Fantasy football rankings 2014: Wide receivers in standard leagues

In Week 5 of last season, I had a decision to make. My league started three receivers (no flex), and I had to pick from a group of six: Josh Gordon, Cecil Shorts, Tavon Austin, T.Y. Hilton, Alshon Jeffery and Rueben Randle.

In many ways, sleepers are the key to fantasy success. That's always going to be true. But with wide receiver -- heck, with any position -- you need the studs, the Demaryius Thomases and Calvin Johnsons, to rely on before you start going full-sleeper mode.

Julio Jones (No. 6 receiver in our consensus rankings) -- Jones averaged 110 yards a game before his injury last year; his worst game was 76 yards on seven receptions in Week 1. This came after a sophomore 2012 in which he had 1,198 yards and 10 touchdowns. He's got top-flight pedigree and talent. The flip side of that is Jones' injury history. He was shut down last year with a repeat of a foot injury, and has played in 34 of 48 career regular season games, being limited in a few more. Jones' ceiling is as high as anyone's in the game, but his established floor comes with some worry.

Eric Decker (No. 28) - Decker was drafted in the early 20s among receivers a year ago, and rewarded his owners by finishing eighth at the position, including one of the best games of the season, a 41-point outing in Week 13. Of course, he had Peyton Manning and a cast of thousands as helpers in Denver, and is now a member of the New York Jets. That has to ding Decker, even if he is now his team's clear No. 1 instead of battling everyone in orange for touches.

Sammy Watkins (No. 34) - The Clemson rookie came into the draft with much fanfare, and going fourth overall certainly appears to line up with that. Watkins appears to be a special talent who, unfortunately for him and fantasy owners, went to Buffalo, where the opportunity to thrive might not actually be there. Long-term, he's intriguing as can be, but 2014 might not be his year.

Hakeem Nicks (No. 48) - Nicks had a weird year in 2013, putting up 896 yards with no touchdowns. It was the second-most receiving yards without a score in NFL history, behind only Al Toon's 963 yards in 1991. The lack of touchdowns made Nicks' season, which was fairly mediocre by his standards, look downright pedestrian. This despite the fact that he went for 896 yards, including three different hundred-yard games. Now a member of the Colts, Nicks is unlikely to wind up scoreless again in 2014, but he'll now be just one of many mouths to feed.