Dynasty Rankings - Wide Receivers

[Mike FF Today 608]

This week, Doug tackles the wide receivers...

 

Top 50 Dynasty Wide Receivers

[MTSkiBum 1,594]

I dont understand Desean Jackson being that low, all he has done is average 1100 total yards in his first 4 years. His worst year was last year where he finished as WR #28.

 

 

Yet in this list he is ranked as the 27th best dynasty WR.

 

 

 

 

 

[420allstars 13]

I dont understand Desean Jackson being that low, all he has done is average 1100 total yards in his first 4 years. His worst year was last year where he finished as WR #28.

 

 

Yet in this list he is ranked as the 27th best dynasty WR.

 

 

 

IMO he's trending in the wrong direction.. hence the low ranking

[MTSkiBum 1,594]

IMO he's trending in the wrong direction.. hence the low ranking

 

He had 1002 total yards last year even though he missed a game with a concussion. This is his floor, most WR's do not peak until they are in their late 20's.

 

Desean Jackson's contract is structured in such a way that his guaranteed money is front loaded. For him to see any money a couple years from now he is going to have to play his ass off this upcoming year.

 

 

 

I just dont understand how a 25 year old WR who is just entering his prime, and in his worst year finished 28th is ranked as the 27th best dynasty WR.

[Skurzilla 0]

This week, Doug tackles the wide receivers...

 

Top 50 Dynasty Wide Receivers

 

 

I have to disagree with AJ Green, Hakeen Nicks, and Julio Jones being that high on the list.

[Skurzilla 0]

He had 1002 total yards last year even though he missed a game with a concussion. This is his floor, most WR's do not peak until they are in their late 20's.

 

Desean Jackson's contract is structured in such a way that his guaranteed money is front loaded. For him to see any money a couple years from now he is going to have to play his ass off this upcoming year.

 

 

 

I just dont understand how a 25 year old WR who is just entering his prime, and in his worst year finished 28th is ranked as the 27th best dynasty WR.

 

 

I agree. I think that list is a little skewed with rookies that haven't proven themselves yet.

[The Football Guru 212]

Here's D-Jax's blurb from the article:

 

For someone who returns punts on a part-time basis, it surprises me DeSean Jackson has the kind of reservations he does about running routes over the middle of the field. Perhaps he was simply playing to “protect himself” over the past year or two, but with his financial future now secure, he has little reason to operate solely as a clearout receiver now. Because he is such a big-play wideout, Jackson will always be more valuable in non-PPR formats, but if his contract was truly the one factor holding him back, then a return to his 2009 production (63-1,167-9) shouldn’t be asking for too much. Because Philadelphia spreads the wealth in the passing game like it does and focuses much more on short and intermediate routes, that stat line from 2009 – barring an injury to Jeremy Maclin or Jason Avant – is probably his ceiling. And based on the way I saw him play (and complain) over the last two years, I’m not sure he’s going to generate enough trust among his teammates to get back to that level.

 

 

I acknowlege that Jackson is a tough receiver to defend, but his play last year was unacceptable (in a contract year, no less). As it stands now, he's basically a one-trick receiver like Randy Moss but w/o the size or ability to "win" the deep ball on a less-than-perfectly thrown pass. McCoy's receptions will likely go up as PHI tries to lower his rush attempts, Vick is an annual injury risk (meaning we'd be trusting Kafka to keep Jackson's value high) and Jackson's new contract is structured so that Philadelphia could get out of it fairly easily at the end of this season. Jackson's talent should have him in the top 20 easy, but there is too much uncertainty with him right now, at least until he becomes a more complete receiver.

[Cara 0]

I am shocked at the number of unproven, and flat out old, players that are high on this list.

I'll agree that DeSean is too low and there are a number of WR's above him I would pass on. It gets interesting when you look at the #25 through #50 guys. A couple questions pop up for me immediately;

 

* Where is Leonard Hankerson on the list? I would take him in the 40 range over some of these folks. He will get every shot to be the #2 guy in Washington this season and should win it outright in 2013. People forget Shanny loves this kid.

 

* Steve Smith at almost 34 years old? He may be decent again in 2012, but you think he will be a top performer in 2013 and beyond? Obviously the writer has never participated in a dynasty league as you cannot trade a 34 year old WR for much. lol If you spend the late 3rd or early 4th on him in an initial dynasty draft, you may get only one year of production. That translates to epic failure for your franchise in year two.

 

* Brandon Lloyd at #26? Sure, he gets behind the defense, but that was when he wasn't competing with Wes Welker, Gronkowski and Hernandez for receptions. How can he be ranked #26 at this point in his career on that team? Maybe for a redraft, but this is an epic fail for a dynasty ranking.

 

* Michael Crabtree at #33? Really? Why? Is it because the 49'ers have so much confidence in him they brought in Manningham AND Moss?! There is talk they will draft a TE early and run a two tight end set as well. I personally would not have him in my top 45, maybe even 50.

 

* Pierre Garcon #34 - I like Garcon a lot with RGIII throwing him the ball. He is guaranteed one of the starting WR positions in Washington and Shanny knows how to use his WR's. He will outperform at least ten of the people listed above him. I would rank him around #20 overall in PPR formats.

 

* Santonio Holmes #36 - Another big WHY? This guy has had ONE good NFL season. He is 28, on the smallish side, doesn't play hard every down and has Sanchez throwing him the ball. I don't see him being WR with the potential of some people listed below him. This IS a dynasty ranking, correct? I swear it looks much more like a redraft ranking....

 

* Randall Cobb #39 - Why? He was more of a returner in college and for the next couple of years you will see the Jennings, Nelson and Finley show. Cobb may have some nice games if injuries occur, but you cannot build a team banking on injury. He is not currently in my top 50 and I don't see how he could be in this one either.

 

* Darrius Heyward-Bey - Take your pick. There will NOT be two Raiders WR's in the top 38 WR's in the near future. Either Moore or Bey, but not both. Personally, I like Moore MUCH more than Bey.

[Doozer 0]

I am shocked at the number of unproven, and flat out old, players that are high on this list.

I'll agree that DeSean is too low and there are a number of WR's above him I would pass on. It gets interesting when you look at the #25 through #50 guys. A couple questions pop up for me immediately;

 

* Where is Leonard Hankerson on the list? I would take him in the 40 range over some of these folks. He will get every shot to be the #2 guy in Washington this season and should win it outright in 2013. People forget Shanny loves this kid.

 

* Steve Smith at almost 34 years old? He may be decent again in 2012, but you think he will be a top performer in 2013 and beyond? Obviously the writer has never participated in a dynasty league as you cannot trade a 34 year old WR for much. lol If you spend the late 3rd or early 4th on him in an initial dynasty draft, you may get only one year of production. That translates to epic failure for your franchise in year two.

 

* Brandon Lloyd at #26? Sure, he gets behind the defense, but that was when he wasn't competing with Wes Welker, Gronkowski and Hernandez for receptions. How can he be ranked #26 at this point in his career on that team? Maybe for a redraft, but this is an epic fail for a dynasty ranking.

 

* Michael Crabtree at #33? Really? Why? Is it because the 49'ers have so much confidence in him they brought in Manningham AND Moss?! There is talk they will draft a TE early and run a two tight end set as well. I personally would not have him in my top 45, maybe even 50.

 

* Pierre Garcon #34 - I like Garcon a lot with RGIII throwing him the ball. He is guaranteed one of the starting WR positions in Washington and Shanny knows how to use his WR's. He will outperform at least ten of the people listed above him. I would rank him around #20 overall in PPR formats.

 

* Santonio Holmes #36 - Another big WHY? This guy has had ONE good NFL season. He is 28, on the smallish side, doesn't play hard every down and has Sanchez throwing him the ball. I don't see him being WR with the potential of some people listed below him. This IS a dynasty ranking, correct? I swear it looks much more like a redraft ranking....

 

* Randall Cobb #39 - Why? He was more of a returner in college and for the next couple of years you will see the Jennings, Nelson and Finley show. Cobb may have some nice games if injuries occur, but you cannot build a team banking on injury. He is not currently in my top 50 and I don't see how he could be in this one either.

 

* Darrius Heyward-Bey - Take your pick. There will NOT be two Raiders WR's in the top 38 WR's in the near future. Either Moore or Bey, but not both. Personally, I like Moore MUCH more than Bey.

Why? Heyward-Bey had 42-630-2 in eight games with Palmer. Moore was 18-405-3 in seven games with Palmer. Neither had any rapport with Palmer, I don't see why those numbers can't improve, especially since the Raiders defense is going to be a sieve and Palmer will need to throw the ball all over the field. Palmer had a decent year considering his circumstances, and something that jumped out at me was his 8.21 yards/attempt. For being out of football for so long, for better or worse, the dude was chucking it, and considering the speed and big play making abilities of Bey and Moore, will probably continue to chuck it. Also, Bey is 25, Moore is 23

 

 

I don't get the love for Hankerson with a rookie throwing him the ball. People assume RGIII is going to put up Cam Newton #s, no one in the history of the league has put up Newton #s in their rookie year. Hankerson had one good game where they were behind and had to chuck it then promptly tore the labrum in his hip. All things considered, I don't see how you can give Hankerson love then throw the two Raiders WRs under the bus.

[The Football Guru 212]

I am shocked at the number of unproven, and flat out old, players that are high on this list.

I'll agree that DeSean is too low and there are a number of WR's above him I would pass on. It gets interesting when you look at the #25 through #50 guys. A couple questions pop up for me immediately;

 

* Where is Leonard Hankerson on the list? I would take him in the 40 range over some of these folks. He will get every shot to be the #2 guy in Washington this season and should win it outright in 2013. People forget Shanny loves this kid.

 

* Steve Smith at almost 34 years old? He may be decent again in 2012, but you think he will be a top performer in 2013 and beyond? Obviously the writer has never participated in a dynasty league as you cannot trade a 34 year old WR for much. lol If you spend the late 3rd or early 4th on him in an initial dynasty draft, you may get only one year of production. That translates to epic failure for your franchise in year two.

 

* Brandon Lloyd at #26? Sure, he gets behind the defense, but that was when he wasn't competing with Wes Welker, Gronkowski and Hernandez for receptions. How can he be ranked #26 at this point in his career on that team? Maybe for a redraft, but this is an epic fail for a dynasty ranking.

 

* Michael Crabtree at #33? Really? Why? Is it because the 49'ers have so much confidence in him they brought in Manningham AND Moss?! There is talk they will draft a TE early and run a two tight end set as well. I personally would not have him in my top 45, maybe even 50.

 

* Pierre Garcon #34 - I like Garcon a lot with RGIII throwing him the ball. He is guaranteed one of the starting WR positions in Washington and Shanny knows how to use his WR's. He will outperform at least ten of the people listed above him. I would rank him around #20 overall in PPR formats.

 

* Santonio Holmes #36 - Another big WHY? This guy has had ONE good NFL season. He is 28, on the smallish side, doesn't play hard every down and has Sanchez throwing him the ball. I don't see him being WR with the potential of some people listed below him. This IS a dynasty ranking, correct? I swear it looks much more like a redraft ranking....

 

* Randall Cobb #39 - Why? He was more of a returner in college and for the next couple of years you will see the Jennings, Nelson and Finley show. Cobb may have some nice games if injuries occur, but you cannot build a team banking on injury. He is not currently in my top 50 and I don't see how he could be in this one either.

 

* Darrius Heyward-Bey - Take your pick. There will NOT be two Raiders WR's in the top 38 WR's in the near future. Either Moore or Bey, but not both. Personally, I like Moore MUCH more than Bey.

 

Cara, I have a lot of respect for you and your opinions. Receivers were the hardest position for me to rank without a doubt. I'll try to briefly explain each of the ones you mentioned above.

 

I probably like Hankerson more than you do. But they didn't pay both Garcon and Morgan in excess of $5 M/year to tutor Hankerson. My biggest concern with him, however, is his hip surgery.

 

I explained my Smith reasoning in the blurb. Despite his age, he is still plenty explosive. I think he's got 2-3 good years left in him, which was one of my main criteria.

 

Lloyd is ranked where he is based a lot on how much McDaniels loves him. He's another player I expect to be productive for another 2-3 years despite his age. And while the talent on that offense will make him the fourth option at times, Brady went 401-of-611 in 2011. Even if Brady throws a bit less in 2012 and we say the Gronk-Hernandez-Welker trio combines for 250 catches and 350 targets, there is more than enough for Lloyd to grab around 60 himself.

 

If you don't like my ranking of the old guys, take a look at where Dynasty League Football put the over-30 crowd:

http://dynastyleaguefootball.com/rankings/wr-rankings

 

I don't really like Crabtree myself, but Moss is a "lightning in a bottle" proposition and Manningham is hardly consistent - both were brought in to stretch the field, not replace Crabtree. At least for this season, I expect the Niners to use more three-WR sets and feature Crabtree in the slot, where he has generally proven to be more effective. As for SF bringing in another TE, why? I mean the Niners could draft one late, but Delanie Walker is one of the better reserve TEs in the league.

 

I like Garcon too. But if you can't be consistent with Peyton Manning as your QB, why would you be more consistent with Griffin? Garcon strikes me as a "splash" player - someone whose final numbers may look good, but will lack weekly consistency. I know you can make the case he'll be featured more often in WAS, but Shanahan loves the run the ball. I think the case could also be made that Fred Davis will be the preferred option as long as he keeps his nose clean.

 

At #36, I'm suggesting Holmes should be your last choice as a WR3 in 12-team leagues. You and I agree on the reasons to dislike the guy, but we are just one year removed from Sanchez making him a decent WR2. And if/when Tebow takes over, who else is going to be his Demaryius Thomas? Chaz Schilens?

 

Cobb is a projection, no doubt about it. But like New England, are you going to tell me that GB can't make four WRs/TEs relevant in fantasy? Are we sure Nelson is here to stay or that Finley's down year was just a blip on the radar screen? Cobb is already the most explosive player in that receiving corps, so why won't GB try to use him a bit like the Vikes use Harvin?

 

I also like Moore much more than DHB. I thought DHB's ranking was a bit of a hedge against the player I saw early on as a Raider and the run-after-catch animal I saw in 2011. If he's the latter, he's not going to need that many catches to be a low-end fantasy WR3 or good WR4, even in PPR leagues.

[Cara 0]

Why? Heyward-Bey had 42-630-2 in eight games with Palmer. Moore was 18-405-3 in seven games with Palmer. Neither had any rapport with Palmer, I don't see why those numbers can't improve, especially since the Raiders defense is going to be a sieve and Palmer will need to throw the ball all over the field. Palmer had a decent year considering his circumstances, and something that jumped out at me was his 8.21 yards/attempt. For being out of football for so long, for better or worse, the dude was chucking it, and considering the speed and big play making abilities of Bey and Moore, will probably continue to chuck it. Also, Bey is 25, Moore is 23

 

 

I don't get the love for Hankerson with a rookie throwing him the ball. People assume RGIII is going to put up Cam Newton #s, no one in the history of the league has put up Newton #s in their rookie year. Hankerson had one good game where they were behind and had to chuck it then promptly tore the labrum in his hip. All things considered, I don't see how you can give Hankerson love then throw the two Raiders WRs under the bus.

 

It is a Dynasty ranking, so I am not "giving Hankerson love" this season. I expect him to be "the" guy in 2013. This season he will simply be stashed on my bench and I will just hope for progress.

 

You are right about the Raiders WR's. After looking at their numbers, they both did very well at the end of last season. I dropped the ball in my rankings of them. As someone that does not own Heyward-Bey in any leagues, I was impressed by his end of the season campaign. I will retract my Raiders comments and likely draft Heyward-Bey in 2012.

[Cara 0]

It is a Dynasty ranking, so I am not "giving Hankerson love" this season. I expect him to be "the" guy in 2013. This season he will simply be stashed on my bench and I will just hope for progress.

 

You are right about the Raiders WR's. After looking at their numbers, they both did very well at the end of last season. I dropped the ball in my rankings of them. As someone that does not own Heyward-Bey in any leagues, I was impressed by his end of the season campaign. I will retract my Raiders comments and likely draft Heyward-Bey in 2012.

 

As for Garcon... I am basing my opinion of him on Shanny's offensive prowess. His WR's typically put up nice numbers and I think he is a much better WR than Gaffney or Moss. I do not view him as anything more than a low end WR2, but what he does fits what RGIII does well, which is slip past the coverage and end up deeper than you expect. Garcon isn't a great WR by any stretch, but he will be a sneaky play on draft day as many people are overlooking him.