Welcome to the Wide Receiver portion of our Start/Sit. Each week we will preview the best of the best and the worst of the worst.
As the week continues on beyond this column, please visit out Free Fantasy Start/Sit Advice section of the site for further updates and round the clock REAL TIME advice.
Let’s take a look at the up and coming week.
Must Start of the Week.
There is really no reason at all for anyone to NOT start Reggie Wayne simply due to his production. In three games the man has been targeted 20 times for 325 yards and 2 TDs. To think this type of production WON’T continue against Seattle would be silly at best.
Seattle gave up 247 yards and three TDs against the Bears last week which is like the B-squad when compared to Manning and Wayne. He is a must start in all formats period.
But you guys probably already knew that right?
Two Through Ten:
| #2 Ocho Cinco: C.J. is on track to have a career year, and to even speculate Cleveland will have an answer for him is nothing short of a waste of time. Cleveland has more issues than any guest on Jerry Springer and should be started in all formats this week. I would put him at number one, but c’mon, Reggie Wayne? |
| #3 Andre Johnson: Johnson goes up against an Oakland pass defense that has some holes in it. In addition, there will be some focus on defending Kevin Walter this week as well since his 7 grabs for 96 yards will garner some attention. |
| #4 Steve Smith: No, not the one from Carolina rather the one from the Giants. Smith is currently the only receiver that can be considered an every week Fantasy starter, and has proven it thus far. Yes, Manningham did have one huge game, but there is speculation that Hicks could be back which would cut down on the amount of looks Manningham gets. Plus, Steve Smith against the Chiefs coverage? You would be crazy not to start him. |
| #5 Brandon Marshall: Marshall looks to be the clear top option in the passing game in Denver, with Eddie Royal coming off three unproductive games. Marshall looks stronger, more confident and more comfortable after a few games under his belt. |
| #6 Earl Bennett: Bennett has been quietly putting together a very nice season thus far and should get even better against a weak and injured Lion’s secondary. The only knock on Bennett has been the fact that he hasn’t seen the end zone yet; something that should change drastically this week. |
| #7 Kevin Walter: Any questions about the hamstring injury, and the effect it was going to have on Walter have now been answered as Walter hauled in every pass thrown to him. So that means, Schaub has ANOTHER target to throw to. I feel for the Oakland defense this week, I really do. |
| #8 Jerricho Cotchery: Remember when I said Reggie Wayne has pulled in 20 catches for 325 yards and 2 TDs? Yeah, well Cotchery is right behind him with 18 grabs, 285 yards and 1 TD. The only reason why I have him so low is the fact that the Saints get a little bit better each and every week on D. He is still a prime starter. |
| #9 Devin Hester: Each week the Bears play a little sinister game with Fantasy managers called: guess who gets the most catches game. Still, Hester has been a mainstay and has huge worth in all league formats; Detroit should have there hands full with him. |
| #10 Mike Sims-Walker: The Jags have to be happy with the recent play of Sims-Walker and you have to believe he may wind up being the best Fantasy option on the Jags this year when everything is said and done. In two games, he has raked in over 200 yards and a TD, and while Holt continues to whine, Sims-Walker continue to produce. Tennessee will have a terrible time dealing with him this week. |
Must Sit of the Week:
This unwanted tag goes out to the entire Oakland Raider receiving corp. not because they are bad, but because Russell is that horrible, and gives them NO chance to do anything at all. Russell has only completed 31 of his 75 passes which means the receivers aren’t doing anything and probably won’t considering Russell has actually gotten worse as the weeks move on. Until Oakland comes to their senses, everyone on the Oakland team is worth sitting for now.
Two Through Ten:
| #2 Dwayne Bowe: Even if Bowe starts, going up against Corey Webster of the Giants with a bum hamstring means poor Fantasy production. He deserves another week on the bench. |
| #3 Lance Moore: Moore is still nursing a hamstring and even if he does start—which is a possibility—he is nothing more than a WR4 at best. |
| #4 Chris Henry: Henry has admitted that his thigh has been a problem for about a month now—nice to know now huh? — And it hasn’t gotten any better, reports the Bengals. With the emergence of Caldwell as an option, Henry should be benched until he is 100%. |
| #5 Antonio Bryant: Bryant is not healthy yet, and the Bucs offensive woes continue. Although Washington isn’t the most exciting team in the world, they should have an easy time containing the passing attack of the Bucs. Bryant needs to sit this week. |
| #6 Donnie Avery: Avery was one of those guys during draft time that a lot of people looked at as a sleeper—yeah ok, and I am the president of the United States. Aside from Avery’s plethora of fumbles, aside from Avery’s lack of production, and aside from the Rams having no QB what-so-ever, Avery is one of the most overly hyped WRs in the league right now, and until he shows otherwise he should sit. |
| #7 Mark Bradley: Bradley has a ton of potential, but unfortunately he faces the Giants this week which means he won’t have very many opportunities to do anything at all, sit him for now but keep a keen eye on him going forward. |
| #8 Robert Meachem: Meachem has been a huge disappointment thus far this year netting only 3 catches for 62 yards through three games. There’s nothing wrong with him, it’s just that the Saints haven’t liked the matchups week in and week out. Going against Rex Ryan’s magic wonderful guessing game defense won’t make matters any better; sit him for now. |
| #9 Derrick Mason: Mason proved last week that the old gray beard still has it—too bad for him he faces the Patriots this week. I would recommend sitting him for this matchup, but otherwise holding onto him as he will continue to produce IF he stays healthy. |
| #10 “Megatron”aka Calvin Johnson: It’s not that I think he can’t produce; it’s the fact that I don’t think the Bears are going to give Stafford a chance to get him the ball all that much. Hey, at least he’s number ten and not number one right? Sit him in this game, and hope he doesn’t turn into a lesser Starscream going forward. |
Risky Starts: Proceed With Caution:
Andre Caldwell: has been a nice addition to the Bengals offense and should get more looks this week vs. the Browns, but he is not a long term solution. If you are looking for a plug and play guy or a cheap WR purchase he is your man.
Johnny Knox: is still someone to keep on your radar, and if you have him on your roster and have no other option I say use him. He is obviously going to be targeted (don’t use last week as an example it’s only one game—don’t be that guy). My knock on Knox is he's missing too many passes; 16 targets, and only 9 receptions, but that will improve each week.
Nate Burleson: Burleson is currently the resident Fantasy enigma due to his two game monster performance. But if you analyze him a bit closer you reveal some very important facts: His first game was against the Rams—His last game was due to a good rapport with Wallace, and the fact that Housh was a bit under 100%.,and San Fran shut him down pretty good in week two.Look, the guy has a history of being spotty at best with soft hands, so when considering him do your homework and see who he is going up against and that should tell you whether or not he is worthwhile. As the year goes on, you’ll see what I mean trust me.
Mario Manningham: I hate to put him as a risk but as I mentioned before, Hakeem Nicks is scheduled to participate in practice this week, and if he is a go this Sunday, Manningham will see less targets and his Fantasy value will dip considerably since Smith is the every week guy. Keep abreast of the situation in N.Y.
Good Luck everyone and tune in next week to see how things turned out and who’s hot and who’s not!
