by Will Overton

Knowing who the top guys are at wide receiver is easy. Maybe your star has a better matchup than in the past or a worse one, but are you really going to bench them anyway? The decisions start to come when you get into the middle of this list. And those decisions may determine your championship this week. Here is the way I see the wide receivers rankings shaking out:

1. Calvin Johnson – Detroit Lions vs. Atlanta
2. Brandon Marshall – Chicago Bears @ Arizona
3. Andre Johnson – Houston Texans vs. Minnesota
4. Julio Jones – Atlanta Falcons @ Detroit
5. Wes Welker – New England Patriots @ Jacksonville
6. A.J. Green – Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh
7. Demaryius Thomas – Denver Broncos  vs. Cleveland
8. Victor Cruz – New York Giants @ Baltimore
9. Roddy White – Atlanta Falcons @ Detroit
10. Randall Cobb – Green Bay Packers vs. Tennessee
11. Reggie Wayne – Indianapolis Colts @ Kansas City
12. Steve Smith – Carolina Panthers vs. Oakland
13. Dez Bryant – Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans
14. Vincent Jackson – Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. St. Louis
15. Mike Wallace – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati
16. Pierre Garcon – Washington Redskins @ Philadelphia
17. Marques Colston – New Orleans Saints @ Dallas
18. Miles Austin – Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans
19. Eric Decker – Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland
20. Cecil Shorts – Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New England
21. Danny Amendola – St. Louis Rams @ Tampa Bay
22. Hakeem Nicks – New York Giants @ Baltimore
23. Stevie Johnson – Buffalo Bills @ Miami
24. Danario Alexander – San Diego Chargers @ NY Jets
25. Brandon Lloyd – New England Patriots @ Jacksonville
26. T.Y. Hilton – Indianapolis Colts @ Kansas City
27. Torrey Smith – Baltimore Ravens vs. NY Giants
28. Michael Crabtree – San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle
29. Jeremy Maclin – Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington
30. Antonio Brown – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati
31. James Jones – Green Bay Packers vs. Tennessee
32. Lance Moore – New Orleans Saints @ Dallas
33. Greg Jennings – Green Bay Packers vs. Tennessee
34. Anquan Boldin – Baltimore Ravens vs. NY Giants
35. Mike Williams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. St. Louis
36. Brandon Gibson – St. Louis Rams @ Tampa Bay
37. Kenny Britt – Tennessee Titans @ Green Bay
38. Justin Blackmon – Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New England
39. Josh Gordon – Cleveland Browns @ Denver
40. Sidney Rice – Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco
41. Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals vs. Chicago
42. Denarius Moore – Oakland Raiders @ Carolina
43. Jason Avant – Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington
44. Brian Hartline – Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo
45. Jeremy Kerley – NY Jets vs. San Diego
46. Golden Tate – Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco
47. Darrius Heyward-Bey – Oakland Raiders @ Carolina
48. Nate Washington – Tennessee Titans @ Green Bay
49. Chris Givens – St. Louis Rams @ Tampa Bay
50. Davone Bess – Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo

• The last time the Bengals and Steelers squared off was the one time this year that A.J. Green was shut down, catching just one pass, though it was a TD. The Steelers defense is the best in the league against the pass so Green loses a few spots in this week’s rankings, but he’s still a must start.
• This last Sunday it seemed clear that Dez Bryant was slowed with his finger injury, but he still caught four passes and still found the endzone for the 8^th time in six games. New Orleans shut down Tampa Bay last week, but don’t be fooled, it’s still a bad secondary and Bryant and Miles Austin should exploit it this week.
• While Eric Decker is not the big play receiver that Demaryius Thomas is, he’s consistent and there’s something to be said for that. Decker has 16 catches in the last two weeks and he somewhat quietly has amassed 9 TD’s so far. He’s a must start outside of the shallowest of leagues.
• I don’t think there is any debate as to which team has the worst secondary in football, it’s hands down the Tampa Bay Bucs. This is why I am so high on the Rams this week. Both Danny Amendola and Brandon Gibson should turn in numbers worthy of being used in the majority of leagues.
• The more comfortable that Nick Foles gets running the Eagles offense the better the numbers Jeremy Maclin puts up. And while the Eagles as a team seem to be falling apart, Foles and Maclin are improving. This week going up against Washington might not mean a win, but it should mean good numbers for Maclin.
• It was a step forward this last week for Greg Jennings who had four catches and 50 yards. In Jennings absence James Jones and Randall Cobb have stepped up, but the Packers seem intent on working Jennings back into the mix. He’s not a must start, but he’s getting back there.
• Who knows which Kenny Britt will show up week to week? Two weeks ago he had 8 catches for 143 yards and then last week just 1 catch for 7 yards. Green Bay’s secondary isn’t great and the Titans will likely be playing from behind against the Packers, but even still it’s hard to count on Britt completely.
• While he is playing second fiddle to Cecil Shorts once again, Justin Blackmon is still a solid option. Blackmon has 25 catches in the last five games even though he has a game with just one catch mixed in there. This week the Jags play the Patriots and should continue their pass happy ways meaning enough catches for both Shorts and Blackmon.