2013 Dynasty Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings Sports Wunderkind

Written by: Coleman Kelly on August 15, 2013.

Danny Amendola, New England. WR14, +14 vs ECR.

Dynasty GMs are (or were) drafting Percy Harvin in the 2^nd round of dynasty startups, hoping he’ll maintain his volume of targets of 2012, despite how unlikely that is. What if I told you there’s a player who will almost certainly be force fed that number of targets and is available 45 picks later? Meet Danny Amendola. Last year, Welker received an astronomical 9.7 targets per game, and finished with the 4^th most targets of any wide receiver. Amendola is going to step right into the role Welker vacated. If you’re going to take small, low-touchdown scoring wide receivers, take them in the 5^th round, not the 2^nd. The injuries are a slight concern, but I’m not as worried about fluky things like a dislocated collarbone.

Marques Colston, New Orleans. WR11, +13 vs ECR.

In each of the last 3 seasons, Colston has at least 80 catches, 1,000 yards, and 7 touchdowns. In 2009, he had only 70 catches, but still went over 1,000 yards and 7 touchdowns. Since 2006, he only has 1 season under 1,000 yards, and he missed 6 games that year. According to this numberFire piece, Colston has ranked in the top 20 receivers efficiency-wise for his entire career, with the exception of 2007. Dynasty owners haven’t learned, either. In 2012, Colston was drafted as the WR22. This year, he’s being taken as the WR29. Colston isan obvious buy low.

Alshon Jeffery, Chicago. WR32, +10 vs ECR.

Jeffery’s rookie season is similar to the freshman campaigns put forth by NFL stars Vincent Jackson, Demaryius Thomas, and Jordy Nelson. Jeffery doesn’t have an elite physical profile, but it’s more than good enough to succeed at the NFL level. Who doesn’t want a piece of that Marc Trestman offense in round 9?

Stevie Johnson, Buffalo. WR20, +9 vs ECR.

Each year, Johnson is underrated and forgotten. All he’s done is finish as a WR2 for the last 3 years. The experts have Cordarrelle Patterson (WR30, who is still learning to play wide receiver) and rookie DeAndre Hopkins (WR26, who is playing 2^nd fiddle to Andre Johnson on a run first team) ranked higher than Steady Stevie (WR33). Marrone is likely going to install a similar system to the one he ran in Syracuse: simple play calls and one-read throws. The “see it and throw it” scheme used by the 49ers allowed Colin Kaepernick – a 5.87 AY/A passer against teams .500+ his senior season – to become a fantasy force over the last 7 games of the season. Manuel – a 7.23 AY/A passer – could benefit from a simple beginning. Simplicity can go a long way helping Johnson’s value maintain its level-handedness.

Rueben Randle, New York. WR41, +8 vs ECR.

Jon Moore wrote the definitive Randle sleeper article this past June, and his ADP is rising as Nicks continues to battle injury woes. In 2014, we could be talking about Randle as a 3^rd round pick after Nicks moves on in free agency. There aren’t many young wide receivers who have a chance to step into a starting role in a pass first offense with an above average quarterback. Those who are, like Randle, are treasured commodities.

Percy Harvin, Seattle. WR14, -7 vs ECR.

It’s hard for me to envision a scenario where Harvin is getting 9+ targets a game like he was in Minnesota last year. Seattle is a run first team, and until that changes, you’re buying a WR2 at WR1 prices. The hip issues only make this ranking easier.

Roddy White, Atlanta, WR21, -9 vs ECR.

Shawn Siegele highlighted Roddy White as part of his All-Trap team in 2013. The experts are wildly overrating Roddy White (WR12) and Andre Johnson (WR14), while simultaneously underrating Marques Colston (WR24). I see no difference in White and Colston, except that White is likely headed down, and Colston is likely to keep steady. Take advantage of this value discrepancy in your startup drafts.

Mike Wallace, Miami. WR26, -11 vs ECR.

I’m terrified of Mike Wallace in Miami. I’m not a Ryan Tannehill fan, and Wallace is already dependent on his quarterback performance and scheme. Wallace bombed in Todd Haley’s scheme once he was asked to be more than just a vertical threat, and reportedly lost focus last year. There’s also been whispers of laziness during Dolphins training camp. If Tannehill busts and Wallace half-asses it, a ton of fantasy owners will be left holding the bag. Last year I avoided Mike Wallace at his current ADP for Percy Harvin, and was rewarded handsomely. This year I’ll do the same for Wallace, taking Jordy Nelson or Josh Gordon instead.

Cordarrelle Patterson, Minnesota. WR52, -19 vs ECR.

Patterson is a player I just cannot get behind. His comparables include players like David Gettis and Legedu Naanee, and his Dominator Rating is terrible. Despite the skills he showed on film, Patterson chose not to perform the agility drills at the combine, then posted an abysmal 11.68 Agility Score. Patterson’s logic-defying Agility Score came on his home turf at the University of Tennessee, where the tracks are faster and athletes notoriously perform better. For reference, Julio Jones posted a 10.91 Agility Score (anything higher than 11.1 is considered a poor score). There are too many red flags here for me to justify drafting Patterson. Those expecting the next Julio Jones will be sorely disappointed. (Just in case you’re wondering, the Dominator Rating concept does work, and it crushes traditional scouting methods.)

Vincent Brown, San Diego. WR73, -27 vs ECR.

We all know the story about Vincent Brown. His god-like route running brings cornerbacks to their knees, begging for mercy. Darrelle Revis tosses and turns against the prospect of Brown running a crisp out route against him. There are whispers that some AFC West teams are considering giving Brown the Calvin Johnson punt coverage treatment. Here’s the reality: Brown is a slow, possession wide receiver who’s college profile doesn’t make up for his dearth of athleticism. History has shown us that slow, short wide receivers don’t post top 30 seasons. Brown’s 0.36 Dominator Rating can’t make up for his 75 Height-adjusted Speed Score. In same the area Vincent Brown is going, you can get Alshon Jeffery, Mike Williams, and Rueben Randle – all bigger receivers with positive college profiles and plus athleticism.

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