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It's time to take a look at the second part of the full AFC ranking of fantasy receiving corps. You can catch up on the complete list, starting with part one right here.
This top-seven grouping is one filled with some of the league's top offenses so expect a lot of fantasy firepower. Be sure to stay tuned to RotoBaller for the switch over to the NFC followed by the final NFL ranking of 1-32.
These rankings may help fantasy owners preparing for preseason drafts as NFL training camps get underway.
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AFC Fantasy Receiving Corps Ranks
7. Cincinnati Bengals
Notable Players: A.J. Green, John Ross
The presence of A.J. Green alone is enough to significantly bump the Bengals up in the AFC rankings. Specifically, Green is clearly locked into a top-seven spot at the position overall with some nitpicking amongst those around him. His 2016 season was marred by injury so you'll have to look to his previous few years in order to get a sense of what he's capable of. Rattling off his strong numbers isn't going to do much for you; virtually everyone who participates in fantasy is well aware of just how good Green can be.
The wildcard for Cincinnati is the addition of rookie John Ross. Ross was one of the top prospects at wide receiver and the Bengals were truly desperate for a legit No. 2 option at the position. While this isn't exactly an "air it out" offense, Ross gives Cincy some flexibility in their play calling. Andy Dalton could use another weapon at his disposal, especially considering his inconsistencies. Tyler Boyd could be flex-worthy in PPR leagues, but doesn't possess the highest ceiling around. The dual threat of Green and Ross is enough to net them the seventh spot in the AFC.
6. Denver Broncos
Notable Players: Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders
When Peyton Manning was at the helm, Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders boasted one of the most stellar stat lines to come from a wide receiver tag team in NFL history. Unfortunately, those days are long gone. Instead, Denver has one of the shakiest quarterback situations out there, hindering both Thomas and Sanders. These are still two very talented receivers who can contribute to your fantasy team albeit on a much smaller scale.
Thomas in particular still has the ability to net himself a mid-to-high WR2 type of year. He did just that in 2016 with 1,083 yards and five touchdowns on 90 receptions. Not quite the level of when he floated around 1,500 yards and had three consecutive years of double digit touchdowns. Nevertheless, Demaryius remains a solid piece in all formats.
Sanders isn't some throwaway receiver either. In fact, his numbers were almost identical to that of his WR counterpart. Sanders finished the year with 1,032 yards and five scores. So we're not really talking about a world of difference here. The combination of an unknown quarterback and insane depth at wide receiver across knocks the Broncos down a peg.
5. Los Angeles Chargers
Notable Players: Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams
Let me be up front about this: I am a sucker for Keenan Allen. I am going to hammer this home until I am blue in the face. Allen is currently being labeled as injury prone thanks to having his last two seasons derailed by season ending injuries. The first of which was a lacerated kidney injury followed by a torn ACL. Any kind of internal organ injury is such a fluke thing that it's really unfair to chalk that up as "injury prone." It's not a severe ligament tear or a soft tissue injury. It's a very rare ailment that came during a strong season for Allen. Through eight games in 2015, Allen was on pace for 1,450 yards, eight touchdowns, and 134 receptions. That is top-five level production in PPR. With his injury history already baked into his ranking and ADP, Allen could be one of the biggest steals of the year.
The duo of Mike Williams and Tyrell Williams is one that is sure to make the Chargers offense as strong as ever in 2017. The cloud of mystery surrounding Mike Williams' back makes things a heck of a lot murkier, although the most recent update is that he does not need season ending surgery. Since that's the most up-to-date information we have, that's what we have to work with here. Mike Williams might not see a strong dose of targets to start his rookie year, but that doesn't mean he can't contribute. He's worth a late round look come draft time.
Tyrell Williams, on the other hand, is a sneaky pick who can creep up into WR3/flex status in any format. He's going fairly late in early drafts. Philip Rivers knows how to utilize his weapons as good as anyone in the league. Tyrell Williams should have no problem maintaining a role in the offense regardless of what happens with Mike Williams.
4. Indianapolis Colts
Notable Players: T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief
T.Y. Hilton had a huge year last year so that alone bumps the Colts up quite a bit. Throw in a presumed healthy Donte Moncrief and we're once again looking at a strong offense at wide receiver. With Andrew Luck under center as one of the better quarterbacks in the league, the one-two punch of Hilton and Moncrief warrants strong fantasy attention.
Hilton himself is a strong WR1, floating around the round one/two border as it currently stands. Moncrief is one of those later round picks with nice upside. Whether it's securing a top-10 receiver or adding depth to your team, ending up with either of these two receivers puts you in good shape coming out of a fantasy draft. Our lone AFC South representative in part two, the Colts deserve some praise at four.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
Notable Players: Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant
Speaking of depth, the Pittsburgh Steelers have an embarrassment of riches at wide receiver. The likes of Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, Sammie Coates, Eli Rogers, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Darrius Heyward-Bey give the team an insane assortment of usable assets. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger can't even feed them all if he wanted to. Having said that, there are only a few receivers who can actually contribute within a fantasy context.
Antonio Brown ranks as the top receiver in the entire NFL so there really isn't much to say you don't already know. He's locked in as a top-five pick in drafts. Martavis Bryant returns after a year-long suspension, putting him in WR3/flex territory. Bryant's upside is huge as he can easily become a strong WR2 if he keeps his head straight. He doesn't have the best hands in the world but his combination of size and speed make him one of Pittsburgh's best weapons.
JuJu Smith-Schuster has the advantage of not having to do much to surpass Sammie Coates and Eli Rogers. Both Coates and Rogers struggled to find consistency last year, leaving the door wide open for JuJu to lock down the No. 3 spot on the depth chart. He's not someone you should draft with the hopes of starting him in the first few weeks. Instead, he's the type of rookie who can have mid-season impact, giving the Steelers the rare opportunity to produce three usable fantasy wide receivers. That's enough to slot them at third in the AFC rankings. How about that, this gives us our second division to produce two top-seven teams in the AFC.
2. New England Patriots
Notable Players: Brandin Cooks, Julian Edelman
I am certain there will be some Patriots fans out there who scream blasphemy that they aren't ranked No. 1. The truth of the matter is that their depth chart has the misfortune of having too many mouths to feed within a fantasy context. The addition of Brandin Cooks is essentially a lateral move in terms of fantasy. It makes the Patriots even more difficult to defend in real-life football, but it doesn't really affect much for those of us interested in fantasy points. Cooks already had issues with target share in New Orleans and that isn't going to change in New England. He'll still be looking to break big plays, something he should have no problem doing with Tom Brady as his quarterback.
Julian Edelman is one of the better PPR options in the game, another aspect of this offense you can count on. His touchdown totals aren't great, however, with his career high coming in 2015 with seven. Edelman takes a hit in standard scoring with PPR being his strong suit.
The Patriots certainly have depth as well with Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell, and Danny Amendola hanging around. Again, this five-way death squad gives NFL defenses a major problem but it doesn't automatically translate to fantasy. Cooks and Edelman are the real contributors here and a strong one at that. Ranking second in the AFC coincides with blowing the rest of their division out of the water.
1. Oakland Raiders
Notable Players: Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree
The reasoning behind ranking the Oakland Raiders No. 1 in the AFC is pretty simple; Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree was the absolute best tandem in the entire conference last season. With an only-getting-better Derek Carr under center, Cooper and Crabtree can easily repeat what they did in 2016.
There was some controversy about whether or not Crabtree had leapfrogged Cooper as the top option for Carr, but for the purposes of this article it doesn't matter. If anything, the fact that it was even close is proof for how strong this team's receivers really are. Cooper had the edge in yards with 1,153 to Crabtree's 1,003 while Crabtree outscored Cooper eight to five. In short, this is as good as it gets in terms of fantasy receiving tandem. Seth Roberts wasn't the most efficient WR3 around, posting a 49.4% catch rate, but he will be entering his third NFL season and is athletic enough to make plays.
There's a case to be made for the each of the top-three teams at No. 1. In the end it comes down to splitting hairs with which team can balance talent, depth, and fantasy scoring the best. The Raiders absolutely accomplish that with their top-two pass-catchers. Crazy to think that the AFC West produced three top-seven teams.
