Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Ryan Czopek
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

::RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF FEBRUARY 1, 2012::

It all comes down to this. The dust has cleared and the New York Giants and New England Patriots will play for the game’s ultimate prize. Football fans couldn’t ask for a better game with so many intriguing storylines. Will Tom Brady join Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw by winning his fourth Super Bowl title? If Eli Manning wins his second Super Bowl title will he be widely recognized as the better Manning? Is Tom Coughlin automatically a Hall of Fame coach if he wins his second Super Bowl? Whatever happens, the contest has all the makings of an instant classic.
It’s no secret that both the New York Giants and New England Patriots have bad pass defenses. It’s entirely possible that a receiver on either team could end up being the seventh receiver in NFL history to win the Super Bowl MVP award. Deion Branch has a chance to be the only wide receiver in NFL history to have two MVP awards. Who has the best chance to win the award? Check out our Super Bowl wide receiver rankings below to find out.

Standard Scoring

Pass TD: 4 points |  All Other TDs: 6 points
25 Passing Yards: 1 point |  All Turnovers: -2 points
10 Rushing Yards: 1 point |  10 Receiving Yards: 1 point

1. Hakeem Nicks (New York Giants) @ New England

There has been no receiver who has played a bigger role in helping his team win throughout the playoffs than Hakeem Nicks. Over the New York Giants last three games, Nicks has 18 catches for 335 yards and has scored four touchdowns. Nicks missed the regular season matchup against the New England Patriots in Week 9 due to injury. However, he should have no problem exploiting a New England Patriots’ team that allowed the second most receiving yards per game (311.1) and were the 31st overall ranked defense during the regular season. It’s possible that Nicks could join the likes of Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward and Deion Branch as receivers within the last 10 years to win Super Bowl MVP.
Point Projection: 17 points

2. Victor Cruz (New York Giants) @ New England

After catching only seven passes for 102 yards in the Wild Card and Division Championship rounds of the playoffs combined, Cruz broke out in the NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers. Cruz was targeted an outrageous 17 times and had 10 receptions for 142 yards. Cruz, who had seven 100 plus yard receiving games during the regular season, maybe on his way to another nice performance against a New England Patriots’ team he dissected in Week 9, catching six passes for 91 yards. The New England Patriots pass defense also hasn’t improved much since that week and have been ravaged by injuries. They recently surrendered a combined nine receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown to Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith during the AFC Championship game. Cruz has a solid chance to have another stellar game this week.
Point Projection: 16 points

3. Wes Welker (New England) vs. New York Giants

The 2011 regular season was the best season in an impressive, evolving career for the slot machine. Welker led the league in receptions (128), finished second in receiving yardage (1,569) and scored nine touchdowns. He hasn’t been as dominant during the playoffs then he was at times during the regular season, but he has helped the New England Patriots move the chains. Over the New England Patriots last two-playoff games, Welker has 12 catches for 108 yards and has scored a touchdown. Rob Gronkowski’s high ankle sprain may mean that Welker may see more targets this week, which maybe a bad sign for the New York Giants, considering Welker had nine catches for 136 yards against them in Week 9 of the regular season. However, Welker has had only one 100 plus yard receiving game over the New England Patriots last six games, including the playoffs. It seems likely that the New York Giants will key on Welker this time around, so it’s tough to expect a monster game from Welker this time around, but a productive one isn’t a stretch.
Point Projection: 12 points

4. Mario Manningham (New York Giants) @ New England

Even though he took a backseat to Victor Cruz during the 2011 regular season, Manningham has been a valuable receiver during the playoffs for the G-Men. Manningham hasn’t accumulated much receiving yardage during the playoffs, but he has managed to score a touchdown in all three of the New York Giants playoffs games. He didn’t exactly have a stellar game against the New England Patriots in Week 9 of the regular season, catching only three passes for 33 yards. However, he did find the end zone. Even though he won’t likely receive as many targets as Hakeem Nicks or Victor Cruz this week, don’t be surprised if Manningham garner’s another score against a New England Patriots’ team that allowed 19 touchdowns to the wide receiver position during the 2011 regular season.
Point Projection: 10 points

5. Deion Branch (New England) vs. New York Giants

Could Branch end up being the X-factor on offense for the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl? Could he win his second Super Bowl MVP? It’s possible, but it seems like a meager possibility this time around. Branch had a handful of productive games during the 2011 regular season, but he also had several poor ones. One of Branches poor games came against the New York Giants in Week 9 of the regular season. Branch only hauled in two receptions for 21 yards. Except for a 61-yard touchdown catch against the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card round, Branch hasn’t been very impressive during the playoffs. He only managed two receptions for 18 yards against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game. It’s possible Branch could haul in a big reception against a leaky New Giants secondary, however; with the New York Giants defensive line consistently getting to the quarterback during the playoffs, big passing plays maybe few and far between. It wouldn’t be wise to bet on Branch, who has only five receptions over the past two New England Patriots’ playoff games, this week.
Point Projection: 6 points