Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Bye Weeks: Devin Hester, Greg Olsen, Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Jeremy Shockey, Vincent Jackson, Antonio Gates

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

Expect a bounce back game for Bowe against the Boys.

Dwayne Bowe vs. DAL
Bowe was not limited in practices this week and it appears as though his hamstring is no longer a cause for concern. I like a guy with Bowe’s talent coming off a bad game (1 catch, 11 yards) to step it up the following week. Throughout his young career, when Bowe has caught 2 or fewer passes in a game, he has had at least 5 catches in the next contest. Dallas allows 256.2 passing YPG, has given up 6 aerial scores and 13 plays of 20+ yards this season.

Heath Miller @ DET
Heath Miller is tied for 6th in the league in receptions and leads the Steelers with 2 TDs. There isn’t any reason to believe that he won’t continue his strong play this week in Detroit. While Miller does not put up huge yardage totals, the Lions have given up a remarkable 12 passing TDs through four games, including 5 TDs to tight ends.

DeSean Jackson vs. TB
Jackson is averaging 21.6 yards per catch in his first three games this season and has already tied his career high (set in his ‘08 rookie campaign) with 2 reception TDs. The Bucs pass D is not atrocious (221.8 YPG), but they are susceptible to the deep ball and they have given up 9 aerial scores. Tampa has allowed 6 passing plays of 40 or more yards (worst in the NFL), which plays right into Jackson’s strength.

Kevin Walter @ ARI
After missing the first two games due to a hamstring injury Kevin Walter has played in the last two with mixed results. He only managed 1 grab last week (41 yards) against the Raiders, but the Texans focused exclusively on the run in the second half of that game which obviously limited his production. He is in line for a nice rebound against the Cardinals defense that has served up 7 passing score in just three games. Arizona is one of 3 teams who allow 280+ passing yards per game (Jax, Ten)

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

Santana Moss @ CAR
Moss is looking for his 3rd consecutive game with a long TD (50+ yards). Over the years his week-to-week fantasy production has been difficult to predict, so while conventional wisdom may say ‘ride the hot hand,’ it is conceivable that the Panthers and their 6th ranked pass D will hold Jason Campbell’s best receiver in check. In reality he has had one monster game (10 catches, 178 yards) in the other three games combined just 7 catches for 115 yards.

Davone Bess vs. NYJ
Bess has emerged as the best receiving option for the Dolphins this year and leads the team with 20 catches and 157 yards through four games. Bess is best running short routes and has not gone over 57 yards yet this season. Only one of Miami’s wide receivers (Brian Hartline) has scored a TD in ‘09 and it’s a stretch to think that Davone will break through against the Jets. New York gives up an average of 177.5 YPG and has more interceptions (4) than passing TDs allowed (1).

Tony Gonzalez @ SF
Gonzalez was quiet in Week 3 (1 catch, 16 yards) after two solid games to start ’09. Dating back to last year, Gonzo snapped a string of 13 straight games with 5+ catches and 6 straight with a TD. This guy is a stud, so if your league plays TEs, he is certainly difficult to bench. In TD-heavy leagues, keep in mind that the 49ers have yet to allow an opposing tight end to score this season.

Antonio Bryant @ PHI
Bryant has played in three of Tampa’s four games this season but continues to nurse an ailing knee which has limited him in practice this week. He scored his first TD of the season this past Sunday, but 7 catches for 79 yards and a TD in 3 games is unimpressive. The Eagles allow just 156 passing YPG, and with Josh Johnson making only his 2nd career start, Bryant’s production could take a turn for the worse this week.