Now that we have completed the rankings on the QBs and the RBs, now it’s time to get to the WRs. This will be the biggest article because there are so many starting WRs with the different offenses around the league, even ones using 3 WRs. So without further ado, let’s get right to it.
Tier 1 – The Elite
Calvin Johnson
AJ Green
Dez Bryant
Demaryius Thomas
Brandon Marshall
Julio Jones
Calvin Johnson aka Megatron, is probably as close to the perfect WR that you can think of. I have Green and Bryant neck and neck with both going over 1400 yards and 10 plus TDs. Thomas will see more coverage with Decker gone, but he is the #1 WR for Peyton Manning, that’s gotta carry some weight. Brandon Marshall is normally a PPR beast, but the emergence of Alshon Jeffery will keep him from being a top 3 guy. Jones is very explosive, but needs to stay healthy and cut some of those drops.
Tier 2 – The Likely Stars
Jordy Nelson
Andre Johnson
Randall Cobb
Alshon Jeffery
Victor Cruz
Antonio Brown
Pierre Garcon
Wes Welker
If Nelson is Aaron Rodgers’ #1 target, Cobb is #1A, so could be similar to the Thomas/Decker combo last year. Andre Johnson just keeps going along no matter who his QB is, but that will be tested this year with Ryan Fitzpatrick at QB for Houston. I mentioned Jeffery as to why Marshall won’t explode. A light bulb seemed to flip on for him last year. Cruz and Brown would be higher in PPR leagues, but I question the offense that Cruz is in, doesn’t look good. Can Brown repeat what he did last year? I am higher on Garcon and Welker than most others, but both put up GREAT numbers and could easily repeat.
Tier 3 – Starting Talent
Larry Fitzgerald
Keenan Allen
Michael Floyd
Vincent Jackson
Cordarrelle Patterson
Percy Harvin
Kendall Wright
Sammie Watkins
Roddy White
Marques Colston
Fitzgerald and Floyd both have tier two potential. I really like Cards offense this year. Allen was my favorite pickup of the year last year. He should continue to get better in that heavy passing offense. Jackson seems to be the forgotten man, but he should still put up around 1200 yards. Patterson, Harvin, Wright, and Watkins all have immense amounts of talent, but they are all either in rushing offenses or hack a top notch QB. White and Colston are both slowing down and are on the wrong side of 30. They can still put up 1000 yards, but be careful.
Tier 4 – Bye Week Replacements
Torrey Smith
Michael Crabtree
Eric Decker
Anquan Boldin
Mike Wallace
DeSean Jackson
TY Hilton
Greg Jennings
Cecil Shorts
Not a big fan of Torrey Smith this year. Most places will have him ranked higher, but I don’t like the Ravens offense this year. I also think Crabtree may be a bit overrated. I don’t see him getting 1100-1200 yards with Boldin and Davis there. Both he and Boldin could be within 200 yards of each other. Decker is the lone wolf for the Jets. Can he handle the extra attention? Wallace and Jackson will be boom or bust picks. I expect both to be up and down on a weekly basis. Hilton will also be boom or bust. Andrew Luck likes him, but Wayne is back and Nicks is in the fold. Jennings has already admitted that the offense will feature Patterson, but he still makes a good plug and play. Shorts is the best WR on a team that will probably be playing from behind a lot.
Tier 5 – Best of the Rest
Kelvin Benjamin
Julian Edelman
Reggie Wayne
Golden Tate
Kenny Stills
Justin Hunter
Terrence Williams
Danny Amendola
Dwayne Bowe
Benjamin has big time potential and will have a big time opportunity with no other explosive WRs on the team. Not exactly sure what to think of Edelman, I put him higher, but I could easily see Amendola putting up better numbers. Wayne is back, got to see how he response to the injury. Tate and Stills are in big time passing offenses and are probably 2 of my biggest sleepers. There is a lot of buzz about Justin Hunter coming out of Tennessee. He’s 6’4 and has a 39 inch vertical. He’s a prime red zone target this year. Terrence Williams showed flashes last year. He will hope to continue on his improvement and become more consistent. Bowe seems to be on his way down, but he is the #1 option on his team. That alone gets you in on this list of the top 50.
Tier 6 – Best of the next group
Tavon Austin
Rueben Randle
Jeremy Maclin
Steve Smith
Miles Austin
Hakeem Nicks
James Jones
DeAndre Hopkins
Austin is tricky for me to rank because I normally don’t prefer slot guys unless your name is Welker. I would have Randle as high as the 4th tier if the Giants offense didn’t look so bad. I like the pre-injury Maclin, but all reports say he isn’t as explosive. Smith and Nicks are older vets that are now 2nd and 3rd options on their team, probably will avoid. Miles Austin may never be the same person we remember who got 1300 yards and 11 TDs for the Cowboys five years ago, but he’s the best WR on a Brown’s team that could be down a lot. James Jones is a wildcard. Oakland will be behind, but is Jones really that good? Hopkins has talent, but he’s limited by his starting QB and him being 3rd or 4th in the pecking order.
Next up later on this week with be the OTHER guys who catch the ball, the group that has been slowly rising in the sport, and is not becoming a critical part of not only real-life football, but also fantasy football, the Tight Ends. Until then, if you have a draft before then, good luck. If you have any questions, I can be reached on twitter with the handle @Pacman453323, good luck.
