2012 Fantasy Football Week 14: Wide Receivers (WR) Rankings, Projections

It’s hard to like Dez Bryant as a person but when it comes to talent, we’ve known for some time he has the ability to be an elite option at the receiver position. The question was, would Bryant ever figure out what it takes to play at a Pro Bowl level in the NFL?

In his third season Bryant was having an up and down campaign, until the last four weeks. In that time Bryant has posted 29 receptions for 475 yards and six touchdowns. Two of those games came against the Eagles, and in the second game, Bryant abused the Eagles secondary after the catch, physically running over and past them for two impressive scores.

Because the Cowboys defense is mired by injuries, we should expect them to continue to find themselves in the midst of shootouts through December. Consider Bryant a WR1 the rest of the way as Tony Romo clearly has trust in his budding star receiver.

What Did We Learn From Week 13?

- Danario Alexander failed to score a touchdown for the second week in a row, but in both games, he’s led the Chargers in receiving yards. Keep Alexander in the lineup this week against the Steelers as their top corner Ike Taylor will be out.

- With Cam Newton elevating his play, Steve Smith emerged with a big game against the Chiefs going for a touchdown and 120 yards. Smith benefited from a late game 53-yard Hail Mary. Smith is a WR3 to WR2 down the stretch.

- Demaryius Thomas didn’t do much damage down the field against the Buccaneers, but he hurt them for two touchdown scores inside the red zone. Thomas is starting to emerge as the true No.1 for Peyton Manning of late, and we should continue to look to him as one of the elite options down the stretch.

Sean’s Week 14 Watch List

- Cecil Shorts found the end zone yet again last week, but unfortunately, he suffered a concussion in the second half. If Shorts plays this week, he’s a must start based on his play over the past month, but he will have a challenging matchup against Antonio Cromartie.

- Sidney Rice was the hero for Seattle with an overtime touchdown to seal a victory against the Bears. Unfortunately, Rice suffered a head injury on the touchdown, so we will have to wait and see if he is eligible to play against the Cardinals.

With five touchdowns in his past five games, Rice’s is a legit WR3 down the stretch.

- Nick Foles appears to be gaining some confidence after three starts as the Eagles quarterback. While we still need to see Foles do a better job on the deep routes, he will have opportunities playing against the Buccaneers, Bengals and Redskins.

While Jeremy Maclin has struggled with up and down play, if you’re in need of a big-play option, Maclin should have opportunities to finish the season strong.

1	Calvin Johnson	@ Packers
2	Demaryius Thomas	@ Raiders
3	A.J. Green	Cowboys
4	Andre Johnson	@ Patriots
5	Victor Cruz	Saints
6	Brandon Marshall	@ Vikings
7	Vincent Jackson	Eagles
8	Julio Jones	@ Panthers
9	Dez Bryant	@ Bengals
10	Roddy White	@ Panthers
11	Wes Welker	Texans
12	Eric Decker	@ Raiders
13	Reggie Wayne	Titans
14	Marques Colston	@ Giants
15	Randall Cobb	Lions
16	Steve Smith	Falcons
17	Torrey Smith	Redskins
18	Hakeem Nicks	Saints
19	Michael Crabtree	Dolphins
20	Danario Alexander	@ Steelers
21	Cecil Shorts (I)	Jets
22	Lance Moore	@ Giants
23	Mike Williams	Eagles
24	Jeremy Maclin	@ Buccaneers
25	Sidney Rice (I)	Cardinals
26	Miles Austin (I)	@ Bengals
27	Pierre Garcon	Ravens
28	Chris Givens	@ Bills
29	Steve Johnson (I)	Rams
30	Greg Jennings	Lions
31	Denarius Moore	Broncos
32	Golden Tate	Cardinals
33	Dwayne Bowe	@ Browns
34	Kenny Britt	@ Colts
35	Josh Gordon	Chiefs
36	Mike Wallace	Chargers
37	Justin Blackmon	Jets
38	James Jones	Lions
39	Brian Hartline	@ 49ers
40	Larry Fitzgerald	@ Seahawks
41	Antonio Brown (I)	Chargers

Week 14 Standard Rankings – QB | RB |  TE | K | D |