Fantasy Football 2011: Week 2 Wide Receiver Rankings

Time to rank the divas again! The NFL saw a wild week one with many ups and downs at the wideout position. WR Studs Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson, Hakeem Nicks, Mike Wallace, Kenny Britt, Brandon Marshall, Wes Welker and DeSean Jackson exploded right out of the gate while Steve Smith delivered an amazing comeback game leading the NFL with 178 receiving yards in week 1. Dez Bryant would have been on that list if he didn't spend 1/2 of Monday Night on Revis Island and the other on the trainer's table. Vincent Jackson owners should step off the ledge; the Vikings pass rush didn't give Philip Rivers enough time to get him the damn ball. V-Jax will finish as a top 6 receiver this season. Book it.

Key injuries of note: Brandon Lloyd didn't practice as of Thursday, so he may not play on Sunday against the Bengals. Marques Colston, Kevin Walter and Danny Amendola are all out for at least a month, and Hakeem Nicks hasn't practiced yet this week. Lance Moore might give it a go for the Saints, but keep Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem handy.

How did I do in Week 1? Did I help you guys out?

I was 2 of 3 on players I liked more than you did. Dez Bryant would have put up a monster game if Antonio Cromartie and his 18 kids stayed on him all night. Instead he put up a 3-73-1 stat line (almost all on the first drive alone), which I'll take. Thanks to an 80 yard flick from Matt Hasselbeck, Kenny Britt dominated the Jacksonville secondary to a tune of 5 catches for 136 yards and 2 scores. Britt should be a top-10 WR all year long provided he stays out of the slammer. I whiffed big time on Jeremy Maclin. I apologize. He had one measly catch, but I think it'll be far from the norm. His OC Marty Mornhinweg agrees with me as Michael Vick will plan on getting the ball to Maclin more going forward.

Players I didn't like...can we skip this part? I went 0 for 3. Reggie Wayne, Greg Jennings and Miles Austin all scored touchdowns for their respective teams. Wayne went 7-106-1, Jennings 7-89-1 and Austin, thanks to a monstrous catch in the end zone in which he ripped a would-be interception out of Antonio Cromartie's hands, went 5-90-1. It was evident in Week 1 that each team's starting QB showed faith in their # 1 WR. I hope you showed the same. I apologize if you didn't. I'll buy you a drink at the local cyberspace bar.

Let's hope I do better in Week 2. Ranks after the jump...

Brandon Marshall - I am obsessed. Did you see how many times QB Chad Henne targeted him in the red zone? Granted, he missed on all targets, but Marshall is a key cog in that offensive attack. With no faith in Reggie Bush in the red zone, look for a lot of passes to Marshall. If forced to play catch up against Houston, then that's icing on the cake.

Greg Salas - Who? Just a rookie from Hawaii. He is Rams WR Danny Amendola's replacement at the slot. So what? The slot is QB Sam Bradford's favorite position to pass to. PPR League Special.

AJ Green - It's a shame I couldn't get Green on any fantasy teams this season. He has the makings of future star written all over him. If Gradkowski starts, bump him up as his only catch was a touchdown throw from the Bengals' backup QB.

Players I Don't Like More Than You Do:

Mike Thomas - I expect the Jaguars only true WR to spend the afternoon drinking Pina Coladas with Darelle Revis.

Dwayne Bowe - I know the Lions are his opponent, but did you see Matt Cassel against the Bills? He doesn't look right. I expect the Chiefs to run the ball to keep Stafford, Megatron and Co. off the field as much as possible. Oh boy do they miss Charlie Weis.

Greg Jennings - If I put this guy on the list every week, I'm bound to hit right? In all seriousness though, Panthers CB Chris Gamble shadowed Larry Fitzgerald last week, even having a safety draw coverage. As a result, Fitz was held to only 3 catches. I expect the Panthers to do a similar thing to Jennings, thus opening up the Packers' other weapons such as Jordy Nelson, Jermichel Finley, James Jones, Randall Cobb, etc.

Don't Panic on: Vincent Jackson, Roddy White

Some Panic is Acceptable: Dwayne Bowe, Sidney Rice

Go All In on: Pittsburgh WR's, Houston WR's

Fold: Seattle WR's, Indianapolis WR's

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.