The 2020 Fantasy Wide Receivers Consistency Report is meant to help gauge just how valuable wide receivers are on a weekly basis in our starting lineups. When we looked at this for 2019, we learned that outside of Michael Thomas, consistency at the wide receiver position varied greatly. Some, like Amari Cooper, were more consistent than perceived and many others were less consistent.

The first thing we have to look at is that not every week is created equal. For example, in one week a receiver could score 18.40 points and be a WR1, but in another, they would’ve had to score over 22.29 to qualify.

RankMinMaxAverage
WR118.423.320.8
WR214.117.415.7
WR310.314.212.1
Weeks 1-17

Looking at the 2020 numbers, the first thing to point out is that we saw a pretty solid difference between 2019 & 2020. In 2019, the worst WR1 threshold was 16.5, and in 2020 that was 1.9 points higher at 18.4. The average for WR1 entry jumped from 19.8 to 20.8, and the average to be a top 36 wide receiver moved from 10.9 to 12.1. Unsurprisingly, wide receivers are scoring more points than ever.

8. Fantasy Wide Receivers: Weekly Rankings

PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 23: Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins #10 of the Houston Texans celebrates against the Philadelphia Eagles in the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on December 23, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Just like 2019, there were 13 receivers that had five or more WR1 weeks.

Player#WR1 Weeks#WR1 AVG (20.8 Pts)Difference
Davante Adams88Even
DeAndre Hopkins88Even
Tyreek Hill77Even
Adam Thielen66Even
Calvin Ridley65-1
Diontae Johnson66Even
A.J. Brown66Even
Stefon Diggs56+1
Justin Jefferson56+1
D.K. Metcalf54-1
Allen Robinson54-1
Tyler Lockett54-1
Keenan Allen55Even

Seven of the 13 receivers had the same amount of WR1 weeks when considering weekly rankings and the yearly average WR1 threshold. Two receivers, Stefon Diggs and Justin Jefferson, actually had one additional week where they scored the 20.8 points needed to qualify for the yearly WR1 threshold. Four receivers–Calvin Ridley, D.K. Metcalf, Allen Robinson and Tyler Lockett–actually lost a WR1 week.

The following wide receivers had more WR1 weeks based on the yearly average than via weekly rankings.

Player#WR1 Weeks#WR1 AVG (20.8 Pts)Difference
Justin Jefferson45+1
Stefon Diggs34+1
Will Fuller34+1
Nelson Agholor23+1
Curtis Samuel23+1
Brandon Aiyuk23+1
JuJu Smith-Schuster23+1
Chase Claypool12+1
Marquise Brown12+1

We also see 14 players, that were not in the tables above who lost at least one WR1 week compared to the average.

Player#WR1 Weeks#WR1 AVG (20.8 Pts)Difference
D.J. Moore42-2
Marquez Valdes-Scantling31-2
Mike Evans43-1
Cole Beasley43-1
Tyler Boyd32-1
Julio Jones32-1
CeeDee Lamb32-1
Travis Fulgham21-1
Russell Gage21-1
Keelan Cole Sr. 21-1
DeVante Parker21-1
Antonio Brown21-1
Collin Johnson10-1
Adam Humphries10-1

7. Looking at WR2 & WR3 Weeks

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DECEMBER 30: D.J. Moore #12 of the Carolina Panthers reacts during the first half against the New Orleans Saints during a NFL game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on December 30, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Here all the players with at least four WR2 weeks.

Player#WR2 Weeks#WR2 AVG (15.7 Pts)Difference
Stefon Diggs65-1
Amari Cooper65-1
Robby Anderson66Even
Mike Evans55Even
JuJu Smith-Schuster55Even
Chris Godwin54-1
Tyreek Hill44Even
Calvin Ridley46+2
Brandon Aiyuk43-1
Curtis Samuel43-1
Chase Claypool43-1
Gabriel Davis44Even
John Brown44Even
Kenny Golladay43-1
Marquise Brown43-1

Not every +/- is equal. Some of the receivers gained a WR2 week from losing a WR1 week and some were gained from a WR3 week jumping to a WR2 week.

Here are the eight receivers with 4 or more WR3 weeks.

Player#WR3 Weeks#WR3 Avg (12.7 Pts)Difference
Cooper Kupp54-1
Emmanuel Sanders55Even
Allen Robinson44Even
Brandin Cooks44Even
Jarvis Landry42-2
Terry McLaurin44Even
Marquise Brown45+1
Stefon Diggs43-1

Again, when it comes to WR3 weeks, the difference can be made up by both moving down from WR2 weeks and up from WR4 weeks.

6. Combined WR1-WR3 Weeks

ATLANTA, GA – JANUARY 22: Julio Jones #11 of the Atlanta Falcons signals a first down in the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome on January 22, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

All my leagues start 3 WRs. Having guys that hit that threshold consistently are important. Obviously, the numbers aren’t equal as WR1 weeks are worth more than WR3 weeks, but this gives us an idea of who is a safe play week-to-week.

Here are the 32 players that were WR1-WR3 in a 50%+ of their teams games.

PlayerWR1WR2WR3Total
Stefon Diggs56415
Tyreek Hill74213
Davante Adams82212
Calvin Ridley64212
Terry McLaurin43411
Allen Robinson52411
Amari Cooper36211
D.K. Metcalf53311
A.J. Brown63110
Keenan Allen53211
Diontae Johnson61311
DeAndre Hopkins81110
JuJu Smith-Schuster35210
Justin Jefferson53210
Mike Evans45110
Robby Anderson16310
Chris Godwin2529
Brandin Cooks4149
Cooper Kupp3159
Curtis Samuel3429
Chase Claypool2439
Robert Woods4329
Will Fuller3328
Brandon Aiyuk3418
Corey Davis3238
Emmanuel Sanders1258
Adam Thielen6208
D.J. Moore4318
Jarvis Landry1348
Tyler Boyd3328
CeeDee Lamb3328
Marquise Brown0448
Tee Higgins3238

And here is how that list changes when factoring in the average threshold for each of WR1, WR2, & WR3 on the season.

PlayerWR1 (20.8)WR2 (15.7)WR3 (12.1)Total+/-
Stefon Diggs65314-1
Tyreek Hill74213Even
Amari Cooper354121
Calvin Ridley56112Even
Allen Robinson43411Even
D.K. Metcalf44311Even
Davante Adams83011-1
Terry McLaurin43411Even
A.J. Brown62210Even
DeAndre Hopkins81110Even
Diontae Johnson61310Even
JuJu Smith-Schuster45110Even
Justin Jefferson62210Even
Keenan Allen53210Even
Mike Evans45210Even
Adam Theilen6129+1
Brandon Cooks4149Even
Chris Godwin2439Even
Marquise Brown1359+1
Robby Anderson1629-1
Robert Woods4419Even
Will Fuller4239+1
Brandon Aiyuk4318Even
CeeDee Lamb2428Even
Chase Claypool3328-1
Cooper Kupp3148-1
Curtis Samuel4318-1
D.J. Moore2428Even
Marvin Jones4138+2
Tee Higgins3238Even
Tyler Boyd2428Even

As you can see, Marvin Jones (+1) jumps into the top 31 with Jarvis Landry (-2), Emmanuel Sanders (-1), and Corey Davis (-1) dropping out. The biggest mover was Marvin Jones who only had 6 WR1-WR3 weeks, yet scored 12.1 pts (WR3 Average) in 8 games.

5. Fantasy Wide Receiver Consistency Value Metric

2020 Fantasy Wide Receivers Consistency Report 9

Here is the value metric to determine our WR consistency value.

  • WR1 = 6
  • WR2 = 4
  • WR3 = 2

Included in this, we also give a 4pt bonus for “game winning” weeks of 30+ PPR points. Here are the 30+ point weeks:

Player30+ Point Weeks
Davante Adams6
Tyler Lockett3
Adam Thielen2
Brandin Cooks2
Calvin Ridley2
Justin Jefferson2
Kennan Allen2
Tyreek Hill2
A.J. Brown1
Amari Cooper1
Antonio Brown1
Chase Claypool1
Chris Godwin1
Corey Davis1
D.K. Metcalf1
DeAndre Hopkins1
Isaiah McKenzie1
Julio Jones1
Marvin Jones1
Michael Gallup1
Mike Evans1
Odell Beckham Jr.1
Richie James Jr.1
Robert Woods1
Stefon Diggs1
Sterling Shepard1
Travis Fulgham1
Will Fuller1

After factoring all that in, I averaged their normal score with their average rank score and came up with the following.

4. The WR1s

DETROIT, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 15: Chris Godwin #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signals a first down after a first half catch against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 15, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
PlayerScore
Davante Adams90
Tyreek Hill76.5
Stefon Diggs73
Calvin Ridley70
DeAndre Hopkins63
Justin Jefferson60
Keenan Allen59
A.J. Brown58
Adam Thielen56.5
D.K. Metcalf56.5
Amari Cooper56
Mike Evans53

The list changes a little when we divide their score by games played to get their per game average score.

PlayerPer Game Score
Davante Adams6.43
Tyreek Hill5.10
Calvin Ridley4.67
Stefon Diggs4.56
Keenan Allen4.21
A.J. Brown4.14
Will Fuller4.05
DeAndre Hopkins3.94
Julio Jones3.78
Adam Thielen3.77
Justin Jefferson3.75
Chris Godwin3.63

3. The WR2s

SEATTLE, WA – NOVEMBER 03: Wide receiver Tyler Lockett #16 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first quarter at CenturyLink Field on November 3, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
PlayersScore
Diontae Johnson51
Allen Robinson50.5
Tyler Lockett50.5
Terry McLuarin49.5
Robert Woods49.5
JuJu Smith-Schuster49
Brandin Cooks48.5
Will Fuller44.5
Chris Godwin43.5
Curtis Samuel42
Chase Claypool42
Brandon Aiyuk41

And the per game WR13-WR24

PlayerPer Game Score
D.K. Metcalf3.53
Amari Cooper3.50
Brandon Aiyuk3.42
Diontae Johnson3.40
Mike Evans3.31
Terry McLaurin3.30
Brandin Cooks3.23
Allen Robinson3.16
Tyler Lockett3.16
Robert Woods3.09
JuJu Smith-Schuster3.06
Antonio Brown2.94

2. The WR3s

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – DECEMBER 01: Deebo Samuel #19 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
PlayerScore
Marvin Jones40
Robby Anderson39.5
D.J. Moore39
Corey Davis38.5
Tyler Boyd37
CeeDee Lamb37
Tee Higgins36
Cooper Kupp35
Julio Jones34
Jamison Crowder34
Cole Beasley33.5
Nelson Agholor32.5

And the per game WR25-WR36

PlayerPer Game Score
Jamison Crowder2.83
Curtis Samuel2.80
Corey Davis2.75
Chase Claypool2.63
D.J. Moore2.60
Marvin Jones2.50
Robby Anderson2.47
Tyler Boyd2.47
Sterling Shepard2.38
Cooper Kupp2.33
CeeDee Lamb2.31
John Brown2.28

1. In Conclusion

GLENDALE, AZ – SEPTEMBER 23: Wide receiver Allen Robinson #12 of the Chicago Bears celebrates a scored touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in the second half of the NFL game at State Farm Stadium on September 23, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)

Looking back at the 2019 Consistency Report, we find that this is a relatively sticky stat. 4/12 wide receivers from 2019 found themselves back in the WR1 consistency ranks in 2020, while 4 others only dropped to WR2’s.

  • The WR1s (2019/2020)
  1. Davante Adams: 4.21/6.43
  2. DeAndre Hopkins: 4.30/3.94
  3. Julio Jones: 4.23/3.78
  4. Chris Godwin: 4.64/3.63

The WR1s that moved to WR2s (2019/2020)

  1. Amari Cooper: 3.66/3.50
  2. Mike Evans: 3.96/3.31
  3. Allen Robinson: 3.63/3.16
  4. Robert Woods: 3.63/3.09

The 4 that didn’t make the cut.

  1. Michael Thomas: 6.57/1.93 (WR44/Injury)
  2. Cooper Kupp: 3.88/2.33 (WR34)
  3. DeVante Parker: 3.81/2.11 (WR41)
  4. Julian Edelman: 3.69/1.50 (WR60/Injury)

WR2s that moved to WR1s (2019/2020)

  1. Tyreek Hill: 3.58/5.10
  2. Calvin Ridley: 3.35/4.67
  3. Keenan Allen: 3.31/4.21
  4. A.J. Brown: 3.00/4.14

WR3s that moved to WR1s (2019/2020)

  1. Stefon Diggs: 2.77/4.56

Looking at trends, while a short sample size, it looks that 2021 WR1s will likely have been at least a WR1 or WR2 in 2020, with 2/3 of the 2020 finishers fitting that mold. Stefon Diggs jumped from WR3 to WR1, with Will Fuller and Adam Thielen jumping from unranked. Justin Jefferson was the only rookie WR1, Brandon Aiyuk the only WR2, with Chase Claypool and CeeDee Lamb rounding out the rookies as WR3s.

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