NFL FANTASY PREVIEW - THE WIDE RECEIVERS

by Matt Minucci

Sorry for the delay in finishing up these previews. I was locked in a Brazilian death camp - did I say death camp? I meant happy camp - for trying to smuggle 127lbs of uncut Bolivian cocaine for my editor. He needs his happy dust.

Once again: My editor.

Let me say this. If your editor ever asks you to go to La Paz and stop in at a place called Route 36, you might be in trouble.

Route 36. A very happy place. If you're insane.

But I am back now, and without further ado, we'll jump into a brief preview of the wide receivers to target for your fantasy football team. Wide receivers can be a tricky position, because there's so damn many of them. A good rule of thumb for 2009: If you have Marvin Harrison or Plaxico Burress on your team, you might want to start thinking about hockey.

Plaxico, ready for a night on the town.

THE TOP TEN

The best of the best. These are the ten best WRs in the NFL and if you've got any of them, you're off to a good start.

1. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals  

You gotta love the effort from Fitzy.

Fitzy is my top choice at WR. He does it all. He's in a high-powered offense. He scores tons of TDs. He catches tons of balls and he accumulates massive amounts of yardage. Plus he's as durable as a Mack truck. I expect 100 catches, 1500 yards and 12-14 TDs. At minimum. Fitzy is the best Route 36 has to offer.

2. Andre Johnson, Houston Texans

Andre Johnson, leaving the others in his dust.

This is a close call. In fantasy football, as in life, it's always a good thing to come equipped with a big Johnson. And they don't get much bigger than Andre Johnson of Houston and Calvin Johnson of Detroit. The nod here goes to Andre Johnson, mainly because he's got a more veteran QB in Matt Schaub (over rookie Matt Stafford) and he'll probably catch more balls - for those of you in a points per reception league. Say over 100 balls for 1400 yards and around 8-10 TDs for the big Texan.  

3. Calvin Johnson, Detroit.

No one wants to face this guy.

He's got the best nickname in sports - Megatron. And he'll put up huge numbers even with a rookie QB throwing to him. Megatron is just a beast. Expect 85-90 grabs for 1300 yards and 13-15 TDs. If you have any of these 3 WRs, you are set at that position as long as your second WR is breathing. After this, things get slightly more dicey.

4. Randy Moss, New England Patriots

Brady's back. That makes all the difference for Moss.

Moss is every bit as good as the top three guys on this list, but he is a little older. And he will catch fewer balls. Of course, the equalizer here is that he's got Tom Brady back. Last year, with Matt Cassel chucking the skin,(giggety), Moss amassed 1000 yards and 11 TDs. With Brady back under center expect around 1200 yards, 70-75 grabs and around 13-15 TDs.

5. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts

You'll be dancin' too if you get Wayne.

With Marvin Harrison put out to pasture, Wayne is now officially the top dawg in Indy. He's been the unofficial one for a few years now. Wayne isn't as big or flashy as the top 4 guys on this list, but he's solid, consistent and very good. A nice consolation prize if you can't land one of the top big 4. Expect almost 100 grabs and 1400 yards, but TDs will be spread around in Indy more, so I only see around 8-10 TDs for Wayne.

6. Greg Jennings, Green Bay Packers  

Jennings with the Lambeau faithful.

Jennings is often overlooked, but he's the number one option in Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers proved last year that he could be every bit as good as Brett Fahveruh. Jennings isn't flashy and some people my snicker when you draft him, but don't get rattled. He'll put up 1200 yards, 85 grabs and 10 TDs. Solid numbers at this point.

7. Anquan Boldin, Arizona Cardinals  

Boldin' the beautiful.

It's tough to put a number two receiver in the top 10, but Boldin has been so good and so consistent - the ying to Fitzgerald's yang - it's hard NOT to put him here. The Cards have a high-flyin', high-scorin' offense and for now, Boldin gets the nod over other number 1 wideouts in less potent offenses. Expect around 80 grabs for 1100 yards and 10 TDs.

8. Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints  

Uhm...maybe you don't want Colston...

Colston is the number one guy in the Saints vaunted aerial attack. And when their QB throws for 5000 yards, you know you want the top WR in this set. Colston has had injury troubles in the past, and that coupled with a slight lack of scoring prowess drops him down on this list. Still, he's an elite #1 WR option and don't shy away from taking him early. Expect around 75 grabs for 1100 yards and 10 TDs.

9. Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons

If he's Roddy, I don't wanna be White.

As Matt Ryan continues to develop into an elite passer, Roddy White will reap the rewards. The acquisition of Tony Gonzalez should improve the Falcon offense tenfold and really enable White to garner even more yards as the focus will have to be split away from White a bit to keep tabs on Gonzo. White could lose red zone touches from this as well, but it still should be enough to drop him out of the top 10. Expect 80 grabs, 1200 yards and 8 TDs.

10. Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers

Mr. Smith goes to the NFL.

Closing out the top 10, we go with the old man, Steve Smith, the diminutive wideout from the Panthers. Smith's monster seasons are a thing of the past, and the Panthers have transitioned to a run-first offense with D'Angleo Williams and Jon Stewart. But when they do throw the ball, Smith is their best - an really only - option. Expect a solid if not spectacular 75 grabs, 1100 yards and 8 TDs.  

That pretty much closes out the top 10 WR. You'll notice that most leagues are 12 teams deep and there's only 10 WR here. If you find yourself out of luck in getting one of these 10, don't despair. First off, unless you're name's Quigley, you probably have a very solid running game. That combined with a solid QB should put you in decent shape. For your WR, you'll now have to look at secondary options and try to get 2 or even 3 solid lesser WR. Here are some options to target:  

THE BEST OF THE REST:  

Terrell Owens, Buffalo Bills: TO in Buff-ALO. Expect 1000 yards and 7-9 TDs. But don't overpay for him. Or draft him too early.  

Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers: V-Jax is the #1 WR in SD, but behind Gates and LT as a scoring option. Expect 1100 yards and 7-8 TDs.

Wes Welker, New England Patriots: The best possession guy in the league. He'll catch a ton of balls, but not for a lot of yards or TDs. Expect 1100 yards and 6-7 TDs - but 115 catches is not absurd to expect for you points-per-reception guys.

Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City Chiefs: The Chefs offense is a mess, but Bowe should still get 1100 and 7.

Roy Williams, Dallas Cowboys: The #1 WR in Dallas. A complete roll of the dice. Could be great. Could disappear. Play it safe and expect 1000 and 7. Maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh Steelers: The #1 guy in Pitt, another run-first offense. Holmes should still get around 1000 and 6.  

Braylon Edwards, Cleveland Browns: QB situation is a mess and Mangina is the coach. Not ideal. Still, the tools are there for him to be elite - except for his stone hands. Figure on 1000 yards and 6, but that could be vastly under-rating him - or over-rating him. No way to be sure. A crap shoot.  

Anthony Gonzalez, Indianapolis Colts: takes over for Harrison opposite Wayne. Dallas Clark is a bigger scoring threat, but this kid should still get you 1000 and 6. Maybe more.  

Santana Moss, Washington Redskins: A deep threat and the top WR in DC. Campbell is accurate and makes few mistakes, but will only toss around 15 TDs. And since 7 will go to Cooley, there's not much left to go around. 1000 and 6 will be your best bet.  

Now, this list is not exhaustive and I'm sure you're thinking of other WRs right now that you think I forgot. Guys like DeSean Jackson, Eddie Royal, Hines Ward, Chad Ochocinco, TJ Houshmandzadeh, Brandon Marshall, and on and on.  The point is, if there's a guy you like, you think he'll be good...take him. After the top 10 guys above, the WR spot is a total crap shoot. You could take a guy like Mike Sims-Walker on Jacksonville with a flyer in the last round of your draft and he could get 1000 yards and 8 TDs. Just like the stuff at Route 36. Is it peruvian nose candy or baking soda. You just never know. 

I just snorted what?