By Dan O’Shea
Unlike last week’s quarterback rankings, the list of fantasy wide receivers does not have a clear No. 1, and there is tremendous value to be found as deep as the 20th man on the list. There may be no more Randy Moss, and Terrell Owens will be mired in Cincinnati’s poor offense, but there should be no lack of star power.
Here are my top 20 WRs:
1) Andre Johnson, Houston: He’s No. 1 for at least the third year in a row, but it’s not as clear-cut as the previous two seasons, and he could easily be surpassed by the next two names on the list.
2) Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona: With Kevin Kolb settling in at QB, many are predicting a huge year.
3) Calvin Johnson, Detroit: Possibly the MVP of what should be a very exciting offense. I would be willing to gamble on him over Fitzgerald; he may get more TDs.
4) Roddy White, Atlanta: Third in yards-per-game last season at 86.8, and 115 catches led all WRs.
5) Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh: Very reliable. His yards-per-catch was a second-best 21, while yards-after-catch of 6.3 was third among receivers with 60 or more receptions.
6) Greg Jennings, Green Bay: Tied for second in TDs last season; just needs to touch the ball more frequently.
7) Hakeem Nicks, NY Giants: Had 11 TDs in just 13 games; an 80.9 yards-per-game average suggests top five potential.
8) Vince Jackson, San Diego: Only played four games last season and had 3 TDs against the terrible 49ers in one of them, none in the rest. His 2009 take of 1,167 yards and 9 TDs bodes well.
9) Miles Austin, Dallas: I am not a fan of his QB, and his numbers slipped last season, but Dallas will pass often and he should get the nod over Dez Bryant as the most frequent target.
10) DeSean Jackson: An explosive player who can also get you special teams TDs, he had a league-best 22.5 yards-per-catch last season. Could lose catches to Jeremy Maclin, though.
11) Brandon Lloyd, Denver: Why can last season’s leader in total receiving yards at 1,448 be had this low? QB Kyle Orton needs to spread the wealth more, so a decline is highly likely.
12) Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City: Why can last season’s TD receptions leader,with 15 be had this low? QB Matt Cassel needs to – oh, just see No. 11.
13) Mike Williams, Tampa: Landed among TD leaders last season with 11; with talented young QB Josh Freeman at the helm, he should easily surpass 1,000 yards receiving this season.
14) Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis: Lower on my list than on many others, and still reliable week-to-week, but Peyton Manning’s injury will be cause for concern the first few weeks of the season.
15) Danny Amendola, St. Louis: A gamble, as he had just 689 yards receiving and 3 TDs last season, but went from 44 catches in 2009 to 85 in 2010. Plus, offers bonus of return yards and scores.
16) Dez Bryant, Dallas: Big play potential and kick return chances make him a scoring threat every week, though Austin probably will get the lion’s share of receiving yards.
17) Brandon Marshall, Miami: Huge disappointment last season, and he really only makes the list because he’s Brandon Marshall and there seems no way he’ll have two straight bad seasons.
18) Plaxico Burress, NY Jets: Big gamble on the ex-con, but he has looked fantastic in preseason, and seems to have a great connection with QB Mark Sanchez.
19) Wes Welker, New England: The Pats were maybe too cautious with him coming off injury last season, and I like him for a return to form. Though, the guy at No. 20 could take some catches.
20) Chad Ochocinco, New England: So many guys – Santonio Holmes, Mario Manningham, Steve Johnson, among others – qualify, and Ochocinco has faded somewhat, but QB Tom Brady has a way of reviving receivers.
Expert Wire
* Yahoo! Roto Arcade likes Dallas running back Felix Jones now that his former backfield mate has left for Chicago.
* Athlon Sports puts Jay Cutler on its list of sleeper QBs. I put him in my top 20, though after two preseason games, I’m not feeling great about that.
* Bleacher Report lists WRs who could be “hidden gems.” Michael Crabtree of the 49ers could be one to watch.
* Fantasy Knuckleheads eyes the top five undervalued WRs, with Green Bay’s Jordy Nelson making the list.
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Comments welcome.
Posted on August 24, 2011