Wide receivers have become more important than ever to the success of fantasy football owners. You'll see that in most 2016 drafts, where as many as four wideouts could be selected in the first 10 overall picks. In the third part of a four-part series on positional effectiveness (quarterbacks, running backs) it's time to move on to the position that could make or break your chances at winning a championship.
Here are the top 30 fantasy wide receivers from 2015 ranked not by total points, but by their fantasy points per touch (FPPT) average.
1. Ted Ginn, Jr., Panthers (2.91 FPPT): Ginn is coming off the best fantasy season of his professional career, but don't read too much into it. He scored a touchdown for every 4.8 times he touched the football (catches/rushes), which is nothing short of ridiculous, and the return of fellow wideout Kelvin Benjamin will no doubt curb his opportunities next season.
2. James Jones, Packers (2.82 FPPT): Like Ginn, Jones' FPPT is higher than you would think because of his impressive touchdown-to-touch numbers ... he found the end zone once for every 6.25 times he touched the rock. With Jordy Nelson back from a torn ACL and some younger wideouts now in the mix, Jones is unlikely to make a fantasy impact in 2016.
3. Allen Robinson, Jaguars (2.80 FPPT): Robinson broke out in the stat sheets last season, finishing fourth in fantasy points among wide receivers while posting an impressive 14 touchdowns. He also found the end zone once for every 5.7 passes he hauled in from Blake Bortles. A slight decrease in touchdowns should be expected, but Robinson will remain a top choice.
4. Sammy Watkins, Bills (2.60 FPPT): Watkins had a slow start to last season, but he finished on fire with three 100-yard performances and six touchdowns in his last six games. He also recorded a solid 2.9 fantasy points per touch in those contests. Looking ahead to next season, Watkins is one of my favorites to move up into the elite players at this position.
5. Allen Hurns, Jaguars (2.52 FPPT): Hurns was one of the biggest sleepers in fantasy football a season ago, posting a touchdown for every 6.4 times he caught a pass from Bortles. Whether or not he can duplicate that sort of average remains to be seen, but fantasy fans would be wise to expect a slight regression in end zone visits for Hurns moving forward in 2016.
6. Doug Baldwin, Seahawks (2.45 FPPT): Talk about a Jekyll and Hyde situation. In his first eight games, Baldwin averaged 1.1 fantasy points per touch (40 touches). In his last eight games, he put up a ridiculous 3.1 points per touch (47 touches, 12 touchdowns). Don't expect Baldwin to post the same level of numbers when he lines up for your fantasy team in 2016.
7. Michael Floyd, Cardinals (2.33 FPPT): Floyd was the third option in Arizona's pass attack last season behind Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown, but he was productive when he touched the football. In fact, the Notre Dame product found the end zone for every 8.7 catches he made. Floyd's main issue is that he's seen 100-plus targets once in his four NFL campaigns.
8. Odell Beckham Jr., Giants (2.30 FPPT): Beckham is an athletic freak of nature, and he makes the most of his touches when it comes to the stat sheets. While his points-per-touch average declined against his rookie campaign, OBJ did score more touchdowns per touch (7.5) as a sophomore. It's hard to imagine a draft where Beckham Jr. isn't a first-round selection.
9. Rueben Randle, Giants (2.24 FPPT): Randle didn't see a whole lot of touches in New York last season, but he did score a touchdown for every 7.1 times he caught the football. Now in Philadelphia, the veteran figures to be third on the depth chart behind Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor. So despite a solid FPPT average, Randle won't see enough work to improve.
10. A.J. Green, Bengals (2.18 FPPT): Green is one of fantasy football's elite wideouts, but he wasn't consistent last season. In fact, more than half of his fantasy production over the first six weeks came in just one game. He was much better over his final 10 games, though, and averaging better than two fantasy points per touch overall is a positive trend.
11. Eric Decker, Jets (2.16 FPPT): Decker was a touchdown machine, making an end zone visit in 12 of his 15 games last season. He also produced a score for every 6.7 receptions he hauled in, which in turn bolstered his FPPT average. Now let's hope the Jets are able to bring back Ryan Fitzpatrick.
12. Brandon Marshall, Jets (2.11 FPPT): Marshall went off in the stat sheets last season, posting 1,500-plus yards and a career-best 14 touchdowns in his first season in New York. The veteran also put up the fifth-most touches at his position, which makes Marshall's FPPT stats even more impressive.
13. John Brown, Cardinals (2.10 FPPT): Brown scored a touchdown for every 9.7 times he touched the football, which made him a valuable fantasy asset despite the fact that he finished 33rd in touches at the position. Unfortunately, the presence of both Fitzgerald and Floyd will limit his ceiling.
14. T.Y. Hilton, Colts (2.06 FPPT): Hilton was able to produce a respectable FPPT average despite the fact that Andrew Luck missed more than half the season. With Luck back at the helm of the pass attack, Hilton should retain his FPPT average and see more (and better) opportunities next season.
15. DeAndre Hopkins, Texans (1.98 FPPT): One of the elite wide receivers in fantasy land, Hopkins averaged just under two fantasy points per touch. He also finished fourth in touches among wideouts, and now he'll be catching passes from Brock Osweiler. That's a nice upgrade over his 2015 cast.
16. Terrance Williams, Cowboys (1.96 FPPT): Williams was waiver-wire fodder for part of last season, due in large part to the absences of Tony Romo and Dez Bryant. But with Romo under center during the previous season (2014), Williams recorded a touchdown for every 8.25 passes he hauled in.
17. Alshon Jeffery, Bears (1.94 FPPT): Injuries made Jeffery a bust for fantasy fans last season, but he still equaled the 1.94 fantasy points per touch average he recorded in 2014 ... when he was 11th in points among wideouts. If he can avoid the trainer's room, Jeffery will rebound in 2016.
T-18. Emmanuel Sanders, Broncos (1.88 FPPT): Sanders experienced a decline in all of the major fantasy categories last season compared to his 2014 totals, but his effectiveness didn't decline (1.84 FPPT). One has to wonder though, if he'll keep that average without Peyton Manning or Osweiler.
T-18. Amari Cooper, Raiders (1.88 FPPT): Cooper was inconsistent as a rookie, but he still finished 25th in fantasy points among wideouts. When you consider that he saw fewer touches than Michael Crabtree, well, it's not hard to expect an increase in fantasy production as an NFL sophomore.
20. Mike Evans, Buccaneers (1.85 FPPT): Evans averaged a ridiculous 2.60 fantasy points per touch as a rookie, so a decline was expected ... though maybe not that large of a decline. He was also the NFL leader in dropped passes, including one game when he was credited with six drops.
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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**!
