Is Andre Johnson the #1 receiver? Where does TO fall? Can Moss reclaim his spot at #1 with Brady back throwing to him?

All these questions and more are answered right here.

Trying to do fantasy projections isn’t very hard, but to do them accurately, it is very time consuming. With the amount of WRs used in fantasy drafts, I did my top 50 rankings of the position. This is part 1. Part 2 is here.

1. Larry Fitzgerald: After his huge explosion in the playoffs this will be everyone’s #1 receiver off the board. Well he has been very consistent and I can’t knock him from being the #1 receiver until he proves me wrong. If Boldin gets traded, he will get even more touches. Expect big things.

Prediction: 100 receptions, 1,450 yards, 12 TDs; Fantasy Points: 217- Non PPR, 317-PPR

2. Randy Moss: Moss gets his quarterback this year and he should probably be number one, but I’m ranking him #2 just in case Brady gets hurt or isn’t the same.  If  Brady is the same, there isn’t a reason why Moss can’t get at least 15 touchdowns. He would be the 2^nd guy off my board for WRs.

Prediction: 85 receptions, 1200 yards, 14 TDs; Fantasy Points: 204-Non PPR, 289-PPR

3. Calvin Johnson: Megatron should dominate this year as he will 2 strong armed quarterbacks throwing him the ball. He also gets to play 3 pass defenses that aren’t that good twice a year. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t finish top 3 in WRs as long as he doesn’t get hurt.

Prediction: 90 receptions, 1400 yards, 10 TDs; Fantasy Points: 200-Non PPR, 290-PPR

4. Andre Johnson: Andre 3000 should do well again in Houston as long as Schaub can stay healthy. He has never had a problem producing and with that Texans offense getting better as each day passes, he could compete for #1 overall WR.

Predction: 110 receptions, 1350 yards, 10 TDs; Fantasy Points: 195-Non PPR, 305-PPR

5. Reggie Wayne: With Harrison gone and Anthony Gonzalez moving to the #2 spot for the first time, I see Wayne being Peyton’s emergency guy. If he is in trouble at all, he will look for Wayne. Plus Wayne’s down year last year will motivate him to be better.

Prediction: 105 receptions, 1250 yards, 9 TDs: Fantasy Points: 179-Non PPR, 284-PPR

6. Greg Jennings: Jennings has improved every year and now that Aaron Rodgers has been a starter for a full year, Jennings should probably hit his peak this year. Green Bay will probably play from behind a lot.

Prediction: 92 receptions, 1359 yards, 7 TDs; Fantasy Points: 177-Non PPR, 269-PPR

7. Roddy White: White should benefit greatly from having Tony Gonzalez there. It will take away double teams for him and I think Matt Ryan will pass the ball more this year.

Prediction: 90 receptions, 1400 yards, 6 TDs; Fantasy Points: 176-Non PPR, 266-PPR

8. Marques Colston: Colston is another guy who could be overlooked. He is on a team that passes the ball more than anyone and has an elite quarterback. So all he has to do is catch the ball. Sounds easy enough.

Prediction: 96 receptions, 1200 yards, 9 TDs; Fantasy Points: 174-Non PPR, 270-PPR

9. Chad Ocho Cinco: Chad, whatever his last name is will do well this year because he has so much to prove. Plus if Palmer is healthy, he will get him the ball, and Chad is the #1 option.

Prediction: 90 receptions, 1300 yards, 7 TDs: Fantasy Points: 172-Non PPR, 262-PPR

10. T.J. Houshmanzadeh: Housh is going to a passing west coast offense and I think he will do well. He will be the clear cut #1 option and Hasselbeck will get him the ball in good spots and in often.

Prediction: 105 receptions, 1100 yards, 10 TDs; Fantasy Points: 171-Non PPR, 276-PPR

11. Braylon Edwards: The Browns are going to be awful this year and I think Edwards will get a lot of touches because for one, its his contract year, and for two, they will be playing from behind a lot.

Prediction: 75 receptions, 1100 yards, 10 TDs; Fantasy Points: 170-Non PPR, 245-PPR

12. Roy Williams: Owners are going to think of Roy Williams’ performance last year and shy away. I think he will do a lot better than most think as he will move to his natural position.  The Cowboys won’t pass as much this year, but I do think they will get Roy the ball early and often.

Prediction: 75 receptions, 1200 yards, 8 TDs; Fantasy Points: 168-Non PPR, 243-PPR

13. Terrell Owens: Owens’ divorce with Dallas will more than likely motivate TO to do very well in Buffalo. Plus he makes offense instantly better with his presence. Double digit TDs is very likely.

Prediction: 75 receptions, 1100 yards, 10 TDs; Fantasy Points: 160-Non PPR, 235-PPR

14. Antonio Bryant: I’m a little concerned with McCown playing quarterback but Bryant is in a contract year for another straight year and will probably perform like he is.

Prediction: 75 receptions, 1100 yards, 8 TDs; Fantasy Points: 158-Non PPR, 233-PPR

15. Steve Smith: The Panthers had a very successful year and Smith was a huge part of that. I really don’t think he can repeat what he did last year because Jake Delhomme just isn’t that consistent. Plus, they will probably run the ball a lot too.

Prediction: 85 receptions, 1100 yards, 8 TDs; Fantasy Points: 158-Non PPR, 243-PPR

16. Dwayne Bowe: The Chiefs got rid of their #1 receiving option in Gonzalez and Bowe is the direct beneficiary to that. He will get a lot more catches and if Cassel is what he is getting paid, Bowe will be a top 10 fantasy WR. Obviously by ranking him 16, means I don’t Cassel is what everyone talks about him.

Prediction: 95 receptions, 1150 yards, 7 TDs; Fantasy Points: 157-Non PPR, 252-PPR

17. Bernard Berrian: I think Berrian is a huge sleeper because of the possibility of Favre playing quarterback. But even if he doesn’t, Rosenfels is a much better passer than Tavaris Jackson will ever be.

Prediction: 70 receptions, 1050 yards, 8 TDs; Fantasy Points: 156-Non PPR, 226-PPR

18. Anquan Boldin: It is hard to project Boldin because we still don’t know where he is going to play. Is he playing in Arizona? If so, how well will he perform? If they wait to the last minute and trade him to another team, how effective will he be in a new system with a new quarterback? I was pretty mediocre with the rankings because I don’t know the answers to these questions.

Prediction: 80 receptions, 1050 yards, 8 TDs; Fantasy Points: 153-Non PPR, 233-PPR

19. Brandon Marshall: When I did the rankings for Marshall, I looked up how Randy Moss did last year with Cassel. Since Orton is pretty much Cassel without the mobility, and Marshall reminds me of a guy similar to Moss, I figured it was a good argument.

Prediction: 75 receptions, 1050 yards, 8 TDs; Fantasy Points: 153-Non PPR, 228-PPR

20. Wes Welker: With Tom Brady coming back this year, Welker will continue to garner all kinds of receptions. Will get drafted much higher in PPR leagues.

Prediction: 110 receptions, 1150 yards, 6 TDs; Fantasy Points: 151-Non PPR, 261-PPR

21. Kevin Walter: The Texans offense is explosive as I’ve mentioned before and Walter is another person who makes this offense scary. I could see him getting double digit TDs as Slaton isn’t really going to get goal line carries.

Prediction: 70 receptions, 1000 yards, 8 TDs; Fantasy Points: 148-Non PPR, 218-PPR

22. Lee Evans: Owens will make Evans better but will take his receptions and his touchdowns away. Evans won’t see double teams anymore and Trent Edwards will do much better because of the WRs he has at his disposal. Plus with Lynch and Fred Jackson running the ball the only thing concerning is the offensive line.

Prediction: 75 receptions, 1100 yards, 5 TDs; Fantasy Points: 140-Non PPR, 215-PPR

23. Anthony Gonzalez: This will be the first time Gonzalez will be not be playing in the slot and he could struggle a little bit. I think he will do better and better as the season progresses.

Prediction: 70 receptions, 1000 yards, 6 TDs; Fantasy Points: 136-Non PPR, 206-PPR

24. Laveranues Coles: Coles is in a new offense, but it will be an offense that is mostly pass happy. The Bengals don’t really have a running game, and if Ocho Cinco performs well, Coles will follow.

Prediction: 75 receptions, 950 yards, 7 TDs; Fantasy Points: 136-Non PPR, 211-PPR

25. Santonio Holmes: With his Super Bowl performance he will probably be overdrafted in fantasy leagues. In Pittsburgh’s offense, he won’t merit the catches and yards to be a top 20 fantasy guy. I do, however, believe he will increase his stats from last year and continue to rise as he works with Big Ben.

Prediction: 75 receptions, 1000 yards, 6 TDs; Fantasy Points: 136-Non PPR, 211-PPR

I’m currently working on rankings 26-50. Check back later.

Ryan West is the founder of WestSportsReport.com. If you have a concern or question, feel free to comment or e-mail him at: westsportsreport@gmail.com.

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