Wide receivers were historically productive as a whole this past season.
The position combined to score 18,040.76 PPR fantasy points in 2018, the second-most since at least 2000. The 2016 campaign was the only one with more points (18,141.04). However, wideouts did set a new record for combined standard fantasy points scored (11,680.76) his season.
Wideouts also scored 20-plus PPR points in a single game a combined 206 times this season. That's 53 more than the 2017 campaign, which saw wideouts top 20 PPR points just 153 times.
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 eight games), along with some interesting notes on players to watch in 2019.
1. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers (93.3 percent): Adams was the most consistent wideout in fantasy land last season, and it wasn't even close. He also led the position in top-10 finishes (53.3 percent) and games with at least 10 PPR points, not to mention his league-high average of 22 points per game. The Packers receiver could end up being the first player picked at his position in 2019 drafts.
2. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons (68.8 percent): Talk about night and day ... Jones came off a 2017 campaign that saw him finish as a top-20 wideout in just 31.3 percent of his games. He more than doubled total that this past season, posting a top-20 finish in almost 70 percent of his games to go along with eight top-10 finishes. Not bad for a dude who didn't score a touchdown until Week 9.
T-3. Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers (66.7 percent): Brown saw a slight decline in his percentage of top-20 finishes compared to last season (71.4 percent), but he was still one of the most reliable players at his position. That's not a surprise for one of the greats to ever player at the position. Here's the question though ... can Brown keep up the pace if he's traded in the offseason?
T-3. Odell Beckham, Jr., New York Giants (66.7 percent): While he missed four games due to injuries, OBJ was still a consistent point producer when he was on the gridiron. With that said, he did fail to finish in the top 10 in 75 percent of his games. He also had five contests where he ranked from No. 11 to 20. Still, OBJ was able to reach the 18-point mark eight times and his 19.2 PPR points per game average ranked tied for seventh among wideouts. If anything, his durability is a bigger concern.
T-3. Julian Edelman, New England Patriots (66.7 percent): Edelman was suspended for the first four games, but he was a very reliable fantasy contributor upon his return. If there's one downfall with Edelman, it's that he doesn't post "elite" numbers very often. In fact, he finished in the top 10 just once and failed to put up any top-5 performances. Still, Edelman will remain a strong No. 2 PPR wideout.
6. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans (62.5 percent): Hopkins led all wideouts in PPR points this past season, so it's no surprise to see him among the top-6 most consistent receivers. His percentage of top-20 finishes was down compared to his 2017 total (86.7 percent), but Nuk was still a top-10 wideout in more than 43 percent of his games. I'd expect him to be the first receiver picked in 2019 drafts.
T-7. T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts (57.1 percent): Hilton had a semi-bounce back season with Andrew Luck back under center, finishing 14th in PPR scoring among wideouts. He ranked tied for 11th in games with 10-plus PPR points, and he helped owners big time down the stretch by scoring 19-plus points in four of his final six games of the fantasy season. Hilton remains a high-end No. 2 wideout for 2019.
T-7. Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals (57.1 percent): This might be a surprise to some because Boyd's numbers slid a bit when A.J. Green was injured. Overall, though, the Pittsburgh product was among the most consistent fantasy wideouts in the league with eight top-20 finishes including four top-10s. Boyd could wind up being a decent 2019 draft bargain for fantasy owners under new coach Zac Taylor.
T-9. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints (56.3 percent): One might think that Thomas would be ranked higher, but a few late-season stinkers kept him out of the top five most consistent wideouts. While he did produce some huge stat lines including seven games with 20-plus PPR points including five with 25-plus, Thomas failed to produce 12 or more points in three of his last five fantasy games.
T-9. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers (56.3 percent): Smith-Schuster saw his level of consistent production rise almost 21 percent compared to his rookie campaign. Overall, he produced a solid six games with 20-plus PPR points and finished tied with Hopkins in terms of top-5 performances as well. If the Steelers end up dealing Brown, Smith-Schuster's stock is going to soar in 2019 drafts.
T-9. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (56.3 percent): Evans was one of the biggest busts in fantasy football in 2017, but he bounced back big time this past season. He was a top-20 fantasy wideout 16.3 percent more often, and he ranked tied with Jones for third in terms of top-5 finishes at his spot. With new coach Bruce Arians now at the helm, you have to like Evans' value heading into next season.
T-9. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams (56.3 percent): Woods rarely put up elite fantasy numbers this past season, but he was consistently good in the stat sheets. He finished with 10-plus PPR points in 14 of his 16 games, which tied for the fourth-most, but he hit the 20-point mark in just 19 percent of his games. Looks for Woods to be the first Rams wideout drafted in 2019, likely as a No. 2 option.
13. Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings (53.3 percent): Diggs saw a slight improvement (+10.4 percent) in his number of top-20 finishes last season compared to his 2017 totals. He was also among the league leaders among wide receivers in 20-plus point performances (6) in PPR scoring systems.
T-14. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs (50 percent): Hill finished third in PPR points among wide receivers, but he was the least consistent on the top three. He did put up several monster stat lines, though, as Hill was tied for third in terms of the most 20-plus point performances (8).
T-14. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings (50 percent): It was a tale of two seasons for Thielen, at least in the stat sheets. He produced a ridiculous seven top-10 PPR finishes in his first eight games (87.5 percent), but he hit that same mark just once over his final eight games (12.5 percent).
T-14. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers (50 percent): For the second straight season, Allen put up top-20 performances in 50 percent of his games. While he was rarely elite (he had one top-five performance all season), Allen did have five games where he finished No. 6 to 15 among wideouts.
17. Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions (46.7 percent): Golladay's fantasy production didn't move much with or without Marvin Jones and Golden Tate. In fact, he was a top-20 wideout four times in Weeks 1-8, once in Weeks 9-10 (without Tate) and had two top-10 finished in Weeks 11-17 (no Tate, Jones).
18. Alshon Jeffery, Philadelphia Eagles (46.2 percent): Jeffery wasn't overly consistent in the stat sheets, and he was rarely elite with just one top-five performance and two others from No. 6 to 10. The veteran out of South Carolina also failed to score 10-plus PPR points in six of his 13 games.
19. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals (44.4 percent): Green missed seven games last season due to injuries, but he rarely put up elite numbers when he was on the gridiron. In fact. the veteran had just one top-10 performance. On a positive note, Green did produce 17-plus PPR points in six of nine games.
20. Brandin Cooks, Los Angeles Rams (43.8 percent): Cooks was an all-or-nothing wideout at times, as he produced five top-10 performances but was also held outside of the top-20 on nine different occasions. The veteran receiver was also a top-five wide receiver in just 6.3 percent of his games.
21. Emmanuel Sanders, Denver Broncos (41.7 percent): Sanders scored 16-plus fantasy points in five of his first six games, but he scored fewer than 11 PPR points in four of his next five games.
22. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams (37.5 percent): Kupp was more consistent that his numbers show, as he was forced out of two games early due to injuries. I like him as a No. 3 wideout in 2019.
23. Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders/Dallas Cowboys (33.3 percent): Cooper finished as a top-20 wideout three times in nine games with the Cowboys, including a pair of top-5 finishes (both No. 1).
T-24. Jarvis Landry, Cleveland Browns (31.3 percent): Landry went from posting top-20 wideout totals 62.5 percent of the time last season to just 31.3 percent in his first season with the Browns.
T-24. Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons (31.1 percent): Despite his 10 touchdowns, Ridley was a top-10 receiver in just 31.3 percent of his games. He scored 42 percent of his points in three games.
Notes:Tyler Lockett is coming off a tremendous campaign, as he finished 16th in PPR points among wideouts. However, he finished as a top-20 fantasy wideout in just 25 percent of his games. He also scored 20-plus points just once and was a top-10 wideout only 6.3 percent of the time. ... The trio of Chris Godwin, DeSean Jackson and Adam Humphries each finished as a top-20 fantasy wideout 25 percent of their games. Godwin could wind up being a decent breakout candidate if the Buccaneers decide to part ways with Jackson in the offseason. ... Golden Tate went from one of the most consistent wideouts in PPR leagues (56.3 percent) to one of the least (20 percent) in terms of top-20 finishes. What's more, he had just one top-35 performance after being traded to the Eagles. ... Robby Anderson ranked as a top-10 fantasy wideout in 21.4 percent of his games (5). He was also a top-five receiver in all five of those performances. ... Corey Davis was the biggest all-or-nothing receiver in fantasy football last season. He produced three top-five finishes (18.8 percent), and those were also his lone top-20 performances. Davis was held outside of the top-20 wide receivers in 13 of his 16 games (81.2 percent).
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. You can follow Michael on **Twitter**, **Facebook**, **YouTube** and **Instagram** for the latest fantasy football news and analysis!
