Dynasty League Wide Receiver Rankings: Top 35 for 2014 (Part 1)

August 17, 2014

Andrew Flynn analyzes NFL wide receivers (WRs) and 2014 fantasy football rankings for dynasty and keepers leagues to determine which will be sleepers on draft day.

I previously looked at the top 15 quarterback rankings, top 30 running back rankings, and top 10 tight end rankings for dynasty and keeper leagues. Today I'll take a closer look at wide receiver rankings for 2014 fantasy football dynasty leagues, assuming both PPR and non-PPR formats. If you have a fresh dynasty league draft, these rankings are a good guideline for you to follow in valuing the players at the position.  If you're already in a dynasty league, you can refer to this ranking as a more general preseason valuation. We're checking out #'s 35-16 today, and will look at the top 15 later in the week.

The Rookies

NFL rookies are rated separately because there is no actual NFL track record with which to judge them against their veteran peers.

35. Brandin Cooks - He is a very fast human being. He is on track to be Drew Brees’s deep threat.

34. Kelvin Benjamin - He is a very tall human being. He is on track to be Cam Newton’s red zone target.

33. Mike Evans - Evans is a big, physical wideout that uses his strength to his advantage. He has better agility than you would expect from a taller receiver but his long speed is average at best.

32. Sammy Watkins - Watkins is a phenom along the lines of Dez Bryant, Julio Jones or A.J. Green, and should be valued according to that trajectory.

Flawed with Upside

31. Tavon Austin - He is a total gamebreaker with the ball in his hands, both on returns and in the passing game. However, he is the smallest player on this list, and St. Louis shows no signs of making him a “bellcow” receiver, so to speak.

30. Wes Welker - Wes is in the final year of his contract with Denver, he’s been dinged up, and he’s getting old. Expect a downward trend in production.

29. Kendall Wright - Wright has showcased some skills, but Tennessee is a team that has been stuck in 2nd gear for the entirety of the Jake Locker era. Unless Ken Whisenhunt can fix the passing game, Wright will have limited productivity.

28. Josh Gordon - Gordon is one misstep from never setting foot on an NFL field again, which is a damn shame considering his all-world talent.

27. Jeremy Maclin - As the top wideout in the Chip Kelly offense, Maclin should have a few multi-touchdown games this year. However, he’s been injured a lot in his career, and therefore can’t be counted on to stay on the field. Even when healthy, he has never taken over a game.

26. Cordarrelle Patterson - Patterson is one of the top playmakers in the NFL after just one season. He is still limited in his route-running abilities and he’s limited by the development of Teddy Bridgewater.

25. Percy Harvin - Harvin is quite similar to Patterson in that when given the opportunity, he can produce at a near-elite level, but ultimately is just an athlete masquerading as a receiver. Harvin has an injury history that can’t be ignored. He will be, however, the focal point of the Seattle passing attack.

24. Michael Crabtree - Crabtree can be a top-10 wideout in this league, but he needs to stay healthy, and San Francisco needs to chuck the ball through the air a bit more.

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Bargaining Chips

23. Julian Edelman - The Patriots have a role in their offense for a quick slot receiver to catch 100 balls. That person is Edelman for the foreseeable future.

22. Larry Fitzgerald - His performance the last few years has underwhelmed, and if someone criticized this ranking as reputation-based, it would be a somewhat valid argument. Still, Fitz was one of the most talented receivers of his generation, and great players find ways to stay great. No one should be surprised if he has a rejuvenation for a few years.

21. Roddy White - White’s situation closely approximates Fitzgerald’s, except that White has a better quarterback and an easier division.

20. Torrey Smith - Smith been a top 25 WR in each of his 3 seasons, so his floor is higher than most would have expected. Gary Kubiak has been brought in to fix the Baltimore offense, and Smith could be the biggest beneficiary.

19. T.Y. Hilton - Despite coordinator Pep Hamilton’s desire for a power-running offense, Indy moves the ball best when Andrew Luck can fling the ball all over the field. When he does that, Hilton is the guy Luck likes finding deep.

18. Victor Cruz - Cruz is on a decidedly downward trend since his Pro-Bowl season three years ago. This writer thinks he was really the beneficiary of defenses keying on a then-formidable Hakeem Nicks. Cruz is now the focal point of the Giants passing game, so either the increased targets will raise his value, or defenses will focus on taking him out of the game. Bet on the latter.

17. Marques Colston - At this stage of his career, Colston is merely a possession receiver, but he is one of the best possession receivers in the game. The New Orleans passing offense is built around Jimmy Graham, and they have two burners on the outside to stretch the field, so Colston will have all of the underneath stuff that used to go to Lance Moore and Darren Sproles.

16. Andre Johnson - ‘Dre is aging and his performance is declining, but it’s actually not declining at the rate you would have thought. He finished 7th two years ago and 12th last year. Great players find a way to stay great. The biggest question mark this season is probably how he will fit into Bill O’Brien’s new system. The safe bet is that O’Brien will get the ball in the hands of his best playmaker.

Dynasty Rankings for Wide Receivers 1-15 Coming Soon...