Fantasy Football Week 10 Rankings: Top 60 Wide Receivers

Has Larry Fitzgerald finally returned to fantasy prominence?  Have Anquan Boldin and Brandon Marshall fallen out as WR1?  How does Randy Moss fit into Tennessee’s offense?

Let’s see how the answers to these questions help shape our Week 10 rankings (as always, there will be updated later in the week if necessary):

1. Andre Johnson – Houston Texans – at Jacksonville
2. Hakeem Nicks – New York Giants – vs. Dallas
3. Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals – vs. Seattle
4. DeSean Jackson – Philadelphia Eagles – at Washington
5. Reggie Wayne – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Cincinnati
6. Terrell Owens – Cincinnati Bengals – at Indianapolis
7. Roddy White – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Baltimore
8. Calvin Johnson – Detroit Lions – at Buffalo
9. Brandon Lloyd – Denver Broncos – vs. Kansas City
10. Percy Harvin – Minnesota Vikings – at Chicago
11. Anquan Boldin – Baltimore Ravens – at Atlanta
12. Brandon Marshall – Miami Dolphins – vs. Tennessee
13. Dwayne Bowe – Kansas City Chiefs – at Denver
14. Mike Wallace – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. New England
15. Miles Austin – Dallas Cowboys – at New York Giants
16. Steve Johnson – Buffalo Bills – vs. Detroit
17. Hines Ward – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. New England
18. Jeremy Maclin – Philadelphia Eagles – at Washington
19. Steve Smith – New York Giants – vs. Dallas
20. Mike Sims-Walker – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Houston
21. Pierre Garcon – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Cincinnati
22. Mike Williams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. Carolina
23. Randy Moss – Tennessee Titans – at Miami
24. Wes Welker – New England Patriots – at Pittsburgh
25. Johnny Knox – Chicago Bears – vs. Minnesota
26. Chad Ochocinco – Cincinnati Bengals – at Indianapolis
27. Michael Crabtree – San Francisco 49ers – vs. St. Louis
28. Dez Bryant – Dallas Cowboys – at New York Giants
29. Santana Moss – Washington Redskins – vs. Philadelphia
30. Santonio Holmes – New York Jets – at Cleveland
31. Steve Breaston – Arizona Cardinals – vs. Seattle
32. Braylon Edwards – New York Jets – at Cleveland
33. Davone Bess – Miami Dolphins – vs. Tennessee
34. Steve Smith – Carolina Panthers – at Tampa Bay
35. Deion Branch – New England Patriots – at Pittsburgh
36. Lee Evans – Buffalo Bills – vs. Detroit
37. Danny Woodhead – New England Patriots – at Pittsburgh
38. Kevin Walter – Houston Texans – at Jacksonville
39. Derrick Mason – Baltimore Ravens – at Atlanta
40. Mike Williams – Seattle Seahawks – at Arizona
41. Mike Thomas – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Houston
42. Mario Manningham – New York Giants – vs. Dallas
43. Jordan Shipley – Cincinnati Bengals – at Indianapolis
44. Nate Burleson – Detroit Lions – at Buffalo
45. Michael Jenkins – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Baltimore
46. Mohamed Massaquoi – Cleveland Browns – vs. New York Jets
47. Jabar Gaffney – Denver Broncos – vs. Kansas City
48. Nate Washington – Tennessee Titans – at Miami
49. Roy Williams – Dallas Cowboys – at New York Giants
50. Bernard Berrian – Minnesota Vikings – at Chicago
51. Danny Amendola – St. Louis Rams – at San Francisco
52. Devin Hester – Chicago Bears – vs. Minnesota
53. Josh Morgan – San Francisco 49ers – vs. St. Louis
54. Deon Butler – Seattle Seahawks – at Arizona
55. Eddie Royal – Denver Broncos – vs. Kansas City
56. Jacoby Jones – Houston Texans – at Jacksonville
57. T.J. Houshmandzadeh – Baltimore Ravens – at Atlanta
58. Joshua Cribbs – Cleveland Browns – vs. New York Jets
59. Brandon Tate – New England Patriots – at Pittsburgh
60. Antwaan Randle El – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. New England

Thoughts:

• Hakeem Nicks has certainly put his terrible Week 6 (3 receptions for 8 yards) behind him.  In his last two games he has 15 receptions for 236 yards and three touchdowns.  One of those games was against Dallas, where he had nine receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns.  He has 100+ yards in four of his last five games.  There is little questioning that he is the Giants' top receiver and one of the elite in the game.
• Would it surprise anyone if the Colts-Bengals game broke into a shootout?  With the quality of receivers in the game, there could be some gaudy numbers thrown around.
• Anquan Boldin has had some really good games, but he’s also thrown up some real stinkers.  In Week 9, he had two receptions for 28 yards.  In Week 5, he had one reception for eight yards.  We need some consistency in order to consider him a Top 5 option, but with the matchup he has, you have to still consider him a WR1.
• Finally, Larry Fitzgerald is showing signs of life.  In his last two games he has 13 receptions for 179 yards and two touchdowns.  Maybe it’s the return of Steve Breaston giving defenses another wrinkle to think about, but it’s clear that he’s rediscovering his form.  With a matchup against the Seahawks, who are allowing the third-most passing yards per game this season (270.5), he’s a solid WR1.
• Over his last three games, Brandon Marshall doesn’t have more than five receptions or more then 64 yards, and he hasn’t found the end zone.  In fact, he has just one touchdown on the season and it came against the Jets in Week 3.  With five out of seven games of 71 yards or less, you have to downgrade him a bit despite the attractive matchup.
• DeSean Jackson returned with a bang, picking up seven receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown in Week 9.  He’s easily a Top 5 option this week against the Redskins.
• Who will be throwing the ball to Calvin Johnson?  Time will tell and could help determine his potential value.  However, his talent dictates him remaining a WR1.
• The New England passing defense has not been good and Mike Wallace certainly appears to be coming into his own.  He has touchdowns in three of his last four games, but he clearly is a big-play receiver.  Players like that are a little finicky, because if he doesn’t break it to the house, he isn’t going to have value.  In fact, Week 9 was the first time he had more than three receptions in a game in 2010.  He has to be considered a WR2 due to the uncertainty.
• Percy Harvin certainly didn’t let the off-the-field problems affect his on-field performance.  He had nine receptions for 126 yards in Week 9 and now has posted back-to-back 100-yard games.
• The Bills Steve Johnson continues to impress, coming off an 11 catch, 145-yard day.  Yes, it broke his touchdown streak (five games), but there certainly is reason to believe he can get it restarted against the Lions.
• Mike Sims-Walker has been inconsistent, but he’s coming off a big day against Dallas in Week 8 (8 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown), has TDs in three of his last four games and gets a Houston defense that has allowed 20 passing TDs on the season.  It certainly appears like he’s a good bet as a WR2 this week.
• It took Santonio Holmes some time to get integrated into the Jets offense, but he certainly seemed to get it in Week 9 with five receptions for 114 yards.  He’s a usable option in three-wide receiver formats, but he still is a risky one.
• How will Randy Moss fit into the Tennessee offense?  Time will tell, but he certainly didn’t light it up in Minnesota in his short time there.  The Titans will certainly take their shots to him, though, in an effort to keep the defense honest.  I’d consider him a low-end WR2 or a high-end WR3 until he proves otherwise.
• Who will the quarterback be in Carolina?  That certainly has a major impact on Steve Smith’s value, doesn’t it?  I’d still consider him a WR3, but he’s a huge gamble at this point.

What are your thoughts on these rankings?  Who's too high?  Who's too low?

Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor’s Week 10 Rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs
• Top 20 Tight Ends (coming soon)
• Top 15 Kickers (coming soon)
• Top 15 Defenses (coming soon)
• Waiver Worthy
• Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em (coming soon)
• Sunday Sleepers (coming soon)

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