A perfect example is that of Randy Moss, who many fantasy owners drafted in the first round. Because Moss has failed to duplicate last year's lofty performance, he was on the bench in one out of every 12 fantasy leagues this past week.

Those owners certainly rued keeping Moss out of the starting lineup when he erupted for 125 yards and three scores against the Dolphins last Sunday.

Entering Week 12 in Miami, Moss had 46 catches for 615 yards and five touchdowns. Through 10 games in 2007, he had 66 receptions for 1052 yards and 16 scores. Obviously, this is a tremendous drop-off.

Despite producing at a lower rate than last year, Moss is still having a fine season. Only four receivers had more yards and more touchdowns than Moss through 10 games.

Even though Moss has been a disappointment for a first-round pick, there are not 20 receivers in this league better than him. Many owners learned this lesson the hard way.

Some stars of last year have had a more severe decline in productivity than Moss, and several receivers warrant a spot on the bench if not an outright release. In the following cases, there is sufficient evidence, as opposed to misperception, for sitting a former star.

Roy E. Williams of the Dallas Cowboys has been simply unimpressive since arriving from the Detroit Lions in midseason. In six games with the Cowboys, Williams has a grand total of 11 receptions for 181 yards and one touchdown.

Fantasy owners may blame some of Williams' problems on the fact that Tony Romo missed three of those six games. Actually, Williams has been better since Romo came back, reeling in eight catches for 123 yards in a trio of games with Romo back under center.

Unfortunately for Williams, Terrell Owens is once again the dominant threat he was last year. T.O. has caught 17 passes since Romo reentered the starting lineup. In the last two games, Owens has 12 receptions for 311 yards and two scores.

Furthermore, Jason Witten appears to have adequately recovered from a rib injury that sidelined him in early November. Witten caught nine balls for 115 yards on Thanksgiving (when an ill-advised 30 percent of his owners put him on the bench). Even rookie tight end Martellus Bennett has emerged as a goal-line threat, scoring a touchdown in each of Dallas' last three games.

Because Williams is at best the third choice in the Dallas offense, fantasy owners have better options elsewhere.

Chad Ocho Cinco is another example of a player that has failed to live up to expectations. Like Williams, Ocho Cinco is unlikely to turn his season around. He has played all year with a shoulder injury, and starting quarterback Carson Palmer has not played since Week 5.

Ocho Cinco has remarkably not exceeded 57 yards receiving in any game this year. He has become slightly more involved in the offense of late, catching 27 passes in his last five games. As a comparison, he only caught 14 passes in his first quintet of contests.

Still, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick does not have the ability to go downfield successfully, so Ocho Cinco will continue to catch pass for short yardage. Outside of leagues that give points for receptions, fantasy owners should remain sitting Ocho Cinco until they have evidence that he can return to being a premiere receiver.

If fantasy owners are thin on options, an up-and-coming talent is emerging in Miami. Davone Bess, a rookie out of Hawaii, caught five passes for 87 yards last week against the Patriots. In his last three games, Bess has 10 receptions for 162 yards.

Those numbers might not be impressive on the surface, but Bess will be the No. 2 receiver in Miami for the remainder of the year. Greg Camarillo, the Dolphins' leading receiver, has an injured knee and will miss the final five games. Bess will attempt to fill that void, and could have a breakout close to the season as quarterback Chad Pennington fully acclimates to the Miami offense.

Dan Massey's Fantasy Sports appears each Sunday. E-mail him at dmassey@lnpnews.com