In the National Football League, there has been a clear transition in how the game is played within the last couple of years. Throwing the football has become more important than it has ever been in the league, with little worry about the ground game. Only three teams in the NFL ran the ball over 500 times last year, while on the flip side, every team except for three averaged over 30 pass attempts a game.
With all this new-found admiration for the air assault, Wide Receiver has become more crucial than in past years. Five receivers were taken within the first 28 picks of this years’ draft, while seven more were selected in the second round. With all these new wide receivers in the league now, combined with the superstars like Megatron and Larry Fitzgerald, we forget about some really talented players. Who are the players that are going to break out this season and make a name for themselves?
Honorable Mentions-
Jarrett Boykin- Green Bay Packers
Ace Sanders- Jacksonville Jaguars
DeAndre Hopkins- Houston Texans
Tavon Austin- St. Louis Rams
5. Markus Wheaton, Pittsburgh Steelers
Wheaton is a favorite across the league to come into his own this season. And for good reason. Two of the Steelers’ top three receivers from a year ago, Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery, have left via free agency. Wheaton was a highly prized pick by Pittsburgh, just a year ago. An injury riddled season lead to Wheaton only catching six passes for 64 yards. Wheaton will be in competition with recent signees Lance Moore, and Darrius Heyward-Bey for jobs. Due to his physical attributes and cheetah-like speed, Wheaton is the favorite for the WR2 spot. Wheaton is already pulling off big plays in minicamp, which will hopfully translate to the regular season for Big Ben.
4. Robert Woods, Buffalo Bills
There was a lot of hype surrounding Robert Woods last year in Western New York. Not that Woods completely failed, but when you have quarterbacks like Thad Lewis and Jeff Tuel throwing you the ball, you’re not going to be a pro-bowler. Woods finished 2013 with 40 catches, for 587 yards and 3 scores. With EJ Manuel healthy, and back-up in Sammy Watkins and Mike Williams, combined with another year in the offense, Woods could be looking at a 1,000 yard season. A move to the slot, with the departure of Steve Johnson, should also help Woods get open.
3. Kendall Wright, Tennesee Titans
If anyone is going to benefit from new coach Ken Wisenhunt, it’s the former first rounder, Kendall Wright. Wisenhunt helped Keenan Allen go over 1,000 yards his rookie year, and also coached Eddie Royal to catch 47 balls, eight of whom were touchdowns.
Wright may have been the most underrated wide out last season, catching 94 passes for a little over 1,000 yards. With a fully healthy Jake Locker, and an offensive-minded coach, Wright should put up big numbers this season, with the potential to be a top-20 fantasy wide receiver.
2. Cordarrelle Patterson, Minnesota Vikings
While the first-rounder in 2013 had most of his flashy moments on special teams, Cordarelle Patterson had shown major signs of life on offense to finish the 2013 season. In the last four games of the season, Patterson had 15 catches for 215 yards and three Touchdowns. Patterson is another player that should benefit from a new offensive coordinator, this time, Norv Turner. Turner’s new offense is throwing the players through a loop, but once they get it down, Patterson could be a Top-25 fantasy receiver...he’s that good. Assuming that Teddy Bridgewater will eventually get the starting job, there is cause for a lot of excitement in Minnesota.
1. Rueben Randle, New York Giants
There’s a simple theme with a lot of these players-New Offensive Coordinators- and this one is no different. After an abysmal offensive season last year, the G-Men kicked Kevin Gilbride to the street, and brought in Ben McAdoo. McAdoo was the quarterback coach for Aaron Rodgers, so his main goal will be to kick-start Eli Manning. If Manning can get started, Randle has shown he is an NFL-caliber wide receiver, and a very good one at that. Last season, he had 41 catches for 611 yards and six touchdowns. He had plenty of highlight-reel plays, and now with Hakeem Nicks gone, he is the clear number two reciever opposite Victor Cruz. Randle, and Cruz, have the potential to go over 1,000 yards if Eli gets back to his old ways.