Michael Crabtree and Braylon Edwards: Fantasy Football 411 on Taxing Targets

Fantasy Football's wide receiver pool just got a little deeper...maybe.  Two of the NFL's biggest prima donnas, Michael Crabtree & Braylon Edwards, will be donning new colors soon.

In April, the 49ers selected Crabtree with the 10th pick of the draft.  Who knew by the way he held up that jersey on stage that he wouldn't wear it until October? 

Although the Crabtree saga has been all the hype at ESPN, the more football relevant news may be Braylon Edwards being traded to the New York Jets in a move where Eric Mangini makes his former team better once again.

While fans from the East to West Coast are either jumping for joy or burying their heads in shame, fantasy football owners are asking themselves, "What’s it to me?"


Big Ego Meets the Big City

Despite his roots in the Midwest, Cleveland was never a good fit for Braylon Edwards.  We have seen flashes of his potential like his amazing combine performance in 2005 or his 16 TD 2007 but Edwards has lacked consistency more than any other player at his position.

The fresh start will be great for Edwards in the long run, especially as he develops with Mark Sanchez over the next few years, but that’s the problem—receivers and quarterbacks usually need time to develop.  Now Edwards will be able to run a nine just fine, but the intricacies of short and mid routes may not find a rhythm until late in the year.

Overall, this move does benefit Edwards and Sanchez in 2009.  Edwards' fantasy value has been plummeting, especially coming off the first zero catch game of his career.  It is still uncertain how much time Edwards will get in the Jets' Monday night game with Miami, but he may be startable then and I expect him as a fantasy regular by Week Six.

The Jets have a very friendly schedule to finish out the year, and while they want to get the running game established, they are giving Sanchez the green light.  Along with Dustin Keller and Jerricho Cotchery, Sanchez has three good targets in the receiving game, as well as Leon Washington out the backfield and NY can target players at every spot on the field.

Uncertain owners may be looking to get Edwards off their hands, make a move on the cheap and reap the benefits when the Jets are counting on Edwards for a playoff run.


Golden Boy Agrees To Golden Deal

It's been a while since we've seen Michael Crabtree on a football field.  A foot injury kept him sidelined during the draft and through 49ers minicamps and OTAs and his holdout has kept him across the country from the Niners' training facility this season.

The last time we saw Crabtree doing what he does best was Jan. 2 when the Texas Tech Red Raiders were upset by Ole' Miss in the Cotton Bowl.  It was a disappointing performance for Crabtree who registered 30 yards and a TD on four catches.

It seems like it's going to be a while until Crabtree gets acclimated to life in the NFL.  What shape is he in?  He may look good but he hasn't taken live reps for 10 months.

The Niners also have a new ideology under Mike Singletary, which includes a 45-foot hill that Crabtree has yet to climb.

Can Michael Crabtree be fantasy relevant in 2009?  Sure he can, at Tech he was always one play away from a touchdown and I expect him to regain his burst but there is no timetable as to when the Niners will start targeting him.  Unless you are in a deep league I would wait a few weeks before giving him any waiver wire consideration.