Updated PPR wide receiver rankings for 2021 fantasy football leagues

We’re officially through the second week of the NFL preseason and are just two weeks out from real, live, regular-season football. Week 3 should contain more valuable information for fantasy managers, as it’s likely the closest we’ll get to a preview of the regular season for us to make some final adjustments in our fantasy football rankings for the season.

Here, we’ll take a look at where things stand for our PPR wide receiver rankings heading into Week 3 of the 2021 NFL preseason to help prepare you for your fantasy football drafts.

2021 PPR Fantasy Football rankings: Wide receivers

If your league observes a point-per-reception (PPR) scoring format, wide receivers are always going to be a great place to make strides in your fantasy football lineups. Capitalize on your league’s scoring format by chasing wide receivers bound for a voluminous target share.

There are several players to keep an eye on as we close out the 2021 NFL preseason in Week 3. Marquez Callaway, WR for the New Orleans Saints, has been the recipient of plenty of training camp buzz and showed us why in Week 2, where he caught all five of his targets for 104 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Michael Thomas is likely out at least until October, providing Callaway an easy path to volume in fantasy football leagues.

In Week 3 of the preseason, you’ll also want to keep an eye on the Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver corps. Rookie Ja’Marr Chase has been making headlines after accumulating three drops in the second week of the preseason, feeding into the narrative that he’s somewhat rusty after sitting out in the 2020 NCAA football season. The team has held QB Joe Burrow out of the preseason so far, but he’s set to see his first game action in Week 3. Be sure to monitor the target share for these Bengals wideouts with Burrow under center, but regardless, they all have the potential to be big fantasy football values on volume alone.

Last but not least among our wide receivers to watch in Week 3 is Jets WR Corey Davis. Through the first two weeks of the 2021 NFL preseason, Davis leads all Jets wideouts with 10 total targets, catching six of those for 88 receiving yards. It’s clear that he and rookie QB have built a rapport, and he’s currently sitting as the WR45 in average draft position, per FantasyPros. Davis could be in for a climb in our Week 3 wide receiver rankings with another big showing.

When making your draft selections in PPR leagues, always remember that you can compensate for a lack of efficiency with volume. In this scoring format, one catch is equally as valuable as 10 receiving yards — meaning you can chase those “possession receivers,” even when they’re not being targeted deep down the field or scoring a ton of touchdowns.