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Anquan BOLDIN - Detroit Lions (1 Viewer)

Interesting move there. Wonder what he has left. And of course I was just saying how Marvin Jones could be a nice steal in the mid-rounds.

 
Depth or a quality vet that can go catch a 6 yd pass on 3rd and 5. I've wanted that for years on this team, what Ricky proehl was tothe  rams. Jones still a good wr in the mid rounds...

 
Boldin seems ageless and it is pretty crazy what he made out of the year last year with such a bad team. I can't see much fantasy value here barring an injury but he will make the Lions better. Unfortunately, it won't make them a contender.

 
Love this move as a Lions homer. Great character and clutch performer. Will be great for the locker room
Agreed.  This seems more about leadership and bringing in a veteran role player than anything to get excited about in ff. Too bad he didn't go to Detroit earlier in his career.

 
Very smart move.

He has a lot left and provides needed leadership. He will also draw attention off of other receivers and block well in the run game.

 
Good move by the Lions.

If Boldin plays significant snaps I think people will need to draw the breaks on some of their pie in the sky projections for Jones. Not that Jones won't still be useful and worth his ADP, but for the folks thinking that Jones was going to get Calvin type targets and relegate Tate to second fiddle.

Boldin could have some effect on capping Ebron as well, though I wouldn't think as much.

As already mentioned Boldin could be a plus for all of the other skill players due to his excellent blocking ability.

 
75 catches, 1000 yards and 6 TDs would be the ceiling, right?
Why not, his per game average over the last 3 seasons was 66 yards and 0.35 TDs per game. That is 1056 yards and 5.5 TDs over a full season. He slipped a bit last year to 56 and 0.29. That is 896 and 4.6. I am not sure if either of those are possible given the amount of targets Detroit has relative to the targets SF had the last three years, but statistics certainly indicate Boldin might have something left in the tank. 

 
75 catches, 1000 yards and 6 TDs would be the ceiling, right?
A pretty high ceiling. To reach that Boldin would need 120 targets at a 63% catch rate, The catch rate certainly possible as the Lions are mostly focused on the short passing game, I don't think 120 targets is in the cards unless one of the Lions many weapons gets injured.

While this numbers would be in line with this performance in the past, he will be 36 years old in October. He has been a free agent up until this point. I don't think the expectation is for Boldin to be a starter. 

When he does play he may be asked to block more often than not. I could see 60 targets maybe. That would be 3.75 targets/game and result in about two receptions per game.

Those 60 targets would be shaved off the targets evenly between Riddick, Tate, Jones, Ebron. 

 
A pretty high ceiling. To reach that Boldin would need 120 targets at a 63% catch rate, The catch rate certainly possible as the Lions are mostly focused on the short passing game, I don't think 120 targets is in the cards unless one of the Lions many weapons gets injured.

While this numbers would be in line with this performance in the past, he will be 36 years old in October. He has been a free agent up until this point. I don't think the expectation is for Boldin to be a starter. 

When he does play he may be asked to block more often than not. I could see 60 targets maybe. That would be 3.75 targets/game and result in about two receptions per game.

Those 60 targets would be shaved off the targets evenly between Riddick, Tate, Jones, Ebron. 
I think it would take an injury to get there. 

 
600 targets

WRs - 310

TE - 120

RBs - 170

During Tate's two years, Megatron had 292 targets and Golden 255. The WR3 in those two years had 78 targets, and all other WRs less than 50. I don't see JBC calling for 340-350 WR targets - I'm projecting a 10% drop off.

TEs went from 80 to 100 and I think the upward trend continues as Ebron makes a VD type progression to stardom. I'm an optimist.

RBs - 168 & 173. I'm thinking this stays the same.

Tate - 125

Jones - 95

Boldin - 75, projecting roughly 45-550-5 type year. But I wouldn't be shocked if his playing time increases. 60-750-8? Presiming you can probably get him in redrafts next month in around the SS Sr / Garçon / T. Benjamin range I'd go for it 

Other WRa - 20

Ebron - 100

Other TEs - 20

Riddick - 90

AA - 60

Other RBs - 20

The mix may change once unknowable injuries are factored in.

 
Good stuff BL.All makes sense to me. We are on the same page with most of these guys. Perhaps you are a bit more optimistic about Boldin than I am.

 
Very good move for the Lions. Depth has always lacked since the days of Moore/Perriman/Morton. He may vulture a few Tate/Marvin bound TDs but moreso this probably stunts the growth of OTA darling TJ Jones who I wanted to see more of. Oh well.

 
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Very good move for the Lions. Depth has always lacked since the days of Moore/Perriman/Morton. He may vulture a few Tate/Marvin bound TDs but moreso this probably stunts the growth of OTA darling TJ Jones who I wanted to see more of. Oh well.
Happy to see TJ come back from injury & he has progressed, but between him, Caldwell, Fuller, Kerley, Roberts...bro, that's a lot of hot garbage compared to Boldin. I just can't see any of them developing into a solid WR3.

You're not getting elite Anquan but the situation is favorable. If you wander over to pro football reference and plug in WRs in their 13th-20th year, discount guys named Rice since he was a singular instance, you'll find a ton of WRs who put up good numbers. 35 is about when Marvin and a host of others hit the wall, so this could go the other way. 35-36 year old bodies don't hold up like 25-26 y.o. do, but if he stays healthy I think Boldin will have a clear role.

I'm probably not as optimistic as some about how productive Golden and Marvin will be. In my mind, I would love to see Ebron break out big time. If he does and Dead Leg Theo keeps doing his thing then I think all 3 WRs will be in a 55-80 / 650-850 / 4-8 band. I'm avoiding the starters but like Boldin as a back end WR5/WR6 bye week filler.

If Ebron progresses like I think he will then he represents the best VBD on the Lions. I expect Riddick & AA to outperform their ADP but the lack of GL carries will limit their upside (I'm thinking Ridley or ZZ will be favored inside the 5.)

 
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Happy to see TJ come back from injury & he has progressed, but between him, Caldwell, Fuller, Kerley, Roberts...bro, that's a lot of hot garbage compared to Boldin. I just can't see any of them developing into a solid WR3.

You're not getting elite Anquan but the situation is favorable. If you wander over to pro football reference and plug in WRs in their 13th-20th year, discount guys named Rice since he was a singular instance, you'll find a ton of WRs who put up good numbers. 35 is about when Marvin and a host of others hit the wall, so this could go the other way. 35-36 year old bodies don't hold up like 25-26 y.o. do, but if he stays healthy I think Boldin will have a clear role.

I'm probably not as optimistic as some about how productive Golden and Marvin will be. In my mind, I would love to see Ebron break out big time. If he does and Dead Leg Theo keeps doing his thing then I think all 3 WRs will be in a 55-80 / 650-850 / 4-8 band. I'm avoiding the starters but like Boldin as a back end WR5/WR6 bye week filler.

If Ebron progresses like I think he will then he represents the best VBD on the Lions. I expect Riddick & AA to outperform their ADP but the lack of GL carries will limit their upside (I'm thinking Ridley or ZZ will be favored inside the 5.)
Anquan renders TJ Jones the #4 and that's the depth I'm referring to. As with most teams, if you have to go beyond that you are in big trouble.

I think Marvin will be a nice red zone guy but he's never been a great route runner between the 20s. He's got a chance at improvement though. He's only 26 and has never had a sustained full time gig whether due to injury or competition.

I disagree with you about Tate. He blew up without Calvin around and has a #1 mindset even if he is a bit undersized for it. His biggest issue is between the ears. He lost focus last year with the team's early struggles and he wasn't the same player. He'll be motivated to ensure people don't miss Calvin too much. I think he's a great WR2.

I have no faith in Ebron at all. He's a paper champ in his own head and I just don't see remarkable potential in any facet of his game. I agree with the rest of the team assessment.

 
Anquan renders TJ Jones the #4 and that's the depth I'm referring to. As with most teams, if you have to go beyond that you are in big trouble.

I think Marvin will be a nice red zone guy but he's never been a great route runner between the 20s. He's got a chance at improvement though. He's only 26 and has never had a sustained full time gig whether due to injury or competition.

I disagree with you about Tate. He blew up without Calvin around and has a #1 mindset even if he is a bit undersized for it. His biggest issue is between the ears. He lost focus last year with the team's early struggles and he wasn't the same player. He'll be motivated to ensure people don't miss Calvin too much. I think he's a great WR2.

I have no faith in Ebron at all. He's a paper champ in his own head and I just don't see remarkable potential in any facet of his game. I agree with the rest of the team assessment.
Well two years ago Tate had some awesome games when Calvin was out or in a decoy role. Last year they used him like Amendola (led the league in receptions at or behind the LOS.) I don't think he's anything special but he's a solid NFL starter.

Ebron suffers a lot from perception. People still hate on him for being a top ten pick. Dude def has issues with drops at times. He doesn't lack for confidence. But the vitriol I consistently hear from Lions fans is a bit misplaced IMO.  

But what I like about him is everything is smooth and natural. Guy is not freakish but he just makes it look easy. Compare his route running to 95% of the league's TEs and most look like they're lumbering. He makes clean cuts and always catches the ball away from his body. Boldin helps here because in 3 WR sets there's a good chance Ebron will be covered by a nickel or get passed off to a LB. That's a great matchup to exploit and I think his role will increase substantially this year.

It took Vernon Davis four years to become elite and I think Ebron is on the same trajectory. 

 
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Well two years ago Tate had some awesome games when Calvin was out or in a decoy role. Last year they used him like Amendola (led the league in receptions at or behind the LOS.) I don't think he's anything special but he's a solid NFL starter.

Ebron suffers a lot from perception. People still hate on him for being a top ten pick. Dude def has issues with drops at times. He doesn't lack for confidence. But the vitriol I consistently hear from Lions fans is a bit misplaced IMO.  

But what I like about him is everything is smooth and natural. Guy is not freakish but he just makes it look easy. Compare his route running to 95% of the league's TEs and most look like they're lumbering. He makes clean cuts and always catches the ball away from his body. Boldin helps here because in 3 WR sets there's a good chance Ebron will be covered by a nickel or get passed off to a LB. That's a great matchup to exploit and I think his role will increase substantially this year.

It took Vernon Davis four years to become elite and I think Ebron is on the same trajectory. 
Honestly, I don't hold the players responsible for where they were drafted. I do hold them responsible for their attitudes and not owning up to their drops and poor play. That's my take on Ebron from interviews. It's funny you mention Vernon Davis because I saw the same parallels and almost brought it up. I'd like to see it but I just don't.

 
Honestly, I don't hold the players responsible for where they were drafted. I do hold them responsible for their attitudes and not owning up to their drops and poor play. That's my take on Ebron from interviews. It's funny you mention Vernon Davis because I saw the same parallels and almost brought it up. I'd like to see it but I just don't.
Right, but you're hating on the guy for what he says in the locker room. I think you might be right, he probably is a jerk in life. But he's a pretty good athlete. Sometimes guys who have great agility and move effortlessly get overlooked simply because you don't think they're doing anything special because they make it look easy. But just watch his tape side by side with other TEs in the mix for streaming. Way, way more talent than virtually all of them.

But yeah, nothing but potential up to now. This year is put up or shut up time. By the third year you should have a pretty clear idea of what a guy is; what he was supposed to be should be clearly evident. Many TEs develop over years, it's harder to have the immediate impact a RB or WR can make. But we should know by the end of this year if he's special or JAG.

 
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I am with Bobby here except I think Tate does break 1000, but not by much. I also agree that I don't understand why people are down on Ebron. We all know TEs take time to develop. He was pretty efficient last year. He has all the workout metrics that an NFL scout would covet in a TE. He broke out at the college level at 19. He was a fairly dominant college player for a TE. I don't think he becomes a top end TE this year due to opportunity, but I think a Travis Kelce season is very likely. 

 
Right, but you're hating on the guy for what he says in the locker room. I think you might be right, he probably is a jerk in life. But he's a pretty good athlete. Sometimes guys who have great agility and move effortlessly get overlooked simply because you don't think they're doing anything special because they make it look easy. But just watch his tape side by side with other TEs in the mix for streaming. Way, way more talent than virtually all of them.

But yeah, nothing but potential up to now. This year is put up or shut up time. By the third year you should have a pretty clear idea of what a guy is; what he was supposed to be should be clearly evident. Many TEs develop over years, it's harder to have the immediate impact a RB or WR can make. But we should know by the end of this year if he's special or JAG.
I think hate is a strong word but his current attitude suggests to me his growth (even if he's the athlete you suggest) may never be realized because he doesn't see what the rest of us see. Is he working hard enough to correct the issues? Hopefully he matures. We'll see.

 
Run It Up said:
Gotta be the 3 behind Tate and Jones right?
3rd WR, but not sure if he's the 3rd option in the passing game. Also, it will depends what he has left. There could be a reason he wasn't signed until camps were opening up. 

 
3rd WR, but not sure if he's the 3rd option in the passing game. Also, it will depends what he has left. There could be a reason he wasn't signed until camps were opening up. 
I'm not gonna doubt this horse till he's dead.  He's like Steve Smith.  Can probably get it done as long as he wants to.  Wants it more than the other guy.  

Anyway:  Screw this offense, I want no part of it.  They have three WRs that should all be WR2 or WR3, and two backs that could be target monsters.  I hate Stafford (who I think wears a T-Shirt on gameday that says, I Hate Your Fantasy Team).  

 
Ceiling?  More like stratosphere.
He did have 69/789/4 in 14 games with Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick..  That extrapolates to 79/902/5 over 16 games.  While I definitely wouldn't say it will happen it's not crazy.   I don't see any reason why his game would fall off either, he wins with body positioning and great hands.   I don't think a 79/900/5 line is that far off if he can stay healthy.  

 
He is 36 years old and no NFL team team signed him until very recently and you don't see any reason why his game would fall off?

He isn't the starter either. That kind of matters.

 
Boldin's first game was in Det to start his rookie season. He went off for like 200 yds and 2 tds. I was there, it was my 1st or 2nd year of ffl. I had Rogers or Roy Williams, whichever was a rookie that year, who I believe also had 2 tds. Who would have thought that boldin would outlast all 4 years of top 10 wrs we took. 

 
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Boldin's first game was in Det to start his rookie season. He went off for like 200 yds and 2 tds. I was there, it was my 1st or 2nd year of ffl. I had Rogers or Roy Williams, whichever was a rookie that year, who I believe also had 2 tds. Who would have thought that boldin would outlast all 4 years of top 10 wrs we took. 
I was also there. It was Charles Rogers first game his rookie year. Roy wasn't in the league yet. Obviously everyone there was shocked at how sick Boldin was, but we were also very happy that our top pick, local Spartan Rogers was making an immediate impact. Sad how Rogers turned out. He should have been AJ Green before AJ Green. 

 
He is 36 years old and no NFL team team signed him until very recently and you don't see any reason why his game would fall off?

He isn't the starter either. That kind of matters.
Because like Antonio Gates he wins with skills that are much slower to erode.  I thought that comment was pretty straightforward, are you contending that he is winning with athletiscm or elusiveness?

 
Lions notes: What everyone is saying about the Anquan Boldin signing

Anquan Boldin may be the final piece to the Lions’ wide receiver puzzle

The Lions had Lance Moore and still have TJ Jones who had slot looks last season. Some of the beat writers are talking about a balance between giving Jones an opportunity to further develop this season, that could be stagnated if they do play Boldin a significant amount of snaps.

Boldin ran most of his routes from the slot last season and that is the most likely role for him this season with the Lions as well. I have read some caution against using Boldin as a blocker too frequently because of his age, but I don't know. He can play outside as well and having a mobile blocking option like him can really help out on bubble screens and some of the things they like to do with Riddick, who is kind of competing for slots looks too.

Last season Lance Moore in a similar role had 577 offensive snaps, which is pretty significant. The Lions use a lot of 11 personnel like most teams around the NFL.

TJ Jones had 159 offensive snaps last season, that is a number that maybe should increase.

I think this is where the main competition for player time will happen. This is 736 offensive snaps to 3rd WR. It could potentially be more than this if they like how both Boldin and Jones are playing.

If they do have 3 WR on the field for 800 snaps I think Boldin will have 500 of them, with Jones having 300 (about double what he had last season). If Boldin is playing at a high level perhaps that split is more 600 to 200 or maybe they don't use either of these guys quite as much.

Boldin had 757 offensive snaps in 14 games last season. This is 54os/game on pace for 865 offensive snaps last season.

I don't see Boldin getting that much opportunity with the Lions who have a lot more options than the 49ers had last season. The Lions do run more offensive plays than the 49ers did (about 60 plays more in 2015) and the Lions have run more plays in previous years than they did last season, so I think there is some upside there. At the same time JBC seemed to use the run more than Lombardi and they won a lot more games with his approach, so the passing volume may go down somewhat if he maintains this balance for most of the year.

While Boldin is still capable he is going to be 36 years old in October. History shows that WR see a greater frequency of decline in their age 35-36 seasons. Most do not get to play beyond this age.

Boldin is not going to see the high market share of targets he has enjoyed recently because there are too many other weapons to compete with for looks. He also isn't likely to see nearly as many offensive snaps as he has in the past. These two factors lead to me to think Boldin will only have about 60 targets over the season, which is about half the pace he has had the previous 3 seasons (around 130 targets).

Lance Moore had 43 targets over 16 games last season.

 
Well two years ago Tate had some awesome games when Calvin was out or in a decoy role. Last year they used him like Amendola (led the league in receptions at or behind the LOS.) I don't think he's anything special but he's a solid NFL starter.

Ebron suffers a lot from perception. People still hate on him for being a top ten pick. Dude def has issues with drops at times. He doesn't lack for confidence. But the vitriol I consistently hear from Lions fans is a bit misplaced IMO.  

But what I like about him is everything is smooth and natural. Guy is not freakish but he just makes it look easy. Compare his route running to 95% of the league's TEs and most look like they're lumbering. He makes clean cuts and always catches the ball away from his body. Boldin helps here because in 3 WR sets there's a good chance Ebron will be covered by a nickel or get passed off to a LB. That's a great matchup to exploit and I think his role will increase substantially this year.

It took Vernon Davis four years to become elite and I think Ebron is on the same trajectory. 
Did Vernon have a penchant for spiking passes into the ground?

Boldin may be  solid ff #3, once Marvin goes down.  Worth the late pick, I believe.

 
No. I am saying that to see no reason why his game would fall off is cyclopean at best.
I didn't mean to infer that it was not a possibility,  I think it's common sense and the reason I brought it up is because of his age.   He just isn't nearly as likely as other WRs because of his style of play.  My phrasing was off with "I don't see any", as was your ability to parse the point I was making with the help of some common sense.    One might even call it cyclopean at best.

 
Yeah sorry I just wanted to use that word and I likely took your phrasing wrong.

I agree with you that Boldin can still play at the same level he has and age isn't a huge factor in that, its a concern I think but I don't see it affecting him as much as it might other players who rely more on athleticism. 

Despite that I don't see Boldin being used nearly as much as he has been with the 49ers. If Marvin Jones or Tate get injured then there is a chance he would be used more. The Lions and JBC are committed to the short passing game and that is right in Boldin's wheel house.

 
A pretty high ceiling. To reach that Boldin would need 120 targets at a 63% catch rate, The catch rate certainly possible as the Lions are mostly focused on the short passing game, I don't think 120 targets is in the cards unless one of the Lions many weapons gets injured.

While this numbers would be in line with this performance in the past, he will be 36 years old in October. He has been a free agent up until this point. I don't think the expectation is for Boldin to be a starter. 

When he does play he may be asked to block more often than not. I could see 60 targets maybe. That would be 3.75 targets/game and result in about two receptions per game.

Those 60 targets would be shaved off the targets evenly between Riddick, Tate, Jones, Ebron. 
This is spot on. Boldin is a nice talent and a great team player, but a signing this late (without any injuries or disruptions to the starters) indicates nothing more than depth. I love Boldin as a player, but I'll be surprised if he gets more than 60 targets without an injury to Tate, Jones, or Ebron.

 
I love Boldin and I think this is a solid signing by them.  I also think he would have been a stud on the saints.  

I think Boldin on the lions can be the goal line guy and the guy making all the tough catches. I see his ceiling being somewhere around 800yds and 8tds

 
This is spot on. Boldin is a nice talent and a great team player, but a signing this late (without any injuries or disruptions to the starters) indicates nothing more than depth. I love Boldin as a player, but I'll be surprised if he gets more than 60 targets without an injury to Tate, Jones, or Ebron.
60 targets may be a bit pessimistic, but there's no chance he gets to the 60 catches others have thrown out in this thread without an injury - and perhaps not even then.

I'd love to be proven wrong as I'm a big fan of Boldin the person, but IMO all this signing does is cap Tate's and Jones' ceilings this year. In an MFL10 or a similar draft-and-forget league, sure, he's a safe (if unsexy) late-round choice. But there are a lot of other teams' #3s that offer significantly more upside in any league where your "safety net" is defined by the WW - which is to say almost all of them.

 
60 targets may be a bit pessimistic, but there's no chance he gets to the 60 catches others have thrown out in this thread without an injury - and perhaps not even then.

I'd love to be proven wrong as I'm a big fan of Boldin the person, but IMO all this signing does is cap Tate's and Jones' ceilings this year. In an MFL10 or a similar draft-and-forget league, sure, he's a safe (if unsexy) late-round choice. But there are a lot of other teams' #3s that offer significantly more upside in any league where your "safety net" is defined by the WW - which is to say almost all of them.
I'm not that familiar with JBC's offense, but how many targets Boldin gets will depend on his ability to get open, Stafford's trust, and primarily his actual role as the (assumed) WR3. Maybe JBC likes to use the third WR. I dunno. But at this point I'm guessing the WR3 won't see many targets, thus I'm guessing 60 is his ceiling without injury. I mean, think about it... how many teams give their WR3 more than 60 targets? If (1) nobody misses any games and (2) the WR1 and WR2 are clearly defined (some teams swap out their WR2 and WR3 depending on situation), the WR3 doesn't usually get more than 60. There are exceptions - teams that don't use the TE a lot or teams that throw the ball a ton, but last year Detroit threw the ball 632 times and the WR3 got 43 targets. Sure, maybe a 36 year old Boldin is better than a 32 year old Moore, but is he 50% better?

I think JBC took over right around the mid point of the season, so I just looked up Moore's splits. He only had 11 targets in the 2nd half of the season. Either JBC didn't like Moore or he doesn't use the WR3 much.

 
I'm not that familiar with JBC's offense, but how many targets Boldin gets will depend on his ability to get open, Stafford's trust, and primarily his actual role as the (assumed) WR3. Maybe JBC likes to use the third WR. I dunno. But at this point I'm guessing the WR3 won't see many targets, thus I'm guessing 60 is his ceiling without injury. I mean, think about it... how many teams give their WR3 more than 60 targets? If (1) nobody misses any games and (2) the WR1 and WR2 are clearly defined (some teams swap out their WR2 and WR3 depending on situation), the WR3 doesn't usually get more than 60. There are exceptions - teams that don't use the TE a lot or teams that throw the ball a ton, but last year Detroit threw the ball 632 times and the WR3 got 43 targets. Sure, maybe a 36 year old Boldin is better than a 32 year old Moore, but is he 50% better?

I think JBC took over right around the mid point of the season, so I just looked up Moore's splits. He only had 11 targets in the 2nd half of the season. Either JBC didn't like Moore or he doesn't use the WR3 much.
Not sure anyone is, Lions have said the system is totally different from what we saw last half season. 

 
I guess the point is, does it really matter whether he catches 25 balls on 40 targets or 45 on 65 targets? Since he's primarily a possession receiver, what will 45/500/3 over 16 games get you, really? It's better than a string of zeroes in an MFL10, sure, but it's nothing better than you can stream off the WW in anything less than maybe a 20-team league.

His FP ADP since the signing has jumped ahead of WRs like Hogan, Coates, Janis, Boyd, and Funchess (?!), which is lunacy - all those guys and several others offer the same WW-equivalent downside with far more upside.

 
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The Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett believes five catches and one touchdown "isn't out of the realm of possibility" for Anquan Boldin in Week 1.

Birkett expects both Marvin Jones and Golden Tate to have big games against a depleted Colts defense this week, and for Boldin to apparently do work in the dirty areas and red zone. Boldin shouldn't be in play many weeks, but Week 1 is as good as any to consider him with the Lions using more no-huddle in a game with a 51-point over-under and with Eric Ebron (ankle) in doubt.

 
Source: Detroit Free Press

 

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