In preparation for the season, and to build off the end of my last article, I’ve gathered up the TPE and important (in my opinion) attributes for the wide receivers, and see how things shake out and what we can expect for the season. Who are the #1 guys, who are the #2s, who could be #1 guys on a different team? There’s definitely some very interesting things going on in the WR group. First and foremost being that Arizona doesn’t even have one.
Wide Receivers by TPE (TPE totals taken from update pages)
Player Name – Team – TPE – Draft Position
1. Josh Garden - - 267 – 2nd
2. Stormblessed - - 262 – 54th
3. Bailey Cook - - 246 – 9th
4. Bradley Westfield - - 240 – 72nd
5. Robert Phelps - - 220 – 73rd
6. Lincoln Jefferson - - 218 – 19th
7. Kendrick Hendrix - - 217 – 46th
8. Shane Weston - - 211 – 69th
9. Cooper Christmas - - 184 – 41st
10. DJ Law - - 165 – 10th
11. Alexandre LeClair - - 160 – 62nd
12. Damian West - - 102 – 5th
13. Jonathan Shaloiko - - 93 – 123rd
14. RFFO Mademe - - 60 – 105th
15. Granit Lewis - - 50 – 118th
16. Adam Bennett - - 50 – 74th
17. Wizard Stephen - - 50 – 110th
There’s a couple of pretty distinct breaks. 16 TPE separates 2nd from 3rd, 20 TPE separates 4th from 5th, and 27 TPE separates 8th from 9th. The final break is from 11th to 12th, where we go from actives to inactives, a 58 point TPE difference. I can’t mention that without pointing out the disastrous mistake Baltimore made with West. The 5th overall pick is inactive, and every receiver ahead of him except Garden was still on the board. Ouch.
The Otters have the most interesting combo. Phelps and Westfield would be #1 receivers on all but 3 teams. They were also drafted consecutively, with Westfield taken 1st. He’s got more TPE too, just to rub it in. Either way, it will be interesting to see how that develops over this season and next, especially with a strong run game too. Will they have trouble getting everyone enough touches? They didn’t seem to last season, but they had the ball a lot. It’s not always going to be like that. If they start to struggle, I’ll be curious who ends up with more touches, and if anyone decides they want out. As mentioned, Arizona doesn’t have a WR, so potentially nabbing one of them in a trade would be a perfect fit, though definitely costly.
The only other team who has multiple players that could be #1 guys is San Jose. Perhaps a surprise given their last place finish. Bailey Cook is the clear #1 guy, as shown last season. We could see the same situation develop in San Jose as I mentioned for Orange County. The difference is the SaberCats don’t have a stable QB position yet. Hunt remains the guy for now, though after some turmoil a week ago, it’s unclear how long that will last. There’s potential again for a trade if one guy isn’t satisfied with 2nd string. In Orange County, it’s unclear who is their go to guy, and who might be shipped out. In San Jose it’s a bit more clear who would be on his way out if it came to that.
If there were to be a trade, I expect either San Jose or Orange County to ask for a decent receiver back, someone who would be the #2 guy no matter where they played, so they can accept that role long term. Which at this point would pretty much throw Arizona out of trade talks. The Hawks might be the only one in a position to make the upgrade, sending Cooper Christmas to either team for the upgrade of (most likely) Phelps or Weston. It’s not a huge upgrade, and probably not worth the price. Colorado could potentially seek the upgrade to maybe Westfield, sending Law back to Orange County. There would obviously need to be more pieces in any deal, most likely picks.
In all reality, this season for sure, I don’t expect Phelps, Westfield, or Weston to ask out, or be sent out. At the end of S2 I think we’ll have a much more interesting TPE spread, which may force some moves.
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Wide Receivers by TPE (TPE totals taken from update pages)
Player Name – Team – TPE – Draft Position
1. Josh Garden - - 267 – 2nd
2. Stormblessed - - 262 – 54th
3. Bailey Cook - - 246 – 9th
4. Bradley Westfield - - 240 – 72nd
5. Robert Phelps - - 220 – 73rd
6. Lincoln Jefferson - - 218 – 19th
7. Kendrick Hendrix - - 217 – 46th
8. Shane Weston - - 211 – 69th
9. Cooper Christmas - - 184 – 41st
10. DJ Law - - 165 – 10th
11. Alexandre LeClair - - 160 – 62nd
12. Damian West - - 102 – 5th
13. Jonathan Shaloiko - - 93 – 123rd
14. RFFO Mademe - - 60 – 105th
15. Granit Lewis - - 50 – 118th
16. Adam Bennett - - 50 – 74th
17. Wizard Stephen - - 50 – 110th
There’s a couple of pretty distinct breaks. 16 TPE separates 2nd from 3rd, 20 TPE separates 4th from 5th, and 27 TPE separates 8th from 9th. The final break is from 11th to 12th, where we go from actives to inactives, a 58 point TPE difference. I can’t mention that without pointing out the disastrous mistake Baltimore made with West. The 5th overall pick is inactive, and every receiver ahead of him except Garden was still on the board. Ouch.
The Otters have the most interesting combo. Phelps and Westfield would be #1 receivers on all but 3 teams. They were also drafted consecutively, with Westfield taken 1st. He’s got more TPE too, just to rub it in. Either way, it will be interesting to see how that develops over this season and next, especially with a strong run game too. Will they have trouble getting everyone enough touches? They didn’t seem to last season, but they had the ball a lot. It’s not always going to be like that. If they start to struggle, I’ll be curious who ends up with more touches, and if anyone decides they want out. As mentioned, Arizona doesn’t have a WR, so potentially nabbing one of them in a trade would be a perfect fit, though definitely costly.
The only other team who has multiple players that could be #1 guys is San Jose. Perhaps a surprise given their last place finish. Bailey Cook is the clear #1 guy, as shown last season. We could see the same situation develop in San Jose as I mentioned for Orange County. The difference is the SaberCats don’t have a stable QB position yet. Hunt remains the guy for now, though after some turmoil a week ago, it’s unclear how long that will last. There’s potential again for a trade if one guy isn’t satisfied with 2nd string. In Orange County, it’s unclear who is their go to guy, and who might be shipped out. In San Jose it’s a bit more clear who would be on his way out if it came to that.
If there were to be a trade, I expect either San Jose or Orange County to ask for a decent receiver back, someone who would be the #2 guy no matter where they played, so they can accept that role long term. Which at this point would pretty much throw Arizona out of trade talks. The Hawks might be the only one in a position to make the upgrade, sending Cooper Christmas to either team for the upgrade of (most likely) Phelps or Weston. It’s not a huge upgrade, and probably not worth the price. Colorado could potentially seek the upgrade to maybe Westfield, sending Law back to Orange County. There would obviously need to be more pieces in any deal, most likely picks.
In all reality, this season for sure, I don’t expect Phelps, Westfield, or Weston to ask out, or be sent out. At the end of S2 I think we’ll have a much more interesting TPE spread, which may force some moves.
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