In the Not For Long league there is always some young stud chomping at the bit to steal the show, to make a name for himself. To be next. While it's sad to see some of the greats fade away and have to hang up their cleats, I've always loved the aspect of who's next. And I've always felt that mindset is exactly what you should use when drafting for a keeper league.

Last year, at about this same time, I ranked the top-10 keepers for running backs, wide receivers and quarterbacks. Given the league's evolution to a significantly pass-heavy league, I decided to kick off this year's rankings with the receivers (with the rest to follow in the coming week). Just like last year, I based the rankings by looking at each player's recent production, their ability/potential and their age (as it will be in September when the season begins), and considered those factors over the next three seasons. Four of these names are holdovers from last year, while a handful have just begun to showoff their skills.

So without further ado, here are the 10 best keeper wide receivers.|STAR| Feel free to debate.

1. Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions (6-5, 236 ; age 26)
Megatron and Matt Stafford exhibited a pretty impressive chemistry in 2011, with Johnson catching eight touchdowns in the season's first four games and then culminating the year with a final four games totaling 36 catches, a preposterous 771 yards (with three games over 200) and six scores. Oh and he'll only turn 27 in September. Can you say "no-brainer"?

2. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals (6-3, 218 ; age 29)
Though the Kevin Kolb-John Skelton duo didn't exactly set the world on fire last year, it was certainly an upgrade over the laughable quarterback play Fitzgerald endured in 2010. After adding more big plays to his arsenal in 2011 en route to a career-best 17.6 yards per catch, the most complete receiver in the league continued to show why he's still ultra reliable and absurdly talented.

3. Victor Cruz, New York Giants (6-0, 204 ; age 25)
Cruz was a revelation last year. There may not be a better receiver in the league at finding the soft spots in coverage and getting open. He can beat you short, intermediate or deep and has the playmaking skills to take a short throw to the house. Factor in his excellent hands and great chemistry with Eli Manning and there's just no way Cruz is a one-year wonder. We're talking about a guy that racked up 1,519 yards and nine scores in just 14 games, including seven outings over 100 yards and a league-best four games over 150 yards. While repeating those numbers would be absurd, I'm past the point of doubting Cruz at all. He's that good.

4. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons (6-3, 220 ; age 23)
Jones' 4-time Pro Bowl teammate, Roddy White, was targeted a whopping 181 times and caught 100 of those balls, and yet he finished with just 337 more yards than Jones while each caught eight scores. Oh and Jones saw just 96 targets and hauled in 54 passes. The changing of the guard (or in this case receiver) will happen this year. In fact, it happened over the last four games of 2011 when Jones went off for 393 yards and six touchdowns. Though his durability is a bit of a concern, it's not a big enough one to stay away from this future superstar. Jones is like a young Andre Johnson but with a nose for the end zone.

5. Greg Jennings, Green Bay Packers (5-11, 198 ; age 28)
As the top target in one of the three best passing attacks in the league, Jennings is the model of consistency. In 11 of the 13 regular season games he played in 2011 he posted at least eight fantasy points with nine in double figures. With Aaron Rodgers running the show, there's little reason to expect a drop off.

6. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals (6-4, 207 ; age 24)
Green has youth, size, speed, talent and chemistry all working on his side to give him one of the largest upsides of any fantasy receiver. He's already one of the league's best deep threats and after posting a 1,000-yard rookie receiving season—the first one since Anquan Boldin did it in 2003—Green should be poised for a big encore after getting to work with fellow rising star Andy Dalton for their first full offseason together.

7. Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers (6-3, 217 ; age 27)
The league's most efficient receiver catching passes from the league's most efficient passer. Not a bad combo, huh? Nelson's 1,263-yard, 15-touchdown breakout season is flat ridiculous when you consider it in the context of efficiency. He did that damage on just 96 targets and 68 catches! That's a score every 4.5 catches. While it's true that Rodgers spreads the ball around a lot, it's still hard to imagine Nelson not seeing more love in the coming seasons. So for a guy with his combination of size, speed and hands the ceiling could actually go a little higher.

8. Andre Johnson, Houston Texans (6-3, 226 ; age 31)
Don't let the age or the injuries fool you. Or scare you off. Even when he begins the 2014 season at 33 Johnson will still be a physical specimen with as much pep in his step as these young pups. In six of the nine games he played in 2011 he registered at least 90 yards and in the other three he was either hurt or limited. Fortunately, none of his recent injuries have been knee or ligament related, so while durability is a slight concern, he should experience no lasting effects and will enter 2012 at 100|PERCENT|. And when healthy there are very few better at the craft.

9. Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears (6-4, 230 ; 28)
As it stands today, there is not a secondary in the NFC North that can even remotely cover Marshall. Now reunited in Chicago with Jay Cutler, you can mark down 1,200+ yards and at least 7-10 scores a season for the next three years from this behemoth receiver.

10. Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos (6-3, 229 ; age 24)
Megatron Junior anyone? Aside from the same Georgia Tech ties, Thomas also offers a package of size and speed similar to the league's best receiver. With his penchant for the big play he was able to rack up 745 yards and four scores over the final seven games of 2011 with Tim Tebow throwing to him. While it's no guarantee given Peyton Manning's uncertain health, if he's catching passes from one of the all-time greats for the next three years only the real Megatron has a higher upside than Thomas.

|STAR| Everyone saw for themselves what a matchup nightmare at the tight end position can do for an offense. And it dramatically changed fantasy perspectives—possibly forever. Two names in particular dominated at the position and outscored the vast majority of their fellow receivers. So while the above ten wide receivers are the best keepers for that position, two tight ends have crashed their keeper party. I'd slot them into the above rankings at the numbers indicated below and would hold onto them for dear life if I was fortunate enough to own them in a current league or draft them like No. 1 wide receivers if starting a new keeper league today.

4. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots (6-6, 265 ; age 23)
If your not treating Gronkowski like a wide receiver in keeper leagues, than you don't deserve to own him. I can't see this guy catching less than 10 scores in a season as long as Tom Brady is his quarterback. In 36 games together (counting playoffs) the Gronkinator has a ridiculous 30 touchdown catches with one more rushing. Oh and did I mention he set the tight end receiving record with 1,327 yards this year? The addition of Brandon Lloyd could drop his catches and yards some, but what if it just draws coverage away from this beast? What if he improves in his third year?

7. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints (6-6, 260 ; age 25)
A slightly more athletic, acrobatic version of Gronkowski, this favorite target of Drew Brees is an equally scary matchup for defenses. Graham is nearly impossible to defend in the red zone and he has the speed to turn short passes into big gains. In 18 games counting the playoffs he racked up 111 catches, nearly 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns. Just like the Brady-Gronk combo, it's hard to see Graham not posting 1,000+ yards and double digit scores as long as he's on the other end of Brees' passes.