By John Nemo

There are 54 wideouts in the NFL right now with more receiving yards than Santana Moss. And I'm willing to wager Moss was not the 55th receiver taken in any fantasy drafts. On the other hand, a guy nobody drafted - Brandon Stokley - is among the top 15 wide receivers in yards gained, putting him above such luminaries as Colts teammate Marvin Harrison and Minnesota's Randy Moss, among others.

Easy money

The only thing you have to worry about with Terrell Owens is whether or not he'll run out of touchdown celebrations before the season is over. And if T.O. doesn't lead everybody in touchdowns - he has eight so far - then Randy Moss will, even if he misses another game this weekend because of a gimpy hamstring. The only other guy you can put into the "sure thing" category so far is Green Bay's Javon Walker, who leads the league with 726 yards receiving and has six scores.

Sucker bets?

Harrison, Torry Holt, Chad Johnson, Santana Moss, Hines Ward . . . need I go on? Oh sure, anybody who owns one of these guys has a well-rehearsed list of excuses, but the bottom line is, none of these big-name players are producing like they should.

Speaking of stiffs, the following players have been so atrocious that it's recommended their owners seek immediate therapy. Peerless Price, Amani Toomer, Laveranues Coles, Koren Robinson, Jerry Porter, Marty Booker and Robert Ferguson.

Bet big, win big

These are the guys to be excited about. At the top of the list is Houston's superstar-in-training, Andre Johnson (591 receiving yards, four TDs).

Another kid who fantasy owners can't get enough of is Detroit's Roy Williams, who in spite of drawing double teams every week manages to average around 72 yards a game with a score.

Another rookie, Larry Fitzgerald, has been improving in recent weeks, and things look even brighter with teammate Anquan Boldin expected back soon.

Then there's the geezer patrol, led by Jacksonville's Jimmy Smith. He only has two scores, but his 586 yards ranks No. 5.

Thanks to an incredible first few weeks, St. Louis' ancient Isaac Bruce is still second in the league with 635 receiving yards, though he has only one touchdown.

Another older fella, Buffalo's Eric Moulds, is doing the impossible - remaining a viable fantasy player in spite of playing for the Bills.

Long shots

Many of you picked up Stokley off waivers earlier this year, 464 yards and three TDs later, you're still smiling.

Meanwhile, Stokley's more-heralded teammate, Reggie Wayne, is among the most frustrating of fantasy commodities. He'll either go for 187 yards and a pair of scores or he'll get 28 yards receiving and end up pushing Peyton Manning (good idea, Reggie) on the sidelines late in the game.

Other guys who are hit or miss include David Givens, Andre Davis, Terry Glenn, Rod Smith, Ashley Lelie, Drew Bennett, Johnnie Morton, David Patten, Plaxico Burress, Chris Chambers, Rod Gardner, Donte' Stallworth and Ronald Curry. Your best bet might be to pull names from a hat.

HOT BOX:

Gotta play: Tim Rattay, QB, 49ers. Don't you love horrible teams? Rattay continues to rack up the garbage yards and TDs, though this week he should actually be on the front end of things against a weak Chicago squad.

Stay away: Travis Henry, RB, Bills. Forget all the coach-speak going on in Buffalo. Henry is going to spend a lot of time watching in the coming weeks while the Bills see if Willis McGahee can be an starter or not.

Worth watching: Bubba Franks, TE, Packers. Bubba emerged from his secret underground lair to catch a few TD passes in recent weeks, though he still only gets one or two looks.

E-mail nemofreelance@yahoo.com

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