WR RANKINGS 65-80
Auction...............$5
Bye Week.............12
Wheaton is another young receiver that has deep sleeper potential in 2014. The speedster from Oregon State did nothing of note last year, but the Steelers coaching staff has said that they would like to see him more involved in the offense this season. Losing both Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery to free agency could help in that effort. Certainly the job won't be gifted to Wheaton, but he'll be given plenty of opportunities -- as a fantasy owner, that's all you can ask for.
Auction...............$5
Bye Week.............10
A year ago, many expected Amendola to fill the void left when Wes Welker departed for Denver. Except Amendola's problem in New England mirrored the problems he had in St. Louis -- namely his inability to stay healthy. Amendola played in just 12 games last season and saw his numbers suffer accordingly. Over the past three seasons, the talented receiver has missed a combined 24 games, meaning that any fantasy owner considering Amendola will need to make sure they have a more reliable option on their roster. Entering this season, the veteran will likely find himself behind Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman in the pecking order and could battle with Kenbrell Thompkins and Aaron Dobson for targets.
Auction...............$5
Bye Week.............10
Some would call Jennings' 2013 season disappointing. Those people weren't paying attention to the signs. The dropoff from Aaron Rodgers to the Vikings' cluster of quarterbacks was as severe as one would expect. Now Jennings will find himself losing targets to the dynamic Cordarrelle Patterson. The veteran might provide a stabilizing presence in the huddle, but don't look for him to provide much in the way of consistent fantasy scoring.
Auction...............$4
Bye Week.............11
Shorts was a breakout star in his second NFL season, but the follow up left a lot to be desired. Without Justin Blackmon on the opposite side to draw attention, Shorts struggled under the weight of double teams and heightened coverage. While the young receiver is feeling the pressure to perform in a contract year, things aren't slanting his way. The Jaguars will almost certainly have a quarterback competition this fall while questions remain over Blackmon's eligibility for this season. Plus the signing of Toby Gerhart could signal a change to a more run-heavy offense. We might have already seen the best of Shorts as a fantasy prospect.
Auction...............$4
Bye Week.............12
The good news for Kelvin Benjamin is that there aren't any true obstacles to him challenging for Carolina's top wide receiver spot. The bad news is that there aren't any other real options to deflect attention away from him. While Panthers management has been excited about the tall receiver's potential, he'll still need to develop in order to become a factor on the field and in fantasy. His greatest value will be as a red zone target, but with so many holes in the Panthers receiving corps, it's a reach to think Benjamin can register as anything more than a fourth or fifth WR option in most formats.
Auction...............$4
Bye Week.............4
Since landing in the NFL, Britt has had the potential to be a star on the field and in fantasy. It's potential that has gone unreached because of injuries on the gridiron and a host of problems off of it. Now entering his sixth season, Britt is trying to start over with a new team that has a logjam at the receiver position. At this point in his career, there is little to suggest Britt is going to become the productive receiver many once pegged him to be.
Auction...............$4
Bye Week.............9
Woods was a deep sleeper as a rookie last season in Buffalo. While those expectations weren't met, the former USC star did have a few nice performances during the season. Hopefully a year of experience and some consistency at quarterback can help Woods excel. However, he'll find himself in a crowded receiver group that features Stevie Johnson, Marquise Goodwin and Mike Williams. Woods will need to step up in order to stand out.
Auction...............$4
Bye Week.............10
Dobson, like teammate Kenbrell Thompkins, had a rough start to his rookie season. His struggles were magnified by the frustration shown by quarterback Tom Brady throughout the early season. While Dobson improved as the season went along, he'll have stiff competition for targets in 2014. The Patriots hope to have a healthy Rob Gronkowski to go along with Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. Dobson will have to impress in training camp to earn extra snaps.
Auction...............$4
Bye Week.............11
Smith isn't the receiver he once was -- a fact that has been borne out in the steady decline of the veteran's stats in recent years. But the 35-year-old has a new home and added motivation after the Panthers released him and allowed him to go to Baltimore. With the Ravens, the former Carolina star will be a complement to Torrey Smith and could find himself behind Dennis Pitta on the list of targets for Joe Flacco. For the elder Smith, he might be relegated to the fantasy fate of being a fourth wideout or flex option in 2014.
Auction...............$4
Bye Week.............5
Jones returns home to the Bay Area to join the Raiders as a free agent. He might find that it's a world away -- literally and figuratively -- from Green Bay, where he previously made his bones as a receiver. A seven-year veteran who has never caught more than 64 passes in a season, could be asked to shoulder a heavy burden in Oakland's suspect passing game. Jones could quickly discover that Matt Schaub is no Aaron Rodgers. He might be the No. 1 receiver on the Raiders roster, but he'll likely line up as a fourth option for many fantasy enthusiasts.
Auction...............$3
Bye Week.............6
Selecting a Saints receiver has always been a headache for fantasy owners. Usually Marques Colston was the only real trustworthy option. But for a month-long run, the arrow swung in the direction of the rookie Stills, who proved to be a credible deep threat. As Colston gets a little older, it wouldn't be a shock to see Stills get more looks from Drew Brees. But until he can show a little more consistency, it's best to consider him as a flex option.
Auction...............$3
Bye Week.............5
Streater continues to develop into a quality playmaker for the Raiders -- despite not having consistent quarterbacks in his first two seasons. Even with veteran James Jones on the roster, Streater could land as the second option in the passing game. The trick will be for Oakland to find a quarterback who can get him the ball consistently. Streater will have some value as a flex option in deeper leagues.
Auction...............$3
Bye Week.............7
There are few places better for a wideout to land than in Chip Kelly's uptempo offense. Matthews' opportunity to produce looks even better because of DeSean Jackson's dismissal from the organization. Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper could begin the season ahead of Matthews on the depth chart, but it wouldn't be a total shock to see the rookie from Vanderbilt carve out some more targets for himself as we get into the preseason.
Auction...............$3
Bye Week.............4
What might have been for Miles Austin. Once upon a time, he appeared on his way to NFL and fantasy football stardom as an up-and-coming receiver for the Cowboys. That dream was deferred by a litany of injuries over the past few seasons. Now Austin lands in Cleveland in a wide receiver group that is overloaded, but could be without its star if Josh Gordon is suspended. There's a chance that Austin could be a productive WR4/5 if he can stay healthy. It's up to fantasy owners to determine if the risk is worth it.
Auction...............$3
Bye Week.............9
When Randall Cobb went down with a broken leg early in the 2013 season, Boykin found his moment to shine. The second-year wideout had a few nice performances in the midst of the season, something he can use to state his case as Green Bay's No. 3 WR option going into 2014. There is potential for the speedy pass-catcher to be a deep sleeper playing in the high-flying Packers offense this season.
Auction...............$2
Bye Week.............10
Floyd's first (and biggest) challenge in 2014 will be to get back onto the field after suffering a frightening neck injury last season. If he can overcome that, he'll have every opportunity to compete for the job as the complement to Keenan Allen in San Diego's passing game. Until his availability for the season becomes clearer, his fantasy draft value will remain rather murky.
WR RANKINGS 65-80
