Fantasy Football Week 17 Rankings: Top 40 Wide Receivers

Let’s take a look at how I rank the Top 40 wide receivers for the final week of the NFL season:

1. Hakeem Nicks – New York Giants – at Washington
2. DeSean Jackson – Philadelphia Eagles – vs. Dallas
3. Vincent Jackson – San Diego Chargers – at Denver
4. Roddy White – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Carolina
5. Greg Jennings – Green Bay Packers – vs. Chicago
6. Reggie Wayne – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Tennessee
7. Dwayne Bowe – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Oakland
8. Brandon Marshall – Miami Dolphins – at New England
9. Calvin Johnson – Detroit Lions – vs. Minnesota
10. Kenny Britt – Tennessee Titans – at Indianapolis
11. Marques Colston – New Orleans Saints – vs. Tampa Bay
12. Mike Wallace – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. Cleveland
13. Anquan Boldin – Baltimore Ravens – vs. Cincinnati
14. Mike Williams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at New Orleans
15. Jacoby Jones – Houston Texans – vs. Jacksonville
16. Jeremy Maclin – Philadelphia Eagles – vs. Dallas
17. Pierre Garcon – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Tennessee
18. Mario Manningham – New York Giants – at Washington
19. Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals – at San Francisco
20. Santana Moss – Washington Redskins – vs. New York Giants
21. Miles Austin – Dallas Cowboys – at Philadelphia
22. Brandon Lloyd – Denver Broncos – vs. San Diego
23. Mike Thomas – Jacksonville Jaguars – at Houston
24. Santonio Holmes – New York Jets – vs. Buffalo
25. Michael Crabtree – San Francisco 49ers – vs. Arizona
26. Sidney Rice – Minnesota Vikings – at Detroit
27. Jerome Simpson – Cincinnati Bengals – at Baltimore
28. Hines Ward – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Cleveland
29. Davone Bess – Miami Dolphins – vs. New England
30. Stevie Johnson – Buffalo Bills – at New York Jets
31. Percy Harvin – Minnesota Vikings – at Detroit
32. Mike Williams – Seattle Seahawks – vs. St. Louis
33. Johnny Knox – Chicago Bears – at Green Bay
34. Wes Welker – New England Patriots – vs. Miami
35. Derrick Mason – Baltimore Ravens – vs. Cincinnati
36. Kevin Walter – Houston Texans – vs. Jacksonville
37. Lance Moore – New Orleans Saints – vs. Tampa Bay
38. Josh Morgan – San Francisco 49ers – vs. Arizona
39. Jacoby Ford – Oakland Raiders – at Kansas City
40. Steve Breaston – Arizona Cardinals – at San Francisco

Thoughts:

• Brandon Marshall may finally be producing as fantasy owners had hoped he would all season long. Couple that with a matchup against a Patriots team with nothing to play for and you have to consider him a WR1 this week.
• Could Miles Austin have finally awoken? Great to do it this late, huh?  With the uncertainty around their quarterback, I wouldn’t trust him as anything more than a WR2 this week.
• Tim Tebow has proven that he can pass the ball against NFL defenses, but the Chargers are the best defense against the pass in the league. On the year, they are allowing just 176.9 passing yards per game; they also have allowed just 16 passing TDs. While Brandon Lloyd has played well the past two weeks, he’s still just a WR2 this week.
• The Jets have nothing to play for and will likely use the week to try and correct their problems running the football. Especially if Mark Sanchez is sat down to get healthy, Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards value falls.
• If Andre Johnson sits again, which is very realistic (and the reason why he’s not on the rankings), Jacoby Jones becomes a solid WR2 in all formats.
• To trust Michael Crabtree or not to trust Michael Crabtree, that is the question. With a favorable matchup and coming off a strong performance, I’d consider him a WR3 and nothing more.
• With the uncertainty surrounding the Seahawks quarterback spot, I just can’t trust Mike Williams this week. He’s a WR3, at best.
• With Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco hurting Jerome Simpson stepped up with a monster game (6 receptions, 124 yards, 2 TD). He becomes a solid WR3 option.
• The Patriots have nothing to play for and could limit the snaps of their wide receivers in the final week of the season. Monitor the news, but consider them nothing more than low-end options in deeper formats at this point.

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

Make sure to pre-order your copy of the Rotoprofessor 2011 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide, selling for just $5, by clicking here.

Make sure to check out the rest of our Week 17 Rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs

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