Fantasy Football Writers Forum – Week 8
This week Raju Byfield (Rizzla) and Justin Hasan (J-Has) focus their discussion on Wide Receivers and tackle burning fantasy football questions such as: Is Kenny Britt for real? Is Michael Crabtree over-hyped? and they debate where Roddy White ranks among wide receivers.
Is Kenny Britt for real?
Rizzla
Yes, as I called for to start the 2009 season in my article titled Washington under attack by a Britt, Kenny Britt is easily the most talented WR on the Titans roster and has legit #1 potential; only QB play and Jeff Fisher’s fondness of vets were able to hold him back thus far. I have him rated as a top-25 WR in dynasty leagues and believe he will crack the top-20 before long. If he had a legit QB he would be in top-10 to top-15 conversations. He now has 7 TD’s on the season after exploding for 3 TD’s against the Eagles. Kenny Britt also has one of the best running backs in the game in Chris Johnson to help keep opposing D’s honest and after his breakout performance both will begin to benefit from the others presence. Britt is a huge target at 6’3 and if the ball is thrown accurately enough and high enough Britt should be able to reel it in 75% of the time. Move to acquire in all keeper league and dynasty formats.
J-Has
Kenny Britt is the real deal. Drafted in 2009, he finished last season with 42 receptions, 3 touchdowns, and led the all Titan receivers with 701 yards. A decent line for owners in PPR leagues, but left a little to be desired in standard formats. But, last year Kerry Collins was the QB for 7 games, a span where Britt had no TD’s. Once Vince Young took over this year, Britt scored 3 touchdowns and quickly became Young’s favorite target. Teams will continue to stack 8-9 in the box in order to stop Chris Johnson. Britt should continue to get a lot of one-on-one coverage and produce every week.
Michael Crabtree over-hyped?
J-Has
Crabtree is over-hyped from a fantasy perspective. As an individual player, he is a superior athlete with tremendous talent, but as we all know that doesn’t always translate into fantasy stats. Right now he on a team with a mediocre QB in Alex Smith, whose top 2 targets are Vernon Davis and Frank Gore. The fact that the team’s TE and RB are being targeted and catching more passes than the team’s top WR plummets would hurt any receiver’s value. The San Francisco schedule had looked promising at the beginning of the season, but the upcoming Seattle and St. Louis match-ups look a lot tougher right now. Crabtree will also have to deal with Charles Woodson in week 13 and still have a bye week coming up. He should continue to produce in PPR leagues but I don’t expect a lot more touchdowns this season.
Rizzla:
No. Way. Believe the hype. Alex Smith sucks is more like it. In all seriousness though, Crabtree has not lived up or met expectations this year but many pundits were calling for a reality check prior to the season due to the shaky nature of his QB play with Alex Smith under center. Alex Smith is clearly, clearly not the answer at QB for the utterly disappointing San Francisco 49ers and is in reality the only thing holding Crabtree back. Crabtree makes for an excellent buy low candidate in dynasty leagues especially if Alex Smith is ruled out and David Carr takes over. Even though I already have him ranked there in our dynasty league rankings it looks like we may have to wait 1 more season for Crabtree to truly enter the top-15 debate.
Where does Roddy White rank among WR’s?
J-Has
Roddy White has gotten better each season and has not missed a game over his 6-year career. He is in an ideal situation; He has a solid QB in Matt Ryan and teams focus on stopping Michael Turner. White is the clear number one receiving target in the Falcons offense, catching at least 5 passes in every game. His amazing start to the season and his ideal situation would move him up to the top tier of Wide Receivers. If the draft was today, I would only draft Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson before him. Both Larry Fitzgerald and Randy Moss have a QB situation, launching White ahead of them.
Rizzla:
Roddy White is a fantasy beast and has been called the most ‘uncoverable’ WR in the NFL…I believe it. He consistently hauls in a ton of targets and Matt Ryan loves him which has turned him into a surefire stud. I have him ranked as a top-5 WR in dynasty leagues. The Matt Ryan-Roddy White connection will only continue to improve, which is a scary thought if you think about it. These two will likely be together for another 5+ years. Over the past 3 years Roddy White has averaged 8 TD’s from 85 receptions and 1245 yards receiving; this year he his on pace to garner 100+ receptions and over 1,500 yards receiving and to crack double-digit touchdowns for the second straight season. Roddy White’s 747 yards receiving lead the NFL and his 54 receptions are two more than the entire Cleveland Browns wide receiver corps.
