Thursday, Aug. 12, 1999

Receiver rush

There’s not much cream in the RB crop, so take a WR in the first round

By ROBERT NEELY, Associate editor

Unless you have one of the top two overall picks, you should take a wide receiver with your first-round pick.

This move flies in the face of what’s laid out in the unofficial PFW strategy handbook. Normally, during PFW’s in-house draft, the good running backs are gone before the pizza is.

But this year the quality at running back just isn’t there after the names of Terrell Davis and Fred Taylor have been called. On the other hand, there are seven elite wide receivers who are capable of serving as cornerstones of a fantasy team.

(For those scoring at home, those seven are Randy Moss, Antonio Freeman, Joey Galloway, Keyshawn Johnson, Cris Carter, Terrell Owens and Eric Moulds. That’s PFW’s ranking, not my own. I’m not showing my cards this early.)

Before we go WR-crazy, let’s make a small point. Because there is no depth at running back, anyone who gets a chance to grab Davis or Taylor would be absolutely nuts not to do so. To get a sure thing at a position where there aren’t many is a big advantage that must be exploited.

But only two owners in your league can be so fortunate as to grab one of those two studs. Thus, the rest of us should turn our attention to getting one of the elite wide receivers before the talent drops off there, as well.

I’m a big believer in all seven of the top receivers, which is unusual. Normally, skepticism rears its ugly head with at least one or two top-ranked players. But I’d be comfortable with any of the Magnificent Seven.

Someone selecting late in the first round of a 10- or 12-team league with a snake draft may get a chance to get two of the top seven receivers. Take it. As one of the stalwarts of the PFW in-house league says, "Points is points." And any of the top seven wideouts will provide points that exceed those posted by just about any running back other than Davis and Taylor.

The key in the first round of a fantasy draft is to get a sure thing to anchor your team. Any of the top seven wide receivers will fill that role, while only Davis and Taylor fit that description at the RB position. So avoid the RB reflex and go with a wideout once Davis and Taylor are gone.

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1999 - 2000 Season