Top Ten: Best Fantasy WR’s for 2017

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Fantasy football is a borderline American pastime at this point. Millions of people from across the globe partake in the opportunity to manage their own team while simultaneously bringing the beat down to their friends. In order to deliver said beat down a fantasy owner needs a top-tier wide receiver to take him all the way. Many players have had great statistical years but these ten players will help you dominate this upcoming season.

1. Antonio Brown –

Very little needs to be said here. He is the greatest wide receiver in our league right now, next.

2. Julio Jones –

Pro Football Focus gave him their highest efficiency rating of any wide receiver in 2016, a staggering 96.4. Couple that with the fact that he’s on a high-octane offense and Julio can make a case to be number one.

3. Odell Beckham Jr. –

Every single year Odell has been in the league he has eclipsed both 1,300 yards and ten touchdowns. Take that all in for a second, EVERY SINGLE YEAR! He would have gotten 100 grabs all three years too but missed games caused him to come up short in 2014 (91 catches in 12 games) and in 2015 (96 catches in 15 games).

4. Mike Evans –

Mike Evans was the Buccaneers offense in 2016. Simply put he is a beast who was unguardable in 2016. Couple his dominance with the recent acquisition of Desean Jackson to spread the field and Evans could be even more dominate this year.

5. T.Y. Hilton –

T.Y. has been overlooked his whole career due to his size but coupling him with a premier quarterback in Andrew Luck has made him the picture of consistency. Topping 1,000 yards in each of the last FOUR seasons T.Y. justifies his position on this list. In addition, Donte Moncrief is not a legit WR 2, leaving T.Y. as the number one option in a pass first offense. Buy.

6. A.J. Green –

If not for a bit of an injury history AJ would probably be higher on this list. Coming off a significant hamstring injury time will tell if A.J. can still be elite but his numbers when on the field speak for themselves as he accumulated 964 yards in only TEN games last season.

7. Jordy Nelson –

His quarterback is Aaron Rodgers. I should stop there but Nelson has elite numbers that make you consider taking him even higher. Jordy has topped 1,200 yards in three straight seasons and has a staggering 35 touchdowns during that time as well. That was not a typo he seriously has 35 touchdowns in the last 3 years, that’s insane.

8. Michael Thomas –

Thomas burst onto the scene last season during his rookie campaign and dropped numerous jaws in the process. What’s not to like about the clear number one WR for one of the most pass heavy offenses the league has ever seen. He had 121 targets last year with Brandin Cooks, with Cooks now on the Patriots look for Thomas to be an absolute monster in 2017.

9. Brandin Cooks –

Not a typo. Doubters point to Brady’s decline in down field throws and age to null Brandin Cooks but I will ask them this, who has Tom Brady had as a legitimate down the field target since Randy Moss? I’ll wait. Yeah that’s what I thought. Partnering Brady with the speed and explosiveness of Cooks offers a scary scenario for other teams in 2017. You’ve been warned. DRAFT BRANDIN COOKS.

10. Amari Cooper –

Cooper is as physically gifted as any wide receiver on this list and will reach a new plateau this upcoming season. Already coming off back to back 1,000 yard seasons to start his career look for him to be even more explosive this year as the addition of Marshawn Lynch will open up the vertical passing game even more so than years past.

Legarette Blount is a fantasy bust in 2017

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Legarette Blunt had quite the season to remember in 2016 with 1,161 yards and 18 TD’s! Sounds great right. Ya that absolutely will not happen again. I could tell you in a long winded paragraph why but there is too many reasons so I’m going to list them.

1. He’s not on the Patriots anymore! AKA the best offense in the league that afforded him 29 carries within the 5 yard line. Compare that to a mere 10 carries within the 5 for LeSean McCoy and only 9 for Mark Ingram, two running backs who put up more fantasy points last season than Blount.

2. He’s 30 years old!

3. He only averaged 3.9 yards a carry. His worst in 4 seasons.

4. He’s not on the Patriots anymore…

5. He can’t catch the football.

6. Sproles will steal all 3rd down work.

7. He’s not on the Patriots anymore…

Derrick Henry will start for Titans by the end of the 2017 season

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Demarco Murray is as dynamic of a RB1 that we have in today’s game. That does not mean you should draft him or that he will stay on the field all season in 2017. Coming off a year in which he ran the ball 293 times and narrowly escaped a severe toe injury those who expect the soon to be 30 year old to have a similar season in 2017 will be mistaken. Derrick Henry has already shown in small bursts that he is a premier NFL talent, with 5 TD’s and almost 500 yards in only 110 attempts, and has the big NFL body that will keep him on the field if Murray goes down. Not to mention even if Murray does somehow stay healthy it might not matter with the Titans being firmly committed to the run coming in 3rd in per game attempts with 29.8 per game. Henry can provide fantasy points even with 15 carries a game and this offense could become similar to the Atlanta Falcons with two premier RB’s, i.e. Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. Both players averaged nearly the same impressive yards per carry last season, Murray with 4.4 per carry and Henry with 4.5 per carry, so it may simply come down to durability and age. Considering Murray’s age and workload look for Henry to have a huge impact if Murrays spends any time on the sideline next season. If you do draft Murray you must also draft Henry to protect yourself otherwise smart owners should take a fly on Henry in the later rounds because of his huge upside.

 

Brandon Marshall is a top 15 WR in 2017

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Brandon Marshall will be a top 15 fantasy receiver in the 2017 season. I know this may shock many of you to hear such a bold statement after the season he put forward last year having career lows in TDs(3), receptions(59), and second worst year in yards(788). Sounds pretty bad right? Yes those are horrendous stats for what many thought would be a WR1 or even a WR2 last season and left many fantasy owners wishing they picked another WR. I’m here to tell you to draft him again at a bargain, maybe round 4 or 5, and watch the TD’s roll in. Marshall is a huge target the likes of which Eli hasn’t had since Plaxico Burress, who by the way had 33 TD’s in four years with the Giants. Despite his mediocre year with the Jets last year he still managed 35 red zone looks last year on an absolute garbage fire that was the New York Jet’s offense. Compare this to the Giants number one threat in the red zone last year Odell Beckham Jr. who only received 5 more looks (40) in the red zone last season. Odell is 5’11, on a good day in cleats, where as Marshall is a towering 6’4 in a similar mold to Plaxico. Smart fantasy owners should recognize Marshall’s red zone ability and the fact that teams will not be able to double cover Marshall with a dominant Odell on the other side and a viable Sterling Shepard in the slot. Not to mention that Marshall is no longer taking passes from Bryce Petty, Ryan Fitzpatrick, or Geno Smith. Now he will be taking passes from 2-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning and a pass heavy offense. The Giants are committed to the passing game, as evident by the signing of Marshall, and they will continue their air assault in 2017. Eli hasn’t had a weapon the likes of Marshall in many seasons and he will capitalize on having a sizable WR in the red zone. Bank on Marshall to be a steal in this year’s drafts.