FANTASY FOOTBALL IN-SEASON FEATURES

Andre Johnson, Texans –
Things are starting to look a little rough for the consensus number one receiver this year.  His schedule gets tougher as the season wears on and he’s banged up a little, neither of which is a positive.  He is still one of the best talents in the game, however, as he showed in week two.  Until he starts producing better though, he slips some looking forward.

Randy Moss, Patriots –
The good news is that Moss is still going to produce, and that he’s increased his TD catches each week the past two weeks.  The bad news is that he’s dropped four passes, caught 43 percent of the balls thrown his way and already announced he wouldn’t be playing for the Patriots next year.  Looking ahead he just isn’t producing or showing signs of performing like a top tier receiver.  Until he corrects these things, his future value suffers.

Austin Collie, Colts –
Collie is fast becoming one of the best fantasy wide receivers out there.  With teams doubling up on Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon hurt, Collie has done nothing but impress.  He’s got four touchdowns in three games and has caught all but five of the 32 passes thrown to him.  If he keeps this up he’ll be a top five spot soon.

Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals –
There is one key stat you need to know.  Larry has been targeted 34 times in three games.  He has caught twelve of them.  If you take away his two touchdowns, he’s been anything but a top wide receiving option.  With his offense in an ‘on again/off again’ state and his finger glue not working like it should, he’s starting to slide.

Santana Moss, Redskins –
Even though his team can’t seem to put it all together, the arrival of McNabb has given Moss a new lease on life.  He’s averaging ten targets, seven catches and about 100 yards a game, not shabby fantasy numbers.  The downside is his touchdown numbers (he has one) which if he could start throwing in a few more would move him farther up this list in a hurry.

Mark Clayton, Rams –
Clayton has been playing as though he has something to prove, and has locked himself in as Sam Bradford’s favorite receiver.  With Steven Jackson banged up, the team will continue to throw the ball a lot, meaning nothing but good times ahead for Clayton.  Look for him to continue to rack up nice receiver numbers as the season progresses with a nice schedule for a few weeks.  Start him if you’ve got him.

Marques Colston, Saints –
Colston is still a very good receiver, but for some reason he’s not able to get free to make plays so far this season.  He’s catching most of what is thrown his way, but just getting dink and dunk stuff for the most part.  The Saints are gradually becoming a team playing with a bit of nervousness, so it will be interesting to see how they react.  In the meantime, Colston, while still good, moves down a good bit looking forward.       

Kevin Walter, Texans –
Catching all but one of the passes sent your way and grabbing a touchdown a week is called making the most of your limited opportunities.  He won’t break the top tier this season, but right now he’s a solid WR2. 

Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs –
The Chiefs are 3-0, but Bowe has been little help aside from his one long touchdown on a trick play.  It is possible the time will come when the passing game will get it all on the same page and Bowe will start meeting expectations, but until then, it is tough to bank on him moving forward.   

Steve Smith, Panthers –
Smith is a very good receiver in a very bad situation.  Fortunately for his owners he’s had a couple of touchdowns; otherwise he would be a complete bust.  With a rookie quarterback and a dysfunctional offense, it is going to be a rough year for the former top-ten receiver.

Roscoe Parrish, Bills –
Parrish may be about to become enough of a favorite target of new Buffalo starter Ryan Fitzpatrick.  While not a robust offense, there are quite a few nice receiving matchups on the Bills schedule, meaning Parrish could be in a spot to help fantasy owners a few times this season, though lookout for a matchup against the Jets this week. 

Lee Evans, Bills –
Evans may end up doing better with Fitzpatrick than he would have with Edwards, but the Bills are spreading things around more than they have in the past and Evans seems to be missing most of the big plays.  Parrish and Johnson are looking like better options than Evans moving forward from a fantasy perspective.