Julio Jones still doesn’t have a touchdown. Stefon Diggs is dealing with a groin injury that hampered him all of last season. Jordy Nelson, Davante Adams and Randall Cobb just lost their star quarterback for the whole season.
Maybe it’s not all sunshine and roses for the wide receiver position after all.
Despite a few shortcomings, the position has been rather solid this season, particularly at the top, where Antonio Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green and Larry Fitzgerald lead the way. The veterans are as dependable as ever.
The youngsters haven’t shown up yet, but some of them are coming. Mike Williams came back from an offseason surgery last week and Corey Davis should be fully healed from his hamstring injury after the Week 8 bye. There will be a bevy of options at wide receiver come playoff time.
Let’s see what Week 7 has in store for the league’s pass-catchers.
WR Rankings - Week 7
Rank | Player | Team | Opponent | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Player | Team | Opponent | Notes |
1 | Antonio Brown | PIT | CIN | What else do you need to see or hear? AB is the WR1 always. |
2 | A.J. Green | CIN | @PIT | Fresh off a bye week, Green scored in 3 straight before the break. |
3 | Julio Jones | ATL | @NE | Will Julio ever score again? Has just 2 RZ targets. Matchup against the worst pass defense helps. |
4 | Mike Evans | TB | @BUF | TB could very well struggled on offense with Jameis or FitzMagic in BUF, but Evans is a lock for production. |
5 | Dez Bryant | DAL | @SF | SF has no CB that can match up with Dez. Dez has scored 3 TDs and gone for 98 yards in last 4 games. |
6 | Demaryius Thomas | DEN | @LAC | With Manny Sanders out, DT is going to see monumental usage. Went 10/133 on 14 targets last week. |
7 | Brandin Cooks | NE | ATL | ATL has bled fantasy points to small, quick WRs. Cooks fits the profile and has gone 5/85 and 6/93 last 2 weeks. |
8 | Michael Thomas | NO | @GB | Coming off a truly brutal performance, but GB is decimated at CB and Brees/Thomas should be able to take advantage. |
9 | Michael Crabtree | OAK | KC | With Cooper non-existent, Crab is vaccuming up targets and TDs. KC has given up 8 TDs to WRs over last 3 weeks. |
10 | Jordy Nelson | GB | NO | Hundley went to him often in relief of Rodgers. I don't think Jordy will suffer so much in the catches/yards department. |
11 | Larry Fitzgerald | ARI | @LAR | Tough to argue with his production/usage, but ARI struggles a bit on road and LAR has been stingy against WRs. |
12 | Kelvin Benjamin | CAR | @CHI | Looked fantastic on TNF and has hit double-digit (PPR) points in 4 of last 5 games. |
13 | Pierre Garcon | SF | DAL | DAL seemingly can't cover anyone. Garcon should soak up sure receptions from new QB C.J. Beathard. |
14 | Adam Thielen | MIN | BAL | Thielen somehow hasn't scored a TD yet, but will get double-digit targets with Diggs likely out. |
15 | Tyreek Hill | KC | @OAK | OAK secondary has overachieved, but this feels like a game where Hill breaks a long one. |
16 | Davante Adams | GB | NO | Hundley isn't as bad as it seemed @MIN in relief appearance. Adams should be okay, but spike weeks will be limited. |
17 | Keenan Allen | LAC | DEN | Getting absurd usage (61 total targets, 10 RZ targets), that the matchup doesn't matter. Scored a TD in W1 vs. DEN. |
18 | Doug Baldwin | SEA | @NYG | The NYG secondary is still one to avoid, but out of the bye week Russ and Baldwin should come out hot. |
19 | Nelson Agholor | PHI | WAS | Looks more explosive than ever and is thriving in slot role. Has outscored Jeffery in half of PHI's games. |
20 | Chris Hogan | NE | ATL | The poor performance could be related to a midgame rib injury. Hogan should bounce back |
21 | Jarvis Landry | MIA | NYJ | Has been racking up targets with Parker out and has scored in 2 straight. Always a safe proposition in PPR. |
22 | Devin Funchess | CAR | @CHI | Last week's stat line won't get it done, but the 9 targets will. Cam won't play that poorly against CHI or anyone else. |
23 | Rishard Matthews | TEN | @CLE | Was very efficient on his targets last week. Should be able to find a big play or two vs. CLE's sieve of a defense. |
24 | Marqise Lee | JAX | @IND | Went 5/83 last week and showed his breakout 2016 form. IND is a cakewalk matchup, even for Bortles. |
25 | Martavis Bryant | PHI | CIN | Very much falling for the "squeaky wheel" narrative. Martavis is unhappy and wants to be traded. Big Ben will feed him. |
26 | John Brown | ARI | @LAR | Rams are a considerably tougher matchup than TB, but Brown finally looks fully healthy and has scored in 2 straight. |
27 | Eric Decker | TEN | @CLE | Looked like prime Decker on MNF and showed chemistry with Mariota, who will again be under center vs. CLE. |
28 | Alshon Jeffery | PHI | WAS | With Norman possibly returning and Breeland on the other side, this shapes up better for Agholor and Ertz. |
29 | Terrelle Pryor Sr. | WAS | @PHI | Even the targets are starting to dwindle, but with Crowder non-existent and Doctson sporaddically used, Pryor is still a WR3. |
30 | T.Y. Hilton | IND | JAX | Lines up in slot often enough to avoid Bouye and Ramsey, but it's a sad state of affairs. |
31 | DeSean Jackson | TB | @BUF | Continues to get reliable targets and is always capable of hitting a long one. |
32 | Randall Cobb | GB | NO | Hundley might look to him often as a safety valve, but Nelson and Adams have been dominating targets. |
33 | Robby Anderson | NYJ | @MIA | Scored a long TD vs. MIA in W3. Big-play dart throw. |
34 | Amari Cooper | OAK | KC | It's crazy how far he's fallen because I don't even feel comfortable putting him this high. He's a depreciated fantasy value. |
35 | Zay Jones | BUF | TB | If he can't get multiple catches against a porous TB defense, something is severely wrong. |
36 | Robert Woods | LAR | ARI | ARI hasn't been able to stop anyone and Woods has been arguably the most reliable WR on LAR. |
37 | Mike Wallace | BAL | @MIN | Maclin is hobbled and if Wallace gets some snaps vs. Trae Waynes, he could catch a couple of deep balls. |
38 | Jermaine Kearse | NYJ | @MIA | McCown's most trusted target at WR, Kearse isn't a terrible option against middling MIA CBs. |
39 | Danny Amendola | NE | ATL | A bit of a letdown after 2 straight really nice weeks. A potential shootout could boost his outlook. |
40 | Taylor Gabriel | ATL | @NE | Got a solid 8 targets with Sanu out, but only turned it into 4/39. NE secondary is horrid, though. |
41 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | PIT | CIN | Continues to outsnap Martavis, but his ceiling isn't very high as a short-range pass-catcher. |
42 | Cole Beasley | DAL | @SF | His workload and quality of looks has been poor, but SF is a ripe matchup for any pass-catcher. |
43 | Ted Ginn Jr. | NO | @GB | Has been more involved than expected with Snead back. Looking like the #2 option |
44 | Ricardo Louis | CLE | TEN | TEN's secondary hasn't been bad the last two weeks, but they're still a beatable unit. Louis is the WR1 for CLE...it seems. |
45 | Cooper Kupp | LAR | ARI | Goff is showing some of his hit-or-miss tendencies and Kupp has been |
46 | Tyler Lockett | SEA | @NYG | Him and Richardson just fight for the Baldwin and Graham scraps. |
47 | Willie Snead | NO | @GB | His workload should ramp up, especially in a game that could turn into a shootout. |
48 | Adam Humphries | TB | @BUF | Underratedly reliable, but BUF presents his toughest matchup yet and Fitzpatrick could be behind center. |
49 | Taywan Taylor | TEN | @CLE | Might be able to break off another long TD against a CLE defense that can easily get beaten deep. |
50 | Roger Lewis | NYG | @SEA | The only WR the Giants have that's been on the team all year. Might be able to get a catch or two as Engram's second-fiddle. |