Wide receiver is perhaps the most difficult position to target in fantasy football. Even with the top gems- it can be difficult to know when to pull the trigger. The MonsterDraft draft guide can customize your draft board with player values based on your league’s specifications- including number of teams, starting line-up structure, points awarded per yardage/scoring play, and various other critical factors.
Here are the top 5 wide receivers the tool produced after entering specifications for a league that allows 6 points for rushing and receiving TD’s, 1 point per 25 rushing or receiving yards, 1 point per reception. This league weights TD’s and receptions while discounting yardage a little. Is your scoring format different? That’s the beauty of the MonsterDraft tool - plug in your format and your draft board is revised to match.
#5- Marques Colston- Saints. In this scoring scenario, MonsterDraft puts Colston above some bigger names like Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson, Torry Holt, and Steve Smith. Is this a computer glitch? No. If you look closer, you’ll see that Colston finished above Holt and Smith in fantasy scoring last year- and that was while battling injuries. The NFC south is not the league’s best division, and at 6 foot 4, Colston is hard to miss, and hard to take down when he gets a head of steam. Brees often looks for him in the red zone- and that means something on a team that passes almost 70% of the time. A strong o-line and a strong running game means Colston will have every chance to repeat- or even improve upon- his ’07 effort of 1200 receiving yards (8th best in the NFL) and 11 TD’s (tied for 7th).
#4- T.J. Houshmandzadeh- Bengals. Can this be right? Isn’t Chad Johnson the best receiver in Cincinnati? Maybe… maybe not. Maybe Chad just has the bigger mouth. The two WR’s virtually tied as fantasy players in standard scoring systems. Although Johnson may be a few players higher up the list of league leaders- if you look a little closer you’ll see that T.J. had more receptions and more TD’s- two stats that go a long way in the fantasy world. What Chad has over T.J. in pure homerun potential- T.J. makes up in dependability and solid route running. And let’s just say what we’re all thinking- you know that Palmer likes him more. How could he not? T.J. gets a point for chemistry with his QB. This selection is one of the beautiful aspects of the MonsterDraft tool- you can watch Johnson be selected a round or two earlier- and then when you get T.J., you can know that you got the better value at WR in this scoring format.
#3- Reggie Wayne- Colts. It seems that no one wanted to admit that Marvin Harrison might be the second best receiver on his own team. But after Reggie Wayne finished at the very top of the NFL receiving world with 1,500+ yards- it was a hard fact to ignore. Now as the number one in the NFL’s 5th ranked offense in 2007- Wayne is prepared to make fans look for him the same way Manning has been for two seasons. His 94.4 yards per game was also best in the league- and if it wasn’t for Dallas Clark being so hot in the redzone (he had 11 TD’s to Reggie’s 10) and possibly for Wayne’s 3 lost fumbles (they are minus one in this scoring system) Wayne might be vying for the number one slot here. Wayne is as good as fantasy WR prospects get.
#2- Larry Fitzgerald- Cardinals. The poor man’s Terrell Owens has become… well he’s become one of the best receivers in the league. In ’07- Fitzgerald finished 4th in the league with 1,400 yards receiving, tied for ninth with 10 TD’s- and 5th in overall fantasy scoring in most leagues. There is no one in the league who can match his leaping and body control- combined with great hands while in the air. The Cardinals are on the rise- and either QB (Leinert or Warner) will look to Fitzgerald when they need a big play. He battled nagging injuries in ’07- and a healthy season for him has unlimited possibilities.
#1- Randy Moss- Patriots. Moss had a record breaking season in ’07- and returns to a New England team with more money- virtually the same cast that made a 16-0 run in the regular season- and a team hungry for a championship. Number one is where he belongs- and where he will be on every draft board. He remains the perfect wide receiver- speed, hands, body control, and athleticism to spare. There are no fantasy points awarded for blocking- so I suggest you take the Patriots attitude towards his reluctance to block. Who cares?
The MonsterDraft tool will not only provide you with a complete list of players at every position- customized to your league and ranked in an easy to read style to guide you through every pick of the draft- but it will also generate additional, updated lists with the very latest rankings based on injuries, roster changes, or last minute adjustments made in your league. And once you subscribe and try it- you’ll be surprised at just how helpful it is. So join today- and be a Monster this season.