The Shortened 8: Top 10 Drafts for Fantasy Football Wide Receivers for 2011-12

With this potentially abbreviated season coming up, this is the list of potential fantasy football wide receivers for the upcoming season.  However, for now, it should be taken more of a guide, a speculative list for preparation of a draft.  Unlike running backs, wide receivers don’t decline much over time, but their value will and vary tremendously from season to season.  They may be the primary receiver one season and replaced the next.  Ask New York Giants Mario Manningham and Green Bay Packers Donald Driver.

Must-Haves

• Philadelphia Eagles DeSean Jackson.  He is still in an explosive offense, and with a shortened season, he should be able to do well to be a solid WR1 to high-end WR1 in most games, if Michael Vick stays in the pocket — and healthy.
• Indianapolis Colts Reggie Wayne.  If this indeed a shortened season, he should be considered a high-end WR2 wideout.  He should have big games occasionally, and his numbers overall should be sufficient enough for you to edge out the competition.  And potentially their quarterback Peyton Manning won’t have to throw to a crippled roster like last season.
• Atlanta Falcons Roddy White.  If he can keep himself focused, he should be a WR1 going forward.  His major issue is his self-discipline on the field, not the talent surrounding him.
• New England Patriots Deion Branch. He’s a solid WR2 in most instances who may have a bigger upswing than Wes Welker perhaps.  But the debate on which wide receiver of the Patriots is most useful is still on the books.
• Detroit Lions Calvin Johnson.  He still has talent and speed left in his engine.  He should remain a mid to high-end WR2 in most games with moments of WR1 brilliance.  The return of Javhid Best as a healthy running back should help relieve some pressure mid-field.
• Green Bay Packers Greg Jennings. This is the first season where he exploded as he took primary receiver duties.  He should continue exploding into the next couple of seasons at least, pending any serious injury.
• Philadelphia Eagles Jeremy Maclin.  A high-end WR2 developing into a low-end WR1.  He’ll have his good days and his bad days, but he should pan out as a good addition to any roster.
• New York Giants Hakeem Nicks. Same as Jeremy Maclin but for the New York Giants instead.  He’s also a tad more consistent.  He puts up excellent numbers despite having a QB2 behind him by name of Eli Manning.
• Kansas City Chiefs Dwayne Bowe.  Whereas I am a bit less optimistic about Brandon Lloyd, I am quite optimistic that he should continue his progress from last season.  He has a talented quarterback by name of Matt Cassel with a substantive running back in Jamaal Charles.
• Houston Texans Andre Johnson.  He and his quarterback do have talent.  With their running back Arian Foster behind them, they should have been better offensively than they produced last season.  However, Matt Schaub was a bit inconsistent last season, and it costed them.  If Texans quarterback Matt Schaub can keep his head in the game, Andre Johnson should easily rise above into the top three wideouts of 2011-12 season.

Avoid

• Cincinatti Bengals Terrell Owens.  With him in limbo still, although he still has some talent left in him, I would potentially avoid him since he may backfire.
• Tennessee Titans Randy Moss.  Yeah, him.
• Tennessee Titans Kenny Britt.  Yeah, him too.
• Carolina Panthers wide receivers.  With such a defensive-minded crew, in terms of coach Ron Rivera and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, I expect more of a ground-and-pound attack going forward and low-scoring games by the Panthers. Think New York Jets, and you’ll get the picture.
• Minnesota Vikings wide receivers.  Until they get their quarterback situation pressed out, they are a high-risk gamble.  I won’t deny that Percy Harvin or Sidney Rice aren’t talented, but with no one proficient as a quarterback to throw it to them, each game would be nothing more than wide receiver football drills.
• Washington Redskins wide receivers.  I am still not willing to gamble with Rex Grossman as my quarterback with consistent production, even in a short season. Perhaps others might.

Potential X-Factors

• Buffalo Bills Steve Johnson.  The Bills have still have a long way to go before they reach elite level, but they are slowly building the elements needed to become competitive at least.
• Denver Broncos Brandon Lloyd.  Although he was first in yardage production last year, I won’t hold my breath to do it again with a shortened season, different coach and different quarterback.
• Plaxico Burress.  I wouldn’t expect no higher than solid WR2 numbers from him.  He doesn’t have the talent of some of the younger receivers out on the field.  Minimally, he’s worth a bench seat on the roster and could be trade bait coming into the fantasy football playoffs, wherever Burress may land up.
• Cincinnati Bengals Chad Ochocinco.   Before you bash me over the head with this wide receiver, bear in mind that he will have Terrell Owens out of his way this upcoming season. He could potentially put up WR1 numbers and minimally at least solid WR2 numbers.
• Dallas Cowboys Miles Austin.  He has sufficient talent and skill himself.  Whether head coach Jason Garrett chooses to exploit that talent with Tony Romo potentially returning remains to be seen.  I also question whether Tony Romo will actually become a better quarterback when it counts — or otherwise implode again.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mike Williams.  I like how Tampa Bay has improved last season.  With running back LeGarrette Blount‘s athleticism and quarterback Josh Freeman’s consistency and accuracy, he could have a productive season.  Whether it’s WR1 numbers, I still remain skeptical.  He should be worth a WR2 with some upside to him.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Minnesota Vikings: NFL Week 16 Pre-Game Analysis

With the Minnesota Vikings Metrodome still under repair from the blizzard, the Vikings may find it somewhat unfortunate to be playing elsewhere, but unfortunately, they are facing an explosive Eagles offense attempting to clinch a berth in the playoffs.  This will not fare well for incoming Vikings with an injured Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson coming into Lincoln Financial Field.

Quarterbacks

Whether it’s Brett Favre or Joe Webb of the Minnesota Vikings as quarterback, it’s not going to bode well for the Vikings in this game either, after losses to the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears.  Vikings quarterback Brett Favre has 11 touchdowns, 19 interceptions and a lowly 69.9 quarterback rating.  Joe Webb is no better with 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and an even lower 39.9 rating. Meanwhile, Michael Vick has been pretty much the Eagles offense.  He has 20 touchdowns, 5 interceptions and a 103.6 quarterback rating.  However you take it, it’s a huge edge for Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Running Backs

Adrian Peterson, the Vikings running back, has 11 touchdowns, 1,149 yards rushing and averaging 4.7 yards per carry.  However, he was out for the Chicago Bears, and Toby Gerhart took over his place.  He was quite successful on the ground nonetheless with 77 yards on the ground and averaging 4.8 yards per carry.  LeSean McCoy has 1,036 yards rushing, 7 touchdowns and averaging 5.4 yards per carry.  However, Michael Vick has 613 yards rushing, 8 touchdowns and averaging 6.7 yards per carry.  The Eagles and unfortunately, the quarterback/running back Michael Vick, get the rushing edge.

Wide Receivers

The Eagles wide receivers Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson have a combined total yardage of 1,914, 16 touchdowns and averaging 18.4 yards per reception.  The Vikings wide receivers Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice have a combined 963 passing yards, 7 touchdowns and averaging 14.5 yards per reception. The edge goes to the Eagles on this one.

Tight Ends

The Eagles tight end Brent Celek has 414 yards, 4 touchdowns and averaging 12.9 yards per reception.  Meanwhile, the Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe has 485 yards, 2 touchdowns and averaging 11.5 yards per reception.  The edge goes to the Vikings, as they will use him more under Joe Webb or Brett Favre, although the current statistics say otherwise.

Defenses

The Minnesota Vikings defense is ranked 10th against the pass and 8th against the run.  Although currently, the Vikings defense has given lots of yardage to running backs of the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears.  The Eagles defense is ranked 21st against the pass and 11th against the run.  With the depleted defense and the Eagles relying on their offense to carry the game, the defense has been under-performing.  However, they will face Joe Webb or Brett Favre. Either option will give the Eagles defense the edge.

Coaches/Intangibles

Eagles head coach Andy Reid has been relying on explosive plays from his wide receivers and Michael Vick to win games.  However, coach Leslie Frazier is still a run-first coach, and his offensive playmakers are suffering through injuries.  The Eagles get the edge.

The Edge

Not going to be good for the Vikings — 41-7 Philadelphia Eagles.  The Minnesota Vikings will be able to score first, but they won’t be able to compete with this offense. 

Minnesota Vikings Wide Receiver Sidney Rice: Fantasy Football X-Factor

For those who have been waiting on Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Sidney Rice early on this season, it is about time that Rice has finally returned for the Vikings. However, he came at an inopportune time.  After he had success with the Buffalo Bills on 105 yards and 2 touchdowns, Brett Favre suffered an injured shoulder as well as numbness and tingling in his hands.  That does not bode well for Sidney Rice or any of the Vikings receivers down the stretch, as it means a serious nerve injury and potentially career-ending for Favre.  With Tavaris Jackson also injured, it now leaves the Minnesota Vikings with rookie Joe Webb and potentially free agent Patrick Ramsey in their game against the Chicago Bears. At this point, Rice and the receiving corps are in desperate trouble. He is no better than a WR2, but with the way the season is about to conclude, he could potentially become a WR3 or waiver wire fodder.  Head coach Leslie Frazier should heavily lean on Adrian Peterson the rest of the way out with Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions on the schedule.

Minnesota Vikings Brett Favre Blasted by the Buffalo Bills: It’s Time for Tarvaris Jackson

Minnesota Vikings Brett Favre got blasted by Buffalo Bills linebacker Arthur Moats on his first pass play, and it appears that Favre won’t return for next week’s game due to a sprained shoulder. (However, it may be more Brett Favre drama, but I’ll withhold judgement until Wednesday’s practice report.) Since the change from head coach Brad Childress to Leslie Frazier, the Vikings had a renewed sense of urgency, and now it’s time for a quarterback change as well.

Tavaris Jackson fared decently for starting, but he only managed the game.  However, the Vikings won over the Bills 38-14.  Jackson initially had an interception returned for a touchdown from Bills cornerback Drayton Florence from 40 yards out.  He settled down and connected with Sidney Rice for 2 touchdowns and for 105 yards.  It also helped he had Adrian Peterson in the backfield.  Peterson was impressive and returned to his original form with 107 yards and 3 touchdowns on the day. Overall, Tarvaris Jackson ended the day with 187 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions on the Bills defense nonetheless.

I believe it’s time for a change in quarterback, despite Tarvaris Jackson’s lackluster performance. Jackson can’t mature as a player grow without starting and making mistakes.  Brett Favre has outworn his welcome with the Vikings, and his statistics, gameplay and drama all should culminate for his departure by the close of the season.

The Last Stop for Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings

With the crushing losses to the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback appears to have given up.  The entire team seems to have to as well, with head coach Brad Childress sapping the life from the locker room.  Favre wanted to “re-evaluate” after this loss.  The rest of his teammates may want to join him.  Adrian Peterson has not scored a touchdown in two games.  Wide receiver Sidney Rice had a tepid welcome of 3 receptions for 56 yards from Brett Favre, and Percy Harvin was held to two receptions for 12 yards.

Although the Packers seem to always have the Vikings number,  the loss in of itself compounded bigger problems — Brett Favre and Brad Childress.  It’s about time to replace Brett Favre with his backup Tarvaris Jackson.  Favre is not playing up to winning standards, and his malaise is bringing down the team.  Brad Childress also needs to be replaced, much like the Dallas Cowboys did with Wade Phillips.  His presence has sucked the life from the locker room and out on the field. Perhaps replacing both will energize the team again.  The Vikings certainly need some kind of boost.

Fantasy Football X-Factor Special Edition: Minnesota Vikings Quarterbacks Brett Favre and Tarvaris Jackson

With all the melodrama and interceptions surrounding Brett Favre, Vikings head coach Brad Childress may have to focus on repairing the morale of his team — and quite possibly, his own morale as well.  11-time Pro Bowler Brett Favre appears that he will face the New England Patriots this Halloween maybe.  If not, backup Tarvaris Jackson will face the Patriots since his 2008 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Brett Favre’s 68.0 quarterback rating, the Jenn Sterger scandal and his injuries aren’t helping his cause to start though.

Everyone knows the record-breaking statistics with Brett Favre, but Tarvaris Jackson don’t carry such accolades.  Even though Jackson carries a 113.4 rating and a touchdown in 2009, it’s a bit skewed.  He only had 21 attempts as a quarterback in eight games total. Three passing attempts a game average doesn’t exactly show what Jackson may be capable of.  Amazingly though, he had only one interception in those eight games. If Tarvaris does start, I believe he should be a capable quarterback to make the Vikings competitive against an inconsistent Patriots offense.

But who’s to benefit from a change in quarterback aside from Tarvaris?  Coach Brad Childress will be the first, since he can rebuild his team morale.  Second, tight end Visanthe Shiancoe and running back Adrian Peterson will both benefit immediately from this change. Coach Brad Childress will be wary of interceptions, and short passes and running the ball will minimize the damage of interceptions. Next, recovering wide receiver Sidney Rice won’t arrive into a broken team. Lastly, perhaps Brett Favre may consider retirement, and maybe take his mess with him. In that case, it may benefit everyone, including Brett.

As the Brett Favre Turns: The Diva, The Fracture and The Sexting

Minnesota Viking‘s quarterback Brett Favre has been caught in a whirlwind lately.  First, it began with Jenn Sterger, then tendenitis, then his coach Brad Childress yelling at NFL referees, then his ankle injury, then back to Jenn Sterger and Deanna Favre…Well, that makes none of us wanting to be Favre’s shoes right about now.

Brett Favre has always been a diva, a child to others, particularly his wife Deanna.  She has fallen on  hard times again.  In 1995, it was Brett Favre’s addiction to Vicodin. In 1999, it was his drinking problem.  Eleven years later, it’s come to Jenn Sterger and the sexting.  Professionally in Favre’s life, it was jerking the chain of Green Bay’s quarterback Aaron Rogers a while ago, and this year, it is Vikings coach Brad Childress employing his players to drag Favre out of hiding. I guess Brett Favre needs a melodrama fix where disaster revolves around him.

Jenn Sterger, a former New York Jets hostess, and Brett Favre, a former Jets quarterback, were exchanging explicit notes and photographs via cell phone in 2008.  Admittedly, Brett Favre has now confessed to the NFL brass of his wrongdoings — only confessing to the voicemail messages, but not to the photographs. It’s a start, Brett. Supposedly, a financial settlement in the works between Brett Favre’s and Jenn Sterger’s attorneys. Financial opportunity knocked for Sterger, and she took it.  The emotional and professional impact upon Brett may have taken its toll. Deanna had to come out of the woodwork to somewhat defend her husband’s behavior on ABC’s Good Morning, America. And now, Brett may have suffered physical injury, perhaps to hide what’s troubling underneath.

Brett Favre suffered a stress fracture of his ankle and an “avulsion fracture” of his calcaneus, or his heel area. Compounding that, he had tendinitis of his elbow previously.  I believe both are an attempt to hide the Jenn Sterger scandal from himself. What better than a physical injury to hide a disaster that is directly affecting his homelife?  The question remains is whether Vikings head coach Brad Childress will let Brett Favre sit.  Highly unlikely, given the financial investment he made this year, including the $3 million bonus.  I think Brett Favre will have to brave through it, with or without medication. Whether he will do well, that’s a question for when he’s on the field, but I don’t believe he will do well. (Sadly, Vikings wide receiver Sidney Rice will be stepping in a mess he won’t want to return to.)

Karma is a strange thing. It will find a way to bite you back when you least  expect it. This time, karma attacked Brett Favre relentlessly and hasn’t let go yet.

The Randy Moss Trade to the Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots apparently finished discussing this trade.  It would seem like a decent trade, albeit a little too favorable for the Minnesota Vikings.  True, the Vikings are depleted in their receiver corp, with Percy Harvin and his constant migraines and Bernard Berrian and his constant average play. A couple of weeks ago, the Vikings attempted to tempt Vincent Jackson from the San Diego Chargers, but that negotiation fell through.

Currently, Randy Moss has 9 receptions for 139 yards and 3 touchdowns for the New England Patriots.  That stat alone is astounding — 3 touchdowns.  With Sidney Rice returning in late October or so, imagine the possibilities for this season.    Sidney Rice would be considered the secondary option compared to Randy Moss, but both would be number 1 recievers on any team.  Heck, even Carson Palmer would wish he had this set, compared to the ego-driven duo of Ochocinco and Terrell Owens.

But Randy Moss is a troublemaker in the locker room, too, like Terrell Owens and Ochocinco.  Brad Childress and Brett Favre will have to contain that volatile personality for the rest of this season.  By obtaining Randy Moss, it suggests that the Vikings intend on making the playoffs this year,  and that means Brett Favre will have to make a desperate push for the playoffs — starting now. With the New York Jets roaring with Mark Sanchez and LaDanian Tomlinson in the Meadowlands, however, the game this week isn’t the one to start with.