2010 WR Rankings

2010 WIDE RECEIVER RANKINGS

There are a lot of familiar names in the top 10, but after that things really get interesting. Old standbys like Terrell Owens and Roy Williams have been replaced in the top 20 by some exciting newcomers (Michael Crabtree, Hakeem Nicks, Mike Wallace to name three) who look like they could be fantasy No. 1s in the near future.

There's also a lot of uncertainty because of injury (Wes Welker), suspension (Santonio Holmes) or contract disputes (Vincent Jackson). You'll want to remain flexible in the case of late breaking reports on any of these players before your draft.

Unfortunately, we may have to wait for the regular season to see how the distribution of passes plays out as teams like Chicago (Johnny Knox/Devin Hester/Devin Aromashodu/Earl Bennett), Oakland (Louis Murphy/Darrius Heyward-Bey/Chaz Schilens), Arizona (Larry Fitzgerald/Steve Breaston/Early Doucet) and Denver (Demaryius Thomas/Jabar Gaffney/Eddie Royal) figure to have new looks on offense. There are likely to be breakout WRs lurking in all those situations, but your task is to find them in the later rounds. Good luck.


1. Andre Johnson
2. Randy Moss
3. Calvin Johnson
4. Larry Fitzgerald
5. Roddy White
6. Reggie Wayne
7. Greg Jennings
8. DeSean Jackson
9. Brandon Marshall
10. Marques Colston
11. Steve Smith (Panthers)
12. Anquan Boldin
13. Sidney Rice
14. Steve Smith (Giants)
15. Michael Crabtree
16. Dwayne Bowe
17. Chad Ochocinco
18. Hakeem Nicks
19. Mike Wallace
20. Mike Sims-Walker
21. Hines Ward
22. Pierre Garcon
23. Wes Welker
24. Vincent Jackson
25. Robert Meachem
26. Donald Driver
27. Santana Moss
28. Kenny Britt
29. Jerricho Cotchery
30. Derrick Mason
31. Dez Bryant
32. TJ Houshmandzadeh
33. Jeremy Maclin
34. Johnny Knox
35. Steve Breaston
36. Lee Evans
37. Percy Harvin
38. Braylon Edwards
39. Santonio Holmes
40. Mike Williams (Bucs)
41. Early Doucet
42. Terrell Owens
43. Louis Murphy
44. Devin Hester
45. Nate Burleson
46. Kevin Walter
47. Malcolm Floyd
48. Golden Tate
49. Chaz Schilens
50. Mohamed Massaqoi
51. Demaryious Thomas
52. Donnie Avery
53. Bernard Berrian
54. Mario Manningham
55. Devery Henderson
56. Anthony Gonzalez
57. Jabar Gaffney
58. Chris Chambers
59. Eddie Royal
60. Laurent Robinson
61. Arrelious Benn
62. Dexter McCluster
63. Devin Thomas
64. Austin Collie
65. Jacoby Jones
66. Lance Moore
67. Jacoby Jones
68. Joey Galloway
69. Antonio Bryant
70. Nate Washington

8/14 Sleeper of the Day: Mike Wallace

WR MIKE WALLACE, Steelers



You can insert your own 60 Minutes joke here, but this kid is no laughing matter. Bet you didn’t know his 19.4 yards per catch was tops among all WRs last year with 35 catches or more – and that was with Santonio Holmes still on the team. Wallace is assured of being a starter this year opposite Hines Ward and will serve as the offense’s primary deep threat after he made Holmes expendable during the offseason. He totaled 756 yards and scored 6 TDs as a rookie and has a chance to bump those numbers up to 1,000 yards and double-digit scores in 2010 as he takes up Holmes’ slack.

There is some risk with drafting Wallace - the absence of QB Ben Roethlisberger for as many as six games at the start of the season, Ward’s continued presence and the Steelers’ desire to return to their rushing roots. However, I still believe he has the skills and the opportunity to finish the year in the top 20 among fantasy receivers and is a future WR1 even though he’s currently being drafted as a WR3. There’s big potential here, and it's only a matter of time before he realizes it. Tick, tick, tick, tick ...

Wideouts bring baggage to AFC East

The AFC East just got a lot more interesting: The Jets and Dolphins have each added a troubled WR (isn't that an oxymoron by now?) to their squads in the past week.

We begin with Santonio Holmes, traded from Pittsburgh to New York for a fifth-round pick. There's no denying his talent - everyone who saw his game-winning catch in Super Bowl XLIII (above) will agree - but let's just say his character leaves something to be desired. He's fresh off an assault charge and he'll be suspended for four weeks in 2010 for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

The Jets were willing to take a chance on Holmes, a 1,000-yard receiver last year with the Steelers who will provide second-year QB Mark Sanchez another option along with wideouts Jerricho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards and TE Dustin Keller. While the trade makes Sanchez a viable fantasy No. 2 QB, it hurts Holmes' value. The Jets are a run-first team, and all those pass-catchers, plus the four-game suspension, make it unlikely Holmes will repeat his 1,000-yard performance. Consider him a No. 3 WR next year.

Oh, and one guy benefits in Pittsburgh: WR Mike Wallace, who should step right in and take up the slack behind No. 1 Hines Ward.

Now we move to Miami, where mercurial wideout Brandon Marshall was sent for two second-rounders. Marshall's troubles in Denver were nearly endless, but so were his talents as a dynamic possession receiver - see his three straight 100-catch seasons, plus last year's 21-catch, 200-yard, two-TD showing in Week 14.

The Dolphins provide Marshall with a number of advantages: A fresh start, a promising young QB in Chad Henne and a clear opportunity to be the No. 1 WR (sorry, Ted Ginn). I expect Marshall to be a good citizen and a top-10 WR in 2010, maybe even top-five.

Could Kim Kardashian be on your fantasy team?

Reggie Bush would have been a decent addition to your fantasy team the past few years.

His girlfriend, Kim Kardashian? Not so much.

But that could be a different story if you're playing in a celebrity fantasy league, which appear to be all the rage among readers of US Weekly.

Here's how it works: Instead of drafting football players, you draft the most-gossipped-about celebs - Katie Holmes instead of Santonio Holmes; Taylor Swift instead of Fred Taylor - and you get points for every time they're mentioned in specific celeb magazines and blogs.

It's an interesting twist, and for some of us guys, it could be a great way to get our wives or girlfriends to finally understand this fantasy thing that can sometimes consume our free time.

Photo by McClatchy Tribune

Start 'Em: Week 12

- QB MATT HASSELBECK at St. Louis: The veteran's coming off a rough day in Minnesota (zero TDs, 1 INT in a 35-9 loss), but the Rams' secondary should be the perfect tonic.

- RB JASON SNELLING vs. Tampa Bay: The guy's scored three times in the past two games since starter Michael Turner got hurt, and he'll get the start again Sunday. You have to like the matchup, too, against a Bucs defense that's been torched by the likes of Pierre Thomas (92 yards), Rickey Williams (102 yards), Ronnie Brown (82 yards, TD) and Ryan Grant (96 yards, TD) in recent weeks.

- WR CHRIS CHAMBERS at San Diego: He's got 249 yards and two TDs in three games since becoming a Chief, and now he faces the team that cut him. I like it.

LAST WEEK'S PICKS

- Beanie Wells didn't quite have a career day against the Rams, but 74 yards and a TD will do the trick.

- Another rookie, LeSean McCoy, DID have a career day on the ground (99 yards, TD) in Chicago.

- Santonio Holmes caught 7 passes for 86 yards but, alas, didn't catch a TD as I predicted.

Start 'Em: Week 11

- RB BEANIE WELLS at St. Louis: The rookie has had an increased workload the past five weeks and has scored 3 TDs in his past four games. He could be in line for a career day against the Rams (118 rushing yards allowed per game) if the Cardinals continue to utilize him.

- RB LeSEAN McCOY at Chicago: There's more risk than you'd think, even with Eagles starter Brian Westbrook reeling from another concussion. Shady got just 6 total touches last week (3 carries, 3 receptions), but hopefully stubborn Andy Reid will give the kid the damn ball against the 21st-ranked Bears D that just isn't scary anymore.

- WR SANTONIO HOLMES at Kansas City: Did you realize this dude hasn't scored since Week 1? How is that possible? Bold prediction: Holmes finally scores again this week against K.C.


LAST WEEK'S PICKS

- Laurence Maroney had just 31 rushing yards on 13 carries but scored for the fourth straight game.

- Derrick Mason caught 3 balls for 78 yards but didn't reach the end zone Monday night as the Ravens surprisingly didn't go off on the Browns, scoring just 1 offensive TD.

- Kellen Winslow caught 7 passes and matched his season high for yardage (102).

Photo by The Associated Press

Titans-Steelers thoughts

Random thoughts from a fantasy perspective on last night's NFL season opener:


- Don't be too discouraged by Chris Johnson's meager rushing totals (15 carries, 57 yards), especially if you spent a first-round pick on him like I did. He'll be fine - it just so happens he had his toughest matchup of the season in Week 1.

- Do be discouraged by Willie Parker's meager rushing totals (13 carries, 19 yards - 1.5 yards per carry). The Titans are tough, but the Steelers have had trouble running the ball dating back to last year. Mewelde Moore (5 carries, 8 yards, 1.6 ypc) and Rashard Mendenhall (4 carries, 6 yards, 1.5 ypc) didn't fare any better. This could be a recurring problem.

- The Steelers' ground game deficiencies are good news for Ben Roethlisberger (a whopping 43 pass attempts) and receivers Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward (more than 100 yards receiving apiece).

- Justin Gage (7 catches, 78 yards, TD) is clearly Kerry Collins' go-to option through the air, but rookie Kenny Britt (4 catches, 85 yards, 21.3 ypc) showed some intriguing big play potential for the Titans - more than high-priced offseason acquisition Nate Washington (1 catch, 8 yards).