Now I know my XYZ's

Now we can move on to the skill players. The NFL is littered with running back question marks and controversies, which makes that position much harder to rank, with greater variance between different people's rankings. This means we will start with the easier position: Wide Receivers. The NFL has become a pass-first league, and the opportunities for WRs to succeed are greater than ever. So, without further ado, here are my WR rankings for the 2010 season:

Tier #1

1. Andre Johnson

2. Randy Moss

3. Larry Fitzgerald

4. Roddy White

5. Brandon Marshall

6. Reggie Wayne

7. Calvin Johnson

8. Miles Austin

9. Sidney Rice

Tier #2

10. Greg Jennings

11. Marques Colston

12. Anquan Boldin

13. Chad Ochocinco

14. Steve Smith (CAR)

Tier #3

15. DeSean Jackson

16. Michael Crabtree

17. Hakeem Nicks

18. Percy Harvin

19. Steve Smith (NYG)

20. Vincent Jackson

Tier #1 consists of the 9 players that I will be satisfied with as my #1 WR

Tier #2 consists of players that are outside #1 options, but players that I will probably only draft as #2 options

2 comments:

1) I rank DeSean Jackson extremely low because I have no confidence in him even approaching the season he had last year. The strength of Kolb's arm suppresses the dynamic deep threat he presented to defenses last year. Much less, the odds of him catching so many 50-yard passes even with Donavan McNabb were slim. In all reality, DeSean will not even really be on my board when I draft, because the place he is getting drafted at makes him undraftable to me. He is being drafted as a #1 receiver, and I have him as only a mediocre #2 WR.

2) Vincent Jackson's value has been vastly decreased for obvious reasons, but he is included on this list because if something about his situation changes, he could still be very productive. However, I don't really see that happening at this point, and he is already guaranteed to miss the first 3 games of the season. This makes most people not want to touch him, but if he does indeed fall far enough, I don't think taking a flyer on him is a terrible idea. Last year, Brandon Marshall's value dropped significantly for his suspension and his off-the-field issues, but when he came back he was a legit #1 WR. Sure, Vincent will be out at least 3 weeks, and maybe even 10, but in the end he has the potential to produce during the most crucial time in fantasy football, since he has to come back for the last 6 weeks if he wants to get his money. So, once the 5th round starts coming around, you should at least consider taking Vincent Jackson, especially as both the viable WR and RB options dissipate from the board.