The Lions' Calvin Johnson a.k.a. "Megatron" made the list despite catching balls from this "stellar" group: Dan Orlovsky, Daunte Culpepper, Jon Kitna and Drew Stanton.
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -
In the third of an ongoing series of articles we look at wide receivers and check their 2008 on-field performance with expected value which in this case is measured by Average Draft Position (ADP).
BARGAIN
Calvin Johnson, Antonio Bryant, Roddy White, Eddie Royal, Santana Moss, Lance Moore, Vincent Jackson, Steve Breaston, Derrek Mason, Isaac Bruce
Two players who made the "Bargain List", Lance Moore and Steve Breaston, weren't even drafted in most leagues, but when given the opportunity to play because of injuries, took full advantage. The Lions' Johnson a.k.a. "Megatron" made the list despite catching balls from this "stellar" group: Dan Orlovsky, Daunte Culpepper, Jon Kitna and Drew Stanton. To finish third in fantasy scoring with that assortment of arms is practically a miracle. Bryant was particularly good during fantasy playoff time - averaging 31.3 points during Weeks 14-16.
FAIR MARKET VALUE
Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, Steve Smith, Greg Jennings, Anquan Boldin, Brandon Marshall, Wes Welker, Hines Ward.
Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson were the fifth and sixth receivers selected so their performance was expected to be good. Boldin would have made the top group if he hadn't missed a couple of games due to injury.
OVERPAID
Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, Reggie Wayne, Laveranues Coles, Lee Evans, Jerricho Cotchery, Santonio Holmes, Kevin Curtis
While Owens (2008 ADP - 14.51) and Moss (9.85) finished in the top-12 in wide receiver scoring, they must still be considered as "overpaid" after being selected so high. Moss' expectations in particular were unreasonable after his 2007 record-breaking season (1,493 yards, 23 TDs). Expectations were high on Holmes as well, many thought he would overtake Ward as the No.1 option in the Pittsburgh offense, but that didn't happen...at least not until the Super Bowl. Coles and Cotchery's performance can be directly related to Brett Favre's drop in production as the season went along.
BUST
T.J. Houshmanzadeh, Marques Colston, Braylon Edwards, Torry Holt, Roy E. Williams, Plaxico Burress, Chad Johnson, Chris Chambers
Most of these highly thought of wide receivers made the list because either they or their quarterbacks were injured. However, Edwards (ADP - 19.69), a second-round pick and Williams (ADP - 46.96), "earned" their way onto the "Bust List." Edwards was simply horrible (55 receptions, 873 yards, 3 TDs) with only one good game all season (Monday night in the Browns' upset of the New York Giants) and Williams (36 receptions, 430 yards, 2 TDs) couldn't make anything work in two cities - Detroit or Dallas.
