Fantasy Football 2015: 3 Receivers Who Shot Their Fantasy Values in the Foot

Sometimes money is an object, even in fantasy football.

The NFL is a pass-first league. Quarterbacks dominate the league, the rules are skewered every year to make passing easier, and receivers are more well thought of and more handsomely paid than running backs.

But some premier receivers have shot their fantasy values in the foot this offseason with their free-agent signings. They chose millions over being in better situations where getting 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns would not have been so difficult, and the fantasy owners who draft them in September are going to be the ones paying the price.

Percy Harvin, Buffalo Bills

Harvin could have taken his talents to any receiver-starved team in need of someone with his special set of skills, yet he chose a team that will employ a run-heavy offense built around newly acquired LeSean McCoy.

And when Buffalo does decide to throw the ball, Harvin has even more impediments and competition that could cut down his fantasy worth. Buffalo has mediocre veteran Matt Cassel and just-as-mediocre E.J. Manuel as its two quarterbacks. Neither has been known for lifting the fantasy values of his receivers. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady do that, not these two.

Plus, Harvin might be the third-best option in the passing attack. Super sophomore Sammy Watkins is ready to be a 1,000-yard receiver and is probably anxious to prove to people that New York’s Odell Beckham Jr. and Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans were not the best receivers in the 2014 NFL draft.

Buffalo also ponied up $38 million to sign tight end Charles Clay away from division rival Miami. Clay should catch loads of passes underneath and down the seams, the same places Harvin frequents when he runs patterns from the slot.

Buffalo head honcho Rex Ryan and offensive coordinator Greg Roman love running the ball as much as Tom Brady loves Gisele. So if running the ball is the offense’s first option, Watkins is the second option and Clay is the third option, Harvin appears to be fourth in the pecking order.

Harvin has never been a fantasy standout. He has never had 1,000 receiving yards or 10 total touchdowns in a season, and he has been known more for his injuries, migraine headaches and bad attitude than for putting up any huge numbers in recent years. Signing with Buffalo probably will not change that.

Jeremy Maclin, Kansas City Chiefs

Maclin stayed healthy in 2014 and cashed in because of it in 2015. He set career-highs across the board with 85 receptions for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns. He even had a career-best 11 tackles.

Maclin clearly benefited from being the top target in Chip Kelly’s frenetic, high-powered offense. But instead of staying with the team and in the offense that made him arguably a top-10 receiver, Maclin decided to sign for millions more with Kansas City and reunite with old head coach Andy Reid.

If you lived under a rock or Terrance Knighton’s belly last season, you may not know that Kansas City’s receivers did not have one touchdown catch. Not one. You would have thought that Dwayne Bowe could have accidentally fallen into the end zone at least once.

It is likely harder to have a kicker miss five extra points in a season than to go a full year without a touchdown catch from a team’s wide receivers in today’s pass-happy NFL. This says a lot about Kansas City’s offense and its personnel.

Quarterback Alex Smith helps elevate the fantasy values of the receivers around him about as much as one-inch heels make the average woman look like a WNBA player. Smith never did any favors for Michael Crabtree and other wideouts in San Francisco, and he has continued the trend in Kansas City. His lack of arm strength and difficulty getting the ball downfield will constrain Maclin’s fantasy value.

Look for Maclin’s numbers to take a severe sacking with Kansas City. Sixty receptions for 850 yards and five touchdowns would be a big comedown, but those stats sounds more realistic for him than him having 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns again.

Torrey Smith, San Francisco 49ers

Smith is one of the premier deep threats in football, so being with Baltimore, where quarterback Joe Flacco can heave the ball as accurately as anyone in the NFL, was a humongous plus. If Smith was a member of the Miami Dolphins and had Ryan Tannehill underthrowing or overshooting on long passes these past few years, he would have been a fantasy flop instead of a fantasy force.

Smith’s 2014 campaign had his fantasy owners scratching their heads. He set a career-high with 11 touchdown catches, yet his 767 receiving yards were a career-low. His receptions, targets and yards per catch were also the worst of his NFL career.

Smith signed with San Francisco, as Baltimore has been letting its productive veterans sail away from Inner Harbor. But while Smith’s financial portfolio has improved due to the deal, it did not improve his fantasy value.

Colin Kaepernick has all of the talent and tools in the world, yet his strong arm has not helped his receivers or tight ends since he has been the starter. Neither has San Francisco’s run-first philosophy. The 49ers were ranked 30th in passing offense each of the past two seasons.

You cannot blame San Francisco’s receiving corps for its lack of 300-yard passing games. Anquan Boldin, Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree and Stevie Johnson would have posted better numbers in a better system with a better passer. The foursome might lack a little in speed and youth, but there were plenty of receiving foursomes in the NFL last season with less talent but more touchdowns and yards.

Now Smith has to come and take the place of the departed Crabtree and Johnson and try to give San Francisco the home run threat it has not had since Barry Bonds retired. While the 49ers will have a new offensive coordinator (Geep Chryst), he came from in-house so it is not like the offense will suddenly start revolving around five-receiver sets and having Smith get 14 targets per contest.

Smith will do all right with the 49ers. Think somewhere in the 900-950-yard range with seven touchdowns. That is OK and worthy of a middle-to-late round fantasy draft choice, but staying in Baltimore or beating Andre Johnson to the punch and signing with the Indianapolis Colts would have done bigger wonders for his numbers.