A WR2 in fantasy football is a wide receiver who is ranked between 13th and 24th at their position. There are generally twelve teams in a fantasy football league a WR2 is meant to occupy your second wide receiver position in your lineup.
This type of terminology is also used to rank players in higher or lower tiers as well. For example, a WR1 is going to be a wide receiver that ranks between 1 and 12 at the position.
While a WR3 would be ranked 25th to 36th. When you see these terms in reference to fantasy football they are usually referencing a player’s ranking in the coming week or over the course of a season.
Alternative meanings of WR2 in fantasy football
The term WR2 in fantasy football is going to refer to a player that is ranked 13th to 26th but it can be used in other football contexts as well.
Sometimes teams may use terms like WR2 when talking about the players on their roster. In this context, WR2 usually means the wide receiver that is second on the team’s depth chart.
In most cases, this receiver is going to be the Z receiver. This player will usually be the second-highest quality wide receiver on the roster.
The use of this term is more common in positions in which there is only one starter. In this case, a QB1 would refer to the starting quarterback while QB2 would refer to the second-string quarterback.
Though when talking about fantasy football this term refers strictly to the players ranking in terms of fantasy production.
Traits you want in a WR2
Now that you know what a WR2 is in football you may be wondering what sort of traits you should look for in this receiver.
Ability to have big time games
One thing fantasy managers can appreciate about a WR2 in fantasy football is the ability to have huge games.
On your fantasy roster, you want some players that can win you a week. Players that can win a matchup with a huge performance can be very valuable in your WR2 position.
These players aren’t going to do this every week as this would put them in the WR1 conversation. That being said knowing that your second receiver can make the difference between winning and losing a week should make you feel much better about your fantasy team.
Lots of targets
One thing a fantasy manager wants in a WR2 is a lot of targets. There are plenty of talented wide receivers in the NFL and unfortunately, this does not necessarily mean they are going to produce.
In order to put up a wide receiver season ranked 13th to 24th these players are going to need to be targetted often.
If the wide receiver doesn’t have a quarterback willing to throw them the ball then it will be difficult to produce a WR2 season.
Pass Happy-Team
When looking to find a quality WR2 for your fantasy team you may want to pay attention to what the offense looks like.
Having a player on a team that primarily passes the ball is going to make the odds of your receiver producing much higher.
Even if there is another productive receiver on the team a pass-happy offense can generate multiple wide receiver starters in fantasy football.
It is important you look into the quarterback and the team’s tendency to pass the ball when selecting your WR2.
