By Vidur Malik

Around the league, talented wide receivers seem to keep on sprouting up year after year. Every team has multiple receivers who can have breakout games any given week. Because there are so many productive wide outs, there are bound to be players that can help your fantasy team who won’t be picked on draft day. If one of your players isn’t getting it done, you should be able to drop him for another receiver who can help your team. Picking up one of these players during the season off of waivers can boost your point totals, and gives you the opportunity to make a more educated decision, because you can make your choice based on how the player has performed during the season, which you can’t do in the off-season. Rookies who you want to keep an eye on before adding them to your team, number two or three wide outs who aren’t enough of a lock to use a draft pick on, or veterans who need to show that they have enough left in the tank are examples of receivers who are great for mid-season pickups. Here are five guys to look out for if you want to switch up your roster during the season:

Terrell Owens- Until T.O. signs with a team, picking him up off waivers is the only way you can have him on your squad. If he does participate in a training camp and settles down somewhere, he is still worth keeping an eye on. Last year was a down year for Owens, who had 829 receiving yards and five touchdowns, and even though he might not be a number one receiver anymore, there is nothing to suggest that he can’t get it done anymore. If he lands on a team and isn’t drafted in your league, he could be a valuable addition.

Brian Hartline, Miami Dolphins- The addition of Brandon Marshall should open things up for other Dolphins receivers. Hartline should benefit from more looks with Marshall occupying defenses. Davone Bess had a solid year for the Dolphins last year, and he should see an improvement from his two touchdown catches last year. Bess is worth a late draft pick, so Hartline is a guy to look at during the season. He caught 31 passes last year for just over 500 yards and three touchdowns, and if he can take advantage of the opportunities he will get, he will be a smart addition to your team.

Mark Clayton, Baltimore Ravens- Anquan Boldin and Derrick Mason will be reliable targets for quarterback Joe Flacco, and if Clayton can become another option, the Ravens offense will take off. Clayton caught 34 balls last year for 480 yards and two touchdowns, which were dips in production for him compared to previous seasons. With the addition of an All-pro wideout in Boldin, and expectations of a big year from Flacco, Clayton could be a guy who gets overlooked, but ends up having a good year.

Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos- The Broncos used their first-round draft pick on Thomas, a big receiver out of Georgia Tech. At 6’3” and 229 lbs., Thomas can get rough with defenders, and seems to have the physical ability to be a productive receiver. Because Brandon Marshall is gone and the quarterback situation in Denver isn’t wrapped up, it would be wise to keep Thomas on your radar early in the season. If he puts up good numbers consistently, he could be a great acquisition.

James Jones, Green Bay Packers- Jones had a solid rookie season in 2007, but had a down year in 2008 after suffering an injury. He came back with a productive 2009, with 440 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 32 catches, and is a player who can see a big jump in numbers this year. Greg Jennings and Donald Driver are locks to have good seasons, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers is a surefire elite NFL quarterback. Jones should get plenty of opportunities to become a consistent contributor to the Packers offense. If he isn’t drafted, he should be a very productive receiver for the owner who has the smarts to get him.

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

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Lopsided wins in fantasy football usually come from one of two places. Running backs having career days, or defenses just playing stout wrecking havoc and scoring multiple touchdowns. Points add up quick in terms of defensive fantasy points. Defensive coordinators preach and teach extra drills now on stripping the football. Last year the football seemed to touch the ground more than the norm.

It’s not good enough just to pounce on the ball either. Defenses turn into a rugby style attack once they have possession. They’re freelancing running for daylight and patient at the same time waiting for a block or two to free them for six. If snatching running backs so quickly is the main tactic in fantasy football drafts, than why do owners still neglect to draft a sure fire defense? If you end up with a semi decent and inconsistent defense you might as well subtract double digit points from your squad. Make up points of that magnitude are not easy. So do yourself a favor and get at least a top eight defense.

1. Baltimore Ravens- Comparable to the Boston Celtics of the NBA. Aged and predicted too slide a bit. Their front seven is lethal and with Ed Reed still in the fold their ball hawking style will not diminish.

2. New York Jets- Rex Ryan’s team is geared for a good season. It all starts of the defensive side of the ball where they have unquestionably the best corner in the game. When offenses can’t even throw to one side of the field that just perpetuates the aggressiveness that Ryan has to work with.

3. San Francisco 49ers- Not many people were able to watch this west coast team due to the fact that they were not prime time friendly. Things are changing upward for the 49ers who have built up the best young defense in the NFL. Giving up the big play may happen from time to time, but they’re as loaded as can be.

4. Dallas Cowboys- For a team that’s always been super talented on both sides of the ball it baffles us that they experience such let downs. Jerry Jones has stayed very quiet as Ed Werder has not reported a thing. That’s extremely awkward. Maybe Dallas is keeping things internal for a change and going to play up to their personnel standards.

5. Cincinnati Bengals- Often times last season the spotlight was shined on Chad Johnson and Cedric Benson. They both had productive years but the main reason Cincinnati was competitive and made the post season was because of their defense. Can they keep that going forward?

6. Minnesota Vikings

7. Green Bay Packers

8. Philadelphia Eagles

9. New Orleans Saints

10. Houston Texans

11. Pittsburgh Steelers

12. Miami Dolphins

13. Chicago Bears

14. Cleveland Browns

15. Denver Broncos

16. New England Patriots

17. San Diego Chargers

18. New York Giants

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

20. Indianapolis Colts

21. Atlanta Falcons

22. Kansas City Chiefs

23. Arizona Cardinals

24. Buffalo Bills

25. Washington Redskins

26. Seattle Seahawks

27. Tennessee Titans

28. Detroit Lions

29. Jacksonville Jaguars

30. Oakland Raiders

31. Carolina Panthers

32. St. Louis Rams

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Spread offenses with potent quarterbacks are love affairs to fantasy owners. Often times an owner with such a quarterback will try to double down their points by landing a receiver on that offense. Numbers used too evenly spread throughout the course of the year. In most of these offenses though getting consistency on a weekly basis from the second or third receiver has scaled back a bit. Out in Indianapolis is one of the more intriguing snapshots to try and figure out who will get the balance of Peyton Manning’s precision throws.

We know that Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark should be natural locks to stay of pace statistically of there prior years. Should we be so sure of that though? Receivers often decline out of no where and this is going to be Wayne’s tenth season in the league. At some point deterioration begins to happen and he will not be able to shake opposing teams number one corners with ease. For the Colts to allow Wayne to use his veteran tactics to stave off diminishing skills he will need to be able to rely on the Colts other receivers.

Folks have a little taste of what Pierre Garcon can do. He emerged last season when Anthony Gonzalez was unable to come back from nagging injuries. Garcon proved to be a big play target and was the home run threat Manning depended on. Speed is his best asset and he is currently slated as the Colts third receiver. We’d like to think that if Garcon improves on other areas as a receiver that he could surpass Gonzalez. Gonzalez is a steady possession receiver type that seems more suited for third down pass plays. When he was their third receiver a few years ago behind Harrison and Wayne, he was able to find space in zones for Manning to drop the ball into. As an every down receiver though that type of player is already on the field in Dallas Clark.

A good sign for fantasy owners that own the Colts receivers is that they’ll likely lead the league in combined trio production. The reason being is that their running game has been very poor over the last few seasons. Joseph Addai’s yards per carry continue to be dismal and last year was at 3.8. It’s hard to believe that the Colts running game has been this poor with the amount of audibles Manning is able to call at the line, and how he keeps defenses on their heels with play action. Their running game was towards the bottom of the league, but should spike up a little as the Colts will look to give Donald Brown more touches in his second year.

The battle for second receiver will be an interesting one. Austin Collie did fine in the third receiver role last year with over 700 yards receiving and 7 touchdowns. So those numbers will not be bad for either Garcon or Gonzalez, and should be upgradeable based on their talent. Fantasy owners want an every down threat though as you should.

We just can’t see the Colts keeping Garcon’s big play ability off the field. Gonzalez is coming off a year of injuries and is going to have to fend off Garcon who continued his great regular season with a monster playoffs. He caught eleven balls for over 150 yards and a touchdown in the AFC championship game against the Jets, and scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl as well. The situation is comparable to when a teams starting quarterback goes down and they find something better when that backup comes in and starts winning.

Of course the Colts could just use their spread offense more if the ground game stays stagnant, but they know their lack of a ground game hurt them in the Super Bowl. Garcon has better fantasy value currently than Gonzalez and it’ll likely remain that way. Look for Garcon who is in the third year of his four year deal, to build upon last year in hopes of working out a new deal before the final year of his contract.

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.