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27 Oct 2010

Wideouts to Worry About

Writing for Rotoworld is a "Physician, Heal Thyself" experience for me. This week, I look at slumping receivers, most of whom are on my various fantasy teams. Do as I say, not as I do.

Posted by: Mike Tanier on 27 Oct 2010

5 comments, Last at 28 Oct 2010, 6:12pm by commissionerleaf

Comments

1
by John from Concord (not verified) :: Wed, 10/27/2010 - 4:39pm

Mike, don't you think the obituary for Wes Welker is a bit premature? That offense is still evolving on a week-to-week basis -- another week or two (weeks when they're not playing the Chargers) could bring a very different perspective.

3
by BSR :: Wed, 10/27/2010 - 10:09pm

At least wait until he loses the brace.

2
by Andy (not verified) :: Wed, 10/27/2010 - 9:49pm

You spelled Marques wrong, which is probably why his name isn't hyperlinked to a profile.

4
by justanothersteve :: Wed, 10/27/2010 - 11:18pm

One of my teams is somehow in second even though I have both Fitzgerald and Colston (and Jonathan Stewart as my #2 RB). Of course, now that Jermichael Finley is out for the year, I'm doomed.

5
by commissionerleaf :: Thu, 10/28/2010 - 6:12pm

Fitzgerald's decline was pretty predictable going from a top 5 talent at quarterback to an assortment of quarterbacks unworthy to hold clipboards. I'm not surprised he's having a down year, but given that Arizona will have a top 5 pick, he'll probably catch passes from Jake Locker or Andrew Luck starting next fall.

Welker's situation is a bit different. I think he's really just not fully recovered from the injury, which means he's a good but not great possession receiver with a starting job in the Patriots' offense. That's not nothing, especially since Tom Brady is beginning to go from No-Longer-Throwing Downfield-A-Lot to Auditioning-For-The-Part-of-Captain-Checkdown. Welker should get better as the year goes on, but expecting him to match previous years was always a no go with the knee. Next year? Maybe.

Colston has never been an elite talent; he's more in the category of "largest starting receiver on a team with an elite quarterback," much like Hakeem Nicks or Vincent Jackson. His fortunes are as much a matter of target numbers as anything. The intermediate routes he runs have been covered pretty hard by teams dropping linebackers into coverage.

Brandon Marshall could copy Larry Fitzgerald's blurb, except he's not in nearly as bad a situation, and will probably improve.

Sims-Walker was never that good, Steve Smith (Carolina) has been hurt too many times and has the Fitzgerald problem to boot, and OchoCinco hasn't been the same receiver the last couple of years (which is to say, Carson Palmer is not the quarterback he was in 2005).