Cooper Kupp (LAR)

The best wide receiver last year by far was Cooper Kupp. 

Kupp was great all year but definitely saw an uptick in usage when Robert Woods got injured after the Rams’ ninth game. 

Kupp will undoubtedly be one of the top wide receivers again but it would be ambitious to think he comes close to his 2022 production seen below.

Justin Jefferson (MIN)

Jefferson is expected to make yet another jump from year two to three. 

He was second in the NFL in receiving yards last year and the other top option in Minnesota, Adam Thielen, has taken a bit of a back seat in the past two seasons with 67 and 74 catches after having 114 in 2019.

Ja’Marr Chase (CIN)

Chase is a lot of people’s favorite fantasy wide receiver for 2022. 

There is good reason for that as Chase is one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the league with a 18 yard per catch average and the third most touchdown catches with 13 as a rookie.

Stefon Diggs (BUF)

The Bills have one of the best offenses in the NFL and Diggs is the favorite target of his quarterback Josh Allen. 

Diggs has it all: speed, hands, and physicality. Expect another big year from Diggs, and he could very well end the season as the No. 1 fantasy wide receiver. 

CeeDee Lamb (DAL)

Lamb will get his first chance to be the guy in Dallas. 

After two years where he had 74 and 79 catches with just five and six touchdowns, Lamb will have the chance to be the go-to target for Dak Prescott in 2022. 

Expect big increases in both catches and touchdowns for him. 

Deebo Samuel (SF)

One of the most dynamic wide receivers in the NFL had a huge season last year. 

Just looking at his receiving numbers doesn’t tell the whole story for Samuel though. 

San francisco uses him a lot as a running back as well. 

While he only caught six touchdowns, he ran for eight more and added 365 rushing yards.

A.J. Brown (PHI)

The new big target in Philadelphia is arguably their most talented wide receiver they have had since Desean Jackson or even Terrell Owens. 

Brown is a massive target and one of the fastest players in the NFL as well. 

The question here is how effective he can be with Jalen Hurts at quarterback which it is still unknown of how good Hurts really is.

Davante Adams (LV)

Arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL the past few years finds himself on a new team after being traded this offseason to the Raiders. 

It will be interesting to see how Adams does without Aaron Rodgers and how he fits in with an offense with Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller who commanded a combined 221 targets last year.

Mike Evans (TB)

Evans is still Tom Brady’s favorite target. Chris Godwin is returning from a big injury and Antonio Brown is no longer with the team. 

Evans is a massive red zone target and deep threat as he had the second-most touchdown catches with 14 last season. 

Chris Godwin (TB)

The counterpart to Mike Evans is Chris Godwin. 

It remains to be seen how he will be utilized early in the year coming back from injury. 

Surprisingly, while Mike Evans is a big red zone target, Godwin actually had more targets in the red zone in 2021 with 27 compared to 18 from Evans.

D.K. Metcalf (SEA)

One of the top-ranked wide receivers every year in fantasy is DK Metcalf. 

While he isn’t the best in PPR leagues, as his career high for catches in a season is only 83, he makes up for it with his ability to find the end zone. 

Metcalf had 10 and 13 touchdowns the last two years. 

It will be interesting to see how he does without a top 10 or even 25 quarterback.

Tyreek Hill (MIA)

Another top wide receiver will be playing with another team for the first time this season. 

Hill is one of the best big-play wide receivers. 

He arguably played with the best quarterback in the league the past handful of years, and now he will join a team with a starting quarterback who has never finished top 26 in the league in passing yards.

Jaylen Waddle (MIA)

The other player anticipated to be a top option for Miami is Waddle. 

In his rookie year he caught a ton of short passes. He caught 104 balls but only averaged 9.8 yards per catch. 

It will be interesting to see how he is utilized this year with Hill and Cedrick Wilson now on the roster.

Jerry Jeudy (DEN)

People around the league are expecting a breakout year for the third-year wide receiver Jerry Jeudy with Russell Wilson now on the Denver Broncos. 

Possibly top their wide receiver option, Tim Patrick, tore his ACL in training camp that will open up even more targets for Jeudy this upcoming season. 

DJ Moore (CAR)

Moore has impressively put up good stats every year without a top quarterback. 

He may actually have his best quarterback in 2022 with Baker Mayfield. 

Moore is extremely talented and could be in for potentially his best year ever. With a history of high production, expect nothing less this season.

Keenan Allen (LAC)

Possibly one of the most overlooked star wide receivers in the league is in store for yet another big year. 

Justin Herbert is poised for another big year as well with this offense. 

Allen is now 30-years-old but is not showing any signs of slowing down yet.

Diontae Johnson (PIT)

One of the most talented wide receivers in the NFL may actually be getting an upgrade at quarterback over the aging Big Ben. 

Whoever is his quarterback, can finally utilize Johnson more as a deep threat instead of getting the majority of his targets coming from underneath again.

Tee Higgins (CIN)

The second option on Cincinnati is nearly as dynamic as Ja’Marr Chase. 

Chase didn’t command a ton of targets either compared to other wide receivers in the league. 

Higgins got 110 targets last year, which was tied for 30th in the NFL. He will need to make big plays to be a top fantasy wideout.

Adam Thielen (MIN)

Thielen has been declining in production since his massive 2019 season. 

He is definitely now the second option in Minnesota but still can find the end zone. 

While he only had 67 catches last year he managed to turn 10 of those into touchdowns but with just 726 yards.

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Terry McLaurin (WAS)

McLaurin signed a big deal this offseason with Washington. He may also now have the best quarterback he has ever had in Carson Wentz. 

Wentz will look to get the ball to McLaurin early and often as we can hopefully get McLaurin’s best season of his career this year. 

JuJu Smith-Schuster (KC)

The Chiefs’ offense will look a lot different without Tyreek Hill. 

Smith-Schuster will try to be a big part of the new-look Kansas City offense. 

While he has been a short yardage target recently, he still has speed, and hopefully we will get to see that side of his game that had been missing in Pittsburgh, this season with Patrick Mahomes.

Amari Cooper (CLE)

Another star wide receiver will be with a new team for the first time this year. 

Cooper was great in Dallas as a fantasy wide receiver. 

There are many questions about how his first year with Cleveland will go. 

It is widely known that it is tough to throw at home in Cleveland and he will have to wait until week 11 for his star quarterback Deshaun Watson to play.

Brandin Cooks (HOU)

Cooks is another one of those wide receivers who will produce no matter the situation or who his quarterback is. 

That is because he has the skills of a possession receiver but also is a big play threat. 

At any given time he can turn his two-catch 30-yard game into three catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Julio Jones (TB)

One of the best wide receivers in the NFL for the past decade is on his third team in three years. 

He will be playing with Tom Brady who is an upgrade over an aging Matt Ryan or Ryan Tannehill. 

The question is how he will fit in this offense with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Russell Gage.

Michael Pittman Jr. (IND)

It may not seem like it but third-year wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. has been the No. 1 option in Indianapolis. 

He was tied for 16th in targets in the entire NFL last year but didn’t do much with them compared to others with the same amount of targets but that could change this year.

Marquise Brown (ARI)

A change of scenery is what Brown could need to turn into a top-10 fantasy wide receiver. 

For a guy with his speed you wouldn’t expect that he only averaged 11.1 yards per catch. 

With Arizona he should increase those numbers and break out in a big way.

DeAndre Hopkins (ARI)

Hopkins will likely serve his full six-game suspension to start the season. 

Obviously, when playing, he is still one of the top wide receivers in the NFL. 

There are injury concerns as well with Hopkins who missed a lot of time last year with a hamstring injury, so he is a risky player.

DeVonta Smith (PHI)

Last year as a rookie Smith was the go to wide receiver in Philadelphia. 

He had a solid season but now will compete for targets with AJ Brown in an offense that doesn’t throw much to begin with. 

Smith might increase his yards per catch, but opportunities may be scarce.

Allen Robinson II (LAR)

Unfortunately, Robinson’s talent was wasted last year as he only got 66 targets in 12 games. 

He will now likely be the second option for the Rams. 

Expect an increase in production but not a massive year like he turned in in 2015 with 14 touchdowns or even in 2020 with 1,250 yards.

Christian Kirk (JAC)

Kirk enjoyed the best season of his career last year in his fourth year. 

He had 982 yards as the second and sometimes first option when Deandre Hopkins was hurt. 

Now he will get the chance to be the No. 1 full time in Jacksonville with hopefully an improved Trevor Lawrence.

Mike Williams (LAC)

A breakout season from Williams in 2021 will hopefully be built on in 2022. 

Williams had nine touchdown catches and 1,146 yards as option 1B on the Chargers.

There will be plenty to go around for Willaims and Keenan Allen in Los Angeles with this high-powered offense but Allen is still option 1A.

Courtland Sutton (DEN)

It is expected that Courtland Sutton will be the top option in Denver with his new quarterback Russell Wilson. 

Sutton is big and fast and is the top paid wideout on the team. 

With Tim Patrick tearing his ACL in training camp, Sutton should be given the bulk of the targets.

Rashod Bateman (BAL)

The second-year wide receiver will likely be the No. 1 wide receiver in Baltimore. 

While tight end Mark Andrews will be the favorite target of Lamar Jackson, Bateman should still have decent production. 

Many people see Bateman as a breakout candidate after just 46 catches for 515 yards his rookie season.

Robert Woods (TEN)

Woods had enjoyed a nice career up to this point with the Rams. 

He now will get an opportunity to be the No. 1 wide receiver for a team with the Titans. 

This could be his best season ever coming up, but his quarterback play will be a question mark and may limit him.

Odell Beckham Jr. (LAR)

Odell Beckham Jr. is still a free agent and it is unknown where he will sign. 

If he resigns back with the Rams, he may be the third option behind Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson. 

He could also sign elsewhere and be the second or even first option on a team.

Gabriel Davis (BUF)

Davis is a candidate to be the most improved player in the league. 

He is in line to be the second-option in Buffalo after arguably being the third or fourth his whole career. 

He showed what he could do in the playoffs with 201 yards and four touchdowns in the Conference Title game. 

Rondale Moore (ARI)

To begin the year Moore will likely be the second option in Arizona.

It is unknown what he will be after Deandre Hopkins returns probably after six games. 

Moore has the speed and big play ability to still be a productive third wide receiver on a team though.

Elijah Moore (NYJ)

Moore is expected to be the No. 1 option in New York for the Jets. 

Zach Wilson had been rumored to have taken a giant step already heading into his second year before he went down with a knee injury. 

Hopefully Wilson will be good to go week one to maximize what Moore can bring to the table as well this year off the bat.

Donovan Peoples-Jones (CLE)

The Browns are hoping Jones can take a big leap this year to turn into a quality second option for the team. 

He has a ton of talent and the ideal size of an NFL wide receiver. It remains to be seen if he can be that second option for Cleveland though.

Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET)

The second-year player broke out last year as a rookie to be Jared Goff’s favorite target in Detroit. 

The Lions are expected to be much improved over last year, and St. Brown will have to be a big part of that. He will look to begin this year where he left off at the end of last year.

Darnell Mooney (CHI)

Mooney is now undoubtedly the go-to option in Chicago. 

Last year he narrowly eclipsed 1,000 yards and had five total touchdowns. 

If Chicago is going to be competitive at all next year Mooney will likely have to increase those numbers even more and could be a sleeper breakout candidate.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling (KC)

Marquez Valdes-Scantling has arguably never been even the No. 2 wide receiver on a team. 

Now he will get the chance to be a No. 1 wide receiver in Kansas City with one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. 

He has the speed and big play ability to do so.

Tyler Boyd (CIN)

Boyd is the third guy in Cincinnati. 

That doesn’t mean he can’t be productive though. He still managed 67 catches, 828 yards, and five touchdowns last season. 

Boyd will have plenty of opportunities in this offense and is an injury away from Chase or Higgins from being a massive wide receiver producer. 

Drake London (ATL)

The highest drafted rookie wide receiver has drawn comparisons to Michael Thomas due to his possession-catching ability in mass quantity, as well as Mike Evans due to his 6’4” frame. 

There will be questions about his quarterback play and overall play of the Falcons as well that could limit his production in year one though.

Chase Claypool (PIT)

Claypool had a disappointing year two with just two touchdown catches after having nine in his rookie season. 

A new quarterback and less wide receiver competition this upcoming year could be a good thing for Claypool. Look for a resurgence for him in his third year in the league.

Robby Anderson (CAR)

Robby Anderson has commonly been a low volume but big play wide receiver in the NFL, besides his 2020 campaign. 

This year should be no different as he will have some games with a couple of catches for 20-something yards and then have six catches for 110 yards and a touchdown out of nowhere.

Tyler Lockett (SEA)

Tyler Lockett is the best wide receiver seemingly every year in the first handful of weeks but then fades away for a while before coming back for another huge game. 

He is truly a boom or bust type of player who can have his week made by catching a 50+ yard touchdown but is far from consistent.

Kadarius Toney (NYG)

Toney showed his potential in his rookie year, and the Giants are expecting big things from him in 2022. 

A lot depends on the play of his quarterback, Daniel Jones, as well. 

Toney will need to stay healthy and be more consistent to be a top contributor this upcoming year. 

Kenny Golladay (NYG)

Golladay was a big free agent signing for the Giants last season. 

He missed three games and didn’t play that well when he was out there. This is a revenge season for Golladay. 

He has the talent as he showed in Detroit to have big seasons but will need to put it all together in New York

D.J. Chark Jr. (DET)

Chark was a big signing for Detroit at $10 million for one year. 

He will have to prove he is worth it as his whole career has basically been based off of his potential after a big injury last year caused him to play just four games after only 13 the year before and 11 as a rookie.