NFL Predictions Week 5: Wes Welker and 3 Guaranteed 100-Yard Receivers

With so many talented quarterbacks this season, it's not surprising that many wide receivers are also having impressive showings week after week.

Take for example the New England Patriots' Wes Welker. Because of quarterback Tom Brady's strong showing so far this year, Welker has 40 receptions for an astounding 616 yards and five touchdowns, and he's averaging 154 yards per game.

The Patriots take on the New York Jets this week, which means Welker is a likely target for Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. However, Welker is a versatile receiver, playing inside and outside; his ability to mix it up will likely limit Revis' effectiveness on Sunday.

That means it's looking good for another 100-plus-yard receiving day for Welker; in fact, it's hard to imagine a week where Brady won't connect with the receiver for less than that for the remainder of the season.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson only has one 100-yard game so far this season (though he had 96 yards last week against the Dallas Cowboys), averaging 80.3 yards per game. However, his status as quarterback Matthew Stafford's top receiver has netted him 24 catches for 321 yards and eight touchdowns through four games.

This week, the Lions host the Chicago Bears, who have the 27th-ranked defense against the pass. If Johnson has a shot at another 100-plus-yardage game, it's this one. The only thing that has held him back from posting up more yardage is due to a number of reliable targets for Stafford.

The Arizona Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald has two 100-plus receiving days on the year thus far, with 133 yards against the Washington Redskins and 102 against the New York Giants. While the two games have one thing in common—they ended with an Arizona loss—his team won't likely lose this week to the 0-4 Minnesota Vikings.

However, they will likely try to establish an early lead, and the best way to do this is for quarterback Kevin Kolb to get the ball in the hands of his favorite target. Surely, running back Beanie Wells will get a great deal of carries in this game, but it's Fitzgerald's dynamic style of play that will trouble Minnesota's 19th-ranked pass defense on Sunday.

While Fitzgerald's yardage has been up and down through four games, this Sunday's outing against the struggling Vikings should result in an up day for the receiver, in a big way.