Is Kevin Smith Worth a Second-Round Pick in Fantasy Football?

In this week's edition of "Bruno Boys Mailbag," we will be tackling some hot topics that are surfacing on our Bruno Boys Message Board.

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With that being said, lets get started on the August 6, 2009 edition of the Bruno Boys Mailbag: Fantasy Football Q & A.

Question

During a solid Rookie campaign in 2004, Detroit RB Kevin Jones amassed 1,313 total yards with six total TD’s, averaging 4.7 yards per carry.

During the ensuing fantasy football draft, I bought into the hype, which included every fantasy football cliche’ in the inventory: "Can’t miss prospect, breakout year, dtud, etc."

He rewarded me with 773 total yards, five total TD’s, and averaged 3.6 yards per carry. Some breakout year, huh?

Fast Forward four years and we see a similar back, on the same team, with the same name and hype, following eerily similar Rookie Seasons: The current Detroit RB named Kevin (Smith) had 1,276 total yards, eight total TD’s and averaged 4.1 yard per carry.

Can someone please explain to me why on earth I would buy into the hype of a guy like Kevin Smith, who plays behind a wretched Detroit Line? A guy who plays on a team who’s starting QB changes like my wife’s throughout the day? Who will more likely than not have a young QB at the helm by Week Six?—(Kearnsy, Bruno Boys Forum)

Answer

Kearnsy...The Lions offensive line has improved through time, but that doesn’t mean it is adequate by any means. There is something that you should read before heading elsewhere with Kevin Smith, as he is a workhorse that is striving to get better. And the passing game that surrounds him along with the blocking that Brandon Pettigrew will offer is something to be excited about. 

Plus, Smith spent the whole offseason conditioning himself to break arm tackles. He is nowhere close to being satisfied. In a recent article at MLive.com (Detroit’s local news outlet) he said the following, "I ran the hills a lot more in the offseason. I wanted more lower-body explosion. I have to break more arm tackles—I left a lot of yards out there last season."

If that isn’t being determined, then we don’t know what is. Here are a few more quick hitters to help make drafting Smith easier:

1. Scott Linehan’s offensive scheme, which utilizes a zone blocking system, complements Smith’s one-cut running style quite nicely.

2. Smith is a slightly better receiver than Jones, as he caught 39 passes compared to Jones' 28 as a rookie and averaged .9 more yards than Jones did per catch.

3. The prospect of Stafford being under center does hurt Smith’s value somewhat, but it also helps in some ways too. Usually, young QBs tend to dump the ball off quite often, and you can bet if Stafford follows that trend, Smith will be one of the guys who will benefit (answer by Bruno Boys Chris Ziza and Mike Whooley).

You can read the full story by clicking the following link: Is Kevin Smith Worth a Second Round Pick in Fantasy Football?