Fantasy Football Profile: Larry Fitzgerald & Andre Johnson

Larry Fitzgerald put on a show last year shattering the NFL playoff record for receiving yards.  In the Super Bowl, he showed  an extra gear I didn’t even know he had.  Here’s the video:

Fitz recorded his third 1400+, 10 TD season in his last four years making him truly one of the most elite wide receivers in the game. He had seven 100 yard plus games and caught touchdowns in nine games. He had either 100 yards or a td in 13 games last year. 

That kind of consistency is remarkable. 

Once the top five or six running backs, Adrien Peterson, Michael Turner, Maurice Jones-Drew, Matt Forte, Ladainian Tomlinson, and Steven Jackson come off the board, I truly would rather take him than a running back with some questions. Chris Johnson is awesome, but he’s in a job share with LenDale White. 

Steve Slaton is great, but prove it again. Sometimes Frank Gore forgets to find the end zone.  Brandon Jacobs gets hurt.  Is this the year Clinton Portis breaks down? Will Westy stay healthy?  Was DeAngelo Williams' year a fluke?

Will Ronnie Brown look better another year removed from his knee injury? Too many questions for my taste in the middle to late first round. The rules favor the passing game and running back by committees are becoming more prevalent. When the elite RBs come off the board, give me some Fitz.

Andre Johnson is great because he’s built like T.O., but doesn’t come with all the attitude and self-entitlement. At 6′3″, 228 lbs. he is very tough to cover. His consistency is a little bit of an issue as he had six games of 130+ yards and five games of 55 or fewer yards.  He still managed to have 11 games with either 100 plus yards or a td though, which is why I have him as my #2 WR on the board. 

He was particularly deadly in PPR leagues last year as he hauled in 115 passes. He has averaged 6.78 receptions per game the past three seasons. Now that the Texans have surrounded him with complimentary talent, Steve Slaton, Owen Daniels, Kevin Walter, and Owen Daniels, it is harder to key in on Johnson.

Johnson did the majority of his damage on first downs, showing how important his role in their offense is.  He had 49.6 percent of his receptions, 807 of his 1575 yards and four of eight tds on first down. 

He’s not a deep threat as only seven of his receptions were thrown over 20 yards, but he’s great at getting yards after the catch. He’s also good in the Red Zone, scoring six of his TDs there. He’s never caught double-digit tds, which is why I have him a hair behind Larry Fitzgerald, but I would have no problem taking him at the end of the first round.

Articles originally published at LestersLegends.com.