When it comes to creativity and showmanship there is not another position in sports that stirs up crowds like the NFL Wide Receivers. That being said, they are mostly comprized of pre-madonnas and cry babies, but perhaps that's why they draw alot of attention. While wide receivers are probably the most overrated position in FFL, they sure do count. Because if you have the right ones they can win your weekly matchups. The thing is that most of them will only see the ball 5-10 times a game, so taking them too early can cost your team in the longrun. Here are the guys we love to hate:
1. Steve Smith: If only this guy was as tall as some of the other wide outs in the league.(Yikes) He can outleap and outrun most anyone in the league. Last season after missing all of the preseason and the first two games of the regular season he came on to finish in the the Top 10 in receiving yards. Actually he finished only 200 yds behind the league leader. Smith is who Chad Johnson and T.O. look to for celebration advice so look for Smith to be healthy and productive in 2007. The Panthers did draft Dwayne Jarrett, but they lost Keyshawn Johnson to retirement, so Super Steve's looks may increase with a rookie at Carolina's 2 Spot.
2. Torry Holt: Assuming his offseason surgery went well and he is fully recovered look for Holt to continue his reign of terror on those weak NFC West DBs. Holt will once again be Bulger's go to guy in the passing game, but St. Louis did add a couple of very capable weapons. WR Drew Bennett and TE Randy McMicheal. Torry may not get the same number of looks, but he will be relied upon once again.
3. Chad Johnson: Ocho Cinco lead the league in receiving yards in 2007 and that was while Carson Palmer kinda eased back into action from his offseason knee surgery from 2005. All those yards are nice but he was not in the top 10 in TDs...like his teammate TJ Houshmandzadeh was. He is the man in Who Dey Nation, but he also gets the majority of the double teams. He will gets his looks but may not post the number of weekly points that you'd expect.
4. Reggie Wayne: Welcome to "Wayne Manor", or "Wayne's World" or whatever movie slogan you wanna use with Reggie's name. Wayne has the best hands of any receiver on the Colts. While he will split his looks with Pro Bowler Marvin Harrison, expect bigger things from the younger of the two Indy Wide Outs.
5. Marvin Harrison: It would not be wrong to take Harrison ahead of his teammate, Wayne.He has a very solid/proven track record with the league's best Quarterback. He was also second amongst wide receivers in total yards and TD receptions in 2006. While Wayne has the better hands, Wayne is the better route runner. He's as solid a pick as there is at this position.
6. Larry Fitzgerald: This pick soley relies on the developement of QB Matt Leinart. If Leinart improves than perhaps we should've ranked Fitzgerald a little higher on the WR Board. However, even if the Golden Boy...Leinart... doesn't get much better Fitz will still get his usual touches. In 13 games last season he had over 950 yards and 6 TDs. Problem is...like Chad Johnson...he has a very capable WR to split looks with in Anquan Boldin. But in this case he has shown that when he's on the field he gets more looks than his counterpart. If healthy he'll produce.
7. Terrell Owens: "The Player" will have to adjust to a new offense in Big D this year, but God knows that "The Player" will get his touches or "The Player" will tear this team apart. Cowboy coach Wade Phillips will need some thick skin to deal with "Two", but he'll make sure he keeps Owens happy. Owens is coming off of a year where he lead all WRs in TDs, but also lead them in Drops. It will be interesting in Dallas in 2007.
8. Donald Driver: Driver will once again be Favre's favorite target. With Ahman Green and the Packer Running Game suiting up in Houston this year look for more passes to be thrown at Lambeau Field. Driver has the chance to truely perfect the Lambeau Leap in 2007 due to the fact that his looks and touches will probably have to increase for the Pack to be successful.
9. Marques Colston: This was the steal of the 2006 NFL and Fantasy Football Draft. Last year the Pride of Hofstra was slotted in as the starting TE in the Saints lineup, but now, with Joe Horn moving to Atlanta, Colston has been moved out to WR to fill the void left by Horn. This should work out fine because of Colston's hands, but he will need to work on his route running to duplicate his production of 2006.
10. Roy Williams: "The Legend" put up some big numbers in 2006. He was able to do so because the Lions had no choice but to throw the ball to try and get back into most of their 2006 games. Many doubters still question Roy's hands, but there is no doubt he can get open. With Kitna going out on a limb and predicting a 10 win season in the D. Those wins will have to come through the passing game, but don't forget that the Lions drafted the best offensive talent in the draft in WR Calvin Johnson. Johnson could take some of the looks away from Roy in 2007.
11. TJ Houshmandzadeh: TJ is the Bengals number 2 guy, but he gets alot of looks due to the fact that Chad Johnson gets double teamed so often. He led the team in TD Receptions in 2006, but just like his teammate he also broke the 1000 yard mark. He's solid seeing how the Bengals offense loves to spread the ball around.
12. Andre Johnson: Johnson was the only player in the NFL with more than 100 receptions in 2006. His yardage total wasn't so high because Texans QBs had to get rid of the ball so quickly due to the horrible O-Line in Houston. The Texans did show signs of improvement, but then they got rid of QB David Carr and brought in Matt Schaub from Atlanta to take the helm. It is a new beginning in Houston for 2007, but Andre is the best option the Texans have at WR. Look for his touches to be high once again.
13. Anquan Boldin: Boldin is the Arizona deep threat. He is big and fast and has that ability to go get the ball rather than have it land in his lap. He was having a great year while Fitzgerald was dealing with his injury, but once Fitzgerald came back Boldin's numbers took a hit. It seemd as though Leinart may have been favoring Fitzgerald a little bit. Boldin is still an elite receiver, but I would look for the trend of Leinart to Fitzgerald to continue.
14. Lee Evans: Well, this guy is really hit or miss, but when Losman can find him he has the ability to post some monster numbers. He had nearly 1300 yds. last season, but only three games with more than 100 yds. (One of which he had 265) Evans is the only WR worth mentioning in Buffalo yet again, and with a rookie running back look for the passing game to get used more often to take some of the pressure off of Marshawn Lynch. Evans may be the sleeper pick at this position.
15. Randy Moss: I honestly would be scared to have Moss on my team, but it seems like Moss and Brady are meshing quite well. Perhaps the Randy Ratio will once again be in effect for 2007 in New England. Big time potential or big time flop? Time will tell.
16. Javon Walker: Ashley Lelie is gone, so it is now just Rod Smith and Walker for QB Jay Cutler to choose from, and Smith is nearly 50. Walker will be the main threat in the Denver passing attack in 2007, and if Cutler can continue to grow than Walker may be set for a monster year.
17. Hines Ward: As mentioned in each of the first two Fantasy Articles...the Steelers' new coaching staff is looking to spread the ball around more this year. This could mean big things for Hines as long as his quarterback can prove he's truely back and mentally ready to perform. Hines is the heart and soul of the Pittsburgh offense so he'll be ready regardless of how his QBs mind is.
18. Deion Branch: With Darrell Jackson going to San Fran this will open the door for the former Super Bowl MVP to thrive in Seattle. With Branch not getting signed by the Seahawks until after all of training camp and the preseason it was unfair to expect big things from Branch in 2006. Now that he has learned the system he should be in line for a solid comeback season.
19. Plaxico Burress: Plax better be ready to give it his all every play this year, because there is no longer a running game in New York. The loss of Tiki Barber will place the scoring solely on the production of Eli Manning and the passing game in 2007.
20. Darrell Jackson: He had developed a case of the drops in the climatic northwest the last couple of seasons. Now that he is down in the friendlier confines of San Francisco maybe his hands will thaw out and become useable again. He did manage to catch 10 TDs last year in only 13 games for Seattle. We'll see if Alex Smith can get him the ball like Hasselbeck did.
21. Chris Chambers: Now that South Beach has a quarterback, perhaps Chambers will have his coming out party. Chambers has all the ability in the world but he's never really had anyone to get him the ball. Hopefully Trent Green's aging arm will be able to get him the ball in 2007.
22. Calvin Johnson: This guy was "the best offensive talent" in the NFL Draft this past offseason. He is big and fast and similar to a Terrell Owens type of player. The nice thing is that he doesn't seem to have Owens' baggage. If the Lions are gonna make it to 10 wins in 2007 they will do it through the air, so look for him to take some touches away from Roy Williams and come through in his rookie campaign.
23. Reggie Brown: Assuming McNabb will be a go for the regular season, look for Brown to be the main guy in the Philly WR Corps. Aside from TE LJ Smith he is the only real target to choose from that doesn't line up behind center.(Westbrook) If McNabb's healthy Brown will get his opportunities to excel.
There is a 3 Horse Race for this final spot. Joey Galloway (T; Braylon Edwards (Clv); Laveranues Coles (NYJ). These guys all get about the same number of looks and put up similar stats. If I had to choose, I may side with Galloway due to the fact that QB Jeff Garcia will be running the Tampa Bay Offense in 2007. It will be the first time in TB that Galloway will have someone that can actually get him the ball.
Please visit http://juicednewssportsforum.blogspot.com/ to read more articles by Juiced News!
No comments:
Post a Comment