Here's a rough look at how my top 10 looks right now (although it is always subject to change):
1.) Calvin Johnson
2.) Andre Johnson
3.) Larry Fitzgerald
4.) Dez Bryant
5.) Roddy White
6.) Miles Austin
7.) DeSean Jackson
8.) Michael Crabtree
9.) Hakeem Nicks
10.) Brandon Marshall
My thoughts on my rankings...
- I think Calvin Johnson is #1 with a bullet and actually has some seperation between him and everyone else behind him (as crazy as that sounds). No other player can come close to matching his combination of age, physical measurements, and ability. The knock on him before this season was that he has only "done it" in one season and has somewhat dissapointed in others, but he is putting those concerns behind with what has the possibility to be a WR1 finish. I know it sounds blasphemous to say that he is head and shoulders ahead of Andre or Larry, but I truly believe that to be the case. He has performed much better than Fitz is on pace to this year in a situation that was as bad or worse than Larry's currently is (the 2008 season with Orlovsky, Culpepper, etc... throwing to him on a team that went 0-16) ) and now appears to have an up and coming offense that could put him in a situation as good or nearly as good as Andre sooner rather than later.
- Andre Johnson is a no brainer #2. Most will have him #1, but I think he clearly is behind Calvin due to Calvin's utter dominance in the red zone compared to Andre's general lack of red zone prowess. That being said, his talent is equal to or better than everyone else behind him and he has as good or better of a situation than everyone as well, meaning he is easy for me to rank #2.
- Larry Fitzgerald is still way too talented to rank lower than 3rd, no matter how shaky his short term situation is. Things can change too quickly. If Arizona signes even a mediocre to average veteran QB this offseason, I think we see a quick return to dominant production from Fitz.
- Dez Bryant at #4 will seem very high to people, but I am completely, totally, and unquestionably convinced that he is the goods and absolutely the real deal. I don't think it will take long for him to establish himself as the man and de facto top option in that offense. He is only behind Calvin in terms of his overall combination of measurements, talent, and situation (meaning that yes, he is equal to Andre and Fitz in those departments). He loses ground because he hasn't "proven it" yet, but I think that will change starting next year.
- Roddy White is another person that many are ranking as high as #1, but I just can't see that lofty of a placement. I fully expect this season to be his absolute career year (if he can maintain his pace). He is a great NFL receiver and very talented, but is not even in the same league as the 4 above him, at least from a talent standpoint. His ceiling over the longhaul is lower than all 4 players ranked above him, even if in certain individual seasons he outproduces them. Now having said that, I think he is as good (or better) than everyone ranked behind him and also is in a solid enough situation to put up very nice numbers for many years into the future.
- Miles Austin was a difficult player to rank. I feel like #6 is too low for him and could honestly see him being ranked as high as #2, but since I stated my belief that Dez will become "the man" on this offense, I can't place him higher. Having to share work with Dez absolutely does not preclude Austin from getting his or putting up very, very nice numbers, but I think it does place some sort of ceiling on his production that those ranked ahead of him don't have to worry about. Think Fitz and Boldin when both were with Arizona- Boldin was still a highly productive player and a very nice fantasy asset, but was always some sort of second fiddle to Fitz, almost always being outproduced by him. I see Dez as the Fitz and Austin as the Boldin in that Dallas offense.
- I think there is a very sharp drop to DeSean Jackson. I am not nearly as sold on him being an elite producer as I am on the other 6 players in front of him. I put DeSean at #7 because I have less concerns about his long term productivity than everyone else that is left, but I still don't love him. If I were placing value scores to players, I would have a steep decline from Austin's value score to DeSean's. However, he is electric with the ball in his hands, has unmatched big play ability, and has nice situation for the forseeable future, all of which should help him post respectable to very nice production for awhile.
- Michael Crabtree was another very difficult player to rank. I still absolutely love his talent, but have been concerned with some of the things that have come out about his attitude and work ethic. That being said, he's still very young (having basically only 1 full season of NFL games under his belt) and has all the tools to make himself into a very nice player in the NFL. I see a lot of people suddenly touting Nicks over him, but I think that would be a mistake and way too reactionary. Crabtree is still the more talented player, he is just being hurt by his own immaturity and a horrible situation and coaching staff. The first one of those is all on him to fix (and it is not a guarantee that he will), however the other two can easily be fixed and can turn around in the blink of an eye. I usually place my money on talent and assume otherwise smart kids will figure out immaturity issues, hence my decision to place my money on Crabtree over Nicks.
- As I stated in the previous paragraph, I feel Nicks is starting to be wildly overrated. I even feel reluctant to put him as high as #9, as I think MANY options behind him are as good and an equal case can be made for them (Vincent Jackson, Brandon Marshall, Reggie Wayne), but will give Nicks the benefit of the doubt considering his undeniable production so far this season and his nice measurables. I have not been overly impressed with how Nicks has looked when watching him play and he doesn't necessarily fully pass the "eye test" for me, so I am quicker to discount the touchdown production up to this point than others may be, but I still feel more comfortable with him here than anyone else and feel there are less causes for concern than other players.
- I think Brandon Marshall is widely overrated by an awful lot of people from a fantasy perspective, as he often gets top 6 billing. Perhaps it is because I don't ever particpate in PPR leagues, but I think that he is BARELY a top 10 receiver in terms of fantasy production. He is very talented, but is mired in what is a less than ideal situation with Miami, has never had a truly dominant season, and has an extreme amount of immaturity issues. I think a case can be made for a plethora of players behind him and gave strong consideration to putting Wayne here, but gave Marshall the nod due to age.
- Vincent Jackson misses the cut, but that is mostly due to an unclear situation. If he lands with a solid offense and a decent QB, I would probably feel comfortable putting him as high as #7. If he lands in a less than ideal situation, I think he is probably a high teen player (#11-#14).
- Reggie Wayne is a very difficult player to judge. He is aging, but also has the benefit of playing with the single best quarterback in the last 20 years in Peyton Manning (at least from a statistical perspective). This could very well extend his prime production years beyond where most players experience their sharp decline. I would have no problem with anyone that ranked Wayne as high as #8 and can't see him being lower than a high teen player (#11-#14).
- I have seen Anquan Boldin mentioned as a top 10 player several times in this thread and I don't think he has any business being there. He is beginning to have age concerns and I don't feel he can come close to matching most of the physical talents of the other top 10 players. He is far from a bad player, but his situation is not nearly as ideal as many and I can't see him being ranked any higher than #13 or #14.
- Greg Jennings is not a player I have ever been a big fan of. I don't think he comes close to the top 10 and actually expect his production to roughly maintain it's current level into the future, as I believe Finley is the top option on that offense.
HicksMike Williams (sea) 
MarshallMost will think that I'm too high on Crabtree and Williams, but these are too very young WRs. Mike Williams, despite being out of the league for 2 years, is only 25 years old and is just coming to his own. He has incredible talent, some of the best hands you will ever see and Pete Caroll once said he was the best athlete he has ever seen. Crabtree is there based purely on talent. He is going to be an absolute stud WR. I'm not sure if i would even take Dez Bryant before him.
I like your post the BEST!
Post of the thread.I do think McNabb's a real possiblity here. Probably would take less to come to his current home.
