(Editor’s Note: Rankings based on one point for every 10 yards receiving, six points for every touchdown.)

 

Steve Smith, Carolina - Will he end the season as number one? I guarantee he won’t. So, why is everyone picking Smith on top? It’s clearly because of his numbers last year. Well, last year doesn’t translate to this year, so on second thought…

 

Terrell Owens, Dallas - It will not surprise anybody when Owens gains the most fantasy points and most NFL points (TDs) for wide receivers. Owens’ ability to break the big play can single-handedly win a week or two. Terrell may be portrayed as an arrogant, self-centered man that only cares about his own stats. Regardless, if this is true or not, it’s perfect for fantasy football teams. He can’t affect your locker room chemistry, but he can gain you a ton of points. Terrell may be selfish, but he’s definitely not stupid, and he realizes another serious confrontation with a coach or teammate will lead him to less money next year – a lot less. He’s a gutsy player that likes to win, and he helped the Eagles in their Super Bowl appearance much more than journalists give him credit for. Make T.O. the first receiver taken in your fantasy draft. The tenth or eleventh pick wouldn’t be too high for the top receiver for your team.

 

Chad Johnson, Cincinnati - If Palmer is healthy, then he might be at the top of this list. If Anthony Wright is on the field, then I am selling all stock invested in CJ. Chad Johnson is another big-play guy, and that’s important when an 80-yard TD gives you at least 14 points, and can be rewarded in long-yardage TD leagues.

 

Torry Holt, St. Louis - Receiver is definitely the least clear cut position. There are, by my count, nine dominant receivers, and four second tier, before dropping to another group of players that can barely be differentiated. This gives even a bigger advantage to someone with a top-3 pick. They can take a top-3 RB and come back with two top-9 receivers if they forego a second RB until the fourth or fifth round. Torry Holt will remain the top option in the Rams’ offense, and Steven Jackson’s improvement will not be large enough to affect Holt’s numbers.

 

Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis - Harrison has always put up consistently great numbers, and he should do it once again this year. Peyton Manning has mind-meld with Harrison, more so than any QB-WR combo in the league.  I expect Harrison to keep going strong, similar to Jerry Rice, throughout the latter stages of his career.

 

Chris Chambers, Miami - Chambers will be unbelievable this year. Fifteen touchdowns are not out of the question. That is with Daunte Culpepper. Without Culpepper, Chambers won’t be that far out of the mix either. Chambers has consistently operated with sub-par quarterbacks throwing him the ball, and even without Culpepper, Chambers should be in the top-12.

 

Steve Smith, Carolina - The buzz around Smith is not too much for me to break the mold of putting him at number one along with every other fantasy football publication. When I started this column, I legitimately had Smith at the top. Last year, he had an unbelievable season, but other than last year what does he have? One 1,000 yard season and zero 10-TD years. Last year’s Randy Moss had a season equivalent to the best Smith season before last year. He isn’t quite the definite number one everybody is making him out to be.   Risk prevention logic would lead people to believe that Smith is the safe pick. Quite the opposite, with an injured hamstring, I believe that Owens might be a safer pick. Smith has a legitimate threat on the other side of the field in Keyshawn Johnson, but this will lead to worse numbers because the ball can’t be directed towards Smith as often. Steve Smith likely will be a top-5 receiver, yet I wouldn’t bank on a season as dominant as last year.  Not by a long shot.

 

Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona - In keeper leagues, I would think Fitzgerald could be the top option. He’s only 23 years old, and his upside is tremendous, especially with Matt Leinart taking over, presumably next year. This year is hazier, and with the addition of Edgerrrin James, the Cards WRs will not produce as much as they did last year.

 

Anquan Boldin, Arizona - The other half of the Cardinals’ dynamic duo is Boldin. I would bet that Fitzgerald outperforms him, but I think that they will have roughly similar numbers, like they did last year. Both are top-notch receivers, and neither wants to be a number two. So, the only possibility is that they must co-exist, and put up about 1,200 yards and 10 TDs each. Not such a bad option in the NFL or for fantasy football teams.

 

Randy Moss, Oakland - Oh, Randy Moss, how far you have fallen from the graces of the number one spot. Really, not that bad a year for any other receiver, but for Moss, it was considered terrible. The fantasy expectations were so high for Moss and Kerry Collins that it was hard to realize that both of them were entering a train-wreck situation that was going to get potentially worse when the Raiders began to lose. Moss’ injury was pretty serious two years ago, and he is not the same “could he break Jerry Rice’s records?” guy. Now, he’s just a number-one fantasy wide-out that is looking to get his groove back. I wouldn’t mind having him on my fantasy team as long as he’s willing to stay on the field and stay out of the trainer’s room. Touchdowns will be around eight to ten because Lamont Jordan will begin to put the ball in the end zone from inside the five.

 

Darrell Jackson, Seattle - I think a line should be drawn between Moss and Jackson, because whereas Moss is a number one WR, DJ is a number two. He will gain 1,000 yards and eight TDs, but his upside is not nearly as large as the nine players ranked before him. Make sure you gather one (or two) of the top nine receivers if you can. The drop-off is significant, and you could be losing five points, and likely more on the big weeks by passing on one of the aforementioned guys.

 

Santana Moss, Washington - I’m not a strong believer in a repeat performance of last year when Santana was the best receiving Moss. He might get about eighttouchdowns this year, but last year’s nearly 1,500 receiving yards seems like a stretch for this year. The Redskins added Antwaan Randle-El and Brandon Lloyd to help Moss get single coverage, but Randle El and Lloyd will actually betaking more opportunities away from Moss.

 

Hines Ward, Pittsburgh - Ward is nearly a lock to get about 1,000 yards and about 10 touchdowns. He went over 1,000 yards four out of the last five years (last year he had 975 yards) and 10 touchdowns three out of the last four years. Ward is a consistent number two wideout that will give you points every week. Without the Bus in the red zone, there will be more balls to go around, leading to higher touchdown totals from the main guys in the Steelers offense.

 

Roy Williams, Detroit - Injuries have hampered Williams in each of his first two seasons, causing him to not top the 1,000 yard mark. Williams is a scoring machine because of his amazing size and speed, gathering eight touchdowns in both years. Also, I’d like to start a push to refer to Roy Williams as the “Lion King” because first, he plays for the Lions, second, his first name means king in French. However, I believe that title was used prematurely by Barry Sanders. Anyway…

 

Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis - Reggie Wayne did not score very much last year, only getting in the end zone five times. This year, he should catch more touchdowns without Edgerrin James, but I’m not ready to put him in the Top-10. As I mentioned in the RBs article, if you fill Wayne’s number two Colts WR spot with a number of guys, then they would succeed to nearly the extent of Wayne. However, he is the player lucky enough to be in that spot for the Colts, and he will succeed.

 

Plaxico Burress, New York Giants - Burress was the second most targeted receiver in the league last year. Eli Manning likes to throw the ball at Burress, but unfortunately the latter is unable to reel in the passes that Eli is throwing. For some reason, Burress seemed to slow down at the end of last year, culminating with zero receptions in the Giants’ playoff game. However, I expect him to get a few more touchdowns this year, even with Jeremy Shockey receiving many of the red zone passes.

 

T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati - TJH saw the most red zone passes come his way in the entire NFL last season because of the distraction that Chad Johnson causes. It is also Housh’s third season, the supposed breakout year for receivers. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he breaks the top-10 this year with a healthy Carson Palmer throwing him the ball. I’m going to put TJ on sleeper alert because I think he has the opportunity to have his coming out party this year. You can also trade for him after the draft because I don’t believe people will be satisfied drafting a guy that could have been picked up as a free agent last year. Owners have a mind block against these types of players.

 

Donald Driver, Green Bay - Brett Favre will continue to throw the ball in Driver’s direction, and as Favre gets continually more and more frustrated, he will continue to throw the ball more and more until it culminates in a five-TD, five-INT game in December. Hopefully, if you own Driver, he will get 2 or 3 of those scores. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Packers lose double digit games again this year. They will be behind often, thus throwing the ball consistently.

 

Joey Galloway, Tampa Bay - This is the man who was the MVP of my fantasy team last year. My team was terrible, but I ended up winning the championship (and $1,000) because of all my free agent pick-ups, Galloway being the gem. He performed at the rate in which most were expecting out of Michael Clayton. Beware the sophomore slump. Galloway was at one time the fastest player in the league. He’s still a game breaker, and as a third receiver would be a phenomenal addition.

 

Javon Walker, Denver - Not only is he coming off surgery, which usually takes a year to heal, but he also has ADD and he’s trying to learn a new playbook. This is not a good combination. However, Walker was one of the most dominant receivers two years ago, and he might be healthy because of his early injury, much like Steve Smith last year. I reserve the right to be wrong on Walker, and he’s a player that I don’t like to make a prediction about. He could be a top-3 WR or not a fantasy starter. So, go with your gut on this one. I’m probably not going to draft him, unless it’s a huge bargain.

 

Donte Stallworth, New Orleans - Disregard me on this because I have believed it was Stallworth’s breakout season every year for the past three. My prediction is that he will break the 1,000 yard mark for the first time in his career, and if Brees is healthy, he could get even better numbers. The last three years have shown improvement of about 200-300 yards and two touchdowns, so if this is a steady slope, then Stallworth will gain 1,150 yards and nine TDs this year. Not bad at all.

 

Andre Johnson, Houston - Before last year, Johnson was considered a top receiving option. Now, he should still be considered among the top wide-outs. David Carr will do much better this year with Eric Moulds and Gary Kubiak, a quarterbacks’ coach as his head coach. It’s not intelligent to think that just because Kubiak was a QB coach that he is going to throw the ball more in Houston, but it has to be considered. Johnson will still face double coverage, but Moulds is definitely a bigger threat than Jabar Gaffney.

 

Terry Glenn, Dallas - Before last year’s resurgence, Glenn had 10 touchdowns in his last four seasons. Owens will be the definite number one option next year, relegating Glenn to a secondary role. Owens will take many looks away from Glenn in the secondary giving Glenn weaker coverage to work against, but also fewer opportunities. I don’t think he’ll break 1,000 yards; touchdowns should be around four or five. Not a strong player, but not a weak third receiver option.

 

Derrick Mason, Baltimore - Steve McNair is hooking back up with Mason, this time as Baltimore Ravens. Mason is a consistent 1,000 yard gainer, and he was a top-20 WR with McNair throwing him the ball as a first option. His TD numbers will go up because of McNair’s familiarity with Mason. A 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns aren’t out of the question.

 

Rod Smith, Denver - Although Walker’s addition will turn Smith into a second option on his own team, he should still be considered a consistent producer that will gain points every week. He might not light up the scoreboard like he used to, but he should still gain 1,000 yards. He has eight out of the last nine seasons. If Walker frustrates the Broncos early, then Smith might turn into their number one option once again.

 

Eddie Kennison, Kansas City - Although he’s not a sexy pick, he does get you points. He gets downfield well, and the potent running game gives him a good chance to break big plays. He has gained 1,000 yards in the past two seasons, and he has a great chance of doing it again this year. Gonzalez had a poor showing last year, and he might be declining at a faster rate than Kennison. Give Kennison a shot as a starter on your fantasy team. If he doesn’t suit your needs there, he could at least serve you as a solid bye week receiver.

 

Drew Bennett, Tennessee - In a scenario that is similar to the McNair-Mason relationship, Bennett’s reunion with Billy Volek could spell touchdowns early and  often this year. Somehow these guys caught on absolute fire at the end of 2004 vaulting Bennett up the list of receivers. This year, I believe he will be a bargain. Grab him if you can.

 

Lee Evans, Buffalo - A lot of buzz has surrounded Evans this off-season, yet I don’t understand why. Eric Moulds is gone, replaced by Peerless Price. Quarterback is still shaky under the leadership of Kelly Holcomb and JP Losman. Evans had a monster game last season in Week 13, gaining 38 points in my scoring system. Other than that, he was not even average. Taking away his best and worst weeks, he averaged five points a game. That’s barely even worth a roster spot. I would be careful drafting Evans as a Week 1 starter because I’m not sure he can produce at a consistent pace to warrant putting him in your lineup.

 

Keenan McCardell, San Diego - He is thirty-six years old, but he seems to catch 60-70 balls a year along with 900-1,100 yards. Philip Rivers stepping onto the stage will probably lead to a decrease in McCardell’s numbers. His age also may be a factor, but the consistency of McCardell will give a team several points per week.

 

Deion Branch, New England - He’s currently holding out, but Tom Brady will demand that Branch get his contract. The Pats’ organization is stubborn, but not stupid, and they will reward the former Super Bowl MVP. Branch has never gone over the millennium mark in yardage, but last year he came close, reaching 998 yards. He’ll get the 1,000 yards this year as the premier option in the Patriots’ spread offense.

 

Joe Horn, New Orleans - Before last year, Horn was a definite number one fantasy wideout. He always seemed to get 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns, leading him to be one of the first – and most receivers off the board. After last year’s one touchdown season, he has fallen far down the charts. In his mid-30s, Horn will try to bring everything back that he had to offer from past years. I don’t think it’ll matter. Guys in their mid-30s rarely bring everything back to the table after an injury. Horn looked ineffective last year, and he won’t do much better this year.

 

Nate Burleson, Seattle Braylon Edwards, Cleveland Muhsin Muhammed, Chicago Koren Robinson, Minnesota Jerry Porter, Oakland Laveranues Coles, New York Jets Keyshawn Johnson, Carolina Matt Jones, Jacksonville - Jones will be successful this year because of his height and speed. Eight touchdowns is not out of the question. Grab him as a backup that could mature into a starter mid-season. Cedrick Wilson, Pittsburgh - Wilson did a great job during the playoffs last year, and he will return opposite Hines Ward as the starting receivers on the Super Bowl champion Steelers. Isaac Bruce, St. Louis Joe Jurevicius, Cleveland - Cleveland’s #1 Antonio Bryant, San Francisco - San Francisco’s #1 Antwaan Randle El, Washington - Washington’s #3 Reche Caldwell, New England Eric Moulds, Houston Mike Clayton, Tampa Bay - Maybe there will be a resurgence this year, although I wouldn’t count on it. David Givens, Tennessee Reggie Brown, Philadelphia Mark Clayton, Baltimore Brandon Lloyd, Washington Mike Williams, Detroit Roddy White, Atlanta - He is supposed to have connected with Mike Vick during training camp, yet tight end Alge Crumpler will still be the main target in the passing game. Sinorice Moss, New York Giants - A terrific and successful name for receivers. Kevin Curtis, St. Louis Ernest Wilford, Jacksonville Samie Parker, Kansas City Charles Rogers, Detroit Amani Toomer, New York Giants Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh Ashley Lelie, Denver Marcus Robinson, Minnesota Maurice Stovall, Tampa Bay - This rookie’s impact may be similar to Michael Clayton’s emergence two years ago. Jabar Gaffney, Philadelphia Reggie Williams, Jacksonville Justin McCareins, New York Jets

Jim Snaza can be reached at jimsnaza@atomicsportsmedia.com.