WR RANKINGS 17-32
Auction...............$41
Bye Week.............9
What is there to say about Calvin Johnson that hasn't already been said myriad times? Fantasy owners praise him. Defensive coordinators lose sleep scheming for him. Megatron was his usual productive self in 2013, with nearly 1,500 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. It was the third straight season Johnson posted more than 1,400 receiving yards and the third time in four years that he logged double-digit touchdowns. The Lions added Golden Tate during free agency, but Detroit's offense is going to continue to throw the ball a lot. There will be plenty of opportunities for Megatron to transform in 2014 and he should continue to be the first receiver drafted in most leagues.
Auction...............$36
Bye Week.............11
In some respects, Bryant didn't quite live up to expectations. However it's fair to say that those failings weren't totally within his control. At times during the 2013 season, the wideout seemed to be a forgotten man in the Cowboys attack. Through it all, Bryant still had more than 1,200 receiving yards with 13 touchdowns. That was good for 199.40 fantasy points -- sixth-most among wide receivers. Dallas' biggest offseason acquisition might have been new offensive playcaller Scott Linehan. He will bring his pass-happy playbook with him from Detroit, which makes it less likely that Bryant will disappear from the gameplan for long stretches like he did last season. The talent is there for the Cowboys wideout to crack the top five at his position in 2014.
Auction...............$36
Bye Week.............4
Thomas had already been emerging as one of the best young receivers in the NFL. It's just that Peyton Manning helped take him to the next level. As Manning's No. 1 target during a record-breaking season, Thomas delighted fantasy owners to the tune of 1,430 yards, 14 touchdowns and 227.00 fantasy points -- second best at his position. Some things might change now that Eric Decker has flown the coop for New York, but Thomas will still be catching passes from arguably the best quarterback in the game. Not to mention the Broncos excel in getting the ball into the hands of their best playmakers. All in all, there's no reason to belive Thomas won't retain his status as a top-flight fantasy wideout.
Auction...............$36
Bye Week.............4
Green has been a fantasy star ever since he stepped on the field as a rookie. The former Georgia star might have finished as fantasy's fourth-best receiver for a second straight season, but his third year in the NFL was undoubtedly his best. Green snagged 98 passes for 1,426 yards and 11 touchdowns. To say he is the top option in Cincinnati's passing game is an understatement. Green saw more than twice as many as targets as the next player on the roster (Marvin Jones). As long as he's healthy, he will be Andy Dalton's first choice on where to go with the football. Green will also continue to be one of the first wideouts off the board in most fantasy drafts. Even if Dalton struggles with consistency, Green is going to continue to be a go-to player.
Auction...............$35
Bye Week.............9
The combination of Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler has been a productive one for years, dating back to their time together in Denver. Last season, Marshall not only succeeded with Cutler under center but also when Josh McCown took over for the injured starting quarterback midway through the season. The talented receiver saw some of his numbers dwindle as Alshon Jeffery emerged as a dangerous weapon on the other side, but those "down" numbers were 100 receptions for 1,295 yards. Marshall's 12 TDs were actually a career high. Marc Trestman's offense will remain slanted toward throwing the football in 2014 and Marshall will remain a coveted fantasy commodity.
Auction...............$35
Bye Week.............9
It might be easy to forget about Jones after he missed Atlanta's final 11 games due to injury. But keep an eye out for the talented receiver, who should take an even bigger role in the offense in the wake of Tony Gonzalez's retirement. Having Roddy White at 100 percent for the 2014 season should be an added benefit. The Falcons will continue to rely heavily on the passing game and Jones should be a key recipient of many of those throws. The wideout's return should also have a pretty positive impact on Matt Ryan as well. Don't let Jones slip too far, he should regain his place among the game's elite wideouts before the season is over.
Auction...............$31
Bye Week............12
After Mike Wallace left Pittsburgh for the shores of Miami, plenty of people questioned whether Brown was ready to step in and fill the shoes of a No. 1 receiver. He answered that question in the affirmative with a strong showing in 2013. Brown finished the season ranked seventh among fantasy receivers and he did it with a particularly strong finish. The Steelers speedster averaged 13.50 fantasy points over the final nine weeks of the season. Now that he's the undisputed top target in Pittsburgh's passing game, Brown will be challenged to do it again in a receiving corps that has been rebuilt after losing Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery to free agency. It's a tall order, but Brown has WR1 potential in most leagues.
Auction...............$28
Bye Week.............9
After a disappointing 2012 season that was marred by injury, Nelson rebounded nicely in 2013. As Green Bay's top receiver, he had to take on added responsibility in the offense after Randall Cobb went down with a broken leg. Nelson proved he was worthy of the task by setting career-highs in receptions (85) and yards (1,314). Add that to his eight touchdown receptions and it adds up to a quality fantasy season. It's fair to wonder how much longer the seventh-year veteran is going to be the top option in Green Bay's passing attack as the team makes an eventual transition to Randall Cobb. In the interim, as long as Aaron Rodgers is still calling the shots in the offense, Nelson will have plenty of value as a high-end WR2.
Auction...............$27
Bye Week.............9
Jeffery didn't wait until his third season to break out. Instead the Bears wideout made his mark on the NFL and in fantasy in just his second season. While he was listed on the depth chart as a No. 2 option at receiver, Jeffery was in reality more of a No. 1A alongside Brandon Marshall. That showed in his 89/1421/7 stat line over the course of the 2013 season. In the end, it was good enough to make him the eighth-best fantasy option at his position. From an offensive standpoint, much isn't likely to change in 2014. Marc Trestman will still lean heavily on the pass, which means Jeffery should see plenty of opportunities to make plays.
Auction...............$25
Bye Week.............9
Cobb looked to be on his way to a breakout season when a broken leg put him on the sideline for the remainder of the year. Nonetheless, what we saw from the speedy receiver in 2013 was good enough to whet our appetites for what is to come. With so much focus on dual-threat running backs, it's exciting to see a dual-threat receiver make such an impact. Similar to Percy Harvin, Cobb is a dangerous playmaker both as a receiver and a runner. Not to mention that he still plays in one of the NFL's most high-powered offenses. As long as Cobb can stay healthy, there's no reason to think the young pass-catcher won't be one of fantasy's elite in short order.
Auction...............$25
Bye Week............10
Johnson seems to keep going and going, year after year. The longtime veteran posted 109 catches for 1,407 yards in 2013, marking the fifth time in six seasons that he topped the 1,200-yard mark. Johnson's issue in recent years has been finding the end zone. His five scores last season were the most since 2010. The bigger problem was that all of his touchdowns came in just two games ... in back-to-back weeks. Johnson will be 33 entering the 2014 season and plays in an offense that has a new playcaller in head coach Bill O'Brien and has plenty of questions at quarterback. After 11 seasons in the NFL, it's fair for fantasy enthusiasts to be wary of a potential decline.
Auction...............$24
Bye Week.............7
Jackson has been a pretty steady fantasy option over the course of his career, consistently ranking somewhere among the mid-level No. 2 fantasy wideouts. Of couse, some of that has been his consistent inconsistency. Jackson scored fewer than 10 fantasy points in 10 games last season -- offsetting a number of big performances he had over the course of the campaign. It might be easy to blame the ups-and-downs on Tampa Bay's lackluster quarterback play, but those struggles have been indicative of Jackson's entire career. Heading into 2014, he will have a new offensive coordinator who could look to incorporate the run a little more. The big wideout's talents make him hard to ignore, but his track record makes him hard to have confidence.
Auction...............$24
Bye Week.............10
Allen was a rookie revelation in 2013. The young receiver from California stepped up in the wake of injuries to key pass-catchers in the Chargers offense to lead San Diego's receivers in catches, while leading the entire team in receiving yards. It was a welcome surprise for fantasy owners who took a chance on the first-year player in the later rounds of their drafts. Near the end of last season, there were questions as to whether or not Allen's ceiling was lower than some of the other rookie receivers. But by taking full advantage of the opportunity given to him last season, Allen has established himself as a key cog in the Chargers offense and should draw attention as a WR2 in many fantasy leagues.
Auction...............$24
Bye Week.............9
For the first time in Roddy White's career, the receiver failed to play in 16 games. He was hobbled all season long by injuries and wasn't at his best when he was on the field. Hopefully time has helped heal what ailed White in 2014, but nonetheless he has been usurped on the depth chart by Julio Jones. That doesn't mean White can't be a very productive fantasy option. But entering his 10th season in the league, he's not going to be the fantasy receiver he once was. Look for him to come off the board as a low-end No. 2 wideout or a high-end No. 3 option.
Auction...............$23
Bye Week.............10
Garcon rebounded from an injury-plagued 2012 season to be a big playmaker in 2013. The rapid receiver blew away his career-bests with a league-leading 113 receptions and 1,346 yards -- during an uneven year for quarterback Robert Griffin III. This season will feature a lot of new additions for Garcon and the Washington offense. There will be a new head coach and offensive coordinator. Oh, and Garcon will have a new sidekick with DeSean Jackson landing in the nation's capital. That last addition will make it hard for opposing defenses to double-team Garcon and could open him up for a slew of big plays in 2014. Look for the Washington wideout to be a top 10 option this season.
Auction...............$18
Bye Week.............4
Cruz was disappointing from a fantasy standpoint last season, but then again so was the entire Giants offense. After scoring three times in a Week 1 explosion aganst Dallas, Cruz only found the end zone once the rest of the season, and failed to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career. The Giants have a new offensive coordinator in Ben McAdoo and there are reports of Cruz catching 100-plus balls this year, but they'll likely be shorter passes and he will have to do more work after the catch to gain yardage. Hopefully his quarterback Eli Manning can rebound and help Cruz rise back to fantasy greatness in 2014.
WR RANKINGS 17-32
