FANTASY FOOTBALL ARTICLES

First Round - Just like in fantasy drafts, the NFL draft has seem some solid if not spectacular receivers taken in the first round. It has also seen some incredible busts come along. Since this is a position that typically takes time to develop, looking at past drafts has to consider the two to three years that are expected for a receiver to come into his own. Last season only had one wide receiver drafted in the first round but Holmes had a very solid first year and looks likely to be starting a very nice career.

Second Round – This round has produced it’s share of starters and in several cases – players that did better than many first rounders.. Chris Chambers and Chad Johnson came out of 2001 but otherwise this round has not produced many fantasy gems for the current season. Taken this deeply in the draft has usually meant the team believes in them but not enough to consider them an instant starter for the last several seasons.

Third Round – This round has produced some very nice players but rarely more than one per year if that. Anquan Boldin had a great rookie year but Reggie Brown took a couple of years to catch on. Vincent Jackson enters his third year and his first with a shot at being a full-time starter.

Fourth Round – Not a lot of value has come from this round in the last five years though Cotchery had a very nice 2006 season. Brandon Lloyd, Samie Parker and Ernest Willford have all been starters and all have disappointed. Usually this round (and deeper) serves up guys who become serviceable #2 wideouts for teams - if even that.

Rounds Five to Seven – Oddly enough, the fifth and sixth rounds have done nothing to produce starters and yet Donald Driver, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and of course Marques Colston came from the seventh round to becoming starters. The majority of these players do nothing if they even make the team but there have been some big surprises from the final round every couple of years.

2007 -   Big year for rookie wideouts with six taken in the first round and three more in the second. Training camp will determine where these players fall for 2007 but obviously Calvin Johnson has a great shot at making the 1.02 pick of the draft turn into a full-time starter in a passing offfense in Detroit. This was a good year for wideouts and even those taken in the second round likely have long-term value.

Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers