Fantasy Football: Welcome To Fantasy Relevance Domenik Hixon

In Fantasy Football, opportunity is just as important as talent.

And perhaps there is no player who benefits more from opportunity than that of New York Giant's wide receiver Domenik Hixon.

Hixon, after a couple of years of idleness, is now ready to show that he can play in the NFL on a consistent, productive basis.  He's blessed with having one of the most unforgiving cities to showcase his skills in:  New York.  It will be important that he get off to a fast start in order to win over the Giants' faithful.  But many have confidence that he'll be able to.

Domenik Hixon entered the National Football League in the year 2007 on the Denver Broncos and started four games for them before being cut in October. The New York Giants then signed him and assigned him kick-returning duties. Hixon was no scoff at his new role; totaling 675 yards on only 23 kick returns for an impressive average of over 29 yards a return.

To put that number into perspective, consider that kick-returning poster boy Devin Hester averaged just 21.9 yards per return last season.

Now I'm not going to begin arguing that Hixon is a better return man than Devin Hester; but the stats show that Hixon can at least hang in the same ball park as the top return man in the game when it comes to numbers.

Hixon is more versatile than his returning numbers indicate however. With the Giants in 2008, Hixon (playing second and even sometimes third fiddle in the receiver pool when Plax was still around) caught 43 balls for nearly 600 yards for an average of 13.9 yards per catch or YPC.

May not seem like a whole lot but consider that No. 1 WR at year's end last season Andre Johnson averaged 13.7 YPC and that Hixon's number was also higher than that of star wide receivers:  Brandon Marshall, (12.2 YPC), Dwayne Bowe, (11.9 YPC), Anquan Boldin, (11.7 YPC) and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, (9.8 YPC).

As mentioned, Hixon loomed in the shadows of wide receiver's  Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer. We all know of Plax's departure, but few realize that Toomer also left the team, (albeit on more subtle terms); being let go by G-men after 13 loyal years.

Not all of the Giant's receivers have left though, and notable returners include:  David "Super Bowl Catch" Tyree, Hixon and youngsters Mario Manningham, Sinorice Moss and Steve Smith. None of them are even close yet to being considered a sizeable threat in the NFL, and Hixon should not suffer any lost production therefore.

It is important to note too that Eli Manning, (the man that will be tossing Hixon his passes this upcoming year), is a more than capable QB who has shown that he can play in the league. The pair showed a maturing connection towards the tail-end of last season, evident by the fact hat Hixon averaged over 16.5 yards per catch over the final two games, and collected his longest pass of the season in that time frame as well, (40 yards).

Now, let's not get carried away here; he will not produce the numbers of a fantasy No. 1 WR, and probably not even those of a No. 2 one.  What he will do however is provide immense upside as a fantasy No. 3 and give the potential to produce numbers comparable to that of a No. 2.  In rounds 8-12, (while owners are busy grabing backup quarterbacks and washed up running backs), I don't know who wouldn't grab that. 

The door has been left wide open for emerging wideout and return man Hixon, and he is sure to take full advantage.

projection:  600-700 receiving yards, 3-4 receiving touchdowns-- 1-2 return touchdowns= 4-6 total touchdowns

-note that these are extremely moderate projections and are subject to much, much *higher* change