2007 Fantasy Football Preview: Wide Receivers
By Ric Atkinson
For me, the toughest part of Fantasy Football drafting is the wide receivers. After the running backs, wide receivers are the most important part of your team. But in my mind they are the hardest to handicap. You have to draft and start a lot of them. With the top twelve WRs you know pretty much what you are going to get (barring injury), but after that it turns into somewhat of a crapshoot. When I look at two guys that seem pretty even on paper I let physical size be the determining factor. Bigger is usually better. Of course the first guy on my list is an exception to the rule. So here are my projections for 2007 Fantasy Football Wide Receivers.
1. Steve Smith– He’s a little guy but he’s a big time player. Carolina says they want to get him the ball more often, and in more ways.
Projections: 99 catches, 1450 yards, 12 TDs
2. Chad Johnson– Great speed. Great route runner. Great endzone dances. What more could you ask for?
Projections: 93 catches, 1400 yards, 11 TDs
3. Marvin Harrison– Year after year he proves he’s one of the best ever. Projections: 90 catches, 1350 yards, 11 TDs
4. Torry Holt– Smooth, Fast, Crafty, and Dependable. Projections: 95 catches, 1350 yards, 10 TDs
5. Reggie Wayne– He’s the top number two receiver in the league. He’ll give you good numbers almost every week. Projections: 89 catches, 1350 yards, 10 TDs
6. Terrell Owens– If it weren’t for injuries, mental breakdowns, and his mouth, he’d be at the top of this list. Projections: 83 catches, 1250 yards, 13 TDs
7. Roy Williams– Mike Martz sees him as a younger version of Torry Holt. Projections: 87 catches, 1300 yards, 11 TDs
8. Lee Evans– He may be the fastest WR in the league, and he has great hands. If JP Loseman continues to develop Evans will have a breakout year this year. Projections: 80 catches, 1350 yards, 10 TDs.
9. Donald Driver– He’s the guy Farve is always looking for. Projections: 80 catches, 1250 yards, 9 TDs
10. Marques Colston– He’s a TO clone without all the histrionics. Projections: 75 catches, 1100 yards, 10 TDs
11. Anquan Boldin– He’s a great after the catch guy and gets lots of red zone looks. Projections: 80 catches, 1100 yards, 8 TDs
12. Larry Fitzgerald– New (more conservative) coaching staff may bring his (and Boldin’s) value down some. Projections: 80 catches, 1100 yards, 8 TDs
13. Randy Moss– Will the new team bring back the old Moss. I expect sporadic production with some really big games and some very bad games. Projections: 70 catches, 1000 yards, 12 TDs
14. TJ Houshmandzadeh– A tough matchup for every #2 cornerback in the league. Very solid and very tough. Projections: 88 catches, 1050 yards, 8 TDs
15. Plaxico Burress– Big target with lots of speed, but is an injury concern. Projections: 75 catches, 1000 yards, 11 TDs
16. Javon Walker– Ton of talent, but he doesn’t always seem to use it. Projections: 75 catches, 1100 yards, 7 TDs
17. Reggie Brown– McNabb loves this guy. Big red zone target. Projections: 75 catches, 950 yards, 10 TDs
18. Hines Ward- Tough, clutch guy. But can he keep on taking the beatings he takes week after week? Projections: 70 catches, 950 yards, 9 TDs
19. Andre Johnson– If he had any help at all on his team he’d be a superstar. Projections: 85 catches, 1050 yards, 7 TDs
20. Terry Glenn– He’s still fast and will make the tough catch when he needs to. Projections: 80 catches, 1000 yards, 7 TDs
21. Darrell Jackson- Projections: 75 catches, 900 yards, 7 TDs
22. Laveranues Coles- Projections: 70 catches, 900 yards, 7 TDs
23. Santana Moss- Projections: 65 catches, 900 yards, 7 TDs
24. Jerricho Cotchery- Projections: 65 catches, 850 yards, 8 TDs
25. Joey Galloway- Projections: 65 catches, 850 yards, 7 TDs
26. Chris Chambers- Projections: 65 catches, 800 yards, 8 TDs
27. Braylon Edwards- Projections: 64 catches, 800 yards, 7 TDs
28. Bernard Berrian- Projections: 60 catches, 800 yards, 7 TDs
29. Mark Clayton- Projections: 80 catches, 800 yards, 6 TDs
30. Deion Branch- Projections: 80 catches, 750 yards, 7 TDs
31. Matt Jones- Projections: 50 catches, 700 yards, 8 TDs
32. Calvin Johnson- Projections: 60 catches, 800 yards, 6 TDs
33. Issac Bruce- Projections: 70 catches, 750 yards, 7 TDs
34. Vincent Jackson- Projections: 60 catches, 750 yards, 6 TDs
35. Donte Stallworth- Projections: 50 catches, 700 yards, 6 TDs
36. DJ Hacket- Projections: 50 catches, 700 yards, 6 TDs
37. Greg Jennings- Projections: 50 catches, 700 yards, 6 TDs
38. Devery Henderson- Projections: 50 catches, 700 yards, 5 TDs
39. Mike Furrey- Projections: 50 catches, 650 yards, 5 TDs
40. Muhsin Muhammad- Projections: 50 catches, 700 yards, 4 TDs
August 2, 2007
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