Fantasy Football Rankings- Wide Receivers (10-1)
By Staff Writer John Belaska
If you are looking to win your fantasy league, you need a good wide receiver. Without one, your roster does not have the potential to put up a huge number of points at any given week. This is what wide receivers do. They are not like running backs where they will be consistent. Instead, they are the players that can do a lot of damage one week and not put up many points the next. Because of this, having a top ranked fantasy wide receiver is very important.
The top ranked guys are the one who are the most consistent producers. Without this consistency, the wide receiver position is the most likely position to give a fantasy owner a head ache. Swapping out different wide outs each and every week is not easy. It takes a lot of research and a good amount of luck for one to be highly successful at doing this. By drafting one of these guys you are just making your life a whole lot easier.
Once again, please not these rankings are for standard scoring leagues. They do not take reception totals into consideration. An article on the top PPR wide receivers will be posted at a later date. Also, this list assumes Josh Gordon will be suspended for the entirety of the 2014 season. If he does not receive a suspension he should be considered a top five fantasy wide receiver.
DeSean Jackson was a stud in the Eagles’ high powered offense, but can he still be a force in Washington?
10. DeSean Jackson
DeSean Jackson had a monstrous season in 2013. He was one of the best comeback stories in fantasy football last season. This offseason the Eagles released the star wide receiver and he signed with their division rivals, the Washington Redskins. Jackson is probably one of the best deep threats in the NFL, but the team switch hurts his value a bit. He is no longer an undisputed number one wide receiver. Pierre Garcon is going to take a lot of looks from Jackson. However, Jackson’s ability to catch the deep ball still makes him a very good fantasy wide receiver.
9. Wes Welker
Wes Welker was leading the NFL in touchdowns during the first half of the season. During the first six games, he had already scored seven times. Unfortunately, he got a bit banged up towards the end of the season and was unable to finish as strong as he started. This season, the Broncos got rid of Eric Decker. This bodes well for Welker. Though Welker is still going to play the inside of the field, he is going to get even more of Peyton Manning’s attention. Welker’s ability in the red zone is not going to change, but an increase in receiving yards should be expected in 2014.
Expect big thing from Buccaneers’ wide receiver Vincent Jackson in 2014. Over the past few years, Jackson has been very consistent. He could always be counted on to put up between 1100 and 1300 receiving yards and seven to nine touchdowns. The Buccaneers definitely worked hard this off season to improve the offense. Now defenses will no longer be able to focus so squarely on Jackson. This will only make him more effective.
7. A.J. Green
You have to love a wide out that can put up 100 yards on a consistent basis.
The only problem with A.J. Green is the offense he plays in. If he were not on the Cincinnati Bengals this guy would be a top three wide receiver. He is always one of the league’s leaders in receiving yards. The real problem is you cannot always trust him to score. This is not his fault. The Bengals are definitely a run first team. When they get into scoring range, they start pounding rock. In order for Green to score, he almost has to do it from twenty yards out. Even with this knock, he is still one of the most consistent receivers in the league. He is always posting up great yardage numbers which makes him able to never let a fantasy owner down. On the weeks he does find the end zone, he put up huge fantasy point totals.
6. Dez Bryant
Dez Bryant is the ultimate high risk, high reward top ten wide receiver. When he is on, there is no one better, but when he is not it is not pretty. Dez Bryant wins fantasy games as often as he loses them. With this type of record, he cannot be considered a top five fantasy wide receiver.
Antonio Brown broke out in a big way in 2013. The Steelers did not do much to their offense in the 2014 offseason, so we should expect he will once again be the centerpiece of the passing game. However, the Steelers are going start the season with a healthy offensive line. Big Ben will get more protection and have more time to find Brown open down the field. It would not be surprising if Brown scores a couple more time in 2014 than he did in 2013.
Last season it was difficult to tell whether the Bears’ number one wide receiver was Brandon Marshall or Alshon Jeffery. Make no mistake; Brandon Marshall is the number one guy. He always finishes as a top five wide receiver. There is no reason to think he will not do that again in 2014. Best of all is that due to the emergence of Jeffery, Marshall will be given more space because the defense can no longer afford to put as many guys on him.
Anyone who is Peyton Manning‘s top target, is a guy you need to target for you fantasy roster.
Demaryius Thomas led all wide receivers in touchdowns in 2013. He has the ability to score from anywhere on the field. Fantasy owners love this type of player. Due to the number of weapons on the Broncos’ offense, he does not get as many yards as some of the other top five wide receivers. This does not matter because when it is time to score, the Broncos’ make sure they put the ball in Thomas’ hands.
2. Julio Jones
Prior to his season ending injury, Julio Jones was the absolutely best wide receiver in fantasy football last season. He will be back to full strength for the start of the 2014 season and there is no reason to think he will not pick up right where he left off.
Was there ever any doubt in your mind that Calvin Johnson would not be the number one on this list? Megatron is the absolute best in the business. He is the only wide receiver that is worth spending a first round draft pick on.
Related Articles
