek Carr offense.

Tyler Lockett

Jerry Jeudy

Jeudy earned 19.6% of Denver’s targets last year, but posted questionable efficiency. He is one year removed from an efficient 2.08 yards per route in 2023, suggesting Russell Wilson deserves some blame.  

Brandin Cooks

Cooks only saw 14.3% of the targets in 2023. Little has changed and he is a year older. 

Jakobi Meyers

Meyers operates as a serviceable WR2 in a run-first offense with maybe the worst quarterback room in football. He was 34th in yards per route among 36 qualifiers, ahead of only Jordan Addison and Elijah Moore.

Mike Williams

Now 29 years old, Williams tore his ACL in Week 3 last year. He presents an interesting case after posting 2.33 yards per route in those three games. He has only fallen below 1.7 yards per route once in the last six years. Williams now joins Aaron Rodgers in New York with the chance to operate as a clear WR2. 

Best Ball Wide Receiver Tier 6

Tier 6 receivers are mostly WR3’s for fantasy. They possess an outside chance to jump into WR2 status, but they could also fall as low as WR4’s. 

Dontayvion Wicks

Wicks trailed only Jayden Reed in yards per route (1.95 to 1.94) in the Packers wide receiver room last year. 

Gabe Davis

Davis should one for one fill the void left by Zay Jones.

Jahan Dotson

Doston only saw 13.8% of the targets in 2023. They lost Curtis Samuel, but Dotson has yet to record even a remotely efficient season. 

Adam Thielen

Thielen registered a 25.7% target share, but Carolina is full of change. Dave Canales comes over after getting the most out of Tampa Bay’s pass game. Bryce Young enters year two and cannot possibly be worse. However, Carolina added Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette, likely dropping Thielen’s target share.

Darnell Mooney

There is a chance Atlanta’s entire pass game is undervalued with the departure of Arthur Smith and the addition of Kirk Cousins. 

Ja’Lynn Polk

Drafterd 37th overall, Polk might step into the WR1 role immediately in New England. 

Josh Downs

Downs should operate as a high percentage slot receiver for Anthony Richardson. Pittman is the clear alpha here, but AD Mitchell remains unproven. Downs had a solid 18% target share last year. 

Wan’Dale Robinson

Robinson handled an 18.6% target share coming off a torn ACL in 2023. He is the likely WR2 in New York. 

Adonai Mitchell

The Colts drafted Mitchell at 57th overall. Given his profile as a burner, Alec Pierce presents his biggest barrier to snaps. 

Xavier Legette

Carolina drafted Legette 32nd overall, but he faces legitimate competition in a bottom three offense. 

DeMario Douglas

Rashod Bateman

Baltimore let Odell Beckham walk, setting up Bateman for more snaps in a run-heavy offense.  

Best Ball Wide Receiver Tier 7

These players might jump as high as WR2 or finish as situational role players

Micheal Wilson

Wilson has been running as the clear WR2 in Arizona.

Malachi Corley

Corley enters New York with third round draft capital. He could play ahead of Mike Williams or lose snaps to Allen Lazard. The range of outcomes in wide.

Demarcus Robinson

Robinson already iced Tutu Atwell as the WR3 in Los Angeles last year. 

Greg Dortch

The WR2 in Arizona will be either Greg Dortch or Michael Wilson. Dortch will man the slot

Jalen Tolbert

The favorite wo win the Dallas WR3 job.

Jalen McMillan

Tampa Bay drafted McMillan in the third round. He will compete with Trey Palmer for the WR3 roles. 

Ricky Pearsall

San Francisco drafted Pearsall in round one, but they already have three starting receivers and run 11-personnel at one of the lowest rates in the NFL. 

Jermaine Burton

Burton needs to beat out Andrei Iosivas and Trenton Irwin for the WR3 role. His third round draft capital makes this somewhat likely. 

Tyler Boyd

Darius Slayton

Jalin Hyatt

Andrei Iosivas

Iosivas has been running as the WR3 in Cincinnati

DJ Chark Jr.

Chark has been running well ahead of 2023 first rounder bust Johnston.

Best Ball Wide Receiver Tier 8

Dart throws

Jalen Nailor

Roman Wilson

Josh Reynolds

Ray-Ray McCloud

The presumed WR3 after Rondale Moore‘s season ending injury.

Luke McCaffrey

With Jahan Dotson playing so poorly, could McCaffrey immediately compete for WR2 snaps?

Tim Patrick

Javon Baker

Kendrick Bourne

Allen Lazard

Quentin Johnston

Elijah Moore

Moore finished dead last in yards per route among 36 qualifiers with at least 100 targets. Cleveland acquired Jerry Jeudy as a presumed upgrade. 

Kalif Raymond

Treylon Burks

AT Perry

Perry looks like the clear WR3 in New Orleans.

Tre Tucker

Troy Franklin

Zay Jones

Cedrick Wilson

Nelson Agholor

Noah Brown

Devontez Walker

Bo Melton

Trey Palmer

Jauan Jennings

Cedric Tillman