Sometimes, fantasy point totals can deceive.
Case in point. Julio Jones finished seventh in PPR points among wide receivers this past season. That seems pretty good, right? Well, he was a top-10 fantasy wideout in just 18.8 percent and a top-20 wideout in just 31.3 percent of his 16 games. What's more, Jones scored fewer than 15 points in 56 percent of his games. That's a far bigger statistical factoid than his overall finish at the position. Anyone who had him on their fantasy teams know that he was actually a disappointment in fantasy football. So, who were the best players when it came to putting up solid totals on a regular basis, and who was more name than numbers?
Here's a look at the wide receivers who finished in the top 20 most often last season (minimum seven games), along with some interesting notes on players to watch in 2018.
1. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans (86.7 percent): Despite the fact that he played with several different quarterbacks, Hopkins was still a top-5 finisher four times and ranked in the top 10 seven times. In seven games with Deshaun Watson under center, Nuk ranked in the top five three times (43 percent) and in the top 10 four times (57 percent). He'll be one of the few first-round wide receivers in 2018 drafts.
2. Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers (71.4 percent): The best wide receiver in fantasy football over the last several years, Brown led his position with 1,533 yards and six top-five finishes in 14 games. He also scored 25-plus PPR points in half of his games and led all PPR receivers in points-per-game average (22.2). Look for Brown to be a top-five overall pick (and the lone wideout) in 2018 fantasy drafts.
T-3. Jarvis Landry, Miami Dolphins (62.5 percent): Landry didn't put up enormous stat lines, but he did score double-digit PPR points in 14 of his 16 games. What's more, the veteran led the position with a combined six finishes between wide receiver No. 6-10. A pending free agent, it looks like Landry could be on his way out of South Florida next season. He'll be a top-15 PPR wideout in a worst-case scenario.
T-3. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints (62.5 percent): Thomas found the end zone a modest five times last season, but he also finished third in receptions (104) and sixth in receiving yards (1,245) among wideouts. He was very reliable in his final 11 contests too, as Thomas ranked in the top-20 eight times (72.7 percent) including five top-12 finishes and a pair of top-four ranks during the fantasy postseason.
5. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs (60 percent): The No. 9 PPR wideout, Hill ranked in the top-20 nine times including four different games in the top 10. He was also a star down the stretch, as Hill put up three top-11 finishes over his final four games of the fantasy season. I wouldn't expect his value to change drastically with Patrick Mahomes under center, so look for Hill to be a top-40 pick next season.
6. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers (57.1 percent): Adams was highly inconsistent in his first eight games, but he finished with four top-12 PPR ranks including two top-10 spots in his final five full games before he went down with an injury in Week 15. If veteran wide receiver Jordy Nelson, 32, is released in the offseason, Adams will be a lock to be selected in the top 30 overall picks in 2018 PPR drafts.
7. Golden Tate, Detroit Lions (56.3 percent): Tate put up 92 receptions this past season, making it four straight years that he's posted 90 or more catches. He also ranked ninth in terms of the percentage of top-10 finishes he produced at the position as well. Heading into a contract year, the former Golden Domer should remain firmly on the No. 2 wideout radar in PPR formats heading into next season's drafts.
8. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers (50 percent): The 2017 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, Allen returned from a torn ACL to produce career bests in catches (102) and receiving yards (1,393) for the Chargers. Allen, who finished third behind Brown and Hopkins among wideouts in PPR leagues, caught fire down the stretch with a combined three top-four finishes in his final six contests of the fantasy season.
9. Chris Hogan, New England Patriots (44.4 percent): Hogan missed seven games due to injuries, but he ranked 13th or better in four straight games (Weeks 2-5). Unfortunately, he finished no better than 28th in his next three games before being injured. Hogan's PPR draft value could decline with the return of Julian Edelman (knee) next season, though he has proven to be a nice asset when allowed the chance.
T-10. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings (43.8 percent): One of the best draft bargains in fantasy football, Thielen finished eighth in PPR scoring despite the fact that he scored just four touchdowns. While he ranked better than 40th once in his final four games of the fantasy season, he was a top-20 wideout in seven of his first 11 contests (63.6 percent). Thielen will be a top-30 PPR draft pick next season.
T-10. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals (43.8 percent): A first-round pick in some 2017 PPR drafts, Green had four top-10 finishes and seven top-20 finishes among wideouts. Most of his success in the stat sheets came in the first half of the season, however, as Green ranked 35th or worse in four of his final seven games and was better than 17th just once during that time. Still, he'll be a top-30 pick in 2018.
T-10. Nelson Agholor, Philadelphia Eagles (43.8 percent): Agholor ranked among the 10 best wide receivers in the league based on our parameters, posting a combined seven top-20 finishes. However, the USC product was also often non-existent in the stat sheets. In his 16 games, Agholor finished 28th or worse in 56.2 percent of his games. He'll be a middle- to late-round selection in 2018 PPR fantasy leagues.
T-13. Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings (42.9 percent): Diggs started the season on absolute fire, as he finished first or second among wideouts in two of his first three games. Injuries cost him two-plus games, however, and he failed to rank better than 28th in two of his final eight games of the fantasy season. His talent is apparent, but Diggs needs to be more consistent to be a superstar wide receiver.
T-13. Michael Crabtree, Oakland Raiders (42.9 percent): Crabtree produced six top-20 finishes in 14 games this past season, but four of them came in the first six weeks. After that, he produced one top-10 finish among seven games (including one where he was ejected) where he ranked 26th or worse among PPR wideouts. Crabtree could see an uptick in value next season with coach Jon Gruden back at the helm, however.
T-15. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (40 percent): One of the biggest disappointments in fantasy football, Evans disappeared in the stat sheets after a hot start. A top-10 wideout in four of his first six games, the talented veteran failed to rank better than 23rd in PPR points at his position in seven of his final nine games. Look for Evans to drop down into the second round of 2018 fantasy football drafts.
T-15. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams (40 percent): A popular deep sleeper in the preseason, Kupp had the same number of top-20 finishes (6) as Evans and one more than Julio Jones. Still, the rookie often times disappeared in the stat sheets. In the nine games where he wasn't a top-20 wideout, Kupp ranked 28th or worse eight times and wasn't in the top 50 five times. He'll be a middle to late rounder in 2018.
T-17 Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals (37.5 percent): Fitzgerald ranked fourth in PPR points among wideouts, but he still finished outside of the top 20 PPR wideouts in 62.5 percent of his games.
T-17. Marvin Jones, Detroit Lions (37.5 percent): Jones had a slow start to the season, but he had six top-13 PPR finishes among wide receivers in his final 11 games and ranked 11th at the position.
T-17. Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks (37.5 percent): A fantasy disappointment in 2017, Baldwin had six top-20 finishes among wide receivers and scored 20-plus PPR points just twice in his 16 games.
T-17. Brandin Cooks, New England Patriots (37.5 percent): Cooks saw declines almost across the board in his first season with the Patriots, finishing as a top-20 PPR wide receiver just six times.
T-17. Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos (37.5 percent): Despite a six-week stretch where he ranked in the top 20 four times, Thomas was hard to trust. He ranked outside of the top 30 in seven games.
T-17. Robby Anderson, New York Jets (37.5 percent): Anderson had a five-week stretch where he ranked in the top 20 in every game, but he had just one other such performance in his other 11 contests.
T-17. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys (37.5 percent): Once an elite fantasy wideout, Bryant finished with just one top-10 PPR finish and failed to produce a single game with 20-plus PPR points in 2017.
T-17. Pierre Garcon, San Francisco 49ers (37.5 percent): Garcon missed eight games last season, and none of his active weeks came with Jimmy Garoppolo under center. He had just one 20-plus point game.
T-25. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers (35.7 percent): Smith-Schuster had a slow start to the season, but the rookie ranked 16th or better in five of his final seven regular-season contests.
T-25. Marqise Lee, Jacksonville Jaguars (35.7 percent): Lee, a pending free agent this offseason, posted just two games with 20-plus PPR points and averaged a mediocre 10.6 points per game overall.
Notes:Odell Beckham Jr. scored 20-plus PPR points in two of his four games before suffering a gruesome leg injury. Barring any setbacks, he'll be a borderline first-round selection next season. ... Julio Jones ranked outside of the top 20 PPR wideouts in 11 of his 16 games, and 20 percent of his total fantasy points came in just one game. He'll fall into the second round in 2018 drafts. ... Will Fuller finished as a top-20 PPR wideout in all but one of his four games with Watson under center. In his six other games, he finished no better than 41st among PPR wideouts and ranked outside of the top 50 five different times. ... Nelson ranked seventh, 11th and third in his first three full games with Aaron Rodgers under center. Over his final 11 games, he finished no better than 43rd in any game where Rodgers didn't start. Nelson will be 33 at the start of the 2018 campaign, and he's no lock to remain in Green Bay. ... Alshon Jeffery ranked 30th or worse in six of his first seven games as a member of the Eagles. He would rank in the top 18 in each of his next four games before a five-week stretch where he ranked 35th or worse three times. ... Devin Funchess ranked 34th or worse in six of his first eight games of last season. He would go on to rank in the top 30 in six of eight games after the trade of Kelvin Benjamin, including three games where he finished 16th of better. ... A top-10 PPR wideout in 2017, T.Y. Hilton dropped to 28th this last season without Andrew Luck. While he was a top-six wideout three times, Hilton also ranked outside of the top 40 in 11 games. He'll be a potential draft bargain in 2018, assuming Luck returns to the field. ... Amari Cooper, who was a top-40 pick in most 2017 drafts, finished 36th in PPR points among wideouts and scored 28 percent of his points in just one game. Cooper also ranked outside of the top 40 wide receivers seven times. ... Josh Gordon, who returned to action for the first time since 2014, ranked in the top 30 in three of his five games and averaged 11.5 PPR points. He'll be a No. 2 or 3 fantasy wideout in most 2018 fantasy drafts.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to _**@MichaelFabiano**_ or send a question via **Facebook**!
