Posted by Sean in Ranks,Wide Receivers on Nov 5th 2010 and last modified on Nov 6th 2010. (Print This)
Waiver Wire Gold: Steve Johnson has scored in 5 straight.
Steve Johnson is the real deal. Waiver Wire Gold is rare, but just like Brandon Lloyd, Johnson has come out of no where to become an absolute fantasy stud. He’s scored in five straight games and has six TDs on the season. His yardage totals need improving, but his red-zone efficiency is far from a fluke. Ryan Fitzpatrick has given the Bills a passing attack for the first time since Jim Kelly retired. Johnson has finally provided Lee Evans with a wing man to dissolve some of the double coverage he’s been facing since his rookie season. The defense will allow opposing offenses to put up points, forcing the Bills to the air early and often. Where does he fall in this week’s ranks? Lets take a look:
UPDATE: Austin Collie looks good to go. He’s ahead of schedule and is expected to suit up vs. the Eagles. Anthony Gonzalez is done for the season. Collie will slide right back into his role. Garcon’s improvement will dilute the targets slightly, but steady production is expected. Reports say that he’s looked solid this week in practice. Be sure to double check the injury report, but if he goes, he’s safe to plug into your lineups. There may be some slight rust to kick off, but he’s easily a Top-25 play.
1) Roddy White – ATL – WR, vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sun 1:00 PM
He’s a target machine. Continues to produce despite opposing team’s double coverage efforts. He should be well rested after the bye and is coming off of a 200+yard, 2 TD outing vs. the Bengals. He’ll give Tampa’s DBs fits.
2) Reggie Wayne – IND – WR, at Philadelphia Eagles, Sun 4:15 PM
Tamme stepped up quite well in the Dallas Clark role, while Garcon appears to be over his early season struggles. The Indy offense looks better off than initially expected. With the injuries to the running game, expect the Colts to win once again through the air.
3) Hakeem Nicks – NYG – WR, at Seattle Seahawks, Sun 4:05 PM
He’s the biggest rising star at the WR position. The Seahawks play tough at home, but Nicks should have his way yet again. The late bye week bodes well for a healthy stretch run. He should be in all line-ups.
4) Miles Austin – DAL – WR, at Green Bay Packers, Sun 8:20 PM
Austin’s inconsistency warrants concern, but his talent makes him a must-start. It was good to see Kitna connect with him last week. The Cowboy Defense is awful. Expect them to be playing from behind in most games.
5) Calvin Johnson – DET – WR, vs. New York Jets, Sun 1:00 PM
Megatron stepped up as expected with the return of Matt Stafford. While Shaun Hill looked primarily to his TEs, Stafford has tunnel vision on his WR1. The Jets secondary will pose problems, but Johnson has the stature and talent to off-set the Revis-effect.
6) Greg Jennings – GRE – WR, vs. Dallas Cowboys, Sun 8:20 PM
Jennings should find easy soft spots in the Cowboy’s coverage. Dallas has allowed wide-outs to go off each and every week. Aaron Rodgers was held in check by the Jets last week. Look for him to break out. The injury to Donald Driver, the loss of Finley and the inconsistency of James Jones will force more targets in Jennings’ direction. He had a slow start, but is quickly turning into the stud that owners expected when they drafted him.
7) Andre Johnson – HOU – WR, vs. San Diego Chargers, Sun 1:00 PM
Andre’s ankle issues are of concern. He was unable to re-enter last week’s game at a critical moment. He has surprisingly participated in some practice this week and is expected to go vs. the Bolts. He’ll produce despite the injury, but owners may become frustrated as his ankle will prohibit him from reaching his ceiling.
8) Anquan Boldin – BAL – WR, vs. Miami Dolphins, Sun 1:00 PM
Boldin has managed to avoid the injury bug this season…. Knock on Wood. He should be refreshed and ready after the bye week. Vonte Davis is physical, but Boldin knows how to play that game.
9) Marques Colston – NOR – WR, at Carolina Panthers, Sun 1:00 PM
Colston has come alive as of late, but the Panthers have a solid history of shutting him down. That being said, the ground game continues to need work. The Saint’s defense is not what it was a year ago. Brees will continue to air-it-out.
10) Terrell Owens – CIN – WR, vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Mon 8:30 PM
Owens is the clear WR1 in Cincy. Pittsburgh traditionally shuts down Ocho, and that’s what we expect this week. They are beatable through the air, and Owens will take advantage of inferior coverage on the opposite side. The Cincy defense has been bad enough to force the team into shootouts week in and week out.
11) Brandon Marshall – MIA – WR, at Baltimore Ravens, Sun 1:00 PM
We’ve had high expectations for the stud WR, but Miami just doesn’t know how to get him the ball. He leads the league in red-zone targets, but he’s only scored once. Chad Henne’s accuracy and willingness to look to Davone Bess is cutting into Marshall’s production. Another difficult match-up leaves him sitting outside of our Top-10.
12) Pierre Garcon – IND – WR, at Philadelphia Eagles, Sun 4:15 PM
The worst appears to be behind Garcon. He’s coming off three solid outings and looks to expand his role due to the numerous injuries that the Colts have endured. Wayne can only do so much. Garcon could finish with a more impressive stat line.
13) Steve Smith – NYG – WR, at Seattle Seahawks, Sun 4:05 PM
Smith just quietly produces. He’s consistent, not flashy. There’s very little sexiness about him, but nothing turns me on more than winning.
14) Larry Fitzgerald – ARI – WR, at Minnesota Vikings, Sun 1:00 PM
He’s coming off his best game of the season. The Minny pass-defense has surprisingly played better than their run, but Fitz will find away to produce.
15) DeSean Jackson – PHI – WR, vs. Indianapolis Colts, Sun 4:15 PM
Jackson’s status remains a little foggy, but he’s had numerous weeks to heal and has passed all the tests needed to play. The expected return of Mike Vick only improves his stock.
16) Hines Ward – PIT – WR, at Cincinnati Bengals, Mon 8:30 PM
Ward came back down to earth last week, but he’s always performed well vs. the Bengals. He’ll bounce back and provide solid WR2 #’s this week.
17) Dwayne Bowe – KAN – WR, at Oakland Raiders, Sun 4:15 PM
The KC passing game is very scary, but Bowe has scored 5 times in the past 3 weeks. Oakland would look to put that production on hold, but with Nnamdi looking like a scratch, we expect another score.
18) Mike Williams – TAM – WR, at Atlanta Falcons, Sun 1:00 PM
Williams has produced every single week despite his inexperience and lack of fellow play-makers. His character concerns that he carried in college appear to be behind him. The Bucs got a steal when the drafted him so late. He was a high-risk, high-reward draft pick, but has been nothing but steady in the pros.
19) Jeremy Maclin – PHI – WR, vs. Indianapolis Colts, Sun 4:15 PM
If DeSean is unable to go Maclin should see an increase in targets, but his stat line may benefit from having his teammate in the line-up. Opposing defenses will look to primarily stop DJack from beating them, allowing the sophomore stud to exploit inferior coverage.
20) Mike Wallace – PIT – WR, at Cincinnati Bengals, Mon 8:30 PM
Wallace should easily take advantage of a Bengal secondary that has had much trouble stopping opposing WRs. His reception totals will never pile up, and he’s heavily reliant on finding the end-zone in order to put up fantasy points, but we’re confident he’ll find pay-dirt on Monday night.
21) Percy Harvin – MIN – WR, vs. Arizona Cardinals, Sun 1:00 PM
Harvin is at risk of sitting this week. He’s been extremely limited and will miss Randy Moss stretching the field. Zona is a favorable match-up, but too many factors are creeping into the picture. It’s looking like a game-time decision. Have a back-up option ready.
22) Chad Ochocinco – CIN – WR, vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Mon 8:30 PM
Ocho has a history of struggling vs. the Steelers. Once again we expect T.O. to out produce his teammate.
23) Steve Johnson – BUF – WR, vs. Chicago Bears, Sun 1:00 PM
Johnson has scored in 5 straight games. Peppers will apply pressure to Fitzpatrick, but Johnson will make him pay and make it 6.
24) Steve Smith – CAR – WR, vs. New Orleans Saints, Sun 1:00 PM
Carolina is terrible! Smith may provide the team with it’s only bright spot. He’ll see a ton of targets.
25) Lee Evans – BUF – WR, vs. Chicago Bears, Sun 1:00 PM
Evans is playing his best ball in years. Steve Johnson has finally supplied the team with another aerial option. Fitzpatrick will continue to sling-it.
26) Wes Welker – NEP – WR, at Cleveland Browns, Sun 1:00 PM
The Patriot offense has reverted back to it’s old-school ways. The ground game has made a comeback. Welker’s role is still important, but the scheme is no longer run through the slot. He misses Moss.
27) Mike Williams – SEA – WR, vs. New York Giants, Sun 4:05 PM
Williams fell back to earth last week. With the Giants coming to town, and Matt Hasselbeck on the bench, he’s a high risk, but potentially high-reward player. We’re not too excited about the match-up.
28) Johnny Knox – CHI – WR, at Buffalo Bills, Sun 1:00 PM
Knox reminds me a lot of Lee Evans. The talent is there, but the time for his quarterback to get him the ball is not. He relies a little too much on the deep ball for production. He needs to become a more effective possession guy to offset the inadequacies of the offensive line.
29) Dez Bryant – DAL – WR, at Green Bay Packers, Sun 8:20 PM
Coming off his best two games of the season, one needs to draw the correlation that Bryant has benefited from the insertion of Kitna into the driver’s seat. It may also have to do with the fact that he is finally over his ankle injury. If he can stay healthy, he could be a solid contributor for your fantasy squad down the stretch.
30) Steve Breaston – ARI – WR, at Minnesota Vikings, Sun 1:00 PM
31) Patrick Crayton – SDC – WR, at Houston Texans, Sun 1:00 PM
32) Davone Bess – MIA – WR, at Baltimore Ravens, Sun 1:00 PM
33) Braylon Edwards – NYJ – WR, at Detroit Lions, Sun 1:00 PM
34) Lance Moore – NOR – WR, at Carolina Panthers, Sun 1:00 PM
35) Robert Meachem – NOR – WR, at Carolina Panthers, Sun 1:00 PM
36) Seyi Ajirotutu – SDC – WR, at Houston Texans, Sun 1:00 PM
37) Deion Branch – NEP – WR, at Cleveland Browns, Sun 1:00 PM
38) Santonio Holmes – NYJ – WR, at Detroit Lions, Sun 1:00 PM
39) Roy E. Williams – DAL – WR, at Green Bay Packers, Sun 8:20 PM
40) Jacoby Jones – HOU – WR, vs. San Diego Chargers, Sun 1:00 PM
41) Mario Manningham – NYG – WR, at Seattle Seahawks, Sun 4:05 PM
42) Nate Burleson – DET – WR, vs. New York Jets, Sun 1:00 PM
43) Jordy Nelson – GRE – WR, vs. Dallas Cowboys, Sun 8:20 PM
44) Derrick Mason – BAL – WR, vs. Miami Dolphins, Sun 1:00 PM
45) James Jones – GRE – WR, vs. Dallas Cowboys, Sun 8:20 PM
46) Deon Butler – SEA – WR, vs. New York Giants, Sun 4:05 PM
47) Roscoe Parrish – BUF – WR, vs. Chicago Bears, Sun 1:00 PM
48) Kevin Walter – HOU – WR, vs. San Diego Chargers, Sun 1:00 PM
49) Darrius Heyward-Bey – OAK – WR, vs. Kansas City Chiefs, Sun 4:15 PM
50) Jordan Shipley – CIN – WR, vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Mon 8:30 PM
51) Michael Jenkins – ATL – WR, vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sun 1:00 PM
52) Arrelious Benn – TAM – WR, at Atlanta Falcons, Sun 1:00 PM
53) Jason Avant – PHI – WR, vs. Indianapolis Colts, Sun 4:15 PM
54) Brandon Tate – NEP – WR, at Cleveland Browns, Sun 1:00 PM
55) Devin Aromashodu – CHI – WR, at Buffalo Bills, Sun 1:00 PM
56) Mohamed Massaquoi – CLE – WR, vs. New England Patriots, Sun 1:00 PM
57) Anthony Gonzalez – IND – WR, at Philadelphia Eagles, Sun 4:15 PM
58) Early Doucet – ARI – WR, at Minnesota Vikings, Sun 1:00 PM
59) Dexter McCluster – KAN – WR, at Oakland Raiders, Sun 4:15 PM
60) Jerricho Cotchery – NYJ – WR, at Detroit Lions, Sun 1:00 PM
61) Josh Cribbs – CLE – WR, vs. New England Patriots, Sun 1:00 PM
62) Devery Henderson – NOR – WR, at Carolina Panthers, Sun 1:00 PM
Leave a Reply