Fantasy Football 2014: WR preseason rankings
WR. Houston Texans. Andre Johnson. 11. player. 10. Johnson has struggled through plenty of QB turmoil in Houston, but has been remarkably consistent outside of one year lost to injury (2011). Another new coach, QB, and system could hurt the veteran receiver, and he’s had some nagging injuries in camp as well. Still, Johnson has played through to many of these transitions successfully in the past to drop him too far down the list. He definitely has WR1 upside, but he’s an even better selection if you can get him as your WR2.
57. Trust me, I loved the Alshon Jeffery ascension to fantasy stardom last season. I was an early proponent of the big former-South Carolina receiver and owned him in multiple leagues. My concern is that all his success came with Jay Cutler out of the lineup and Cutler loves to throw the ball to Brandon Marshall. Jeffery is still definitely at least a WR2, but I do think there’s some significant risk in drafting him.. WR. Chicago Bears. Alshon Jeffery. 13. player
15. player. 36. Like Jackson, Harvin can be boom-or-bust from game to game. Although he only put up one point last season, he comes into this year reportedly healthy and impressing early in camp. I trust the Seahawks to get the ball into his hands on offense for him to make plays, and I think he’s a great breakout candidate. He is high-risk, but his upside gets him this high on my list. As with all high-risk options, try to balance him out by grabbing more established low-risk receivers as backups even if their ceiling isn’t as high as some high-risk options around them.. WR. Seattle Seahawks. Percy Harvin
42. Crabtree is another receiver who has the potential to be a top-ten receiver if he can stay healthy. He and Colin Kaepernick have shown a solid connection when they have played together and Crabtree is definitely the best receiving weapon the ‘Niners. He’s been hobbled a bit by a hamstring issue this preseason, but he’s worth a roll of the dice to see if he can stay on the field. . WR. San Francisco 49ers. Michael Crabtree. 16. player
WR. San Diego Chargers. Keenan Allen. 17. player. 13. Allen started his rookie season slow but quickly became one of Philip Rivers’ top targets. He and Rivers should continue to connect this season making him a mid-range WR2 with upside to push into the top 10 from week to week.
Wes Welker. 18. player. 45. Welker’s production wasn’t all that great with Denver if you were playing in non-PPR leagues. He struggled with injury and needed touchdowns to keep him as a WR2 last season. On the other hand, he’s in the most prolific passing offense in the NFL and should get even more looks with Eric Decker out of town. Welker will get plenty of catches even if he doesn’t pile up yards making him a great insurance policy in PPR league if you go risky with your first pick. In non-PPR leagues, you’re banking on him staying healthy and finding the end zone. When he does, he’s much better than the 18th-best wide receiver but there is definitely some risk that he won’t reach that level quite as often this season. . WR. Denver Broncos
31. Cruz and all the Giants offense suffered a down year last season. In fact, he didn’t even get to the end zone after week 4. While I’m still skeptical of Eli as an “elite” QB, which he called himself just a few seasons ago, I do think he’ll be better than last year and that we’ll get some more salsa this season making Cruz a low WR2. . WR. New York Giants. Victor Cruz. 19. player
player. 26. Smith is a down-the-field threat that developed a good rapport with Joe Flacco but struggled last year as the Ravens offense sputtered. This year, Baltimore has brought in Steve Smith to play across from Torrey and also should have a healthy Dennis Pitta. With more options in the offense and Gary Kubiak aboard to run the offense, I think the Ravens will have a bounceback season and Torrey Smith will be a WR2. . WR. Baltimore Ravens. Torrey Smith. 20