Dynasty Buckets, A Different Look at Tiers: Wide Receivers

If you are a degenerate dynasty fiend like me, then you already know that there is a LOT to keep track of when it comes to classifying players in our various leagues and scoring systems. When I was younger, and my brain worked better, I would do most of this in my head, on the fly. But that was before things like mortgages, kids' sports schedules, and remembering whether it's a recycling week when I take out the trash.

So now I like to write these things down. And this year I am going to do that with you, friends. Hopefully, you will find some of it useful as you work on curating your dynasty rosters through the spring and summer. If you don't, please send your concerns to Clayton Gray. It was his idea to subject y'all to this, after all. (Hi Clayton!)

Over the next few months, we'll examine my buckets for each of the four main fantasy positions. There will be changes as off-season workouts, camp battles, and, unfortunately, injuries shake things up through the summer.

Remember, these are not rankings. These are buckets designed to give you a 3,000-foot view of where the talent and depth lie across positions in dynasty leagues. Use the Footballguys tiers noted within the buckets to zoom in a little further, and individual player rankings to get into the minute detail.

You can check out our consensus Footballguys dynasty ranks, along with my individual ranks, here.

The Buckets

If you are as curious and skeptical of me as I am, you probably think, "Isn't bucket just another word for tier?" I think of buckets as a more general classification. Remember how old radios had a big knob that would help you tune into the general frequency and then a little knob that helped you fine-tune and sharpen the reception? Buckets are the big knobs, tiers are the little ones.

Below is a quick summary of my buckets. For a more detailed explanation, check out the first part of our series "Decoding the Dynasty Calendar." You can also see how they work in practice in last week's article on quarterback buckets.

1. Starters: If I am comfortable starting the player, whether at a specific position or in a flex or superflex spot, I put them into this bucket.
2. Rotation: Players I view as likely to be contributors in the upcoming season. These are guys who could be regulars in the lineup once bye weeks or injuries hit, but who, even without that, should have consistent fantasy-point-scoring roles on their NFL teams.
3. Upside/Blocked: Generally, this bucket is for players in their third year or less who have not yet cracked regular playing time in real life. This bucket is for players with undeniable upside who have been blocked from regular playing time for some reason or another. Whether it's by injury, a veteran player, or some other reason, these young players haven't had enough of a chance to make me comfortable relying on them yet.
4. Veteran Depth: Not starters, and not rotation pieces, this is your "break glass in case of emergency" bucket. These could be handcuffs to your starters or just veteran players blocked from regular playing time, similar to the young guys in the Upside bucket above. You might be uncomfortable with them in your weekly lineup, but they could hold value if circumstances fall just right.
5. Scratch-off Tickets: This is a bit of a catch-all, but the notion is that this bucket holds the players you can't quite quit yet, the players you can squint your eyes and tilt your head just right and see value in. In short, the long-shot flag plants that make us dynasty degenerates feel alive.

If using this concept to assess your rosters, please remember that flexibility is key. Players will move fluidly from bucket to bucket, especially as off-season activity ramps up in the NFL, injuries happen, and position battles unfold. I want most of my dynasty rosters to be composed of players in the first three buckets, but your specific league settings and personal playing style should determine what works best for you.

RELATED: See Quarterback Dynasty Buckets here.
RELATED: See Running Back Dynasty Buckets here.
RELATED: See Tight End Dynasty Buckets here.

Wide Receiver Buckets

So with that explanation out of the way, and as we sit here just past Memorial Day, below you'll find wide receivers grouped by bucket, along with the tier in which they currently reside in the Footballguys Dynasty Rankings for a little added fine-tuning. 

What's that? Deep buckets? Yeah, you're right, these first two get kind of big, and there can be a lot of movement and overlap between them. When you get into startable flex options, those players can easily fit in either the starter bucket or rotation bucket, depending on the depth of your roster.

Here, I put someone in the rotation bucket if I would use them as a startable option at flex or just a rotational piece at wide receiver. I reserve the starter bucket for the players I feel comfortable starting, no matter what.

Also, well, there are just a LOT of startable and rotational fantasy wide receivers in this era of the NFL.

Starters Bucket

• Malik Nabers, NYG (1)
• Ja'Marr Chase, CIN (1) 
• CeeDee Lamb, DAL (1)
• Justin Jefferson, MIN (1)
• Puka Nacua, LAR (1)
• Amon-Ra St. Brown (2)
• Brian Thomas Jr., JAX (2)
• Drake London, ATL (2)
• Jaxon Smith-Njigba, SEA (2)
• Nico Collins, HOU (2)
• Ladd McConkey, LAR (2)
• Garrett Wilson, NYJ (2)

A combination of poor quarterback play and low volume has capped Wilson's fantasy production. The quarterback play might not be that much better this year, but I at least expect Wilson to be pummeled with targets in 2025 and beyond.

• A.J. Brown, PHI (2)

People are still somehow too low on Brown. I'll let Colton Dodgson tell you why right here.

• Marvin Harrison Jr., ARI (2)
• Tetairoa McMillan, CAR (2)
• Tee Higgins, CIN (2)
• Rashee Rice, KC (2)

This placement assumes that Rice is healthy and not suspended. Adjust accordingly as the offseason progresses and we start to hear more news on him.

• Rome Odunze, CHI (2)
• DJ Moore, CHI (2)
• DeVonta Smith, PHI (2)
• Xavier Worthy, KC (2)
• Travis Hunter, JAX (2)
• Zay Flowers, BAL (2)
• Chris Olave, NO (3)
• Jordan Addison, MIN (3)
• Jaylen Waddle, MIA (3)
• Terry McLaurin, WAS (3)
• DK Metcalf, PIT (3)
• Jameson Williams, DET (3)
• Brandon Aiyuk, SF (3)
• George Pickens, DAL (4)
• Ricky Pearsall, SF (4)

Pearsall has a great opportunity with Deebo headed to DC. It remains to be seen what San Francisco will look like now that they aren't paying their quarterback in envelopes and Gobstoppers, but Pearsall is talented and ready to step into a larger role.

• Chris Godwin, TB (4)
• Tyreek Hill, MIA (4)
• Mike Evans, TB (4)
• Courtland Sutton, DEN (4)
• Davante Adams, LAR (4)
• Stefon Diggs, NEP (5)