We’re heading into the third week of the preseason, which means that it’s time to get down to business. Not only is real football right around the corner, but so is fantasy football!
If you haven’t drafted already, there’s a good chance you’re drafting this week. And if you’re more of a daily fantasy guy, those competitions are already open.
So with that said, we’ll be running through our top-30 positional rankings this week. So far we’ve covered defenses and tight ends, and today we’ll be hitting on wide receivers:
1. Julio Jones
Antonio Brown may be the best receiver in the NFL, but I just can’t put him at No. 1 in fantasy; something about the Pittsburgh Steelers is scaring me off.
Not only will they be without Martavis Bryant for the entire season and Le’Veon Bell for the first three games, but Ben Roethlisberger could be sidelined at literally any moment. And when that happens, Landry Jones will be the one under center — that’s not good for anybody.
With Julio Jones, though, I’ve got a fairly good idea of what I’m getting, and that’s an above-average quarterback who’s going to play 16 games (he has in seven of his eight seasons) throwing to one of the most naturally gifted receivers in NFL history.
5. A.J. Green
6. Dez Bryant
DT is far and away the most-underrated wide receiver in fantasy this season. Most have him ranked in the mid- to late-teens, but it’s hard for me to imagine he finishes outside the top 10.
This guy is good. This guy is really good. And he’s proven that in each of the last four seasons.
All you need to know is that in his worst season, where he was dropping seemingly every other ball and playing with the worst quarterback duo in the NFL, he still caught 105 balls for 1,304 yards and six touchdowns. I don’t care who’s behind center, DT can match and exceed those numbers this season, especially when it comes to touchdowns.
9. Keenan Allen
10. T.Y. Hilton
When it comes to the 2015 Indianapolis Colts, it’s probably best that we just scrub the whole season. The moment Andrew Luck got hurt — which could have been as early as the preseason — everything else became pointless; judging the Colts off a season where Matt Hasselbeck started eight games does us no good.
With that said, T.Y. Hilton is a lot better than the 69 receptions for 1,124 yards and five touchdowns that he threw up last season — though, that’s still pretty good. Instead, he’s probably much closer to the 82-reception, 1,345-yard, seven-touchdown season he had the year before. And that’s a top-10 fantasy season most years.
If you include the natural improvement Hilton is sure to have undergone between his third and fifth seasons in the NFL, plus the return of a healthy Andrew Luck, there’s a chance that he’s even better than those 2014 numbers.
11. Mike Evans
12. Brandon Marshall
13. Jordy Nelson
14. Alshon Jeffery
15. Brandin Cooks
16. Amari Cooper
17. Emmanuel Sanders
Everything I said about Demaryius Thomas applies here, too.
Everybody trash talks the Broncos’ pass game last season, and rightfully so, but these two guys had awesome years. And while Sanders isn’t likely to put up the 101 receptions, 1,404 yards and nine touchdowns he put up in 2014, there’s no reason he can’t split the difference between that and his 2015 season.
In 2014 he finished as the No. 7 receiver in fantasy, and in 2015 he finished as the No. 17 receiver in fantasy. If I’m selecting Sanders in my draft, I’m expecting this to be his floor.
18. Kelvin Benjamin
19. Randall Cobb
20. Sammy Watkins
22. Larry Fitzgerald
23. Doug Baldwin
24. Jarvis Landry
25. Michael Floyd
26. Eric Decker
27. Devin Funchess
28. Jordan Matthews
29. Julian Edelman
Julian Edelman is a good football player, but there are a lot of things going against him right now, not the least of which is the fact that Tom Brady will miss the first four games of the season.
What I’m worried about, though, is his health. Not only has Edelman proven to be injury prone — he’s already been injured this preseason — but I wouldn’t be surprised if another significant injury (one that forces him to miss a week or two) ends with him losing playing time in the long term, whether that’s because the Patriots are saving him for the postseason or because another players steps up in his place.
And even if everything goes according to plan for Edelman, his upside is only so high. If he tops 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns, you’ll be doing backflips.
30. John Brown
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