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Fantasy Football: Top 15 wide receivers to draft in 2015

BTSC's writers tackle the top fifteen wide receivers to draft in fantasy football heading into the 2015 season.

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Plenty of receivers score a lot of points in fantasy football but the top producing receivers can be the driving force to help win a championship. While the top running backs get more touches on average than receivers, there are more receivers that can produce consistently week-to-week.

In PPR (points per reception) leagues, wide receivers can outscore running backs more often than in regular leagues. Last season Antonio Brown was easily the best fantasy wide receiver while Demaryius Thomas, Dez Bryant, Jordy Nelson and Odell Beckham Jr. filled out the top five receivers. Calvin Johnson was outperformed by Golden Tate due to Johnson's injury-plagued season but still managed to be in the top 20 wide receivers in the league.

This season there are several new factors to take into consideration while picking which receivers you should draft; our staff lists the top fifteen receivers we would draft to our fantasy football teams.

As per usual, we will include our statistic of APDPA (average playoff defensive points allowed) to show the strength of schedule which each player goes up against in the final five weeks of the season to show their potential playoff value for fantasy football postseason. The number represents an average of the average scores allowed by each of the final five teams that particular player will face at the end of the season.

Dani Bostick:

Players 2014 Points APDPA
1 Antonio Brown 251 19.12
2 Demaryius Thomas 223 19.44
3 Dez Bryant 221 22.42
4 Julio Jones 183 22.24
5 A.J. Green 132 20.66
6 Odell Beckham Jr. 197 21.98
7 Jordy Nelson 221 18.92
8 Calvin Johnson 149 22.28
9 Randall Cobb 191 18.92
10 T.Y. Hilton 172 21.9
11 Emmanuel Sanders 192 19.44
12 DeSean Jackson 144 20.66
13 Mike Evans 168 22.64
14 Brandon Marshall 113 18.9
15 Alshon Jeffery 167 21.68


Notes:

There is no denying the completely insane combination of Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. One of the best QBs in the league paired up with the best WR is a recipe for mad fantasy points. Most of my list is pretty standard, but I do have some throwbacks on there. I do not think Brandon Marshall's time is up, despite the Jets problems at QB. Also, DeSean Jackson is a controversial choice, especially since the Redskins are an organization where good talent goes to die. That said, I believe he has some game left in him and if RGIII can manage to stay healthy, I believe Jackson will be a strong contributor to any fantasy team.

Bryan DeArdo:

Players 2014 Points APDPA
1 Antonio Brown 251 19.12
2 Dez Bryant 221 22.42
3 Demaryius Thomas 223 19.44
4 T.Y. Hilton 172 21.9
5 Emmanuel Sanders 192 19.44
6 A.J. Green 132 20.66
7 Calvin Johnson 149 22.28
8 Julio Jones 183 22.24
9 Odell Beckham Jr. 197 21.98
10 Jordy Nelson 221 18.92
11 Randall Cobb 191 18.92
12 Sammy Watkins 124 22.9
13 Alshon Jeffery 167 21.68
14 Martavis Bryant 100 19.12
15 Golden Tate 151 22.28


Notes:

Brown's a no-brainier at the top of this list and, based on defenses gearing up to stop him, look for Martavis Bryant to be a 10-touchdown guy in 2015. Dez Bryant's shiny new contact will warrant a lot of passes coming his way this year, while Demariys Thomas and Sanders will still be a lethal duo in Denver. I think Beckham Jr. suffers a bit of the sophomore slump, while Watkins and Jones need to prove they can still healthy in their second seasons. Green, Nelson, Johnson and and Cobb are can't miss FF guys, while I think Hilton could have a breakout 2015 season with another year working with Andrew Luck. Andre Johnson and Julian Edelman were the first two guys not to crack my top-15.

Christopher:

Players 2014 Points APDPA
1 Antonio Brown 251 19.12
2 Demaryius Thomas 223 19.44
3 Calvin Johnson 149 22.28
4 Jordy Nelson 221 18.92
5 Julio Jones 183 22.24
6 Dez Bryant 197 22.42
7 Emmanuel Sanders 192 19.44
8 Odell Beckham Jr. 197 21.98
9 T.Y. Hilton 172 21.9
10 Randall Cobb 191 18.92
11 Kelvin Benjamin 144 22.84
12 Mike Evans 168 22.64
13 AJ Green 132 20.66
14 Sammy Watkins 124 22.9
15 Alshon Jeffery 167 21.68


Notes:

Antonio Brown is the undisputed top pick as a fantasy wide receiver. Over the past two seasons no receiver has been more consistent and there's no reason to see Brown's production dropping off. I see Calvin Johnson climbing back into the top five this season with a healthy year and Golden Tate being a solid second option for opposing defenses to have to focus on. Odell Beckham Jr. will still be a productive player in fantasy, especially when it comes to playoff time, but will be splitting more of his numbers with Victor Cruz. Hilton will suffer from similar results as Andrew Luck's numbers will improve but a lot of that production will go to Andre Johnson, Frank Gore and Donte Moncrief.