Fantasy Football's Top 60 Wide Receivers for 2010: Final Preseason Rankings

Next up in our final rankings (unless there is a major move that shakes things up) are wide receivers.  

Here, there is a real wild card in Vincent Jackson, who has the potential to provide a big change before Week 1.  Will he be traded?  Will he sit out the year? He’s forcing fantasy owners to take a huge leap of faith at this point, that’s for sure.

That’s not the only story, however.  Sidney Rice’s injury had some ripple effects, as did the Cardinals QB situation.  Let’s take a look at how everything currently stands:

1. Andre Johnson - Houston Texans
2. Randy Moss - New England Patriots
3. Reggie Wayne - Indianapolis Colts
4. Larry Fitzgerald - Arizona Cardinals
5. Calvin Johnson - Detroit Lions
6. Miles Austin - Dallas Cowboys
7. Roddy White - Atlanta Falcons
8. Brandon Marshall - Miami Dolphins
9. DeSean Jackson - Philadelphia Eagles
10. Greg Jennings - Green Bay Packers
11. Marques Colston - New Orleans Saints
12. Anquan Boldin - Baltimore Ravens
13. Steve Smith - Carolina Panthers
14. Steve Smith - New York Giants
15. Dwayne Bowe - Kansas City Chiefs
16. Michael Crabtree - San Francisco 49ers
17. Wes Welker - New England Patriots
18. Chad Ochocinco - Cincinnati Bengals
19. Mike Sims-Walker - Jacksonville Jaguars
20. Percy Harvin - Minnesota Vikings
21. Hakeem Nicks - New York Giants
22. Hines Ward - Pittsburgh Steelers
23. Mike Wallace - Pittsburgh Steelers
24. Pierre Garcon - Indianapolis Colts
25. Terrell Owens - Cincinnati Bengals
26. Santana Moss - Washington Redskins
27. Jeremy Maclin - Philadelphia Eagles
28. Dez Bryant - Dallas Cowboys
29. Derrick Mason - Baltimore Ravens
30. Donald Driver - Green Bay Packers
31. Kenny Britt - Tennessee Titans
32. Malcolm Floyd - San Diego Chargers
33. Bernard Berrian - Minnesota Vikings
34. Vincent Jackson - San Diego Chargers
35. Devin Hester - Chicago Bears
36. Robert Meachem - New Orleans Saints
37. T.J. Houshmandzadeh - Seattle Seahawks
38. Nate Burleson - Detroit Lions
39. Steve Breaston - Arizona Cardinals
40. Davone Bess - Miami Dolphins
41. Johnny Knox - Chicago Bears
42. Chris Chambers - Kansas City Chiefs
43. Lee Evans - Buffalo Bills
44. Braylon Edwards - New York Jets
45. Eddie Royal - Denver Broncos
46. Santonio Holmes - New York Jets
47. James Jones - Green Bay Packers
48. Sidney Rice - Minnesota Vikings
49. Justin Gage - Tennessee Titans
50. Jacoby Jones - Houston Texans
51. Mike Williams - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
52. Devin Aromashodu - Chicago Bears
53. Mohamed Massaquoi - Cleveland Browns
54. Demaryius Thomas - Denver Broncos
55. Roy Williams - Dallas Cowboys
56. Austin Collie - Indianapolis Colts
57. Laurent Robinson - St. Louis Rams
58. Louis Murphy - Oakland Raiders
59. Julian Edelman - New England Patriots
60. Mario Manningham - New York Giants

Thoughts:

• The concerns over the Cardinals quarterback situation filters down to the other skill players on the team. Larry Fitzgerald, who had been second on this list, has to be lowered.  Same goes for Steve Breaston, who is a borderline WR3 and much better suited to be a depth option at this point.
• Sidney Rice’s hip surgery has him out for the first eight weeks of the season, if not longer.  He is worth gambling on later in your draft, because he could have a huge impact in the fantasy playoffs if he proves healthy.  However, you need to get there first, so don’t take too big of a risk with him.  His loss is Percy Harvin’s gain, however.  While Harvin has struggled with migraines, he still appears to be in line to start Week 1 and could emerge as the go to guy for Brett Favre.  Bernard Berrian’s value also gets a bit of a boost.
• Should we be concerned that Miles Austin is being over hyped prior to the 2010 season?  There are some legitimate concerns, but I wouldn’t shy away from him from the middle of the second round and beyond.  To find out why, click here.
• Chaz Schillens is always hurt, isn’t he?  At this point he’s waiver wire fodder and nothing more.
• The Rams’ Donnie Avery is out for the year with a torn ACL.  Look for Laurent Robinson, who was emerging last season before suffering an injury, to take over the top spot on the receiving depth chart.  He’s a low-end option, but one worth monitoring.
• How good do you think Michael Crabtree could be?  It wouldn’t surprise me to see him emerge as a Top 10 option by year’s end.  To find out why, click here.
• With Santonio Holmes’ four-game suspension, he should be viewed as a spare part for fantasy owners, especially with the questions at QB and the depth the team has at the position.  He’s worth drafting, but he’s a low-end option, at best, and should not be drafted as a starting option.
• The longer his holdout lasts, the further Vincent Jackson plummets down these rankings.  It’s becoming a much more realistic possibility that he holds out the entire season, though I’m still not holding my breath for that.  If he plays, you have the chance of getting a real steal, so consider drafting him as a WR3 and stashing him until this whole thing shakes out.
• Robert Meachem’s poor preseason, as well as his toe injury, drop him a few spots in the rankings.  He’s worth drafting as a low-end WR3 (though better as a WR4), but make sure you have proper depth, just in case he falls flat.
• I’ve mentioned Davone Bess as a potential sleeper in the past, but wanted to reinforce that again here.  With Brandon Marshall getting a lot of focus, Bess will have the opportunity to operate outside of the spotlight.  It’ll be a lot different with him operating as the second wide receiver, as opposed to the top option.  He easily could emerge as a WR3 by year’s end.
• Mike Williams has gone from the second receiver the Buccaneers drafted in 2010 (fourth round) to potentially emerging as their best option on the outside.  To find out more about why he has emerged as a great sleeper, click here.

What are your thoughts on these rankings?  Who is ranked too high?  Who is ranked too low?

Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor’s 2010 rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs
• Top 20 Tight Ends
• Top 15 Kickers

Also, make sure to check out our recent rookie rankings:

• Top 5 Rookie RB
• Top 5 Rookie QB
• Top 5 Rookie WR
• Top 3 Rookie TE

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