Early 2014 Consensus Rankings – Wide Receivers

The end of the 2013 NFL regular season means the beginning of the dynasty fantasy football season. The offseason affects all active rosters in some way, from new free agent signings, to the rookies of the 2014 NFL draft. With the off-season in full swing we at DLF have taken time to overhaul the rankings system in order to better serve our wonderful followers of DLF.

The consensus top 40 wide receivers were developed from the most recent rankings of eight of our DLF writers. These rankings reflect the way we see things heading into the 2014 season. It is never too early to get a start on 2014 so without further ado I give you the DLF consensus top 40.

Please note these are not all the same writers who perform our regular dynasty wide receiver rankings, so these will not match up exactly.

Name	Brian	Karl	Ryan	Jaron	Eric O	Derek	Scott	Jeff B	AVG
AJ Green	1	2	1	1	2	2	2	2	1.625
Calvin Johnson	2	1	5	2	1	1	1	1	1.750
Dez Bryant	4	6	2	6	3	4	3	3	3.875
Josh Gordon	6	4	4	4	4	3	4	5	4.250
Julio Jones	3	3	3	5	6	6	7	6	4.875
Demaryius Thomas	5	5	6	3	5	5	6	4	4.875
Alshon Jeffery	7	7	7	7	8	7	11	12	8.250
Randall Cobb	11	9	8	9	7	9	9	11	9.125
Keenan Allen	14	8	12	12	10	8	14	10	11.000
Brandon Marshall	9	14	14	13	13	13	5	7	11.000
Antonio Brown	10	11	11	11	9	16	13	13	11.750
Cordarrelle Patterson	8	19	10	10	14	12	22	24	14.875
Pierre Garcon	23	10	24	15	12	10	12	14	15.000
Michael Floyd	13	17	16	8	17	11	21	20	15.375
Victor Cruz	17	20	27	17	11	19	8	9	16.000
DeAndre Hopkins	19	16	9	16	18	14	24	19	16.875
Jordy Nelson	16	15	20	25	21	22	10	8	17.125
Larry Fitzgerald	27	13	18	24	20	28	16	15	20.125
Kendall Wright	25	18	19	14	19	17	20	34	20.750
Eric Decker	20	26	25	22	15	27	15	16	20.750
Percy Harvin	12	25	15	18	27	21	28	27	21.625
Torrey Smith	18	24	13	20	30	24	23	22	21.750
DeSean Jackson	22	12	29	28	28	20	18	18	21.875
Michael Crabtree	15	36	21	19	16	15	26	NR	23.625
TY Hilton	24	23	31	21	22	23	19	31	24.250
Vincent Jackson	26	27	28	26	26	29	17	25	25.500
Andre Johnson	29	30	30	31	23	32	29	17	26.625
Justin Blackmon	21	22	17	33	38	26	NR	28	28.250
Rueben Randle	32	33	22	29	29	30	30	26	28.875
Tavon Austin	28	37	37	23	35	18	NR	21	30.000
Justin Hunter	33	21	23	27	37	25	NR	33	30.000
Roddy White	31	40	NR	34	24	NR	25	23	32.375
Mike Wallace	30	28	39	36	34	32	27	37	32.875
Terrance Williams	39	32	34	30	NR	31	31	29	33.375
Hakeem Nicks	37	29	33	35	39	31	37	36	34.625
Wes Welker	36	38	40	37	25	40	32	35	35.375
Cecil Shorts	NR	35	26	NR	33	37	39	32	35.500
Danny Amendola	38	NR	NR	32	NR	34	NR	30	37.250
Robert Woods	NR	31	32	38	NR	33	NR	NR	37.250
Stevie Johnson	34	NR	NR	40	NR	35	34	NR	38.375
Dwayne Bowe	40	NR	NR	NR	31	39	36	NR	38.750
Jeremy Maclin	35	NR	NR	NR	32	NR	NR	NR	39.125
Aaron Dobson	NR	34	35	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	39.375
Denarius Moore	NR	NR	36	NR	40	36	NR	NR	39.625
Markus Wheaton	NR	NR	NR	39	36	NR	NR	38	39.750
Marques Colston	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	33	NR	40.000
Riley Cooper	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	35	40	40.125
Brian Hartline	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	38	39	40.375
Julian Edelman	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	38	NR	NR	40.625
Kenny Stills	NR	NR	38	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	40.625
Mike Williams	NR	39	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	40.750
Rod Streater	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	40	NR	40.875

 

1)      AJ Green – At age 25 AJ Green is an elite quarterback away from dominating numbers at his position. Green is an elite wide receiver and will continue to put up top five numbers regardless of the quarterback. Green has been a top 15 wide receiver since entering the league and top 5 the last two years. Green is the top dynasty wide receiver heading into 2014.

2)      Calvin Johnson – Although Johnson was not force fed in the offense this season he still put up elite wide receiver numbers. Johnson could easily be transferable with Johnson for the top overall wide receiver position but the main difference at this point is age. Johnson will be 29 in September, but I still expect to see elite fantasy production for at least five more years with Megatron.

3)      Dez Bryant – After two mediocre seasons Dez Bryant broke out in 2012 and followed up 2013 with solid numbers. At age 25 Bryant can dominate with his physical size and continues to beat double coverage. As long as Bryant can maintain his mental focus, he will continue to be an elite wide receiver in the NFL and fantasy football.

4)      Josh Gordon – Like a shiny new toy Gordon becomes the player to own after a breakout season in 2013. Gordon led all wide receivers with 1646 yards (nearly 150 more yards than WR2). Gordon did this with 3 different quarterbacks and showed that he is “quarterback proof”. Gordon will be a “hot buy” in 2014, at the age of 22 he has a lot of years ahead of him in the NFL if he can stay focused off the field.

5)      Julio Jones – Prior to the foot injury in 2013, Jones led all wide receivers in yards and receptions. He was carrying most of the load at wide receiver with Roddy White dealing with an ankle injury. His foot injury is easily fixable and should allow him to bounce back with ease. At 24 years of age, Jones has a lot of years with Matt Ryan to maintain elite wide receiver status.

6)      Demaryius Thomas – Thomas has become a major cog in the Denver offense with Payton Manning in town. At age 26, it is easy for Thomas to put up big points as long as Manning continues to sling the ball around. The question for Thomas’ dynasty value is how much longer does Payton have?

7)      Alshon Jeffery – Jeffery pushed himself into the top ten wide receiver conversation with an amazing 2013 season with over 1400 yards receiving and seven touchdowns. Jeffery is only 23 and playing in the Marc Trestman offense will only help his value.

8)      Randall Cobb – Cobb was putting up top 20 wide receiver numbers and is a very explosive athlete with huge statistical upside in the Green Bay offense. Cobb is only 23 and has the ability to put up elite numbers if he stays healthy.

9)      Keenan Allen – Allen is up for offensive rookie of the year due to his breakout campaign with the Chargers. The early season losses of Danario Alexander and Malcolm Floyd forced Allen to play a higher volume of snaps earlier in the season. Allen has huge upside in a throwing offense in San Diego. At the young age of 21, and a 1,000+ yard receiving season under his belt, the sky is the limit for this lightning bolt.

10)   Brandon Marshall – Marshall is a veteran wide receiver that is the favorite target of his quarterback, Jay Cutler. Marshall will be 30 heading into next season. Marshall has already proclaimed that he feels fellow teammate, Alshon Jeffery is a better wide receiver than he is. Seems we at DLF feel the same way about Marshall.

11)   Antonio Brown – Brown had a monster season in 2013 finishing second in receptions (110) and second in yards (1499). Brown is only 25 and is Ben Roethlisberger’s top target in Pittsburgh, enough said.

12)   Cordarrelle Patterson – At 22 years of age, Patterson had a very solid rookie campaign. He started to show his potential down the stretch as a multidimensional player in the running game and the passing game. Patterson will be the primary playmaker in Minnesota behind only Adrian Peterson.

13)   Pierre Garcon – Garcon led the league in receptions in 2013. At 28 years of age Garcon was Robert Griffin III top target and expect that trend to continue moving forward.

14)   Michael Floyd – Floyd had a great year with Bruce Arians and his offense in Arizona. The vertical attack help Floyd to eclipse the 1,000 yard receiving mark for the first time in his young career. Expect the 24 year old to continue to improve with Arian’s in Arizona.

15)   Victor Cruz – Cruz nearly broke the 1,000 yard barrier prior to being put on IR after a minor knee procedure ended his season prematurely. The 27 year old has a ton of potential, but unfortunately Eli Manning is terribly inconsistent and that hurts Cruz’s production.

16)   Deandre Hopkins – Hopkins had a solid rookie season, but was limited by poor quarterback play. Hopkins has the talent to be a WR1, but his future will depend on how Houston addresses the quarterback position.

17)   Jordy Nelson – Nelson was able to stay healthy all season long and finished the 2013 campaign as a top 15 wide receiver. Nelson is 28 and can easily be a top 10 wide receiver with a healthy Aaron Rodgers all season.

18)   Larry Fitzgerald – Fitzgerald was able to put up solid numbers in 2013 finishing with double digit touchdowns for the first time since 2009. Fitzgerald is 30 and is not getting any younger, but he has plenty of upside in a vertical offense.

19)   Kendall Wright – Wright continues to get better with each season. Wright quietly had 94 catches and 1000+ yards receiving in 2013. The 24 year old has a ton of upside if the Titans have a stable quarterback situation moving forward.

20)   Eric Decker – The 26 year old Decker had a banner year in 2013 finishing in the top ten among wide receivers. Decker has a load of talent, but his tenure is Denver is up in the air. He is a free agent at seasons end and his 2014 is unknown at this point.

21)   Percy Harvin – Harvin is a very versatile wide receiver, but also very fragile. He has only played a 16 game season once in his career and has not played a game since being traded to the Vikings. Harvin will be 26 heading into next season and he still has a lot of good football in front of him. He could be a great buy low now because he can put up monster numbers if he can stay healthy.

22)   Torrey Smith – You would not know with Joe Flacco’s down year that Torrey Smith would have his first 1,000 yard season. Smith had over 60 catches for the first time in his career but only 4 touchdowns. Things are looking up for Smith who will only be 25 heading into next season.

23)   DeSean Jackson – Jackson had a banner year in 2013. With Jeremy Maclin out, Jackson finished as a top 15 wide receiver with 82 receptions for 1,300 yards and 9 touchdowns. Now Jackson is back to asking for more money. With Maclin set to possibly hit free agency this should be an interesting offseason in Philadelphia.

24)   Michael Crabtree – Crabtree had a tough offseason tearing an Achilles tendon. He fought his way back and was able to play in the final five regular season games and is starting to look like his old self again in the playoffs. Crabtree will be 26 going into next NFL season and with a healthy offseason he could come back in 2014 to finish as a top 15 wide receiver.

25)   TY Hilton – Hilton is learning to become Andrew Lucks primary target, but does he really scream WR1. Hilton finished as a top 20 wide receiver and went over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. Hilton is only 24 and still has a lot of time working with Andrew Luck. Reggie Wayne is 34 and close to the end of his road in the NFL, but the question remains, who is the next top wide receiver in Indy?

26)   Vincent Jackson – Jackson will be 31 heading into the 2014 season, but don’t let that fool you. Jackson caught more passes (78) in 2013 than in any other season. He also had his second highest yardage mark (1224). He continues to put up strong numbers but is on the downhill slide of his NFL career.

27)   Andre Johnson – Johnson is a PPR monster and caught 109 passes last season for 1400+ yards. Johnson will be 33 years of age heading into the 2014 season and he continues to struggle finding the endzone (only 10 total TDs the last 3 seasons). How much longer does Johnson have before he hangs up the cleats?

28)   Justin Blackmon – A supreme talent at the position and easily put in the top 10 wide receiver conversation if you could subtract the off the field issues. At 24 years of age, Blackmon torched the league after returning from his 4 game suspension in 2013 with 29 receptions, 415 yards, and 2 touchdowns in 4 games. His new suspension will require reinstatement into the NFL in 2014. Blackmon is basically down to his last strike.

29)   Rueben Randle – With two years under his belt and only 23 heading into 2014, Randle’s volume may depend on how the Giants handle the Hakeem Nicks situation. If Nicks is released expect Randle to see a huge bump in targets starting in 2014. Just hope Eli can hit his receivers rather than the defensive backs.

30)   Tavon Austin – Austin is rare speedster with incredible agility, but the Rams had trouble finding ways to use him to their advantage in 2013. Austin started 2013 averaging 6 catches for the first three games then only caught more than 3 passes twice. Some of that could be attributed to the Sam Bradford injury. Expect Austin to have a bigger 2014 after having an entire offseason to work in the offense.

31)   Justin Hunter – Hunter did not have an outstanding 2013 campaign, but did show flashes of potential with two 100 yard games in week 12 and week 14. Hunter will be 23 when the season starts and he may only be limited by his quarterback in Tennessee.

32)   Roddy White – White is a major contributor to the Falcons offense but is only signed through the 2014 season. His streak of 1000+ seasons (6) came to an end this season when he was hampered with a high ankle sprain early in the season. White should be solid in 2014, but there are many unknowns after next season.

33)   Mike Wallace – Wallace will be 28 heading into the 2014 season. He did lead the Dolphins in targets in 2013 and I expect the same in 2014. The main knock on Wallace is that he is so inconsistent. He had four games in 2013 with 100+ yards and eight games with less than 40 yards. Wallace is a boom or bust player, but still has great potential.

34)   Terrance Williams – Williams is a talented player who had a solid rookie campaign. Williams is 24 years of age and is in a pass happy offense. With Miles Austin in danger of being cut prior to free agency, expect Terrance Williams to be the primary second wide receiver in Dallas.

35)   Hakeem Nicks – Nicks appeared to be a consistent WR1 in 2010 and 2011 and has been hampered by injury and inconsistent quarterback play the last two years. It appears that Nicks is having issues creating separation that he had early on in his career. Nicks will only be 26 heading into 2014, but is also a free agent. A lot is left to be determined, but Nicks will have to prove he is an elite wide receiver once again before moving up the rankings.

36)   Wes Welker – Welker only played in 13 games before suffering a concussion that has kept him out the last three weeks of the season. He still managed to be a top 25 wide receiver, but in Denver the question is who wasn’t a top 25 wide receiver? Welker will be 33 heading into next season and is only signed in Denver through the 2014 season. Welker has potential for top 10 wide receiver numbers, but father time is catching up to him.

37)   Cecil Shorts – Shorts was one of the most targeted wide receivers the first four weeks prior to the return of Justin Blackmon. Shorts will be 26 heading into 2014 and will  be in the last year of his rookie contract. If Jacksonville addresses the quarterback position then Shorts may carry more value in 2014.

38)   Danny Amendola – Amendola has only been able to play 16 games in one out of five seasons. At age 28, Amendola signed a five year contract in New England. He will be playing with Tom Brady a few more seasons, but how much will guys like Kenbrell Thompkins and Aaron Dobson cut into his targets?

39)   Robert Woods – Woods had a great rookie campaign for a team that went through three quarterbacks over the course of the season. Woods will be 22 heading into his second season. If EJ Manuel can stay healthy and the two can build chemistry I expect Woods to have a breakout 2014.

40)   Steve Johnson – Johnson heads into 2014 as a 28 year old wide receiver that will be competing with Robert Woods to be the primary target. Johnson was hampered by injury in 2013 and that broke Steve Johnson’s consecutive streak of 1000+ yard seasons (3).

The consensus top 40 did not go without other players being named that did not make the cut. In the order that they missed the cut but were nominated by one of our writers (age in parenthesis):

Dwayne Bowe (29) – Was not a primary target in Kansas City due to the success of the rushing attack.

Jeremy Maclin (25) – Missed the season due to torn ACL and could be a free agent if Philly cuts him.

Aaron Dobson (23) – Dobson needs an offseason of work with Tom Brady and his value could skyrocket

Denarius Moore (25) – Moore has not stayed healthy an entire season and now is competing with Rod Streater and Andre Holmes for targets.

Markus Wheaton (23) – Wheaton did not see much action in 2013. With Emmanuel Sanders contract expiring it will be interesting to see if Wheaton’s production increases in 2014.

Marques Colston (31) – Colston is an aging wide receiver in a pass heavy offense with many targets. Colston will continue to trend down due to his age.

Riley Cooper (26) –  Cooper was the benefactor of the loss of Maclin in 2013. If Maclin hits free agency expect Cooper’s stock to increase.

Brian Hartline (27) – Hartline had a solid campaign with comparable numbers to Mike Wallace.

Julian Edelman (27)  – Edelman had a breakout campaign in 2013 as Brady’s most consistent and primary target.

Kenny Stills (22) – Stills did well as a rookie in a pass happy offense. His stock should continue to increase over the next couple of years.

Mike Williams (27) – Williams had three consecutive seasons with 65 catches prior to this season. He should bounce back from his injury and be ready for 2014.

Rod Streater (25) – Fighting with Denarius Moore and Andre Holmes for targets.

Did we leave someone off the list that you think should be on there? Let us know in the comments.