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It has been a crazy NFL season up to this point, which has changed the values of a lot of Wide Receivers in the process. Before the season, it looked like Running Back was going to be a weak position, so fantasy analysts suggested you take two within your first few picks. That strategy may have worked for you in getting to great RB's, but what did that leave at the Wide Receiver position? The middle tier of WR's before the season started has been disappointing. Players like Roddy White, Michael Crabtree, Keenan Allen, Vincent Jackson, Larry Fitzgerald, and others have not given you what you expected. The top tier of guys though have given you a great return on investment, save Calvin and A.J. Green due to a few missed weeks of injuries. The draft strategy's going into next season need to be altered from what it has been in the past. Getting that elite receiver in the second round looks like a great use of a pick, as they seem reliable at the top.
To get back to this week, there are 6 teams coming off of a bye week, but also 6 more going onto a bye. A lot of top 20 receivers are coming off of there bye now, so be sure to insert them in your lineup. With that, let's take a look at the rankings and comments on a few of the guys.
Golden Tate - Calvin Johnson should be back this week, which makes predicting Tate's future value is tough. While he was playing with Calvin, he was a decent receiver who had his stats inflated during the span where Calvin was a decoy. Because of the connection he has developed with Stafford the past few weeks, I find it hard to imagine his targets disappearing to a point where he isn't a top 15 play. Start him with confidence, and see how the target distribution is for this week to see what his future value truly is.
Mike Evans - Wrote about him on Monday, and said that he is the receiver you want to start on that team. Evans has continued to be more involved in the offense since he has come back from his injury. Vincent Jackson has been hurting himself with his drops, which has led Glennon to look over towards Evans more and more each week. I have him in the top 20 this week, and has a great matchup against the Falcons.
Martavis Bryant - You can't deny the raw ability that Bryant brings to the Steelers offense. His size and speed make him a deadly downfield, and redzone threat for Roethlisberger. Normally I wouldn't rate him this high, but they are playing the Jets who have been terrible defending the pass this year, and Roethlisberger has been on a tear lately. His skills are still not refined, so in weeks where the matchup isn't great, he may struggle to top 30 yards receiving.
Percy Harvin - I mentioned two weeks ago that I wanted to see how he was deployed in the offense before I made any final conclusions on his value for the rest of the season, and I think we just saw how he will be used. Vick immediately was looking to get the ball to Harvin anyway that he could. This is great news for those of you that stuck with Harvin during the tough times this year. Percy won't be able to perform like he did every week, but a solid 7 receptions and 80 yards with a chance of a TD is probably now his outlook each week.
Kenny Britt - Britt was on the field for 95% of the offensive snaps on Sunday against the 49ers, establishing himself as the true number 1 receiver on the team. While his output last week was salvaged by the TD, I expect for better games on the horizon, starting this week. We saw Brian Quick be effective in the number 1 role with Austin Davis, and I am of the belief that Britt has more talent than Quick when both guys are healthy. A soft matchup this week against the Cardinals should help extend his TD streak.
Mike Wallace - The Lions have been incredible so far this year defending opposing WR's. Mike Wallace will be the next guy in line to see a pedestrian performance, but don't worry too much about it. After this week the Dolphins face the Bills, so Wallace should be able to get back on track as a top 20 WR in week 11.
Michael Floyd - I have no explanation for Michael Floyd being absent from some games. John Carlson was even targeted more than Floyd was last week, and Carlson had done nothing in the passing game all year essentially. Even when Palmer is throwing the ball as much as he does, it is hard to feed every mouth on the field. I rated John Brown one spot ahead of Floyd because of the chance for a long TD catch from Brown.
Jarvis Landry - Keep an eye on Landry, as he has been getting more and more work this season. Tannehill has been looking his way the past few weeks, and he looks like a decent receiver. Landry is more of a deep league stash right now, but could vault himself into 10 or 12 team territory here soon if this continues.
Teams On Bye: Houston, Indianapolis, Minnesota, New England, San Diego, Washington
Rank | Player | Team | Opponent |
1 | Antonio Brown | Pittsburgh Steelers | Jets |
2 | Jeremy Maclin | Philadelphia Eagles | Panthers |
3 | Demaryius Thomas | Denver Broncos | Raiders |
4 | Randall Cobb | Green Bay Packers | Bears |
5 | Jordy Nelson | Green Bay Packers | Bears |
6 | Julio Jones | Atlanta Falcons | Buccaneers |
7 | Dez Bryant | Dallas Cowboys | Jaguars |
8 | Emmanuel Sanders | Denver Broncos | Raiders |
9 | Calvin Johnson | Detroit Lions | Dolphins |
10 | A.J. Green | Cincinnati Bengals | Browns |
11 | Kelvin Benjamin | Carolina Panthers | Eagles |
12 | Alshon Jeffery | Chicago Bears | Packers |
13 | Golden Tate | Detroit Lions | Dolphins |
14 | Sammy Watkins | Buffalo Bills | Chiefs |
15 | Mike Evans | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Falcons |
16 | Mohamed Sanu | Cincinnati Bengals | Browns |
17 | Martavis Bryant | Pittsburgh Steelers | Jets |
18 | Percy Harvin | New York Jets | Steelers |
19 | Vincent Jackson | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Falcons |
20 | Larry Fitzgerald | Arizona Cardinals | Rams |
21 | Kenny Britt | St. Louis Rams | Cardinals |
22 | Anquan Boldin | San Francisco 49ers | Saints |
23 | Brandon Marshall | Chicago Bears | Packers |
24 | Torrey Smith | Baltimore Ravens | Titans |
25 | Roddy Whtie | Atlanta Falcons | Buccaneers |
26 | Mike Wallace | Miami Dolphins | Lions |
27 | Steve Smith Sr. | Baltimore Ravens | Titans |
28 | Allen Robinson | Jacksonville Jaguars | Cowboys |
29 | Odell Beckham Jr. | New York Giants | Seahawks |
30 | Eric Decker | New York Jets | Steelers |
31 | Kendall Wright | Tennessee Titans | Ravens |
32 | Andrew Hawkins | Cleveland Browns | Bengals |
33 | Brandin Cooks | New Orleans Saints | 49ers |
34 | John Brown | Arizona Cardinals | Rams |
35 | Michael Floyd | Arizona Cardinals | Rams |
36 | Doug Baldwin | Seattle Seahawks | Giants |
37 | Terrance Williams | Dallas Cowboys | Jaguars |
38 | Justin Hunter | Tennessee Titans | Ravens |
39 | James Jones | Oakland Raiders | Broncos |
40 | Andre Holmes | Oakland Raiders | Broncos |
41 | Markus Wheaton | Pittsburgh Steelers | Jets |
42 | Michael Crabtree | San Francisco 49ers | Saints |
43 | Marques Colston | New Orleans Saints | 49ers |
44 | Dwayne Bowe | Kansas City Chiefs | Bills |
45 | Davante Adams | Green Bay Packers | Bears |
46 | Jordan Matthews | Philadelphia Eagles | Panthers |
47 | Jarvis Landry | Miami Dolphins | Lions |
48 | Rueben Randle | New York Giants | Seahawks |
49 | Cecil Shorts III | Jacksonville Jaguars | Cowboys |
50 | Wes Welker | Denver Broncos | Raiders |