June 29, 2017

RotoBaller's Frankie Soler continues to rank each division based on their wide receiver corps, finishing up with the NFC West.

At last we have reached the final division in our fantasy receiving corps series. I wish I could tell you we saved the most potent division for last, but that would be a lie.

The NFC West may very well be the weakest division, not just based on wide receivers, but on overall talent. That being said, there's still some fantasy value to be had here, even if it is lower on the totem pole.

With our last division under wraps, next week will shift over to a conference rankings. Once that concludes, the final 1-32 slate will be released. Now let's take a gander at the sub-par NFC West shall we?

Breaking Down the NFC West Receivers

4. Los Angeles Rams

1. Robert Woods
2. Tavon Austin
3. Mike Thomas
4. Cooper Kupp

Right off the bat, we have a murky view of a depth chart at best. As you'll see with the next three teams as well, the Los Angeles Rams are in a position where the proper order of their wide receivers is still very much in the air. Fortunately, there is one small tidbit to look toward in terms of clarity.

The Rams signed former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Robert Woods this off-season, giving them a much needed boost at the position. Woods has flirted with bye-week fill-in status in the past, even getting some consideration as a WR3. The down side to his current situation is that he is now on a much worse team. The aforementioned clarity comes in the form of a (presumed) default position atop the depth chart for Robert Woods. As soon as the ink was dry on his contract, Woods was the most talented receiver on the Rams. Kenny Britt was L.A.'s leading receiver last year with 1,002 yards and five touchdowns. It wasn't a spectacular season, but Britt was still somewhat usable in deeper formats. Expect similar usage and production from Robert Woods in 2017.

Beyond that, there isn't much else worth discussing here. The Rams are just too bad with too shaky of a quarterback under center in Jared Goff. It'll take something completely unforeseen for anyone else to be fantasy relevant.

3. San Francisco 49ers

1. Pierre Garcon
2. Jeremy Kerley
3. Aldrick Robinson
4. Marquise Goodwin

I certainly wasn't lying when I said that this division has a cloudy depth chart situation as a whole. The San Francisco 49ers also turn to a freshly signed receiver to take the lead at the position. Pierre Garcon, a highly underrated veteran, moves from a Washington offense that spread the ball around a ton to a team desperate for a true No. 1 option. Garcon should have no problems filling that role, especially with new head coach Kyle Shanahan at the helm. Shanahan has proven that he can provide a significant boost to an offense. San Francisco's weapons are nowhere near the caliber of the ones Shanahan had in Atlanta but there's still enough of a track record to expect an improvement. Even with Brian Hoyer at quarterback, Garcon is well within flex consideration, particularly in PPR formats.

Again, this is another team that is hard to predict at wide receiver. Jeremy Kerley, Aldrick Robinson, and Marquise Goodwin could easily flip-flop the order in which they appear in the depth chart at any given time. This isn't an offense that will yield more than one relevant pass catcher.

2. Seattle Seahawks

1. Doug Baldwin
2. Tyler Lockett
3. Jermaine Kearse
4. Paul Richardson

Seattle finally committed to making a true No. 1 receiver out of Doug Baldwin in 2016. Baldwin's 1,128 yards and seven touchdowns netted him high-end WR2 value. Perhaps even more surprising was his reception total at 94, tied for seventh in the league. It's a surprising development that points to a more consistent role going forward. The only drawback of Baldwin's breakout season is that it looks like he might be over valued in 2017. Currently viewed as a third rounder, this looks like a situation where too much stock is being put into one huge year. Throw in the simple fact that wide receiver is by far the deepest position in fantasy and we have ourselves a scenario that could really go either way. Whether he goes in the early third or not, Baldwin should have no problem returning WR2 value.

Technically speaking there's a case to be made that Jermaine Kearse is actually the No. 2 receiver in Seattle, not Tyler Lockett. If you were to look at their numbers, however, you'd notice that there isn't really that much of a difference. Kearse finished with 511 yards to Lockett's 597. Amazingly, they both had the exact same reception total at 41 and each had precisely one touchdown. In short, neither guy possessed much fantasy value. The reason for putting Lockett over Kearse is simple; one of the two has breakout potential, the other is what he is. Lockett can take it to the house at any given time. The problem is that we just got done mentioning how it took the Seahawks a while to feature a wide receiver in a prominent role. Expecting them to do with this twice is setting the bar too high. Unless your league gives out individual fantasy points for returns, Lockett isn't much more than a late-round flier.

1. Arizona Cardinals

1. Larry Fitzgerald
2. John Brown
3. J.J. Nelson
4. Jaron Brown

Larry Fitzgerald leading the league in receptions at 107, one more than Antonio Brown, is the most overlooked stat from the 2016 season. Most would have you believe that Fitzgerald had a down year when the reality is that he was a perfectly fine WR2, especially in PPR. With 1,023 yards and seven touchdowns to go along with the reception title, Fitzgerald quietly had one of the better performances at wide receiver. There isn't really a reason to expect any less from the future Hall of Famer. If you can manage to score Larry Fitzgerald at his fifth-round ranking, your team is in great position to be competitive in 2017.

The positional battle between John Brown and J.J. Nelson will be a hot topic in Arizona. Brown had bad luck with his sickle-cell trait in 2016, meaning you can throw out his numbers from last year. Nelson, on the other hand, showed some flashes of production. His 568 yards and six scores aren't spectacular yet he still warrants fantasy attention. We've seen this offense explode at times so all it takes is a healthy, not terrible Carson Palmer to get it done. John Brown is likely to get more looks in your league but it's Nelson who is more worthy of a flier. We've already seen Brown falter when given opportunities. Target the fresh face who could be looking at a brighter future.

Jaron Brown isn't some throwaway No. 4 receiver. Jaron is just one injury away from getting a real crack at a starting gig. Keep your eye on the health (and to some extent, production) of the three wideouts above him. There may be some waiver wire value here if things break right for Jaron Brown. Rookies Chad Williams and Krishawn Hogan represent the future at wide receiver in Arizona, once Larry Fitzgerald retires, but will have virtually no value in 2017.