With being the main and really only option for Andy Dalton over the past few seasons, A.J. Green has been one of the best options at the receiver position in fantasy football, finishing as the fourth best receiver in fantasy football a season ago. But due to the combination of a new offensive scheme and increased star power at the receiver position, I'm down on Green this season.
Calvin Johnson has always been helped by Scott Linehan and his pass-happy offenses, and despite losing him to Dez Bryant, his production shouldn't change much. Both will be high volume targets with plenty of opportunities to score. Same with Demaryius Thomas, if not more so due to questions with Wes Welker and the loss of Eric Decker. All three studs should see very good seasons from the fantasy football perspective.
That's likely the elite of the elite tier this year. But the group that follows is just as dangerous. Few are talking about how consistent Brandon Marshall has been in his career even though he has finished as a WR1 in six of the past seven seasons. Pundits can talk up Alshon Jeffery all they want, but Marshall isn't going away.
We have written about Jordy Nelson being a top-five candidate at receiver this year, and, if healthy, Randall Cobb could cash in on a big year with Aaron Rodgers as well. We can't forget about Antonio Brown, Julio Jones and even Andre Johnson, either.
So will A.J. Green still perform at a high level this season? There are no doubts he will. But with the talent of top-end receivers increasing every year, there’s a good chance A.J. Green may not finish among the top 10 receivers in fantasy football this year, simply through process of elimination.