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Week 16 WR Rankings 2024

By Nathan Hernandez Published December 19, 2024 1 min read

Last Updated on December 19, 2024 3:29 pm by Nathan Hernandez | Published: December 19, 2024

It’s Week 16, and it’s do-or-die time for fantasy football! We have over 50 of the top fantasy wideouts ranked ahead of this week’s fantasy playoff matchups, so check out the list to see if you have the right guys in your starting lineups with everything on the line.

Check back every week as we rank the WRs ahead of their potential matchups. The position is as deep as ever, and you will want to know who start and who to bench based on matchup’s, projections and sometimes just gut feel.

	PLAYER NAME	TEAM	OPP	Blrub
1	Ja'Marr Chase	Cincinnati Bengals	vs. Cleveland Browns	Chase remains the unquestioned WR1 with 20.3 FPPG, as the only WR over 16 FPPG on the season. He has a ceiling that few other WRs have hit this season, and should be able to produce against the Browns in Week 16, who allow the fifth-most fantasy points to WRs this season.
2	Puka Nacua	Los Angeles Rams	@ New York Jets	Even in a game that saw the life sucked out of the offenses in a sloppy, rainy TNF matchup with the 49ers last week, Nacua still relatively delivered, with 108 scrimmage yards on nine touches. He's the WR3 in FPPG this season, and gets a Jets defense in Week 16, that isn't as formidable in recent weeks.
3	Amon-Ra St. Brown	Detroit Lions	@ Chicago Bears	Amon-Ra has been an elite version of a boom-or-bust player, seeing an average of roughly nine FPPG between Weeks 12 and 14, sandwiched by two monster 30-point games. With RB David Montgomery hurt, I'm expecting the offense to look to pass a bit more in the wake of his absence. The Bears allow the sixth-most fantasy points to slot WRs this season.
4	Justin Jefferson	Minnesota Vikings	@ Seattle Seahawks	JJ submitted his second-straight game with a touchdown, now totaling eight on the season, after being blanked from the end zone for a six-week stretch until last week's big game. Seattle allows the 15th-most FPPG to WRs this year, and the Vikings should look to keep their foot on the gas, vying for sole possesion of the NFC North lead and a potential first-round bye.
5	CeeDee Lamb	Dallas Cowboys	vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Lamb is definitely good enough to pick apart bad defenses, as long as he has a QB to get the ball in his hands. The Buccaneers have been a favorable matchup for WRs basically all season, and it should be another big game in the cards for CeeDee in round 2 of the fantasy playoffs.
6	Mike Evans	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	@ Dallas Cowboys	The savvy veteran WR is T-9th in FPPG on the season, and now has two top-4 WR finishes in his last three weeks. Mayfield has been money at QB for the Bucs all season, and he spoke to reporters about focusing more on getting Evans to the 1,000-yard mark than the WR himself. He needs 251 yards in three games, and should get a good chunk of that out of the way against the spiraling Cowboys.
7	A.J. Brown	Philadelphia Eagles	@ Washington Commanders	Boom, AJ brown is still very much an elite fantasy WR, and should be treated as such in this matchup between the two teams atop the NFC East. The Commanders are allowing the 17th-most FPPG to WRs on the year, but Brown should find a similar success to what he found in Week 15with the offense back on track against Pittsburgh.
8	Davante Adams	New York Jets	vs. Los Angeles Rams	Since Week 9, Adams is the WR3 in FPPG, trailing only Ja'Marr Chase and Jerry Jeudy. He turned back the clock for a WR1 overall finish last week, which followed a WR7 finish in the week prior. He and Rodgers are really starting to click, and the old pals should have another great game of catch in store for Week 16 vs. the Rams.
9	Nico Collins	Houston Texans	@ Kansas City Chiefs	Collins is still the WR2 in FPPG this season, and he's averaging just over 16 FPPG in his last three outings. He gets a middling matchup with the Chiefs in Week 16, who give up the 13th-fewest FPPG to wideouts this season. The Chiefs don't allow too many big games, but have allowed 10 WRs to score at least 10 half-PPR points in their last five games.
10	Terry McLaurin	Washington Commanders	vs. Philadelphia Eagles	It's a tough matchup for the top target in Washington this week, but McLaurin has finished inside the top-7 overall WRs in three-straight weeks. Aside from a Week 11 dud, he has been one of the most consistent WRs this year, with at least 11.4 points in all but one game since Week 3, and he's the WR4 in FPPG in that span. Now with Noah Brown out, McLaurin tied a season-high in targets last week, and figures to get all he can handle against a good Eagles team this week.
11	Tee Higgins	Cincinnati Bengals	vs. Cleveland Browns	Higgins bounced back in a big way from his only dud game of the season in Week 14 with a WR13 finish last week against the Titans. Now, he gets a top-five matchup with Cleveland in Week 16, and should add to high hit-rate this season. He has at least 15 fantasy points in 5-of-7 outings.
12	Tyreek Hill	Miami Dolphins	vs. San Francisco 49ers	The Miami offense was stymied by the Texans last week, which resulted in Hill's worst performance since Week 7. He may have a tough time bouncing back against the 49ers, who allow the sixth-fewest FPPG to wideouts in 2024 and haven't allowed major spike weeks much this season. If Waddle is out this week, the potential volume gained would make Hill a more appealing play.
13	Brian Thomas Jr.	Jacksonville Jaguars	@ Las Vegas Raiders	The Jaguars have been letting it rip to their rookie WR in recent weeks, setting career-highs in targets in three-straight weeks, ramping up to 14 last week against the Jets. He turned those targets into a WR4 overall finish last week, and gets a much more favorable matchup in Week 16 against a banged-up Raiders defense.
14	Drake London	Atlanta Falcons	vs. New York Giants	Kirk Cousins was broken down, and thankfully the team made the switch to rookie QB Michael Penix Jr, who helped 3 rookie WRs get drafted in the first round of this year's draft, and can surely raise the fantasy outlook for all Falcons pass-catchers once again. London is in a great bounce back spot against the lowly, banged up Giants this week.
15	Malik Nabers	New York Giants	@ Atlanta Falcons	Standout rookie Malik Nabers saw his first top-12 WR finish since Week 4, and finally rediscovered the elite ceiling he possessed in the early going of his debut season. He has a floor as a high-WR3, but gets a mouthwatering matchup against Atlanta this week, and should have a great chance at another ceiling performance in back-to-back weeks.
16	Cooper Kupp	Los Angeles Rams	@ New York Jets	We have to downgrade Kupp after the literal zero in the weather-impacted TNF bout with SF last week. Still, I like this offense a bunch and it's not likely we see the team put the ball on the ground 30 times again this week. The Jets' defense isn't as scary as it once was, even with Sauce Gardner back in the fold.
17	Jaxon Smith-Njigba	Seattle Seahawks	vs. Minnesota Vikings	Since his Week 9 breakout, JSN is the WR5 in FPPG at 17.9 per contest. He remains well established as the WR1 in the offense ahead of Metcalf since the start of this span, and should see double-digit targets against a Vikings defense that allows the most FPPG to wideouts on the season. Geno Smith is practicing in full, and should be a go for this week, keeping JSN's Week 16 outlook afloat.
18	Courtland Sutton	Denver Broncos	@ Los Angeles Chargers	While Sutton has been among the more consistent fantasy WRs this season, the rough stretch for Bo Nix lowers the confidence in Sutton a bit. He has at least 10 half-PPR points in 10-of-12 performances, but had just 32 yards on three catches to go with a much-needed TD last week. The Chargers are a bit banged up on defense, and allow the 14th-most FPPG to wideouts to date.
19	Jauan Jennings	San Francisco 49ers	@ Miami Dolphins	I've been bullish on Jauan Jennings since overtaking the Niners' lead WR role, but that backfired in the inclement elements on TNF last week. Still, he should remain the top option of the offense, as the 49ers are turning to their fifth starting RB of the season in Week 16. It's a tough matchup for Jennings, but he and the offense should get a bit on track. However, there are early reports suggesting moderate winds with 20 mph gusts in Miami this week.
20	Garrett Wilson	New York Jets	vs. Los Angeles Rams	Wilson has two-straight WR2 finishes after going cold in the wake of Davante Adams's blazing streak over the last month or so. He had just three catches last week, so the floor for Wilson is still a major concern. Rodgers and the passing game has been clicking, though, and the Jets get a matchup with the Rams, who are top-12 in FPPG allowed to WRs.
21	Ladd McConkey	Los Angeles Chargers	vs. Denver Broncos	Chargers rookie WR Ladd McConkey has finished as a WR2 in four-straight games, but faces a tough task against the Denver Broncos on a short week. Denver allows just the third-fewest WR fantasy points this season, but have allowed some big games in recent weeks. Ladd has been the favorite target of Justin Herbert, which is nearly enough reason to keep him in starting fantasy lineups with everything on the line.
22	DJ Moore	Chicago Bears	vs. Detroit Lions	Moore has carved out a decent PPR floor, with at least six catches in five-straight weeks. In that span, he's finished as a WR1 twice, and a WR3 the other three games. Detroit is banged up all over their defense, and allow the ninth-most WR FPPG this season. Last time these teams squared off, Moore finished with 16 targets and as the WR7 on the week.
23	Zay Flowers	Baltimore Ravens	vs. Pittsburgh Steelers	Flowers has been pretty medioce for the last month or so of the season, failing to finish inside the top-30 weekly WRs since Week 9. Even with Lamar throwing five touchdowns last week he couldn't get over the hump. Flowers has a chance to get right vs. the Steelers and their league-leading single-high coverage rate.
24	Devonta Smith	Philadelphia Eagles	@ Washington Commanders	The Slim Reaper got in on the action against the Steelers last week, finishing with his best game of the season and winding up the WR6 overall in Week 15. Marshon Lattimore joined the Commanders' improving defense last week, and could further limit WR production against the Eagles. When the Eagles' passing attack is clicking, though, few defenses stand a chance against their dynamic duo.
25	Jerry Jeudy	Cleveland Browns	@ Cincinnati Bengals	No Jameis Winston at QB means the ceiling is probably way down for Jeudy, though he's shown resilience as the team's top target in an offense that just lost its starting RB for the remainder of the year, as well. He's finished as the WR21 overall or better in five-straight weeks, and gets a matchup with arguably the worst NFL defense in Cincinnati this week.
26	Khalil Shakir	Buffalo Bills	vs. New England Patriots	With Amari Cooper disappearing last week against the Lions last week, Shakir caught a touchdown in his second-straight game. He's been the most consistent wideout for the team, and has the safest floor in the WR room, by far. The Patriots are giving up the 13th-most WR fantasy points on the season.
27	Jordan Addison	Minnesota Vikings	@ Seattle Seahawks	Addison continues to make an impact as the complementary WR to Justin Jefferson, but finished as the WR32 last week after finishing inside the top-3 in two of his previous three games. He's one of few WRs with true WR1 overall upside, and gets Seattle in Week 15 as the Vikings blitz towards the postseason.
28	Jakobi Meyers	Las Vegas Raiders	vs. Jacksonville Jaguars	Jakobi Meyers was on his way to a disaster of a game before getting a handful of catches late in the evening. With positive reports from Aidan O'Connell returning to the lineup this week, Meyers should be able to perform better than what we saw with Ridder manning the offense. They get the Jaguars in a tank-off matchup, who allow the fourth-most FPPG to WRs this season.
29	Keenan Allen	Chicago Bears	vs. Detroit Lions	The longtime Chargers WR has been pretty great over the last month of the season, with at least 17.2 points in 3-of-4 contests. Allen finished as the WR3 overall when these teams last squared off in Week 12. The offense as a whole has a low floor, but Allen should have no problem soaking up a ton of targets once again.
30	Calvin Ridley	Tennessee Titans	@ Indianapolis Colts	The QB play in Tennessee has been pretty bad regardless of whose under center, and Ridley's volatility is equally as persistent with Rudolph taking over for Levis at QB again. His floor isn't as low as it was early this season, but Ridley is long removed from a top finish at the position. Indy has been playing better defensively, and allow the 10th-fewest fantasy points to wideouts on the year.
31	Marvin Harrison Jr.	Arizona Cardinals	@ Carolina Panthers	Rookie MHJ has been a WR4 or worse in 7-of-10 games, with spike weeks interwoven in that span. The Panthers allow the 18th-most fantasy points to WRs this game, but have allowed six WR touchdowns since returning from their Week 11 bye. More often than not, Trey McBride is the preferred target in the offense, but MHJ can get home with a touchdown grab, and has seen a red zone opportunity in five-straight games.
32	D.K. Metcalf	Seattle Seahawks	vs. Minnesota Vikings	Since Week 5, Metcalf is the WR51 in FPPG, and has finished as a WR4 or worse in 6-of-8 games during that stretch, including the last four-straight. He saw a season-low three targets last week, but has a chance to bounceback against a Minnesota defense who allows the most fantasy points to the position in 2024. Still, I'm looking for other options at WR whenever possible.
33	Jameson Williams	Detroit Lions	@ Chicago Bears	As I expect the Lions to throw a bit more without their one of their starting RBs, David Montgomery, Williams should be more likely to find fantasy success against the Bears. Williams is the WR30 in FPPG this season, and has been more-or-less a consistent WR3 this season apart from spike weeks that have been less frequent as the season wears on, especially with Tim Patrick emerging a bit as a big-body target.
34	Romeo Doubs	Green Bay Packers	vs. New Orleans Saints	Doubs returned to the lineup last week and immediately scored two touchdowns and played 75% of snaps. All GB WRs have a floor of next-to-nothing, but Doubs has been the most consistent, despite not finding the end zone as much this year. The Saints are another team ravaged by injuries on defense, and are giving up the sixth-most WR FPPG in 2024.
35	Darnell Mooney	Atlanta Falcons	vs. New York Giants	The Falcons' passing attack is live again, after going from one of the most pass-heavy offenses in the NFL to one of the lightest, with neutral pass rate as low as 33% vs. the Raiders last week. Rookie Michael Penix Jr. was able to sling it in college and impressed in pre-season. Mooney is a proven talent, but just needs the volume to succeed, which should hopefully get reinstated with the QB change.
36	Jayden Reed	Green Bay Packers	vs. New Orleans Saints	Reed was a bit more involved last week, taking eight touches for 61 yards after getting blanked the week prior. The floor is zero for Reed, as seen previously, and with Doubs back in the fold and Josh Jacobs running as hard as he is, it's tough to count on Reed. However, the Packers are in a smash matchup vs. the Saints, and Reed could be a touchdown candidate, with six red zone opportunities in his last three games.
37	Adam Thielen	Carolina Panthers	vs. Arizona Cardinals	Thielen was phenomenal in two weeks-straight before submitting a solid, yet underachieving performance in Week 15. With Xavier Legette potentially sidelined, Thielen could see his opportunities increased even further going forward. He should be a fine PPR flex option this week against AZ, who allow the 11th-most FPPG to slot WRs this season.
38	Deandre Hopkins	Kansas City Chiefs	vs. Houston Texans	D-Hop had a down week last week against the Browns, as he drew coverage from Denzel Ward. Perhaps, with Hollywood Brown entering the equation, things will open up a bit more for the Chiefs and Hopkins. However, Hopkins has 35-yards or less in 4-of-5 games, and may be more of a TD or bust WR3/Flex option against the Texans this week.
39	Xavier Worthy	Kansas City Chiefs	vs. Houston Texans	Despite Worthy coming off of his best game of his young NFL career, the introduction of Hollywood Brown to the equation this week definitely complicates things. I tend to avoid congested WR rooms, but the team may be as, if not, more inclined to see through the development of their rookie WR as opposed to getting Brown up to speed for a playoff run. He had 11 targets and three carries for 76 scrimmage yards and a score.
40	Josh Downs	Indianapolis Colts	vs. Tennessee Titans	While Downs got out-produced by Pittman last week, he's been great when on the field this season. He's PFF's sixth-highest rated WR in the NFL heading into this week, but the inconsistent QB play has hindered his fantasy potential. The Titans are giving up just the eighth-fewest fantasy points to wideouts on the season.
41	Jaylen Waddle	Miami Dolphins	vs. San Francisco 49ers	Waddle is reportedly day-to-day with a knee injury, but was playing pretty well in recent weeks before going down against the Texans last week. If he can't go, Malik Washington would be a decent PPR play. The rookie WR set career-highs with 5-of-6 targets for 52 yards in the wake of Waddle's injury. It is a tough matchup, regardless, so expectations should be tempered even if Waddle gets the green light.
42	Jalen McMillan	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	@ Dallas Cowboys	Jalen McMillan has been realizing the potential many saw in him early in his rookie campaign. His first career catch was a touchdown grab in Week 1, but scored more than four fantasy points in a game just once until breaking out in Week 14. He's finished as the WR8 and WR18 overall in each of his last two outings, and has three touchdowns in that span. Baker Mayfield is playing great football and has shown the ability to employ multiple fantasy-viable pass-catchers concurrently.
43	Rome Odunze	Chicago Bears	vs. Detroit Lions	It's been tough for Odunze to get going in his rookie season between the offensive woes, coaching issues, and competing with two excellent veteran WRs for targets. He has 42 yards or less in all but two games this season, and has 10 performances that resulted in a WR5 finish or worse. Odunze's role just isn't large enough to trust him, despite the good matchup on paper. He was the WR74 when these teams squared off a month back.
44	Jalen Coker	Carolina Panthers	vs. Arizona Cardinals	Coker popped up for a big game last week, thanks in large part to an 83-yard touchdown score in his return to the lineup from a three-game absence. Fellow rookie Xavier Legette is dealing with a groin injury, so a big opportunity awaits Coker. Bryce Young is playing a lot better than the last time Coker was on the field, and the rookie WR could be a sneaky flex play.
45	Calvin Austin III	Pittsburgh Steelers	@ Baltimore Ravens	With George Pickens ruled out again, Austin III should be the WR1 in the Steelers' offense once again. He caught all five of his targets for 51 yards, but likely needs to connect with Wilson on a deep shot to really be a successful asset in the fantasy playoffs. It is a great matchup, though, as the Ravens allow the second-most FPPG to wideouts this season.
46	Tim Patrick	Detroit Lions	@ Chicago Bears	Tim Patrick has emerged as a legit pass-catching option in the Lions' offense, seeing a season-high in snaps at 81% last week as Detroit shifted to a three WR set, despite playing 12 personnel more often than not in their run-heavy offense. With Montgomery out, Patrick might not be going anywhere. He has seven red zone targets in his last five games, and has three scores in his last two outings.
47	Quentin Johnston	Los Angeles Chargers	vs. Denver Broncos	Has similar statlines in two-straight weeks, with five catches and a touchdown in both outings, but 48 and 45 yards, respectively. The team is still passing a ton, and Johnston saw a career-high 10 targets last week. The tough matchup for the Chargers this week combined with a low floor keep him from making waves on this list.
48	Amari Cooper	Buffalo Bills	vs. New England Patriots	One of the toughest WRs to place on this list, Amari Cooper followed up his 14-target Week 14 performance with a day of cardio in a game that totaled 90 points between the Bills and Lions, seeing zero targets on 46% of the snaps for the Bills. Can you really trust a player this volatile with a fantasy football championship appearance at stake? Probably not.
49	Keon Coleman	Buffalo Bills	vs. New England Patriots	I'm not all too excited to squeeze Coleman into fantasy lineups this week, but he returned to the lineup from a four-week absence and led the team in WR snaps. He's definitively boom-or-bust, but at least his floor is above zero. Before hurting his wrist, Coleman had back-to-back WR13 overall finishes.
50	Michael Pittman Jr.	Indianapolis Colts	vs. Tennessee Titans	Pittman Jr. has been limited by a back injury this season, seemingly an evergreen member of the injury report. Aside from a 12.6-point performance in Week 12, Pittman has finished as the WR47 overall or worse in each of his last five games. Downs is still the preferred fantasy WR, and the Colts get a tough matchup at home against Tennesee this week.
51	Elijah Moore	Cleveland Browns	@ Cincinnati Bengals	Cedric Tillman remains in concussion protocol, but it's hard to get too excited for Moore's potential without Jameis Winston under center, though the trigger-happy QB was playing poorly enough to get benched. With DTR leading the offense, Moore is a low-end flex option. The great matchup and a potential second-straight absence from TE David Njoku would make things a bit more interesting for Moore this week.
52	Tank Dell	Houston Texans	@ Kansas City Chiefs	Tank Dell is a shell of the fantasy prospect we saw last season, and stands as the WR56 in FPPG this season, averaging 7.4 per game. He has 30 fantasy points in his last five games combined, and even saw some snaps go to veteran Robert Woods last week.
53	Hollywood Brown	Kansas City Chiefs	vs. Houston Texans	While it's great to see Hollywood Brown return to NFL action, it's extremely difficult to have any faith in a player returning from this long of an absence, especially with rookie Xavier Worthy getting as involved as he has in recent weeks. Brown may be of better use in the championship round, but I am not putting my fate in his hands off rip.
54	Deebo Samuel	San Francisco 49ers	@ Miami Dolphins	The floor play for Deebo has been too consistent to continue to ignore by clinging on to what the fantasy player used to be. He hasn't finished better than the WR54 overall in five-straight weeks. He's only on this list to get this point across: At this point, he can be cut for the sake of the roster spot in redraft leagues that are advancing through the playoffs as we speak. A defensive stash for a potential fantasy championship matchup is probably of much more importance than holding onto Samuel.

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