Will the real Steve Smith please stand up?

No, not the Steve Smith trapped down in Carolina with Jake Delhomme and the hapless Panther offense. I'm talking about the real Steve Smith in New York who's tied for the league lead in receiving yards (214 yds.) for the 2-0 Giants. With all of the questions surrounding New York's passing game and whether anyone could fill the shoes of Plaxico Burress, I think it's fair to say that he's answered the call so far. Time will tell as to whether he can sustain this sort production, but he's certainly off to a good start.

Although thought of primarily as a possession-type receiver even coming out of college at USC, he's proving that his game is much more than just 8-10 yard slants and out routes. He's been able to create separation from the defense and pick up bigger chucks of yardage at a time. In his 10 reception, 134 yard performance on Sunday night, he hauled in a long pass of 32 yards from Eli Manning. It may not be a 60 yard bomb, but it's definitely helping to fill in the void left by Burress' big-play potential.

On the other hand, this type of statline is what we've come to expect from the other Steve Smith. The one who's had 6 straight seasons with at least 1,000 yds. and averaged 8 TD's (minus the '04-'05 season where he went down for the year in the first game). But can we continue to expect this kind of production? With the way the Panthers offense have started out the year, he may have a difficult time duplicating those numbers. There's no doubt he's still an explosive game-changing receiver, but with the concerns at the QB position and the lack of another receiving option, this could be the year his production starts to slide.

Of course at this point in the season it would be foolish to suggest that the Steve Smith of New York has eclipsed the Steve Smith of Carolina by any measure, but I think it's worth noting given each receivers current situation. If the Giants end up winning the NFC East and the Panthers struggle in the NFC South, then I'd expect both Steve Smith's to be within 100 yards and 2 TD's of each other by the end of the season.

Fantasy Impact: Pretty simple...both guys should be owned in all league sizes and formats. I'm not sure if I'd declare them both "must starts" just yet, but a few more weeks of consistent play from Smith (NYG) and I think that's a pretty reasonable conclusion to draw.

Preseason Rankings: Wide Receiver

The following series of posts will list the top 10 fantasy players at each skill position based on projected fantasy output for the upcoming 2009 season.

Larry Fitzgerald proved at the end of last season that he's the best wide receiver in the NFL as he almost single-handedly won the Super Bowl for Arizona. He'll have some stiff competition this season from a couple young rising stars in Calvin Johnson and Roddy White. Similar to the arrival of Matt Ryan in Atlanta, Johnson's looking to have the same type of success with Matthew Stafford in Detroit. The fact that he's been able to excel without the luxury of stability at the QB position just further illustrates how talented he really is. I'm also looking for Reggie Wayne to have a big season, now that Marvin Harrison has finally moved on. Toward the bottom of the list should be some interesting story lines. Can Roy Williams be the guy in Dallas now that Terrell Owens has moved on? Can Dwayne Bowe, now in his 3rd year, take it to the next level now that Matt Cassel will be taking the snaps in Kansas City? Should be fun to see who steps it up in 2009.

1. Larry Fitzgerald (ARI)
2. Calvin Johnson (DET)
3. Roddy White (ATL)
4. Randy Moss (NE)
5. Reggie Wayne (IND)
6. Andre Johnson (HOU)
7. Steve Smith (CAR)
8. Greg Jennings (GB)
9. Roy Williams (DAL)
10. Dwayne Bowe (KC)

Fantasy Impact: When it comes to putting together my fantasy football team, I'm usually pretty high on wide receivers, but this season's crop is simply awesome. There are play-makers up and down the list, with tons of value in the later rounds. I would have no problem going with back-to-back WR's in Round's 2 & 3, which would probably net you both Johnson's (Calvin and Andre). I'll take that any day.