Photo: Kyle Terada, USA Today Sports

Rankings are a good place to start your fantasy football draft preparation, but they don't convey the true landscape of a group of a players at a position without the added dimension of tiers. Tiers collect players of similar expected value and show how the difference between #10 and #20 on a list is bigger than the difference between #20 and #30. An early look at the wide receiver tiers this year reveals an unpredecentedly large group of WR2 candidates and a lot more than can give your strategy at the position much more nuance in early drafts.

THE WR1

• Calvin Johnson, DET

Johnson has set the bar higher than any wide receiver has in receiving yards over the course of a season, but he was tackled at the one-yard line six times, suggesting that he can create an even larger gap between him and the very talented pack of WR1s. I wouldn’t take him until the top eight running backs and Jimmy Graham are gone in PPR leagues, but I understand if you choose to take him before that.

Elite WR1

• Dez Bryant, DAL
• AJ Green, CIN
• Demaryius Thomas, DEN
• Julio Jones, ATL
• Brandon Marshall, CHI
• Larry Fitzgerald, ARI

If there was no Calvin Johnson, this group would be vying to be the first wide receiver off of the board. All are already strong WR1s and they are still on the upslope of their career. Bryant looks like he can make a run at Calvin Johnson and he is the most attractive member of the group, but Jones might give him a run for his money if he can stay healthy. I'm warming to Marshall reprising his role as the sole target in the Bears pass offense despite Trestman's best efforts, and Fitzgerald could put up career highs across the board. I generally prefer going Jimmy Graham or running back in the second, but I won't fault owners who take one of these cornerstones instead.

Mid-to-Low WR1

• Victor Cruz, NYG
• Andre Johnson, HOU
• Roddy White, ATL

This group doesn't really have a shot at hitting elite WR1 numbers, but they have high floors and should "hold the line" for you at WR1. They are generally third-round picks, which is a much better round for Gronkowski or a running back. You can get your WR1 upside with a little more risk or less ceiling a round or more later.

Elite WR1 with High Injury Risk

• Danny Amendola, NE

Amendola seems likely to miss games because he throws his body around and it doesn't seem designed to handle the punishment he subjects it to. Still, he's not guaranteed to miss time, and he will produce at a Wes Welker level in PPR leagues while he is on the field. Consider Amendola the perfect fourth round pick if you don't a wideout in the first three rounds. 

Strong WR2 with WR1 upside

• Hakeem Nicks, NYG
• Vincent Jackson, TB
• Marques Colston, NO
• Jordy Nelson, GB
• Randall Cobb, GB

I'm not worried about Nelson's knee procedure after our Dr. Jene Bramel gave us this summary. Basically, at worst he'll be playing with the same issue he has been playing with for five years. Cobb has big PPR upside, but the doc cast a little shadow on his stock because of his biceps injury.  If Nicks can stay healthy, or Josh Freeman can be more consistent, either of Nicks or Jackson could put up WR1 numbers this year. Colston could be a WR1 this year if any of the wide receivers listed above falter. With 20+ running backs and a handful of quarterbacks and tight ends going in the first three rounds this year, one or two of this group could slip to the fourth along with Nelson to give you a viable WR1 if you don’t take one in the first three rounds.

Boom/Bust WR2

• Pierre Garcon, WAS
• Torrey Smith, BAL
• Steve Smith, CAR
• Kenny Britt, TEN
• Josh Gordon, CLE
• Cecil Shorts, JAX
• DeSean Jackson, PHI
• Tavon Austin, STL
• TY Hilton, IND
• Mike Wallace, MIA
• Miles Austin, DAL

The ratio of risk to reward gets higher and less compelling as you go down this list, but any of this group could be a go-to WR2 (in Britt's case, even a WR1) for your fantasy team. Some of these names offer more consistency from week to week, others are even boom/bust within the season. The beautiful thing about taking one of this list as your WR2 (or WR3) is that the next list of safe WR2 is almost as long. Kenny Britt and Pierre Garcon are the ones I am consistently getting in early drafts, with Garcon in the fifth, and Britt as late as the eighth round.

High Floor WR2

• Reggie Wayne, IND
• Dwayne Bowe, KC
• Antonio Brown, PIT
• Wes Welker, DEN
• Eric Decker, DEN
• Mike Williams, TB

This tier is not below the boom/bust tier as much as it is an alternative to boom/bust WR2 options. The ideal approach is dependant on how good your WR1 is and your philosophy as a fantasy player. The very strong depth of safe WR2 options makes it much easier tolerate risk at WR1 and WR2, because you can start a solid WR2 as your WR3, and have them as a viable WR2 if your boom/bust WR2 does indeed bust. If you’re keeping count, that's 22 WR2 level options to fill 12 WR2 spots in a typical league. If you are in a 10-team league, waiting at wide receiver looks even better. Williams is the best value pick of this group, going a round or more after the others.

Upside WR3

• James Jones, GB
• Greg Jennings, MIN
• Anquan Boldin, SF
• Chris Givens, STL
• Sidney Rice, SEA
• Golden Tate, SEA
• Steve Johnson, BUF

Low Ceiling WR3

• Brian Hartline, MIA
• Lance Moore, NO

Players like Hartline and Moore are firewalls for your wide receiver corps. Neither have much chance of exceeding their WR3 upside, but both carry little risk and should be very solid options for byes, injuries, and other emergencies. Wide receiver is deep enough this year that you might not have much use for a solid WR3 when you have four or even five receivers with more upside ahead of them.

Upside Bench WR

• Emmanuel Sanders, PIT
• DeAndre Hopkins, HOU
• Vincent Brown, SD
• Justin Blackmon, JAX
• Ryan Broyles, DET
• Cordarrelle Patterson, MIN
• Greg Little, CLE
• Alshon Jeffery, CHI
• Kendall Wright, TEN
• Rueben Randle, NYG
• Kenbrell Thompkins, NE

This group is young and all of them will have ample opportunity to put up WR3 numbers if not more. The existence of this kind of depth and upside at wide receiver this year should make you not afraid to break ties against wide receiver early in your draft. Sanders, Brown, Broyles, and Wright offer the best chance at WR3/Flex consistency. Blackmon is good for delayed gratification if his head is on reasonably straight after his four-game suspension. Hopkins, Patterson, and Jeffery give you big play boom/bust upside week-to-week. Little is a wild card, as he could get his foot in the door while Josh Gordon is out for two games. Randle might be an instant WR2 if Nicks or Cruz go down. Thompkins has a reasonable chance of reproducing Brandon Lloyd's 2012 numbers with upside for more. This group should dominate your 10th-12th round shopping list.

Upside Bench WR (deep leagues)/Waiver Wire Speed Dial

• Michael Floyd, ARI
• Denarius Moore, OAK
• Julian Edelman, NE
• Jeremy Kerley, NYJ
• Andre Roberts, ARI
• Dexter McCluster, KC
• Percy Harvin, SEA
• Markus Wheaton, PIT
• Stephen Hill, NYJ
• Josh Morgan, WAS
• Kenny Stills, NO
• Aaron Dobson, NE
• Brandon LaFell, CAR
• Rod Streater, OAK
• Michael Crabtree, SF
• Robert Woods, BUF
• Josh Boyce, NE
• Keenan Allen, SD
• Malcom Floyd, SD
• Brandon Gibson, MIA
• Brian Quick, STL
• Nick Toon, NO
• Jacoby Jones, BAL
• Mohamed Sanu, CIN
• Marvin Jones, CIN
• Doug Baldwin, SEA

By no means is this list exhaustive, but these are some good names to start with when targeting wide receivers with late picks in deep leagues. You shouldn't feel attached to any of them. Be willing to cut them after week 1 if they don’t show something. I prefer running backs to wide receivers at the end of my roster, just because they can experience much more sudden and explosive value growth, but all of the players on this list have either demonstrated rosterable fantasy value in the past, or shown the potential for rosterable fantasy value this season.