Solid Late Round Receivers For Your Fantasy Football Draft
June 24 | Posted by Chet Gresham | Chet Gresham, Featured Fantasy News, NFL
The NFL labor talks are (crossing my fingers) going well and most analysts believe a deal will be done in July. I’m just going to nod my head, pretend that they are right and take a look at some receivers that may be able to do some damage and be had late in your fantasy drafts.
Danny Amendola: Who had the ninth most receptions in the league last year? Little Danny Amendola that’s who! He finished with 85 and now he has Josh McDaniels running the offense. The same Josh McDaniels that made Wes Welker a PPR phenom. Sam Bradford showed veteran poise last season, but still had his rookie mistakes. He should take a step forward this season and take Amendola with him. 100 receptions is not far fetched at all.
Steve Smith (Car): Can he be considered a sleeper? Well, it depends on how cheap you can get him. For a player with the ability of Smith an ADP of around 90 is crazy. I know this number will go down, but right now he’s a sleeper as far as value goes. Of course what happens to him once they are able to shop him to other teams is key, but I just don’t see him not having a bounce back season.
Jacoby Ford: He touched the ball 88 times and scored 7 touchdowns last season. He had 2 receiving TDs, 2 rushing TDs and 3 kickoff returns for TDs. So on offense he had 35 touches for 4 touchdowns. This is a dynamic player that must touch the ball more often. Will the corpse of Al Davis relent to Ford starting ahead of Darrius Heyward-Bay? All I know is that the Raiders are over the legal limit of DHB in their system! Coach Jackson vows to get Ford the ball early and often. He better.
Jordy Nelson: It’s almost a certainty that James Jones will move on to less green pastures. But will that be enough to open the gate for Nelson? Greg Jennings is the no doubt #1 receiver and the aging/ageless Donald Driver is still the #2 and then there is Jermichael Finley, who will actually be the #2 receiver. That leave Nelson at #4 if Driver holds up and that is the big if. He has a lot of upside in such a good offense, but things will have to break his way.
Mike Thomas: With Mike Sims-Walker out of the picture, Thomas is now the #1 receiver in Jacksonville. That isn’t saying a ton with David Garrard at the helm, but it’s also better than a box of rocks. Thomas ended last season with 66 receptions, 820 yards and 4 touchdowns. MSW had 43 receptions, 562 yards and 7 touchdowns last season. Thomas isn’t a top-notch #1 receiver, but MSW’s stats are up for grabs and there just anyone else grabbing.
Andre Roberts: Steve Breaston could easily be gone once free agency starts (please God let it start soon!) and Roberts looks to be next in line. If the Cardinals land Kevin Kolb (which I believe they will) this puts Roberts across from Larry Fitzgerald with no tight end of any consequence to take away looks. That should give Roberts a good step up.
Mario Manningham: He finished last season strong with 16 receptions, 346 yards, and 4 touchdowns in the last 3 games. Much depends on how Steve Smith returns from his microfracture surgery. I like Manningham to be good in fantasy to start the season at the very least.
Eric Decker: He has the ability to be a strong and consistent possession receiver across from Brandon Lloyd. I’m going mostly on skill here and the fact that Decker should be able to win the job from Gaffney.
Jerome Simpson: The Bengals are the worst franchise in football, but they will gain some yards and score some touchdowns, but who and how much? Palmer isn’t very good, but he was good enough to help Simpson go off the last 2 weeks of the season. But will Palmer be back? The most likely answer is no, but he’d be leaving a lot of money on the table. Out of Simpson and A.J. Green, Simpson has more experience and will probably be drafted later than Green. I’d rather have Simpson.
Damian Williams: He will push Nate Washington for the #2 position and will fill in while Britt is suspended. If the Titans had a better QB I’d be higher on him.
Dorin Dickerson: If Jacoby Jones leaves in free agency Dickerson’s path to touches increases. He’s a deep sleeper at this point.
Jason Hill: He’s in line to be the #2 receiver across from Mike Thomas which makes him ownable in deep leagues, but his upside isn’t good.
Titus Young: I’m no fan of rookie receivers, but the Lions should continue to throw in bunches a bunch. Nate Burleson stands in Young’s way right now, but he has a lot of ability and could do well across from Megatron if he gets the opportunity.
Emmanuel Sanders: He came on strong toward the end of last season and Hines Ward has lost a step. As long as Ward is there Sanders will be hard to own, but he’s just an injury away.
Besides Fanduel.com, Chet has written for the N.Y. Times: Fifth Down Blog, Tree.com, and his own sites Razzball and Third Coast Sports. He is extremely/obsessively active on Twitter and will answer your questions as best he can if you throw them @ChetRazzball.
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Tags: 2011 fantasy football, 2011 fantasy rankings, Chet Gresham, contract year, daily fantasy football, Danny Amendola, Donald Driver, Dorin Dickerson, fantasy football, fantasy football 2011, fantasy football cheat sheets, fantasy football draft, fantasy football rankings, fantasy football tips, Hines Ward, how to play, information, Jerome Simpson, Josh McDaniels, Larry Fitzgerald, Mario Manningham, NFL, nfl bye weeks, NFL fantasy football, sleepers, who to start
