RADIO
Our ranking of fantasy receiving corps rolls on with a look at the NFC North. I should remind you once again that we'll be ranking teams by division, then conference, then a straight ranking for the entire NFL. As always, rankings are subject to the state of the team as of writing. Tons of things will change between now and September.
In terms of the NFC North, there's really only one "dud" of a team in terms of fantasy. The rest have options to look forward to with the top spot being an excellent source for value.
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NFC North Receiver Ranks
4. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are indeed the fantasy dud of the NFC North in terms of wide receivers. With the departure of Alshon Jeffery, Kevin White steps in as the de facto No. 1 target. Unfortunately for White, his first two seasons in the NFL have been marred by injury. Truth be told, we really don't know what to expect from Kevin White. The obvious takeaway is the simple fact that a No. 1 receiver does deserve some attention. Sadly, this situation doesn't really amount to anything more than a late round flier.
Beyond White, the next three players are basically interchangeable. Cameron Meredith is the only one with experience on the team, so it's safe to presume he'll be second on the list behind White. Markus Wheaton and Kendall Wright, two newcomers on the team, will likely battle between themselves for targets. Couple all of this complexity with a quarterback competition and we're looking at a situation that is best avoided. Whether it's Mike Glennon or Mitchell Trubisky, the Bears have no choice but to lean on running back Jordan Howard anyway.
3. Minnesota Vikings
The combination of Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen is actually a fairly decent duo for quarterback Sam Bradford. Thielen had the better year than Diggs, topping him in both yards and touchdowns. It was still pretty close, though. Thielen totaled 967 yards with five touchdowns compared to Diggs's 903 yards and three scores. Diggs, however, gets the edge for 2017 based on both target share and talent. Diggs is more of a WR3/flex play than anything else. Thielen is a usable bench piece with fair enough upside.
Laquon Treadwell will need to take a significant step in the upcoming year in order to find himself any fantasy value. In other words, he has to surpass Thielen or Diggs on the depth chart. Considering the quarterback is dink-and-dunk Sam Bradford, and the offense in general, this isn't a team that can sustain three relevant fantasy wide receivers simultaneously. Hence why we will be moving right past Jarius Wright.
2. Detroit Lions
If Diggs and Thielen are a decent combo for Sam Bradford, then Golden Tate and Marvin Jones are a huge step up for Matthew Stafford. Tate in particular clocks in as a rock solid WR2 in all formats. Tate managed 1,077 yards with four touchdowns, earning him WR17 status in standard scoring in 2016. There's no reason to believe he can't duplicate those numbers. Jones, on the hand, fizzled out considerably as the year went on. His overall numbers look good on paper, but once you break down his game log it's easy to see his stats were very front loaded. Over a third of his yardage total came on just the first three games of the season, racking up 408 out of his 930 over that span. He also didn't score a touchdown after week five. Jones isn't much more of a flier than he is a usable asset.
Further down the depth chart we have Jared Abbrederis and T.J. Jones. Technically speaking rookie prospect Kenny Gollady is an intriguing name that could eat into anyone's workload. He would have to exceed rookie expectations by a considerable margin in order to break into the fantasy realm of relevance. Whoever brings up the rear beyond Marvin Jones is really an injury away from getting a look. Until then, it's best to keep our focus on Tate and Jones.
1. Green Bay Packers
Jordy Nelson alone would make the Green Bay Packers worthy of the No. 1 spot but alas, there are still some other names that enhance the team's fantasy value. Jordy is locked into the top-10 at the position regardless of format. He's proven that he won't be slowed down by injury or age. His 1,257 yards and whopping 14 touchdowns in 2016 were a fantastic bounce back after tearing his ACL the year prior. The TDs might dip a bit, but there's no reason to expect a significant decline.
Davante Adams blew past Randall Cobb as the No. 2 receiver in Green Bay and with good reason. Adams was three yards shy of 1,000 at 997 and reeled in 12 touchdowns to boot. Amazingly, Adams actually came in as a low-end WR1 in most formats. While he's unlikely to repeat those numbers, Adams is absolutely worthy of a WR2 selection. As to where he will be/should be drafted within that spectrum remains to be seem. He has a very wide range of outcomes for 2017, giving him the potential to be anything from a high-end WR2 to a high-end flex. The Packers simply spread the ball around and cycle through receivers enough to expect consistency past Jordy Nelson. Still, having Adams on your team puts you in position to boast a highly competitive fantasy team.
The days of Randall Cobb as a reliable fantasy contributor are over. It's almost as if the injury to Jordy Nelson affected Cobb more than it affected Nelson. Cobb faltered in his role atop the depth chart and didn't recover in 2016. You won't want to take him as anything more than a bye-week fill in who has the potential for more than that if either Nelson or Adams gets hurt. That leaves Geronimo Allison, a receiver who is likely to vulture away some touchdowns from the top two guys. Rodgers has talked up Allison in the past, turning the heads of twitchy owners. Similar to Cobb, it would take an injury for Allison to gain compelling fantasy value.
More 2017 Fantasy Football Analysis
Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.
