Wes Welker Available?!?!
Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 2:39 pm
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.
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.
