WR Rankings

By: Sachie

In a pass happy league, you would think there would be an ample amount of receivers to choose from. There aren’t. Consider the fact that you need 3 receivers in most leagues, there is not much to choose from by the time you get to the mid rounds. Receiver is a tough position, don’t jump for one but be mindful if there is a run on them in your draft. You may need to take guy a round earlier than normal.

1. Randy Moss (Patriots): Moss was super human in 2007 catching 23 td’s and gaining almost 1500 yards. He scored 2 or more td’s in 8 of 16 games. As long as Moss has Brady throwing him the ball he will be lethal. Don’t expect 13 scores again this year but 15-18 is definitely realistic. Normally, I would never advise to take a wide receiver in the 1st round but Moss is worth a shot somewhere around picks 10-12.

2. Terrell Owens (Cowboys): If healthy, T.O. is a guarantee to scores 10 td’s. He seems to have good chemistry with Tony Romo and he was even a model citizen last year. Owens is worth a 2nd round pick.

3. Reggie Wayne (Colts): No Harrison? No problem. With Marvin Harrison on the shelf Wayne stepped up in a big way for Indy catching 104 balls for over 1500 yards. He scored 10 times and that should be what you can expect in 2008. Wayne is a late 2nd, early 3rd round pick.

4. Steve Smith (Panthers): With Delhomme at quarterback, Smith had 4 td’s and 271 yards over the first two games. His production suffered once Jake went down but guess what? Not only is Delhomme back but he has Muhammad and Hackett to take some pressure off of him. Smith should be there at the end of the 2nd round or beginning of the 3rd. If he is available in round 3 don’t think twice about taking him.

5. Braylon Edwards (Browns): Edwards showed last year why he was the # 3 pick in the 2005 draft. After 2 average seasons, Edwards exploded for 16 tds. Whether it is Quinn or Anderson throwing him the ball, he should be good for 10 plus scores again.

6. Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals): Fitzgerald is a stud. He missed some games due to injury in 2006 but in 2005 and 2007 he had 100 plus catches with 10 tds. Leinart or Warner will find him early and often. He is a solid late 2nd, early 3rd round pick.

7. Marques Colston (Saints): Colston has been a star since his rookie year in 2006. Combined with Drew Brees he thrives in New Orleans pass happy offense. He will get a lot of catches, yards and most importantly td’s. He is a great 3rd round choice,

8. Torry Holt (Rams): I’m big on consistency and Holt has put up terrific numbers since 2000. The Rams were a mess last year and he still managed almost 1200 yards and 7 tds. With a healthy supporting cast I expect him to add a few more td’s and be worth a 3rd round selection.

9. T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Bengals): Always a great compliment to Chad Johnson, T.J broke out in 2007 catching 112 balls and scoring 12 times. He is becoming Carson palmer’s favorite target and is in a contract year which tends to give players extra motivation. He should be a 3rd round selection (seeing a trend here?)

10. Andre Johnson (Texans): A lot of people are not sold on Johnson but I am. He missed 7 games due to injury in 2007 which kept his overall number down. But consider this: In 9 games he put up 6 catches, 851 yards and 8 td’s. If he picks up where he left off you could be looking at a big fantasy season. He could blow up this year, maybe even scoring 12-15 times. If you get that kind of production with a 3rd-4th round pick you’ve made a good selection.

11. Plaxico Burress (Giants): Burress and Manning have developed a nice chemistry that has seen 29 td catches the last 3 years. Burress may not get a lot of yardage but he scores. That’s enough for me to take him in the 3rd-4th round.

12. Chad Johnson (Bengals): For all of the baggage, Johnson is still one hell of a receiver. He has a good quarterback throwing him the ball and a great compliment in Houshmandzadeh. But did you know he has only scored 10 tds once in his career? I’d take Johnson in the 4th round.

13. Greg Jennings (Packers): Don’t worry if there is no Brett Favre. When Rodgers took over against Dallas, he and Jennings hooked up 5 times for 87 yards and a score. Jennings was a td machine last year, finding the end zone 12 times in 13 games. He is worth a 4th round selection.

14. Wes Welker (Patriots): Tom Brady can really make your fantasy stock rise can’t he? Welker came out of virtually nowhere to have a career year in 2007. He caught a lot of passes (112) but only had 8 tds. Did you know that he only has 9 td catches for his career? Expect that total to double after 2008 and expect Welker to come off the board in the 4th-5th round.

15. Roy Williams: William is a terrific football player and even more importantly…he’s in a contract year as well. Expect Roy to have a big year if he can stay on the field. He missed 4 games in 2007. Take him in the 4th-5th round and expect nice production.

16. Anquan Boldin (Cardinals): Boldin will get his catches but hasn’t been a bid td guy throughout his career (20 in his first 4 years). He did score 9 in 12 games in 2007 so maybe that trend is changing. He is a nice 4th-5th round selection.

17. Brandon Marshall (Broncos): Marshall scares me this year. He was terrific in 2007 with 102 catches and 7 scores but off the field problems and an arm laceration have him off to a bad start in 2008. He may still miss time due to a suspension for off the field conduct. I’d take him in the 5th round because of upside but I wouldn’t feel good about it.

18. Santonio Homes (Steelers): I am huge on Holmes this year but one thing worries me…so is everyone else. The big play ability he showed in Pittsburgh’s new found pass attack may have people jumping on him too early. I would advise to grab him in the 5th round (4th if there has been a run on receivers and you are lacking options).

19. Dwayne Bowe (Chiefs): Bowe is on his way to being a superstar. You may be wondering how I can rate Bowe this high when he has Brody Croyle throwing to him right? Well he had no quarterback last year either and caught 70 balls for 5tds as a rookie. He is a good 6th round selection.

20. Marvin Harrison (Colts): Lets assume Harrison is healthy and back in the starting lineup. He is worth a shot in the 5th-6th round.

Also consider: Santana Moss (Redskins), Laveranues Coles (Jets), Calvin Johnson (Lions), Lee Evans (Bills), Roddy White (Falcons), Chris Chambers (Chargers), Bobby Engram (Seahawks)

Sleepers: Anthony Gonzalez (Colts), Patrick Crayton (Cowboys), Bryant Johnson (49ers), Jerricho Cotchery (Jets), Nate Burleson (Seahawks)