Fantasy Football Top 50 Wide Receivers for 2011: Updated as of August 24

We are halfway through the preseason and everyone’s rankings are certainly in flux.  Who is performing thus far, making us ready to push them up?  Who is struggling, sending their value plummeting?  Let’s take a look at how things 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. Vincent Jackson—San Diego Chargers
11. DeSean Jackson—Philadelphia Eagles
12. Mike Wallace—Pittsburgh Steelers
13. Mike Williams—ampa Bay Buccaneers
14. Brandon Marshall—Miami Dolphins
15. Dez Bryant – Dallas Cowboys
16. Wes Welker—New England Patriots
17. Brandon Lloyd—Denver Broncos
18. Santonio Holmes—New York Jets
19. Anquan Boldin—Baltimore Ravens
20. Percy Harvin—Minnesota Vikings
21. Marques Colston—New Orleans Saints
22. Kenny Britt—Tennessee Titans
23. Steve Johnson—Buffalo Bills
24. Mario Manningham—New York Giants
25. Jeremy Maclin—Philadelphia Eagles
26. Chad Ochocinco—New England Patriots
27. Pierre Garcon—Indianapolis Colts
28. Steve Smith—Carolina Panthers
29. Julio Jones—Atlanta Falcons
30. Austin Collie—Indianapolis Colts
31. Braylon Edward—San Francisco 49ers
32. Santana Moss—Washington Redskins
33. Mike Sims-Walker—St. Louis Rams
34. Mike Thomas—Jacksonville Jaguars
35. Malcolm Floyd—San Diego Chargers
36. Sidney Rice—Seattle Seahawks
37. A.J. Green—Cincinnati Bengals
38. Mike Williams—Seattle Seahawks
39. Jacoby Ford—Oakland Raiders
40. Lee Evans—Baltimore Ravens
41. Davone Bess—Miami Dolphins
42. Michael Crabtree—San Francisco 49ers
43. Plaxico Burress—New York Jets
44. Johnny Knox—Chicago Bears
45. Robert Meachem—New Orleans Saints
46. Lance Moore—New Orleans Saints
47. Jerome Simpson—Cincinnati Bengals
48. Emmanuel Sanders—Pittsburgh Steelers
49. Steve Breaston—Kansas City Chiefs
50. James Jones—Green Bay Packers

Thoughts:

• According to Matt Barrows of The Sacremento Bee (click here for the article), “He’s out of his boot but is not running yet. Looks like it will be a couple of more weeks before Crabtree rejoins practice.”  And the value just continues to plummet for Michael Crabtree.  It is impossible to draft him as a starting option and, depending on how much time he ultimately misses, his value as a reserve is declining.  He has a ton of talent, but if he can’t stay on the field he is simply useless.  In the meantime, the stock of Braylon Edwards just got a little bit higher.
• A.J. Green has had his ups and downs through the first two weeks of the preseason.  In Week 1 he picked up four receptions for 29 yards with a long of just 11.  In Week 2 he had just one reception for eight yards.  He has a ton of talent, but if Andy Dalton is not ready to throw the ball deep, Green’s value is going to be minimal.  Consider him a low-end WR3 in yearly formats until the team proves ready to get the ball downfield.
• Robert Meachem or Lance Moore?  Lance Moore or Robert Meachem?  It’s really a coin flip, as we know Drew Brees and company are going to spread the ball around and get everyone involved.
• With Mike Sims-Walker in St. Louis (which happens to be a great situation for him), the Jaguars are left with Mike Thomas as their go to receiver.  One could argue that he played the role in 2010 when he amassed 66 receptions for 820 yards and four TD.  Entering his third NFL season you can call him a borderline WR3, but someone you’d prefer to have as your WR4.  Regardless, he has the potential to be a solid option.
• While Johnny Knox may not open the season as a starter in Chicago, does anyone doubt that he is not going to emerge by year’s end?  He’s the best option they have, so it is just a matter of time.  It’s impossible to draft him as a starter, but he is still worth rolling the dice on.
• It appears that Kyle Orton is going to be the QB in Denver, despite all of the offseason speculation.  How does that affect the potential value of Brandon Lloyd?  You would have to think that it improves things, as he will actually have a steady option tossing him the ball.  While he may not match his numbers from 2010, he remains a solid WR2.
• The stock of Vincent Jackson continues to rise.  We’ll have more on him in tomorrow’s edition of Risers and Fallers so make sure to check back for that!

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

• Top 30 Quarterbacks
• To 30 Running Backs
• Top 20 Tight Ends
• Top 15 Kickers
• Top 15 Defenses