Exit Interview, WR: Rookie class provides major talent infusion

The '14 fantasy receiver class will forever be linked to one of the greatest infusions of rookie talent that the NFL has ever seen at the WR position. Instant stars like Odell Beckham Jr., Mike Evans and Kelvin Benjamin, to name just a few, helped propel many fantasy owners into their league's postseason. So as we put a bow on top of the season that was, and start formulating early ideas about the '15 camapign, it only makes sense to start with the young ones:

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Among the vaunted '14 rookie receiver class, what does your top 10 (in order) of '15 look like?  

Andy– 1) Odell, 2) Benjamin, 3) Evans, 4) Watkins, 5) Cooks, 6) Bryant, 7) Matthews, 8) Landry, 9) Moncrief, 10) Brown

Brandon – 1) ODB 2) Kelvin Benjamin 3) Mike Evans 4) Sammy Watkins 5) Martavis Bryant 6) Donte Moncrief 7) Brandin Cooks 8) Jordan Matthews 9) Jarvis Landry 10) Marqise Lee

Brad – 1) Odell Beckham, Jr. 2) Mike Evans, 3) Kelvin Benjamin, 4) Sammy Watkins, 5) Martavis Bryant, 6) Brandin Cooks, 7) Donte Moncrief, 8) Jordan Matthews, 9) Jarvis Landry, 10) Allen Robinson

Dalton – 1) Odell Beckham Jr. (by a wide margin) 2) Mike Evans 3) Sammy Watkins 4) Kelvijn Benjamin 5) Jordan Matthews 6) Donte Moncrief 7) Brandin Cooks 8) Martavis Bryant 9) Jarvis Landry 10) Marqise Lee

Scott – 1) Beckham, with zero hesitation of course, 2) Evans, 3) Benjamin, 4) Watkins, 5) Matthews, 6) Bryant, 7) Moncrief, 8) Landry, 9) Cooks, 10) Lee

Among the non-rookies, Jeremy Maclin, Emmanuel Sanders, DeAndre Hopkins and Brandon LaFell ranked among the best draft-day values in '14. Looking ahead, what WR do you project to be among the best value picks of 2015?  

Brandon – KENNY STILLS. He flashed a bit in '14 with two 100-yard, TD efforts, and his 80.6 catch percentage ranks second among all receivers, behind only injured teammate Brandin Cooks. That said, the return of Cooks and the fact that Stills' overall '14 line won't knock anyone's socks off has me thinking that he won't be an exhorbitant cost in '15 drafts. In what I expect to be a classic Year 3 receiver breakout for Stills, look for him to turn a nice fantasy profit next season.

Brad – KEENAN ALLEN. He experienced a classic sophomore slump over the season's first half, but charged hard before exiting with a broken collarbone in Week 14. From Weeks 8-13 he was the 12th-best wideout in the virtual game. Still, his unattractive surface numbers (77-783-4) are sure to turn off many. Likely available after Round 6 next summer, he's a post-hype player to target.

Dalton – DONTE MONCRIEF. Reggie Wayne looks to be winding down, and there’s a real chance Andrew Luck is the unanimous No. 1 fantasy QB entering 2015, so Moncrief looks like one of the biggest possible breakout performers next year.

Keenan Allen and Cordarrelle Patterson turned strong finishes in '13 into top 20 ADP landing spots among receivers in '14 drafts. Unfortunately, their '14 campaigns took a nose dive as they both finished well outside the top 30 fantasy wideouts. Like Allen and Patterson, who is the one WR that you think could fail to meet high expectations in '15?

Dalton –  KELVIN BENJAMIN. He has an impressive nine touchdowns as a rookie, but Benjamin has secured just 51.4 percent of his targets while getting 7.1 YPT on the year. The volume has been great, but the efficiency has been brutal.

Scott – I doubt I'll pay the ticket on EMMANUEL SANDERS. He's the No. 5 receiver in Yahoo scoring as we go to press, but he could easily be the fourth option in the Broncos offense next year, and Peyton Manning's age is starting to become a concern.

Andy – If I were to pick a sophomore receiver for this spot (like Allen and Patterson this season), it would probably be DONTE MONCRIEF. He's a terrific young player, but there's little chance he'll be the team's No. 1 target in 2015, and a very good chance he won't be the No. 2 (or 3). I feel as if there's a very good chance we'll be paying a top-30 price, assuming a value leap.

Alabama standout wideout, and Heisman Trophy finalist, Amari Cooper, is a sure bet to be the top WR chosen in the '15 NFL draft. After Cooper, who is the one collegiate receiver that you expect to make the biggest fantasy impact next season?

Scott  – DEVANTE PARKER. His senior year has been messed up a bit by injuries, but he's nonetheless shown he can dominate without Teddy Bridgewater. Parker offers a nifty combination of size, route skills and quickness, and probably won't make it out of the first round.

Brad  – JAELEN STRONG. The Arizona St. product is an imposing, powerful figure standing at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. His ability to beat press coverage should translate smoothly to the next level. He needs to improve in the route-running department, but, assuming he declares, Strong could pay an instant dividend next season. In just 11 contests, the youngster hauled in 75 catches for 1,062 yards and 10 TDs for the Sun Devils this year.

Brandon – JAELEN STRONG. Strong posted some impressive numbers at Arizona State, catching 75 passes for 1,000-plus yards in back-to-back seasons. This season, he had 100 yards and/or a TD in every game for the Sun Devils. We saw Towers of Power like Kelvin Benjamin, Mike Evans and Martavis Bryant have a sudden impact on the fantasy game this past season. Strong, at 6-foot-3, blessed with good speed, reliable hands and an ability to make plays in traffic, could very well follow in their footsteps.

List your top 15 wide receivers for '15. 

Andy – 1) Demaryius Thomas, 2) Calvin Johnson, 3) Antonio Brown, 4) Dez Bryant, 5) Jordy Nelson, 6) Odell Beckham, 7) Julio Jones, 8) A.J. Green, 9) T.Y. Hilton, 10) Kelvin Benjamin, 11) Randall Cobb, 12) Mike Evans, 13) Jeremy Maclin, 14) Emmanuel Sanders, 15) Sammy Watkins

Scott – 1) Antonio Brown, 2) Demaryius Thomas, 3) Dez Bryant, 4) Jordy Nelson, 5) Calvin Johnson, 6) Odell Beckham, 7) Julio Jones, 8) A.J. Green, 9) T.Y.Hilton, 10) Josh Gordon, 11) Mike Evans, 12) Randall Cobb, 13) Alshon Jeffery, 14) Jeremy Maclin, 15) Sammy Watkins, 75) Rueben Randle

Dalton – 1) Antonio Brown 2) Demayrius Thomas 3) Odell Beckham Jr. 4) Dez Bryant 5) Jordy Nelson 6) Calvin Johnson 7) Julio Jones 8) A.J. Green 9) Josh Gordon 10) T.Y. Hilton 11) Jeremy Maclin 12) Brandon Marshall 13) Alshon Jeffery 14) Randall Cobb 15) Mike Evans

Brandon – 1) Odell Beckham Jr., 2) Demaryius Thomas, 3) Antonio Brown, 4) Calvin Johnson, 5) Dez Bryant, 6) Julio Jones, 7) Jordy Nelson, 8) A.J. Green, 9) T.Y. Hilton, 10) Kelvin Benjamin, 11) Josh Gordon, 12) Mike Evans, 13) Jeremy Maclin, 14) Emmanuel Sanders, 15) DeAndre Hopkins

Brad  – 1) Antonio Brown, 2) Odell Beckham Jr., 3) Calvin Johnson, 4) Demaryius Thomas, 5) Dez Bryant, 6) Jordy Nelson, 7) Julio Jones, 8) A.J. Green, 9) T.Y. Hilton, 10) Mike Evans, 11) Kelvin Benjamin, 12) Jeremy Maclin, 13) Emmanuel Sanders, 14) Randall Cobb, 15) DeAndre Hopkins