Dynasty 2011: Panthers WRs (1 Viewer)

[Richard_the_Vampire]

The big dynasty thread has become hard to follow and is dominated by a few posters. It might be more useful to break up the discussion into separate threads. I'll start with a situation that intrigues me: that of the Panthers WRs.

Steve Smith will be 32 years old if there is a 2011 football season. He had a bad year statistically in 2010, but most believe that this was a result of poor quarterbacking, and not an age-related erosion of skill. Ron Rivera said that he was interested in speaking with Smith, and the rest of the Panthers brass has steadfastly refused to trade him. This means that he is probably staying put, but he could be moved if he requests a trade.

Brandon LaFell, a third round pick in 2010, will be 25 if there is a 2011 season. He flashed every so often during 2010, but averaged less than 40 yards per game on the season. He was targeted frequently by whatever Panthers QB was in the game--he often saw more balls than Steve Smith--but these targets often did not result in catches. This is probably just the "poor QB tight end target" syndrome applied to a big wideout (a poor QB will often look to his tight end more often than a good QB would because he panics and/or because of pressure). It's hard for me to gauge his prospects; part of me thinks that if the team improves, his numbers will decrease.

David Gettis, a sixth round pick in 2010, will be 24 is there is a 2011 season. He flashed in the middle portion of the 2010 season with big games against the 49ers and Ravens. He displayed big-play ability on several catches, but as the season progressed he became more of an afterthought. Jimmy Clausen does not appear comfortable throwing to Gettis, or perhaps Gettis simply didn't get open enough for Clausen. But in my opinion, Gettis displayed more talent this season than LaFell with his long catches and touchdowns in the middle portion of the season.

What do the FBGs think about these three receivers going forward? How should they be valued in dynasty leagues? Is it all a crapshoot until the new quarterback is installed in training camp (if there is a training camp)?

 

[DesmondBishop]

They also have Armanti Edwards who is a multi-talented player.

I think the Panthers (All the receivers) had problems with drops, I know LaFell has had it since college and Gettis is a body catcher which naturally leads to drops. Both young and flashed some potential, probably whoever builds the best rapport with whoever is playing QB, may be the money guy, but I would probably stay clear of them all, at least early on.

 

[Richard_the_Vampire]

They also have Armanti Edwards who is a multi-talented player. I think the Panthers (All the receivers) had problems with drops, I know LaFell has had it since college and Gettis is a body catcher which naturally leads to drops. Both young and flashed some potential, probably whoever builds the best rapport with whoever is playing QB, may be the money guy, but I would probably stay clear of them all, at least early on.

I agree that Gettis appears to be a body catcher. But his ratio of catches to targets is much better than Lafell's. Perhaps the passes thrown to LaFell were less accurate.

 

[Sanboy]

Lafell was slow to " pick it up " at LSU .. but he figured it all out by year 2 or year 3 ... and really improved by his senior year on the route running and ect

i expect him to pull away from Gettis next year , and if you look as long as Claussen is the QB .. he and lafell have a " thing " between the two of them .. call it whatever you want .. but there is a trust thing where Claussen looks for Lafell

 

[Richard_the_Vampire]

Lafell was slow to " pick it up " at LSU .. but he figured it all out by year 2 or year 3 ... and really improved by his senior year on the route running and ect

i expect him to pull away from Gettis next year , and if you look as long as Claussen is the QB .. he and lafell have a " thing " between the two of them .. call it whatever you want .. but there is a trust thing where Claussen looks for Lafell

I agree with the bolded. It is questonable, however, that Clausen will be the starting QB next year.

 

[oukurt]

When they add AJ Green their WR corps will improve across the board.

 

[Kitrick Taylor]

When they add AJ Green their WR corps will improve across the board.

Did you see Fairly play in the National Championship game? With Luck out of the equation, Fairly is #1. Its really too bad that for the Panthers' that Luck went back to school. He would have been the perfect fit to cure many of their ills. I don't think this team is in that bad of shape. Their QB play has been beyond atrocious however, and this is a QB league. There isn't another QB candidate for the #1 overall pick, and the Panthers don't have a second rounder. I don't think they can realistically go into 2011 with Clausen as their top option. That will probably lead them to the Free Agent/trade route. Without knowing what type of system Rivera plans to install on offense, its difficult to predict whom they may pursue. A caretaker like McNabb may be a good option while giving Clausen or a 2012 pick a chance to develop may be the route they go. As for Steve Smith, I think they should deal him. Its pretty clear that the Panthers are a few years from contending, and Smith could net them a 3rd rounder. He'd seem a good fit for the Patriots, Colts, Bucs or Rams. I don't really think its possible to fairly evaluate Gettis and LaFell at this point. The QB play was so bad that a fair evaluation is near impossible.

 

[todisco1]

I think Gettis has a real shot. LaFell could definitely beat him out but Gettis flashed real talent last year -- would love to see what he could do with a real QB.

 

[lyon812]

Having watched too many Panthers games this year:

Everyone blaming the WR play solely on the QB should realize it's a two-way street. Clausen was horrible when the rush got to him, but when he did have time, he wasn't helped in the least. Gettis, LaFell, Smith, Rosario? Every one of them had a number of drops. Smith looked disinterested, Rosario was a penalty waiting to happen, Gettis and LaFell were running the wrong routes and disappearing from games.

That being said, out of all of them I like LaFell the best. He had some struggles with drops and routes, but did seem to improve over the course of the season, and made a number of clutch plays along the sidelines and end zones; he was even robbed on one or two of them. I'm not sure his upside is much more than Michael Jenkins, though.

Gettis showed he might be a good deep threat. He has good speed, but isn't that physical and gets taken out of games. His receiving savvy seems raw. While he and LaFell were both inconsistent, LaFell simply seems more reliable at this point and showed more progress from the start of the season to the end. If Gettis were to muscle up and play with more oomph, I think he could wind up better.