Rookie Wide Receivers To Draft In Fantasy Football

Every fantasy footballer wants to draft the player who ends up breaking out in the upcoming fantasy football year. With wide receivers such as Victor Cruz, AJ Green, and Julio Jones being picked up in the late rounds in most fantasy drafts last year, who will be the steals of this draft? Below are some rookies that were drafted in this year’s NFL Draft who I believe are capable of producing fantasy numbers in the top 10 or 15 at the wide receiver position.

Stephen Hill (New York Jets) – Hill played two years at Georgia Tech where he became known as a game changing deep threat. With nearly 30 receiving yards per catch, Hill can open up the defense with his outstanding speed. Not only that but, he is also quite tall at 6’4” so, he has the capabilities to jump above the opposing defenders when the ball is in the air at the point of catch, something he did quite well at Georgia Tech. Hill (who had a 40-yard dash time of 4.36 seconds at the NFL Combine) is comparable to a bigger and stronger version of DeSean Jackson (who had a 40-yard dash time of 4.35 seconds at the NFL combine) due to his explosiveness off the line and his big play abilities.

The New York Jets picked Hill in the second round (45^th overall) in the 2012 NFL Draft. With Plaxico Burress no longer on the team, Hill can fill in opposite to Santonio Holmes in the Jets starting lineup. I would consider Hill to be a No. 3 fantasy wideout, with less emphasis in PPR leagues but, who has the potential to be a high end No. 2 or low end No. 1 fantasy wideout.

Mohamed Sanu (Cincinnati Bengals) – Sanu played three season at Rutgers piling up 210 receptions and was picked in the third round (83 overall) in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Sanu even broke the Big-East single season reception record with 115 receptions. The record was previously held by Arizona Cardinals’ receiver, Lary Fitzgerald. Sanu does not have overwhelming speed but, what he does posses is the ability to find the open areas in the middle of the field. He is not afraid to put his body in the way of an opposing defender so he can make the catch. With his great body positioning, as well as excellent hands, Sanu will be thrown to often in the young Cincinnati Bengals’ passing game.

With Jerome Simpson gone, AJ Green is now seen as the sole deep threat, so there will be more of an opportunity for Sanu to run routes down the middle of the field, and provide a set of reliable hands on 3^rd down. I would consider Sanu to be a No. 2 fantasy wide receiver in standard leagues, and a No. 1/No. 2 fantasy wide receiver in PPR leagues.

Alshon Jeffery (Chicago Bears) – Jeffery, two time All-American, played three years with South Carolina where he averaged over a touchdown a game in his final two seasons. He is a powerful receiver with great jumping ability and precise body positioning, which will make him a threat in the red-zone for the Chicago Bears, who drafted Jeffery in the second round (45^th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Although the Chicago offense already has names like Brandon Marshall and Johnny Knox in the lineup, the overwhelming potential Jeffery brings to the passing game is undeniable. It is hard for opposing defense’s to contain a receiver of his size (6’4” and 230 lbs) in the end-zone so expect him to see a large amount of red-zone passing thrown his way.

With an experienced quarterback such as Jay Cutler behind center, I believe Jeffery has the potential to produce for the Bears’ offense, especially in the red-zone. I would consider Jeffery to be a No. 3 fantasy wide receiver with the potential of being a high end No. 2 fantasy wide receiver.

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Jets Quarterback, Tim Tebow or Mark Sanchez?

It has been a while since the New York Jets have had some controversy at the quarterback position but, now that Tim Tebow is suiting up for the green and white, Mark Sanchez is no longer a sure-fire lock to start each game. So if you plan on picking a Jet quarterback in your fantasy draft, which one (Tebow or Sanchez) will be more productive for your team?

With Rex Ryan calling the shots anything can happen, especially after having an 8-8 record and missing out on the playoffs. During the offseason the Jets lost some key offensive weapons such as wide receiver Plaxico Burress, and running back LaDainian Tomlinson. Based on last season, having the 21^st ranked passing offense and the 22^nd ranked rushing offense, not only do the Jets have to replace these players but, they have to replace them with other players that will increase the offensive output they had last year.

So far the Jets have signed wide receiver Chaz Schilens as well as former Bronco quarterback Tebow. I do not believe Schilens is comparable to Burress as a red zone threat, although he could improve on his 23 receptions from last year by lining up opposite to Santonio Holmes or even in the slot back position; depending on how soon rookie wide receiver, Stephen Hill, develops. With Tomlinson out of the picture, Shonn Greene would be the every down back with Joe McKnight and Terrance Ganaway fighting for the backup role.

With an offensive line that has been no better than average since the departure of Damian Woody, I would say that this is not the offense Ryan is going to want to see out on the field during week one, if they keep Sanchez as the starting quarterback.

Now if we change it up and put new comer Tebow as the starting quarterback then this changes the entire offense. With the treat of a boot leg by Tebow at any time during the game, opposing defenses would have to try and contain the quarterback by dropping an extra linebacker in the box to make sure Tebow does not get to the outside and gain valuable yards. This increases the chance for a one-on-one mach up in the secondary, and if (this is still a strong if) Tebow can get the ball to the correct match up on the field then this can allow for a more efficient Jets offense. Also, when Tebow played in Denver he, along with Willis McGahee created the No. 1 rushing attack in the league as Denver had 164.5 rushing yards per game. We all know how Ryan values a strong running game.

Here are some more stats from last season:
Sanchez had an average of 15.82 fantasy points per game while Tebow had an average of 18.11 fantasy points per game.
Sanchez led his team to an 8-8 record (2-6 on the road) causing his team to miss the playoffs while Tebow led his team to a 7-4 record (5-1 on the road) which brought his team to being the top team out of the AFC West Division.

Even if Mark Sanchez starts in week 1, I do not see the offense being strong enough to win games. When/If that occurs, Jets fans will be wanting to see Tebow. Ryan is going to play who he thinks is going to win more games for his team, and due to the offseason changes that were made, I believe the only stand out player that can cause more of an offensive production is the Florida Gators' product, Tebow. If Tebow starts more games for the Jets, which I believe he will, then he is more valuable to your fantasy team than Sanchez.

For more Fantasy Football advice follow me on twitter @DannyFantasyFB