Fantasy Heroes and Zeroes: WRs

This was a wild year for wide receivers. The Cowboys spent a first-round and third-round pick (plus paid a good deal of money) to bring in a franchise receiver to replace Terrell Owens, but it turns out they had that franchise receiver on their team all along. The label "The Other Steve Smith" actually switched Smiths. Oh, and we discovered that when you add a "Sims" to your name, you can transform into a top-five receiver for half the season. Look out for Josh Sims-Morgan in 2010.

Many owners don't like spending early picks on receivers, knowing that unheralded guys (like several of our Heroes) emerge every season. I'd like to point out that Andre Johnson was the top receiver in football for the last two years. I spent a first-rounder on him last year, and I may wind up doing the same next year.

On to the heroes ...

Fantasy Hero WRs

Miles Austin - A sleeper heading into the year, Austin may have found himself on waiver wires early in the season. After all, he mustered just five catches for 81 yards and one touchdown after the first four weeks. Over the next 12 games, he tallied over 1,200 yards and ten touchdowns, ending the year as the No. 4 WR in fantasy football. That is the mark of a difference-maker, and I'm quite sure he carried many teams into the playoffs this year.

Sidney Rice - Finally. I've been sitting on Sidney Rice in a dynasty league, and I would have given up on him with another mediocre season. However, it appears Brett Favre really made a big difference in Rice's development to a 1,300-yard, eight-TD season, securing a spot in the top ten at his position by the end of 2009. He was drafted in the 16th round of our FanHouse league and wound up starting for the league's top scoring team.

Steve Smith - With no Plaxico Burress in the passing game, that part of the Giants offense actually came out better that expected in 2009. Who knew? The main Hero for the team was Smith, who turned into a PPR freak, reaching triple digits in receptions this year. You likely didn't take Smith till the end of the draft as your fourth or fifth wide receiver, but I bet you started him more often than not this season. He's about as safe as they come moving forward.

Robert Meachem - One of the best big-play threats in the league this year, Meachem had a nice little stretch in the middle of the season where he was the top WR in fantasy football -- 346 yards and six TDs in five weeks. After a huge Week 13 game against Washington, Meachem tailored off during your fantasy playoffs. That slump at the end of the season will lower his value in next year's draft, and he'll probably make plenty of teams happy as a No. 3 WR.

Mike Sims-Walker - MSW was electric in the beginning of the year and played a big role in Jacksonville's playoff run this year. When MSW slumped at the end of the season, so did the Jags, losing their final four games and ultimately missing the playoffs. You probably didn't get to you championship game by starting MSW, as he had just one useful fantasy performance over the last six weeks of the season.

Fantasy Zero WRs

Anthony Gonzalez - We take "Zero" to mean draft-day busts, but no one fills the role of "Zero" better than Gonzalez, who scored zero points this season. Owners drafted him early (as high as the fifth or sixth round in some cases), and after his injury, we though he might be back by Week 6. Then by Week 8. Maybe in time for your playoffs. Then not at all. The ultimate Fantasy Zero in 2009, Gonzalez has left a bad taste in countless owners' mouths.

Dwayne Bowe - This guy was right on the cusp of the second-tier receivers, and likely wound up as a third-round (or early-fourth round) pick in your draft. He actually was in the middle of a pretty good season, before getting suspended for four games for violating the NFL's banned substance policy. He did absolutely nothing for your team -- he was literally a zero -- in Weeks 11-14, and didn't explode back on the season and save your season in the playoffs.

Roy Williams - Expected to step into TO's role as the lead guy in the passing game, Williams failed to even adequately fill the No. 2 role after the emergence of Austin. In eight of his 15 games played this season, Williams recorded two catches or less. Despite struggling mightily since the beginning of 2008, he's a guy I'd gamble on late in my draft as a backup WR. Just don't pay as high a price as you did this year.

Eddie Royal - Oh, boy. I was Royal's biggest backer in 2009, figuring he was tailor-made for coach Josh McDaniels' offense. I saw him killing it in PPR leagues; it turns out I couldn't have been further from the truth. Royal had just one game where he topped five receptions, and he didn't catch a TD or top 100 yards in a game all season. He did score two special teams touchdowns in Week 6, though he had zero catches in that same game.

Lance Moore - This was another guy I fawned over in the preseason, and I landed him on multiple fantasy teams. After battling a hamstring injury early in the season and producing virtually no fantasy points, Moore had a nice little 78-yard game in which he reached the end zone once. Two games later, he was basically permanently shelved by ankle issues and more hamstring trouble. He returned to catch one ball for a TD late in the season. If he wasn't a zero, he was a 0.1.