2015 Fantasy Football: Wide Receiver Rankings (Part 2)
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36.) Brandon Marshall, Jets – I’m not going to lie, I’m not rooting for Marshall to succeed with the Jets after his tumultuous 2014 season in Chicago and negative comments about Jay Cutler this offseason. That being said, I really don’t think Marshall is going to have much fantasy value on a Jets team with major problems at QB. I actually think Fitzpatrick is an upgrade over Geno Smith, but still not enough of one to make Marshall relevant in fantasy. I could see Marshall starting strong, but with his multiple nagging injuries and shaky QB situation I can’t see B-Marsh being anything more than a solid WR3 in fantasy.
37.) John Brown, Cardinals – Explosive deep threat for flashed some serious talent early last season with 5 TDs in the first nine weeks, but didn’t score again the rest of the season. Brown hit the rookie wall, but showed potential and seems to be Carson Palmer’s favorite deep threat in training camp. He supposedly gained 15 pounds in the offseason to help him get through the long NFL grind and if he can consistently play like he did in the first half of 2014, Brown could have a breakout season.
38.) Mike Wallace, Vikings – One of my least favorite players in the NFL, but the move from a team with a QB who can’t throw accurate deep balls should help his fantasy value. I’m skeptical of Wallace, but he is in a much better situation than last season and should get enough deep balls to at least get him back in the WR2/WR3 mix.
39.) Kendall Wright, Titans – Had a big season in 2013 (94 | 1079) but took a step back last year. It’s hard to blame Wright when he didn’t drop a single pass in 93 targets. With rookie Marcus Mariota taking over at QB, Wright should have more accurate passes coming his way but should expect some inconsistency from Mariota as well. I think Wright will finish somewhere between his 2013 and 2014 stats, which is good enough for a solid WR3/Flex option in PPR leagues.
40.) Torrey Smith, 49ers – Any of my regular readers will know I’m not high on Colin Kaepernick‘s ability to be a successful QB. With a depleted O-line, the loss of Frank Gore, and the instability of a drastic coaching/roster upheaval, I think the Niners will be quite worse this season. A one-trick pony like Smith, whose value has come mainly from the deep ball, may struggle with a downgrade in QB and offensive scheme. Smith has untapped talent and Kaepernick has a cannon arm, but it’s hard to trust anyone on the Niners right now for fantasy purposes.