Part III in this series will cover my top 10 wide receivers for the 2014 fantasy football season. There are a lot of things to consider when drafting your wideouts. First, where are they on the depth chart? You need to have at least one top weapon. You will not make the playoffs with a team of second options. Sure, you'll get some wins and some big games, but the consistency won't be there. Another thing to keep in mind is your league rules. If you're in a PPR league it should change where you're taking your WRs and who your backups are going to be.
1. Calvin Johnson- Who else. Megatron had a down year last year and was still the 2nd highest-scoring, or third depending on your league, wide receiver. He's damn-near impossible to defend and his combination of size and speed makes him an absolute monster. Contributing to his "down year," which still saw him go for nearly 1,500 yards and 12 TDs, were injuries to his knee and finger. Both of those were addressed with offseason surgery. He is the best wide receiver in the NFL and should probably be taken in the first round of the draft. I wouldn't take him before the fifth pick, but anytime after that is perfectly fine.
2. Demaryius Thomas- Have you met Peyton Manning? Thomas put up the same amount of points in fantasy as Calvin Johnson last year, at least in my league, and there is no reason to think he won't have another monster year. He's a beast when it comes to yardage after the catch, 1,225 yards last year which was best in the league, and he caught 14 TDs. What makes him so dangerous is Peyton looks for him in short-yardage situations too. He scored 9 of his 14 TDs on short throws. Is he a first-rounder? He certainly could be, but I'd expect him to go early in the second.
3. AJ Green- While he doesn't have a great QB throwing to him, he gets a ton of opportunities. In fact, Green saw more targets, 178, than any other wide receiver last year. He's quick, tall, and has great hands. This makes him a great vertical threat and a prime redzone target. As I mentioned, he does have Andy Dalton pitching to him which doesn't exactly inspire confidence. But Green makes up for Dalton's shortcomings and he's a very safe pick. I wouldn't take him in the first round, but I'd be thrilled if I could get my hands on him later on.
4. Brandon Marshall- Marshall has more targets since becoming a Bear than anyone in the NFL. He found the endzone 12 times last year and nearly hit the 1,300-yard mark. Yes, you will see Alshon Jeffery get looks that will take away chances for Marshall. But considering he still saw more than 140 balls thrown his way last year I wouldn't really worry about it. Plus, if you can handcuff Marshall and Jeffery you've got a great combo. I'd look for Marshall in the late second round. If he's still available in the third I'd definitely jump at the chance to take him.
5. Dez Bryant- I know, another Cowboy on the list. Hear me out though. When he's not yelling at his teammates on the sideline, Dez puts in work. He had 13 scores last year and over 1,200 yards. The biggest drop for Dez last year was the number of deep balls he saw. However I expect that to change this season. Scott Linehan is the new offensive coordinator in Dallas and I think they're going to stretch the field with Dez a lot more in 2014. Granted he's still got Romo under center, which can be stressful, but Romo does have the arm to get the ball downfield. Plus, Romo loves throwing to Dez in the endzone. Late in the second is where Dez should be drafted, but I expect him to go higher in most leagues. Not a first-rounder or an early second-rounder, but definitely a safe pick early in the draft.
6. Julio Jones- Jones missed 11 games last year with a broken foot. When he got hurt he was on pace to top 1,800 yards and score 6 times. You and I both know he would have found the endzone more than half a dozen times if he played those 11 games. The re-tooled offensive line in Atlanta should give Matt Ryan some more time to find his top option. Roddy White is still going to get some attention, but Jones is clearly the number one receiver. Plus Tony Gonzalez retired, so Ryan's redzone safety net will likely be Jones as well. I'm very comfortable taking him in the latter half of the second round.
7. Jordy Nelson- No one missed Aaron Rodgers more. "Nelson ranked fourth among WRs in fantasy points on vertical throws (118) and tied for 31st on short ones (47)," according to ESPN. When Rodgers got hurt, Nelson's value plummeted. He's a deep threat who is going to find the endzone. Despite Rodgers abscence, Nelson was still able to put up 8 TDs on just over 1,300 yards. I fully expect him to hit double digits in scores and get at least that many yards this season. You can feel confident taking Nelson very late in the second round if you have a star running back, otherwise look for him in the third to compliment your first two picks.
8. Victor Cruz- If you owned Cruz last year you probably think I'm nuts. But just look what he went through in 2013. He got hurt, the Giants had no one to take attention away from him, and Eli was an interception machine. Much like the Cowboys the Giants have a revamped offense. They clearly still have their issues, but they should be much better than last season. Look at what Cruz did in the first 4 games of the season last year and use that as your indicator of how good he really is. Over those four games he averaged a touchdown and 106 yards. That includes a stinker in Carolina where he only 3 balls for 25 yards. Cruz is a solid third round pick.
9. Antonio Brown- Remember what I said about drafting guys who were the number one option? That's Brown. Emmanuel Sanders is now in Denver clearing the way for Brown to have a big year. He caught 110 passes last season for nearly 1,500 yards and scored 8 times. While I'm not sure his yardage numbers will increase, I'd be shocked if he doesn't find the endzone at least 10 times. Roethlisberger looked to Brown on both short and deep balls, expect that to happen again.
10. Alshon Jeffery, Pierre Garcon, Randall Cobb- With the exception of Garcon these guys are all strong number two wideouts. They're all very viable receivers, they just have guys in front of them. That makes them fantastic handcuffs and great value picks. Garcon is different because he is a number one. But that was before the Redskins had DeSean Jackson and who knows what RG3 is going to do.
Looking at what Josh Gordon did last year you probably want to know why he isn't on this list. Simply put, he's likely not going to play this year. He was already facing a season-long suspension for testing positive for marijuana, then he got a DWI. Gordon is a great receiver, albeit on a crappy team. If he's able to play, he's probably a mid to late second-rounder. However drafting him before knowing his status is beyond risky. It's not worth it to me to use anything other than a very late pick on him.
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