Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Start 'Em:
Receivers Who Will Outperform Relative To Their Draft Position And Recent Hype

Steve Smith @ TB
The “Other” Steve Smith deserves some recognition of his own now after his 10-catch, 1 TD performance last week in Dallas. With 16 catches through two games, Smith is tied with Randy Moss for the league lead in catches, and figures to be PPR gold this season. His 214 receiving yards tie him with Santonio Holmes for the league lead. He is an excellent route runner, but more importantly, he is Eli’s go-to receiver, and should have an easy time putting up good numbers against a bad Bucs defense.

Steve Smith @ DAL
The “Original” Steve Smith came up big last week with 8 catches for 131 yards after he and QB Jake Delhomme had a brutal Week 1 showing. Delhomme looks to Smith possibly more than any QB looks to his #1 WR, and Smith leads all NFL receivers with 28 targets. That number is likely to increase and Smith should be in for very good totals against a Cowboys pass defense that has given up 9 passing plays of 20+ yards and has already allowed 606 passing yards through 2 games.

Kellen Winslow vs. NYG
Tight Ends Chris Cooley and Jason Witten have each scored touchdowns against the Giants in the first two games of the season. I like Kellen Winslow to keep the trend going this week. Winslow has shown a nice chemistry with Byron Leftwich and has found pay dirt in each of his first two games as a member of the Buccaneers. Tampa defense will likely have them coming from behind in most games, and Winslow could become the go-to target for his QB.

Santonio Holmes @ CIN
You should be very happy with yourself if you drafted Santonio this year. He is primed to have his best season as a professional as he has already caught 14 passes for 214 yards. The Bengals have served up 9 passing plays of 20+ yards, which should play right into his game. The Steelers have had trouble moving the ball on the ground, so look for QB Ben Roethlisberger to target Santonio early and often this Sunday.

A big day coming for the Saints TE.

Jeremy Shockey @ BUF
Patriots TEs combined produced 8 catches for 84 yards and 2 TDs in Week 1 against the Bills and Buccaneers TEs combined for 10 catches for 114 yards and 2 TDs against Buffalo last week. Translation: get TE Jeremy Shockey of the high-powered Saints attack into your lineups, the Bills are clearly exploitable over the middle of the field.

Bench 'Em:
Receivers Who Will Under Perform Relative To Their Draft Position And Recent Hype

Justin Gage @ NYJ
CB Darrelle Revis has shut down Andre Johnson and Randy Moss in successive weeks and, no disrespect meant to Gage, but he clearly pales in comparison to all-world WRs Johnson and Moss. Gage is Kerry Collins best wide-out option, but if Revis is up to task he will keep Gage under wraps. Another Titans receiver will have to step up and make something happen.

Devin Hester @ SEA
Hester has 8 catches through 2 games, which is fine for fantasy owners when he includes a TD catch on Sundays; as he did against Green Bay in Week 1 but failed against Pittsburgh in week 2. His 21 yards last week are a bleak reminder that he is still a work in progress. RB Matt Forte will carry the Bears this week and it could be asking too much of Hester to make a huge fantasy impact this early in the season.

Braylon Edwards @ BAL
The Ravens pass defense has been exploited more than expected this season, but a visit by the Browns should help to even things out for them. Let’s face it, the Browns passing attack is one of the least formidable in the NFL, they have averaged just 162.5 passing yards per game this season and are 27th or worst in every major offensive category. Braylon’s 6 catches for 92 yards gave his owners some hope last week, but it is not wise to expect the same type of output in Baltimore.

Derrick Mason vs. CLE
Derrick Mason, normally a PPR monster, has had just seven quiet catches this season. While he is poised for a rebound, I expect the Ravens to control this game on the ground, which may limit D-Mase’s effectiveness. I’m not giving up on him, but he needs to catch at least 6 balls a week to be worth your while. Mason has averaged fewer than 4 TDs per year over the last four seasons.

Zach Miller vs. DEN
The Broncos have given up very little to opposing TE’s this season: 2 catches for 19 yards to the Bengals in Week 1 and 1 catch for 13 yards to the Browns last week. Miller is coming off a zero catch game against the Chiefs, which seems unlikely to happen again, but QB Jamarcus Russell is downright awful; it’s very hard to trust any Raider who is supposed to catch passes from him considering his 35.2 completion percentage.