Fourth & 1 Debate: Which Surprise WR Is for Real?

Time for another Fourth & 1 Roundtable Debate.  Junkyard Jake came up with this week’s topic.  Click here to see the full article.

Every year there are Wide Receivers that get off to quick starts. The key is sniffing out if they are contenders or pretenders. 

The obvious choices early on are the Giants duo of Mario Manningham and Steve Smith and St. Louis’ Laurent Robinson.  I would endorse those three, especially the Giants duo first and foremost, but I decided to dig a little deeper.

A name that comes to mind is Seattle’s Nate Burleson.  He started the season with a bang with 7 catches for 74 yards and a TD in a win over St. Louis. He followed that up with 4 catches for 46 yards in a loss to San Francisco. 

Aside from the production, the encouraging aspect was the number of targets.  He led the Seahawks in targets both games, with 11 and 10, respectively.

The key for his continued success is his health.  Though Matt Hasselbeck is questionable with a fractured rib, Seneca Wallace is a capable replacement.

With T.J. Houshmandzadeh and John Carlson receiving most of the defensive focus, Burleson makes a solid fill-in player during the bye weeks.

Panelists
Junkyard Jake of www.junkyardjake.com
Ryan Lester of www.lesterslegends.com
Paul Greco of www.fantasypros911.com
Bryce McRae of www.kffl.com
Kurt Turner of www.top-fantasy-football.com
Eric Stashin of www.rotoprofessor.com
Lee of www.footballjabber.com
Smitty of www.fantasyfootballxtreme.com