Ranking the 5 Best Wide Receivers Left on the Free-Agent Market

What originally began as a loaded free-agent market at wide receiver has dwindled down to just a few big names left for scavenging.  

Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas were slapped with the franchise tag, Randall Cobb re-signed before the start of free agency, and many other available big names—such as Jeremy Maclin, Andre Johnson and Percy Harvin—signed lucrative deals in other NFL cities. 

The market has shrunk, but the receiver options haven't completely dried up. 

In the following slides, we'll rank the best remaining receivers on the market.  

Honorable Mentions

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Hakeem Nicks: His last noticeably productive season is now four years in the rearview mirror. And a chance to play with Andrew Luck in Indianapolis wasn't the antidote to his career spiral. That said, he's still only 27, and he caught a touchdown in last year's playoffs. He needs to get the juice back in his legs.

Wes Welker: Old (34 in May), hurt (concussion history) and role-specific (slot only) is no way to create interest on the open market. He'll bank on his 10-touchdown season in 2013 and 100-catch year in 2012 to help him produce the buzz he needs to find a new club. 

Nate Washington: While now 31, he can boast at least 40 catches and 500 receiving yards for seven straight seasons. If nothing else, he's consistent. And don't forget reliable. Not many receivers can say they've played in every game since 2006, either. 

Reggie Wayne: It's really too bad an Indianapolis legend won't finish his career in a Colts uniform. He's on his last legs, but he did almost produce 800 receiving yards in 2014. There's a possibility the NFL could "naturally" retire the 36-year-old. 

5. Mike Williams

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Injuries and some bad luck have derailed a once promising receiving career. 

While easy to forget now, Williams once hauled in close to 200 passes with 23 total touchdowns during an opening three-year stint in Tampa Bay. His rising star faded fast. He played in only six games in 2013, and a nine-game disappointment in Buffalo followed last season. Now, there's hardly a market for the 27-year-old. 

Yet if a team can get his head on straight, Williams is still capable of producing 60 or more catches with close to 10 touchdowns. He's always had the talent, and few were more effective in the red zone from 2010 to 2012. 

But there's bad news. 

Tampa Bay traded him to Buffalo before last season, and the Bills released him last December. The fact he still doesn't have a team is telling enough. He will probably sign for next to the minimum for one last chance to stick in the NFL. 

4. Denarius Moore

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Like Mike Williams, the fall from grace has been a bumpy ride for Denarius Moore. 

Over his first three years in Oakland, Moore caught 17 touchdowns and produced five 100-yard receiving games. He averaged nearly 16 yards per catch and looked on the cusp of stardom.

The 2014 season wasn't kind to his rise. Moore caught just 12 passes over 10 games, and the Oakland Raiders made him inactive in several games late in the year. 

It's possible he simply needs a change of scenery. Moore has elite speed and an ability to make plays down the field. During his first three seasons, he created 33 plays over 20 yards and eight over 40. And Moore is still only 26. 

As it stands, his market simply doesn't exist. He may need to take a low-level deal to re-establish his once soaring value, much like Williams. 

3. Miles Austin

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Austin survived the never-ending quarterback drama in Cleveland with a mostly respectable stat line last season. 

Over 12 games, the former Pro Bowler caught 47 passes for nearly 600 yards and two touchdowns. He's no longer the playmaking burner he was with the Dallas Cowboys, but Austin is still a strong possession receiver capable of catching a bunch of passes in the right offense and with the right quarterback. 

He'll also move the chains. Of his 47 catches in 2014, 34 resulted in touchdowns or first downs. According to Pro Football Focus, Browns quarterbacks had a team-high 99.6 passer rating when targeting him last season. 

Now 30 years old, Austin can't be expected to be anything more than a sure-handed chain-mover. Still, there's value in an experienced receiver who can create in the intermediate area. That's the definition of Austin's game. 

2. Michael Crabtree

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The value in Michael Crabtree depends fully on deciphering whether or not he is the same receiver he was post-major injury.

From 2009 to 2012, Crabtree increased his catches and receiving yards every season. He topped off with 85 receptions for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns in 2012, but an Achilles tendon tear before the 2013 season has since put his career in limbo. 

Crabtree played in just five games after returning from the injury. Fully healthy last season, he played in 16 games but finished with less than 700 receiving yards and just four touchdowns. There are now concerns from his old team that injuries have turned a once electric athlete into a plodder. 

His market has been predictably soft. Crabtree officially visited the Miami Dolphins Thursday, according to the team's Twitter account, marking his first official meeting of free agency. Teams clearly have reservations about him returning to his pre-2013 form. 

If his gusto returns, Crabtree is capable of producing a 1,000-yard, 10-touchdown season. But that's a big if at this point. 

1. Greg Jennings

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Jennings learned two hard truths during his brief stint in Minnesota. 

For one, the life of a receiver is complicated without Hall of Fame quarterback play. And the NFL is still a cruel business. 

Jennings was a Pro Bowler in Green Bay with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, but he never lived up to the five-year, $45 million deal he signed with the Vikings in 2013. His adjustment to Christian Ponder, Matt Cassel and Teddy Bridgewater was at times a difficult one.

Eventually, the cord needed cutting. When Minnesota completed a trade for receiver Mike Wallace last week, Jennings became the odd man out—and just two years into his megadeal. 

Now, the 31-year-old receiver enters the market as the best player available at his position. He is still an experienced veteran with savvy route-running skills. Any team that signs him will be getting an instant impact player in the slot.

Jennings' two-year numbers don't look great, but he was reliable and effective for the Vikings despite shaky quarterback play. Put him in an offense where he can be a No. 2 or No. 3 receiver for a top quarterback and he can still be a real asset.