There is no position in fantasy football less consistent than wide receiver. They are notorious for being feast or famine — 100-plus yards and a pair of scores one week, two catches for 10 yards the next.
But, with a thin running back class and increasingly pass-happy offenses, we give you permission to take a wide receiver with a second-round pick this year. We don’t advise jumping the gun on Randy Moss or Terrell Owens in the first round (unless you get points per reception), but if you can get Reggie Wayne, Braylon Edwards or Andre Johnson late in the second, go for it.
PORTER AUTHORITY
Having finally inherited the top WR slot last season, he looked more like Peerless Price than Plaxico Burress. Now, he gets a second chance as the top guy, this time in Jacksonville. With a capable QB in David Garrard and a fleet of equally unimpressive wide outs (including the recently added Troy Williamson), the Jaguars are hoping Porter spearheads a receiving threat they sorely have missed since the days of Jimmy Smith.
We’re going to give Porter one last shot on our roster, provided we’re able to land him as our fourth or fifth WR. He should still be on the board come rounds 10-12. At that spot, we’ll take the gamble.
SMITH & LESSON
Steve Smith has posted extraordinary numbers, even when the Panthers had no other receiving threat and a lackluster running game. The only thing that has slowed him down has been poor quarterback play. This year, Jake Delhomme is healthy again, plus the Panthers brought back Muhsin Muhammad and added solid veteran D.J. Hackett to take some coverage heat off Smith. Also, they drafted a bruising running back in Jonathan Stewart to solidify the ground threat.
We expect Smith’s numbers to rise back among the elite fantasy receivers. That’s quite a bargain for a guy you can get in the third or early fourth round.
On a similar note, welcome back Torry Holt. A healthy Rams offensive should help him rebound from a disappointing 2007 — something we can’t say for Marvin Harrison.
LOTTERY JENNINGS
Greg Jennings was one of the top fantasy WRs last season despite only 53 catches, which ranked him 53rd in the league. How did he do this? By scoring 12 TDs. He had 13 receptions for 20-plus yards and seven that went for 40 or more. We expect the law of averages, and the emergence of James Jones, to catch up with Jennings this season. He might get more catches and yards this year, but his TDs will decrease, thus deflating his fantasy value.
In rounds 4-6, rather than Jennings, we like Brandon Marshall, Chris Chambers, Calvin Johnson, Lee Evans, or Dwayne Bowe. We put Jennings on par with Kevin Curtis, Bernard Berrian and Anthony Gonzalez, making him worthy of a seventh- or eight-round pick — but only if Joey Galloway is off the board.