2003
Player Rankings: Wide Receivers
Updated: August 15, 2003
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THE REST OF THE WR RANKINGS >>
| TIER 1 - The Big
3 |
NFL |
Bye |
Upside |
Risk |
Ht |
Wt |
Age |
Exp |
|
Auction % |
| |
1 |
Harrison, Marvin |
IND |
7 |
|
|
6-0 |
175 |
30 |
7 |
|
24 |
| |
Let's not waste bandwidth
here. Harrison has been in the Top 5 wideouts for the
past four seasons including three #1 ranks. After setting
the all-time record last year with 143 catches, Marvin's
response was "I can do better." |
| |
2 |
Moss, Randy |
MIN |
6 |
|
|
6-4 |
204 |
26 |
5 |
|
24 |
| |
During the time Moss was not
ferrying road workers on his hood, he has spent the last
five seasons being a Top five receiver including twice
that he was the most productive in the league. Even in
light of the turmoil of the Denny Green era and the new
offensive system under Mike Tice, Moss has never fallen
below 1224 yards in a season and only once had less than
ten touchdowns. He is - believe it or not - reported to
be showing a newfound sense of maturity, work ethic and
good attitude during the offseason and with Culpepper
at the helm, he is a low risk Top 3 and a possible #1
yet again. |
 |
3 |
Owens, Terrell |
SF |
10 |
|
|
6-3 |
226 |
29 |
7 |
|
22 |
| |
Over the past three seasons,
Owens has never fallen below 1300 yards or 13 touchdowns
in a season and that is even more stellar considering
he missed four games over that time span. With a physique
like a Greek statue and a mouth like an air raid siren,
there is plenty to like or dislike about Owens. But when
the whistle blows, the tie goes on and Terrell is all
business. Update (08/15/03) - Owens drops one notch in
light of the added risk that Garcia now present with his
back problems. Owens will catch a lot of passes this year
no matter who throws them, but he deserves to drop one
from the bigge rrisk potential that his quarterback poses. |
| TIER 2 - Consistency
+ |
NFL |
Bye |
Upside |
Risk |
Ht |
Wt |
Age |
Exp |
|
Auction % |
| |
4 |
Robinson, Koren |
SEA |
4 |
 |
|
6-1 |
205 |
23 |
2 |
|
18 |
| |
The chances are pretty good
that Chicago regrets passing on Robinson and taking David
Terrell as the first receiver in the 2001 draft. While
Robinson ended his sophomore year with an impressive 1240
yards and five touchdowns, the way he did makes all the
difference. With Dilfer at QB, Robinson only averaged
53 yards a game and that was only because he had 166 yards
against STL. Starting in week nine with Hasselbeck, that
rose to 96 yards per game. In the final six games, Robinson
averaged 108 yards a game and scored four of his five
touchdowns for the year. In a position that routinely
loses half the prior season's top ten, Robinson is only
23 and has already began his break out season last year
earlier than what is normal. Entering his third season,
Robinson is only going to get better. Koren did fracture
his right hand in mini-camp when a teammate stepped on
it but it is expected to be fully recovered by the start
of training camp. |
| |
5 |
Moulds, Eric |
BUF |
9 |
|
 |
6-2 |
204 |
29 |
7 |
|
18 |
| |
In following what is an odd
pattern that develops for some receivers, Moulds once
again turned in a stellar odd year campaign. That makes
2002 (1287/10), 2000 (1326/5) and 1998 (1368/9). Those
were markedly better than 2001 (904/5), 1999 (994/7) and
1997 (only second year playing). Moulds is not bound by
contract to do that, but it is oddly consistent. And it
could happen again. Moulds benefited greatly with Drew
Bledsoe in 2002 and finally broke the 100 catch mark.
Moulds is a definite safe play as a higher fantasy draft
pick, but his numbers tailed off in the second half of
the season when defenses had figured Bledsoe, Moulds and
Price out. Moulds averaged 98 yards a game the first eight
weeks with four 100+ yard games. The second half of the
season he fell to only 63 yards per game with only one
100+ yard effort. On the positive he continued to score
in roughly every other game. Moulds is riskier this year
with Peerless Price gone and an offense that was declining
last season. The Bills state they want to run more as
well but Moulds will always be a big component in every
game plan and is still a safe pick. |
| |
6 |
Burress, Plaxico |
PIT |
7 |
|
|
6-5 |
226 |
25 |
3 |
|
18 |
| |
Burress had his breakout season
in 2002, gaining 1325 yards and seven touchdowns. A huge,
prototypical possession receiver, Burress finally delivered
on the promise that made him the second receiver taken
in the 2000 draft. What the numbers hide is that Burress
had two seasons inside of one. When Kordell Stewart played
for five games, Burress had one touchdown and averaged
48 yards per game. When Tommy Maddox was the starting
QB, Burress averaged 99 yards a game and scored six times.
Since Burress is effective as a possession receiver, he
has very few bad games and is getting better.
Update (08/11/03) - Burress falls one spot
since the Steelers offense is looking out of synch - particularly
in their pass protection. |
| |
7 |
Holt, Torry |
STL |
5 |
 |
|
6-0 |
190 |
27 |
4 |
|
16 |
| |
If Holt has a downside, it
is that he does not catch a lot of touchdowns. He has
never had more than seven in a season and only managed
four in 2002. What Holt does offer is great yardage. For
the past three years, Holt as gained 1635, 1363 and even
1302 yards last season when the Rams rolled over and went
to sleep. With the team healthy once again, Holt should
hold true to his numbers and manage around 1400 yards
and his high end seven scores, making him one of the lower
risk players in this tier. Entering into his prime, he
could be worth more. |
| |
8 |
Horn, Joe |
NO |
10 |
|
|
6-1 |
206 |
31 |
7 |
|
16 |
| |
Horn must be considered early
since he has been one of the few consistent receivers
in the league the past three years (at least productively
consistent). Since the 2000 season, Horn has always gained
between 1265 and 1340 yards with around eight scores.
He was on a pace for almost 1400 yards and nine scores
last year when his numbers dipped with the injury to Brooks'
shoulder the final three weeks of 2002. Horn may be 31
years old, but he really did not play much until going
to New Orleans in 2000 when he was first made a starter
and has never looked back since. Basically, Horn is a
four year veteran with great production every season.
While Donte Stallworth has added a new dimension to the
offense, it comes as an addition to Horn, not at his expense.
Stallworth's continued development could actually help
boost Horn's numbers. Joe is a safe pick here and might
do better if the Saints can avoid the injuries and internal
problems that have sank the past two seasons. |
| |
9 |
Johnson, Chad |
CIN |
6 |
|
|
6-2 |
192 |
25 |
2 |
|
15 |
| |
Johnson was selected in the
second round of the 2001 draft by the Bengals and along
with the rest of his team, suffered through the QB carousel
early last season. Once Kitna was entrenched as the starter,
Johnson had a breakout season in the second half of 2002.
His total numbers - 1166 yards and five touchdowns - were
impressive for a second year player but like Koren Robinson,
he hit his stride later in the year. In his final eight
games, Johnson recorded five 100+ yard efforts and scored
in four games. He averaged 102 yards a game over the last
half of the season in only his second year. He runs a
sub 4.4/40 and has excellent size. Johnson will only improve
and with another year of Kitna before Palmer is expected
to play, Johnson will continue his hot streak of last
season. |
| |
10 |
Ward, Hines |
PIT |
7 |
|
|
6-0 |
200 |
27 |
5 |
|
15 |
| |
The converted college quarterback
took until 2001 to make a splash, gaining 1003 yards and
four touchdowns in what was thought would be his upper
limit. That was an incorrect conventional wisdom it turns
out. Ward was perhaps the greatest sleeper last season
by gaining 1329 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was a Top
5 receiver overall in almost all scoring systems and second
best in many. For fantasy owners who draft as if last
season repeats, he should easily be a top five again but
he is more likely to see a decrease this season than hold
his numbers. Ward was always a favorite of Kordell and
in the five games that Stewart was starting, Ward averaged
92 yards a game and had four touchdowns. Under Maddox,
Ward was still a bonus to own but fell to 79 yards a game
with eight touchdowns in those eleven games. Those numbers
look that good because he had a 139 yard and 168 yard
efforts in weeks 10 and 11 with three scores. The other
nine games with Maddox only produced 62 yards a game on
average with about a touchdown every other game. In an
offense that is throwing well and with Burress there for
balance, Ward is still worthy of being a deeper #1 WR
for a fantasy team but it unlikely he will again be the
big difference maker he was last season. |
| |
11 |
Booker, Marty |
CHI |
3 |
|
 |
6-0 |
210 |
26 |
4 |
|
15 |
| |
2002 saw Booker use his second
year of starting to improve both his total yardage and
yards per catch while his touchdown total fell from eight
to six. Considering the changes at QB during the year
and the lack of a ground game, Booker did well enough
to manage that much. This season yet again, Booker must
contend with a new quarterback in Kordell Stewart which
does not add risk so much as it still fails to take away
what Booker already had. Still he is always capable of
the monster game in an offense that throws to him 100
times a season. |
| TIER 3 - Solid or
Moving Up |
NFL |
Bye |
Upside |
Risk |
Ht |
Wt |
Age |
Exp |
|
Auction % |
| |
12 |
Coles, Laveranues |
WAS |
8 |
 |
 |
5-11 |
196 |
25 |
3 |
|
14 |
| |
Following a nice progression,
Coles three year career as a Jet increased yardage from
370 to 868 to 1264 yards season in his breakout year.
While Coles is not a big. possession receiver in the mold
of Owens or Boston, he is the perfect player for Spurrier's
scheme in Washington. Not big, but fast with good "yards
after catch". Washington took Coles with a seven
year, $35 million offer so there is zero chance he will
not be given every chance to continue his nice development.
The Redskins will be throwing no less than the Jets last
year but as a new player to the team, it could take Coles
a few weeks to get into rhythm with Patrick Ramsey. By
mid-season, there should be no problem with Coles offering
up great weekly points for your fantasy team and it may
not even take that long. |
| |
13 |
Driver, Donald |
GB |
8 |
|
 |
6-0 |
188 |
28 |
4 |
|
14 |
| |
Driver's amazing season of
1094 yards and nine touchdowns was not only impressive,
it was almost unheard of in this era where only top draft
pick receivers perform well. While Driver was an seventh
round afterthought in 1999, he broke out last year when
three critical factors merged. First, the Packers had
no veteran receivers having dumped malcontent Schroeder
and the aging Freeman. Secondly, Driver practiced and
played a clear step above all other receivers. While he
did not have the pedigree to play big, perhaps, Driver
played hard and smart. He is a success story for all seventh
rounders to admire. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly,
he had Brett Favre as a quarterback who made stars out
of other projects in Antonio Freeman and Robert Brooks.
Driver saw his yardage per game dip in the last six weeks
of the 2002 season but still scored twice. Driver is a
risk to repeat his nine touchdowns since almost certainly
Robert Ferguson and/or Javon Walker will step up more
this season and Driver will need to be less of the show
but he will still provide solid numbers. |
| |
14 |
Mason, Derrick |
TEN |
9 |
|
|
5-10 |
192 |
29 |
6 |
|
12 |
| |
After a career year of 1128
yards and nine touchdowns in 2001, Mason fell slightly
to 1012 yards and five scores last season as Eddie George
came back to life and Steve McNair suffered rib, back
and toe problems. Mason is in the prime of his career
and with the #2 receiver spot going to lesser experienced
players this year, he will be relied on to repeat 2001.
McNair is healthy again and will bring Mason's numbers
back up. Mason will be overlooked by many fantasy owners
- don't be one of them. |
| |
15 |
Price, Peerless |
ATL |
8 |
 |
 |
5-11 |
190 |
26 |
4 |
|
12 |
| |
During his four seasons in
Buffalo, Price got better every year, increasing his yardage
until 2002's breakout year of 1252 yards and nine touchdowns.
The Falcons traded their #23 pick in the 2003 draft for
the rights to Price which they later turned into Willis
McGahee. Time will tell the wisdom of the move. Along
with Eric Moulds, Price was red hot last season but slowed
down considerably in the final seven games along with
Bledsoe. Through his first nine games, Price averaged
93 yards a game and scored seven times. In his final seven
games, he only averaged 59 yards a game and that includes
the week 13 when he only caught two passes for 73 and
20 yard touchdowns (his only scores in the final seven
weeks). Normally a receiver like Price would fall back
significantly moving to a new team and assuming a #1 role.
Price is going to the one team that actually could fit
him the best - Atlanta with Michael Vick. Peerless has
always been a fast, big-play receiver and while he may
not provide the possession role typical of a #1 receiver,
no other team needs a speedy, talented longball guy like
Price. With the time that Vick buys moving in the pocket
(with a threat to take off running) and considering his
cannon arm, safeties are going to have to make a critical
decision in the blink of an eye. Watch Vick or chase Price.
They will pay dearly when they choose the wrong option.
There is always risk changing teams for a receiver and
Price is not going to pump numbers with a ton of possession
catches, but the upside is that he could deliver some
monster games. |
| |
16 |
Boston, David |
SD |
6 |
 |
 |
6-2 |
242 |
24 |
4 |
|
12 |
| |
Boston looks like a bookend
to Terrell Owens and in 2001, he played like one as well.
Boston produced 1598 yards on 98 catches and scored eight
times for Arizona in his third season. Boston only lasted
seven games in 2002 before he lost the rest of the year
with a torn patella tendon. Boston was already a concern
prior to the injury though, he had only two 100 yard games
in the first seven weeks and four times he failed to reach
60 yards in a game. He only scored once and that was in
the first week. Boston never really got along with HC
McGinnis who blamed Boston's reduced production last year
on Boston not practicing enough in the offseason and keeping
chemistry with Plummer. Throw in the legal problems from
marijuana and cocaine that haunted him and 2002 made for
a very forgettable year. Considering his tremendous 2001
season, it is not entirely possible that Boston had already
left Arizona last year, at least in spirit. Boston now
goes to the Chargers for a new lease on his career. Thanks
to having Tomlinson, the Chargers will not have the same
need to throw as Arizona always did though so far Drew
Brees appears to be no upgrade from Plummer. Still, in
face of all the risk one fact cannot be denied - Boston
is big and very talented. He has proven it before and
he has a new opportunity to prove it again. |
| |
17 |
Bruce, Isaac |
STL |
5 |
|
|
6-0 |
188 |
30 |
9 |
|
10 |
| |
After peaking in 2000 with
1471 yards and 12 touchdowns, Bruce has lost yardage to
Torry Holt while declining in touchdowns as well. Last
year during the Rams troubles, Bruce gained only 1075
yards and seven scores. The reality is that Bruce had
a lot of mediocre games and only his two games in weeks
10 and 11 saved his stats. He had 163 yards and three
touchdowns against the Chargers and 141 yards against
the Bears. Otherwise he spent 14 games gaining only 771
total yards with four scores all year. Bruce actually
did the same thing the prior season when he had three
monster games (144/1, 179/1 and 130/no TD). That meant
the other thirteen games only produced 653 yards. Bruce
is a decent #2 receiver to have since he gains something
every week and two or three times a year he makes a big
difference. But even if the St. Louis offense comes back
to form this season, his less consistent numbers and minimal
upside make him not worthy of more than a #2 WR for your
team. His year end numbers may be fine, but the manner
he gets them will be less helpful to your team. |
| |
18 |
Jackson, Darrell |
SEA |
4 |
|
|
6-0 |
201 |
24 |
3 |
|
10 |
| |
After three seasons, Jackson
has been a solid performer and developed quickly into
a receiving threat. Coming off a fine 2002 performance
of 1081 yards and eight touchdowns, Jackson fell to only
877 yards and four scores last year. You must remember
that Jackson was also missing for three games last year
after he was flattened in the Dallas game. I was actually
there and he did not move for quite a while and later
went into convulsions in the lockerroom. When he returned
in week 12, Hasselbeck was in charge, Robinson was stepping
up and Jackson ended the season with four games of over
90 yards and four touchdowns. Paired with Robinson, Jackson
suddenly becomes a dangerous #2 receiver instead of a
solid #1 for the Seahawks. Seattle's offense has a great
schedule this year and is starting to find a good rhythm
with Hasselbeck. |
| |
19 |
Porter, Jerry |
OAK |
8 |
 |
|
6-2 |
220 |
24 |
3 |
|
10 |
| |
For the first time since Al
Davis started wearing velvet jogging suits, neither Jerry
Rice nor Tim Brown are the best Raider receiver to draft.
After two years of little or no play, Porter was mixed
in with Rice and Brown last year with stunning results.
He only had 51 receptions and gained 688 yards. That is
very good for a #3 receiver. He also had nine touchdowns
in the regular season and three more in the playoffs.
That is great for any #1 receiver that catches twice as
many passes. Including the playoffs, Porter caught a touchdown
in 11 of 19 games. In the Divisional Round, he had 123
yards on six catches. With a quarterback like Gannon and
on the news that he will be swapping roles with Tim Brown,
Porter is poised for a big season. His value may decline
if Gannon goes out injured or retires next season, but
Porter has become very familiar with the endzone and the
more passes he gets, the better he will become. |
| |
20 |
Toomer, Amani |
NYG |
4 |
|
|
6-3 |
208 |
28 |
7 |
|
10 |
| |
Toomer turned in a career
best 1343 yards and eight touchdowns last season and had
the third highest yardage in the league. Not bad but hardly
typical. For the three years prior to 2002, Toomer was
a consistent 1100 yard, six touchdown receiver. He still
is. Last year was an aberration for two reasons. First,
Ike Hilliard had a brutal hit by Brian Dawkins and was
lost for the season to shoulder surgery. His replacement
Ron Dixon later suffered knee problems and he too missed
eight games last season. Toomer was basically the last
man standing as the Giants scrambled with Tony Simmons,
Herman Moore and anyone they could find to put out there.
Toomer's numbers would have still been close to his norm
had it not been for the 204 yard, three touchdown pasting
he gave the Colts in week 16. Toomer is solid and he is
good for yardage, but he has never been a big scorer and
last season was nice but not the norm. Chances are anyone
who used him in a 2002 fantasy championship will be all
over him again in the draft. |
| |
21 |
Smith, Jimmy |
JAX |
7 |
|
 |
6-1 |
213 |
34 |
10 |
|
9 |
| |
Smith held out
last year and received a new contract, but he also delivered
his worst season since his rookie year. With only 1027
yards and seven touchdowns, it was a down year for oldest
starting #1 receiver whose name is not Jerry. Smith only
had two 100+ games last season and in the final five weeks
only had one game with more than 35 yards receiving. Brunell
did have some injury problems at the end of the season
though he did not miss any games. Going into this season,
Smith is a bigger risk than normal due to his age and
the state of the offense. Brunell is a lame duck going
into the season and could eventually give way to Byron
Leftwich which could actually help his numbers but more
likely would harm them. The loss of McCardell was never
replaced last season and acquiring J.J. Stokes is not
likely a quick tonic. Older and with less around him,
Smith falls but is still worthy of being a #2 fantasy
receiver. Update (08/11/03)
- Smith rises since he appears in good health and is fitting
into the new West Coast scheme very well. He had five
catches for 70 yards against Miami last weekend. |
| |
22 |
Stallworth, Donte |
NO |
10 |
 |
 |
6-0 |
197 |
22 |
1 |
|
9 |
| |
The first receiver selected
in the 2003 draft, Stallworth follows recent first pick
flops of Ike Hilliard, Kevin Dyson, Peter Warrick and
David Terrell. Looks like they finally got one right other
than Tory Holt in 1999. Stallworth comes off a rookie
year with 594 yards and eight touchdowns. Stallworth can
flat out fly. He ran a 4.25/40 (no typo) in college. Donte
had eight touchdowns but only 42 catches. He scored three
times in the red zone but burned secondaries for touchdowns
of 41, 34, 29, 28 and 57 yards. There are two aspects
to consider with Stallworth. First - he is only a second
year player that only once had more than four catches
in any game last season. He is still developing and with
Horn in place, does not need to be the biggest part of
the offense. He missed three games with a hamstring problem
and missed much of training camp for the same reason.
What needs to be determined is if Stallworth was merely
pushing too hard last year and just needs to get used
to the NFL game. Hamstring problems in receivers can be
a huge problem but mitigating that is the fact that it
is not unusual for a rookie to have hamstring troubles
in his first year. But the upside on Stallworth this year
and in the future is very big since he not only is a speed
demon, he also has the size to be much more than just
a longballer. In a keeper league, bump him up a few more.
If you get distance touchdowns, he becomes even more valuable. |
| |
23 |
Morgan, Quincy |
CLE |
9 |
 |
 |
6-1 |
209 |
25 |
2 |
|
9 |
| |
By gaining 964 yards and seven
touchdowns in only his second season, Morgan's development
has happened more quickly than expected. Opening week
one with 151 yards and two scores on nine catches, Morgan
served notice that he was not willing to wait until the
standardized third year to explode. While that was his
best game all season, Morgan still played well enough
to record six more games of at least 80 yards and one
more 100+ yard game when he scored two touchdowns in Jacksonville.
Morgan now enters his third year with good upside in an
attack that still has not decided between Couch or Holcomb.
If Couch keeps the starting job, Morgan will likely fall
a bit but the more effective passer of Holcomb will only
help. While Morgan could easily do better than this ranking,
he gains some concerns from the production by Kevin Johnson
and Dennis Northcutt which could cut into his numbers. |
| TIER 4 - Old Faves,
New Waves |
NFL |
Bye |
Upside |
Risk |
Ht |
Wt |
Age |
Exp |
|
Auction % |
| |
24 |
Johnson, Keyshawn |
TB |
4 |
|
 |
6-4 |
212 |
30 |
7 |
|
8 |
| |
In 1998, Keyshawn Johnson
had 1131 yards and 10 touchdowns in his breakout third
season. Four years and a new team later, many people are
still expecting him to repeat. In Tampa Bay's championship
season of 2002, Keyshawn turned in 1088 yards and five
touchdowns. Broken down a little more, he had three big
games - week 5 (131, 1 TD), week 9 (133, 2 TD) and week
16 (132, 1 TD). Otherwise he averaged 53 yards a game
for the other 13 games with only one touchdown. Even this
ranking is optimistic considering you want more than 53
yards in an average week. You remember the odd 130 yard
game with a score, but you usually get 53 yards. The Buccaneers
will have a brutal rushing schedule this year with, apparently,
no runningbacks anyway. Their passing schedule is lighter
and as the most recent champs, all teams will want to
beat them and force them to score with their offense instead
of just their defense. Brad Johnson is a solid QB and
Gruden likes to pass. There are several big reasons to
expect Keyshawn to turn in a big year and 53 little ones
to remind you that it just might not happen. Again. |
| |
25 |
Conway, Curtis |
NYJ |
5 |
 |
 |
6-1 |
196 |
32 |
10 |
|
8 |
| |
Conway moves to New York and
trading Drew Brees for Chad Pennington alone increases
his upside. While some this summer have already decided
that Conway will be a 1:1 replacement for Lavernues Coles,
that might be very optimistic. Conway has only logged
one season over 1000 yards in the past seven years and
that was in his second season in San Diego. His first
year changing offenses From Chicago to San Diego produced
only 712 yards and five touchdowns. Conway's lack of big
numbers is also related to his lack of durability. In
the past seven years, only 2001 saw him play all 16 games.
Conway will get the start and will enjoy a better passing
offense, but with his age and durability issues combined
with a new offensive scheme means Conway is not a long
term answer for the loss of Coles and might not be a 16
game answer either. Raised 29th to 25th (08/04/03)
- While it was only a couple of pass plays in a preseason
game, Conway's catches in Japan against the Buccaneers
were proof against a top defense that he and Pennington
have already been gaining chemistry and while Conway may
not duplicate Coles' 2002 season, he will be the clear
#1 receiving option for the Jets. With his injury history
and still some reality applied, he should not be considered
higher at this time but he warrants a move up to the starting
fantasy receiver area. |
| |
26 |
Smith, Rod |
DEN |
10 |
|
 |
6-0 |
200 |
33 |
8 |
|
8 |
| |
After a career year in 2001
where he gained 1343 yards and 11 touchdowns, Smith slid
back to only 1027 yards and five scores last season. It
could be less this year. At 33, Smith is obviously nearing
the wall and with Jake Plummer now at quarterback, he
might hit it. Smith never had a 100 yard game last year
and normally hovered around 60 yards a week. With a hot
runningback in Clinton Portis and a new quarterback to
learn, Smith is more likely to regress than improve. He
stays this high in light of his reasonable consistency
with yards, moderate as they are. Raised 28th to 26th
(08/04/03) -Much like Conway, Smith is showing a good
rapport with his new quarterback and appears to be in
good shape and is the only constant for receivers since
Lelie and McCaffrey's roles are not yet completely defined.
. By no means worthy of a top ten again, Smith deserves
this bump up. |
| |
27 |
Rice, Jerry |
OAK |
8 |
|
 |
6-2 |
200 |
40 |
18 |
|
8 |
| |
There is not a lot of new
light to shed on Jerry Rice after 18 years. He will turn
41 this season and by all indications has bent or broken
almost all laws of nature in addition to all the NFL records.
He is to the NFL what Jason is to horror flicks. Just
when you write him off, you discover you are wrong and
then he kills you. Rice makes a good #2 receiver that
can be had deeper in your draft since most fantasy owners
are younger than him and know they could not last ten
minutes in an NFL game. Rice had 92 catches for 1211 yards
last season. Think of that next time you get tired mowing
the grass. |
| |
28 |
Gardner, Rod |
WAS |
8 |
|
|
6-2 |
217 |
25 |
2 |
|
8 |
| |
Gardner was the lone consistently
good receiver for the Skins last season and with 1006
yards and eight scores in only his second year, his ranking
would be higher were it not for the addition of Coles
in the offseason. That duo should provide the bulk of
receiving yards in Washington which could be considerable
if Spurrier gets his way. With the addition of Coles,
many fantasy owners are overlooking Gardner this season
but that is a mistake. Spurrier routinely had two primary
receivers at Florida that would at times produce 1000/1000
seasons and then a smattering of others with each game.
Gardner already has played with Ramsey and could easily
be the more productive receiver. For us old timers, think
Atlanta and the run-and-shoot. |
| |
29 |
Taylor, Travis |
BAL |
5 |
 |
|
6-1 |
200 |
25 |
3 |
|
8 |
| |
Taylor has had a nice, although
slow, increase from year to year since being drafted as
the third receiver in the 2000 draft. Last season Taylor
gained 869 yards on 61 catches and six touchdowns. Basically,
he has added around 300 yards and three touchdowns each
season. If he does that one more season, he starts to
approach the top ten. There is a problem with Taylor that
is not really his fault. He has no quarterback. Last year
when Chris Redman was starting, Taylor only averaged 37
yards a game and never scored. With Jeff Blake throwing
in the final ten games, Taylor averaged 65 yards a game
and had a total of six touchdowns. Blake is gone. Redman
is not. Given Redman's history of locking on Todd Heap
and ignoring the rest, Taylor may not see better numbers
this year but Redman could - and must - improve his selection
of receivers. There is a chance that Kyle Boller could
start as well which by the numbers seems warranted since
he has not yet proven to be substandard like Redman has
so far.. |
| |
30 |
Wayne, Reggie |
IND |
7 |
 |
|
6-0 |
203 |
24 |
2 |
|
8 |
| |
All systems are go for a breakout
season. Wayne has every indicator of the fuse being lit
- third year player, good size, decent speed and great
hands. He plays for the #1 passing quarterback in Manning
and has the #1 receiver in Harrison to draw the attention.
In the last half of 2002 while Harrison was setting records,
Wayne turned in three 100+ yard games and three touchdowns.
With 49 catches and 716 yards last season, he doubled
his rookie year numbers. Wayne may be capped at how much
he can do playing with Harrison, but that cap is likely
higher than what many other teams get from their #1 receiver. |
| |
31 |
Brown, Troy |
NE |
10 |
|
|
5-10 |
193 |
31 |
10 |
|
8 |
| |
Brown fell from his career
high of 1199 yards to 890 last season while only scoring
three times. His knee was injured in week three and he
sat out two games and it was still tender when he returned.
Brown had a 176 yard game in week three with one score
but once he returned from the injury he only managed one
111 yard game in Detroit to eclipse the century mark.
If you get reception points, Brown is far more valuable
since he had 97 last season and 101 in 2001 but Brown
loses stature in fantasy terms considering his declining
yards per catch, smaller size and advancing age. Brown
still makes a great #3 receiver but with a big lack of
touchdowns he is not able to post enough points to make
him a viable #2 for your team. |
| |
32 |
Chambers, Chris |
MIA |
4 |
|
|
5-11 |
210 |
24 |
2 |
|
6 |
| |
After a thrilling 883 yard,
seven touchdown rookie season, Chambers followed up the
accomplishment by only gaining 734 yards with three scores.
He also lost four yards from his 18.4 yard per catch average
of 2001. Chambers had two 100 yard games last season but
more than half his games he failed to even reach 50 yards.
His yardage went down in the four mid-season games when
Fiedler was out, but his game averages only fell from
61 yards down to 47 yards during that time. Disregarding
only two games (102 and 138 yards) meant he only averaged
44 yards per game with Fiedler. With the introduction
of Ricky Williams last season, the offense went away from
the pass and until Ricky is injured, there is no reason
to start throwing much again. As an added bonus, the Miami
defense looks even stronger this season which may lower
the passing need even further. Chambers will get catches
every game and will turn in the occasional nice afternoon,
but his main consistency is that he will not produce big
numbers. |
| |
33 |
Muhammad, Muhsin |
CAR |
3 |
|
 |
6-2 |
217 |
30 |
7 |
|
6 |
| |
After three big seasons, Muhammad
is now three years removed from when he was last a significant
fantasy player. In 2001, he only managed 585 yards and
one touchdown while suffering from a shoulder and later
toe injury that made him miss five games. Last year it
was his hamstring that limited him in some games while
forcing him out for two weeks. In the new offense last
season, Muhammad still managed 100 yard efforts three
times and scored in three games. As a possession receiver,
Muhammad still makes a good #3 for your team since he
will almost always get around 40 yards a game with maybe
six or eight weeks of solid yardage. But his touchdown
drop is troublesome and with Stephen Davis on board, Muhammad's
redzone ability may be used even less. The attempt to
upgrade his complement with Kevin Dyson failed before
the ink was even dry but the team could still add someone
before September. |
 |
34 |
Galloway, Joey |
DAL |
3 |
|
 |
5-11 |
197 |
31 |
8 |
|
6 |
| |
With 908 yards and six scores,
Galloway had his Cowboy career best in 2002. This is less
than he managed in any of his first four years with the
Seahawks, but by this point expectations are much lower.
The only ball handler in the entire Dallas offense with
a secure job, Galloway is a safe bet to reach the same
900 yards and six scores of last season but his high side
is not much more with Parcells running the show. Galloway
actually averaged about 15 yards a game more with Quincy
Carter than he did with Chad Hutchinson, so the winner
of that derby will not have a big effect on him. Either
Carter plays at his level or Hutchinson slowly improves.
Galloway is a nice #3 receiver to have since even last
season he turned in three 100 yards games. At 31 years
of age, a history of injury, a new conservative offense
with questionable weapons all adds up to more risk than
upside. Lowered (08/15/03)
- Galloway falls thanks to the muddled and befuddled quarterback
situation. |
| |
35 |
Rogers, Charles |
DET |
6 |
 |
 |
6-2 |
205 |
22 |
R |
|
6 |
| |
Rogers quickly flew off the
board when the Lions used their 1.02 pick in April to
secure the rights to the most exciting player in the draft.
The accolades heaped on Rogers - playmaker, greatness,
game-changing - seem almost too good to believe. Almost
ss if it is a setup for a disappointment Since Randy Moss
proved an extreme exception to the rule. Rogers is considered
to have a rare combination of size (6-2 1/2 - 205 pounds)
and speed (4.3/40) which allowed him to be a homerun threat
every time he touched the ball. Charles is in Detroit
now, where they are installing a new offense and their
QB of Joey Harrington was less than impressive last season.
It is not reasonable to assume that a rookie receiver
will right all wrongs, but he must be considered to have
big upside with limitations that may only apply to this
season. Hopefully Rogers will not be a contract holdout
and spend enough time in camp for a better evaluation. |
| |
36 |
Thrash, James |
PHI |
3 |
|
|
6-0 |
200 |
28 |
6 |
|
5 |
| |
After scoring eight times
with 833 yards in 2001, Thrash fell to only 635 yards
last season and scored six times. His numbers dropped
dramatically after McNabb stopped playing in week 11 and
Thrash topped out at only 45 yards a game in his absence.
With McNabb back,. Thrash will again be the more heavily
used receiver but in Philadelphia what does that really
mean? I can tell you - not a lot. The last Eagle receiver
to break 1000 yards for a season was named Irving Fryar.
It was 1998. There was no McNabb. The headcoach was Ray
Rhodes. This is now a very diverse offense that does not
make a star of any receiver. Thrash could be good for
more touchdowns - he had eight in 2001, but there is little
upside on any Eagle receiver. |
| |
37 |
Reed, Josh |
BUF |
9 |
 |
|
5-10 |
203 |
23 |
1 |
|
5 |
| |
Reed is gaining steam in fantasy
drafts as the man who would be Peerless this year in Buffalo.
Hoping that he can replace Price without a noticeable
drop-off is too optimistic. Both players were drafted
in the second round of their respective years and the
two players have many similarities. What is most notable
is that Price himself did not break 1000 yards until his
fourth season and when he was in his second year, he only
managed 762 yards and three scores which is more typical.
Reed has upside from opportunity and showed ability in
limited play last season, but moving from being the #3
where he normally only had two passes per game into the
flanker spot will prove as challenging as opportunistic.
He is a very nice pick here for keeper leagues. Update
(08/11/02) - Reed has been impressive in camp and
while he does not have the speed of Peerless Price, he
has displayed solid hands and garnered the admiration
of the coaching staff that expect the second year player
to develop quickly. |
| |
38 |
Lelie, Ashley |
DEN |
10 |
 |
|
6-3 |
200 |
23 |
1 |
|
5 |
| |
Lelie gained a respectable
525 yards in his rookie season and was generally fed two
passes a game. He notched his first 100 yard game in week
16 and scored in weeks 14 and 17 as a sign he was improving.
Lelie was the second receiver taken in the draft last
season and will receive more playing time this year. He
is more valuable in keeper leagues as he must contend
this season with aged trio of Rod Smith, Ed McCaffrey
and Shannon Sharpe. Throw in a new quarterback and this
does not have the marks of a breakout season. Update
(08/11/02) - Lelie has been constantly wowing the
coaches in training camp with a big leap in development
from his rookie season. While McCaffrey is still around,
Lelie is the talk of the camp. |
| |
39 |
Pinkston, Todd |
PHI |
3 |
|
|
6-2 |
174 |
26 |
3 |
|
5 |
| |
Pinkston actually posted slightly
higher numbers last season than Thrash, but the difference
all came after McNabb was out for the season. Prior to
week twelve, Thrash had 509 yards and five scores to Pinkston's
448 yards and four touchdowns. Although Thrash received
minimal production in the final five games, Pinkston actually
benefited from McNabb's absence and averaged 70 yards
a game with three scores. Without McNabb there, opponents
defended against a more traditional attack and focused
more on Thrash. With McNabb back, the ratio will once
again favor Thrash slightly and since both are still on
the Eagles, it will mean that neither will post big numbers.
Pinkston is also unlikely to get much more involved in
the offense since at 174 pounds, he is the lightest starting
receiver in the entire league. |
| |
40 |
McCardell, Keenan |
TB |
4 |
|
|
6-1 |
191 |
33 |
11 |
|
5 |
| |
McCardell only managed 670
yards and six touchdowns in his first season as a Buccaneer
but he was hampered almost the entire season by various
injuries - mainly a strained quadricep and a hairline
scapula fracture. He only missed two full games but played
limited in others. McCardell is capable of double the
yardage though six scores is his personal best. He will
gain more yards this season and provide a nice complement
to Keyshawn with lesser upside for touchdowns. |
| |
42 |
Johnson, Kevin |
CLE |
9 |
|
|
5-11 |
195 |
26 |
4 |
|
5 |
| |
After turning in 1097 yards
and nine scores in 2001, Johnson regressed to only 703
yards and four scores last season as Morgan and Northcutt
cut into his action. Johnson actually received far lesser
numbers with Holcomb throwing so the quarterback situation
there is important in addition to staving off Northcutt
from reducing Kevin's role. Johnson has proven to be a
solid receiver from his very first season but he has not
shown that he is good enough to take it to a higher level
of fantasy relevance. Solid but probably unspectacular
again. |
| TIER 5 - #2's Coming
Through |
NFL |
Bye |
Upside |
Risk |
Ht |
Wt |
Age |
Exp |
|
Auction % |
| |
42 |
Ferguson, Robert |
GB |
8 |
 |
|
6-1 |
209 |
23 |
2 |
|
5 |
| |
Ferguson only had 23 catches
for 319 yards and one score last season, but there are
excellent reasons to expect that was merely a slow start.
Ferguson waited in the background as Terry Glenn played
the #2 in many games last year. But now Glenn is gone
and the #2 spot is open competition between Ferguson and
Javon Walker. Ferguson has the early lead in the race,
having one more year of experience than Walker. The #2
spot should be good for at least 800 yards and several
scores and could go higher. In week 14 against the Vikings,
Ferguson showed promise by catching six balls for 105
yards and two touchdowns. They cannot all be the Vikings,
but Ferguson will get better. |
| |
43 |
Kennison, Eddie |
KC |
9 |
 |
|
6-1 |
201 |
30 |
7 |
|
5 |
| |
In a season where the Chiefs
had one of the most powerful offenses in the NFL, Kennison
was the lone receiver contributing to the effort. Though
he had 906 yards receiving, he rang up 347 in just three
games. He only had three touchdowns. The good news was
that Kennison trailed only Quincy Morgan for average yards
per catch (17.1 versus 17.2) for receivers with more than
50 catches. Of the eclectic group of receivers in Kansas
City, Kennison has been the most consistent and best yardage
gainer. The Chiefs receivers are in a state of flux after
last season and training camp should sort things out more.
Until then, Kennison is the safest bet. |
| |
44 |
Streets, Tai |
SF |
10 |
 |
|
6-2 |
206 |
26 |
4 |
|
5 |
| |
Streets has proven to be a
shrewd draft by San Francisco who drafted him out of Michigan
knowing that he would miss almost all his first season
due to a leg injury. Streets spent the first few years
in sporadic play along with J.J. Stokes but during the
last half of 2002, Streets was the unquestioned #2 and
had seven of his last nine games with at least five catches
in each. He also scored all five touchdowns from week
eight onward. Streets had 756 yards last year but is certain
to improve that. The 49er's want to throw more long passes
this year and with good speed and Owens to concern the
safeties, Streets could very well turn in a few very nice
games. |
| |
45 |
Johnson, Andre |
HOU |
5 |
 |
|
6-2 |
230 |
21 |
R |
|
5 |
| |
Technically, Andre Johnson
sits behind Jabbar Gaffney on the depth charts but the
rookie may already be a more polished receiver than Jabbar.
Taken with the Texans 1.03 pick, Johnson comes into the
league having not only been a standout at Miami, he actually
played even better in big games. In the Rose Bowl for
the National Championship, Johnson caught seven passes
for 199 yards and two touchdowns. He is not only a great
size, he has been clocked with a 4.35/40. Tremendous upside
for future seasons, Johnson may provide David Carr with
the offensive spark that was lacking last season. Johnson
may be slightly limited player for the Texans as opposed
to the Radiers or Colts, but Johnson has all the marks
of a future top receiver. |
| |
46 |
Warrick, Peter |
CIN |
6 |
 |
|
5-11 |
195 |
26 |
3 |
|
5 |
| |
While Warrick has spent all
three seasons around 600 yards gained, under Kitna he
increased his touchdown totals to six last year. With
Chad Johnson drawing attention and a new offense being
installed under HC Marvin Lewis, Warrick will increase
his numbers from last season, especially during the earlier
part of the season. Warrick had to wait through the QB
problems early last year and also suffered a lung injury
which kept him from starting five games. Back in health
and with a QB that throws him touchdowns, Warrick will
provide an adequate #2 for a team that will need to throw
more than most. |
| |
47 |
Bates, D'Wayne |
MIN |
6 |
|
|
6-2 |
215 |
27 |
4 |
|
5 |
| |
After spending time sharing
with Alexander last year, Bates enters his second season
with the Vikings. While he only gained 689 yards and four
scores last year, Bates came on well in the final five
weeks and turned in four games of at least five catches
and 70 yards. In a good offense with Moss to worry the
secondary, Bates should provide a worthy #2 option for
Culpepper and will increase his numbers from last season. |
| |
48 |
Finneran, Brian |
ATL |
8 |
|
 |
6-5 |
210 |
27 |
3 |
|
5 |
| |
While Finneran
was a nice surprise last season, gaining 838 yards on
56 catches for six touchdowns, the reality is that his
best quality was that at 6'5" he was able to give
Vick a big target and the rest of the receivers were either
too young (McCord), too old (Jefferson) or a discard from
another team (Gaylor). Finneran could still provide about
the same numbers as the possession receiver but with Price
in place and Martay Jenkins there to challenge him, chances
are best his numbers will fall from last season. Update
(08/11/03) - Finneran grabbed a beautiful touchdown
bomb from Vick this weekend and the Falcons offense looks
like it may be better than last year. With all the attention
that Price is commanding, Finneran appears to be the main
beneficiary. |
| |
49 |
Chrebet, Wayne |
NYJ |
5 |
 |
|
5-10 |
188 |
29 |
8 |
|
5 |
| |
While Chrebet has fallen significantly
in yardage since his career year in 1998, he still managed
to snag eight touchdowns last year during his 51 catches
for 691 yards. With Coles gone, the Jets will be relying
on he and Conway to continue feeding impressive stats
for Pennington and only Chrebet has played in that offense
before. Last season, Chrebet never gained more than 69
yards in a game but had ten games with at least 40 yards
and seven games with scores, doubling up in two different
weeks. His high side will not be at the level of most
#1 receivers but as deeply as he is available, Chrebet
has a good chance to improve from last year and provide
consistent, if a bit low, numbers for you. He is a great
bye week filler. Update (08/11/02) - Chrebet's
fall here is more related to solid showings of the six
players he has fallen behind now and a slight concern
that Santana Moss may reduce his numbers. |
| |
50 |
White, Dez |
CHI |
3 |
|
 |
6-1 |
215 |
23 |
3 |
|
4 |
| |
White has been a nice complement
to Marty Booker with catching 51 passes for 656 yards
last season. Just as important, he has outplayed the overall
#1 receiver taken in the 2001 draft of David Terrell.
White has less upside considering the change at QB and
the prominence of Marty Booker. White also could see some
challenge by David Terrell which is insignificant or considerable,
depending on if you ask coaches or Terrell, respectively.
|
THE REST OF THE WR RANKINGS >>
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