Tag: wide receivers

Why Aaron Rodgers’ criticism of Packers receivers only improves Allen Lazard’s fantasy stock

Lazard is the unquestioned WR1 in Green Bay.

With the departure of Davante Adams for Las Vegas, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are attempting to bring a group of mostly inexperienced wide receivers up to the speed expected of a title-contending team.

Naturally, it hasn’t always been so smooth, and Rodgers finally hit somewhat of a breaking point Tuesday, deciding to make his frustrations with drops and inconsistencies public.

“The young guys, especially young receivers, we’ve got to be way more consistent,” Rodgers said. “A lot of drops, a lot of bad route decisions, running the wrong route. We’ve got to get better in that area.”

However, as reported by ESPN Packers writer Rob Demovsky, Rodgers’ ire wasn’t directed at the most veteran members of the team’s receiving corp, Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb or Sammy Watkins. In fact, Lazard was one of the veterans who spoke in a meeting with the group after Rodgers’ critiques. And the QB himself has sung the praises of Lazard this summer.

“I really think Allen is ready to make a jump and be a No. 1 receiver,” Rodgers said early in camp.

The struggles of other receivers only increases the amount Rodgers will trust Lazard in big spots. And if Rodgers trusts Lazards in that role, so should fantasy football managers. I already explained why I believe Lazard is a fantasy sleeper at the receiver position, so knowing there’s potentially a growing separation between himself and Green Bay’s other receivers only strengthens my opinion. He’ll go into the season as the top option.

However, it’s not like Green Bay is short on options for secondary receivers. By many accounts, fourth-round pick Romeo Doubs has been solid, and second-round pick Christian Watson appears to be nearing a return from injury. But outside of Watkins and Cobb, none of the other receivers have more than three years experience. That Rodgers is lighting into the group now only increases the chances of them being ready for the start of the season and taking defensive attention off the top option, Lazard.

And apparently, it’s already working. The young receivers bounced back for a good day Wednesday.

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2022 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings: who to pick once Cooper Kupp and Ja’Marr Chase are off the board

Ranking the top wide receivers in fantasy football.

Cooper Kupp had one of the more extraordinary seasons by a wide receiver in NFL history last year, and he might not be the best player at his position.

Young guys like Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase have emerged as as elite wideouts, and you also can’t forget about established vets like Mike Evans, Davante Adams and DeAndre Hopkins — who didn’t make this list because of the time he’ll miss from suspension.

This isn’t a PPR ranking, so the order came down to potential target share and touchdown scoring. The more opportunities guys have to rack up the yardage and score touchdowns, the better that is for your fantasy football team.

While you’re here, check out:

Notre Dame veteran receiver out for 2022

Brutal news for Davis and tough for Notre Dame at a position they simply can’t afford to have it happen at…

Brutal news was announced Saturday morning as Notre Dame graduate student and veteran wide receiver Avery Davis will miss the entire 2022 season after tearing the ACL in his right knee on Friday.  Avery previously injured the ACL in his left knee late in the 2021 regular season.

Davis has been a captain and was projected to start in the slot this coming fall.  He had the third most receiving yards on Notre Dame last year as he went for 386 yards on 27 receptions.

The news is especially brutal when you look at how thin Notre Dame’s depth already is at wide receiver as his injury now means the Irish can’t even fill out a two-deep at the three wide receiver positions.

Davis was to be participating in his sixth season at Notre Dame after being a traditional redshirt his freshman year and taking advantage of the universal free year that everyone was given during the 2020 pandemic season.

More to come on what it means for Notre Dame’s offense in 2022 but for now this is just brutal news for a young man that has already been through so much during his time in South Bend.

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NFL suspends Saints receiver Kawaan Baker for 6 games to open 2022 season

NFL suspends Saints receiver Kawaan Baker for 6 games to open 2022 season for violating performance-enhancing substances policy:

This is surprising: ESPN’s Field Yates reported Tuesday that the NFL has suspended wide receiver Kawaan Baker for the first six games of the 2022 season. Baker, who turns 24 in a few weeks, was a seventh round pick for the New Orleans Saints last year who spent his rookie season on the practice squad. An NFL statement clarified that Baker will be suspended due to violating the league’s performance-enhancing substances policy.

Receiving this suspension will be tough for him. Baker was competing for the last spot at wide receiver on the 53-man roster, with at least five players already locked in to make the cut between Michael Thomas, Chris Olave, Jarvis Landry, Marquez Callaway, and Deonte Harty. Tre’Quan Smith is likeliest to round out the group should the Saints run six-deep this year.

Still, he has a shot at making the practice squad again. Baker will be free to practice with the Saints throughout training camp and in their upcoming preseason games, competing for one of the two or three practice squad openings reserved for wideouts. Others in the mix include Kevin White, Easop Winston Jr., Kirk Merritt, and undrafted rookies Dai’Jean Dixon and Rashid Shaheed.

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2022 Tennessee football: Vols’ wide receivers preview

2022 Tennessee football: Vols’ wide receivers preview

Tennessee will kick off fall training camp Aug. 1 ahead of the 2022 season under second-year head coach Josh Heupel.

The Vols finished the 2021 season with a 7-6 record and an appearance in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl against Purdue.

Tennessee will kick off its 2022 season Sept. 1 against Ball State at Neyland Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. EDT and SEC Network will televise the season-opening matchup.

PHOTOS: Vols signage returns to Neyland Stadium

Ahead of fall training camp, Vols Wire looks at Tennessee’s wide receivers on roster. Below are Tennessee’s wide receivers and their listed classification, height and weight for the 2022 season.

PFF ranks the top 10 wide receivers in college football for 2022

Anthony Treash puts Texas’ Xavier Worthy in his top five and three Big 12 players inside the top 10.

Texas is home to one of the top pass catchers in college football. Continue reading “PFF ranks the top 10 wide receivers in college football for 2022”

Ranking the AFC West wide receiver trios

Do the Raiders have the best wide receiver corps in the AFC West?

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There have been some big-time comings and going in the AFC West at the wide receiver position, thus shaking things up. How does it land when all is said and done? Let’s take a look.

1. Las Vegas Raiders

Trio: Davante Adams, Demarcus Robinson/Keelan Cole, Hunter Renfrow

Having arguably the league’s best receiver puts the Raiders’ receiving corps on the map. Having one of the league’s best slot receivers as well puts them among the league’s best.

Adams is coming off a season in which he put up 1553 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns, earning his second consecutive All-Pro nod. While Renfrow had 103 catches last season, landing him second among wide receivers in Raiders franchise history. The two of them are also widely considered among the best route runners in the league.

Who will occupy the other starting outside receiver spot is a bit of a question mark. Cole and Robinson would appear to be the frontrunners for that job. Both are middle-of-the-road receivers who have started games in their career. Cole has had more success, usually finishing around 500 yards per season.

2. Los Angeles Chargers

Trio: Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Jaylen Guyton

Like the Raiders, the Chargers have two outstanding starters and a marginal third receiver. Year-after-year Allen is among the league’s top receivers. Thus why he has been to five straight Pro Bowls. He has been the image of consistency and dependability over that time.

Williams is far less consistent, but he is a dominant presence at the X receiver spot, with abilities like few others. He’s coming off a career year, catching 76 passes for 1146 yards and nine touchdowns.

Guyton has been a decent third receiver, hovering around 500 yards each of the past two seasons with six combined touchdowns.

3. Denver Broncos

Trio: Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick/Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler

Potential is what this group has. And a lot of it. Sutton established himself as a Pro Bowl player a couple of years ago. Patrick has emerged the past couple of seasons, surpassing 700 yards and five touchdowns in each season.

Jeudy and Hamler are both high picks. Hamler missed most of last season with an injury and Jeudy saw his numbers take a tumble. Hamler’s return should help the offense a great deal, while Jeudy will have to start showing the kind of dominant receiving abilities that made him the 15th overall pick in the draft a couple of years ago.

4. Kansas City Chiefs

Trio: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdez-Scantling, Mecole Hardman

It’s weird seeing the Chiefs at the bottom here. That’s kind of what happens when you lose a player the caliber of Tyreek Hill. He’s kinda hard to replace.

I personally think the Chiefs did a nice job of retooling the position. Smith-Schuster is a few years removed from his huge season in which he caught 111 passes for 1426 yards, but perhaps a change of scenery could bring some of that back. Valdez-Scantling is a season removed from averaging nearly 21 yards per catch. And Harman is a very good slot receiver with speed for days.

There are just too many uncertainties in this group at the moment. It would be a stretch to think Smith-Schuster can get back to putting up the kind of numbers he did for that one breakout season.

Valdez-Scantling enjoyed having Aaron Rodgers throwing to him, so it’s not like moving to Mahomes is some huge upgrade in that department. Overall, they figure to be decent, but not a great strength.

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Ohio State has the best wide receiver duo according to 247Sports

Is there a better duo than these Buckeyes? #GoBucks

There is plenty of hype around the quarterback of the Ohio State Buckeyes and for good reason. C.J. Stroud was among the Heisman finalists a season ago and should be among the nation’s best once again. Alongside Stroud in the backfield, you will find one of the top backs in the country, TreyVeon Henderson.

However, as much praise as that duo is receiving the wideouts could be among the best in the country. After watching Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave leave for the NFL, there shouldn’t be much concern in terms of production. This year it will be about [autotag]Marvin Harrison Jr[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaxon Smith-Njigba[/autotag]. The latter had a monster game against the Utah Utes in the Rose Bowl.

He finished with 95 receptions for 1,606 yards and 9 touchdowns. Against the Utes, Smith-Njigba hauled in 15 passes for 347 yards and 3 touchdowns. He will be a name to look out for on the Biletnikoff watch list. Recently, the Buckeyes duo was named the top group in the country by 247Sports.

What 247Sports Says…

Ohio State football single-game and mini-plan tickets to go on sale
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Production projection: 156 catches, 2,527 yards, 27 TDs

The word: By now, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a household name and preseason Heisman candidate after January’s record-setting Rose Bowl performance. And after losing Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson as first-round NFL Draft selections, the next great pass-catcher for the Buckeyes will be Marvin Harrison Jr. His reps were minimal last fall due to Ohio State’s expansive talent in the wide receiver room, but Harrison could easily surpass the 60-catch, 1,000-yard total this season.

“Those guys are driven,” Buckeyes strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti said this spring of Ohio State’s wideouts. “They’re in here at 5 o’clock in the morning on their own, running routes, catching jugs. Like they do so much, you have to like give them a plan. ‘You can’t come back and run routes after practice. You can’t. You’re not gonna hold up. You’ve got to do this, this, this and this.’ But that’s fun. That’s fun to be around those guys because they’re always looking to get better. ‘How can I do more? What can I do extra?'”

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Panthers receiver D.J. Moore could be Baker Mayfield’s new best friend

Touchdown Wire’s Laurie Fitzpatrick goes to the film to explain why DJ Moore can benefit the most from Baker Mayfield.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver D.J. Moore is entering year five of his NFL career and despite being one of the most productive receivers in the league, he’s left out of the conversation when it comes to being top tier.

In each of the last three seasons, Moore the only receiver in the league with over 1,200 yards from scrimmage. Over that span of time, he ranks third in the entire NFL in yards by a wide receiver, behind only Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams, and Stefon Diggs.

Moore ranks fourth in Panthers’ franchise history with 4,313 career receiving yards, which also happens to be seventh in NFL history for players aged 24 or younger. Who are some other receivers on that list you ask? Randy Moss, Mike Evans, DeAndre Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr.

That’s some good company.

Why isn’t Moore considered a top receiver in the NFL?

There are two main reasons for that.

Horrible quarterback play, and his team’s overall lack of production. But here at Touchdown Wire, we like to use both statistics and film to tell stories. So, let’s dive into the All-22 and see why Moore should be in the conversation when it comes to the league’s top pass catchers.

CFB analyst breaks down why Alabama’s WR room is one of the best in the nation

See where Alabama’s WR group ranks when compared to the rest of college football. Do you agree?

Alabama football has produced great players at all positions, many go on to have successful professional careers in the NFL. The wide receivers have consistently been one of the main points of focus for the Crimson Tide offense in recent seasons.

Heading into the 2022 season, it originally appeared as if Alabama’s trend of having one of the strong receiving units was going to end. However, that’s not likely going to be the case.

Losing Jameson Williams, John Metchie III and Slade bolden to the 2022 NFL draft left only a few receivers with experience on the roster. This is where the transfer portal comes in handy.

Head coach Nick Saban managed to bring in two highly-talented receivers in the nation via the transfer portal: Georgia‘s [autotag]Jermaine Burton[/autotag] and Louisville’s [autotag]Tyler Harrell[/autotag].

Chip Patterson of CBS Sports recently revealed his top-five wide receiving units from across the nation and Alabama makes an appearance at No. 4, behind only Ohio State, USC and Maryland.

“Like USC, Alabama has boosted its ranking through the transfer portal with instant impact additions,” writes Patterson. “The Crimson Tide saw multiple pass catchers leave the program after 2021 but the example of Jameson Williams has shown what can happen when you transfer in for even just one season with Bryce Young and the Alabama offense. Now not everyone is going to be an All-American and top-12 NFL Draft pick like Williams, but Jermaine Burton’s decision to transfer from [Georgia] and Tyler Harrell’s move from Louisville both come with similar expectations of being a valued contributor in the Tide’s passing attack this fall. Alabama does still have some competition for those newcomers even after an exodus to the draft and the portal, most notably sophomore Ja’Corey Brooks — a key to the passing attack when injuries mounted late in 2021 — and JoJo Earle, an All-SEC Freshman Team selection as a return specialist with game-breaking speed.”

Roll Tide Wire will continue to cover the Crimson Tide throughout the remainder of the 2022 offseason.

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