Fantasy Football Week 1 Rankings: Top 60 Wide Receivers

Which wide receivers could be in line for big days?  Who should we be concerned about?  Let’s take a look at my wide receiver rankings for Week 1:

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

Thoughts:

• Reggie Wayne is going to have a lot of competition for receptions this season, but against Houston you have to figure there will be enough balls to go around.  I’d look for Manning to air the ball out early and often, and Wayne to have a big start to his season.

• In two games against the Bears in 2009 Calvin Johnson had 14 catches for 219 yards and 1 TD.  It would appear that he and Matthew Stafford have a good read on how to beat their defense, doesn’t it?

• Would it surprise anyone to see a Vikings/Saints shootout in Week 1?  Brett Favre would be going to Percy Harvin, early and often. If that were to occur given the lack of depth in the Vikings receiving corps (with Bernard Berrian also getting a bit of a value boost).  Granted, they will likely try to slow the game down with Adrian Peterson, but the Saints certainly have the type of offense to make them stray from that strategy.

• The Patriots secondary is certainly a question mark, which could open the door for a strong game by Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens.  Who will be the bigger benefactor?  Time will tell, but I have to imagine Ochocinco will be the best receiver for the team.

• Darrelle Revis’ return certainly puts a damper on Anquan Boldin’s debut for the Baltimore Ravens.  Having not seen Revis all preseason you really don’t know exactly what you are going to get, but his presence alone will likely cause Joe Flacco to turn his attention elsewhere.

• Fantasy owners will quickly learn if the Giants have fixed their secondary problems or if they will carry over to 2010.  Panthers' Steve Smith has the potential to expose them, if given the opportunity.

• Malcom Floyd’s first game as the Chargers top wide receiver has the chance to be special, as he goes against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1.  Last season, the Chiefs gave up 25 TDs through the air, so look for the Floyd/Philip Rivers combo to try to exploit them once again.  Rivers threw 5 TD passes against KC in 2009 without an interception.

• I have questions regarding Mike Sims-Walker to begin with, and being covered by Champ Bailey isn’t going to help in the least.  He’s a WR3 this week.

• The Bears have the potential to score quite a few points with Mike Martz likely looking to make a splash in Week 1.  The problem?  Which of the receivers will be the biggest weapon?  Unless someone emerges as the go to guy, no one can be considered more then a WR 3.

• Who will the top receiver in Tennessee be?  Early on, that’s going to be a weekly concern for fantasy owners, so don’t consider leaning on one of them quite yet.  Of course, the drama surrounding Kenny Britt helps to ease the questions in Week 1.  In time, things could get more and more muddled.

• Mark Clayton could develop into the Rams’ top wide receiver, but you have to give him time to work with Sam Bradford and get a rapport with him.  The first week or two could be slow, but it likely won’t be long before he fully gets going.

Make sure to check out the rest of our Week 1 Rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs
• Top 20 Tight Ends
• Top 15 Kickers (coming on Wednesday)
• Top 15 Defenses (coming on Wednesday)

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