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Dez Bryant is an absolute freak of nature. He has size, speed, big play ability and provides matchup nightmares for any corner in the league. He has massive upside and plays on an organization that is always in the spotlight.
I get it.
Meanwhile, Brandon Marshall has an elite rapport with quarterback Jay Cutler, is a threat to catch 130 balls, has freakish size and is the only receiver Cutler has eyes for.
Again, I get it.
However, as good as both of these wideouts are, there is one thing that neither of them are…
A.J. Green.
That’s right, I said it. For months now, while everyone else has been salivating over the other wide receivers in fantasy, I’ve stuck by Green. While others placed Bryant, Marshall and even Julio Jones ahead of him, I kept him locked in at the number two spot, only behind the great Calvin Johnson. During Week 1, Green proved to fantasy owners everywhere that he is still the second-best fantasy option at the wide receiver position, and only reassured me. During a tough loss to the Chicago Bears, Green absolutely torched one of the best cornerback tandems in football in Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings. His final stat line was a whopping nine grabs for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Green was targeted 13 times by quarterback Andy Dalton, who continues to develop scary-good chemistry with his All-Pro wideout, quickly becoming one of the better quarterback-receiver tandems in the game today. Green will be a lock for upwards to 180 targets, barring injury, and despite the upside of other receivers in fantasy, still deserves to be considered the second-best pass-catcher in all of fantasy football. He can kill you in a variety of ways, as he scored from two yards out and 45 yards out against an elite Chicago defense on Sunday. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Outside of Megatron, Green is the most polished receiver in football. The guy can do it all, and with more weapons in this offense, opposing defenses can’t solely dial in on Green in the passing game.
Green faces a very tough Pittsburgh pass defense that ranked first in the league a season ago, but he has had success against them before. And quite frankly, it doesn’t matter. You are starting him over anyone else.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
