Article:Week 9 WR Fantasy Rankings

Must Starts:

1. Reggie Wayne vs. New England. It’s been a tough couple of weeks for Wayne (and the rest of Indy’s receivers for the most part) but we like #87 to bounce back big time in their Sunday Night showdown with New England. This is the 1st time in about five years that the game isn’t for top billing in the conference. The Pats come to town with all sorts of injuries - especially in the secondary. We like the Colts to get back to what they do best - quick scores through the air - and we see Wayne putting up monster numbers fantasy wise. 100+ yards and 2 TDs.

2. Anquain Boldin/Larry Fitzgerald  vs. St. Louis. It’s really a toss-up here for which receiver will put on a dominant performance this Sunday vs. the Rams. Heck, it could be both. Edgerrin James and the running game has not been much of a factor of late so the Cards have been forced to move the chains through the air. Look for both of these receivers to put up at least one score (in what we think will be a high scoring football game) and each break the 75-yard plateau.

3. Plaxico Burress  vs. Dallas. This guy has been difficult to endorse of late but it appears that he’s finally ready to move past his childish behavior and get back to playing some football. The media has been all over him; even the original LT, the great Giants LB, came out yesterday and said no one is above the team in a Daily News article. If this message has reached the star receiver, then look for him to come back in a big way vs. the Cowboys and their depleted secondary. It’s true Dallas manned up last Sunday and played a solid game vs. Tampa, but it’s really not hard to do when the opposing team (Tampa) chooses to dink and dunk all day and never take a shot down the field. Against the Giants they won’t be so fortunate. Look for NY to once again establish its running game from the get go and then call Burress’ number early and often. 90 + yards and 1TD.

4. Andre Johnson vs. Minnesota. For as well as Johnson has been playing of late, it’s impossible to keep him off a must start list. He’s put up over 100 yards in four consecutive games and taken a few of those passes into the end zone. If he were a RB, we’d suggest sitting him against this tough Minnesota defense, but since he’s a receiver, he’s a top option. Pass defense is one area that this team struggles and we like #80 to put up another strong day fantasy wise with 100+ yards and 1TD.

Sleepers:

1. Donnie Avery vs. Arizona. This kid from St. Louis, the top receiver (2nd rd) taken in the 2008 NFL draft, has come on with a vengeance of late. And in the past two games, he’s torched both the Cowboys and Patriots to the tune of 218 combined yards and 2 TDs - both over 40 yards. This week, we see him continuing that trend vs. the Arizona Cardinals. One thing he has, which is difficult to defend, is world class speed, so once Bulger gets the ball to him deep, he’s gone. Look for him to break the century mark this Sunday and possibly grab one long TD.

2. Brandon Marshall vs. Miami. The Dolphins have a very strong defense against the run but are susceptible vs. the pass. This plays right into Denver’s hands as they are good in the passing dept but not so much in the running game. With TE Tony Scheffler back this weekend, it means teams won’t be able to cheat their safety over to help out vs. Marshall and that’s why we see him getting back to putting up solid fantasy numbers this Sunday. 100 yards and one, maybe two scores.