Keep An Eye On Second Year WRs

July 8, 2008 at 9:02 pm | Article by Paul Hickey |

One year ago, Denver’s Brandon Marshall absolutely lit the world on fire in this second NFL season, hauling in 102 passes for more than 1,300 yards and seven TDs. New Orleans’ Marques Colston caught 98 balls for 1,202 yards and 11 TDs in his second season, and Green Bay’s Greg Jennings also had a breakout season, scoring 12 times while racking up more than 900 yards and 50 catches. The point is that second year WRs are now truly worthy of watching, as KC’s Dwayne Bowe and others threaten to be potent fantasy weapons in 2008.

Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs WR - The Chiefs selected Bowe with the 23rd overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, and that move paid extreme dividends right off the bat. Bowe earned a spot in KC’s starting line-up early on in the year, and started making a fantasy impact in Week 2 when he caught his first career TD pass. At 6′2″, 221 Bowe is a beast. He can get off the line quick, has great speed, and has proven that he can produce in a non-pass friendly offense. Last season, it didn’t matter whether Brodie Croyle or Damon Huard was throwing him the rock, and it didn’t matter that former OC Mike Solari was possibly the worst passing game coordinator in NFL history during his stint in KC - Bowe still produced. There’s no reason to believe that he’s not the real deal folks. Expect him to improve upon his five TDs in his rookie season, and not to fall short of 80 balls for 1,000 yards, making him at worst a legit WR2 in all formats.

Calvin Johnson, Lions WR - The 6′5″ highly touted second overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft only delivered 48 catches for 758 yards and five total TDs. I say “only” because expectations were pretty darn high for the phenom from Georgia Tech, especially in Mike Martz’s offense. Now that Martz is done, however, life should get easier for Johnson in that he won’t have to “compete” for catches against ancillary WRs Mike Furrey and Shaun McDonald. New OC Jim Colletto will simplify the passing game, and highlight Johnson and fellow flanker Roy Williams. The even bigger factor is that the back injury that nagged Johnson during his rookie season should be fully healed by the time training camp begins. Of all the receivers on this list, Johnson has the highest ceiling and could be the one to reach top five fantasy WR status the quickest. Grab him in the fifth round of your draft and you may end up with a guy who plays like a second rounder. Dynasty owners need to consider him “untouchable” as he has the potential to be better than Randy Moss one day.

Ted Ginn, Jr., Dolphins WR - Make no mistake about it, we’re not nearly as sold on Ginn being a consistent fantasy option as we are with others on this list, however, he’s an explosive playmaker whom the Dolphins believe will be a solid number one WR for them. The pre-Bill Parcells regime believed in him so much that they selected him with the seventh overall pick last year when Brady Quinn was still available, then dealt Chris Chambers, anointing Ginn the WR1 of the future. Well, now that Parcells is in town, and the Dolphins have only added Ernest Wilford to their WR corps as a complimentary pass catcher, that future is now. New WRs coach Karl Dorrell - former UCLA head coach - has been extremely happy with Ginn, and expects him to be a major key to the success of the Miami offense. Dynasty owners should approach Ginn with hopefulness, but seasonal owners shouldn’t count on him as an every week starter just yet.

James Jones, Packers WR - Throughout the 2007 NFL preseason, and the first five weeks of the regular season, Jones was extremely fantasy worthy. Unfortunately, his fantasy stock took a nose dive upon the resurgence of Greg Jennings. Then, not only did Brett Favre retire, but Green Bay made 6′3″ Kansas State WR their first pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Nelson has drawn early praise, similar to the way Jennings did in 2006 OTAs. Basically, this means Jones will have a minimal role on the team, as Jennings, veteran Donald Driver and Nelson will likely be the three main ingredients to the Packers’ passing attack. In other words, pass on Jones in 2008.

Anthony Gonzalez, Colts WR - Believe it or not, we saved the best second year WR for last. As good as Bowe and Johnson are, Gonzalez has one key advantage - he plays for the Colts. Drafted in the first round as a slot man, Gonzo ended up playing a bit on the outside due to a knee injury that kept Marvin Harrison out for most of 2007. Expect the second year man to get a dose of all three WR positions in the Colts offense in 2008, and to continue to earn the trust of Peyton Manning. Because of his situation and versatility, he’s capable of having some huge games in 2008, and could be a difference maker on many fantasy squads due to the fact that he’ll be available later in seasonal drafts. Gonzalez will likely hold the dual crown of being both the best NFL WR3 and fantasy WR3 in 2008.

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