Fantasy Football 2012 Week 11 Rankings: Top 50 Wide Receivers

With all the quarterback injuries, how do their absences impact the wide receivers they throw the ball to?  Which other receiver should we expect to step up?  Who should we be avoiding this week?  Let’s take a look:

1. A.J. Green – Cincinnati Bengals – at Kansas City
2. Calvin Johnson – Detroit Lions – vs. Green Bay
3. Reggie Wayne – Indianapolis Colts – at New England
4. Marques Colston – New Orleans Saints – at Oakland
5. Demaryius Thomas – Denver Broncos – vs. San Diego
6. Roddy White – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Arizona
7. Vincent Jackson – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Carolina
8. Julio Jones – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Arizona
9. Wes Welker – New England Patriots – vs. Indianapolis
10. Brandon Marshall – Chicago Bears – at San Francisco
11. Eric Decker – Denver Broncos – vs. San Diego
12. Denarius Moore – Oakland Raiders – vs. New Orleans
13. Randall Cobb – Green Bay Packers – at Detroit
14. Steve Smith – Carolina Panthers – vs. Tampa Bay
15. Miles Austin – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Cleveland
16. Jordy Nelson – Green Bay Packers – at Detroit
17. Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals – at Atlanta
18. Danny Amendola – St. Louis Rams – vs. New York Jets
19. DeSean Jackson – Philadelphia Eagles – at Washington
20. Dez Bryant – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Cleveland
21. Mike Wallace – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. Baltimore
22. Steve Johnson – Buffalo Bills – vs. Miami
23. Dwayne Bowe – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Cincinnati
24. Andre Johnson – Houston Texans – vs. Jacksonville
25. Torrey Smith – Baltimore Ravens – at Pittsburgh
26. Darrius Heyward-Bey – Oakland Raiders – vs. New Orleans
27. Lance Moore – New Orleans Saints – at Oakland
28. James Jones – Green Bay Packers – at Detroit
29. Jeremy Maclin – Philadelphia Eagles – at Washington
30. Brian Hartline – Miami Dolphins – at Buffalo
31. Mike Williams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Carolina
32. Brandon Lloyd – New England Patriots – vs. Indianapolis
33. Malcolm Floyd – San Diego Chargers – at Denver
34. Titus Young – Detroit Lions – vs. Green Bay
35. Danario Alexander – San Diego Chargers – at Denver
36. Santana Moss – Washington Redskins – vs. Philadelphia
37. Cecil Shorts – Jacksonville Jaguars – at Houston
38. T.Y. Hilton – Indianapolis Colts – at New England
39. Josh Gordon – Cleveland Browns – at Dallas
40. Andre Roberts – Arizona Cardinals – at Atlanta
41. Michael Crabtree – San Francisco 49ers – vs. Chicago
42. Andrew Hawkins – Cincinnati Bengals – at Kansas City
43. Donald Jones – Buffalo Bills – vs. Miami
44. Laurent Robinson – Jacksonville Jaguars – at Houston
45. Donnie Avery – Indianapolis Colts – at New England
46. Emmanuel Sanders – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. Baltimore
47. Anquan Boldin – Baltimore Ravens – at Pittsburgh
48. Jeremy Kerley – New York Jets – at St. Louis
49. Brandon Stokely – Denver Broncos – vs. San Diego
50. Greg Little – Cleveland Browns – at Dallas

Thoughts:

• There has been a misconception about Calvin Johnson’s “struggles” this season, as his only real failure has been coming up short of the goal line.  We all know that’s a bit of an aberration and after going off for 12 receptions, 207 yards and a touchdown in Week 10 there is little reason to be concerned.  The matchup with the Packers could easily breakdown into a shootout, and there is no reason to think of him as anything but an elite option.
• Granted we never really know who the go to option is going to be in New Orleans, but more times than not it is going to be Marques Colston.  He has 47 receptions for 652 yards and seven touchdowns.  Given his favorable matchup, it is easy to place him in the Top Five.
• Not that Jay Cutler is a superstar quarterback, but couple his absence with a tough matchup against the 49ers and it is not hard to imagine a down week for Brandon Marshall.  While I would still consider him a WR1, I would slide him down your rankings a few spots.
• Wes Welker would be an even better option if he was a TD candidate, wouldn’t he?  The difference between him and Calvin Johnson is that there is no guarantee that they ultimately come.  With Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Stevan Ridley (among others), he may just remain a great player between the 20s.
• It certainly didn’t take Danny Amendola long to re-entrench himself among the better options in the league, did it?  While the Jets’ defense has played fairly well without Darrelle Revis, it is still easy to imagine Amendola posting big numbers once again.
• Will Jordy Nelson return this week?  That was the initial plan, so for now we will account for him in the rankings.  The bigger question is if he will return to his role as the team’s top receiver, given the performance of Randall Cobb and James Jones?  We all know that Aaron Rodgers moves the ball around, so look for all three to be viable options in what could be a shootout.
• Denarius Moore has scored in three of his past four games and draws a Saints’ defense that has allowed 19 passing touchdowns vs. just five interceptions.  Is there anything else we really need to know?  He’s a borderline WR1, but a great option as a WR2 this week.
• Who will be the better option in Dallas, Miles Austin or Dez Bryant?  The inconsistency Bryant has shown (two weeks with 15 yards or less in the past four games) puts him behind Austin for me, though both should be viable options.
• The absence of Ben Roethlisberger will likely have a major impact on Mike Wallace, though he should still be a viable WR2.  That said, he has to drop down the rankings a few spots.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 11 rankings:

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