2023 Rookie Drafts: Wide Receivers Tiers Primer

The NFL Draft is in the books, and 33 wide receivers heard their names called on the stage in Kansas City. Dynasty League Football has our consensus rookie wide receiver rankings put together already, but tiers are just as important, if not more important, than just positional rankings. Use these tiers during your rookie draft to recognize the drops in player values and avoid the mistakes your competitors will make!

TALENT OVER LANDING SPOT TIER

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, SEA

Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the consensus number-one wide receiver in the pre-draft process, and the Seahawks took him as the first receiver off the board with the 20th overall pick. The landing spot is not ideal, and the Seahawks have two outstanding wide receivers who will start above JSN on the depth chart in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. There are also questions about quarterback long-term. Geno Smith was outstanding in 2022, but the clock strikes midnight on every Cinderella story, and Smith could take a step back in 2023. While Smith-Njigba was the first wide receiver selected, he slipped into the 20s, when many mock drafters had him going in the first 12 picks.

It is not ideal for stans of Smith-Njigba, but you have to remember talent is more important than landing spot, especially for wide receivers. In dynasty, you aren’t drafting these players to win in just their rookie year. You want to win with them their whole career. Even with the disappointing landing spot, every DLF ranker has him ranked as the number-one wide receiver. Smith-Njigba is the best wide receiver in this class and should be the first wide receiver selected in every rookie draft. You want to win, right?

 

Jaxon Smith-Njigba with some #advice for fantasy football nerds pic.twitter.com/fzUySzlyY3

— Denny Carter (@CDCarter13) May 9, 2023

ROUNDING OUT THE FIRST ROUND TIER

Jordan Addison, MIN

Zay Flowers, BAL

Quentin Johnston, LAC

The name of this tier works in two ways! These three receivers were the other receivers selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, and they’re the wide receivers who are first-round picks in every rookie draft. Addison, Flowers, and Johnston went back-to-back-to-back in the NFL Draft, ironically in the opposite order of our current rankings.

Jordan Addison won the landing spot lottery going to Minnesota. He’ll line up opposite Justin Jefferson and benefit from being a secondary’s afterthought for as long as JJ is on his team. Addison is diminutive, just 5’11” and 173 lbs., but he makes up for his size with athleticism and speed to separate from defenders and get open. Adam Thielen is gone and leaves 107 targets behind. Addison could get a large chunk right off the bat in his rookie season.

Zay Flowers completes Baltimore’s offseason makeover at the wide receiver position. He will likely line up in the slot right away while Rashod Bateman and Odell Beckham Jr. are on the outside. Flowers is undersized but has shown the ability to play on the outside as well as the slot. That could be important for his snap share, as the Ravens are loaded at tight end and could use 2-TE sets often.

Quentin Johnston is the prototypical size-speed wide receiver of the class that you usually see being picked in the first round. The league is getting faster and also smaller, so Johnston’s game isn’t as valuable as it used to be in the NFL. He has the best draft capital of this tier and the best quarterback. He’ll take over for Mike Williams after this season, but if Williams misses any time, as he usually does, Johnston could be the best fantasy receiver of the group.

This tier could go in any order, but all of the DLF rankers have them ranked 2, 3, and 4 at the position. After the top four wide receivers, there is a significant drop-off.

SECOND-ROUND PRIORITIES TIER

Josh Downs, IND

Rashee Rice, KC

Marvin Mims, DEN

Jonathan Mingo, CAR

If you’re drafting a wide receiver in the second round, these are the players you hope to come away with. They have the best combination of talent, draft capital, and the opportunity to make an impact on your fantasy football teams. The ceilings aren’t nearly as high as the previous tier, but you may get an every-week fantasy football starter from some or all of these receivers somewhere down the line.

Josh Downs and Marvin Mims are two outstanding receivers who will have to overcome a tough landing spot, especially early on in their career. Downs will have to learn and grow with Anthony Richardson, who has a long way to go before he can pass like an NFL quarterback. Mims will start his career behind Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and likely Tim Patrick. It’s nice to see that Sean Payton prioritized Mims as his first pick as the head coach of the Broncos.

Rashee Rice and Jonathan Mingo went earlier than most expected, so they got into this tier because of their draft capital. They were both excellent in college, but they weren’t exceptional. Rice will start his career with Patrick Mahomes and a wide receiver group with room for a rookie to earn a spot.

DRAFT FALLERS TIER

Jalin Hyatt, NYG

Jayden Reed, GB

Cedric Tillman, CLE

The Tennessee wide receivers book-end this tier and provide the name to this tier, as they fell all the way down to the third round of the NFL Draft. Hyatt was particularly surprising after he won the Biletnikoff Award in 2023. While the Giants don’t have any stud wide receivers, they have a lot of them, and most of them seem to be best out of the slot, where Hyatt should be playing at the NFL level. Hyatt may be boom-or-bust and game-to-game his entire NFL career, a better best-ball pick than a dynasty option.

LAST CHANCE SALOON TIER

Tank Dell, HOU

Tyler Scott, CHI

Kayshon Boutte, NE

Michael Wilson, ARI

This is the last tier of rookie wide receivers that really have a chance to make an impact at the NFL level. Tank Dell is fascinating, as CJ Stroud reportedly requested the Texans draft him, and they obliged. Dell is tiny, at just 5’8” and 165 lbs, but you have to love a narrative! If one of the first things Stroud did after being picked in the NFL was tell his new boss to pick Dell, you have to be excited to see what they can do together.

Michael Wilson is another player I’ll have my eyes on in rookie drafts. He had a successful career at Stanford and landed in Arizona, a wide receiver group in flux. If DeAndre Hopkins leaves this offseason, this season, or even next offseason, Wilson could be the player the Cardinals turn to to fill that void.

DEEP LEAGUE LOTTERY TIER

Dontayvion Wicks, GB

Xavier Hutchinson, HOU

Charlie Jones, CIN

Parker Washington, JAX

AT Perry, NO

Trey Palmer, TB

Puka Nacua, LAR

A point comes in deep-league rookie drafts where you pick a player you know will probably never crack your starting lineup. If you’re this far into our wide receiver tiers, you’ve reached that point in the draft. You could find a diamond in the rough here, but it isn’t easy to do, and you may end up dropping them before the diamond even gets discovered.

Charlie Jones and AT Perry are the two players in this tier I was most excited about in the pre-draft process. They are the ones I’d be targeting in this tier.

2023 Rookie Drafts: Wide Receivers Tiers Primer