Fantasy Football Week 13 Rankings: Top 60 Wide Receivers

There are certainly some surprising names in the Top 10 this week.  Early in the year, who would’ve expected Dwayne Bowe, Brandon Lloyd and Santonio Holmes to be among the best plays in any given week?  They join some of the usual suspects among this week’s elite:

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

Thoughts:

• The Dallas Cowboys are tied for the second most passing touchdowns allowed (23), while being tied for the eighth fewest interceptions (nine).  Look for Peyton Manning and the Colts passing game to have a big day, meaning Reggie Wayne takes the top spot.
• Speaking of Dallas, Dez Bryant went without a catch in Week 12, despite being targeted six times.  That certainly changes our opinion of him, doesn’t it?  It’s not like Miles Austin had a big day (three receptions for 25 yards, though he had a 60-yard touchdown run).  They have a positive matchup, so continue to think of Bryant as a WR2 despite the off day.
• Tied with the Cowboys are the Denver Broncos, who also have allowed 23 passing touchdowns but have just six interceptions.  With the streak Dwayne Bowe has been on of late (seven TDs in his last three games and 13 in seven games), you have to love the matchup.
• Calvin Johnson has been great this season (806 yards, 11 TD), but the problem is he gets a Bears defense that has allowed just eight receiving TDs on the year.  In Week 1 against Chicago, he managed just four receptions for 45 yards, so I’d consider him more of a high-end WR2 this week thanks to his upside.
• Over his last two games, Anquan Boldin has a total of six receptions for 56 yards.  Generally teams who can spread the Steelers out can have success in the passing game, but it’s hard to rank Boldin as more then a low-end WR2 given his current performance.
• Steve Johnson may have had a big drop (as well as a number of other drops in Week 12), he still had seven receptions for 68 yards.  Over the past six weeks, he has traded 130+ yard days with some days that weren’t very noteworthy.  Minnesota’s passing defense has not been anything worth talking about (18 TDs allowed), so there certainly is a chance he posts another big day.
• Yes, Mike Williams of Tampa Bay had a poor day against the Ravens, but it’s not Baltimore’s defense he gets this week.  Instead, he gets Atlanta, who is allowing over 250 passing yards per game, as well as 19 touchdowns.  Look for Williams to come back strong.
• It is hard to be considering Mike Wallace as anything but a big play receiver, with 792 yards and eight TD on just 36 receptions.  With Baltimore having allowed just 13 passing TDs, it’s hard to consider Wallace as anything better then a low-end WR2.
• Will Wes Welker be able to make plays against the Jets secondary?  He’s coming off an eight reception, 90-yard, two touchdown performance and has certainly been coming on.  It’s not hard to imagine him continuing to produce, so consider him a solid WR2.
• It looks like Vincent Jackson’s return was just for one day, as he appears to be out of action for Week 13.  Keep him on your bench for now.  Unfortunately, with the unknown surrounding the entire receiving corps, it’s hard to trust anyone at this point, despite the matchup.
• You would have to think that a healthy Brandon Marshall, coupled with the return of Chad Henne, would make for a great play against the Browns, no?  Of course, Marshall missed Week 12 and had just 11 catches for 105 yards in his three previous games combined.  Still, if he plays there’s a good chance for a rebound, so consider him a must play in three receiver formats.
• Sidney Rice continues to not even come close to showing enough to justify using him in any format.
• Derrick Mason was targeted 13 times in Week 13, with eight receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown.  He could be the biggest benefactor of the Ravens trying to spread out the Steelers, and it is worth considering him as a WR3.
• Mike Thomas or Mike Sims-Walker?  It’s tough to say who will be the prominent receiver in the Jaguars plans, which makes them both borderline WR3.
• The Panthers Steve Smith would be a great play, if he had a usable quarterback.  Unfortunately, that’s not the case, making it tough to trust him.
• Don’t look for a repeat performance from Deion Branch against the New York Jets.  I know he had a great day on Thursday, but the Jets’ secondary is just way too good.

What are your thoughts on these rankings?  Whose too high?  Whose too low?

Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor’s Week 13 Rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs
• Waiver Worthy

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