Tag Archives: Golden Tate

The Rookie Blitz – Week 7 in Review

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The Rookie Blitz goes beyond the box score to examine the fantasy football impact of each NFL Draft class.

This week I am going to introduce Fantasy Points per Opportunity (Fantasy Points per Pass Route and Running Attempt – excludes snaps where blocking occurs). This new metric will work with percentage targeted on total snaps played to highlight rookies who are on the verge of a potential breakout. Read on for more.

Quarterback

Sam Bradford is clearly the top rookie quarterback. At this point it is more fair to compare Bradford against his fellow starting quarterbacks in the NFL than his rookie counterparts. Bradford, ranked 15th in fantasy points in most formats and is holding his own in many categories, but lacking in several others. He ranks near the top of the league in drop backs, attempts and completions. Bradford has room for improvement in his completion percentage, yards per attempt, interception rate and sacks taken. Continue reading →

The Rookie Blitz – Week 5 in Review

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The Rookie Blitz goes beyond the box score to examine the fantasy football impact of each NFL Draft class.

Quarterback

Sam Bradford lost his security blanket when Mark Clayton was injured for the season against Detroit. I posed the question last week whether Bradford was favoring throwing to his right because of Clayton or if the Rams were limiting his reads to the right side of the field. Once Clayton was out of the game after 3 snaps, 7 of Bradford’s 45 passing attempts (15.5%) went to the left side of the field, an increase over his season average of 12.7% before the game. Although it was considered a down-game by his standards (+0.5), Bradford continues to show he is the real deal. We are now left asking ourselves who is the next wide receiver Bradford can make fantasy relevant. Continue reading →

The Rookie Blitz – Week 2 in Review

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The Rookie Blitz goes beyond the box score to examine the fantasy football impact of each NFL Draft class.

Quarterback

Sam Bradford continued his strong play in his first road start versus Oakland and his PFF rating of +3.8 is tied for 14th among QBs after two games. The Rams have done an excellent job in allowing him to make good decisions on the field. Like most rookie QBs, Bradford is not reading the entire field – only 13.8% of his 80 passing attempts have gone to the left side of the field. With all the injuries to starting quarterbacks and many teams making a switch to their backup QB, Bradford is a legitimate backup option for your fantasy team. Continue reading →

Top 25 Rookies for 2010

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The 2010 NFL Season begins in just 60 days.  Many of you are starting your fantasy football draft prep work or have already drafted some of your teams.  To help you win your league, we are going to take a break from our dynasty rookie rankings and focus on what rookies you should draft this summer.

Knowing when to draft rookies in your redraft league can be an important part of the success of your fantasy team.  Rookies are overvalued in fantasy drafts, so we have also included each player’s current ADP in PPR leagues.  This will give you an idea of their perceived value.  For example, Montario Hardesty is a better value than Ben Tate in our opinion – and you can draft him almost a round and a half later or more than Tate.

Our Player Projections are current as of July 10, 2010.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
RB Ryan Mathews SD 10 28 1035 9 28 209 1

Outlook: Ryan Mathews is an early favorite for the Rookie of the Year award as the successor to LaDainian Tomlinson in the Chargers backfield.  Head Coach Norv Turner has already penciled in Mathews for 250 carries and 40 receptions.  Darren Sproles is back for another season as the third-down back and could steal some carries from the rookie.  Mathews did struggle with injuries at Fresno State which will cause concerns for fantasy owners.  Mathews has crept into the first round of many drafts; however, we would feel more comfortable with Mathews as a RB2 and is a good bet to exceed 1,000 rushing yards and score 9-10 touchdowns.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
RB Jahvid Best DET 7 50 882 6 38 281 1

Outlook: Jahvid Best will give Ryan Mathews a run for the Rookie of the Year honors.  Best is one of favorite players from this draft class and could be considered a poor-man’s Chris Johnson with his electrifying speed in the open field.  However, proceed with caution in drafting Best early in your fantasy drafts; the Lions have struggled on offense in recent years and they face a tough schedule in 2010.  With a big season in 2010, Jahvid Best may be one of the best keeper options available next year.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
RB CJ Spiller BUF 6 62 562 3 40 335 1

Outlook: At the time of writing this, Marshawn Lynch is still a member of the Bills which hampers the value of C.J. Spiller this season.  Spiller was a favorite of many experts leading up to the NFL draft.  Spiller is viewed as an all-around player that can also contribute on special teams; however, he may already have maxed out his potential.  Spiller will be used similarly to Reggie Bush has been for the Saints, and that is also a good player comparison for his early career.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
RB Montario Hardesty CLE 8 96 698 6 18 122 0

Outlook: Montario Hardesty was drafted to be a big-back compliment to Jerome Harrison, and based on his early camp reports, may ultimately pass Harrison on the depth chart sooner than later.  Hardesty was a late-bloomer at Tennessee and struggled with injuries at times.  The Browns have made improvements under Mike Holmgren; however, it is unlikely that Hardesty will be anything more than a flex option this season.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
WR Dez Bryant DAL 4 74 2 0 44 657 5

Outlook: Dez Bryant slid down draft boards due to maturity and character concerns.  Jerry Jones traded up in the draft to land one of the best college wide receivers in recent memory.  Bryant will have no issues displacing Roy Williams in the starting lineup, and is already slated to have punt return duties to begin the season.  Bryant is one of the few wide receivers from this draft class that could be a potential keeper in 2010.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
RB Ben Tate HOU 7 80 564 4 20 168 1

Outlook: Ben Tate enters training camp in a battle with Steve Slaton and Arian Foster for the starting running back spot.  Tate was a late-riser in the draft process with an impressive combine performance, although, he does not play as fast as he timed at the combine.  Tate fits the Texans’ one-cut running scheme well.  Tate is currently overvalued in redraft leagues, and is a risky selection with the uncertainty of who will start for the team.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
WR Dexter McCluster KC 4 154 72 1 43 499 3

Outlook: Dexter McCluster will open the season as the starting slot wide receiver for the Chiefs.  For what McCluster lacks in size, he makes up for it in sheer play-making ability and versatility.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
WR Golden Tate SEA 5 131 28 0 43 524 3

Outlook: The 2009 Biletnikoff Award winner will likely open the season as a starting wide receiver for the Seahawks over T.J. Houshmandzadeh or Deion Branch.  Tate is a physical player and would have been a first round selection in the NFL Draft if he had ideal size.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
WR Arrelious Benn TB 4 153 4 0 42 547 3

Outlook: Arrelious Benn is almost assured of a starting spot as the Buccaneers attempt to replace the departed Antonio Bryant.  Benn declared for the NFL Draft after struggling in his junior campaign with nagging injuries and poor quarterback play.  Benn is a physical player with decent speed, but struggled to make big-plays in college.  He has more value in PPR leagues where second-year quarterback Josh Freeman will be looking his way often this season.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
WR Mike Williams TB 4 179 0 0 38 559 3

Outlook: The troubled ex-Syracuse wide receiver fell in the NFL Draft because of character concerns.  When he was on the field, he looked like a first round talent.  He has a great situation to become a starting receiver with Arrelious Benn this year.  Williams has to prove that he is willing to put in the work to become a solid pro before you should pull the trigger during your draft.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
WR Demaryius Thomas DEN 9 142 3 0 35 506 3

Outlook: Demaryius Thomas was surprising the first wide receiver selected before Dez Bryant on the first day of the draft.  Thomas is a high character player with loads of talent.  Thomas is a similar player to fellow Georgia Tech alumni Calvin Johnson; however, he lacks the same polish entering the NFL.  Thomas is the best long-term bet to help fill the role left by the trade of Brandon Marshall this offseason.  Thomas will have to beat out either Eddie Royal or Jabar Gaffney to get regular targets in Josh McDaniel’s offense.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
RB Toby Gerhart MIN 4 160 325 3 16 112 0

Outlook: Toby Gerhart is the handcuff running back to Adrian Peterson owners with the departure of Chester Taylor to the rival Bears.  Gerhart could see some action as the short-yardage back.  If Peterson goes down with an injury, it is not a certainty that Gerhart would receive all the carries or participate in a committee.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD PassYds TD INT
QB Sam Bradford STL 9 192 123 1 2856 13 16

Outlook: Sam Bradford is the only rookie with a good possibility of opening the season as a starter for his team.  The Rams finally selected their franchise quarterback after passing on Matt Ryan and Mark Sanchez.  Bradford has top-10 fantasy upside down the road, but he is going to struggle as a rookie with a poor supporting cast and a rebuilding offensive line.  He could be useful in a spot start, but do not expect to count on Bradford on a weekly basis this season.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
RB Joe McKnight NYJ 7 205 204 2 17 137 0

Outlook: Joe McKnight was drafted to be the understudy to Tomlinson and provide help in the return game and on third down.  McKnight struggled at USC with Reggie Bush comparisons, and he should only be considered in the deepest of redraft leagues.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
TE Jermaine Gresham CIN 6 186 0 0 36 381 3

Outlook: Jermaine Gresham will give the Bengals the first legitimate weapon at the tight end position in recent memory. Gresham missed the entire 2009 season due to knee surgery, but scored 14 touchdowns in 2008. Gresham has shown the ability to become a true three-down tight end – now the question is can the Bengals find a way to use Gresham on the football field. Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski does not have a history of featuring the tight end in his offense.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
WR Brandon LaFell CAR 6 264 0 0 20 265 1

Outlook: Brandon LaFell will compete with Dwayne Jarrett for the No. 2 wide receiver job this season.  The winner of the competition will not make much of a fantasy impact, the Panthers remain one of the most run-heavy teams in the NFL.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
WR Jordan Shipley CIN 6 264 0 0 22 241 1

Outlook: Jordan Shipley will compete with Andre Caldwell for the slot receiver  job.  If Shipley wins the job at some point this season, he could be worth a flier in deeper PPR leagues.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
RB Jonathan Dwyer PIT 5 258 175 1 8 64 0

Outlook: Jonathan Dwyer slipped to the sixth round due to a failed drug test.  He could earn the short-yard role as a rookie.  He does have the size to become the feature back if Rashard Mendenhall went down with an injury.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
WR Mardy Gilyard STL 9 264 0 0 17 201 1

Outlook: Mardy Gilyard was an impressive college performer at Cincinnati, but he looks like he will focus on kick and punt return duties in his rookie season.  If he sees any game action in 2010, it will likely be in the slot at the expense of Danny Amendola.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
RB Anthony Dixon SF 9 259 121 1 10 80 0

Outlook: Anthony Dixon also slipped to the sixth round.  He will compete with Glen Coffee to backup Frank Gore.  Dixon is a limited player; however, he could be a late season waiver wire steal if Gore misses time again this season.  He is a physical back that could take the punishment as a featured back.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
WR Damian Williams TEN 9 264 0 0 15 167 1

Outlook: Damian Williams gives the Titans a young receiver to eventually pair with second-year player Kenny Britt, but Williams is blocked this season by Nate Washington.  The Titans run their offense quite literally through Chris Johnson at this point, so it is tough to see the team passing more this season.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
WR Andre Roberts ARI 6 264 0 0 13 167 1

Outlook: The former Citadel star likely will not see the field much in 2010 as the Cardinals shift to a run-first philosophy after the retirement of QB Kurt Warner.  Roberts is worth monitoring if injuries strike the Cardinals receiving core sans Anquan Boldin.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
RB Deji Karim JAC 9 266 110 0 9 73 0

Outlook: Karim will compete with Rashad Jennings to backup Maurice Jones-Drew.  Even though Karim was just a small school player from Southern Illinois, he put on a show for NFL scouts at his pro-day.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
RB James Starks GB 10 267 149 1 6 49 0

Outlook: Starks will likely red-shirt this season behind Ryan Grant and Brandon Jackson.  Starks missed his senior season at Buffalo.

POS Player Team Bye ADP RushYds RushTD RecYds RecYds RecTD
TE Aaron Hernandez NE 5 264 0 0 23 254 2

Outlook: Aaron Hernandez is likely to earn the move-tight end role for the Patriots this season while fellow rookie Rob Gronkowski handles the in-line duties.  Hernandez is generating a lot of positive buzz in OTA’s, however, with all the options QB Tom Brady has on offense, it is hard to see Hernandez getting consistent targets in his rookie season.

Rookie Spin on Golden Tate

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In one of our new weekly features, we will be joining forces with Fantasy Football Spin to highlight the top rookie from each team in the NFL.

The Seattle Seahawks selected Golden Tate in the second round (60th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft.  He is expected to compete immediately for a starting job opposite T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

Although Tate lacks ideal size (5’11” 195), he has excellent quickness and ability to catch the ball in traffic.  Tate is elusive in the open field and has proven to be dangerous after the catch as a converted running back.

Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards

Tate finished his final two seasons (25 games) at Notre Dame with 151 catches for 2,576 yards (17.06) and 25 touchdowns.

Tate has been impressive during offseason activities and has drawn the praise of new head coach Pete Carroll. Although Tate has made typical rookie mistakes as he learns the playbook, it is clear the Seahawks will capitalize on Tate’s playmaking abilities.

Tate will be targeted five to six times per game from either Matt Hasselbeck or Charlie Whitehurst and is worth a late round flier in all redraft leagues.

Tate could total 55 catches for 700 yards and 3 touchdowns as a rookie.

Golden Tate is an excellent dynasty prospect and should be taken in the mid-first round of all rookie drafts.  Tate is ranked 6th in our top-100 dynasty prospects and 3rd in our wide receiver rankings behind only Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas.

May Update: Rookie WR Rankings

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It has been almost a month since the conclusion of the 2010 NFL Draft and it is time to update our dynasty positional rankings for the rookie class.

Several teams have already held minicamps and the beat writers have been out in full force providing us with all the updates we need to further evaluate these prospects.

Here are the latest updates:

Dez Bryant:

Dez Bryant is one of the best wide receiver prospects to enter the draft in several years.  The Dallas media has been impressed with Bryant’s performance to date, and he has a very good shot to unseat veteran Roy Williams before the season begins.  Rob Phillips of DallasCowboys.com expects Bryant to have significant playing time if he can pick up the playbook quickly.

Dez Bryant should be the No. 1 pick in all dynasty rookie drafts.  He landed in an explosive offense that has their eyes set on the Super Bowl, and they will not hesitate to get him involved early.  Dez Bryant reminds us of Terrell Owens in his prime.

Demaryius Thomas:

2010 NFL Draft Round 1

Demaryius Thomas will get every opportunity to replace the departed Brandon Marshall as the Broncos’ No. 1 wide receiver.  Bill Williamson of ESPN.com believes that Thomas will not be brought along slowly and the Broncos want him to shine right away.

Thomas was drafted before Dez Bryant because he is a skilled, hard worker, without character concerns.  We have moved Thomas up one spot in our wide receiver rankings with his potential to become an elite player, despite the concerns that he needs refinement in his route running and breaks.

Golden Tate:

Golden Tate has made impressive plays in practice and drawn the praise of new head coach Pete Carroll on many occasions.  Tate’s 2010 value largely depends on how Deion Branch performs, but Tate is a good bet to see significant snaps by midseason.

Reports are just now surfacing that the Seahawks made an exploratory phone call to Terrell Owens earlier in the offseason.  Those rumors have lost some steam lately, mostly due to how good Golden Tate looks in minicamps.

Arrelious Benn:

We are holding firm in our ranking of Arrelious Benn (9th WR, 22 Overall).

His lack of college production is alarming and he suffered from a poor junior campaign.  Many attribute his struggles to poor quarterback play and a sprained ankle, but the bottom line is that Benn didn’t get the job done.  Benn does have some skills after the catch and can be tough to bring down in the open field, but he lacks deep speed, explosiveness, and struggles with catching the football consistently.

The Buccaneers’ offense will continue to struggle even though Benn could see the lion’s share of targets from Josh Freeman.  Benn is too risky to take in the top-10, let alone in the first 20 selections of your rookie draft.  Let someone else make the mistake.

The ranking score for each player is based on several factors:

  • Pre-draft scouting reports
  • College production
  • Strength of team scouting department
  • Draft selection
  • Offensive scheme
  • 2010 Team Schedule

Wide Receiver Rankings (WR) – Previous Ranking in Parenthesis

  1. Dez Bryant – Cowboys 9.98 (1)
  2. Demaryius Thomas – Broncos 8.62 (3)
  3. Golden Tate – Seahawks 8.59 (2)
  4. Damian Williams – Titans 8.03 (4)
  5. Dexter McCluster – Chiefs 7.99 (7*)
  6. Andre Roberts – Cardinals 7.98 (6)
  7. Brandon LaFell – Panthers 7.84 (5)
  8. Mardy Gilyard – Rams 7.74 (7)
  9. Arrelious Benn –Buccaneers 7.60 (8)
  10. Eric Decker – Broncos 7.38 (9)
  11. Taylor Price –Patriots 7.30 (11)
  12. Mike Williams – Buccaneers 7.27 (10)
  13. Emmanuel Sanders –Steelers 7.25 (15)
  14. Jordan Shipley –Bengals 7.16 (12)
  15. Dezmon Briscoe –Bengals  6.98 (13)
  16. Riley Cooper – Eagles 6.83 (14)
  17. Armanti Edwards –Panthers 6.80 (20)
  18. Marcus Easley – Bills 6.72 (21)
  19. Jeremy Williams – Chargers  6.64 (UR)
  20. Jacoby Ford – Raiders 6.53 (17)
  21. Carlton Mitchell – Browns 6.48 (18)
  22. David Reed – Ravens 6.46 (16)
  23. Blair White – Colts 6.43 (UR)
  24. Dorin Dickerson – Texans 6.29 (11**)
  25. Antonio Brown – Steelers 6.18 (19)
  26. David Gettis – Panthers 6.13 (22)
  27. Joe Webb – Vikings 5.74 (24)
  28. Kyle Williams – 49ers 5.62 (23)
  29. Chris McGaha – Jaguars 5.44 (UR)
  30. Shay Hodge – 49ers 5.38 (UR)

*Dexter McCluster was ranked as a running back in our April Rankings.

**Dorin Dickerson was ranked as a tight end in our April Rankings.

NFL Draft Round 2 Recap

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The second round of the 2010 NFL Draft is in the books and it is time to take a look at the fantasy impact of the skill position players that were selected.

2010 NFL Combine - Day Two

RB/WR Dexter McCluster (36) – Kansas City Chiefs

WR Arrelious Benn (39) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

TE Rob Gronkowski (42) – New England Patriots

QB Jimmy Clausen (48) – Carolina Panthers

RB Toby Gerhart (51) – Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings traded up with the Texans to select Stanford running back Toby Gerhart.  Gerhart is a classic power runner with quick feet for a 230-pound running back.  He will become the primary backup to Adrian Peterson.  Gerhart could get 5-10 carries per game and wear down opposing defenses in the 2nd half of games.  His short-term fantasy value is limited, however, he is a must draft handcuff for Peterson owners.

RB Ben Tate (58) – Houston Texans

Ben Tate had an impressive scouting combine performance and vaulted himself from a fourth-round prospect into the second round.  We were not as impressed with Tate based on his Senior Bowl performance, however, his skill set matches well with the running philosophy of the Texans.  Tate is one of the better all-around backs in the draft.  He should see time immediately at the expense of Arian Foster.  If Steve Slaton returns to form, the Texans will have a solid running back combination for the future.

RB Montario Hardesty (59) – Cleveland Browns

Cleveland made the move to shore up their backfield with Montario Hardesty.  Hardesty is one of our favorite running backs in this draft class and enters a great situation on the rebuilding Browns franchise.  Jerome Harrison performed admirably down the stretch in 2009, but he does not have the size to hold up for an entire season.  Hardesty finished his senior season at Tennessee with 1,345 yards (4.8 YPC) and 13 touchdowns.

WR Golden Tate (60) – Seattle Seahawks

Our second ranked wide receiver prospect before the NFL Draft began; Golden Tate will be joining new head coach Pete Carroll in Seattle.  Tate slipped in the draft because of concerns about his size and lack of breakaway speed.  Tate is a fighter and runs like a running back with the football in his hands.  Tate will begin his career as the third wide receiver on the Seahawks and work the slot, but it should not be long before he supplants the injury-prone Deion Branch in the starting lineup.