Hayden Winks releases Week 1 top-12 wide receiver rankings with projections

Fantasy football analyst Hayden Winks issued his Week 1 ranking of the top twelve wide receivers, assigning projected receiving yards and target numbers for each player. The list opens with Puka Nacua (vs. San Francisco) at 88.5 projected yards on 11.5 targets, followed by Ja'Marr Chase (vs. Tampa Bay) with 87.5 yards on 10.5 targets. Amon-Ra St. Brown (vs. New Orleans) is projected for 78.5 yards on 9.5 targets, while Justin Jefferson (vs. Green Bay) is listed at 73.5 yards on 10.5 targets. Chris Olave (at Detroit) receives a projection of 77.5 yards on 10.5 targets, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (vs. New England) is assigned 82.5 yards on 9.0 targets. CeeDee Lamb (at New York Giants) and George Pickens (also at the Giants) are projected for 76.5 yards on 8.5 targets and 70.5 yards on 8.5 targets, respectively. Nico Collins (vs. Buffalo) is listed with 68.5 yards on 8.0 targets, A.J. Brown (at Seattle) with 62.5 yards on 7.5 targets, DeVonta Smith (vs. Washington) with 66.5 yards on 9.0 targets, and Tee Higgins (vs. Tampa Bay) with 60.5 yards on 7.0 targets. The rankings also note two lower-ranked receivers: Romeo Doubs (at Seattle) with 36.5 yards on 5.5 targets and Rashid Shaheed (vs. New England) with 31.5 yards on 4.0 targets. Winks indicated that the projections will be updated throughout the week for all positions.

"Puka Nacua easily finished as half PPR's WR1, scoring 2.8 more points per game than Jaxon Smith-Njigba," Winks wrote in his analysis.

"Ja'Marr Chase is the WR1 on WR1 expected points in games with Joe Burrow healthy over the past three seasons, averaging 21.5 PPR points per game," he added.

"Amon-Ra St. Brown has averaged 20.9 PPR points and 21.8 expected points when David Montgomery is limited," Winks noted.

"Justin Jefferson averaged 100 receiving yards from 2022-24 in games without Josh Dobbs and Jaren Hall," the analyst reported.

"Chris Olave posted a career-best WR7 per-game finish on WR6 usage under head coach Kellen Moore," Winks said.

"Jaxon Smith-Njigba is projected for 82.5 receiving yards by the betting markets," he observed.

"CeeDee Lamb has averaged 90 receiving yards per game from 2022-2025 when Dak Prescott has started," Winks indicated.

"George Pickens averaged 77 yards per game in 13 games with Lamb," the analyst wrote.

"Nico Collins is the most likely WR to have a breakout season similar to Jaxon Smith-Njigba," Winks suggested.

"A.J. Brown had a normal training camp and heads into the year healthy," Winks noted.

"DeVonta Smith is the clear-cut WR1 for the first time since his rookie season," the analyst stated.

"Tee Higgins has played 39 games with Joe Burrow healthy since 2022," Winks reported.

The analyst emphasized that the projections are based on recent performance data, opponent defensive rankings, and expected game scripts.