Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears
Marshall, who is battling with Calvin Johnson for the top fantasy spot at wide receiver, will be going up against the latter today. This should definitely be an interesting matchup. Despite struggling through a four-win season, the Detroit Lions have been pretty solid against the pass. They rank 14th in yards against and are yielding just over 60 yards per outing to No. 1 wide receivers.
That being said, it is important to note that Chicago is battling for its playoff life here. Expect Jay Cutler to go in Marshall's direction more often than not in this one. After all, Marshall is averaging over 11 targets per outing this season.
Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions
Speaking of targets, Johnson leads the NFL in this category with 190 through 15 games. You can do the math to figure out what that equates to per game. Equally as important, Johnson leads the NFL in receptions (117) and receiving yards 1,892, the latter of which is a new single-season league record. He also needs just 108 yards today to become the first wide receiver to hit 2,000 yards in a season. Needless to say, Johnson is having one of those historical seasons that have come to define the All-Pro receivers' career.
While Chicago does ranks sixth against the pass, there is absolutely no reason to believe that Matthew Stafford will stop short of forcing the ball to Johnson a minimum of 15 times today. If history is an indicator, Johnson will come down with a vast majority of those targets for 150 yards and a score. Bank on that.
Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers
It's hard to imagine that I have only had Smith on this list a couple times this season. The veteran wide receiver has racked up another 1,000 yard season, 1,101 to be exact. Despite catching less than 55 percent of the passes thrown his direction, Smith has been targets 14th-most of any receiver in the NFL. He now goes up against a New Orleans Saints pass defense that ranks 31st in the league and is coming off a performance that saw them yield well over 400 passing yards to Tony Romo. The Saints are also yielding nearly 100 receiving yards per outing to opposing No. 1 receivers alone.
Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers
It might sound odd, but I believe Crabtree was snubbed of a Pro Bowl selection this season. He needs just 67 yards to compile 1,000 on the season and has been one of the most productive receivers. Overall, Crabtree is catching 68 percent of the passes thrown in his direction. The talented young receiver put up two scores and 20 fantasy points against Patrick Peterson and the Arizona Cardinals earlier this season.
Wes Welker, New England Patriots
Welker has not been an elite WR1 option this season due to the fact that he is averaging just over 10 yards per reception and has a total of five touchdowns this season. Those are definitely not indicators of a great fantasy option. With that in mind, Welker is going up against a Miami Dolphins pass defense that he has torched in his career. He is averaging nine receptions and 100 yards against his former team in 10 career games.
Danario Alexander, San Diego Chargers
With Malcom Floyd on IR, expect Philip Rivers to continue looking in Alexander's direction. The journeyman receiver is averaging five receptions and 70 yards since joining San Diego back in Week 9. He is lucky enough to go up against a disastrous Oakland Raiders secondary that can't find out a way to stop the pass. Expect a big game from Alexander today.
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
Green may rank fourth among receivers in fantasy points this season, but he is averaging just eight points in his last four games. That needs to change this week against the Baltimore Ravens if you are going to be able to rely on Green for top tier WR1 production. The good news here is that Baltimore ranks in the bottom half of the NFL against the pass and is being targeted a whole heck of a lot on the outside. Opposing offenses have targeted their starting receivers an average of 21 times per outing this season against Baltimore.
Andre Johnson, Houston Texans
The only thing holding Johnson back from being a top flight fantasy option is the fact that he has failed to score double-digit touchdowns in any one season of his career (only four in 2012). That really isn't going to get it done. On the other hand, his 100 receptions for nearly 1,500 yards makes up for that to an extent. Houston takes on the Indianapolis Colts, who rank 19th against the pass, for the second time in three weeks today. I am expecting another big outing from Johnson.
Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
What Bryant has done recently is nothing short of ridiculous. He has tallied 43 receptions for 721 yards and nine touchdowns in his last six games. Yes, that's an average of seven receptions and 120 yards per outing during that span. Meanwhile, the Washington Redskins are dead last against No. 1 receivers (98.4 YPG) this season. There is no reason to believe that Bryant won't be able to duplicate his averages from the last six games.
Pierre Garcon, Washington Redskins
Garcon is a true wildcard here. It depends on who the Cowboys decide to line up against him Brandon Carr or Morris Claiborne on how productive he will be tonight. Garcon tallied 86 yards and a score against Claiborne on Thanksgiving. Either way, I am looking at similar production here.