As the season nears, FanHouse's fantasy football team decided to put our heads together for another set of updated positional rankings. In this installment, the prima donnas take their turn.We've flipped again -- after Larry Fitzgerald made an appearance atop of the 2.0 rankings, Andre Johnson is back at No. 1 here. We also see the effects of injuries to Steve Smith, Antonio Bryant and Donnie Avery. Remember to use these rankings as a tool, not as the be-all, end-all of your draft preparation. As news breaks, we'll keep you updated on the fantasy ramifications of it all. Enough talk, let's rank!
(Last Updated: 8/29/09)
| Player |
Team |
| 1. Andre Johnson |
Texans |
| He was healthy last year, and if he can remain so in 2009, Johnson is a lock for the top five at the position. |
|
| 2. Larry Fitzgerald | Cardinals |
| Did you know he played through injury during last year's remarkable playoff run? Let's see what he does when healthy. |
|
| t-3. Randy Moss |
Patriots |
| With visions of 2007 dancing in my head, I have Moss ranked as the No. 1 WR. He was part of many championship teams that year. |
|
| t-3. Calvin Johnson | Lions |
| Any of the top four WRs can be ranked anywhere in the top four. Bottom line: try and get one of them in your draft. |
|
| 5. Greg Jennings |
Packers |
| Jennings holds steady here. With the Green Bay offense intact, 2009 should look a lot like 2008. |
|
| 6. Reggie Wayne |
Colts |
| With Marvin Harrison completely out of the picture, Peyton Manning might focus on Wayne even more this year. |
|
| 7. Anquan Boldin |
Cardinals |
| Boldin put up a 1,038-yard, 11-TD season even after missing four games. Could he outperform Fitzgerald this year? |
|
| 8. Steve Smith |
Panthers |
| He's supposed to be right back to practice this weekend, which means he shouldn't move in your rankings. Color us a little apprehensive. | |
| 9. Marques Colston | Saints |
| Like Boldin, Colston leaps up our rankings. In one of the most pass-happy offenses in the league, Colston's health is all that causes concern. | |
| 10. Roddy White | Falcons |
| With the contract issues out of the way, and with emerging slot receiver Harry Douglas sidelined, I love White at the second/third-round turn. | |
| 11. Dwayne Bowe | Chiefs |
| This is likely the highest you'll ever see a third-team WR. We'll see if Bowe responds to the motivational ploy. He must, as he is the Chiefs' offense. |
|
| 12. Wes Welker |
Patriots |
| 112 catches and 1,175 yards with Brady in 2007. 111 catches and 1,165 yards with Cassel in 2008. Looks solid as a rock. Move up a few spots in PPR leagues. |
|
| 13. Terrell Owens |
Bills |
| Will 'The T.O. Show' get canceled in Buffalo this season? I say yes; let someone else risk a pick on the guy. |
|
| 14. Chad Ochocinco |
Bengals |
| Interestingly, Ocho flips with Housh in this version of our rankings. If you get bonus points for tweeting, move this guy way up. |
|
| 15. T.J. Houshmandzadeh | Seahawks |
| New offense, no problem for Housyamomma. I see a return to 2006 (90 catches, 1,081 yards, 9 TDs) for the new Seahawk. |
|
| 16. Vincent Jackson |
Chargers |
| Thank a huge yards-per-reception rate for the breakout year. Smart owners will avoid taking him too high (i.e. the fourth round). | |
| 17. Eddie Royal | Broncos |
| Royal is primed for a huge season. I think he challenges for 100 catches and 1,000 yards, but he probably won't score enough to be a top-10 guy. |
|
| 18. Braylon Edwards |
Browns |
| Edwards remains stable in our rankings, but as the lone playmaker on the team, I think it'll be hard for him to produce consistent numbers. | |
| 19. DeSean Jackson | Eagles |
| Huge leap for this Jackson, as a majority of us have him in our top 20 at the position. Play McNabb, Vick, Jackson, Maclin, McCoy and Westbrook at the same time and see what happens. | |
| 20. Lee Evans | Bills |
| I honestly think Evans can outscore Owens this year. If rookie tight end Shawn Nelson emerges as a threat, watch out. |
|
| 21. Santana Moss | Redskins |
| A big uptick in targets led to a big uptick in fantasy scoring. Can Campbell get Moss the ball as much this year? |
|
| 22. Brandon Marshall | Broncos |
| Marshall free-falls for a variety of reasons -- namely his clashes with Broncos management (which led to a suspension) and an early hamstring injury. |
|
| 23. Anthony Gonzalez | Colts |
| The exit of Harrison has people hyped about Gonzalez this year, but I'd caution relying on him as a WR2. He still has to prove his worth. | |
| 24. Jerricho Cotchery |
Jets |
| Cotchery is now the man in New York and will be targeted often by his quarterback. He's been a remarkably stable fantasy scorer over the past few years, a big plus in my eyes. |
|
| 25. Roy Williams |
Cowboys |
| I think tight end Jason Witten will be the go-to guy in this offense. Williams has to put a terrible 2008 behind him. | |
| 26. Lance Moore | Saints |
| Colston might get the fantasy hype, but Moore emerged as a beast in 2008. Nobody expects a repeat, but I think he'll come close. |
|
| 27. Hines Ward |
Steelers |
| Most rankings will have Ward as the second-best Pittsburgh WR, but we have the pair dead even. I prefer Ward for his consistency. |
|
| 28. Santonio Holmes | Steelers |
| Holmes checks in just behind his teammate, and he'll likely be over-drafted by those with visions of Super Bowl catches in their heads. |
|
| 29. Torry Holt |
Jaguars |
| Unexciting? Maybe. But if we chalk last year's season up as an aberration, Holt could be well worth the price as a WR3. | |
| 30. Donnie Avery | Rams |
| Despite a foot fracture, Avery has already returned to full-squad drills with the Rams' offense. He should build on last year's strong rookie campaign. |
|
31. Antonio Bryant, Buccaneers
32. Laveranues Coles, Bengals
33. Bernard Berrian, Vikings
34. Donald Driver, Packers
35. Ted Ginn, Dolphins
36. Derrick Mason, Ravens
37. Kevin Walter, Texans
38. Josh Morgan, 49ers
39. Devin Hester, Bears
40. Steve Breaston, Cardinals
41. Percy Harvin, Vikings
42. Steve Smith, Giants
43. Davone Bess, Dolphins
44. Earl Bennett, Bears
45. Chris Chambers, Chargers
46. Chris Henry, Bengals
47. Joey Galloway, Patriots
48. Nate Burleson, Seahawks
49. Mark Clayton, Ravens
50. Muhsin Muhammad, Panthers
51. Jeremy Maclin, Eagles
52. Devery Henderson, Saints
53. Justin Gage, Titans
54. Kevin Curtis, Eagles
55. Patrick Crayton, Cowboys
56. Hakeem Nicks, Giants
57. Laurent Robinson, Rams
58. Kenny Britt, Titans
59. Domenik Hixon, Giants
60. Mark Bradley, Chiefs
61. Sam Hurd, Cowboys
62. Bryant Johnson, Lions
63. Isaac Bruce, 49ers
64. Malcom Kelly, Redskins
65. Sidney Rice, Vikings
66. Troy Williamson, Jaguars
67. Bobby Engram, Chiefs
68. Nate Washington, Titans
69. Mike Sims-Walker, Jaguars
70. Chansi Stuckey, Jets
71. Louis Murphy, Raiders
72. Chaz Schilens, Raiders
73. Michael Clayton, Buccaneers
74. Michael Crabtree, 49ers
75. Jabar Gaffney, Chiefs
76. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Raiders
77. Limas Sweed, Steelers
78. Antwaan Randle El, Redskins
79. Malcom Floyd, Chargers
80. Michael Jenkins, Falcons
81. Keenan Burton, Rams
82. James Jones, Packers
83. Greg Camarillo, Dolphins
84. Demetrius Williams, Ravens
85. Deion Branch, Seahawks
86. Robert Meachem, Saints
87. Dennis Northcutt, Lions
88. Jordy Nelson, Packers
89. Jason Avant, Eagles
90. Brian Hartline, Dolphins












Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-22-2009 @ 1:41PM
scottweiss8 said...
I agree with your rankings but, you should include the biweeks when players are off.
Reply
8-24-2009 @ 2:21PM
Thomas Herrera said...
Scott, you're right. We'll be adding a spot for bye weeks next to each soon. Thanks much for the feedback.
8-27-2009 @ 1:50AM
thetruckerking said...
Again, very nice rankings! I like Jennings at number five but I might move Roddy White right up behind Jennings. I also like the top 50 respect that Josh Morgan and Chris Henry are getting from you.
As a life long Browns fan (insert punchline here) I will tell you that Braylon Edwards should not be on anyone's top 25 list. First of all, Cleveland quarterbacks are actually trained to throw the ball a full five yards behind their intended targets. At least thats the way it seems. This explains why Braylon drops so many passes. He's so shocked when a ball hits him in the numbers that he doesn't know what to do. Then there's all of the awesome support that he has from the other big name receivers on the team. Guys like uhhhhh.... Ummmmm.... Uh.... Mike Furrey? Yeah, Furrey will really take some of the defensive pressure off of Braylon. Sorry, but Braylon belongs somewhere down on the list where explanations no longer follow the guys names.
Reply
8-30-2009 @ 5:44PM
CASPeR said...
Who is Mike Walker?
Reply