Brandon Marshall > Calvin Johnson?

[LS2throwed]

Funny thread because I was having trouble ranking these two this year, I'm in a PPR league, and I traded Calvin and some bench depth for Marshall and Mendenhall, but I have Marshall and Calvin ranked almost right by eachother...I agree that CJ2 is a wildcard and could explode like Braylon or just grow, thing is though we should remember this is Marshall's 3rd year, his 2nd was special but its not like he can't top those numbers, especially in the TD department...Cutler has gotten better, so has Marshall, I think he hits 10 TD's without much of a problem, and if his catches can still stay 90+ there is no way either of those guys beat him in PPR leagues...As much as I like Calvin, he would have to catch at least 15 TD's to outscore Marshall this year, and I am expecting somewhere around 12-13.

[funatic]

Definitely B marshall. He still has a high ceiling, just like CJ. I think Cutler is going to be much better, since he figured out his diabetic situation, and they got some quality rookies. First and second round picks are going to help Marshall. Watch out for Royal, his first game could be his coming out party.

I was a big fan of CJ in college, so don't get me wrong, he could explode this year too.

[Cornbread Maxwell]

Ill take Megatron.

Detroit is more likely going to be throwing much more than Denver this year and even though RWilliams will be seeing more looks than Den's #2 WR, I also can see Cutler spreading the ball around to DEN's other options more than he did last yr, so I can see Marshall's looks decreasing slightly from last yr when he was literally the only downfield target.

With Detroit going away from the slot heavy Martz system, that means Detroit's leading WR last yr, Shaun McDonald, will see only a fraction of the looks he got last yr with the bulk of those looks going to the 2 outside WRs - CJ and RW. If anything can be taken from this preseason, its that Kitna has clearly marked CJ as his favorite target. Kitna knows CJ cannot be covered and has begun to count on it.

What we saw from CJ last yr was a guy who got injured very early in the yr and played the rest of the season with that injury. Now he's healthy and frankly unstoppable. I know I come off as a homer about the Lions most of the time, but seriously, all you have to do is watch Calvin Johnson play and you'll see what all the hype is about - he's like the next generation of NFL players: bigger, stronger, faster, smarter than anyone else on the field.

We will be talking about CJ as a top 3 WR next yr - watch.

[Azrael]

You are a homer CBM but I believe you are right

[LS2throwed]

We will be talking about CJ as a top 3 WR next yr - watch.

As we will be discussing Marshall as a top 5 WR...but I really don't see why you think Cutler is going to spread the ball around more, I highly doubt Eddie Royal and Darrell Jackson take looks away form Cutlers favorite target...Once we start keeping track of looks/targets, Marshall will always have a higher number then CJ2 will.

[Dawinner127]

To be honest, this is a great topic. Right now I have CJ2 and I really think he is going to be a complete monster this year because Detroit is going to be down and going to have to throw the ball a ton. And let's be honest, there isn't any secondary who can cover Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson at the same time.
But on the contrary, Marshall is Cutlers go-to-guy and their is definitely no arguing that. In my own opinion, the two are completely interchangeable, but I feel that with the upside that CJ2 has, you have to put him 1 notch ahead of Marshall.

[wet_fantasy]

i have calvin johnson in both of my leagues, but i would take marshall over CJ.....i think marshall will end up in the top 3 this year.

but i'm praying CJ just goes nuts this season.....similiar to jerry rice's second year....i think he had around 13-15 td's....but then again, he had montana.

[Cowboys 4 life]

I have both of them in my cafe league. Very happy about their situations and upside.

I have both of them ranked higher than Holmes.

[biju]

Put me squarely in the Calvin Johnson corner. I think he'll outproduce Marshall, who I believe will actually regress a little this season. Also, I have both outproducing Santonio Holmes, but that's merely because I think the Steelers are going to have real O-line problems this year.

I think both players will do pretty well, but I have much higher expectations for Calvin Johnson and think he'll be the guy that makes that leap where people will start picking him in the early 2nd next year.

[Vote Oat]

is Brandon Marshall better than Santonio Holmes?

Interesting question...I think Holmes is poised for a big year, but I am actually currently looking to move Holmes in a package deal involving a RB from each side for Marshall b/c I kind of like Marshall a little more...but thoughts appreciated...Considering this could be that year that Holmes takes over the #1 WR from Hines...

Do it. I just traded Holmes and S. Young for Marshall and Maroney in a PPR league.
I think Marshall will have a great year.