ZoneBlitz Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Ratings

In the coming weeks, ZoneBlitz will feature rankings for each fantasy position in five scoring formats. The rankings will be accompanied by a brief article highlighting some of the big names, surprises and sleepers. Combined cheat sheets for each format will be available August 1 and constantly updated based on the latest news to keep you prepared for your drafts.

Editor’s Note: Wide receiver rankings are the third of six rankings to be posted to ZoneBlitz.com. Quarterback rankings can be found here, and running back rankings can be found here.

Photo credit: Mike Morbeck via Wikipedia

With guys like Calvin Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Dez Bryant and AJ Green all bona fide fantasy studs, and the likes of Demaryius Thomas, Andre Johnson and Julio Jones close behind, there arguably hasn’t been a better time to be selecting near the turn at the back end of the first round of your fantasy draft. Walk away from the first three rounds with Marshall, Jones and even a Victor Cruz, Steve Smith or Jordy Nelson in round three? Yes, have some.

The top 20 or so receivers in this year’s fantasy rankings all come with little downside, so those that go RB/QB in the first

Photo credit: Georgia National Guard via Wikipedia

couple rounds should still be happy with their No. 1 wideout. From there, things get interesting. How well will Tavon Austin click with Sam Bradford right away? Will Torrey Smith become a legit No. 1 fantasy receiver with Anquan Boldin now in San Francisco? And how will Boldin handle the burden of being a No. 1 receiver with Michael Crabtree hurt? What will be left at the teat of Peyton Manning (not literally) for Eric Decker after Thomas and Wes Welker get their fill? Is Christian Ponder (or Matt Cassel) good enough to keep Greg Jennings in your lineup on a weekly basis? This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to receiver questions in the 20-50 range, where you’ll be filling out the back end of your receiver lot. There will be a couple borderline WR1s in that mix by the time the season’s done, and those guys will be common names among fantasy champions by season’s end.

Now obviously I’ve staked my claim in terms of who I like and don’t like based on these rankings, but please understand that rankings must take into consideration risk, along with rough estimates of average draft position. If I thought that James Jones would break through as this season’s No. 1 fantasy receiver, I wouldn’t rank him No. 1. I wouldn’t even rank him No. 4. There’s too much upside with the players already there. But I would creep Jones up to ahead of where he’s ranked basically anywhere else, which means I’d grab him a round or two before anyone else was thinking about him, while not ruining his value by selecting him in the first round.

Considering this logic, you’ll note where guys like Randall Cobb, Larry Fitzgerald and, a little further down, Danny Amendola are ranked. I used the example of Jones previously, but Cobb is the receiver I want if I just get one from Green Bay. And I think Fitzy regains his place among fantasy football’s elite with a competent quarterback running a competent offense now in Arizona. And while Amendola comes with some injury history and is in a new environment, his versatility and status as New England’s lone high-end wide receiver makes me bullish on him heading into the season. Tom Brady finds a way to win games. He’ll do so with Amendola as a conduit to success.

In the 25-45 range I could definitely see DeSean Jackson and Kendall Wright moving up based on how training camps go, and in the 46-65 range I think the biggest movers are likely to be Alshon Jeffery, Santonio Holmes and potentially Jacoby Jones. I also wouldn’t sleep on Ryan Broyles. If he’s healthy in training camp, he’ll push Nate Burleson for that No. 2 job in Detroit right away, which would vault him easily into the top 50 as his upside is higher than Burleson’s.

Have a question? Take umbrage with any of my rankings? Want to discuss the topic further? Post in the comments section and let’s chat! And if enough questions trickle in through the course of the offseason and training camp, I’ll post a few mailbag stories. Thanks for reading. Now comment away!

For Zoneblitz.com’s quarterback ratings, click here.
For Zoneblitz.com’s running back ratings, click here.
For Zoneblitz.com’s tight end ratings, click here.
For Zoneblitz.com’s kicker ratings, click here.
For Zoneblitz.com’s defense ratings, click here.