Fantasy Football Advice: WRs Better for PPR Leagues
If you thought that wide receivers were ranked the same no matter what format your fantasy football league has, think again.
There are some WRs who thrive in points per reception (PPR) leagues who wouldn't succeed as much in standard scoring formats.
Let's start with some surprises towards the top of the list and work our way down...
Brandon Marshall, NYJ
We all know Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, DeAndre Hopkins, and Odell Beckham Jr. are the cream of the crop, but Marshall had the third-best accumulation of points (334) amongst his fellow colleagues. In his first year with the Jets, Marshall caught 109 passes for 1,502 yards and scored a career-high 14 TDs. However, his 2016 stock could ride solely on the re-signing of Ryan Fitzpatrick. As of now, Fitz is a free agent and Geno Smith is listed as the number one QB on the depth chart.
Golden Tate, DET
Believe it or not, Tate led the Lions with 90 receptions last season. He had two more catches than Calvin Johnson. Maybe that's why Megatron decided to hang it up. Either way, Tate was 10th in the NFL, ninth among WRs, in receptions. However, Tate tallied only 813 yards (nine yards per reception). Hopefully, that stat increases now that he is the No. 1 guy for Detroit.
Jarvis Landry, MIA
Only seven wide receivers reached the 100-catch plateau last year and Landry was one of them. His rank improved six spots in PPR leagues (11th) compared to standard scoring (17th) formats. At only 23-years-old, Landry has notched over 110 targets in each of his first two seasons in the league. His biggest downfall is his inability to find the endzone. Landry scored five touchdowns in 2014 and four in 2015.
Mike Evans, TB
His TD production dropped off dramatically from his freshman (12) to sophomore (three) season, but the other important stats increased. He caught six more passes and tallied 155 more receiving yards. Jameis Winston relied heavily on his No. 1 WR. Winston threw to Evans 148 times. The second-highest target was Charles Sims (70 targets).
Pierre Garcon, WAS
For the third-straight season, Garcon was targeted over 100 times and recorded over 750 receiving yards. Compared to other skill position players, Garcon scored more fantasy points than DeMarco Murray, LeSean McCoy, and Julian Edelman last season. He had an average draft position of 110 in 2015. Garcon finished 2015 with the 79th-most fantasy points out of all offensive players.
Other PPR notables:
Delanie Walker, TEN (TE)
Rob Gronkowski is the default No. 1 TE in the rankings, but give some consideration to Walker. In 2015, Walker received the ninth-most catches in the NFL. For 2016, we'll see if Walker's success was tied to Marcus Mariota utilizing his TE as a security blanket or if Walker will be a staple in the Titans' offensive game plan.
Danny Woodhead, SD (RB)
His name doesn't come with excitement tied to a running back who is drafted high in fantasy leagues, but Woodhead's consistency provides a steal to whomever selects him. In 2016, Woodhead scored more fantasy points than Lamar Miller, Emmanuel Sanders, Amari Cooper, and Todd Gurley. Woodhead has caught at least 76 balls in two of the passed three seasons.
Theo Riddick, DET (RB)
Three different running backs carried the ball over 40 times for Detroit in 2015. Riddick had the fewest from that three-headed monster (43 rushing attempts), but he was a target machine in the passing game (99 targets). In the PPR format, Riddick recorded more fantasy points than Michael Floyd and both Bengals' running backs (Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill).
