Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receiver (Part 2)

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Tier 13: Deep League Dice Rolls

If you are in a 10 or 12 team league you probably don’t have to bother with these guys. For those of you in 14+ leagues, you need to get lucky on a few late round picks and these guys all have at least some chance of being fantasy viable this season. Anyone you draft late is going to have warts and these guys certainly do, but there is some legitimate upside here.

66.) Jerricho Cotchery, Panthers – Somebody has to catch passes in Carolina and it looks like Cotchery is the best option they have. That doesn’t bode well for their win-loss record, but that’s irrelevant for fantasy purposes. Cotchery managed to catch 12 TDs last year on the Steelers so I guess he’s the #1 on the Panthers this year? It’s going to be ugly for the Panthers passing game this season, but Cotchery may end up with another 10 TD season because there is no one else worthy of targets on the team.

67.) Jeremy Kerley, Jets – For some reason I thought Kerley was an old vet, but he’s only 25 and has been the Jets best WR the last two seasons. It doesn’t say much when he is competing with Stephen Hill and David Nelson, but his talent is also held back by poor QB play. Now that the Jets brought in Eric Decker, Kerley can slide into the slot role where he belongs. If the Jets get good QB play this year (highly questionable) Kerley could unlock his potential and be a solid flex WR for your fantasy squad. A 70, 900, 7 season isn’t a ridiculous projection with decent QB play.

68.) Andre Holmes, Raiders – A surprise starter over James Jones on the Raiders first depth chart of the season.  Holmes has great size (6’4, 210), can run (4.53), and has shown a couple flashes of fantasy goodness (7, 136 /5 ,71) . I fall for a couple guys like this every season and am usually wrong, but I’m going to take a chance on Holmes in a couple leagues this year. The talent is there even if the QB isn’t, but Schaub has to throw to somebody right?

69.) Aaron Dobson, Patriots – Looked lost at times last season and is coming off a major surgery this offseason. He hasn’t played much in the preseason and I didn’t see enough talent last year to risk using a valuable bench spot on Dobson. The Pats have too many guys in the mix and they all seem injury prone so you never know which 2 WRs are going to be Brady’s targets week-2-week. I’ll pass on Dobson unless he is practically free, but the Pats spent a 2nd round pick on him so they must see something.

70.) Kenny Britt, Rams – I’ve been fooled by Britt too many times and so has Jeff Fischer. Eventually we both will learn, but I am going to try and stay away this season. If you haven’t been burned by Britt yet, he’s the most talented WR on the Rams right now and if Bradford is legit… There is a shot Britt becomes his go-to guy and has a huge year. All of those things are unlikely though.

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71.) Miles Austin, Browns – Could we have a Miles Austin renaissance in Cleveland? I’m rolling the dice in at least one league. Austin had a stretch a few years ago where he was a lock for 100+ yards and a TD if healthy. If you know anything about Austin you are familiar with his injury history and his ability to produce when on the field. Granted the last time he was consistently healthy was 5 years ago but he won two leagues for me that season so I will always have a soft spot for Miles. He’s had a good camp and is penciled in as a Browns starter. Why not with your last roster spot?

72.) Mike Williams, Bills -Good red zone threat on a team that didn’t have one last year. Williams gives the Bills much-needed size outside, but the Bills QB situation is ugly and I think they will try to force the ball to Sammy Watkins the few times they actually throw the ball. The Bills led the NFL in rush attempts per game last year and I would to if my QBs were E.J. Manuel and Jeff Tuel. I don’t think there will be enough targets for Williams to have any consistent fantasy value except in very deep leagues (16 teams).

73.) James Jones, Raiders – I always thought Jones was an ordinary receiver who lucked out getting to play with Aaron Rodgers. We will see if I’m right this year because Jones went from playing with a top 3 QB to a bottom 3 QB with the pick-6 yips. Good luck James. I’m still mad at you for all those TDs you scored against my Bears.

74.) Denarius Moore, Raiders –  The fact that Moore is considered a bust is crazy. He was a 5th round pick who has averaged just under 700 yards and 6 TDs with awful QBs. Moore is a legit NFL talent and if he ever ends up with a good QB he could be a perennial 1,000+ yard receiver. Matt Schaub isn’t good, but he is probably the best QB that Moore has played with yet and this could be a breakout season for him.

75.) Robert Woods, Bills – Sammy Watkins is getting all the attention in Buffalo, but Woods may be their best receiver. Woods is used to being the less heralded wide receiver since he was in college across from Marqise Lee. He’s not as flashy as Watkins or Lee, but there isn’t much Woods can’t do.  Woods isn’t the biggest, fastest, or most agile but his ability to adjust to the ball and sticky hands should lead to plenty of catches and it wouldn’t shock me if he outplayed both Watkins and Mike Williams this year. He got no press last year or this offseason, but his rookie line of 40, 587, 3 was solid. Deep leaguers should make a point of adding Woods with their last pick, he’ll probably be available.

76.) Stedman Bailey, Rams – He is currently buried on the Rams depth chart behind a bunch of WRs who seem pretty much the same and a QB that may not be any good. It’s not the ideal situation, but Rams coaches appear to be really high on Bailey and he has impressed when given a chance. Bailey had a nice stretch at the end of last season with 15 catches and a TD over the last 5 games. If he can win a spot in the top 3 WRs by the end of training camp then Bailey could have some fantasy value in PPR leagues. He’s very quick and can make things happen after the catch.

77.) Stevie Johnson, 49ers – He hasn’t been good since 2012, so signing on as the 3rd WR and 4th option (Vernon) on a team that throws the least amount of passes in the NFL isn’t exactly going to boost his fantasy profile. Stevie got drafted in my 14-team league, but that’s the only format I think he has any value in.

78.) Santonio Holmes, Bears – Ha. Wishful thinking I know, but Holmes averaged just under 20 yards per catch last season and with Jay Cutler throwing him the ball and B-Marshall and Alshon Jeffery drawing all the attention…. Holmes could be smoking slot corners all season long.