The 2023-24 NFL season has been outstanding so far. Already there have been a ton of breakout players and fantasy duds that have made the game so entertaining. Bye weeks are officially over. This means that playoffs have begun in your fantasy leagues. During the playoffs Fantasy Managers will have full utilization of their roster and need to make sure they have backup options on their roster incase their stars get hurt. There have plenty of injuries this season to crucial players that make the pool of players to choose from on waivers that much thinner. It’s always a great idea to evaluate backup options so that way fantasy managers are prepared if star players miss time. Here are the fantasy football week 16 wide receiver rankings.
*Ratings are subject to change due to injury reports or possible move to the Injured Reserve List
(Check out the section below for details on players already rumored to possibly miss this week and how their replacement options rank for the week)
Key:
Must Start- a player who is in your lineup regardless of the matchup or most circumstances. They will likely finish near the top of the league in points that week and in most weeks.
Starting WR1- a player who makes fantasy owners comfortable starting week after week. Regardless of the matchup, this player has a high floor.
High WR2- a player who may not be likely to carry a lineup that week, but has the ability to have a breakout game and is teetering between WR1 and WR2 territory.
Starting WR2- a player who should be started in most lineups and should reach their point projection. This player is started is because of their consistency and moderately high floor
Low WR2- a player who may not be a lock to start for a team every week, but will start more times than not. Their production may not be pretty or win a person their lineup but the production is consistent enough to make a fantasy owner comfortable starting them.
Flex- a player who could float around the territory of being benched, but is started due to the potential to play better than their point projection. However, this player has the potential to flop and cause a fantasy team to lose if he has a bad game.
Deeper League Flex- a player who has starting value in deeper leagues. There are enough reasons to leave this player on the bench, but their upside makes them an attractive option. Desperate times may call for a player like this to be inserted into starting lineups.
Upside Player- a player who is boom or bust. This player can exceed expectations in a given week or could flop and be the reason why someone lost their fantasy matchup.
Leave on the Bench- a player who should be avoided in all lineups that week. Many times this player could even be left on waivers.
Rankings
| Category | Name | Opponent | Ranking |
| Must Start | Tyreek Hill* | vs Dallas Cowboys | WR1 |
| Must Start | Justin Jefferson | vs Detroit Lions | WR2 |
| Starting WR1 | A.J. Brown | vs New York Giants | WR3 |
| Starting WR1 | CeeDee Lamb | vs Miami Dolphins | WR4 |
| Starting WR1 | D.J. Moore | vs Arizona Cardinals | WR5 |
| Starting WR1 | Mike Evans | vs Jacksonville Jaguars | WR6 |
| Starting WR1 | Amon-Ra St. Brown | vs Minnesota Vikings | WR7 |
| Starting WR1 | Davante Adams | vs Kansas City Chiefs | WR8 |
| Starting WR1 | Michael Pittman Jr.* | vs Atlanta Falcons | WR9 |
| Starting WR1 | Stefon Diggs | vs Los Angeles Chargers | WR10 |
| High WR2 | Rashee Rice | vs Las Vegas Raiders | WR11 |
| High WR2 | Cooper Kupp | vs New Orleans Saints | WR12 |
| High WR2 | Keenan Allen* | vs Buffalo Bills | WR13 |
| High WR2 | Chris Olave | vs Los Angeles Rams | WR14 |
| High WR2 | D.K. Metcalf | vs Tennessee Titans | WR15 |
| High WR2 | Tee Higgins | vs Pittsburgh Steelers | WR16 |
| High WR2 | Jaylen Waddle | vs Dallas Cowboys | WR17 |
| Starting WR2 | Brandon Aiyuk | vs Baltimore Ravens | WR18 |
| Starting WR2 | DeAndre Hopkins | vs Seattle Seahawks | WR19 |
| Starting WR2 | Chris Godwin* | vs Jacksonville Jaguars | WR20 |
| Starting WR2 | Garrett Wilson | vs Washington Commanders | WR21 |
| Starting WR2 | Amari Cooper | vs Houston Texans | WR22 |
| Starting WR2 | Garrett Wilson | vs Miami Dolphins | WR23 |
| Starting WR2 | DeVonta Smith | vs New York Giants | WR24 |
| Low WR2 | Puka Nacua | vs New Orleans Saints | WR25 |
| Low WR2 | Nico Collins* | vs Cleveland Browns | WR26 |
| Low WR2 | Jordan Addison | vs Detroit Lions | WR27 |
| Low WR2 | Diontae Johnson | vs Cincinnati Bengals | WR28 |
| Low WR2 | Courtland Sutton | vs New England Patriots | WR29 |
| Low WR2 | Jayden Reed* | vs Carolina Panthers | WR30 |
| Low WR2 | Calvin Ridley | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | WR31 |
| Flex | Zay Flowers* | vs San Francisco 49ers | WR32 |
| Flex | Adam Thielen | vs Green Bay Packers | WR33 |
| Flex | Marquise “Hollywood” Brown* | vs Chicago Bears | WR34 |
| Flex | Christian Watson* | vs Carolina Panthers | WR35 |
| Flex | Terry McLaurin | vs New York Jets | WR36 |
| Flex | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | vs Tennessee Titans | WR37 |
| Deep League Flex | Odell Beckham Jr.* | vs San Francisco 49ers | WR38 |
| Deep League Flex | Curtis Samuel | vs New York Jets | WR39 |
| Deep League Flex | Tyler Lockett | vs Tennessee Titans | WR40 |
| Deep League Flex | Drake London | vs Indianapolis Colts | WR41 |
| Deep League Flex | Jakobi Meyers | vs Kansas City Chiefs | WR42 |
| Deep League Flex | Tyler Boyd | vs Pittsburgh Steelers | WR43 |
| Deep League Flex | Demario “Pop” Douglas | vs Denver Broncos | WR44 |
| Deep League Flex | Joshua Palmer | vs Buffalo Bills | WR45 |
| Upside Play | Brandin Cooks | vs Miami Dolphins | WR46 |
| Upside Play | George Pickens | vs Cincinnati Bengals | WR47 |
| Upside Play | Jonathan Mingo | vs Green Bay Packers | WR48 |
| Upside Play | Elijah Moore | vs Houston Texans | WR49 |
| Upside Play | Noah Brown* | vs Cleveland Browns | WR50 |
| Upside Play | Parker Washington | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | WR51 |
| Upside Play | Rashid Shaheed | vs Los Angeles Rams | WR52 |
| Upside Play | Gabriel Davis | vs Los Angeles Chargers | WR53 |
| Upside Play | Jerry Jeudy | vs New England Patriots | WR54 |
| Upside Play | Wan’Dale Robinson | vs Philadelphia Eagles | WR55 |
| Upside Play | Cedric Tillman | vs Houston Texans | WR56 |
| Upside Play | Demarcus Robinson | vs New Orleans Saints | WR57 |
| Upside Play | Darius Slayton | vs Philadelphia Eagles | WR58 |
| Upside Play | Josh Downs | vs Atlanta Falcons | WR59 |
| Upside Play | Romeo Doubs | vs Carolina Panthers | WR60 |
| Leave on the Bench | DeVante Parker | vs Denver Broncos | WR61 |
| Leave on the Bench | Darnell Mooney* | vs Arizona Cardinals | WR62 |
| Leave on the Bench | Rashod Bateman | vs San Francisco 49ers | WR63 |
| Leave on the Bench | Dontayvion Wicks* | vs Carolina Panthers | WR64 |
| Leave on the Bench | Alec Pierce | vs Atlanta Falcons | WR65 |
| Leave on the Bench | Treylon Burks* | vs Seattle Seahawks | WR66 |
| Leave on the Bench | Jahan Dotson | vs New York Jets | WR67 |
| Leave on the Bench | Jameson Williams | vs Minnesota Vikings | WR68 |
| Leave on the Bench | Michael Wilson | vs Chicago Bears | WR69 |
| Leave on the Bench | JuJu Smith-Schuster* | vs Denver Broncos | WR70 |
| Leave on the Bench | Josh Reynolds | vs Minnesota Vikings | WR71 |
| Leave on the Bench | Michael Gallup | vs Miami Dolphins | WR72 |
| Leave on the Bench | Jalin Hyatt | vs Philadelphia Eagles | WR73 |
| Leave on the Bench | DJ Chark | vs Green Bay Packers | WR74 |
| Leave on the Bench | Quentin Johnston | vs Buffalo Bills | WR75 |
| Leave on the Bench | Marquez Valdes-Scantling | vs Las Vegas Raiders | WR76 |
| Leave on the Bench | Xavier Gipson | vs Washington Commanders | WR77 |
| Leave on the Bench | Robert Woods | vs Cleveland Browns | WR78 |
| Leave on the Bench | Rondale Moore | vs Chicago Bears | WR79 |
| Leave on the Bench | Hunter Renfrow | vs Kansas City Chiefs | WR80 |
Players that are could miss this week’s game
WR1 Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
Tyreek Hill missed last week’s game against the New York Jets with an ankle injury. He missed practice on Wednesday because of the injury. If Hill misses Week 16 against the Dallas Cowboys Jaylen Waddle moves up to WR8 between Davante Adams and Michael Pittman Jr.
WR9 Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts
Michael Pittman Jr. suffered a concussion last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was limited in practice on Wednesday because of the injury. If Pittman Jr. misses Week 16 against the Atlanta Falcons Josh Downs moves up to WR35 between Christian Watson and Terry McLaurin. Alec Pierce moves up to WR60 between Romeo Doubs and DeVante Parker.
WR13 Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Keenan Allen missed last week’s game with a heel injury. He missed practice on Wednesday because of the injury. If Allen misses Week 16 against the Buffalo Bills Joshua Palmer moves up to WR32 between Zay Flowers and Adam Thielen. Quentin Johnston moves up to WR58 between Darius Slayton and Josh Downs.
WR20 Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chris Godwin was limited in practice on Wednesday with a knee injury. He missed practice time with this injury last week. If Godwin misses Week 16 against the Jacksonville Jaguars Trey Palmer becomes the WR56 between Cedric Tillman and Demarcus Robinson.
Houston Texans Wide Receivers: WR26 Nico Collins & WR50 Noah Brown
Nico Collins missed last week’s game against the Tennessee Titans with a calf injury. Noah Brown was limited in practice on Wednesday with a knee injury. If Collins misses Week 16 against the Cleveland Browns and Brown is active Brown moves up to WR33 between Adam Thielen and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. Robert Woods moves up to WR68 between Jameson Williams and Michael Wilson.
If Brown misses Week 16 against the Cleveland Browns and Collins is active Robert Woods moves up to WR73 between Josh Reynolds and DJ Chark.
If both Collins and Brown misses Week 16 against the Cleveland Browns Robert Woods moves up to WR46 between Brandin Cooks and George Pickens. Xavier Hutchinson becomes WR61 between DeVante Parker and Darnell Mooney.
Green Bay Packers Wide Receivers: WR30 Jayden Reed, WR35 Christian Watson, & WR64 Dontayvion Wicks
Christian Watson missed the past two games with a hamstring injury. Jayden Reed missed practice on practice on Wednesday with a toe injury. Dontayvion Wicks was limited in practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury. If Reed misses Week 16 against the Carolina Panthers Watson moves up to WR30 between Courtland Sutton and Calvin Ridley. Romeo Doubs moves up to WR54 between Jerry Jeudy and Wan’Dale Robinson. Dontayvion Wicks moves up to WR58 between Demarcus Robinson and Darius Slayton.
If Watson misses Week 16 against the Carolina Panthers Romeo Doubs moves up to WR57 between Demarcus Robinson and Darius Slayton. Dontayvion Wicks moves up to WR60 between Josh Downs and DeVante Parker.
If both Watson and Reed miss Week 16 against the Carolina Panthers Romeo Doubs moves up to WR36 between Terry McLaurin and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Dontayvion Wicks moves up to WR45 between Joshua Palmer and Brandin Cooks.
Baltimore Ravens Wide Receivers: WR32 Zay Flowers & WR38 Odell Beckham Jr.
Zay Flowers missed practice on Wednesday with a foot injury. Odell Beckham missed practice on Wednesday for unspecified reasons. It is believed that Beckham Jr.’s absence was for rest reasons. If Flowers misses Week 16 against the San Francisco 49ers and Beckham Jr. is active Beckham Jr. moves up to WR31 between Jayden Reed and Calvin Ridley. Rashod Bateman moves up to WR58 between Darius Slayton and Josh Downs.
If Beckham Jr. misses Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers and Flowers is active Rashod Bateman moves up to WR58 between Darius Slayton and Josh Downs.
If both Flowers and Beckham Jr. misses Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers Rashod Bateman moves up to WR40 between Drake London and Jakobi Meyers. Nelson Agholor becomes WR53 between Gabriel Davis and Jerry Jeudy.
WR34 Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Arizona Cardinals
Marquise “Hollywood” Brown left last week’s game against the San Francisco 49ers early because he reinjured his heel. He missed practice on Wednesday. If Brown misses Week 16 against the Chicago Bears Michael Wilson moves up to WR43 between Tyler Boyd and Demario “Pop” Douglas. Rondale Moore moves up to WR58 between Darius Slayton and Josh Downs. Greg Dortch becomes the WR62 between Devante Parker and Darnell Mooney.
WR62 Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears
Darnell Mooney missed practice on Wednesday because of an illness. It is unclear if he will miss this week’s game because of the illness. If Mooney misses Week 16 against the Arizona Cardinals Tyler Scott becomes the WR66 between Treylon Burks and Jahan Dotson.
WR66 Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans
Treylon Burks missed practice on Wednesday with an illness. It is unclear if he will miss this week’s game because of the illness. If Burks misses Week 16 against the Seattle Seahawks Chris Moore becomes the WR71 between Josh Reynolds and Michael Gallup.
WR72 JuJu Smith-Schuster, New England Patriots
JuJu Smith-Schuster missed last week’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs with an ankle injury. He was limited in practice on Wednesday because of the injury. If JuJu Smith-Schuster misses Week 16 against the Denver Broncos Jalen Reagor becomes the WR80 below Hunter Renfrow.
Players that are currently not expected to play
Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
Ja’Marr Chase suffered a shoulder injury last week against the Minnesota Vikings. He is expected to miss this week because of the injury. While Chase is out Tee Higgins will take over the number one receiver role followed by Tyler Boyd.
Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars
Zay Jones was limited in practice on Wednesday with a hamstring injury. Jones has been dealing with injuries all season. He is not expected to play in this week’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While Jones is out Parker Washington becomes the definite number two receiver for the Jaguars followed by Jamal Agnew.
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- Source: https://thegamehaus.com/fantasy-football/fantasy-football-week-16-wide-receiver-rankings-3/2023/12/21/
