NFL

5 Wide Receivers Being Selected Too Early in Fantasy Football Drafts

Joe Redemann  —  @TheIDPGuy Aug 30th, 2016
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​Tavon Austin, Los Angeles Rams

ADP: WR43
numberFire: WR53

I don’t care that you traded up to pick Tavon Austin in the top-five of the 2013 NFL Draft, Los Angeles Rams; throwing bad money after good is never a strong roster building philosophy. The Rams believe that Austin is a bargain on his new four-year, $42 million extension as an NFL top wide receiver, but Austin is just not good enough to anchor a wide receiving group. While it may sound like I’m ranting about an NFL move, some teams are viewing Tavon Austin as a fantasy anchor as well, and that just doesn’t hold up.

Austin had a unique 2015 season, as the only wide receiver since the NFL-AFL merger to put up 400 yards in both rushing and receiving. That said, he is not a traditional, dominant top wide receiver for fantasy purposes; the Rams have to game-plan and use trickery to manufacture touches for him, so while his more than 130 opportunities last year look great on paper, you have to realize that he had just 87 targets as a receiver. Add in the fact that this passing offense looks abhorrent still -- with the scattershot cannon of Case Keenum under center to start 2016 -- and one can easily imagine that the Rams are going to run the ball a ton with Todd Gurley. Austin’s volume of touches -- which, considering his receiving inefficiency, is all he has -- may evaporate. Don't be on the wrong end of his limited skill set.

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