I've locked in my predictions for the stats I expect the Vikings quarterbacks and running backs to put up this season, so it's time to move on to the receivers. As usual, we're disregarding the possibility of injury and projecting these numbers over the course of a complete 16-game season -- and we're also assuming Favre's the starting quarterback.
I pegged Favre's numbers as: 3,700 passing yards, 26 TDs, 18 INTs, 65% completion. Now, I'll go ahead and try to predict how those stats will be distributed among the main factors in the team's receiving corps:
Berrian: 65 receptions, 1,100 receiving yards, 8 touchdowns
Harvin: 50 receptions, 700 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns
Rice: 35 receptions, 350 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns
Wade: 40 receptions, 400 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns
Shiancoe: 50 receptions, 650 receiving yards, 6 touchdowns
Taylor: 50 receptions, 400 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns
Harvin's obviously the wild card in this bunch -- but with the stats I predicted, he'd be averaging roughly three receptions and 41 receiving yards per game. He'll get more touches on the ground, as he caught 133 passes and carried the ball 194 times during his three seasons with the Gators.
I see Berrian breaking the 1,000-yard mark quite comfortably with Favre at the helm -- it certainly wouldn't be surprising to see him become a top-10 or top-15 receiver, yardage wise. Of all the receivers, he'll be a big winner with the switch to Favre. I'm also predicting Taylor's receiving numbers to stay more or less consistent with last season's, but I see Wade's numbers dipping a bit and I'm reluctant to predict a huge comeback effort for Rice. I'm expecting a modest bump in receiving yards for Shiancoe, who noted that Favre does indeed love throwing the ball to the tight end.
And on a final note, it's entirely possible I lowballed Favre when I predicted his numbers, as I ended up with just 100 yards to spare for Adrian Peterson, Jimmy Kleinsasser, Aundrae Allison, etc. after making my predictions for the six receivers above. I also failed to account for one-yard dump-offs to Tahi.
So these certainly aren't perfect predictions, but they're roughly what I'm expecting to see from the receiving corps this season. Feel free to make your own predictions in the comments.