Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Bye Weeks: Denver, Jacksonville, San Francisco, St. Louis, Tennessee and Washington Redskins, so that means Brandon Lloyd, Eddie Royal, Jabar Gaffney, Mike Sims-Walker, Mike Thomas, Michael Crabtree, Danny Amendola, Nate Washington, Kenny Britt, and Santana Moss are all benched.

Always start your studs: Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Larry Fitzgerald, Miles Austin, Roddy White, Brandon Lloyd and Brandon Marshall.

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

Lance Moore @ CAR
Carolina's pass defense is ranked 5th in the league, allowing just 189 yards, plus they have a league low 6 yards per completion average. They have 10 INTs, which is 6th best in the NFL, and their 18 big plays allowed are 2nd best in the league. Lance Moore averages just 46 yards per game but has 5 TDs and Brees is starting to look his way - 16 targets in his last two games. A bit of a gamble here given the tough Panthers' pass defense but a risk worth taking.

Percy Harvin vs. ARZ
Everything about the Cardinals' pass defense screams “average”. They are ranked 21st in the league giving up 231 yards a game and in the middle of the pack in INTs, TDs allowed, and QB rating allowed. Harvin takes back over the #1 WR duties with the release of Randy Moss (if he ever really lost it) and should be able to improve on his 56 yards per game average, as well as add to his 3 TDs for the year – even with the cripple, Brett Favre, running the team.

Wes Welker @ CLE
Welker leads the Patriots in receptions and TDs and is 2nd in yards. It didn't matter when Randy Moss was there, and it doesn't matter with him gone. Replacement by Deion Branch in battling a hamstring injury, so there’s no doubt Wes Welker is Tom Brady's “man”. Cleveland's 27th ranked pass defense is ripe for the picking. They give up 244 yards, 2 TDs and 4 big plays per game. Now, Welker won't be the benefactor of the big play, but he should be the main benefactor of all that yardage.

Chansi Stuckey vs. NE
The team with the best record in the league is arguably the team with the worst pass defense in the league. The Patriots' 31st ranked pass defense gives up 282 yards and 2 TDs per game. They also allow a league worst 70% QB completion percentage to go along with the 93.4 QB rating, which is the sixth highest in the league. A Cleveland Browns WR is normally not even a consideration, but I'm going out on a limb here and saying that the Colt McCoy led Browns will actually do some damage. Stuckey's 21 catches ranks him 87th and his 213 yards ranks him 103rd – right behind rookies Demaryius Thomas and Brandon LaFell. Oh yeah, and he has zero TDs. Convinced?

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

Steve Smith vs. NO
The Saints and their 3rd ranked pass defense give up just 179 yards and less than 1 TD per game. They don’t cause a lot of turnovers or get a bunch of sacks but they don’t give up big plays either. Smith is handcuffed by his QB, regardless of which one is starting, and over the last 2 weeks he’s averaged 65 yards per game, has no TDs, and has fumbled 3 times, losing 2 of them. This week, he faces a better pass defense and should be avoided.

Kevin Walter vs. SD
In week two Kevin Walter hauled in 11 catches for 144 yards and a TD against the lowly Redskins pass defense. Since then, he’s hauled in 9 catches for 93 yards and a TD. This week he takes on the league’s top ranked pass defense. The Chargers are giving up just 177 yards and 1 TD per game. They also average 1 INT per game, are 2nd in the league in sacks and 5th in pass completion percentage. Between his very disappointing play and the Chargers’ solid pass defense you’ll want to give up on Walter this week – if you haven’t already.

Mike Williams (SEA) vs. NYG
Seattle’s #1 WR this year is Mike Williams. He leads the team in receptions (33), yards (375) and is 2nd in TDs (1). However, 21 of those catches, 210 of those yards, and the lone TD have all come in two games. Last week was more of the norm – 1 catch for 27 yards against the Raiders. Williams jumps from the 4th ranked pass defense of Oakland last week to the Giants’ 2nd ranked pass defense this week. The Giants give up less yards, less TDs, less big plays, less yards per completion, and have the same number of sacks (24 – making them 3rd in the league) and more INTs than Oakland. This doesn’t bode well for Seattle or Mr. Williams.

Steve Johnson vs. CHI
Steve Johnson continues to surprise this year. He’s 29th in receiving yards and tied for sixth in TD catches with 6. He leads Buffalo in receptions, receiving yards, TDs, yards per catch average, and has clearly become Ryan Fitzgerald’s favorite target. In the past three games, Johnson has had no fewer than 5 catches, and while his yardage has been inconsistent (46, 158, 37) he’s scored at least once in each game and four times overall during that span. But this week he takes on a Chicago Bears team, who although are ranked just 15th in pass defense, are 2nd in QB rating, first in yards per completion, third in big plays allowed, third in points per game, and lead the league with only 4 passing TDs given up all year. They are the only team in the NFL not to give up a pass play over 30 yards this season. So all-in-all, I’d be very hesitant to play Johnson against the Bears this week.