Thursday 16 August 2007

Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receiver

With the Quarterbacks and Running Back rankings out of the way, it's time to move on to the Wide Receivers.

1. Steve Smith - As long as he is healthy, he is the #1 fantasy WR in the game right now. He is going to get the ball a lot (in part because there isn't much else to throw to there), and he can do a lot of good things after the catch. He's small, but he's very talented and explosive with the ball.

2. Marvin Harrison - Old reliable. He's still Marvin Harrison, and he still has Peyton Manning throwing him the ball. Need I say more?

3. Terrell Owens - As long as TO doesn't blow up and cause some sort of disturbance within the team (which is always possible with him), I'm expecting a big year from him. Terry Glenn is a year older, which further makes Owens the #1 option on every play. Romo will be looking for TO early and often this year.

4. Chad Johnson - His role will only increase with Chris Henry out for the first 8 games. Also, with Carson Palmer another year healtier after that knee injury, he should have a little more mobility and just be a little bit better. Which is a scary thought for opposing defenses.

5. Torry Holt - In the case of the Rams offense it's kind of like pick-your-poison. They add Drew Bennett to a stellar receiving corps, they have Steven Jackson, and one of the best QBs in football. Bulger will spread the ball around, but Holt is still the first option in the passing game.

6. Larry Fitzgerald - I just love Fitzgerald's game. He's big, strong, physical, has great hands, and will go up and get the football. I expect the Cardinals offense to be improved this year, and he is one of the beneficiaries of that. One of the best WRs in the game without a doubt.

7. Reggie Wayne - Basically the same things said about Marvin Harrison apply here. Wayne is in his prime, and the #1 WR in an offense that has Peyton Manning as its quarterback. That's good enough for the top 10.

8. Javon Walker - Walker is a great talent, but if you look at this numbers from last year this might seem a little high. But on the other hand, I absolutely love Jay Cutler and think he'll be a fantastic QB. Unlike Jake Plummer, he will be able to get the ball down the field, and Javon Walker will be one of the guys that benefits most from that.

9. TJ Houshmanzadeh - Like Johnson, Housh will benefit from the suspension of Chris Henry, as no possible replacement for the Bengals is as talented as Henry. He is really starting to come into his own and become a household name, and I think that continues this year.

10. Roy Williams - If you'll remember, I was really high on Jon Kitna, and part of that is because of Roy Williams. As long as he's healthy, he's another elite talent at the WR position.

11. Randy Moss
12. Andre Johnson
13. Anquan Boldin
14. Lee Evans
15. Marques Colston

SLEEPERS
- Greg Jennings - This isn't a deep sleeper because everyone knows and he's ranked fairly high, but I really liked what I saw out of him last year and I think he will do very well in a pass-first offense.

- Santonio Holmes - He started to come on strong at the end of last year, and that rise should continue as the Steelers look to pass a little more than they have in past years.

- Anthony Gonzalez - He's a rookie, but he's in a fantastic situation in Indianapolis. Brandon Stokley was a viable fantasy option in his prime years in Indianapolis, and I think Gonzalez can have that same impact in the slot.