2007 Top Fantasy Wide Receivers
The Best NFL Fantasy Football Picks for Wide Receiver
The 2006 NFL fantasy season was not exactly a banner year for fantasy football wide receivers. While 19 wideouts topped 1,000 yards, only 5 of them caught 10 or more touchdowns, which was down from 8 in 2005, and 11 in 2004. Fantasy football owners are hoping for a touchdown rebound this season, and they should expect it. Randy Moss now has Tom Brady instead of Andrew Walter. Anquan Boldin's quarterback and offensive line will be much improved in 2007. Chad Johnson is under pressure to get his team back to the playoffs, and he will respond by finding the end zone more often.
So, for all of you hardcore fantasy football addicts who need to numb those withdrawal pains, here is a list of NFL fantasy picks to study from now until the draft. It's on the best Fantasy Football Wide Receivers.
1. Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis Colts (95 Receptions, 1,366 yards, 12 Touchdowns)
The old man has one more year in him. That's primarily because he's got Peyton Manning, who seems to love nothing more than throwing touchdown passes to Harrison. Look for a slight drop from last season, but still enough to justify a top pick: 90 Receptions, 1,350 yards and 13 touchdowns.
2. Chad Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals (87 Receptions, 1,369 yards, 7 Touchdowns)
Even though Johnson led the NFL in receiving yards, he only scored seven touchdowns. With the loss of the talented but troubled Chris Henry for half the season, watch for Ocho Cinco to step up and have his best season to date. Johnson will get you 80 Receptions, 1,350 yards and 12 touchdowns.
3. Tory Holt, St. Louis Rams (93 Receptions, 1,188 yards, 10 Touchdowns)
Over the past four seasons, Tory Holt has averaged 101 catches, 1,397 yards and 10 touchdowns. Playing on that carpet in St. Louis with Marc Bulger thowing the ball to him, Holt should have another very good year, to the tune of 85 catches, 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns.
4. Roy Williams, Detroit Lions (82 Receptions, 1,310 yards, 7 Touchdowns)
Williams came of age last season. But he did it on a 3-13 team. Crappy teams are crappy because they don't score touchdowns. A guy as talented as Williams should hit paydirt more than seven times. With rookie Calvin Johnson on the field to draw coverage off Williams, look for him to find the end zone a few more times in 2007. He'll have 80 catches, 1,250 yards and 11 touchdowns.
5. Terrell Owens, Dallas Cowboys (85 Receptions, 1,180 yards, 13 Touchdowns)
You just can't argue with this guy's numbers. He'll have 80 catches for 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns.
6. Anquan Boldin, Arizona Cardinals (83 Receptions, 1,203 yards, 4 Touchdowns)
If this guy were on the Patriots, he would score 15 touchdowns a year. On the Cardinals last season, he had just 4 TD's. And while Boldin has averaged approximately 1,200 yards per season, he only reaches the end zone 5 times a year. That makes him a fantasy owner's nightmare. But this year, based on the strength of an upgraded offensive line and a more-experienced Matt Leinart, look for Boldin to take a few more home. Here's betting that the Cardinal catches 80 passes for 1,150 yards and 11 touchdowns.
7. Randy Moss, New England Patriots (42 Receptions, 553 yards, 3 Touchdowns)
Forget about those awful 2006 fantasy numbers. Randy Moss is now in New England. He's got Tom Brady, who will be his best quarterback since Dante Culpper in 2004. He's also got the dangerous Donte Stallworth, and he'll be Moss's best complimentary receiver since the great Chris Carter retired.
Of course, Moss could blow it, fail to get with program, and end up in Dallas next year. But if he plays football the way he was born to, he will catch 68 passes for 1,150 yards and 11 touchdowns.
8. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts (86 Receptions, 1,310 yards, 9 Touchdowns)
Wayne is the ultimate complement to Marvin Harrison. Bigger and stronger, though a step slower and not as elusive. His teammate, Reggie Wayne is a major reason that Harrison has continued to play at such a high level into his mid-thirties. Wayne draws defenses, takes big hits, make blocks and, oh yeah, he catches passes.
With Peyton Manning lined up behind center in Indy, Wayne will see a fair share of passes coming his way once again this year. He'll catch most of them, and end up with 78 catches, 1,200 yards, and 9 touchdowns.
9. Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers (83 Receptions, 1,166 yards, 8 Touchdowns)
Smith is not ranked ninth because of his 2006 season. In fact, considering the fact that Smith missed two games, his totals for the year were a fantasy owner's dream. Smith is ranked this low because of the questions surrounding Jake Delhomme. Last season, he was terrible, just terrible. If he continues to slide, he'll drag Smith down with him. Here's a quick equation to help drafters make up their minds on Smith.
- WR Steve Smith's 2007 Projections: 95 Catches, 1,400 yards, 13 Touchdowns
- Potential Delhomme Factor (x 0.75): 72 Catches, 1,050 yards, 10 Touchdowns
10. Lee Evans, Buffalo Bills (82 Receptions, 1,292 yards, 8 Touchdowns)
Evans and his young quarterback, J. P. Losman, finally started to click last year. In addition to Evans's impressive numbers, Losman had some pretty good stats of his own: he completed 63% of his passes for 3,051 yards and 19 Touchdowns. As Losman continues to improve, so will Evans's fantasy value. It's risky because Losman could still prove to be a bum. But if he keeps maturing, then Evans could become a 12-14 touchdown guy.
The Best of the Rest
11. Andre Johnson, Houston Texans (103 Receptions, 1,147 yards, 5 TDs)
12. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals (69 Receptions, 946 yards, 6 TDs).
13. Donald Driver, Green Bay Packers (92 Receptions, 1,295 yards, 8 Touchdowns). Somehow, he is still good. He probably can be gotten for a song, too.
14. Javon Walker, Denver Broncos (69 Receptions, 1,084 yards, 8 TDs). Almost two years after suffering a knee injury that almost ended his career, Javon Walker is healthy. Completely healthy. Even better, Jake Plummer's dishrag has been replaced by Jay Cutler's rifle. Walker should up his numbers by 10%-15% this year.
15. Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints (70 Receptions, 1.038 yards, 10 TDs)
16. T.J. Houshmandzedah, Cincinnati Bengals (90 Receptions, 1,081 yards, 9 TDs). Expect another good, solid season out of T.J., but the big scorer this year for Cincy is going to be Chad.
17. Plaxico Burress, New York Giants (63 Receptions, 988 yards, 10 TDs). If he and Eli can both keep their heads in the game all season long, Burress could have his best year since 2002. If the Giants stumble early, however, look for Plex to start getting lost on his pass routes as a mopey, slumped-shouldered Eli rifles the ball over his head. It could go either way.
18. Braylon Edwards, Cleveland Browns (61 Receptions, 884 yards, 6 TDs)
19. Darrell Jackson, San Francisco 49ers (63 Receptions, 956 yards, 10 TDs)
20. Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions (Rookie). He's so big, strong and fast that he's worth an early fifth round pick.
21. Hines Ward, Pittsburgh Steelers (74 Receptions, 975 yards, 6 TDs)
22. Jericho Cotchery, New York Jets (82 Receptions, 961 yards, 6 TDs)
23. Reggie Brown, Phildelphia Eagles (46 Receptions, 816 yards, 8 TDs)
24. Mike Furrey, Denver Lions (98 Receptions, 1,086 yards, 6 TDs)
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