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.
Rank | Team | Opponent |
1. Hakeem Nicks | Giants | Patriots |
2. Greg Jennings | Packers | Chargers |
3. Roddy White | Falcons | Colts |
4. Miles Austin | Cowboys | Seahawks |
5. Mike Wallace | Steelers | Ravens |
6. Wes Welker | Patriots | Giants |
7. Dwayne Bowe | Chiefs | Dolphins |
8. Dez Bryant | Cowboys | Seahawks |
9. Larry Fitzgerald | Cardinals | Rams |
10. Brandon Lloyd | Rams | Cardinals |
11. Jeremy Maclin | Eagles | Bears |
12. Marques Colston | Saints | Bucs |
13. Julio Jones | Falcons | Colts |
14. Vincent Jackson | Chargers | Packers |
15. AJ Green | Bengals | Titans |
16. DeSean Jackson | Eagles | Bears |
17. Mario Manningham | Giants | Patriots |
18. Jordy Nelson | Packers | Chargers |
19. Santonio Holmes | Jets | Bills |
20. Anquan Boldin | Ravens | Steelers |
21. Victor Cruz | Giants | Patriots |
22. Brandon Marshall | Dolphins | Chiefs |
23. Michael Crabtree | 49ers | Redskins |
24. Steve Johnson | Bills | Jets |
25. Pierre Garcon | Colts | Falcons |
26. Sidney Rice | Seahawks | Cowboys |
27. Antonio Brown | Steelers | Ravens |
28. Nate Washington | Titans | Bengals |
29. Malcolm Floyd | Chargers | Packers |
30. Deion Branch | Patriots | Giants |
31. Jon Baldwin | Chiefs | Dolphins |
32. Greg Little | Browns | Texans |
33. Kevin Walter | Texans | Browns |
34. Eric Decker | Broncos | Raiders |
35. David Nelson | Bills | Jets |
36. Darrius Heyward-Bey | Raiders | Broncos |
37. Lance Moore | Saints | Bucs |
38. Torrey Smith | Ravens | Steelers |
39. Reggie Wayne | Colts | Falcons |
40. Demaryius Thomas | Broncos | Raiders |
41. Denarrius Moore | Raiders | Broncos |
42. Greg Salas | Rams | Cardinals |
43. Doug Baldwin | Seahawks | Cowboys |
44. Early Doucet | Cardinals | Rams |
45. Plaxico Burress | Jets | Bills |
46. James Jones | Packers | Chargers |
47. Braylon Edwards | 49ers | Redskins |
48. Damian Williams | Titans | Bengals |
49. Jabar Gaffney | Redskins | 49ers |
50. Devin Hester | Bears | Eagles |