By Vidur Malik

In Devin Hester’s first two years in the NFL, everyone was talking about him.

He was running back kickoffs and punts for scores on a weekly basis, and was on his way to crushing the record for most career return touchdowns.

At the height of the craziness, Hester made the switch to wide receiver, effectively eliminating himself as a threat in the return game. He recorded 11 return touchdowns in 2006 and 2007, but hasn’t had one since. As a result, no one is talking about him anymore, but if you’re looking for another wide receiver, that is a good thing, because it shows that he has settled down in his new position.

Since becoming a wideout, Hester’s stats have improved every year. Last year, he recorded 757 receiving yards with three touchdowns. His yards per catch average went down from 15.0 in 2007 to 13.3 in 2009, but that is a good sign because it shows that Hester is becoming more of an all-around wideout, and not just a home run threat. That means consistent production, and a steady stream of points for fantasy owners.

Besides Hester, the Bears have several receivers who could break out in 2010. Johnny Knox and Devin Aromashodu, who both had pretty solid numbers last year and are expected to improve this year, could round out the top three receiver spots alongside Hester. The number one spot should be up for grabs, but whether or not Hester becomes quarterback Jay Cutler’s go-to guy, he should continue to improve this year, because defenses will need to account for a wider assortment of weapons.

Hester will still be the Bears’ biggest deep-threat because of his speed, but if he can continue to show glimpses of becoming a possession receiver as well, he can separate himself from the rest of the pack and provide a target for Cutler all over the field. With tight end Greg Olsen roaming the middle of the field and making himself a red-zone target, the area between the 20’s can become Hester’s stomping grounds. He will need to improve upon his three touchdowns last year if he’s going to become the number one guy, but he is always a threat to score. Of course, simply being a threat won’t get you fantasy points, but Hester is worth a pick. He is the type of player who can burn a defensive back for a long score, or turn a short slant into a touchdown.

Hester and his fellow Bears wide receivers show signs of having breakout years, but because of Hester’s speed and his consistent improvement, he looks to have the most upside. Though his days as a return specialist are long gone, Hester has become an important part of the Bears offense. If he keeps improving his stats, it’s quite possible that he could be a 1,000 yard receiver soon, in which case he could become the talk of the NFL once again.

By Zack Cimini

You can bank on Brandon Marshall’s ADP dropping even more after his latest antics during Wednesday’s Broncos practice. Yes Brandon we all know that you deserve more than your set to make this year, but is this really the way to go about it. Before we delve in and rant on Marshall take a look for yourself at what he was doing during Broncos practice drills.

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Drawing attention to yourself this route is absolutely ridiculous. What could the end result possibly be, besides hurting his pockets even more? Then again could he be doing this because of how Jay Cutler got what he wanted after he pouted and was eventually traded?

For those of you that have had your drafts In June and July you’ll all be a part of the best case scenario for Marshall. The best case scenario is that Marshall either wakes up and realizes he’ll have to play his way out of Denver. That he has already showed though with back to back 100 catch seasons, so maybe Marshall will continue the route he is exhibiting. Josh McDaniels is fed up and with Marshall close to free agency anyways maybe they’ll cut their losses and grant him his wish.

This would be the ultimate best case scenario for fantasy owners. Especially for owners that have had their drafts within the last few weeks. Right now Marshall’s ADP according to myfantasyleague.com is early to late fourth round depending on a ten or twelve team draft. That’s probably offset due to him going a lot higher a few months ago. We’d guess he’s probably going in the sixth rounds right now.

The upside to Marshall is what we know he can do. When he is on the field and wants to perform he has showcased being an elite wide receiver. You’d have to put him in the first tier wide receiver class even if Orton was throwing him the ball. The first tier class currently consists of Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, and Calvin Johnson.

We all knew about his off the field antics but now that we’re seeing his selfish attitude on the field, it’s almost comparable to being a GM ready for the NFL draft. The talent may be there but talent is easy to find. We’d pass on Marshall and let some other owner worry about knowing what they’re going to get from him on a week to week basis. He’s not worth the hassle until he shows he can mature and do his duty and obligations.

We’d also expect the Broncos organization to think hard about some sort of discipline to Marshall after his absolute mockery of the Broncos practice.