Gaining Relevance: Hakeem Nicks

It feels like every week I'm saying I told you so. On one hand I feel like a jerk saying it. On the other... I am a jerk. But, I'm the jerk who told you to get Miles Austin while you still could.

This week let's stay in the NFC East and talk about another up and coming young receiver: Hakeem Nicks.

The Giants first round pick out of North Carolina had big shoes to fill. At first the focus on the Giants rookie class was on Nicks, but as camp started up a lot of the focus shifted to the Giants third round pick, Ramses Barden. Barden was all of the sudden the one people felt might make an impact and Nicks sort of shifted to the background after having a mediocre camp.

As the season began the Giants started getting production from Steve Smith and Mario Manningham and really nothing from Nicks. Nicks had 2 catches for 18 yards in his first 3 games.

Since then, however, the Giants have been getting Nicks more involved in the offense. Manningham had been the definitive number 2 target behind Steve Smith, but in the recent weeks Manningham has been sick with a case of the dropsies. He's been dropping or bobbling every thing in sight, including a certain TD last week. Even some of the plays he's made have come on bobbles that he just simply recovered. His struggles have opened the door for Nicks.

In his past 4 games, Nicks has 14 catches for 297 yards and 4 touchdowns. That includes a touchdown in four straight games. Granted last weeks TD was a bit fluke, but four straight games with a TD is nothing to sneeze at. If that doesn't impress you, consider that he's the first Hakeem that comes up when conducting a Google search. That's an honor!

I expect to see Nicks remain a part of the Giants offense and continue to give you solid fantasy production. Consider him a matchups play or 3rd receiver in 10 team leagues and a borderline every week guy at this point in deeper leagues (depending on your depth at the position, of course).

Nicks is owned in 53% of ESPN leagues.

PCB Scout

Questions? Comments? Random nonsense? Email me: pcbscout(at)gmail.com

What To Make of Miles Austin's Big Day

Wow. I didn't see that coming.

Miles Austin had a gigantic game on Sunday. The 1.3% of fantasy owners that started him are carrying themselves around the way a dog does when he's got a giant stick in his mouth, this week.

In my league, he was picked up at 12:48PM Sunday and lifted my buddy B-Ru to a win over a team he would have beaten anyway. Still, B-Ru took a gamble and walked away with a big prize.

A 45 point prize to be exact. A 10 catch, 250 yard, 2 Touchdown prize.

Ok, so Austin had a huge week, but what now? What can we expect from here out? Let's break this down, shall we?

Here's what we know:

• Austin got playing time because Roy Williams was out with a rib injury.
• The Cowboys are on bye week this week.
• Roy Williams is expected to be able to play next week.
• Tony Romo has yet to really "connect" with any of his receivers this season, though has slightly with Jason Witten.
• Patrick Crayton, the Cowboys current number two receiver, has had a case of the dropsies for the better part of three years.
• There's no question that what Austin did last week impressed the coaching staff and his fellow teammates, most important of which is his Quarterback, Tony Romo

So what do we make of all this?

The chances Austin finds himself the number one receiver on this team are pretty minimal. With that being said, I'd expect to see him get increased playing time and targets.

Roy Williams has been virtually useless for this Dallas team, outside of Week 1 and Patrick Crayton has been something of a let down himself.

Austin is still available in over 60% of ESPN leagues. If yours is one of them, I'd definitely consider Austin worth an add. Many owners may be shying away from him because he is on Bye this week or because they want to see what role he'll play with Roy Williams back. Don't bother waiting for that or, chances are, you'll miss out.

Even in 10 team leagues, if you've got someone giving you mediocre production with little upside (think Torry Holt, et al) add Austin and see what happens. At this point, we're probably talking about your 5th or 6th receiver. I'd be surprised if many owners are getting more upside from that spot as it is.

PCB Scout

Questions? Comments? Random nonsense? Email me: pcbscout(at)gmail.com

WR Watch: Week 5

Miles Austin - Cowboys: 10 catches - 250 yards 2 touchdowns
The preseason sleeper woke up and had a career game against the Chiefs.  He should move in as Romo's second favorite receiver which means more targets, though don't expect many more 10 catch games.

Chris Henry - Bengals: 3 catches - 91 yards
He has been a non-factor thus far, but finally showed up with a big 73 yard catch.  There are too many targets in Cincinnati, but at least keep an eye on Henry.

Mike Wallace - Steelers: 2 catches - 52 yards 1 touchdown
It is hard to get excited about a Steeler #3 wideout, but he is putting up decent numbers.

Eddie Royal - Broncos: 10 catches - 90 yards
He finally came up big in PPR leagues, but his value is steal shaky with a conservative Bronco offense and a slightly above average Orton throwing to him.  Nevertheless, he has been cut and is worth a look if you can snag him.

Donnie Avery - Rams: 5 catches - 87 yards 1 touchdown
Avery is the real-deal, but the Rams aren't.  Still, they can improve a bit as the season progresses and Avery will be the man in St. Louis.

Hakeem Nicks - Giants: 4 catches - 49 yards 1 touchdown
Nicks has the knack for finding the end zone, but with Manningham and Smith playing well, starting him would be a roll of the dice unless a starter is injured.

Jeremy Maclin - Eagles: 6 catches - 142 yards with 2 touchdowns
He showed his big-play ability by scoring on deep passes of 51 and 40 yards while starting in place of Kevin Curtis.  Good bye Kevin Curtis.

Austin Collie - Colts: 8 catches - 97 yards 2 TD's
He's has surpassed Garcon in fantasy value and could keep Gonzales out of the starting line if he continues to play well.

Josh Morgan - 49ers: 4 catches passes 78 yards
Back-to-back solid games for Morgan makes him a viable low-end fantasy receiver.

Antonio Bryant on the Rise?

Let's begin by reviewing my projection for Glen Coffee last week. I projected: 22 carries, 109 yards, 1TD, as well as 4 rec. for 19 yards. Here's what he actually did: 24 carries, 74 yards, 4 rec. 32 yards.

Okay so I was off by 22 total yards and a TD. Not terrible. I should have known better than to project a TD. They are hard to predict because you never know when the opportunity will arise and when your defense scores 3 of them, that's less chances for you. Still, I am pleased with the projection and I presume those who started Coffee are pleased enough with his production.

For the record, I like him again this week.

With that behind us, let's take a look at a Wide Receiver who might be available in your league and might just be able to give you some very low priced production.

Antonio Bryant, Tampa Bay: Coming in to the season, Bryant was a guy people expected decent output from, but were skeptical to trust. So far that's proven to be a reasonable assessment.

Through 3 weeks Bryant had been worthless for his owners. He caught 3 balls for 35 yards through 3 weeks, including a zero catch output in week 2. Those numbers are a virtual negative if you consider who you probably could have started in his position.

After that, however, something changed for the Buccaneers; they benched Byron Leftwich and began to start Josh Johnson. In week 4 Bryant finally showed up for his owners with 4 catches for 44 yards and a TD. Granted, that's not a huge performance, but Bryant has enough upside that it could be a sign of chemistry with Johnson and better things to come.

Coming out of drafts Bryant was owned in 100% of leagues. Since then 30% of his owners have given up on him.

The Bucs are a team that's going to be down and going to be throwing the ball. If you're in one of those 30% of leagues, snag this guy up and wait a few weeks to see if last week was a fluke or not. I'm betting he doesn't give your number one WR numbers, but could give you number two type digits.

I don't know about you, but I'll take a free number two receiver.

PCB Scout

Questions? Comments? Random nonsense? Email me: pcbscout(at)gmail.com

WR Watch: Week 4

Mike Sims-Walker - Jaguars: 7 catches - 91 yards 2 TD's
He has taken over as Garrard's #1 target and is on his way to a 1,000 yard season. 

Johnny Knox - Bears: 5 catches - 31 yards - 102 yard TD Kickoff Return
He is getting the targets, even though 31 yards won't pay the bills, but a return TD will.

Josh Morgan - 49ers: 2 catches passes 39 yards 1 TD
He has done very little to excite fantasy owners, but him and Shaun Hill both have room to grow.  Keep an eye on him.

Micheal Crabtree - 49ers:  Agrees to 6-year deal.
Missing camp and preseason makes 2009 a inconsequential year for Crabtree.  At best he may catch some deep passes or contribute late in the season.  Not worth a look for at least a month.

Austin Collie - Colts: 6 catches - 65 1 TD
He's splitting time as the second receiver with Garcon and could have a good game on any given week if you are in need.

Mohamed Massaquoi - Browns: 8 catches - 148 yards
The rookie has some chemistry with Derek Anderson and now Braylon Edwards is gone. 

Kenny Britt - Titans: 7 catches - 105 yards
It is looking as if he may become the #1 receiver in Tennessee, but Titans' passing game is dreadful right now.  Still, Britt has huge upside.

Donnie Avery - Rams: 3 catches - 47 yards
The preseason prospect is healing up from his injury and is again the #1 in St. Louis.  Now if somebody could only throw it to him.

Pierre Garcon - Colts: 3 catches - 71 yards
Not helpful in a PPR league, but has 2 TD's in 4 games.

Rookie WR Massaquoi Comes Up Big

Cleveland Brown rookie receiver Mohamed Massaqoui caught 8 passes for 148 yards in the Browns 23-20 overtime loss to the Bengals.

Massaquoi was drafted in the second round out of Georgia where he caught 158 passes for 2,282 yards (14.4 avg) and 16 touchdowns in his career.

With Brady Quinn he only caught 2 passes in three games, so this could be a fluke or he just has a connection with Derek Anderson. Either way he is worth a look if you need a receiver and should go on everyone's radar.

Sin City Scout

WR Watch: Week 2

Mario Manningham - Giants - 10 catches -150 yards 1TD

Mike Sims-Walker - Jaguars - 6 catches - 106 yards 1 TD

Johnny Knox - Bears - 6 catches - 70 yards 1TD

Devery Henderson - Saints - 3 catches - 71 yards

Chansi Stuckey -  Jets - 4 catches  - 64 yards 1 TD

Julian Edelman - Patriots - 8 catches  -  98 yards

Laurent Robinson - Rams - 6 catches - 54 yards 1 TD

WR Robinson Becoming Rams' #1

Donnie Avery was supposed to be the main man in St. Louis with the departure of the great Torry Holt, but his preseason injury has given third-year wideout Laurent Robinson the chance to step up and Robinson has done just that.

He caught 5 passes for 87 yards in his debut as a Rams' starter and came back and caught 6 passes for 54 yards and his first Ram touchdown in the Rams 9-7 loss to Washington.

Laurent Robinson was drafted in the third-round by Atlanta in 2007 and had a good rookie year catching 37 passes for 437 yards and a touchdown.

He fell out of favor in 2008 due to injuries and the rise of Roddy White.

In three preseason contests, Robinson has caught 10 passes for 137 yards.

Considering the Rams have done very little, Robinson is putting up some solid starts.  He is worth a look if you are in need of a wide receiver.

Sin City Scout

Replacing Anthony Gonzalez

Indianapolis Colts receiver Anthony Gonzalez sprained multiple knee ligaments in Sunday's Week 1 win over Jacksonville.

The Colts are saying Gonzalez could be off the field for as much as 8 weeks. This is a big loss for fantasy owners, who were expecting big things from the 3rd year pro out of Ohio State.

Gonzalez was taken at an average draft position of 92 (28th among WR) making him a third receiver for most players and a very early 10th round pick.

Gonzalez owners, however, were for the most part expecting to get better than 3rd receiver value from Gonzalez, who was expected to be a bigger part of the Colts offense with the loss of Marvin Harrison. This year marked his first chance to crack the starting line up for the Colts super powered offense.

In the absence of AGonz the Colts have a few places to turn. For one, they just signed veteran receiver Hank Baskett, who while experienced, is best known these days for his Playmate wife. Lucky bast... nevermind. Baskett gives them some size on the outside that they lack with the other guys on the roster but, he doesn't know the offense yet, so may only see limited time for the next couple of weeks.

That brings us to the other two, more likely to succeed options: Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie.

Garcon is a second year guy who Peyton Manning seems to like and who caught three balls in the season opener. Plus, let's be serious, how fantastic of a name is Pierre Garcon?!

Collie is a rookie wideout out of BYU that the Colts really seem to like and who had a very solid camp.

If you listen to Manning, and I do, it seems like Garcon is the more promising option. He was quoted as saying:

"Pierre is going to be a big part of our game plan, Austin Collie, too, no question... But this is the NFL. You can't just draw up a play and say this ball has got to go to Dallas Clark. Pierre has worked hard over here, I think he spent six hours over the last two days studying film and Austin has done that as well."

Personally, if I had a roster spot to spend, or if I had been a Gonzalez owner in a deeper league looking for a viable replacement I'd take a flier on Garcon and keep my eye on Baskett and Collie.

We all know the Colts offense is a place for any offensive skill player to shine. Don't let those guys shine one someone else's roster.

PCB Scout

Questions? Comments? Random nonsense? Email me: pcbscout(at)gmail.com

WR Watch: Week 1

Here are the list of possible free agent receivers to watch after their week one performance:

Michael Clayton - Tampa Bay - 5 catches  95 yards

Percy Harvin - Minnesota - 3 catches 36 yards 1 TD

Mark Bradley - Kansas City - 4 catches 78 yards

Mark Clatyon - Baltimore - 5 catches 77 yards 1 TD

Chansi Stuckey - Jets - 4 catches - 64 yards 1 TD

Steve Smith - Giants - 6 catches 80 yards

Laurent Robinson - St. Louis  - 5 catches 87 yards

Earl Bennett - Chicago - 7 catches - 66 yards

Kenny Brit - Tennessee - 4 catches 88 yards

Devone Bess - Miami - 7 catches - 57 yards

Andre Cadwell - Cincinnati - 6 catches 54 yards

Louis Murphy - Raiders - 4 catches 87 yards 1 TD

- Sin City Scout

WR Gage Comes up Big in Loss

Tennessee Titan wide receiver Justin Gage caught 7 passes for 77 yards and 1 TD in the Titans 13-10 overtime loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

Gage was very good when he was healthy in 2008. He was excellent in the preseason. He just had a pretty darn good game against the tough Steeler defense...He just may be the real deal...if he can stay healthy.

Gage is likely available in your league and is worth a definite look if you are in need of a receiver.

Sin City Scout

The Clock is Ticking.......

There are only a few hours left until we can all enjoy the greatness that is the NFL.

Here are some players to keep an eye on during the first week.

Rashard Mendenhall RB PIT– The second year RB out of Illinois should provide a change of pace for Steelers. Willie Parker is still the main guy, and if healthy will see the majority of the carriers, but with Mendenhall’s size 5’10” 225 he should be used a lot to punish the defenses, and wear them out as the game goes on. Could they be the next thunder and lighting duo?

Carnell “Cadillac” Williams RB TAMPA – He is currently the starter in Tampa according to several websites, and this comes a bit of shock to me. It’s not that he isn’t talented, but that the Bucs went off and signed Derrick Ward in the offseason, and like me people I projected him to be the starter with Earnest Graham backing up. I was a big fan of Mr. Williams coming out of Auburn so I hope that this is his breakout year.

Mike Bell RB NO - Given the current injury status of Pierre Thomas, and Reggie Bush look for Bell to get a lot of carriers against Detroit. So far in the preseason he has look pretty good. I see Bush being the starter this week, but I think Bell will get significant amount of carriers.

Lee Evans WR BUF – This is a player that has always interested me. At times he can be a beast then other times he doesn’t do anything. Personally I think that is more of a reflection on the offense then on Evans. The real question will be how T.O. will effect Evans production. My bet is he will actually trend upward due to being opposite a player many defense will have a tendency to cheat a safety towards.

New York Giants WR Group – Who will step up to be Eli’s main go to guy? Steve Smith and Domenick Hixon are listed as the starters with Sinorice Moss, Hakeem Nicks, and Mario Manningham backing them up. I’m putting my money on Steve Smith. This is more of a gut feeling then anything. In fact while writing this blog I jumped over to my league and added him to my team.

- Texas Scout

2009 Dynasty Rookie Rankings: The Long Shots (21-30)

When entering the final rounds of your rookie-only drafts, here are some players who you should be willing to take a chance on:



21. Austin Collie, WR, Indianapolis Colts - Collie may split the #3 WR role in Indy this season with Pierre Garcon, but he should be ready to take the role on next year, with a possibility of become a starter in the future. Collie is about as sure handed as they come, and Peyton loves to have guys that won't drop his perfect passes.



22. Deon Butler, WR, Seattle Seahawks - Like Collie, Butler is another rookie who could claim the #3 WR spot on his team this season. Butler has impressed his coaches in Seattle during training camp, and with Deion Branch possibly spending his last year in Seattle in 2009, Butler could be competing for a starting role in 2010 if he continues to impress.



23. Glen Coffee, RB, San Fransisco 49ers - Coffee could be the "Thunder" to Frank Gore's "Lightning".....if he can earn the right to split carries. In this scenario, Coffee could also become the goal line back, making him worth a top 30 rookie pick.



24. Mike Goodson, RB, Carolina Panthers - DeAngelo Williams had a career year once Jonathan Stewart joined the fold last year. This makes you wonder if the Panthers could plug-in another speed back in Williams' place. Enter the incredibly speedy Goodson, who could get an opportunity in the future to take on the DeAngelo Williams role if Williams' gets injured or wants more money.



25. Javon Ringer, RB, Tennessee Titans - Like Goodson above, Ringer would take over for Chris Johnson in case of injury. Even though he slipped in the draft, Ringer did nothing but perform beautifully in college, and could surprise if given an opportunity to start in Tennessee's run-heavy scheme.



26. Mike Thomas, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars - With very limited options at WR, Thomas could have an opportunity to start, especially with only oft-injured Mike Walker standing in the way.



27. Chase Coffman, TE, Cincinnati Bengals - While Brandon Pettigrew is the most balanced TE in the draft, the last time I checked you don't get fantasy points for blocking. Definitely more of a receiving TE, Chase has the speed and hands needed to stretch NFL defenses and make the big catch. Coffman has a great shot at contributing immediately after key injuries to two Bengal TEs during the offseason, and could become a beneficiary of Carson Palmer's return from elbow issues.



28. Gartrell Johnson, RB, San Diego Chargers - Could he be LT's replacement? He is versatile RB with upside who is worth a shot with a late round pick.



29. Derrick Williams, WR, Detroit Lions - With franchise QB Matt Stafford and stud WR Calvin Johnson in Detroit, Williams could see nothing but single coverage on the other side of Megatron if he eventually takes the #2 receiver spot. He also has a chance to contribute early as the #3 WR if he can win the job.



30. Ramses Barden, WR, New York Giants- Barden is a huge 6'6 WR from Cal Poly and is extremely raw, but geez.....he's HUGE!!!. Barden has the physical tools to succeed like no one else....the only question if he can learn the system and perform as well against a higher level of competition.



and a few others....



Johnny Knox, WR, Chicago Bears - Juaquin Iglesias may have been the first receiver taken by the Bears in draft this year, but undersized WR Johnny Knox has impressed the Chicago coaching staff this offseason, and could develop into a good #2 if given the opportunity with Jay Cutler at the helm.



Brandon Tate, WR, New England Patriots - Tate may not play much this season due to a knee injury suffered last college football season, but he has starter potential once he returns. Oh...and that Brady guy would be throwing him the ball, too.



Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Detroit Lions - He's huge, he should start right away, and he could be a red zone freak in Detroit. He won't be explosive, but he could be a very solid mid #1 fantasy tight end very soon. Now, if only the Lions could get in the red zone more often....



-Scout Widget