WIDE RECEIVERS
TIER ONE
[95] Steve Smith CAR 28.3 - No obvious choice at #1; Smith still the most consistently unstoppable; Carr signing could be more than slightly worrisome
[95] Larry Fitzgerald ARI 24.0 - Good young QB, heavily targeted, possession WR + mega-redzone threat
[94] Chad Johnson CIN 29.6 - Could be #1 with more consistency
[93] Calvin Johnson DET 22.0 - Highest I’ve ranked a rookie WR since Moss at #1 in ’98; has the talent to top this list sooner rather than later
[90] Andre Johnson HOU 26.2 - Addition of Schaub can only help; he's long needed a QB who can maximize his obvious strengths...QB improvement could bring back dominant early '06 Johnson
[90] Roy Williams DET 25.7 - It's not unusual for an offense to support 2 stud WRs, and Martz' is certainly one that can.
[89] Lee Evans BUF 26.5 - Stud. Has blossomed into a true #1 WR rather than just an occasional deep threat
[88] Reggie Wayne IND 28.8 - Steady, but could lose a few looks to Gonzalez
[87] Torry Holt STL 31.3 - 178 targets in '06, most in 3 years
TIER TWO
[80] Marques Colston NO 24.3 - Should avoid pitfalls of sophomore slump with combo of Brees & Payton's offense
[78] Javon Walker DEN 28.9 - Hit-and-miss, but gets in the end zone more than most
[77] Anquan Boldin ARI 26.9 - Practically disappeared in the 2nd half of the season; doesn't get in the end zone nearly enough
[75] Marvin Harrison IND 35.0 - Undervalued each of the last 3 years b/c of age concerns, but I think this is the year at 35 that he'll be over-ranked b/c he topped '06 WR production...not to mention Gonzalez addition
[74] Randy Moss NE 30.6 - Life is obviously fair. If anyone deserved the old "outhouse to penthouse" treatment, it was Randy Moss... right
? A now motivated Moss is running 4.29 40's and goes from a disastrous, soul-draining operation led by the inept Art Shell, Andrew Walter & Aaron Brooks to football Valhalla with Brady & Belichik
[73] Terrell Owens DAL 33.8 - Produces wherever he goes, but becoming more & more of a gamble by the year
TIER THREE
[65] Hines Ward PIT 31.5 - Drastically underrated year in and year out
[63] T.J. Houshmandzadeh CIN 29.9 - 3rd most talented WR on his team, but still highly productive in a great situation; do not count on a repeat of '06 career year
[62] Santana Moss WAS 28.3 - Inconsistency personified
[61] Donald Driver GB 32.6 - Targeted a whopping 171 times in '06, still a threat to finish Top 10 again in ’07 with Favre back
[60] Plaxico Burress NYG 30.1 - High knucklehead factor, tends to disappear at times which makes him borderline unreliable
[58] Braylon Edwards CLE 24.5 - With Winslow a gigantic question mark and no help in the draft, Edwards basically
is the Cleveland receiving game. Unfortunately, he's going to have either Charlie Frye or a rookie throwing him the ball again.
[57] Reggie Brown PHI 26.7 - Was absolutely fantastic with Stallworth out of the lineup last season; as long as McNabb is healthy, Brown as the #1 in Philly is going to produce
[53] Laveranues Coles NYJ 29.7 - I like him, and I still can't move him higher b/c he doesn't get in the end zone
TIER FOUR
[45] Mark Clayton BAL 25.2 - Came on strong in 2nd half to overtake Mason as the #1 WR in BAL
[43] Vincent Jackson SD 24.7 - Becoming a redzone monster; will take over for McCardell in '07 but how many targets to expect?
[41] Santonio Holmes PIT 23.5 - Came on strong to end the season, looks great after the catch
[41] Deion Branch SEA 28.2 - "Deion Branch has been 'almost uncoverable' during training camp.
Branch scored a long touchdown in the Seahawks' exhibition opener and is likely benefitting from spending more time with Matt Hasselbeck in the offseason. He should be a fairly solid WR3 in points-per-reception formats."
[40] Darrell Jackson SF 28.8 - Even if D-Jax didn't owe a large portion of his production to Holmgren's system and Hasselbeck's play, only the truly elite WRs can typically withstand a significant downtick in production as they move to a new team.
[39] Chris Chambers MIA 29.1 - The whole Dolphins offense scares me, but especially their passing game. Who's going to be throwing him the ball in '07? How about '08? At least they'll have options: will it be the scrap-heap veteran? Maybe the inexperienced back-up? How about the headcase, injury-prone shell of his former self? Should we add overrated rookie?
[38] D.J. Hackett SEA 26.1 - Not only was he often the most productive WR on the field when he was in the game, but he's also put up very intriguing catch percentages in his short history.
[37] Jerricho Cotchery NYJ 25.3 - Career year? How much do I value a NFL team’s #2 WR if I don’t believe he’ll make the leap to #1?
[36] Kevin Curtis PHI 29.2 - Great fit in Philly
[35] Bernard Berrian CHI 26.7 - Arrived on the scene in '07, deepthreat leapfrogged Muhammad to become Bears top WR
[33] Brandon Marshall DEN 23.5 - Risky ranking, long on potential, but has the talent to be an impact WR
[33] Robert Meachem NO 23.0 – 1st rounder should take over #2 WR role in explosive offense
[33] Dwayne Bowe KC 23.0 - Offense doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, but it won’t take long before he tops the WR depth chart in KC
[33] Greg Jennings GB 24.0 - What got lost in the Moss-to-GB rumors is the fact that Jennings had a very promising start to his NFL career. The Pack has shown their faith in Jennings as the clear #2 WR and, really, why not?
[32] Matt Jones JAX 24.4 - I think he'll make huge strides in '07
TIER FIVE
[28] Ronald Curry OAK 28.4 - Closed out '06 like he closed out '04; averaged over 8 catches per game in the last 4
[28] Drew Bennett STL 29.0 - Joins a good situation in STL, playing slot for a year then Bruce's replacement; value should climb in '08
[27] Donte Stallworth NE 26.8 - The new kid in town isn't so new anymore. Quite a steep fall from much ballyhooed massive Caldwell/Gaffney upgrade at go-to WR all the way down to just another option in the passing game in one weekend.
[25] Brandon Jones TEN 24.9 - It's ugly at WR in Tennessee. Afternoon talk show ugly. On the bright side, the Titans' failure to upgrade means they're counting on
[25] Devery Henderson NO 25.5 - Looks like he won't step into Joe Horn's role afterall; even if he ends up the #2 WR to start the year, Meachem is the better talent and figures to steal much of Henderson's value
[24] Ted Ginn Jr. MIA 22.4 - Game breaking skills would have had him higher on the list if not for the injury and usage questions
[21] Joey Galloway TB 35.8 - Age a concern at almost 36, but still very startable with steady QB play
[20] Terry Glenn DAL 33.2 - Knees? Age? Future? I'll let someone else deal with him
TIER SIX
[15] Dwayne Jarrett CAR 21.0 - Looks like he’ll step right into Keyshawn’s role…and probably play it better than the ’06 version of Key
[15] Anthony Gonzalez IND 23.0 - What are the chances he receives startable value before Harrison retires?
[13] #
Chris Henry CIN 24.3 - Always a risk for suspension, but no-doubt top 20 talent if he can stay clean
[13] Demetrius Williams BAL 24.5 - Impressive as 3rd WR, may start by 2008
[12] Wes Welker NE 26.3 - For what it took to get him, could play interesting role in Pats' offense
[11] Reggie Williams JAX 24.4 - Incremental improvements every year, but can't seem to put it all together
[11] Mark Bradley CHI 25.5 - Healthy now, will see the field more in '07
[11] Jacoby Jones HOU 23.2 - Has a chance to jump straight into HOU’s #2 WR role
[10] Craig Davis SD 21.9 - He seemed like a 1st round reach to me, and I don’t see much opportunity for impact in San Diego’s offense
[10] Troy Willliamson MIN 24.4 - Tough love going on right now; can he turn it around?
[9] Joe Horn ATL 35.6 - A extra-motivated Horn is a good signing for Atlanta -- if he stays healthy...not a given at age 35
[9] Muhsin Muhammad CHI 34.4 - Age becoming a factor, but could still produce WR3 numbers with a good QB
[9] Isaac Bruce STL 34.8 - I wouldn't feel comfortable starting him weekly at age 35; Bennett's arrival drains a little value
TIER SEVEN
[7] Laurent Robinson ATL 22.4 - Sleeper
[7] Maurice Stovall TB 22.5 - Can he steal some of Michael Clayton's playing time?
[7] Patrick Crayton DAL 28.4 - 3rd WR role probably suits him best
[6] Roddy White ATL 25.8 - Opportunity could be there this year
[6] Mike Walker JAX 22.8 - Will the opportunity be there from the beginning?
[6] James Jones GB 23.5 - Playing time?
[6] Sidney Rice MIN 21.0
[6] Jerry Porter OAK 29.2 - Clean slate with Kiffin? Or likely to be dealt?
[6] Derrick Mason BAL 33.6 - Slipping, doesn't sniff the endzone…but still has slight value in PPR leagues
[6] Jason Hill SF 22.6 - Draftnick darling
[6] Bryant Johnson ARI 26.5 - A fantasy starter on a different NFL team? Doubtful…we may see by '08
[6] Hank Baskett PHI 25.0 - Impressive pre-season, extremely impressive in Week 17 mop-up time; value deflates a bit with Curtis signing
[5] Nate Burleson SEA 26.0 - What happened? Moves back up the depth chart by one sport with D-Jax trade…so he’s got that going for him.
[5] Mike Furrey DET 30.4 - If you were counting on Furrey being startable again this year, that's nobody's fault but your own. He'll play the slot, but he now goes from interesting possibility to non-factor
[5] #
Antonio Bryant [uFA] 26.5 - Has he worn out his welcome for good?
[5] #
Chad Jackson NE 22.5 - Injured, path blocked by veterans, uncertain role in the future
[5] Mike Williams OAK 23.7 - Still just 23 years old, Williams moves from an offense ill-suited to his strengths and a team which had soured on him to a fresh start in an offense run by his former college coach
TIER EIGHT
[3] Drew Carter CAR 26.0 - Ceiling looks like promising deep threat
[3] Steve Smith NYG 22.4 - The next Bobby Engram? He looks to me like another player who could be a better NFL than fantasy value
[3] Derek Hagan MIA 23.0 - Ginn acquisition, Booker still around, QB issues. Can he plow through all of it to gain some value in '07?
[3] Aundrae Allison MIN 21.4 - With the state of the Vikings’ WR crew, you never know
[3] Johnnie Lee Higgins OAK 24.0 - Speed game makes him a sleeper for ‘08
[3] Joe Jurevicius CLE 32.7 - Startable in spurts with good QB play, but going on 33 years old
[3] Marty Booker MIA 31.1 - Came on strong, but was actually only startable a couple of games; Dolphins looking for an upgrade
[3] Michael Clayton TB 25.1 - Living off rookie season, can he get some value back in '07?
[2] Kevin Walter HOU 26.1 - Could see increased role with Moulds gone, but I still expect Texans to add a #2
[2] Ashley Lelie SF 27.5 - Any value hurt by D-Jax trade & Hill pick
[2] Paul Williams TEN 23.8 - The opportunity is there and, by all accounts, so is the talent. A lot of character questions though…
[2] Eddie Kennison KC 34.6 - Borderline startable, but actually sat on waiver wire half the season in my league
[2] Nate Washington PIT 24.0 - Impressive as playmaking 3rd WR
[2] Michael Jenkins ATL 25.3 - Good redzone weapon, poor all over the rest of the field
[2] Sinorice Moss NYG 23.7 - Wasted year; will be interesting to watch Eli Manning trying to hit a 5'8" target. About to get lapped by Steve Smith
TIER NINE
[1] Bobby Wade MIN 26.6 - Are the Vikings serious with this?
[1] Isaiah Stanback DAL 23.1 - Project, will help out in return game while he learns the ropes
[1] Arnaz Battle SF 27.5 - Heading to #3 WR with D-Jax signing?
[1] Shaun McDonald DET 26.3 - New slot WR in DET
[1] #
Brandon Stokley DEN 31.2
[1] #
Amani Toomer NYG 33.0
[1] Jason Avant PHI 24.4
....looking forward to it. Thanks.
. I still remember this thread from months ago, will be interesting to see if you're still sleeping a little bit on Housh this time around though.
Lynch doesn't hold a candle to Peterson on talent. There are several players that come into the league every single year with Lynch's ability. You haven't seen a Peterson-level runner come into the league in awhile.
me some Lee Evans.
Lee Evans. I had him in the first tier and then took him out partially because he might be the one player I've been questioned most about ranking too highly in the past.Oz, I'll be happy to move him into tier one for you.
