Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings: Conference Championship Round

We have made it to the Conference Championships! With just two games this week, there are officially few enough receivers worth considering that I will be pivoting from X vs. Y Start/Sit decisions to good old-fashioned Half-PPR rankings. The four remaining teams all have complicated wide receiver situations, with some teams using committees and others hardly ever passing the ball. That means we have plenty of interesting decisions to make along the way for these rankings. Let’s jump right into it!

For more help with Start/Sit decisions, check out FantasySP’s NFL Start/Sit tool!

Wide Receiver Conference Championship Fantasy Football Rankings

Tier 1: Actually Good Options

1. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

I know, A.J. Brown has done essentially nothing other than read a book on the sidelines so far this postseason. He has three catches for 24 yards, total, across the Eagles’ two games. But we shouldn’t let that small sample weigh too heavily in our minds. On a playoff slate characterized by receiver committees, Brown is a true alpha. Even including his two playoff duds, he has averaged a 30% target share, a 50% air yards share, and a 41% first-read target share in this Eagles passing offense. 

The only thing holding AJB back has been Philadelphia’s low passing volume. If that changes, he could have a huge game against a mediocre Commanders defense. If it doesn’t, we know he still has the ability to have a big game with just one play. 

2. Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs

It’s hard to overstate how good Xavier Worthy’s usage has been in recent weeks. Over the Chiefs’ last four competitive games, the rookie has averaged a 26% target share on an 82% route participation rate, both numbers that easily lead the team. In those games, he has averaged 14.7 Half-PPR points.

It’s worth noting that a lot of his targets have come on designed, short-yardage plays. In fact, he saw just four air yards on six targets last week for a comically low 0.7 ADOT.  However, this usage isn’t necessarily a bad thing — it is the coveted “Rashee Rice” role in the Chiefs’ offense, allowing the fastest man in NFL history to rack up PPR points and YAC. Combine that with the fact that he is still running tons of routes and does have deep-threat ability, and Worthy is the second-best WR option on this slate. 

3. Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders

I don’t think I need to justify having McLaurin as my WR3. If anything, I probably need to justify having him this low. The thing is, Scary Terry’s usage isn’t as elite as you might think. For this year, postseason included, he has averaged just a 22% target share in the Commanders’ offense. Last week, he saw just five targets for a 16% share, also on a very low ADOT of just 2.2.

McLaurin is also heading into a truly brutal matchup with the Eagles’ defense, easily the worst schedule-adjusted fantasy opponent for receivers this season. In two games against his divisional rivals this season, McLaurin totaled just six catches for 70 yards and a touchdown (8.0 Half-PPR points per game). That’s not terrible, but it’s not great, either. That’s how I feel about McLaurin this week. He’s certainly one of the best receiver options on the slate, but he isn’t quite as elite as you might assume. 

Tier 2: Probably Good Options

4. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles

Everything I said about A.J. Brown above essentially also applies to Smith. He is easily one of the top three most talented receivers on this slate, and his overall usage numbers are also solid. The big issue with his playoff performance of 76 scoreless yards in two games has been the Eagles’ commitment to the run game. 

However, that was an issue in the regular season, too, and Smith still averaged 12.7 Half-PPR points per game, far more than every other receiver remaining on this slate. I’m willing to back the talent and role here, even if the overall offensive environment hasn’t been ideal so far in the postseason. 

5. Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills

On the one hand, Shakir is clearly the Bills’ top receiver at this point. He easily leads the team in both route participation rate and targets for the playoffs. On the other hand, those team-leading numbers are still just a 62% participation rate and 6.5 targets per game (a 27% share), as the Bills are using a WR-by-committee approach. 

On the bright side, Shakir is earning targets, with an elite 38% target per route run rate so far in the playoffs. He has also run 62% of his routes from the slot, which should benefit him against a Chiefs defense that ranked as the softest schedule-adjusted matchup for slot receivers during the regular season. He’s not as obvious a smash as “Josh Allen’s WR1” might initially make him sound, but he’s still a very attractive play on this tiny slate.

6. Marquise Brown, Kansas City Chiefs

Brown dropped a complete donut in his playoff debut with the Chiefs last week, failing to catch either of his two targets. However, he still posted a very solid 71% route participation rate. That was his highest since returning from a shoulder injury in Week 16 and tied him for second on the team with Travis Kelce. 

This is particularly encouraging because, prior to last week, Brown consistently earned targets when he was on the field for Kansas City. In his small regular season sample, he posted an absurd 43% target per route run rate on a healthy 8.1-yard ADOT. This isn’t an ideal matchup for him with a Bills team that has shut down outside receivers, but Hollywood still stands out as a clear cut above every other receiver remaining on this slate in terms of talent and opportunity. 

Tier 3: Remaining WR2s

7. Dyami Brown, Washington Commanders

I’m very unsure about this one. On the one hand, Brown seems to have emerged as the Commanders’ clear WR2. Last week, he actually led Washington with eight targets (26% target share) on a 65% route share. He caught six of those targets for a team-high 98 yards. However, it’s worth noting that Brown’s expanding role coincided with Olamide Zaccheaus suffering a groin injury. Prior to last week, the two had been closely tied in a battle for the WR2 spot on this offense behind McLaurin. 

If Zaccheaus is fully healthy, there’s a chance Brown’s usage trends back downward. Even if Dyami remains as the Commanders’ WR2, there’s a real chance the former third-rounder can’t get anything going against the Eagles’ elite secondary. With that said, his recent production can’t be ignored on a slate this small, and every remaining receiver has arguably larger question marks around their usage. Brown deserves this WR7 rank.  

8. Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills

The rookie trailed only Shakir in terms of route participation rate in the Bills’ win over the Ravens … but he was still at just 48%. He also saw only one target, which he did catch for five yards. But he did at least see three targets in the Wild Card round (although he once again only recorded one catch for five yards). He also easily led the Bills for the season with eight end-zone targets. At this stage of the rankings, that decent TD equity is worth chasing. 

Tier 4: Dart Throws

9. DeAndre Hopkins, Kansas City Chiefs

Hopkins ran only 13 routes last week for a miserable 42% participation rate. In the regular season, that would cross him off my board completely. At this point in the postseason, it earns him a top-10 spot. The aging superstar has at least earned targets when he is on the field for the Chiefs, and he joins Coleman in having solid end-zone target equity.  

10. Olamide Zaccheaus, Washington Commanders

If I knew he was fully healthy, Zaccheaus might rank higher. However, there’s still a chance he will miss this game entirely with his injury (he was limited in practice on Wedensday). If he does play, Zaccheaus will compete with Brown to be the Commanders’ WR2, a role in which he found some fantasy success to end the season. 

11. Amari Cooper, Buffalo Bills

Cooper ran a grand total of nine routes (a 39% participation rate) in the Bills’ win over the Ravens, and he failed to catch his only target. He might get more involved against the Chiefs, but we’re really just hoping for a big play or a TD here.

12. Curtis Samuel, Buffalo Bills

After being a nonfactor for most of the regular season, Samuel has suddenly become more involved in the Bills’ offense for the playoffs. Of course, when I say “involved,” I mean two targets on a 39% route share last week. I actually prefer Samuel’s target-earning ability to Cooper’s at this point, but the veteran gadget WR is also a real threat to not see the field at all on Sunday. 

13. Jahan Dotson, Philadelphia Eagles

Dotson sticks out like a sore thumb in a tier full of receivers playing part-time roles. He is actually on the field very consistently for the Eagles, with a 65% route participation rate so far in the postseason. However, we’ve already discussed how low-volume Philadelphia’s passing offense is. Combine that with Dotson’s atrocious 8% target per route run rate, and you get a player averaging less than two targets per game. That leaves him in the same “hope for a touchdown” zone as the rest of these options. 

14. Mack Hollins, Buffalo Bills

Hollins is only a slightly worse bet than Cooper and Samuel — he ran just one fewer route than both of his teammates last week and actually finished second on the team with 12 whole receiving yards. Especially given his deep-threat role, he’s a useable dart throw.

15. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kansas City Chiefs

Now we are really scraping the bottom of the barrel. JuJu posted a 29% route participation rate last week, and he failed to catch his only target. But he should at least run a few routes, which earns him a mention on this list.

16. Jamison Crowder, Washington Commanders

Crowder snags the final spot in this ranking by virtue of having run eight routes and caught two passes for 25 yards last week. If Zaccheaus is 100%, the veteran WR will become unplayable and fall off this list. But if Zaccheaus remains banged up or is ruled out entirely, Crowder should see just enough snaps to be someone to think about.

Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasySP. Find him on Twitter @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.