The NFL has become a pass-first league, and with that, wide receivers and tight ends have become more important than ever—not just in west coast style offenses but in all offensive systems. Here we take a look at the current active leaders in receiving yards. Being that most of the guys on this list are nearing the twilight of their respective careers, you shouldn’t use this as part of your fantasy football research. Instead, just read and enjoy…..

1. Isaac Bruce, free agent (15,208)—He doesn’t have the flash or the mouth that some of these other guys have, but it didn’t hurt that Bruce played on those great Kurt Warner/Mike Martz Rams’ teams about a decade ago. And he still has skills, so someone is bound to sign the guy.

2. Terrell Owens, free agent (14,951)—This guy DOES have the mouth but the skills to back it up. I’m kind of surprised he is team-less right now, but that should also change soon.

3. Randy Moss, New England Patriots (14,465)—That season he and Tom Brady put together in 2007 was absolutely ridiculous (1423 yards, NFL record 23 TD catches). And Moss is only 32!

4. Torry Holt, New England Patriots (13,382)—Sure, he’s getting up there in age and fell off a lot numbers-wise in Jacksonville, but he’s still got something left. It should be especially interesting to see Holt and Moss playing in the same offense.

5. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons (11,807)—Arguably the greatest tight end to ever play the game. Gonzo has four seasons with over 1000 yards, almost unheard of for a TE.

6. Muhsin Muhammad, Carolina Panthers (11,438)—Like Bruce and Holt, Muhsin Muhammad has quietly put up numbers for years, and his 2004 season for the Panthers remains his best (1405 yards, 16 scores).

7. Derrick Mason, Baltimore Ravens (11,089)—All Derrick Mason has ever done in his career with Tennessee and Baltimore is get open. He’s topped 1000 yards three straight seasons on the run-first Ravens, and is the epitome of toughness and durability despite being just 5-10, 190.

8. Hines Ward, Pittsburgh Steelers (10,947)—He’s consistently one of the game’s Top ten receivers, but how will he fare with Big Ben out for a few games to start the 2010 season?

9. Joey Galloway, Washington Redskins (10,777)—Galloway resurrected his fine career with Tampa from 2005 to 2007, and is really in the twilight of his career after struggling in Tampa and New England the last two seasons, respectively. Now he’s trying to latch on with the new-look Redskins.

10. Chad Ochocinco, Cincinnati Bengals (9952)—One of the game’s most animated players is also one of its best receivers year in and year out. And it’s always good to be able to back up the talk.

Source: Pro Football Reference

When you are drafting your fantasy football team, you’re picking running backs, receivers and quarterbacks first. Tight ends and kickers are usually taken in the mid-late rounds because their value isn’t as high, and, especially in the case of kickers, you can still get a decent one in the draft’s final round. Here is a look back at the 2008 leaders at the two positions and how we think those numbers will project to 2009:

TIGHT ENDS

1. Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs—During a season in which he was kind of auditioning for other teams, Gonzalez had one of his best campaigns—96 catches for 1058 yards and 10 touchdowns. Those are, like, Torry Holt numbers. Gonzo is now with the Atlanta Falcons, where he should have the opportunity to put up similar numbers in 2009.

2. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers—Gates had a disappointing season overall, with zero 100 yard games. But he was hurt most of the year, so even when he played he was hobbling. Still, 704 yards and 8 scores is not too shabby. This season, Gates should top that by at least 50%.

3. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts—Clark was injured to start the 2008 season, but he really came on strong toward the end of it, just like his Colts team did. Clark owners were treated to a 12-catch, 142-yard, 1 TD game in week 15, and overall he finished with 77 catches for 848 yards and 6 touchdowns. There is no good reason to expect any less in ’09.

4. Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota Vikings—Shiancoe made more headlines for inadvertently showing his bare ass on camera, but he finished the season with one huge game to pad his 2008 stats, too. That was in Week 16, known in the fantasy world as title week—so Shiancoe no doubt helped some of you win your league by catching 7 passes for 136 yards and 2 scores, giving him totals of 42-596-7 on the season. But dude is too streaky to consider drafting earlier than the 12th round or so.

5. Anthony Fasano, Miami Dolphins—Fasano was streaky but, like Shiancoe, he had a 2-TD game in Week 16, which boosted his season value. Fasano finished with 34 catches for 454 yards and 7 TDs, but I’d be surprised if he’s even drafted by 50% of you. I mean, Jason Witten didn’t even make this list due to being hurt most of ’08.

KICKERS

1. Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots—The Patriots didn’t score as many TDs as they did in 2007 so Gostkowski only had 40 extra points as opposed to 74 the year before. That meant more field goal opps, and he converted 36 of 40 to lead all kickers with 148 points. He also had four field goals and five PATs in week 16 to help some win titles. With Tom Brady back, there is no reason to think Gostkowski’s numbers will dip much, but he may have more extra points in ’09.

2. David Akers, Philadelphia Eagles—He’s had a history of injuries, but when he’s in the lineup, Akers is one of the game’s most accurate kickers. Last season he had two 4-field goal games and three 3-field goal games. The Eagles are going to put points on the board, so Akers is draft material for sure.

3. John Carney, New York Giants—This was almost a fluke, as Carney had to fill in for the injured Lawrence Tynes. He did so well that he made the Pro Bowl, kicking 35 of 38 field goals and 38 of 38 on extra points. But with Tynes healthy, Carney is once again looking for work in ’09.

4. Matt Bryant, Tampa Bay Bucs—Bryant had to endure the death of his infant son a few games in, but he battled admirably. However, this is the Bucs we’re talking about, and they only allowed Bryant 36 PAT chances. Overall he had 32 of 38 field goals and 35 of the 36 extra points. But guys like Bryant are valuable because they play on teams that don’t score a lot of TDs, giving them more field goal chances. He should have similar numbers this season.

5. John Kasay, Carolina Panthers—Kasay had a 4-field goal game in week 1 and another in week 17, but only 20 field goals in the other 15 games. I’m just saying, I probably wouldn’t draft the guy.

The Jacksonville Jaguars signed wide receiver Torry Holt to a three-year, $20 million contract.

Holt’s better days are definitely behind him but he can still contribute, especially on a team that was ready to get buy with Dennis Northcutt and Mike Walker at receiver. Over six million a year is a little steep for a 33-year old, but the Jags had to outbid the Titans, a team that seemed to have the early edge in negotiations.

What will be interesting to keep an eye on is how this signing will affect Jacksonville’s draft. They’re slated to select No. 8 and a lot of draft pundits figured they would go with one of the top wideouts at that spot. But with Holt on board, one would have to believe that they’ll either wait to select a receiver in the later rounds or bypass one altogether and go with what’s currently on the roster.

In my latest mock, I have the Jags drafting Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji. If he gets past Cleveland at No. 5, Raji would be a great complement to John Henderson on Jacksonville’s defensive line. The Jags traded Marcus Stroud to Buffalo before the 2008 season and Rob Meier clearly wasn’t up to the task of being a full time starter. If Raji is selected, Meier could go back to being No. 3 in the defensive tackle rotation, which was a role he excelled at before being tossed into a starter last season.

Shortly after sending multiple draft picks and quarterback Kyle Orton to the Broncos to acquire Jay Cutler, the Bears signed former Rams’ left tackle Orlando Pace to help protect their new signal caller.

Pace will sign a two- or three-year contract and will be inserted as the starting left tackle meaning that 2008 first-round draft pick Chris Williams will have to stave off newly signed veteran Kevin Shaffer to claim a starting job at right tackle. Pace, 33, missed 25 games over the last three seasons but started 14 last season and cleared a physical when he visited the team on Monday. Agent Kennard McGuire praised the visit and it led to quick negotiations.

Pace is considered a better pass blocker, and that will allow the Bears to perhaps get a better run blocker in Williams or Shaffer on the right side. A lot of teams are right-handed when it comes to running the football. The depth chart looks much different than it did when minicamp ended two weeks ago and free-agent pickup Frank Omiyale, originally signed to play left guard, was running at right tackle with Williams on the left side. There were no backups in place.

This is a great signing for a couple of reasons. One, if Pace can stay healthy he offers an immediate upgrade at the left tackle position for the Bears. Although aging, Pace still has enough left in the tank to give Chicago one or two quality seasons until they can secure a more long-term answer. The Pace signing also allows the youngster Chris Williams to move to right tackle, which might be a better position for him because he doesn’t have to worry about protecting the quarterback’s blind side. Lastly, Omiyale isn’t a tackle. I don’t know why the Bears signed him to be a tackle, but at his size and quickness he’s more suitable for guard. With Pace now on board, Omiyale can shift down to guard and now as a unit, Chicago’s offensive line has been completely upgraded. (It’s not spectacular by any means, but they’re in better shape now than they were at this point last season.)

You have to give the Bears a ton of credit. They played possum all offseason, waited for their time to strike and then stole Cutler and Pace away from other teams. I know fans are probably waiting for their next signing to be Torry Holt, although he seems destined to land in Tennessee. Then again, I wouldn’t count the Bears out of anything right now.