Fantasy Football 2012 Week 8 Rankings: Top 50 Wide Receivers

How do struggling stars like Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald fit for the coming week?  Who are the surprising top three options?  How have injuries impacted things?  Let’s try to answer all of the questions for the coming week:

1. Percy Harvin – Minnesota Vikings – vs. Tampa Bay
2. Demaryius Thomas – Denver Broncos – vs. New Orleans
3. Victor Cruz – New York Giants – at Dallas
4. Calvin Johnson – Detroit Lions – vs. Seattle
5. Mike Wallace – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. Washington
6. Jordy Nelson – Green Bay Packers – vs. Jacksonville
7. Brandon Marshall – Chicago Bears – vs. Carolina
8. Roddy White – Atlanta Falcons – at Philadelphia
9. Marques Colston – New Orleans Saints – at Denver
10. Wes Welker – New England Patriots – at St. Louis
11. Reggie Wayne – Indianapolis Colts – at Tennessee
12. Miles Austin – Dallas Cowboys – vs. New York Giants
13. Julio Jones – Atlanta Falcons – at Philadelphia
14. Vincent Jackson – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Minnesota
15. Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals – vs. San Francisco
16. Eric Decker – Denver Broncos – vs. New Orleans
17. Antonio Brown – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. Washington
18. Hakeem Nicks – New York Giants – at Dallas
19. Dez Bryant – Dallas Cowboys – vs. New York Giants
20. Kenny Britt – Tennessee Titans – vs. Indianapolis
21. Randall Cobb – Green Bay Packers – vs. Jacksonville
22. DeSean Jackson – Philadelphia Eagles – vs. Atlanta
23. Josh Gordon – Cleveland Browns – vs. San Diego
24. Malcolm Floyd – San Diego Chargers – at Cleveland
25. Lance Moore – New Orleans Saints – at Denver
26. Denarius Moore – Oakland Raiders – at Kansas City
27. Steve Smith – Carolina Panthers – at Chicago
28. Dwayne Bowe – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Oakland
29. James Jones – Green Bay Packers – vs. Jacksonville
30. Brandon Gibson – St. Louis Rams – vs. New England
31. Jeremy Maclin – Philadelphia Eagles – vs. Atlanta
32. Santana Moss – Washington Redskins – at Pittsburgh
33. Brandon Lloyd – New England Patriots – at St. Louis
34. Jeremy Kerley – New York Jets – vs. Miami
35. Brian Hartline – Miami Dolphins – at New York Jets
36. Nate Washington – Tennessee Titans – vs. Indianapolis
37. Mike Williams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Minnesota
38. Andre Roberts – Arizona Cardinals – vs. San Francisco
39. Chris Givens – St. Louis Rams – vs. New England
40. Michael Crabtree – San Francisco 49ers – at Arizona
41. Sidney Rice – Seattle Seahawks – at Detroit
42. Kendall Wright – Tennessee Titans – vs. Indianapolis
43. Titus Young – Detroit Lions – vs. Seattle
44. Darrius Heyward-Bey – Oakland Raiders – at Kansas City
45. Cecil Shorts – Jacksonville Jaguars – at Green Bay
46. Brandon Stokley – Denver Broncos – vs. New Orleans
47. Devery Henderson – New Orleans Saints – at Denver
48. Greg Little – Cleveland Browns – vs. San Diego
49. Brandon LaFell – Carolina Panthers – at Chicago
50. Emmanuel Sanders – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. Washington

Thoughts:

• Granted, Christian Ponder is no Drew Brees, but after seeing the New Orleans Saints rip apart the Tampa Bay secondary there is a lot to like about Percy Harvin this week.  He only has two receiving TD on the season (he also has one rushing and one return).  However, he’s a big play threat and the Buccaneers have been plagued by the big play all season (seven passes of at least 40 yards).  It’s hard to bet against him this week.
• Take what we just said about Harvin’s big play ability and duplicate it for Mike Wallace and the Washington Redskins.  The difference is that Wallace has to battle a few others for catches whereas Harvin is the clear top receiver for his team.
• It’s hard to keep Calvin Johnson out of the top five, regardless of who he is facing.  However, unless he picks up the production he’s going to quickly start sliding down our rankings every week.
• Vincent Jackson has been great this season, but he is dependent on the big play to make an impact (27 receptions for 586 yards and 5 TD).  However, the Minnesota Vikings are among the best at limiting them, with just 14 pass plays of at least 20 yards and one of at least 40 yards.  This helps to keep him as more of a WR2 for the coming week.
• Larry Fitzgerald continues to struggle, with just 40 catches for 459 yards and 3 TD on the season.  Are those awful numbers?  Of course not, but they are far from what we have come to expect from one of the elite receivers in the game.  Is it the QB play?  Is it that defenses have found a way to take him out of the offense?  You have to think that he will get things in order, sooner or later, but until he does he has to be considered more of a WR2.
• Dwayne Bowe has not been impressive this season (34 catches for 427 yards and 3 TD) and will now have to deal with Brady Quinn running the offense.  Is that a situation that should get fantasy owners excited?  He has potential, but he’s more of a WR3 due to the risk.
• While Kenny Britt is still getting his feet under him, we all know that he has the potential to explode at any moment.  Against a Colts’ defense that has allowed 12 passing TD this season, could this be the week?  I certainly wouldn’t bet against it.
• Josh Gordon is a big play receiver.  Lucky for fantasy owners the San Diego Chargers have given up a lot of big plays in the passing game (five plays of at least 40 yards and 14 passing TD).  As a low-end WR2, he holds appeal.  However, he is still risky, so be cautious.
• Miami’s defense is allowing 284.8 passing yards per game and Jeremy Kerley showed that he could step up as the Jets’ top receiver in Week 7 (seven catches for 120 yards).  He’s a risky play, since he could lose targets to both Dustin Keller and Stephen Hill, but the upside makes him a potential WR3.
• Will Brian Hartline be shadowed by Antonio Cromartie?  That could definitely hurt his potential value, but as a WR3 in PPR leagues he is still worth it.
• Brandon Lloyd still has upside, despite his struggles thus far this season.  As a WR3 the upside is worth the gamble, but if you can avoid using him until he shows us something, that would be the recommended route.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 8 rankings:

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