Fantasy Football 2012 Week 7 Rankings: Top 50 Wide Receivers

Just how many questions can we have heading into Week 7… How far does Larry Fitzgerald fall thanks to John Skelton being at QB? Is Andre Johnson even a usable option? How do tough matchups impact the top of the rankings?

Let’s take a look:

1. A.J. Green – Cincinnati Bengals – vs. Pittsburgh
2. Calvin Johnson – Detroit Lions – at Chicago
3. Victor Cruz – New York Giants – vs. Washington
4. Brandon Marshall – Chicago Bears – vs. Detroit
5. Percy Harvin – Minnesota Vikings – vs. Arizona
6. Wes Welker – New England Patriots – vs. New York Jets
7. Reggie Wayne – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Cleveland
8. Marques Colston – New Orleans Saints – at Tampa Bay
9. Vincent Jackson – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. New Orleans
10. Mike Wallace – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Cincinnati
11. Jordy Nelson – Green Bay Packers – at St. Louis
12. Hakeem Nicks – New York Giants – vs. Washington
13. Torrey Smith – Baltimore Ravens – at Houston
14. Dez Bryant – Dallas Cowboys – at Carolina
15. Kenny Britt – Tennessee Titans – at Buffalo
16. Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals – at Minnesota
17. Steve Johnson – Buffalo Bills – vs. Tennessee
18. James Jones – Green Bay Packers – at St. Louis
19. Miles Austin – Dallas Cowboys – at Carolina
20. Antonio Brown – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Cincinnati
21. Andre Johnson – Houston Texans – vs. Baltimore
22. Mike Williams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. New Orleans
23. Steve Smith – Carolina Panthers – vs. Dallas
24. Denarius Moore – Oakland Raiders – vs. Jacksonville
25. Anquan Boldin – Baltimore Ravens – at Houston
26. Brandon Lloyd – New England Patriots – vs. New York Jets
27. Brandon Gibson – St. Louis Rams – vs. Green Bay
28. Stephen Hill – New York Jets – at New England
29. Randall Cobb – Green Bay Packers – at St. Louis
30. Josh Gordon – Cleveland Browns – at Indianapolis
31. Domenik Hixon – New York Giants – vs. Washington
32. Kendall Wright – Tennessee Titans – at Buffalo
33. Andre Roberts – Arizona Cardinals – at Minnesota
34. Devery Henderson – New Orleans Saints – at Tampa Bay
35. Donnie Avery – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Cleveland
36. Michael Crabtree – San Francisco 49ers – vs. Seattle
37. Santana Moss – Washington Redskins – at New York Giants
38. Andrew Hawkins – Cincinnati Bengals – vs. Pittsburgh
39. Sidney Rice – Seattle Seahawks – at San Francisco
40. Nate Washington – Tennessee Titans – at Buffalo
41. T.Y. Hilton – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Cleveland
42. Justin Blackmon – Jacksonville Jaguars – at Oakland
43. Mario Manningham – San Francisco 49ers – vs. Seattle
44. Chris Givens – St. Louis Rams – vs. Green Bay
45. Jeremy Kerley – New York Jets – at New England
46. Darrius Heyward-Bey – Oakland Raiders – vs. Jacksonville
47. Greg Little – Cleveland Browns – at Indianapolis
48. Golden Tate – Seattle Seahawks – at San Francisco
49. Nate Burleson – Detroit Lions – at Chicago
50. Leonard Hankerson – Washington Redskins – at New York Giants

Thoughts:

• It looks slightly odd having Victor Cruz sitting near the top these rankings, especially when Hakeem Nicks could easily eat into his catches (and out produce him). That said, against a defense allowing a league-high 328.3 passing yards per games and 15 TD, there should be more than enough touches to go around. With a lot of the other top options drawing tough matchups, Cruz needs to be right there with the elite.
• Speaking of tough matchups, A.J. Green gets a Steelers team that is allowing just 200.8 passing yards per game. However, they have allowed 9 TD and Green scored a TD in each of his two meetings with them. There’s no reason to think he won’t produce once again.
• Vincent Jackson has scored 3 TD in his past two games and 4 TD in his past four. Included in that stretch is a pair of 100+ yard performances. Would it surprise anyone if the Tampa Bay-New Orleans game turns into a shootout? Consider Jackson a potential WR1 this week.
• If it weren’t for John Skelton running the offense, Larry Fitzgerald probably would be ranked a bit higher. While I still think he will produce, there is a lot of risk.
• Houston is a tough defense, but it has allowed 12 passing TD on the season. That makes Torrey Smith a pretty good risk to take as a high-end WR2.
• Do we really expect James Jones to score 2 TD every single week? He’s done it three straight games and, while that is going to end sooner or later, it certainly has made him a very good play as a WR2 no matter what the matchup. The Packers offense is finding its footing and, when on, can put up points regardless of the defense.
• While Kenny Britt had his struggles in Week 6, he showed that he was on his way to full health and big production. It’s only a matter of time and with a favorable matchup against the Bills (256.3 passing yards per game, 13 TD), this could be the week that he fully explodes. As a WR2 he is a must-use option in all formats.
• Baltimore’s defense is banged up, but how much can we really count on Andre Johnson at this point? The Texans defense is a running based attack, as can be evidenced by his 25 receptions for 358 yards and 2 TD for their star receiver to date. Could he break out at any time? Of course, but he is more of a WR2 at this point.
• Brandon Gibson is coming off a big game against the Dolphins and could assume a large role in the passing game with Danny Amendola out of action. As a WR3, you certainly could do worse.
• Consider Josh Gordon a high-risk, high-reward option since his value rests solely on an ability to make big plays. Over the past two weeks he had 5 catches for 181 yards and 3 TD, just to give you an idea. The Browns need him, given their injuries, so don’t be surprised if it continues.
• Stephen Hill is the best of a bad Jets’ receiving corps. Still, that’s enough to make him a WR3 at this point.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 7 rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs
• Top 25 Tight Ends
• Top 15 Kickers