Wes Welker Available?!?!

[Gordon Gekko II]

Here's what my 3 hours of prep found this week...

By Cory J. Bonini

What goes into finding the next Wes Welker-type player to help jumpstart your fantasy season? Do you have a battered receiving corps and need a contributor with a pulse that comes on the cheap?

While every scenario is different to some degree, common factors often remain.

1) Does said player have experience within the offense?
2) How about familiarity with the coaching staff?
3) Perhaps a general manager with a track record of finding diamonds in the rough?
4) A pass-happy system?
5) Wait, no lockdown defense?

That was the shortlist of elements known to come into play. Forget a player needing a place to fit in; ignore those veteran receivers ahead of him on the depth chart. Dismiss league mates that snicker at your acquisition. Remember the handful of ill-informed owners that ask “who?” following each pick after the ninth round of your draft? You probably will hear the same thing from said owners, assuming they are still paying attention, about a certain Kansas City Chiefs receiver that is hotter than an L&L Barbeque, and I’m not referring to Chris Chambers.

Lance Long. You know, that smurfy slot receiver in his first year from Mississippi State? He’s not a rookie, technically, but Long might as well be.

The 5-foot-11, 186-pound Detroit native has experience in this offense and familiarity with head coach Todd Haley. As you may remember (like it was eons ago or something), Haley called the plays for the Arizona Cardinals‘ high-flying passing attack last year. What you may not have known is Long spent that entire year on Arizona’s practice squad.

Now that we have the first two criteria out of the way, how about a GM with history of finding talent that others have passed up? Check. Scott Pioli, in fact, was responsible for bringing that Welker character to New England. Welker was drawing interest after playing well with the Miami Dolphins, but no one saw THAT coming … well, maybe with the exception of Pioli.

I touched on Long’s experience in Arizona’s system, which is now the same style of play – just not the same caliber – that you will find in KC. The slot receiver can be a big-time contributor in this system, and the Chiefs don’t exactly sport a dazzling crop of targets behind Dwayne Bowe.

Veteran Bobby Wade was a healthy inactive last week. The move was made in effort to give Long playing time in the slot. Long’s promising play in Week 7 also made the now-free agent Bobby Engram expendable. We told you about Long over his Week 8 bye in our Fantasy Football on Target article after he was looked to five times in his debut with the Chiefs. After a week of rest, the newfound fantasy asset was targeted a whopping 11 times in Week 9.

Of the 16 total looks in his past two games, Long has caught 10 passes but has traveled only 86 yards and hasn’t found the end zone. How could this make him a fantasy contributor? Point-per-reception leagues make starters out of mediocre stat producers. If he posts another eight-catch, 74-yard effort like he did last week you are enjoying a 15-point performance from a flex spot. Think if he were to have added a touchdown to that! The 15 points that he would have netted you wound up being more than Dallas Cowboys sensation Miles Austin contributed last weekend. That’s not to say anyone in their right mind would have played Long over Austin, though.

Let’s not forget the Chiefs’ defense. They were in a hole and needed the offense to play catch-up last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This led to 11 looks for the short duder in the slot.

The Chiefs have the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos (twice) remaining on their schedule, all matchups they should be forced to pass a lot in. Even their Week 10 matchup with the Oakland Raiders could lead to plenty of looks for Long on the underneath stuff if the Raiders focus on removing Bowe from the game plan.

Pick up Long immediately in PPR leagues and slide him into your flex spot every chance you get. Beware, though, at his size one big hit over the middle could bring his season to a bone-crunching halt.

[Coltsfan]

Nice article Gekko. We picked him up in the Classic. He was our first choice with Chambers as the fall back guy. Anybody getting that many targets on a team that doesn't know how to call a running play could have some value.


Wayne

[Nag']

Originally posted by Gekko:
Here's what my 3 hours of prep found this week...I see you reduced your 5 hours of prep down to 3. This will fine for you since the luck factor will make the difference between you and those owners who spent much more time preping a wash.

Especially those owners who didn't think to even bid so much as a $1 on Long.

[Gordon Gekko II]

Originally posted by Coltsfan:
Nice article Gekko. We picked him up in the Classic. He was our first choice with Chambers as the fall back guy. Anybody getting that many targets on a team that doesn't know how to call a running play could have some value.


Wayne i think he's been on the field for 42 passing plays in 1.5 games. he's been the target 16 times...which is 38% of the time

[ November 11, 2009, 08:55 PM: Message edited by: Gekko ]

[Gordon Gekko II]

Originally posted by Nag':
I see you reduced your 5 hours of prep down to 3. This will fine for you since the luck factor will make the difference between you and those owners who spent much more time preping a wash.

Especially those owners who didn't think to even bid so much as a $1 on Long. yep, down to 3 hours with faab running on a wednesday.

as for the luck factor, i am hopeful it will cause me to surge ahead of the folks who put in more time than me this week. i see my winning bid for long was on the "lower/lucky" side as compared to winning bids in other leagues.

[King of Queens]

Originally posted by Gekko:
By Cory J. Bonini

Thanks for the freebie!

[Nag']

Originally posted by Gekko:
quote:Originally posted by Nag':
I see you reduced your 5 hours of prep down to 3. This will fine for you since the luck factor will make the difference between you and those owners who spent much more time preping a wash.

Especially those owners who didn't think to even bid so much as a $1 on Long. yep, down to 3 hours with faab running on a wednesday.

as for the luck factor, i am hopeful it will cause me to surge ahead of the folks who put in more time than me this week. i see my winning bid for long was on the "lower/lucky" side as compared to winning bids in other leagues. [/QUOTE]Yes, I'm sure Lance Long will be the key to your surge.

Hey btw, how many hours of prep did you put in when picking up the following WRs earlier in the year?

Sammie Stroughter
Mike Thomas
Louis Murphy
Keenan Burton
Julian Edelman
Jordy Nelson
Jerheme Urban
Jacoby Jones
Dwayne Jarrett
Devin Thomas
David Anderson
Chris Chambers
Bobby Wade

Follow up question: Judging by these pickups, don't you think you should be been putting in more prep time, not less?

[Gordon Gekko II]

Originally posted by Nag':
Yes, I'm sure Lance Long will be the key to your surge.

Hey btw, how many hours of prep did you put in when picking up the following WRs earlier in the year?

Sammie Stroughter
Mike Thomas
Louis Murphy
Keenan Burton
Julian Edelman
Jordy Nelson
Jerheme Urban
Jacoby Jones
Dwayne Jarrett
Devin Thomas
David Anderson
Chris Chambers
Bobby Wade

Follow up question: Judging by these pickups, don't you think you should be been putting in more prep time, not less? here's the wr's that were picked up this year in our league...
Andre Caldwell
Antwaan Randle El
Bobby Wade
Brandon Stokley
Brandon Tate
Brian Hartline
Bryant Johnson
Chris Chambers
David Anderson
David Clowney
Davone Bess
Devin Thomas
Dwayne Jarrett
Early Doucet
Hank Baskett
Jabar Gaffney
Jacoby Jones
James Jones
Jerheme Urban
Johnny Knox
Jordy Nelson
Joshua Cribbs
Julian Edelman
Keenan Burton
Kevin Curtis
Lance Long
Lance Moore
Legedu Naanee
Louis Murphy
Malcom Floyd
Mario Manningham
Mike Thomas
Mike Wallace
Mohamed Massaquoi
Patrick Crayton
Sam Aiken
Sam Hurd
Sammie Stroughter
Ted Ginn Jr.

as you can see, no collie, no garcon, no sims-walker, no austin. super mario looks to be the best of the bunch, but other than that, scabs! comes with the territory of being in a league with skilled owners. wouldn't have mattered if i had put in 50 hours a week instead of 5. faab is a wasteland with 19 man rosters.

[ November 11, 2009, 09:13 PM: Message edited by: Gekko ]

[Route Collectors]

I went after Long in every league I'm in and got him in most. Interestingly the most important one (Classic) I was runner up bid to...you guessed it...the last place team who is 200 pts back and has no shot at all in even getting to mid pack in the next 4 weeks.

I'm disappointed at not getting Long but I respect the owner who did get him because even with no chance of cashing he's fighting to the very end. A great example of sportsmanship IMO!

Nice job Robert Zirkelbach

[Nag']

Originally posted by Gekko:
as you can see, no collie, no garcon, no sims-walker, no austin. super mario looks to be the best of the bunch, but other than that, scabs! comes with the territory of being in a league with skilled owners. wouldn't have mattered if i had put in 50 hours a week instead of 5. faab is a wasteland with 19 man rosters. I agree with you on all counts there.

But I do congratulate you on snagging the "Wes Welker" of 2009 season! I guess all these other skilled owners in our league aren't too skilled after all.