Week Seven Rankings Updated: Top 40 WR

We are just days away from the slate of Week Seven games and the biggest change to our original receivers’ rankings was Greg Jennings falling a few spots.  Who else moved?  Let’s take a look

1. Reggie Wayne - Indianapolis Colts - at St. Louis
2. Vincent Jackson - San Diego Chargers - at Kansas City
3. Andre Johnson - Houston Texans - vs. San Francisco
4. Larry Fitzgerald - Arizona Cardinals - at New York Giants
5. Roddy White - Atlanta Falcons - at Dallas
6. Marques Colston - New Orleans Saints - at Miami
7. Wes Welker - New England Patriots - at Tampa Bay
8. Randy Moss - New England Patriots - at Tampa Bay
9. Dwayne Bowe - Kansas City Chiefs - vs. San Diego
10. Steve Smith - New York Giants - vs. Arizona
11. Hines Ward - Pittsburgh Steelers - vs. Minnesota
12. Donald Driver - Green Bay Packers - at Cleveland
13. Miles Austin - Dallas Cowboys - vs. Atlanta
14. Greg Jennings - Green Bay Packers - at Cleveland
15. Anquan Boldin - Arizona Cardinals - at New York Giants
16. Santonio Holmes - Pittsburgh Steelers - vs. Minnesota
17. Chad Ochocinco - Cincinnati Bengals - vs. Chicago
18. Braylon Edwards - New York Jets - at Oakland
19. Steve Smith - Carolina Panthers - vs. Buffalo
20. DeSean Jackson - Philadelphia Eagles - at Washington
21. Johnny Knox - Chicago Bears - at Cincinnati
22. Mario Manningham - New York Giants - vs. Arizona
23. Santana Moss - Washington Redskins - vs. Philadelphia
24. Kevin Walter - Houston Texans - vs. San Francisco
25. Jeremy Maclin - Philadelphia Eagles - at Washington
26. Bernard Berrian - Minnesota Vikings - at Pittsburgh
27. Devin Hester - Chicago Bears - at Cincinnati
28. Steve Breaston - Arizona Cardinals - at New York Giants
29. Austin Collie - Indianapolis Colts - at St. Louis
30. Antonio Bryant - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - vs. New England
31. Terrell Owens - Buffalo Bills - at Carolina
32. Sidney Rice - Minnesota Vikings - at Pittsburgh
33. Jericho Cotchery - New York Jets - at Oakland
34. Donnie Avery - St. Louis Rams - vs. Indianapolis
35. Lance Moore - New Orleans Saints - at Miami
36. Michael Jenkins - Atlanta Falcons - at Dallas
37. Percy Harvin - Minnesota Vikings - at Pittsburgh
38. Hakeem Nicks - New York Giants - vs. Arizona
39. Laveranues Coles - Cincinnati Bengals - at Chicago
40. Roy Williams - Dallas Cowboys - vs. Atlanta

Thoughts

• With Anthony Gonzalez no longer an option this week, Collie has a good chance to continue to grow in the Colts offense.  He’s caught 14 passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns over the past two weeks and faces off against a terrible Rams defense.  Who wants to bet that he finds his way into the end zone for the third straight game?
• Coming off his 176-yard performance, Sidney Rice deserves to be ranked slightly higher than he originally was.  The Steelers' rushing defense is second in the league, so while Adrian Peterson should make a dent, the Vikings could turn to Brett Favre and company to get the job done.  I wouldn’t consider him more than a WR3, but he is usable.  In turn, if I’m expecting a bigger game from Rice, someone in Minnesota is going to take a small step back.  That someone is Percy Harvin, who falls slightly.
• The word now is that Donny Avery’s going to play after returning to practice on Thursday, albeit in a limited fashion.  Still, if he is on the field he is the best option the Rams have on the outside.  That makes him worthwhile when you have a decent QB throwing you the ball (not that Marc Bulger is an All Pro anymore).  I like his chances of putting up numbers better than someone like Derek Anderson (along with Mohammad Massaquoi) this week.   Avery replaces Bobby Wade, who falls completely off the list.
• As good as Greg Jennings could be, he just hasn’t shown it yet.  Donald Driver has been the best receiver in Green Bay and deserves to be ranked above him for now.

• I want to move Jerricho Cotchery up, but it is way too risky considering how borderline he is to play this week.  We’ll see if anything changes moving forward, but for now he’s going to stay where he was.
• As was noted in yesterday’s injury update, Anquan Boldin has said he is going to be a game-time decision.  I’m leaving him in place in the rankings for now, but get either Hakeem Nicks or Jerheme Urban as a safety net.

Previous Notes

• Larry Fitzgerald is the best wide receiver in the game, but going up against the Giants passing defense is a daunting task, at least you would have thought. I would think the Giants defense is going to come out with a renewed vigor, meaning Kurt Warner could be under constant pressure, Corey Webster has turned into one of the better defensive backs in the game. So, I’m taking him down a few spots, at least in the early part of the week.
• Speaking of the Cardinals, while Anquan Boldin left Week Six early with an ankle sprain, early word is that the injury is minor. That’s going to keep him up on the rankings, at least for now. As the week progresses, I’ll have to adjust him depending on the news so stay tuned for that.
• When we speak of Steve Smith, the first thought should now be of the man who suits up for the Giants, not the Panthers. He really has emerged as one of the top wide receivers in the game and squaring off with the Cardinals, among the worst in the league in passing defense, should allow him to continue to shine.
• Austin Collie has certainly emerged as the number two wide receiver in Indianapolis, but how will Anthony Gonzalez’ potential return to the line-up affect his value? Keep that in mind before dubbing him among the best receivers in the upcoming week.
• Hines Ward or Santonio Holmes? Who really is the Steelers best wide receiver this season? At this point, you have to give Ward the nod, at least for now.
• Edwards was brought in to be the top receiver for the Jets, there’s no question about that. With Jericho Cotchery hurting, he should get even more opportunities against a weak Oakland defense. Of course, if Cotchery (on the rankings for now) proves healthy and is on the field, he is going to take a slight hit in the rankings, so stay tuned as the week progresses.
• Owens has to break out for a big game sooner or later, doesn’t he? Right? Anyone?
• The Cincinnati Bengals have allowed the most 20+ yard plays of any defense this season. That could open the door for both Knox & Hester, receivers who normally would be borderline plays, to be solid options in most formats this week. Both have the potential to be explosive.
• Donnie Avery had originally been on the rankings, but his injury is going to drop him off completely.  If we learn later in the week that he’s healthy enough to play, he’ll likely sneak back in.

What are your thoughts?  Who was left off the list?  Who should be higher?  Who should be lower?

Other Week Seven Rankings:

• Quarterbacks (updated Oct. 23)
• Running Backs (updated Oct. 23)
• Wide Receivers (updated Oct. 23)
• Tight Ends
• Kickers
• Defense

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