If you read my Top Five Fantasy Football Wide Receivers for 2013, you already know which wide receiver I would rather have for 2013 and beyond. If you didn't read that article, shame on you; you should have.
The Cincinnati Bengals drafted A.J. Green fourth overall in the 2011 NFL draft and the Atlanta Falcons selected Julio Jones two picks later, after a trade with the Cleveland Browns. It's not every year that two of the top 10 wide receivers in the NFL will find themselves not only in the same draft class, but also separated by just two picks and only in their third year in the league.
Deciding which wide-out you'd rather have will almost entirely depend upon the way you way you see things: Are you a numbers person or are you a person who would rather have the player with the higher potential and better skill set? You would be hard-pressed to find a numbers person who would tell you he'd rather have Julio Jones than A.J. Green.
Green had better numbers across the board in their rookie campaigns in 2011 and also in their second seasons in 2012, finishing with 65 receptions (116 targets) for 1,059 yards and seven touchdowns in 2011. He finished with 97 catches (164 targets), 1,350 yards and 11 touchdowns this past season. Jones had 54 receptions (96 targets), 959 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie. He pulled down 79 balls (129 targets) for 1,198 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
As I've said previously, it's my opinion that the biggest reason Julio isn't putting up numbers that are on par with Detroit Lions' stud receiver, Calvin Johnson, is the fact that he has played both of his seasons opposite another top ten wide receiver in Roddy White and with the best tight end to ever play the game in Tony Gonzalez. White is still going to play a big part in Atlanta's offense, and I'm not entirely convinced that the Falcons' effort to bring Gonzalez back for another season is going to fall short. Even so, I don't see anyway that Jones' numbers don't increase yet again in 2013.
On the flip side, it's hard for me to envision a scenario in which A.J. Green's numbers jump to much more than they were in 2012. Not only is his quarterback, Andy Dalton, not only the same level as Matt Ryan, the Bengals are quietly putting together a pretty good receiving core in Cincinnati that will, in all likelihood, take some targets away from Green.