Top 5 WR Performances of Week 8

New England Patriots wide receiver Brandon LaFell has always had plenty of talent, but it’s taken him some time to let those physical tools shine in this league. Thanks to a bigger role with his new team and the scintillating play of legendary QB Tom Brady, LaFell is getting closer to becoming a household name, because his sudden breakout seems legit, especially when looking at the contract the Patriot gave him in order to coax him into joining the team over the Denver Broncos.

New England Patriots WR Brandon LaFell

Although Rob Gronkowski, was Brady’s most impressive target in the team’s 51-23 drubbing of the Chicago Bears, LaFell’s standout day may have been the most noteworthy, because we already know what Gronk is capable of in this league. Arguably the best wide receiver this past week, LaFell showed off his size by catching all 11 passes thrown at him for 124 yards and a touchdown in an unreal display of dominance. LaFell is turning into a fully legit wide receiver right in front of our eyes, and it will be interesting to see if he can keep this up. If so, one question will remain, how high can he go?

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Cincinnati Bengals WR Mohamed Sanu

A couple of weeks ago, Sanu landed on this list for his work against the Carolina Panthers burn-prone secondary, but he was held down by the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7. This week, Sanu helped the Bengals achieve a season sweep of the Baltimore Ravens in a 27-24 victory, hauling in five passes for 125 yards. His ability to make plays for the Bengals offense has been vastly important, and he’ll still have a significant role in the offense once A.J. Green comes back. At least, I hope he does, because he’s looked pretty good during his time as a forced replacement for the superstar WR.

Denver Broncos WR Emmanuel Sanders

I might be one of the biggest Eric Decker fans around, but even I’m starting to doubt my initial statement that he is a better player than Emmanuel Sanders, who vastly underperformed during his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sanders has blossomed into a big-time receiver for the Broncos, and it’s clear that his versatility has been a boon for the Broncos offense. He toasted the San Diego Chargers hobbled and underwhelming secondary, and his three touchdown receptions were absolute ecstasy for his fantasy owners. Sanders led the team with nine receptions for 120 yards, as he caught everything thrown at him and, as stated, scored at will. So far this season, he already has 47 receptions for 634 yards and had a terrific pass-catching day after having just 41 and 38 receiving yards in the previous two weeks.

Philadelphia Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin 

Some people unwisely decided to doubt Jeremy Maclin’s credentials in this league, and he’s made them pay dearly for it. Maclin has 632 receiving yards and six touchdowns this season, but his performance on Sunday was his finest of the year with 12 receptions for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Patrick Peterson and the Arizona Cardinals secondary had no answer for him, as he burned them at will, and it almost seemed like he was toying with some notable names. Before Peterson left with an injury, Maclin, per the Pro Football Focus, caught all five passes thrown at him in the elite CB’s coverage. He also burnt up Jerraud Powers and had no problems with everyone else the Cardinals put in his vicinity.

Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald

After a big 2013 season, Michael Floyd was supposed to usurp Larry Fitzgerald as the Cardinals No. 1  receiver, but Fitz is still going strong. He caught seven passes for an unreal 160 receiving yards on ten targets with a TD for good measure (yup, 16 yards per target), as he owned the Eagles secondary. Fitzgerald is averaging 63.3 receiving yards per game, and Sunday’s performance was his best performance yet. He came close with 98 receiving yards against the Washington Redskins a couple of weeks ago, making our list that week as well, but his game against the Eagles was his first 100-yard performance of the season. Fitzgerald is making it count after the catch, and he’s averaging more yards per game than Floyd, who didn’t catch a single pass on four targets this past week.