Fantasy Football Rankings 2011: Top 40 Wide Receivers

We’ve had basically a full week of preseason games and while it isn’t much to go on, we have been able to draw a few conclusions. Let’s take a look at how our wide receiver rankings currently look:

1. Andre Johnson – Houston Texans
2. Roddy White – Atlanta Falcons
3. Calvin Johnson – Detroit Lions
4. Hakeem Nicks – New York Giants
5. Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals
6. Greg Jennings – Green Bay Packers
7. Reggie Wayne – Indianapolis Colts
8. Dwayne Bowe – Kansas City Chiefs
9. Miles Austin – Dallas Cowboys
10. DeSean Jackson – Philadelphia Eagles
11. Mike Wallace – Pittsburgh Steelers
12. Vincent Jackson – San Diego Chargers
13. Mike Williams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
14. Brandon Marshall – Miami Dolphins
15. Brandon Lloyd – Denver Broncos
16. Dez Bryant – Dallas Cowboys
17. Wes Welker – New England Patriots
18. Santonio Holmes – New York Jets
19. Percy Harvin – Minnesota Vikings
20. Anquan Boldin – Baltimore Ravens
21. Marques Colston – New Orleans Saints
22. Kenny Britt – Tennessee Titans
23. Steve Johnson – Buffalo Bills
24. Pierre Garcon – Indianapolis Colts
25. Jeremy Maclin – Philadelphia Eagles
26. Michael Crabtree – San Francisco 49ers
27. Mario Manningham – New York Giants
28. Chad Ochocinco – New England Patriots
29. Sidney Rice – Seattle Seahawks
30. Steve Smith – Carolina Panthers
31. Julio Jones – Atlanta Falcons
32. Santana Moss – Washington Redskins
33. Braylon Edwards – San Francisco 49ers
34. Jacoby Ford – Oakland Raiders
35. Malcolm Floyd – San Diego Chargers
36. Mike Sims-Walker – St. Louis Rams
37. Austin Collie – Indianapolis Colts
38. Mike Williams – Seattle Seahawks
39. Davone Bess – Miami Dolphins
40. A.J. Green – Cincinnati Bengals

Thoughts:

• With the news that Johnny Knox is running with the second team for the Bears, you have to drop him off the Top 40 completely. At this point, how can you possibly expect him to be able to produce nearly enough to be viable?

• It appears like A.J. Green has a ton of upside, but his quarterback could be an obstacle that he is unable to overcome in his rookie campaign. Andy Dalton just didn’t show much of an interest in trying to make plays down the field, instead settling for short passes. In his preseason opener he went 11-15, but for just 69 yards. Maybe the two develop a rapport and start making plays, but at this point it is tough to consider him as a WR3.

• Malcolm Floyd, who had been rumored to be leaving San Diego for much of the preseason, ultimately decided to return to San Diego where he should step right back into the No. 2 receiver spot. While he has yet to exceed 45 receptions or 776 yards in a season, if he can remain healthy he has the potential to be a major factor for the Chargers in 2011. Having caught six TDs on just 37 receptions in 2010, you have to like the upside.

• The San Francisco 49ers were in desperate need of a receiver who could complement Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree. Actually, they needed a receiver who could step in and lead the way, taking the pressure off of Crabtree, who has a ton of potential but continually has underperformed. Enter Braylon Edwards, who had 53 receptions for 904 yards and 7 TD as a member of the Jets a year ago. Don’t look for him to rediscover his 2007 form (80 receptions for 1,289 yards and 16 TD), but he could push for 60 catches and 1,000 yards depending on how he’s used. That makes him a low-end WR3, don’t you think?

• With Jeremy Maclin out of practice and his return time unknown, there has to be concern about his availability for Week 1. The unknown drops him to a top WR3 for me, though once he returns to practice and proves healthy he could easily be bumped back up.

• The addition of Lee Evans will help the Ravens to stretch the field, meaning more room for Anquan Boldin to operate.  While Evans remains more of a bench option, his addition helps to move Boldin up a few notches.

Make sure to check out all of the early rankings from Rotoprofessor:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 30 Running Backs
• Top 35 Wide Receivers
• Top 20 Tight Ends
• Top 15 Kickers