2011 NFL Draft Fantasy Football Implications – WRs
By DeCon
In the third part of my series, I wanted to take a look at WRs. You can also check out my analysis on the rookie RBs and QBs from earlier this week. Personally, I have never been a fan of rookie WRs. They always come into the league with a lot of promise, but very seldom will they make a big impact fantasy football-wise. Take for instance these 4 WRs from the past and present: Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison, Andre Johnson and Calvin Johnson…what would you think the combined rookie stats (Rec/Yds/TDs) for these stud WRs would be? Find out after the jump…
Maybe you’re saying, these are 100 catch a year guys, so the receptions has to be more than 400, right? WRONG…try 227 receptions…well, then you might say, their yardage must have been decent? Actually, not too bad, combined yardage for these guys from their rookie years was 3,495…and now you may want to believe that these guys found the endzone more often than not and you would be wrong…on 21 times combined from these four superstars of the WR position did they find the endzone. My point, don’t exepct a rookie WR to be much more than a WR4 in the fantasy game, but could we have an exception this year???
A.J. Green – Bengals – I would feel better about Green if Carson Palmer was still going to be a Bengal. If Andy Dalton is given the helm early in Cincy, it could be rough sailing for a while, but if you happen to be in a keeper or dynasty league, Green is worth drafting, because he and Dalton could become quite the combination down the line.
Julio Jones – Falcons – Despite my warning to not expect a rookie WR to be anything more than a WR4, Julio Jones might be an exception. The combined numbers for the 4 WRs I gave you up above include Marvin Harrison who had a very respectable rookie season (64 rec, 836yds, 8 TDs). Something tells me that in that offense with a bona fide stud in Roddy White on the other side of the field and Matt Ryan’s propensity to throw to who is open, Jones could come close to and possibly even exceed Harrison’s rookie totals. But, caveat emptor or buyer beware…
Titus Young – Lions – A slightly smaller version of Eddie Royal, Young will be a great change of pace from Megatron for Matthew Stafford. This of course assumes Stafford is healthy all season, which hasn’t happened yet in his short pro career. Young will be a nice compliment and target, but I do not expect him to do much in his rookie campaign.
Torrey Smith – Ravens – A tad shy of 6’1″ and with a 4.41 sec 40yd dash, Smith makes for an intriguing player. I think he is going to look great opposite Anquan Boldin, who will also serve as an excellent mentor for him. I think the future is bright for this young man. He is the eldest of 7 siblings to a single mother, so he knows about rough times and how to overcome. I think I am gonna have a soft spot for this kid and try to get him on one of my squads this year and see how it goes.
Greg Little – Browns – Many draft prognosticators thought Little, who is anything but at 6’2″+, would be a Bear…good thing Jerry traded up to get Paea, because the Browns would have snatched Little up before the Bears had a chance. Little has all the measurables, but maturity is where he is lacking. On a young Browns team, he is going to have to learn to be a Pro before he is going to have a major impact.
Randall Cobb – Packers – Seems like the Packers wanted their own version of Devin Hester…I am glad we have the ORIGINAL. Cobb is an elusive little guy who played in the SEC, so he saw his share of good competition. I am just not sure how much of the field he will see in Green Bay as a WR with Greg Jennings, James Jones and Jordy Nelson still there for sure and Donald Driver hasn’t retired yet as far as I know…so Cobb will likely try to do his best to be like Devin Hester, which is not draft worthy, unless of course he proves he IS the next Devin Hester…I know, I know, blasphemy…
CAN I GET AN AMEN?!?!?!?!?!
The DeCon has spoken, so let it be written, so let it be done…