Fantasy Football Profiles: Bernard Berrian, Devin Hester, Steve Breaston

Bernard Berrian, WR, Vikings

With the Brett Favre saga finally over, Berrian gets a bump in value.  Berrian had a solid year with 48 catches for 964 yards and seven touchdowns last season despite playing with the likes of Gus Frerotte and Tavaris Jackson. 

With Favre, he should surpass the 1,000-yard mark he’s been hovering around the past two seasons. Berrian has averaged six TDs a year over the past three seasons, a number that could also increase with No. 4 on board. 

Even if Favre did go down, Sage Rosenfels would be an adequate replacement. Berrian is going in the seventh round in fantasy drafts, though he’ll likely begin to creep up the draft board with his new QB. I would roll with Berrian as a WR3. I expect him to catch 65 passes for 1,100 yards and seven TDs.

Devin Hester, WR, Bears

Hester is another speedy WR that got a shiny new quarterback this year. Even though he annoyed Jay Cutler recently, I think Hester could have a really nice year.

With another year at WR under his belt, he should be more comfortable. Having a QB with a big arm to take advantage of his speed should also help.

He was spotty at best last year with just three games with over 70 receiving yards. He had six games with less than 30 yards. You would think he would have rushing numbers to increase his value, but he ran just six times for 61 yards. He had 11 return TDs in his first two years, but failed to reach paydirt last year. 

He isn’t slated to do any returns this year, so don’t expect any bonus scores. Having him concentrate full-time on his WR duties should help him stay focused and healthy, but it also takes away what comes naturally for Hester. I expect him to be more consistent with Cutler, but I still don’t think I would want to rely on him as a WR3. He’s going in the seventh round in fantasy drafts. I’m expecting 55 catches for 850 yards and six TDs.

Steve Breaston, WR, Cardinals

Breaston is another speedy WR that is being counted on in 2009. Only he’s the third WR on his team, which means, barring injury, that I would want him as a WR4 at best.

He had a great year in '08, catching 77 passes for 1,006 yards and three TDs. He was very inconsistent with eight games of 77-plus yards and eight games with fewer than 55 yards (five with fewer than 40). What's more, he only found the end zone three times.

The Cardinals are going to balance their offense more this year with the addition of first-round pick Beanie Wells. Unless Boldin or Fitz get hurt or Boldin is miraculously traded, Breaston’s fantasy value takes a hit in 2009. He is going around the ninth round of fantasy drafts, which is a bit early for my tastes. I’m expecting around 55 catches for 825 yards and four TDs.

---

Originally published at LestersLegends.com.