2008 Pre-Draft Rankings - Wide Receivers

Wide Receivers are a pain to draft. This is the position that has the biggest variance in points earned based on league settings. Some leagues have a PPR setting, some don’t reward yards caught the same as yards gained on the ground. Due to this fact its hard to base value for any one league on any given player. What we’ll try and do here is be simple about this. We’ll base this on pure talent and the surrounding factors that can make an impact on any one player. Here are your top 40 FSB Ranked Wideouts.

1. Randy Moss (New England) - Did you even think it might be someone else. The final numbers may not quite be as record breaking as 2007, but they will still be worthy of your first choice at WR.
2. Terrell Owen (Dallas) - Another no brainer, the guy is just too big, too fast and too talented.
3. Reggie Wayne (Indianapolis) - This guy is beginning to just be money in the bank. Peyton will be back to connect with his workhorse.
4. Braylon Edwards (Cleveland) - Last year was a breakout season, so you have to be a little cautious, but watching Edwards make that one handed catch this preseason as he spun around has to prove he is a legit threat in the endzone every time.
5. Andre Johnson (Houston) - I don’t know what it is about this guy, but he is the Steve Smith of Texas. His ability to get yards after the catch and break tackles make him a must have.
6. Larry Fitzgerald  (Arizona) - Year after year, you can bank on 1,000 yards, 80-100 catches and a serviceable TD count. If Kurt Warner is truly the  starting QB in Arizona, that bodes even better for Cards receivers.
7. Marques Colston (New Orleans) - He suffered a rib injury this preseason, but he claims to be 100% healthy. With that in mind, he plays in a pass friendly offense. Expect solid numbers once again.
8. Steve Smith (Carolina) - Yes, he will miss some time due to suspension, but its just the first two games. After that expect him to put up numbers expected from an upper tier draft pick.
9. T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Cincinnati) - He has a knee injury that he says should allow him to practice in the preseason finale. The Bengals don’t have much at WR right now, so T.J. will be the man if he can return to form from his injury.
10. Torry Holt (St. Louis) - He is still fast and knows how to make big plays. The question is can anyone get the ball to him. He always seems to find a way to be a fantasy factor posting solid numbers.
11. Anquan Boldin (Arizona) - The very talented WR is upset in AZ. He wants to be traded, but no matter where he plays, save SF perhaps, he should continue to put up very good numbers. He has a tendency to be injured and miss games, so we have dropped him a notch.
12. Greg Jennings (Green Bay) - If Aaron Rodgers works out and Jennings continues his dominance like last season on defenders, you won;t be able to draft him this low again for a long time. He makes 5 yard catches into 45 yard TD runs too frequently. This guy is a stud pick.
13. Plexico Burress (New York Giants) - Burress is blessed with so much talent. Injury has truly kept i from posting numbers closer to the likes of Terrell Owens. This year he seemed to be battling ankle injury again. That didn’t stop him from being a fantasy force the first 10 weeks of last season. Not to mention catching the game winning Superbowl touchdown.
14. Santonio Holmes (Pittsburgh) - This guy was lights out last season, and with a new pass happy offense in place. Expect more of the same.
15. Wes Welker (New England) - With teams focusing on Moss, Welker will once again primed to lead the team and league in catches once again.
16. Brandon Marshall (Denver) - This might be the sleeper pick of wideouts. He is primed for a huge season. Cutler has looked really good and Marshall is going to play the deep threat.
17. Chad Johnson (Cincinnati) - a former tier 1 player, he simply has been hampered by injuries and the emergence of Houshmandzadeh. He battles another shoulder ailment, that he decided not to have surgery on. Doesn’t sound promising does it. Remember, most of his points last season came in three games where he lit up the scoreboard. If you are in a head to head league, be careful.
18. Roy Williams (Detroit) - With Kitna throwing the ball up 40 times a game you can expect Williams to put up some very decent numbers.
19. Calvin Johnson (Detroit) You can almost flip flop Johnson and Williams. Both are very talented and will receive plenty of looks. Lets see if Johnson can improve more on his successful rookie season.
20. Roddy White (Atlanta) - If this guy was playing anywhere else where the passing game had a better foundation, White would be ranked much higher. He has incredible hands and should he develop any chemistry with Matt Ryan he should exceed this draft spot.
21. Jerricho Cotchery (New York Jets) - Jerricho also has the potential to surpass this draft spot. If Favre can deliver his signature fastball regularly, Cotchery should benefit quite well.
22. Marvin Harrison (Indianapolis) - He is still an excellent receiver, but has lost targets to Wayne and age also plays a factor here. Still he should be a serviceable #2 WR.
23. Hines Ward (Pittsburgh) - Look Hines is right below Marvin, both great receivers who are now in their waning years. Still talent shall prevail enough to deliver here.
24. Lee Evans (Buffalo) - Somebody get this guy a QB. So much talent, so much potential.
25. Laveranues Coles - Ok, someone went and got this guy a QB. Now, lets see if this turns into deep ball threat numbers.
26. Dwayne Bowe (Kansas City) - Ok, so he is very talented. Who is going to throw to him? He might very well, be better than this rank, but I think his QB limits his value.
27. Donald Driver (Green Bay) - Still a solid player, finds a way to contribute every season so far.
28. Santana Moss (Washington) - His deep ball threat is the main reason he is ranked this high. Often injured or playing hurt, still a tough football player and strong competitor.
29. Patrick Crayton (Dallas) Goodbye Terry Evans, hello Patrick Crayton. He should get plenty of looks next to often double covered Terrell Owens. He has shown flashes of brilliance, but also a lot of dropped balls and poorly run routes. If he can straighten those things out…look out!
30. Chris Chambers (San Diego) - He should be the new #1 wideout in San Diego. Still this is a running that throws the ball to their tight end mostly. Saying that, Chambers should put up good #3 spot WR numbers.
31. Joey Galloway (Tampa Bay) - How many more years can this guy beat the odds. Age and a lack of a quality passing game are his main obstacles.
32. Anthony Gonzalez (Indianapolis) - They are grooming Gonzalez for the #2 spot , expect him to get serviceable numbers.
33. Bernard Berrian (Minnesota) - I don’t really know if moving from Chicago was a QB upgrade. He has downfield upside and…that’s about it.
34. Nate Burelson (Seattle) - He should post solid numbers in the first part of the season, lets see if he can keep it up after that.
35. Kevin Curtis (Philadelphia) - A great receiver who gets injured. He is hurt now and he doesn’t look good to start this season. If you draft him, hopefully you have 2-3 good WRs already.
36. Vincent Jackson (San Diego) - A lot of people were disappointed in Jackson’s performance last season. With the acquisition of Chambers, he looks to be 2nd fiddle this year.
37. Dante Stallworth (Cleveland) - Deep threat potential, but Braylon will take a lot of those looks away too. I am just sold he is more than one trick pony.
38. Ted Ginn Jr. (Miami) - Hey look, Miami made the top 40 and just barely. His value went up slightly because of the naming of Pennington as top signal caller in Miami. He hasn’t had a lot of chances to showcase his potential, maybe this year is his chance. Don’t get your hopes too far up.
39. Javan Walker (Oakland) - Is hurt 100% emotionally and physically. I doubt it. But if he can bring a new fervor to play this season, he could be a very big steal this late.
40. Kevin Walter (Houston) - With a very accurate Matt Schaub throwing to him, he should do alright. However, you might want to gamble on some younger talent with much more upside.

On the Cusp

Steve Smith (N.Y. Giants) and James Jones (GB) both have a great opportunity to have fantasy relevence this year and just miss the top 40.

Sleepers

I think DeSean Jackson (Phi) has the most upside and the best chance with Kevin Curtis hurt to deliver early. Fellow rookie Josh Morgan (SF) can also be a player you should keep an eye on.