Studs & Duds - WR's

Studs

Julio Jones
His speed and size combo are elite and the Falcons like to throw the ball. He is an absolute burner and will make some big plays this season as he did last year. If he manages to stay healthy and avoid trouble with his hamstring, I see him not only passing up Roddy White for the best Falcons WR, but having a shot at finishing as a top 5 WR.

Percy Harvin
It took the Vikings a while to figure out that Harvin should be on the field more than 50% of the offensive plays, but when they did, he went off. His touches were the highest for WR's when Ponder started at QB so that is a positive statistic to pay attention to. Harvin is also in a contract year so the Vikings will want to see if  he is a true #1 WR to determine if they should pay him accordingly. I envision a chance at a top 5 finish, but top 10 for sure.

Jeremy Maclin
Maclin has decent size and is also a speedster. He has great hands and is willing to run across the middle. As a WR, he has the talent to do a little bit of everything. I expect DeSean Jackson to rebound this year, but that will not affect Maclin's value. He is extremely talented and most importantly, finally healthy. He is in a contract year so expect him to be proving his worth every week.

Eric Decker
He could be emerging as Peyton Manning's favorite target late in the preseason. Decker was on the receiving end of Peyton's first two TD tosses. A very athletic WR with capable hands, he should benefit from being considered the #2 option on the team. Demaryius Thomas should get the #1 corner from opposing teams so Manning could be looking Decker's way often. Injuries have been a problem in his career, but the risk is worth it because Manning could elevate him to top 10 WR status.

Darrius Heyward-Bey
As far as late round fliers, this guy is as good as it gets. Take a look at his stats from week 7 on and you will see that Carson Palmer has found a reliable connection. He missed two games during that stretch so his total numbers don't reflect his great per game averages. He has a chance to break out this year because of his presence running shorter routes that allow him to track the ball better. 1,000 yards is not out of the question so for a late round sleeper, it doesn't get any better than this.

Duds

Andre Johnson
Health has been a problem for Johnson recently, which is why it is easy to not recommend him this year. The WR class is so deep meaning that there is no point wasting your 2nd round pick on a guy who more than likely will not play 16 games. One of the best talents in the game, but his age and injury history dictate that his risk is too great for the reward.

Dez Bryant
Lets be realistic, anyone who needs 3 babysitters at this age should not be counted on to lead your fantasy team. He has skills, but not the intangibles. I don't see a breakout coming until he can control his off field behavior.

Steve Smith
After a hot start last year, he quickly faded away when defenses started taking away the deep ball. Once that was taken away, Smith quickly fell of the fantasy map. Cam Newton is a work in progress throwing the ball so I don't see any improvement in Smith's fantasy stock even though he is the best receiving option. For the price it takes to acquire Smith, he's not worth it.

Vincent Jackson
Don't fall into the trap trying to buy into a free agent bust. The Bucs are a run first team and there is no change in sight from that philosophy. Josh Freeman doesn't exactly set the world on fire as a QB either. Jackson will continue to put up similar numbers to his tenure in San Diego with a chance for downside. Before the move to Tampa I would have said don't draft him because of his inconsistency from week to week. This year I would add to that his QB is bad and the offense is run first.

Greg Jennings
This is more a knock on the Packers' offense than Jennings. Rodgers spreads the ball around so much that Greg doesn't put up big numbers in any given week. You can expect a consist number of points, but generally not a large number. For having to draft him as the #5 WR I would say look elsewhere. As I mentioned before the WR talent is deep this year so spend that early draft pick on a RB and get a WR a round later that will put up very similar numbers to Jennings.