NFL Week 1 Daily Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings 2022
Check out NFL Week 1 Wide Receiver Daily Fantasy Football rankings based on expert projections for 0.5 PPR scoring at FanDuel. Sign up for RotoGrinders Premium to access to all of our Week 1 projections and lineup optimizer, along with fantasy rankings from our DFS analysts before things kick off.
Wide Receiver is without a doubt the deepest position in the NFL today. The game has progressed in such a way that it seems like every team is two or three deep with elite level talent at the position. For that reason, it’s crucial for Fantasy owners to draft smartly in the mid to late rounds, because there is tons of value at the receiver position deep in every draft. Let’s take a look at FanDuels top 36 Wideouts for week 1:
Week 1 Fantasy WR Rankings
1. Cooper Kupp
2. Davante Adams
3. CeeDee Lamb
4. Justin Jefferson
5. Ja’Marr Chase
6. Stefon Diggs
7. Mike Evans
8. Tyreek Hill
9. Tee Higgins
10. Marquise Brown
11. Keenan Allen
12. Deebo Samuel
13. Michael Pittman
14. AJ Brown
15.Courtland Sutton
16.Michael Thomas
17.DJ Moore
18. Amon-Ra St. Brown
19. Allen Robinson
20. Diontae Johnson
21. Mike Williams
22. Julio Jones
23. Jerry Jeudy
24. JuJu Smith-Schuster
25. Terry McLaurin
26. Brandin Cooks
27. Rondale Moore
28. Christian Kirk
29. Jaylen Waddle
30. DK Metcalf
31. Hunter Renfrow
32. Adam Thielen
33. Elijah Moore
34. Allen Lazard
35. Gabriel Davis
46. Darnell Mooney
Fantasy Wide Receiver Analysis
Just take a look up and down that list. There are so many big time names! Any one of those 36 guys is capable of having a monster game any given week. Obviously you know what to expect with Cooper Kupp. The guy is always open. His routes are pristine. He understands coverage like a savvy veteran signal caller, and he never drops the ball. He’s as dependable as they come.
Many of the guys at the top of that list are that way, you can put them in your lineup week in and week out and rest assured that they will produce. There is one name near the top that I am a bit concerned about in week 1:
CeeDee Lamb
The third year wideout has performed quite well in his first two seasons as a #2. With the departure of seasoned vet Amari Cooper, he’s set to come into his own as the unquestioned WR1 of America’s team. On the surface, that sounds pretty good. And when you consider the week 1 matchup a season ago between the Buccs and the Boys where Lamb caught 7 balls for 104 yards and a touchdown, it sounds crazy to say I have concerns about him going into week 1 of 2022.
My concern isn’t necessarily about CeeDee Lamb. It’s about the offense as a whole. For starters, there are some massive questions along the Cowboys offensive line and this Tampa defensive front is the type that will provide answers to these questions very quickly. Secondly, Lamb is surrounded by largely unproven talent to start the season. The Cowboys are relying on rookie third rounder Jalen Tolbert to be the #2 and he hasn’t exactly flashed in the pre-season. Lamb is going to be the obvious focus for the Tampa Bay secondary and it’ll be interesting to see if he can overcome that to be productive.
Here are a couple of guys on this list I like a lot more than Lamb based on their week 1 matchups:
Michael Pittman
Pittman came on strong last season and separated himself as the clear cut #1 target in Indy finishing with 88 grabs for 1,082 yards and 6 touchdowns, despite dealing with the Wentz wagon as his QB. The Colts feel they made an upgrade at that position this offseason which should play to Pittman’s advantage. It also helps that he gets to play the Texans in week 1 who couldn’t stop a nosebleed a season ago. The Texans gave up 242 passing yards per game in 2021 which was good for 22nd in the league and gave up 26.6 points per game which was 27th in the NFL. Look for Pittman to exploit this week secondary on Sunday.
Keenan Allen
Allen is a model of consistency and the definition of “high-floor.” He’s caught over 100 balls in 4 of the last 5 seasons and is one of the feature pieces in one of the most explosive offenses in the league. The Chargers are loaded with Talent which makes it difficult for defenses to truly key on Allen. He’s an excellent route runner, and understands how to get open. Also helps to have one of the premiere young talents in the game under center to get the ball to you.
Allen caught 13 balls in 2 games against the Raiders last season, it’s worth noting that they held him in check as far as yardage and kept him out of the endzone, but the volume of targets and catches was there. It always is. I like Allen a lot in week 1.
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