Fantasy Football 2018: Wide receiver teammates, would you rather?

Numerous wide receiver teammates are driving Fantasy Football 2018 owners mad. Even the fantasy rankings agree, stacking them side by side in week 10. We pick the best from a few of the hottest options.

Something slightly amusing happened with wide receiver rankings heading into Fantasy Football 2018 Week 10. The receivers ranked by five ESPN experts fell oddly in line with teammates at the same position. This begs the obvious question; what should owners do?

Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks, and Cooper Kupp were ranked as the 12th, 13th, and 14th WRs respectively. Alshon Jeffery and Golden Tate came in 17th and 19th (with Tate’s former teammate, Marvin Jones, ranking 18th). Two Packers wideouts, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Randall Cobb, ranked 32nd and 33rd.

Chris Godwin and Adam Humphries of Tampa Bay ranked 39th and 40th. Even the unplayable Jets guys, Quincy Enunwa and Robby Anderson, ranked 62nd and 63rd together. If it wasn’t for the spacing between Jaguars Dede Westbrook (43rd), Donte Moncrief (48th), and Keelan Cole (59th), we would think ESPN did all this on purpose.

What does that mouthful say about fantasy football 2018 and positional rankings this season? It means that systems and quarterbacks are making receiver value more than ever before. If these guys are all interchangeable in the real-life offenses, how can fantasy owners make any distinctions? And we aren’t even talking about third and fourth wide receivers all the time.

Right at the top, the players for the Rams and Eagles are the best pass catchers on the team. With Green Bay, it’s a battle for starter opposite Davante Adams. These are heavy impact spots on the depth chart.

These position groups were kind of chosen at random on our part, just based on the rankings for the week. But if forced to choose one option from each squad to be the best in Week 10, who should you go with?

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate Fantasy Football 2018 in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Los Angeles Rams

Todd Salem – Robert Woods: Did you know this LA threesome has combined for 19 carries on the ground this season, with each garnering at least four totes? That doesn’t really impact my decision, but Sean McVay is doing work to get each guy involved. Woods is the most targeted player through the air, and as the top option he actually has an edge this week.

Seattle is under-the-radar great again this year defensively, especially against second and third receivers. The Seahawks, though, struggle against number ones. It’s a bit of an arbitrary distinction in an offense like LA’s, but it splits the difference here for me.

Dan Salem – Brandin Cooks: The disparity at the wide receiver position has certainly grown this year. But I’m not sure what to make of it. Trend or aberration? If quarterbacks determine receiver success, but the opposite is also true, then are we to stream receivers like pitchers in baseball? In the case of the Rams, their entire offensive system has elevated every receiver in it. My instincts say Cooks is the play this week against Seattle, but its simply a hunch. The numbers favor Woods, but when luck is involved, always trust your instincts.

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Philadelphia Eagles

Todd Salem – Alshon Jeffery: Jeffery is my pick in Week 10, though Tate would be my pick every subsequent week. I just think he needs more than one week to learn the offense.

Dan Salem – Alshon Jeffery: I agree with your sentiments completely. Receivers notoriously need a few weeks to gain a rapport with their new quarterbacks and fully integrate into an offense. Philadelphia is struggling, but forcing the ball to Tate won’t solve the problem. Jeffery will get more opportunities with a legitimate threat opposite him on the field.

Green Bay Packers

Todd Salem – Marquez Valdes-Scantling: I think this is the easiest call of the bunch. While Cobb has been cratering in value when he even manages to take the field, MVS has been climbing. He has 28 targets, two touchdowns, and two 100-yard games in his last four weeks.

Dan Salem – Marquez Valdes-Scantling: Cobb is an afterthought right now, so avoid him. I’m not a big fan of anyone on Green Bay at the moment, but forced to pick a second receiving option, I’ll go with Valdes-Scantling.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Todd Salem – Chris Godwin: With Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, and OJ Howard around, this pick is just for kicks. I won’t be swayed by Humphries’ two-TD game and will go with the more consistent Godwin.

Dan Salem – Chris Godwin: I have Godwin on my fantasy team and he is a complete hit or miss fantasy player. He’s also the most likely to garner points, as his targets in the offense have been consistent and he delivers. Don’t expect a big game, but you might get it, especially with Ryan Fitzpatrick back under center.

New York Jets

Todd Salem – Quincy Enunwa: If we need to start one of these guys at Wide Reciever or Flex, pickings are slim indeed, in which case I go for the guy more likely to give me something. Enunwa leads the Jets in yards-after-catch by a mile and is the go-to guy when trying to reach the sticks.

Dan Salem – Jermaine Kearse: Both Enunwa and Anderson missed practice time again this week, meaning that even if they play, they are both banged up and dealing with lingering ankle injuries. Josh McCown will be back as quarterback of the Jets and he loved throwing to Kearse last season. Considering Anderson’s immaturity and that Enunwa has never played with McCown before, I’m betting on Kearse this week. He is a comfort zone for New York’s rusty quarterback.