We finally saw Mike Wallace sign with the Steelers, Kenny Britt’s suspension come down and much more. Let’s take a final look at our wide receiver rankings (barring some substantial news) as we head into the final weekend before the start of the regular season:
Tier 1 – Calvin Johnson Stands Alone
- Calvin Johnson – Detroit Lions (1)
Tier 2 – WR1 Locks
- Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals (2)
- Andre Johnson – Houston Texans (3)
- Roddy White – Atlanta Falcons (4)
- Greg Jennings – Green Bay Packers (5)
- Hakeem Nicks – New York Giants (6)
- Julio Jones – Atlanta Falcons (8)
- A.J. Green – Cincinnati Bengals (7)
- Wes Welker – New England Patriots (9)
Tier 3 – On The Verge, But Not Quite There
- Victor Cruz – New York Giants (10)
- Steve Smith – Carolina Panthers (11)
- Brandon Marshall – Chicago Bears (12)
- Jordy Nelson – Green Bay Packers (13)
- Percy Harvin – Minnesota Vikings (14)
- Mike Wallace – Pittsburgh Steelers (16)
Tier 4 – Solid WR2
- Dez Bryant – Dallas Cowboys (15)
- Marques Colston – New Orleans Saints (17)
- Demaryius Thomas – Denver Broncos (18)
- Dwayne Bowe – Kansas City Chiefs (19)
- Antonio Brown – Pittsburgh Steelers (24)
- Kenny Britt – Tennessee Titans (28)
- DeSean Jackson – Philadelphia Eagles (22)
- Vincent Jackson – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20)
- Stevie Johnson – Buffalo Bills (23)
Tier 5 – Draft As A WR3, But Could Easily Be WR2
- Miles Austin – Dallas Cowbys (21)
- Torrey Smith – Baltimore Ravens (25)
- Brandon Lloyd – New England Patriots (26)
- Jeremy Maclin – Philadelphia Eagles (27)
- Eric Decker – Denver Broncos (37)
Tier 6 – There’s Risk, But Worth A WR3 Spot
- Reggie Wayne – Indianapolis Colts (29)
- Pierre Garcon – Washington Redskins (30)
- Darrius Heyward-Bey – Oakland Raiders (31)
- Titus Young – Detroit Lions (35)
- Justin Blackmon – Jacksonville Jaguars (36)
Tier 7 – Potential WR3
- Robert Meachem – San Diego Chargers (32)
- Anquan Boldin – Baltimore Ravens (33)
- Greg Little – Cleveland Browns (40)
- Mike Williams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (34)
- Michael Crabtree – San Francisco 49ers (38)
- Denarius Moore – Oakland Raiders (39)
- Sidney Rice – Seattle Seahawks (41)
- Santonio Holmes – New York Jets (42)
- Laurent Robinson – Jacksonville Jaguars (43)
- Malcolm Floyd – San Diego Chargers (44)
Tier 8 – The Rest
- Lance Moore – New Orleans Saints (45)
- Brian LaFell – Carolina Panthers (46)
- Alshton Jeffrey – Chicago Bears (47)
- Nate Washington – Tennessee Titans (48)
- Kendall Wright – Tennessee Titans (NR)
- Steve Smith – St. Louis Rams (50)
Dropped from rankings – Emmanuel Sanders
Thoughts:
- A lot of the reason Kenny Britt was somewhat suppressed on the rankings originally was because of injury concerns and a potential suspension. In the end the suspension turned out to be minimal, as he will miss just one game. While he is still recovering from knee surgery, the extra week to prepare may actually do him good. He has a ton of talent and should be a WR2 with tremendous upside. Even with missing a game, I wouldn’t have any concerns at this point.
- With Hakeem Nicks appearing in the Giants final preseason game fantasy owners no longer have to worry about his injury. It’s clear he isn’t going to miss any time. Select him as a WR1 with confidence.
- According to Joe Person (via Twitter), “Rivera said he thinks Steve Smith could be back at practice Sunday, when week one preparations begin.” That’s very good news for fantasy owners. As long as he’s healthy he should continue to be viewed as a low-end WR1 heading into the season.
- Mike Wallace has finally signed and is in camp preparing for the start of the season. That’s good news for fantasy owners, but bad news for Emmanuel Sanders, who falls off the rankings as he opens the year as the team’s third receiver. He remains a solid depth option, however.
- Who will be the biggest benefactor from the presence of Peyton Manning, Demaryius Thomas or Eric Decker? I still think it will be Thomas, but Decker should also be a viable option in all formats (and a borderline WR2 option). In the team’s third preseason game he had 4 receptions for 38 yards and 2 TD. It just shows a glimpse of what is possible.
- Julio Jones had a monster training camp, with 13 receptions for 240 yards over the first three games. Don’t be surprised to see him as a Top 5 receiver by year’s end in the Falcons passing attack.
Make sure to check out our 2012 fantasy football rankings:
