Fantasy Football 2011: Week 9 Wide Receivers Rankings

8 weeks of the NFL are officially in the books. The first half of your fantasy season has either been kind to you (I'm looking at you, Steve Smith owners), or it has been not so kind (Those of you who wasted a high pick on Reggie Wayne, please stand up). Most fantasy leagues end in Week 16, so this is officially the mid-point for those leagues. By now, the pretenders and the contenders should have separated themselves, and in other leagues, it's still a tight race for the playoffs. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, owning an elite Wide Receiver is a huge benefit to any fantasy team, especially in light of the Chris Johnson Travesty. I like to own top WR's and load up on decent running backs with a path to a starting job, and then I play the waiver wire all year long as backs are constantly getting nicked up. It's tough to find a game-changing WR on waivers. Calvin Johnson Owners know what I am talking about - the guy has carried your squads so far and is oh-so-consistent. Granted those who own Andre Johnson are singing a different tune, but every player has risks, and AJ had red flags coming into the season; take a look at his career stats - he's constantly battling injuries.

After the jump we'll have some mid-season WR Awards as well as Week 9 ranks.

Wide Receiver Mid-Season Awards

MVP - Calvin Johnson, Lions, 47 catches, 804 yards, 11 touchdowns

Runners-Up: Wes Welker, Mike Wallace, Steve Smith

Steal of the Draft - Steve Smith, Panthers - 46 catches, 918 yards, 4 touchdowns

Runners-Up: AJ Green, Jordy Nelson

Waiver Wire Wonder - Victor Cruz, Giants - 28 catches, 497 yards, 4 touchdowns

Runners-Up: Eric Decker, Nate Washington, Doug Baldwin

Thanks For Playing, See You Next Year - Kenny Britt, Titans - 3 games, 17 catches, 289 yards, 3 touchdowns

LVP (Non-Injury) - Mike Williams, Bucs - 31 catches, 317 yards, 1 touchdown

Runners-Up: Larry Fitzgerald, Reggie Wayne

LVP (Injury) - Andre Johnson, Texans - 4 games, 25 catches, 352 yards, 2 touchdowns

Players I Like This Week: Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Julio Jones

Players I Don't Like This Week: Brandon Marshall, Broncos WR's, Steve Johnson

Rankings are below, and please let me know if you have any questions or concerns with the list. You can follow me on Twitter or ask any questions there.

For all other rankings, head on over to our friends at Fantasy Rundown and Fantasy Football Librarian

UPDATE: Hakeem Nicks is doubtful to play. Greg Jennings assumes the #1 spot.