Can Delanie Walker Build off Huge Week 2 Performance?
Many superlatives have been thrown around in the fantasy football realm over the first two weeks of the 2014 NFL season. Seemingly few have been been directed at Delanie Walker, the Tennessee Titans tight end who posted a fabulous 10-catch, 142-yard performance in his team's Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Walker has begun his 2014 campaign on a tear (13 total catches), rewarding fantasy owners with 29.9 standard points through two games.
| 1 | at KC | 4 | 3 | 37 | 12.3 | 1 |
| 2 | DAL | 14 | 10 | 142 | 14.2 | 1 |
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"So in one of my leagues the guy who started Niles Paul is facing the guy who started Delanie Walker. #BizarroShootout
— Adam Harstad (@AdamHarstad) September 14, 2014"
Is this the beginning of something special, or has Jared Cook syndrome struck in Tennessee once again?
You recall Cook, that indefatigable tease originally emanating from the Titans before moving on to the St. Louis Rams. Every year, it seems, we get one supernova of a fantasy score from Cook only to see him cool to a white dwarf soon after.
Walker had his supernova last week. Now what do we make of his prospects going forward?
Let's start with Walker's Week 1 touchdown catch, a red-zone beauty from quarterback Jake Locker.
The Titans were lined up in 11 personnel, and the Kansas City Chiefs defense was in a zone. Walker ran a seam route right through the zone and cooked it for a touchdown.
Walker was Locker's first, best read and he delivered the ball in a great spot, where only the tight end could catch it. It was an otherwise unremarkable day for Walker, who totaled four receptions for 37 yards to go along with that touchdown, but it was merely an appetizer for what he would offer in Week 2.
"Delanie Walker currently has 10 receptions for 142 yards. The rest of the Titans have 7 catches for 83 yds,
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 14, 2014"
"Delanie Walker just ran away from Cowboys CB & S. Always thought his talent underutilized
— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) September 14, 2014"
There was, of course, the dandy of a touchdown reception on which Walker pin-balled away from cornerback Morris Claiborne and outraced the rest of the secondary for a 61-yard touchdown.
Walker was so fast on the play that he impressed his own coach, per ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky:
"“I don’t know why people think I’m not fast. I consider myself a fast guy. I showed it. If I get those opportunities, I will break tackles and I will outrun people. That’s what I am here for.”
"
Former Titans tight end Frank Wycheck, now the analyst on Titans radio, watched it unfold during the broadcast and said, simply, “Wow.”
Before going on to say he has seen great speed from Walker on special teams, former NFL tight end Ken Whisenhunt said he also was surprised and impressed by the show of speed.
"Delanie had more speed than I thought he did on that long run,” Whisenhunt said.
It's easier to do things like that when you have this much space on the play, but it wasn't just a marvelous touchdown that made Walker's day.
Walker walked away with 14 targets after the dust settled in a disappointing loss against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2. That is an eye-popping total usually reserved for the likes of Jimmy Graham or Rob Gronkowski, particularly because the Titans aren't known for a high-octane offense.
To put that into perspective, those 14 targets accounted for 42.4 percent of all pass attempts by the Titans offense in Week 2. Graham leads the league with 28 percent through the first two weeks.
The Cowboys may be generous to opposing tight ends thus far this season, but it's not for lack of defensive effort. Walker was wide open on that touchdown, but the Cowboys did their best to keep up with him for much of the day.
Take this first-down reception, for example.
Tennessee was in 11 personnel again on this one. Dallas was in single-high man coverage on the play with safety J.J. Wilcox assigned to cover Walker.
The Cowboys were presumably trying to get someone a bit faster and more athletic to keep pace with the powerful tight end, who had been a frequent target to this point.
Walker ran a dig route with Wilcox in lukewarm pursuit. Middle linebacker Rolando McClain was focused on the backfield and keeping an eye out for anyone coming across on a shallow route. Safety Barry Church stayed high.
Wilcox was beaten before Walker broke inside, and Locker made a good throw. Had Walker been covered by a slower linebacker, he might have escaped the diving tackle attempt by Wilcox.
Whether it was man or zone, Walker was all over the Cowboys defense last week.
All in all, it was a fantastic outing from Walker that could have been even more spectacular. His momentum carried him out of bounds, but Walker was this close to a second touchdown reception.
Where does this all lead? That is the question of the week, at least for anyone mulling a trade for Walker or simply weighing whether to keep in the starting lineup.
It would be foolhardy to expect 14 targets per game for Walker, even if he has become Locker's favorite target. Playing against what seems to be one of the worst defenses in the league—at least when it comes to covering tight ends—also helped.
Circling back to the question of future returns for Walker, however, the first two weeks have augured good things for the rest of the year.
Not only is he being targeted a ton, but Walker is capitalizing on those targets. He averaged 1.44 fantasy points per target in Week 2 in points-per-reception (PPR) formats, not too shabby for a guy with 14 targets.
Walker is the real deal. He won't be popping off for 142 yards every week, but a top-five fantasy finish this season is in the cards if he can stay healthy.
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