Vincent Jackson or DeSean Jackson: Who Do You Prefer for Fantasy Football?

Both Vincent Jackson and DeSean Jackson made their marks for fantasy owners in 2010 with extremely similar statistics. 

Just look at how close they were.

Receptions: Vincent—68, DeSean—62
Yards: Vincent—1,167, DeSean—1,156
Touchdowns: Vincent—9, DeSean—9

You just don’t get closer then that, so when trying to decide which one to draft, how do you select? 

It’s a close call, but let’s look at what separates the two in my mind…

The quarterbacks and supporting cast.

Kevin Kolb looked solid when given the opportunity to play last season, but does anyone really know exactly what he is going to bring to the table?  We can think that he can take the next step, but until he does it week in and week out, he’s still a big unknown.

As it is, he barely threw more TDs then INTs last season, with four touchdowns and three interceptions.  Yes, he had over 300 yards in both of his starts, which is nice, but do we honestly think he can do that every game in 2010? 

It’s easy to do it for two weeks, but when you take a pounding for 16 games it’s a massively different story.

He’s surrounded by a pretty good supporting cast, with LeSean McCoy, Brent Celek, and Jeremy Maclin.  Celek and McCoy will provide safety valves for Kolb, which could take away touches from DeSean.

Vincent Jackson, meanwhile, has one of the best QBs in the league throwing him the ball.  Philip Rivers has long established himself among the elite, with four straight seasons with over 3,000 yards passing and two straight with over 4,000 yards.

There’s no questioning how good he is, and with a rookie running back likely to get the bulk of the carries, it’s very possible the Chargers become even more dependent on the passing game.  The hope will be that Malcolm Floyd or Legedu Naanee can emerge to help take the defenses focus off of Vincent. 

Then again, Antonio Gates necessitates plenty of attention of his own.

The bottom line for me is that while the two put up similar stats last season, Vincent is a much more dependable choice.  A receiver can only produce if he has a quarterback who can get him the ball.  We know that Vincent has one of the best airing the ball out.  That goes a long way.

DeSean is going to put up numbers, but there’s just a little bit more risk involved.  I’d love to have either of them, but if I have my choice I’m going Vincent every time.

What about you?  Which of the two would you select if you had the choice?  Why?

Don’t forget about our other rankings:

Top 25 Quarterbacks
Top 40 Running Backs
Top 20 Tight Ends

Also, make sure to check out our recent rookie rankings:
Top 5 Rookie RB
Top 5 Rookie QB

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