Your Fantasy Football Reality Check #4: Wide Receivers

It’s the final Thursday of July, NFL training camps have commenced, and we’re one week closer to the best day of our fantasy seasons- draft day. In the previous installments of Your Fantasy Football Reality Check we covered the two backfield positions, quarterbacks and running backs. This week we turn our attention to the growing core of highly productive wide receivers.

As a whole, there’s more overall depth at the wideout slot then there ever has been in fantasy football. When you begin to look inside the numbers, you’ll see that any member of the top ten are virtually interchangeable. To some degree you could extend that to the top 15. However, once you discover that the stock you have left to choose from has fallen below the top 20, I believe you’ll agree that mediocrity sets in extremely fast.

Last season I had the good fortune of drafting 4 receivers in the top 12, leaving me with the sense entering this season that depth at the wideout position was at an all time high. The truth of the matter is the players within the top 20 all have the potential to put up large yardage numbers while also grabbing 10 + TD’s. Outside of a few exceptions, from 21 down you’ll find a host of receivers that will contribute yardage-wise, but as far as cresting that 10 touchdown plateau, I don’t believe their chances are very favorable.

Any member of the top ten can be as comparatively productive week to week as any running back. With the rise of the running back by committee, it’s harder to determine which back will receive the goal line work. There’s a lot of reliability in the top ten to 15 WR’s that equals the output of the top backs, and you can find these players in the second, third, and fourth rounds- unlike the top backs. Faced with this REALITY CHECK, it’s my advice that you seriously entertain the idea of using two out of your first four picks in the draft on two of the top 15 receivers. A running back in the third to fifth round is eerily similar to a running back in the fifth to seventh round. That will not be the case with the wide receivers, the production level drops off dramatically in the same comparison. Double up on your wideout superstars and count on having a controversy-free lineup decision.

WR’s you’ll relish owning:
1) Randy Moss
2) Terrell Owens
3) Reggie Wayne
4) Braylon Edwards
5) Andre Johnson
6) Larry Fitzgerald
7) T.J. Houshmandzadeh
8 ) Steve Smith
9) Marques Colston
10) Plaxico Burress
11) Torry Holt
12) Chad Johnson
13) Brandon Marshall
14) Wes Welker
15) Anquan Boldin
16) Greg Jennings
17) Santonio Holmes
18 ) Roy Williams
19) Hines Ward
20) Marvin Harrison- sleeper??

WR’s with some upsides/ some downsides
21) Roddy White
22) Lee Evans
23) Dwayne Bowe
24) Santana Moss
25) Calvin Johnson
26) Laveranues Coles
27) Donald Driver
28 ) Joey Galloway
29) Kevin Curtis
30) Chris Chambers

After the top 30, we’re looking at a lot of clones you’re better off not starting outside of a bye week or injury.

Again, take two of the top 15 and 3 of the top 20 if at all possible (and it is!), then breath easy and expect great things!

Thanks for visiting and we’ll see you next week!

~ Stephen Lamare