College Wide Receiver Rankings For 2009 Fantasy Football
In fantasy football, a general rule of thumb for evaluating wide receivers goes like this:
- “The better the quarterback, the more valuable the wide receiver.”
Now, it is true that having a talented wide receiver on a team can increase the value of a quarterback. However, since most wide receivers are dependent on the quarterback getting them the ball, wide receivers in fantasy football have a strong dependence on the talent of their quarterback and prevalence of passing in the playbook for fantasy value.
Typically, the primary target of the top rated quarterbacks can be found near the top of wide receiver ratings. However, the best wide receiver in college fantasy football heading into 2009 catches passes from the 14th top rated quarterback. That top wide receiver? Dez Bryant of Oklahoma State.
So, it should be no surprise that wide receivers in the pass-happy Big 12 dominate our preseason college wide receiver rankings for 2009 fantasy football.
Wide receivers have multiple positions to provide fantasy value, however. Many of them log time returning kickoffs and punts. So the question arises, should fantasy football owners select a big, NFL-prototype receiver that will catch a lot of passes and eat up tons of yardage like Bryant, or should fantasy coaches focus their wide receiving corps on building a roster of multi-position threats that can run, catch, and returns kicks – like Jordan Shipley of Texas?
No matter what your preference, Bryant has leaped to the head of the class at wide receiver. Last year, the Cowboys junior caught 87 passes for 1480 yards and 19 touchdowns.
In college football, players on mid-major schools always seem to produce the top fantasy numbers. Below are three other wideouts that might not steal the headlines each week like Bryant or Shipley, but should turn out to be just as important to the success of your college fantasy team in 2009.
- Naaman Roosevelt, Buffalo: Roosevelt was a pass catching machine for the Bulls in 2008, hauling in 104 receptions for 1402 yards and 13 touchdowns. He put up huge numbers in conference last season, but also scored two touchdowns and gobbled up yardage in out of conference games against UTEP, Pitt, and Missouri. The senior is our top rated non-BCS conference wideout coming into the season (no. 2 overall).
- Tyron Carrier, Houston: Considering our projections for Case Keenum as the top player in college fantasy football for 2009, you knew his top target had to be on our list of wideouts to watch coming into this season. As a freshman, Carrier caught 80 passes for 1026 yards and 9 touchdowns and rushed for 140 yards on 12 carries. While most college football players see their greatest improvement between their sophomore and junior years, we still fully expect Carrier to put up numbers resembling 1500 yards and 12+ touchdowns in 2009. We have him ranked the no. 5 college fantasy football receiver heading into the year.
- Kris Adams, UTEP: Conference USA is also well known for its high scoring offenses, and Kris Adams is a beneficiary of playing in this high octane conference. As a sophomore, Adams scored 14 touchdowns and racked up 958 yards on only 50 receptions! As a junior he will likely get more receptions, so a 1000+ yard season is definitely within reach. Fantasy football players can never bank on touchdowns, but considering the conference Adams plays in, I would say 10 or more scores is well within reason, also. We have him rated the no. 7 wide receiver in college fantasy football for 2009.
