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Last week was an interesting one for the Wide Receiver position. Dez Bryant showed that it doesn't really matter who his QB is, as he will produce no matter what. We also learned that the Jaguars and Raiders will just throw the ball with their young QB's, providing plenty of value for two receivers on each team. Randall Cobb came back from the dead in a week where I actually would have understood him having a bad game going up against that Panthers defense. The top end of these rankings are starting to look similar from a week to week basis, but those who are borderline top 20 have seen large value fluctuations from week to week. The cause of this is the matchups they have are absolutely critical to how they will perform. This week we have four teams on a bye week, down from the 6 of last week, however Julio Jones is not available. Now let's get to the rankings below, along with some commentary on a few guys.
Teams on Bye: Chargers, Colts, Falcons, 49ers
Rank | Player | Team | Opponent |
1 | DeAndre Hopkins | Texans | Bengals |
2 | Odell Beckham Jr. | Giants | Patriots |
3 | Allen Robinson | Jaguars | Ravens |
4 | Demaryius Thomas | Broncos | Chiefs |
5 | A.J. Green | Bengals | Texans |
6 | Julian Edelman | Patriots | Giants |
7 | Antonio Brown | Steelers | Browns |
8 | Alshon Jeffery | Bears | Rams |
9 | Dez Bryant | Cowboys | Buccaneers |
10 | Emmanuel Sanders | Broncos | Chiefs |
11 | Calvin Johnson | Lions | Packers |
12 | Amari Cooper | Raiders | Vikings |
13 | Brandin Cooks | Saints | Redskins |
14 | Randall Cobb | Packers | Lions |
15 | Brandon Marshall | Jets | Bills |
16 | Allen Hurns | Jaguars | Ravens |
17 | Michael Crabtree | Raiders | Vikings |
18 | Eric Decker | Jets | Bills |
19 | Mike Evans | Buccaneers | Cowboys |
20 | Larry Fitzgerald | Cardinals | Seahawks |
21 | Stefon Diggs | Vikings | Raiders |
22 | Jarvis Landry | Dolphins | Eagles |
23 | Willie Snead | Saints | Redskins |
24 | Martavis Bryant | Steelers | Browns |
25 | Jordan Matthews | Eagles | Dolphins |
26 | Marvin Jones | Bengals | Texans |
27 | John Brown | Cardinals | Seahawks |
28 | Davante Adams | Packers | Lions |
29 | James Jones | Packers | Lions |
30 | Tavon Austin | Rams | Bears |
31 | DeSean Jackson | Redskins | Saints |
32 | Kamar Aiken | Ravens | Jaguars |
33 | Sammy Watkins | Bills | Jets |
34 | Rishard Matthews | Dolphins | Eagles |
35 | Rueben Randle | Gaints | Patriots |
36 | Brandon LaFell | Patriots | Giants |
37 | Nate Washington | Texans | Bengals |
38 | Jeremy Maclin | Chiefs | Broncos |
39 | Travis Benjamin | Browns | Steelers |
40 | Michael Floyd | Cardinals | Seahawks |
41 | Robert Woods | Bills | Jets |
42 | Dorial Green-Beckham | Titans | Panthers |
43 | Pierre Garcon | Redskins | Saints |
44 | Cole Beasley | Cowboys | Buccaneers |
45 | Devin Funchess | Panthers | Titans |
46 | Marquess Wilson | Bears | Rams |
47 | Ted Ginn Jr. | Panthers | Titans |
48 | Dwayne Harris | Giants | Patriots |
49 | Terrance Williams | Cowboys | Buccaneers |
50 | Doug Baldwin | Seahawks | Cardinals |
Allen Robinson - I think it is fair to say that Robinson is matchup proof at this point. He just went toe-to-toe with Revis and came out with over 120 yards. This week he won't have to work as hard to get his production going up against the Ravens. Bortles has been a nice surprise this season, and it doesn't appear like the Jaguars are going to stop letting him throw the ball.
Brandin Cooks - Back to back good weeks for Cooks has him moving up the rankings here. Also a matchup with the Redskins doesn't hurt either. With Brees starting to play well again, Cooks is seeing the kind of production we thought he would get at the beginning of the season. While he isn't getting the volume of receptions has been a little less than expected, he has been getting targeted a fair amount of times. It is fair to predict at least 5 receptions, at least 80 yards, and a great chance of a TD this week.
Larry Fitzgerald - This ranking is directly related to having to go up against Richard Sherman. For this season Sherman has been following around the top receivers on opposing teams far more often then they had him do in previous seasons. This is bad news for Fitzgerald, but with Fitzgerald lining up not only on the outside, but also in the slot, Fitzgerald will still get to run some routes free of Fitzgerald. I think Fitzgerald will struggle to get the normal yardage output, but a TD is still in the cards for him in this offense.
Sammy Watkins - Another player who would be ranked higher if it weren't for the bad matchup. While we did just see Allen Robinson have a good game against Revis, I am not as confident in Watkins. Watkins looked good last week, however Rex Ryan is smart enough to not let Tyrod Taylor try to win him this game on Thursday. The Jaguars run an offense that throws the ball, and then throws the ball some more. I see a low scoring game coming in this short turnaround for both squads on Thursday night.
Devin Funchess - The Panthers receiver situation is one that you should probably be avoiding. If you can't avoid it though because injuries and bye weeks have depleted your team, Funchess provides some intriguing upside. Cam Newton has been playing some of his best football so far, but the receivers have been underwhelming to say the least. Funchess has been relatively quiet for this year, but had his first big game last week. While this may end up being fools gold, wouldn't you rather take the upside play this late in the rankings?