Tiered WR Rankings: 2011 Draft Kit
August 1, 2011 by luckylester · 3 Comments
Because there are still additions and cuts going down, the list might change a little bit here and there, but this is what we feel strongly about right now. I’ve already have my QB Tiers and RB Tiers locked down, with TEs, and Ds up by Tuesday.
If you don’t know about tiered rankings, read this, it might help – “How To Use Tiered Rankings”
Here’s the position that’s as important now as it has ever been, Wide Receivers!
WR Tier I
| Andre Johnson |
|---|
| Roddy White |
Tier II
| Calvin Johnson |
|---|
| Greg Jennings |
| Hakeem Nicks |
| Reggie Wayne |
| Larry Fitzgerald |
Tier III
| Miles Austin |
|---|
| DeSean Jackson |
| Mike Wallace |
| Vincent Jackson |
Tier IV
| Dez Bryant |
|---|
| Jeremy Maclin |
| Marques Colston |
| Dwayne Bowe |
| Brandon Marshall |
| Wes Welker |
Tier V
| Santanio Holmes |
|---|
| Anquan Boldin |
| Chad Johnson |
| Steve Smith |
| Kenny Britt |
| Brandon Lloyd |
| Mike Williams |
| Stevie Johnson |
| Percy Harvin |
| Sidney Rice |
| Michael Crabtree |
| Marion Manningham |
| Braylon Edwards |
| A.J. Green |
Tier VI
| Santana Moss |
|---|
| Pierre Garcon |
| Austin Collie |
| Jonny Knox |
| Mike Thomas |
| James Jones |
| Julio Jones |
| Roy Williams |
| Plaxico Burress |
Tier VII
| Jordy Nelson |
|---|
| Emanuel Sanders |
| Mike Sims-Walker |
| Hines Ward |
| Malcom Floyd |
| Mike Willims (sea) |
| Davone Bess |
| Donald Driver |
| Jerome Simpson |
| Lance Moore |
| Steve Smith (nyg) |
| Terrell Owens |
Tier VIII
| Jacoby Ford |
|---|
| Mark Clayton |
| Leonard Hankerson |
| Lee Evans |
| Golden Tate |
| Darius Heyward-Bey |
| Titus Young |
| Arrelious Benn |
| Louis Murphy |
| Josh Morgan |
| Early Doucett |
| Nate Burleson |
| Devin Hester |
| Danny Amendola |
| Jabar Gaffney |
| Donte Stallworth |
| Brandon Lafell |
| Jason Hill |
| Derrick Mason |
| Randy Moss |
AJ and Roddy are the best in the business and their respective teams are dedicated to getting them the ball. Andre’s squad doesn’t have as many weapons, but teams still can’t stop him – he gets the nod as our #1.
Calvin Johnson might be the best receiving prospect ever, and we feel that if Stafford stays healthy in Detroit, he might very well show that this year. Greg Jennings is the #1 for the best arm in the game (accuracy, vision, and cannon) and only Rodgers’ interest in spreading the ball around keeps Jennings away from that top tier – still, his consistency is impressive. Nicks is really coming into his own, and with Steve Smith starting the season hurt (and maybe on another team), Nicks is the guy. Reggie slowed down a bit last year, but if the other threats in Indy stay healthy, Wayne wouldn’t get so much attention and would get chances to beat the defense more often. Larry Fitz squeezed into the 2nd tier, and everyone knows his talent is top tier material. We like Kolb heading to Arizona, but not enough to put him ahead of the rest.
A small tier 3 has some very grand upside. Austin heads the list, but DeSean, Wallace, and Vincent Jackson might all have him beat in upside. Austin gets his signal caller back, however, and with plenty of attention on prized sophomore Dez Bryant, he’ll have room to shine. I’m excited to see what Vincent can do with a full season in San Diego.
Speaking of Dez, he heads our 4th tier. Maclin continues to move up the charts from year to year, and we can only see him getting better this time around. Colston would be a beast if Drew Brees would target him more – and who knows, maybe this year. As is, this is a good spot for him. We have a couple guys on staff worried about Bowe’s chances to match last year’s success. He still has tons of upside.The last two couldn’t be more different – but Marshall needs QB play to finish ahead of Welker, and we all know Wes’s QB will do just fine.
This 5th tier is huge and there are plenty of different kinds on this list. We have youngsters like Mike Williams, Stevie Johnson, Crabtree (might miss first couple weeks of the season), and Percy Harvin (better now with Donovan? but as the #1?). Sidney Rice is still young, but like Chad Johnson, he’s changed area codes – we have Ocho’s move doing more for his fantasy stock than Rice’s. Manningham and Edwards don’t have as much flash, but both could flourish in new roles. Holmes is the surefire #1 in New York, and with a full season he’ll be solid for Sanchez. Boldin and Steve Smith may be getting up there in years, but we’d take the chance on either at this price.
As for the rest, we’re not crazy about any of them as #2 WRs, but there’s plenty of upside in there.
