Marques Colston: 2009 Projection

A seventh round draft pick out of Hofstra in 2006, Marques Colston burst onto the scene in his rookie year, picking up 1,038 yards receiving as well as eight TDs. He followed that up in 2007 by catching 98 passes for 1,202 yards and 11 TDs, entrenching himself among the league's best receivers.

His 2008 season, however, was partially derailed by injury. After playing in the team’s opener, he was sidelined for the next five games after tearing ligament in his thumb that had to be corrected via surgery. He came back in Week 7, starting the game, but didn't register a catch.

He wasn't shutout the rest of the season, picking up 100 yards receiving games in three of the final nine games, as well as a 99-yard contest. If there were any concerns that he hadn't returned to form, he scored four TDs over the season’s final three weeks.

He enters 2009 as the top receiver for the team with the best QB in the league, though he is coming off surgery on his knee this offseason. It was considered a minor procedure involving "some microfracture techniques." It certainly is worth noting, though thus far this season he hasn’t shown any ill effects.

Mike Triplett of The New Orleans Times-Picayune has noted how Colston may be the main target in the red zone, recently describing the red zone drills in practice by saying:

"Brees repeatedly fired the ball in Colston's direction. He caught one easy touchdown pass, using his size to shield the closest defensive back (who was obstructed from my view). On the next play, Brees scrambled away from pressure and threw high toward Colston in the back of the end zone over corner back Jabari Greer. Colston leapt for it and wasn’t able to reel it in—but that’s a catch he'll make once he gets back in his rhythm. The important thing is that he’s a target Brees trusts and looks for in those situations."

Considering the way he ended 2008 and his ability to score TDs in the past, this is very promising for fantasy owners. It certainly would not be surprising to see him once again score double-digit TDs, making him a potential No. 1 WR in all formats and certainly a great No. 2.

As for what I would project him doing this season, I'd put him at:

Receiving: 78 catches, 1,180 yards, 10 TD

The catches aren't necessarily going to put him at the top of the league's leader board, but the yards and TDs place him among the best. There were only 10 receivers last season who had over 1,100 yards and only seven who managed double-digit TDs.

There's no doubt he's a risk, especially with the knee surgery he's coming off, but it doesn't seem like it's effecting him. If it's last season's production that concerns you, just listen to Drew Brees, who is quoted on CBS as saying "I think he's a guy who’s somewhat of a get-in-a-rhythm kind of guy and can be very successful."

He went on to say that, "Unfortunately  last year, he had a great preseason and then that first game (he got injured). And then he's out five or six weeks. It takes a little while to get back in the swing of things, because everybody else around you on the team and the teams that you're playing, they're in a rhythm."

His ADP is currently 25.76, and he's about the 10th receiver off the board, according to Mock Draft Central. That may be a little early, given the inherent risk, but not too far off.

I'd say, draft him with confidence in 2009. What does everyone else think? How good will Colston be? Is he a player you're targeting?

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