Oct 20, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) reacts to his rushing touchdown with wide receiver Reggie Wayne (87) and wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (13) in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Wide Receiver
Berry has Hilton as his 74th ranked player. ESPN projects him to be the 67th rated player and 27th best receiver. NFL.com puts him at 58th overall and as the 27th ranked receiver. CBS says he’s the best receiver, but still a risk.
ESPN is also assuming that Hilton’s numbers are going to remain flat. I just don’t see how that possible. He exploded in the later half of the season last year and that continued against the Chiefs in the playoffs.
He’s also been Luck’s favorite target at camp and is going to eat opponents alive on underneath routes. He might not lead the team in production, but I would wager he leads the team in receiving yards, If his touchdown total doesn’t go up too, as he had just five in 2013.
Hilton is quite a top tier wide receiver, and with the glute of talent on the Colts roster at the position Luck can really spread the ball around.
Berry has him ranked 88th overall. ESPN projects Wayne to be the 69th rated player, and 28th wide receiver. NFL.com has him as the 90th best player, and 32nd wide receiver. CBS views him as a bust candidate, largely due to all the options Luck has downfield.
Wayne has accounted for nearly 12 target per game with Luck as his QB, but he was also the best option by nearly a mile the past two years. Now with Allen back, Hilton improving, and Nicks on the roster Luck won’t have to lean so heavily on Wayne.
It also doesn’t help that he’ll turn 37 this season and is coming off an ACL repair. Wayne is a good choice for a late round selection to round out your roster.
It honestly wouldn’t be surprising if Wayne led the team in receptions, as he’s the most reliable receiver on the team, but he’s only had seven touchdowns in 23 regular season games with Luck.
Wayne strikes me as a late round selection and he could end up being a steal.
Berry rated him 146th overall. ESPN projects him as the 117th best player and 46th wide receiver. NFL.com has him 128th overall and the 45th ranked receiver. CBS labeled him a bounce-back candidate and, like with the Colts, a good option as your third wide receiver.
Nicks hasn’t had over 900 yard the past two seasons and had zero touchdowns last year, but I think that had more to do with his team and quarterback than his abilities. Eli Manning had one of his worst seasons ever completing just 57-percent of his passes and throwing only 18 TDs and 27 interceptions.
Its almost surprising that Nicks had the numbers he did last year. Its unlikely that he’s kept out of the endzone in 2014 and Nicks is looking like a reliable target for Luck heading into the season.
There’s a good chance he’ll be a steal late in the draft and is a good option to round out your fantasy rosters receiving corps.