1. Calvin Johnson - Megatron is just amazing, huh? This guy is just so consistently great, it's hard to rank him anywhere lower than No. 1. Week in and week out, you can expect Johnson to put up big numbers, and that's pretty much the only wide receiver in the NFL you can say that about. In 11 games last year, he had double-digit fantasy games, and he broke the record for most receiving yards in a season. Madden curse, huh?2. Brandon Marshall - B-Marsh is also a consistent wide receiver. The reason for this is he's the only guy that Jay Cutler throws to! A little over 40-percent of Cutler’s completions last season were completed to Marshall. Because he is so heavily relied on, it makes him a very valuable fantasy player.
3. AJ Green - Green is another one of those guys. He's also a great red-zone target. Until later on in the season, Green was absolutely fantastic. From Weeks 2-11, he had at least one touchdown in every game. The reason, though, that he is a slight regression candidate is that from Weeks 12-17, he had only one touchdown in all those games combined. His yardage wasn't that impressive either, except in Week 16, which was the only time he went over 100 yards during that span (116).
4. Andre Johnson - Andre is a great player, but I do expect a slight regression, and it's not his fault. They drafted Deandre Hopkins while Owen Daniels came into his own last season. I think Matt Schaub spreads the ball around a little more in an already non-pass-happy offense. But I'm not saying he won't still have a good year; you just can no longer draft him thinking he's Houston's only real option in the passing game.
5. Dez Bryant - Bryant had a phenomenal year. He's a great player, but it all depends on how Miles Austin does. After the Dallas Cowboys bye week in Week 5, Austin had one game over 100 yards -- one game! As far as touchdowns after the bye week go, he had three! That's three touchdowns in 12 weeks, or a touchdown every four weeks. I just don't think I could see Miles Austin having another bad season like this past year, so expect a slight regression.
6. Vincent Jackson - I don't care if it's Josh Freeman or Mike Glennon starting under center for for Tampa Bay, I like what Vincent Jackson brings. He's a solid No. 1 option there, and he gets a lot of targets. He had nine games over 80 yards this past season. I just really like the passing attack they have now with Jackson and Mike Williams at wide receiver and Doug Martin catching out of the backfield. Like I said, this offense will be effective, no matter who is at quarterback this season.
7. Percy Harvin -I don't think Harvin will be as effective as he was in Minnesota, but I still think he will do enough. The reason is I don't think he will be used as much in the running game. He will be effective though in the new-spread option that the Seattle Seahawks will utilize this year. You know what happened the last time Percy was in a spread-option offense, right? That's right, when he won a ?National Championship playing for Urban Meyer at the University of Florida.
8. Julio Jones - The reason Julio is lower on this list is because I think he is less valuable than wide receivers who are the predominant receivers in the offense. Although, I do like Julio because I think he is in one of the best offenses in the NFL. I do think he drops a bit in production, though, with the addition of Steven Jackson, because I believe they will get more out of their running game this season.
9. Demaryius Thomas - Thomas is one of the most skilled receivers in the NFL, but I just question how many chances he will have with Wes Welker and Eric Decker also in the passing game. We will just have to see how many passes Peyton Manning can get to his No. 1 receiver.
10. Randall Cobb - Randall Cobb has had high expectations for this season. I think he will have a huge season. I think he now becomes Aaron Rodgers' No. 1 receiver as far as targets go, and I think he has a lot of yards this season, to go with a good amount of touchdowns. I think Cobb could end up a lot higher on this list by season's end.
11. Roddy White - White was one of the best receivers in football a few years ago, but now with the addition of Julio Jones, Matt Ryan has spread the ball out to both receivers instead of just White. Roddy is still very productive though, and he's still a very good receiver.
12. Victor Cruz - I expect as Eli Manning regains his form, so does Cruz. I expect him to be a lot better than his mediocre ways from last season. I expect Cruz to be a stud once again this season, and if you’re a very excited and a little bit crazy of a fantasy football owner like me, you will be doing the salsa plenty of times this year.
13. Marques Colston - Who wouldn't want the top receiver in a high-powered, pass-heavy offense? If you’re looking for someone in a great offense who will get a lot of targets, this is your guy. Colston is a very good receiver and he has the great Drew Brees as his quarterback. While the first option is obviously Jimmy Graham, he is still the No. 1 receiver, and no one passes the ball more than Brees, which makes Colston a great pick. Also, don’t underestimate the impact that Sean Payton's return will have on the team.
14. Danny Amendola - Two words: Tom Brady. Similar to Marques Colston, Amendola is the No. 1 receiver in the highest-scoring offense in the NFL. Does anyone else see a resemblance between him and an ex-Patriot wide receiver that Brady threw to for 6 years? I think him and Wes Welker are very similar: both smaller guys, both good ball-catchers, both good YAC guys and both are very good in the slot. If Amendola can stay healthy this series, I think he can be a very good fantasy player.
15. Larry Fitzgerald - Let’s face it: Larry Fitzgerald was bad last season. The thing that stinks for Fitz is that is in in no way his fault, and that can be blamed on Kevin Kolb, Ryan Lindley and John Skelton. His quarterbacks last year were awful, but look for Carson Palmer to help Fitz out in Arizona. We should see a much better passing game in Arizona this year, as Fitz will be alongside former first-round pick Michael Floyd, and the young, but proven, Andre Roberts. Look for Fitz to improve mightily this season.
16. Wes Welker - Once again, we are going to need to see just how many passes there are to go around. If Welker can get his fair share of targets, he will be effective, but obviously that is yet to be seen. He’s one of those guys that you just have to wait and watch to see how effective he can be.
Read on to find the next 34 players on the list
17. Mike Wallace - Wallace will be the No. 1 option again in Miami for Ryan Tannehill. I think his movement will have a negative impact of Wallace’s stats. You see, think about it: first off, his quarterback in Pittsburgh was Ben Roethlisberger, and now he's got Ryan Tannehill throwing to him. Also, he is now surrounded with less talent in the receiving corps, as he goes from Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders to Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson. Because of this, he will be a larger target for double-teams and safety-help. Finally, it’s not like his role will improve; he was the top option in Pittsburgh and will be the top option in Miami. I just don’t see any chance for him not to regress.18. Torrey Smith - With Anquan Boldin in San Francisco, Smith immediately becomes Joe Flacco's top target. You don’t sign a guy for over $100 million to hand the football off, so since I believe Flacco will be throwing early and often, Smith should be the guy he goes to early and often. If you ever have a chance to get a No. 1 receiver in a good offense, you take Torrey Smith.
19. Anquan Boldin - Now we move from the guy who will be the new No. 1 option in Baltimore to the old No. 1 option in Baltimore who is now in San Francisco. If Michael Crabtree didn't tear his Achilles, this would be a whole different story, because in my opinion, Crabtree would be the top option over Boldin. But now Boldin must step up and be the No. 1 receiver, and possibly the top or second-option next to tight end Vernon Davis. With Colin Kaepernick taking over this offense and throwing those bullet passes to Boldin, I believe the veteran wide receiver is in for a big year.
20. Jordy Nelson - Nelson is another guy who will benefit from the loss of Greg Jennings. Randall Cobb will probably be mostly a slot wide receiver, leaving Nelson and James Jones on the outside. I think Nelson steps up and becomes that outside receiver that Aaron Rodgers loves to throw to. He can be a big target for Rodgers this season, as the Packers offense is very reliant on the pasa nd very reliant on Aaron Rodgers throwing the ball to many different receivers.
21. Antonio Brown - I think Brown will step up big this year. I mean, look, Big Ben has shown already that he is great at throwing the deep ball, and Brown is great at running deep routes, because he has great speed and has shown he can get it done as an outside receiver. But not only is Brown going to improve because he has more of a chance to catch the deep ball with Mike Wallace gone, he also becomes Ben Roethlisberger’s No. 1 option in the passing game. On top of Mike Wallace not being there, Heath Miller will most likely be out to start the season as well, giving more and more opportunity for Brown to show us exactly how good he is. I think this season will be a great indicator of how good Antonio Brown can become.
22. Dwayne Bowe - I actually like Bowe's chances for this year. Look, it’s not his fault that he had Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn as his quarterbacks. On top of the bad QB's, he might have had the most poorly run offensive-scheme I have ever watched, and the most poorly planned0out offense around him. Just think about it for a minute: who brings in a very solid running back in Peyton Hillis, and then don't use him? Also, Romeo Crennel didn’t do anything to improve the receiving core around him, especially key things to improve the offense such as developing Jon Baldwin or maybe improving his quarterback play. The offense was just an absolute nightmare last season, and Bowe shouldn't be at fault. This year, I think he will be in a lot better situation with Andy Reid as his head coach and offensive Guru, and with Alex Smith, a respectable quarterback.
23. Danario Alexander - I really don’t think Alexander is that good of a wide receiver, but the thing I do like about this guy is the great opportunity he is getting. Now, Phillip Rivers definitely has his fair share of interceptions, but he is heavily relied on in the San Diego Chargers offense, and with Alexander being his go-to guy, you have to think he’s going to be a respectable player. If he is anywhere near what people said about him being "the next Vincent Jackson", I’m sure you'll love to have him on your team. I think he is a great sleeper this season, and he could work his way up the rankings by season's end.
24. Steve Smith - Steve Smith seems to be less of the Steve Smith we used to know as the years continue to go by. Smith is still a good player, and in a good situation. I just think he’s been in a consistent decline the past few seasons, and I wouldn't be surprised if that decline continues into 2013.
25. Eric Decker - Decker is a good receiver, don’t get me wrong, but I just don’t think the opportunity and the targets will be there for him to be extremely successful. In a normal offense, Decker would be a top 10 wide receiver, but this isn’t a normal offense. They have Wes Welker and Demaryius Thomas, along with Decker in the passing game. I just see Thomas and Welker getting a lot more targets than Decker, because those two are just in a totally different league than him. Decker's another one of those wait-and-see type of guys; we just have to wait to see how Peyton Manning shares the wealth in the Mile High city.
26. James Jones - Jones is another one of those third-options. But over the years, Rodgers has proven to me that he can share the wealth very well. The only possible detriment to James Jones is, in my opinion, not another wide receiver, but Eddie Lacy. Think about it. Rodgers has spread the ball well when he was doing the wide majority of things offensively. Now with the addition of Lacy, you could see the offensive balance out more, resulting in less throws for Rodgers and ultimately resulting in less throws for each of the receivers. If the receivers are catching fewer balls in Green Bay, James Jones will most likely be catching the least of the three, which makes him a bit of a risky pick.
27. Hakeem Nicks - Nicks is a very good receiver, and just like with Victor Cruz, I think he should improve as Eli Manning will improve this season. The two will go hand-in-hand, but this is under one condition: as long as Nicks can keep a firm grip on the No. 2 receiver spot. Young receiver Rueben Randle is right in Nicks' rearview mirror, and if he slips up, Randle could be Eli's new second-option. So Nicks should have something to prove this season, which could be really good for him or it could be disastrous. So, if you want to take a chance on a player, I'd take a good look at Hakeem Nicks. I like to refer to it as high-risk/high-reward player; you just got to figure out if you want to take the chance.
28. Stevie Johnson - I think Johnson is a very good receiver, and I think I would like him a heck of a lot more if the Bills brought in and drafted better quarterbacks than Kevin Kolb, Tarvaris Jackson and EJ Manuel this offseason. I don't like any of these quarterbacks at all, and I think it’s horrible that Stevie Johnson's talent has to be wasted in Buffalo. If there’s anyone out there that I could see having a similar season to Larry Fitzgerald, it's Johnson. But hopefully, he shows how skilled he is and he steps up and makes whoever is throwing to him look good.
29. Greg Jennings - Jennings should have a nice opportunity in Minnesota. Hopefully for him, we can see the Christian Ponder that we saw in Week 17 against the Green Bay Packers, rather than the one we saw the whole rest of the season. Don’t be thinking, though, that Jennings is brought in to replace Harvin, because that will be Jarius Wright and Cordarrelle Patterson’s job. But expect him to be the main option in the passing game.
30. Josh Gordon - I always like a main option and this guy is the one in Cleveland. I think we see Brandon Weeden improve this season with the help of offensive coordinator Norv Turner. Josh Gordon is an absolute fantastic story, after coming from the supplemental draft, and I think he will continue to improve this season once he returns from his two-game suspension.
31. Tavon Austin - I predict Sam Bradford to improve mightily this season, and with his improvement, I think Tavon Austin will be a great player considering he will be catching the most of Bradford's passes out of the wide receiving corps in St. Louis. I think Austin will play a huge role in the Rams offense this season, and look for him to have great fantasy value. I compare Austin to a guy like Percy Harvin, because he is dynamic, can make plays with his feet and is also a great pass-catcher with great speed. Look for Austin to have a very solid year.
32. T.Y. Hilton - Hilton should regress a little bit with the addition of Darius Heyward-Bey, but if Chuck Pagano can make T.Y. play mostly in the slot, I think he could be very good again. He is the perfect slot receiver, and if they can utilize him as so, I think he can be very productive with Andrew Luck throwing to him this year and for years to come.
Read on to find out the next 18 players on the list!
The Best of the Rest
33. Pierre Garçon34. Mike Williams
35. Cecil Shorts
36. Lance Moore
37. Miles Austin
38. Jeremy Maclin
39. Sidney Rice
40. Denarious Moore
41. Emmanuel Sanders
42. Kendall Wright
43. Desean Jackson
44. Kenny Britt
45. Alshon Jeffrey
46. Justin Blackmon
47. Jacoby Jones
48. Deandre Hopkins
49. Santonio Holmes
50. Chris Givens
[tps_footer]Writen by John Miceli[/tps_footer]
