DHB in Indy (1 Viewer)

[FF Ninja]

I didn't see a topic on this, but I think he's worth discussing. I guess people expect Wayne and Hilton to start so DHB will be a situational player, but a couple things are worth noting:

1) Avery, who is gone, got 112 targets last year

2) Hilton dropped a lot of balls

This guy was infamously overdrafted, but he was still considered a first round talent. He took a step backwards last year, at least partially due to injuries, but he was looking quite legit in 2011, catching 64 balls for 975 yards. His catch rate of 57% was not too far off of Oakland's completion percentage of 60% that year, especially considering his 15.2 ypr.

He seems like a great complementary piece to an aging Reggie Wayne (12.8 ypr).

Contrarily, this will be a new offense so Luck may not throw the ball 627 times. Hilton was a rookie, so he could improve and at least has an edge as an incumbent.

I'm not sure how his ADP will shake out, but I feel like he'll be undervalued. If he can win the WR2 job, his upside is huge (both redraft and dynasty). If he simply plays the role of WR3/deep threat then I think he'll at least provide value relative to his ADP, with WR3 or bye week filler production.

 

[cstu]

I agree, but there's a thread here.

 

[KellysHeroes]

would rather of seen him det but if you own him your weren't counting on him anyway, the QB and offense is a major upgrade but theres a lot of mouths to feed... might wanna see what u can get for him

 

[saintfool]

he's a nice addition. he can certainly stretch the field. he's going to be benefit tremendously from a change in scenery. he could have a devery henderson or meachem type season.

 

[ctrlaltdefeat]

Sleeper alert!

 

[FF Ninja]

I agree, but there's a thread here.

I honestly did a search for "heyward" and that didn't come up. Bizarre. But that is a dynasty thread. I'm primarily interested in his redraft prospects.

 

[Nero]

If Indianapolis WR depth chart remains as is, I expect him to start and perform as a low WR2. 75 1100 6

 

[Frank Black]

I am initially tempted to dismiss him, but even Avery had FF relevance last year after being a dud in STL. I'm taking a wait and see approach until preseason.

 

[cstu]

If Indianapolis WR depth chart remains as is, I expect him to start and perform as a low WR2. 75 1100 6

I initially thought this was optimistic but he did have have 64/975/6 on 111 targets in 2011 while Avery had 120 targets last year.

 

[LawFitz]

I've read about this guy since he joined the league and watched closely 85-90% of his games played.

Early DHB - raw as could be and lacking confidence. Lobster claws for hands. Routes were a joke. It was uglier than even Cris Carter could have imagined. All he had going was freakish size/strength/speed, even for an NFL player.

Later DHB - gained a lot of confidence, especially under Hue Jackson. HueJax's strength was finding ways to bring the best out of offensive skill players, including DHB. He found that DHB was decent catching shorter routes, 10-15 yd curls and outs, in particular. DHB can make plays with these routes, once the ball is in his hands and he did so with regularity under Jackson.

Oh, his hands though. Forget about improved catch% stats (which don't always tell the whole story), I'll give you my eye test. His hands and ball skills went from a 0.5 out of 10 his rookie year to about a 4 his last two. Still not even decent, but MUCH improved. Still a weakness, and will probably never be a strength, but one that he's shown commitment to improving.

I can see more improvement coming in this regard, if he continues his stellar work ethic, but as of now, he's still very poor on slants in traffic and anything deep where he needs to adjust to the ball - i.e. the hallmark NFL WR1 plays. Playing with Reggie Wayne could be huge in this regard if the two form a good relationship. And obviously Andrew Luck is a giant upgrade to anything DHB had in Oakland (except maybe HueJax).

DHB did show tremendous heart and dedication in the face of huge adversity coming into the league. Yeah he got paid a treasure chest, but with that bounty came ridiculous expectation and huge disappointment during the lobster claw rookie season. His bounce back and progression since then is impressive. It shows great character and strength of will IMO.

Bottom line for me is I love his character, physical measurables and new situation. Hands are still a liability, but the potential is there to overcome (and improve) them. Correct utilization is key for at least a marginal role unless he improves his balls skills. And if he does, a connection with Luck presents the extreme upside of fantasy WR1 stats.

Downside is also huge though, if things don't break his way on the roster and with the coaches or the team. Obviously the upside discussed above is just that, and only one half of the consideration for prospects in Indy. You guys already know all the reasons why he could be a total flop, but I at least wanted to convey his half full side.

 

[ICON211]

I've read about this guy since he joined the league and watched closely 85-90% of his games played.

Early DHB - raw as could be and lacking confidence. Lobster claws for hands. Routes were a joke. It was uglier than even Cris Carter could have imagined. All he had going was freakish size/strength/speed, even for an NFL player.

Later DHB - gained a lot of confidence, especially under Hue Jackson. HueJax's strength was finding ways to bring the best out of offensive skill players, including DHB. He found that DHB was decent catching shorter routes, 10-15 yd curls and outs, in particular. DHB can make plays with these routes, once the ball is in his hands and he did so with regularity under Jackson.

Oh, his hands though. Forget about improved catch% stats (which don't always tell the whole story), I'll give you my eye test. His hands and ball skills went from a 0.5 out of 10 his rookie year to about a 4 his last two. Still not even decent, but MUCH improved. Still a weakness, and will probably never be a strength, but one that he's shown commitment to improving.

I can see more improvement coming in this regard, if he continues his stellar work ethic, but as of now, he's still very poor on slants in traffic and anything deep where he needs to adjust to the ball - i.e. the hallmark NFL WR1 plays. Playing with Reggie Wayne could be huge in this regard if the two form a good relationship. And obviously Andrew Luck is a giant upgrade to anything DHB had in Oakland (except maybe HueJax).

DHB did show tremendous heart and dedication in the face of huge adversity coming into the league. Yeah he got paid a treasure chest, but with that bounty came ridiculous expectation and huge disappointment during the lobster claw rookie season. His bounce back and progression since then is impressive. It shows great character and strength of will IMO.

Bottom line for me is I love his character, physical measurables and new situation. Hands are still a liability, but the potential is there to overcome (and improve) them. Correct utilization is key for at least a marginal role unless he improves his balls skills. And if he does, a connection with Luck presents the extreme upside of fantasy WR1 stats.

Downside is also huge though, if things don't break his way on the roster and with the coaches or the team. Obviously the upside discussed above is just that, and only one half of the consideration for prospects in Indy. You guys already know all the reasons why he could be a total flop, but I at least wanted to convey his half full side.

Spot on. Just because he has speed does not mean he is a deep threat. Rarely ever made a catch more than 15 yards down the field with the Raiders.

 

[JohnnyU]

I think he's #4 In the pecking order (Wayne, Hilton, Allen, DHB). I don't think his ff value changes all that much.

 

[Bruno2]

I've watched pratically every game in DHB's career and this is a spot-on write up. I would also like to add something I noticed about his chararcter. During Denarius Moore's breakout game against Buffalo 2 years ago when he made that circus catch grab, the first player to run off the sideline and congradulate Moore was DHB. He had his helmet off and you could see him grinning from ear to ear and his genuine excitement for his rookie teammate who was currently outplaying him was obvious. From what I know, DHB is a hard worker, great teammate and displays solid character. He has come a long way from his rookie season, and I think this is an excellent landing spot for him to not neccessarily revive his career, but to continue to grow with a future star at QB that if (thats big if right now) he gains confidence in DHB he will excel in Indy. He deserves this opportunity and I wouldn't be surprised if he makes the most of it.

I've read about this guy since he joined the league and watched closely 85-90% of his games played.

Early DHB - raw as could be and lacking confidence. Lobster claws for hands. Routes were a joke. It was uglier than even Cris Carter could have imagined. All he had going was freakish size/strength/speed, even for an NFL player.

Later DHB - gained a lot of confidence, especially under Hue Jackson. HueJax's strength was finding ways to bring the best out of offensive skill players, including DHB. He found that DHB was decent catching shorter routes, 10-15 yd curls and outs, in particular. DHB can make plays with these routes, once the ball is in his hands and he did so with regularity under Jackson.

Oh, his hands though. Forget about improved catch% stats (which don't always tell the whole story), I'll give you my eye test. His hands and ball skills went from a 0.5 out of 10 his rookie year to about a 4 his last two. Still not even decent, but MUCH improved. Still a weakness, and will probably never be a strength, but one that he's shown commitment to improving.

I can see more improvement coming in this regard, if he continues his stellar work ethic, but as of now, he's still very poor on slants in traffic and anything deep where he needs to adjust to the ball - i.e. the hallmark NFL WR1 plays. Playing with Reggie Wayne could be huge in this regard if the two form a good relationship. And obviously Andrew Luck is a giant upgrade to anything DHB had in Oakland (except maybe HueJax).

DHB did show tremendous heart and dedication in the face of huge adversity coming into the league. Yeah he got paid a treasure chest, but with that bounty came ridiculous expectation and huge disappointment during the lobster claw rookie season. His bounce back and progression since then is impressive. It shows great character and strength of will IMO.

Bottom line for me is I love his character, physical measurables and new situation. Hands are still a liability, but the potential is there to overcome (and improve) them. Correct utilization is key for at least a marginal role unless he improves his balls skills. And if he does, a connection with Luck presents the extreme upside of fantasy WR1 stats.

Downside is also huge though, if things don't break his way on the roster and with the coaches or the team. Obviously the upside discussed above is just that, and only one half of the consideration for prospects in Indy. You guys already know all the reasons why he could be a total flop, but I at least wanted to convey his half full side.

Spot on. Just because he has speed does not mean he is a deep threat. Rarely ever made a catch more than 15 yards down the field with the Raiders.

 

[moderated]

NE picking him up gives him a chance. Great sleeper. He's just a big play wr so very boom or bust but a great cheap flyer.

Would love to have him as my 5th/6th wr

 

[ConnSKINS26]

NE picking him up gives him a chance. Great sleeper. He's just a big play wr so very boom or bust but a great cheap flyer.Would love to have him as my 5th/6th wr

Indy, I assume you mean. But he's not really a big-play WR. More of a YAC guy.

 

[cstu]

I've watched pratically every game in DHB's career and this is a spot-on write up. I would also like to add something I noticed about his chararcter. During Denarius Moore's breakout game against Buffalo 2 years ago when he made that circus catch grab, the first player to run off the sideline and congradulate Moore was DHB. He had his helmet off and you could see him grinning from ear to ear and his genuine excitement for his rookie teammate who was currently outplaying him was obvious. From what I know, DHB is a hard worker, great teammate and displays solid character. He has come a long way from his rookie season, and I think this is an excellent landing spot for him to not neccessarily revive his career, but to continue to grow with a future star at QB that if (thats big if right now) he gains confidence in DHB he will excel in Indy. He deserves this opportunity and I wouldn't be surprised if he makes the most of it.

The reason I drafted him as a rookie was partly based on his character and work ethic. He's come a long way and maybe he never develops into an complete receiver but I think at the very least he's a good teammate and a positive for the locker room.

 

[moderated]

NE picking him up gives him a chance. Great sleeper. He's just a big play wr so very boom or bust but a great cheap flyer.Would love to have him as my 5th/6th wr

Indy, I assume you mean. But he's not really a big-play WR. More of a YAC guy.

Sorry, Indy, but he is a big play wr. He was used horribly in oak.

 

[ConnSKINS26]

NE picking him up gives him a chance. Great sleeper. He's just a big play wr so very boom or bust but a great cheap flyer.Would love to have him as my 5th/6th wr

Indy, I assume you mean. But he's not really a big-play WR. More of a YAC guy.

Sorry, Indy, but he is a big play wr. He was used horribly in oak.

How is he a big play WR? Because he's fast? He's not really enough of a plucker/hands catcher to be elite downfield or in the endzone. He's much better when you get the ball into his hands closer to the LOS and let him work. But he'll also never be Harvin in that regard. I think he's a fast possession guy. Nothing wrong with that, I just don't see him as a "big play WR".

 

[moderated]

NE picking him up gives him a chance. Great sleeper. He's just a big play wr so very boom or bust but a great cheap flyer.Would love to have him as my 5th/6th wr

Indy, I assume you mean. But he's not really a big-play WR. More of a YAC guy.

Sorry, Indy, but he is a big play wr. He was used horribly in oak.

How is he a big play WR? Because he's fast? He's not really enough of a plucker/hands catcher to be elite downfield or in the endzone. He's much better when you get the ball into his hands closer to the LOS and let him work. But he'll also never be Harvin in that regard. I think he's a fast possession guy. Nothing wrong with that, I just don't see him as a "big play WR".

His strength is running as fast as he can downfield, his hands suck which makes him an awful possession wr. Oak used him wrong, he'll be used to stretch the field in indi.

 

[Abraham]

If Indianapolis WR depth chart remains as is, I expect him to start and perform as a low WR2. 75 1100 6

You expect 20 receivers to out produce those numbers?

 

[Nero]

If Indianapolis WR depth chart remains as is, I expect him to start and perform as a low WR2. 75 1100 6

You expect 20 receivers to out produce those numbers?

That is 221 ppr points. 17 WR's did better than that last year, so its in the ball park. Especially since I'm giving a ball park projection.

 

[ConnSKINS26]

NE picking him up gives him a chance. Great sleeper. He's just a big play wr so very boom or bust but a great cheap flyer.Would love to have him as my 5th/6th wr

Indy, I assume you mean. But he's not really a big-play WR. More of a YAC guy.

Sorry, Indy, but he is a big play wr. He was used horribly in oak.

How is he a big play WR? Because he's fast? He's not really enough of a plucker/hands catcher to be elite downfield or in the endzone. He's much better when you get the ball into his hands closer to the LOS and let him work. But he'll also never be Harvin in that regard. I think he's a fast possession guy. Nothing wrong with that, I just don't see him as a "big play WR".

His strength is running as fast as he can downfield, his hands suck which makes him an awful possession wr. Oak used him wrong, he'll be used to stretch the field in indi.

I don't agree with you in the slightest. How much DHB have you seen, since his rookie year? His hands are decent, they've improved every year. The problem with his hands before was that because he's fast, the Raiders made the same mistake you're making and assumed he was a deep threat, and tried to force him to be one. He's terrible tracking and catching the ball deep, especially over his shoulder. He's not a field stretcher. He's actually pretty good at gaining YAC on shorter routes. He's a possession WR with average hands, who happens to be fast.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I think anyone who assumes he will toss TY Hilton to the side after a pretty impressive rookie season needs to check themselves. Hilton flasjed plenty coming out of FIU, thought he did very well last season. DHB is interesting but to start projecting him to take over the Reggie Wayne role...he will benefit form Luck and that's good but i wouldn't have too many illusions unless injuries creep up.

 

[Bruno2]

A vast majority of his big plays were YAC plays. Short catches where he would slip tackles or out run defenders.

NE picking him up gives him a chance. Great sleeper. He's just a big play wr so very boom or bust but a great cheap flyer.Would love to have him as my 5th/6th wr

Indy, I assume you mean. But he's not really a big-play WR. More of a YAC guy.

Sorry, Indy, but he is a big play wr. He was used horribly in oak.

How is he a big play WR? Because he's fast? He's not really enough of a plucker/hands catcher to be elite downfield or in the endzone. He's much better when you get the ball into his hands closer to the LOS and let him work. But he'll also never be Harvin in that regard. I think he's a fast possession guy. Nothing wrong with that, I just don't see him as a "big play WR".

His strength is running as fast as he can downfield, his hands suck which makes him an awful possession wr. Oak used him wrong, he'll be used to stretch the field in indi.

I don't agree with you in the slightest. How much DHB have you seen, since his rookie year? His hands are decent, they've improved every year. The problem with his hands before was that because he's fast, the Raiders made the same mistake you're making and assumed he was a deep threat, and tried to force him to be one. He's terrible tracking and catching the ball deep, especially over his shoulder. He's not a field stretcher. He's actually pretty good at gaining YAC on shorter routes. He's a possession WR with average hands, who happens to be fast.

 

[pizzatyme]

As a Colts fan, here is my take: DHB will be able to learn from one of the best "character" guys in Wayne. DHB will be the WR3/spell Wayne. He will have plenty of chances but I don't see 900 yards barring an injury.

 

[Nero]

I think anyone who assumes he will toss TY Hilton to the side after a pretty impressive rookie season needs to check themselves. Hilton flasjed plenty coming out of FIU, thought he did very well last season. DHB is interesting but to start projecting him to take over the Reggie Wayne role...he will benefit form Luck and that's good but i wouldn't have too many illusions unless injuries creep up.

I think DHB is going to step into Avery's 131 targets which was 28 more than Hilton. Even over the second half, Avery had 9 more targets than Hilton. I think DHB is an upgrade over Avery, and will garner the second most targets on the team.

 

[EBF]

Considering that Donnie Avery had almost 800 yards for the Colts after they grabbed him off the scrap heap, I think DHB has a chance to produce numbers in that ballpark. If things really click, maybe he can even approach 900 or 1000 yards.

A few things I'd point out:

- The Colts threw the ball a ton last year. I blame a lot of that on their terrible stable of running backs. I would expect them to shore up that weakness and have a more balanced run/pass ratio next season, meaning fewer targets to go around.

- The Colts were breaking in two rookie TEs last season. I would expect both of those players to have a more prominent role going forward now that they've gained some experience. What does this mean? Fewer snaps and targets for the secondary WR options.

Basically, I wouldn't expect 120+ targets for DHB. On the other hand, this will be the best quarterback and supporting cast that he has ever played with. I thought he showed flashes at time during his last two seasons in Oakland. This could turn out to be a pretty good signing.

 

[Bamac]

- The Colts threw the ball a ton last year. I blame a lot of that on their terrible stable of running backs. I would expect them to shore up that weakness and have a more balanced run/pass ratio next season, meaning fewer targets to go around. this mean? Fewer snaps and targets for the secondary WR options.

This. I think Arians was also responsible for the high number of attempts.

 

[FF Ninja]

Considering that Donnie Avery had almost 800 yards for the Colts after they grabbed him off the scrap heap, I think DHB has a chance to produce numbers in that ballpark. If things really click, maybe he can even approach 900 or 1000 yards.

A few things I'd point out:

- The Colts threw the ball a ton last year. I blame a lot of that on their terrible stable of running backs. I would expect them to shore up that weakness and have a more balanced run/pass ratio next season, meaning fewer targets to go around.

- The Colts were breaking in two rookie TEs last season. I would expect both of those players to have a more prominent role going forward now that they've gained some experience. What does this mean? Fewer snaps and targets for the secondary WR options.

Basically, I wouldn't expect 120+ targets for DHB. On the other hand, this will be the best quarterback and supporting cast that he has ever played with. I thought he showed flashes at time during his last two seasons in Oakland. This could turn out to be a pretty good signing.

Bamac might be right that Arians was the reason for the high number of attempts, but I think it was the piss poor defense. The Colts played in a LOT of close games last year. In fact, I think they had more PA than PF, so they were one of the most historically lucky teams in terms of wins and points deficit. Carson Palmer gets a lot of flack for all the stats he racked up while trailing - he threw 417 passes while trailing and Andrew Luck threw 398.

I honestly don't expect this defense to make strides and, like EBF, I wasn't enamored with their RB corps, so I think it is reasonable to expect quite a bit of passing next year. Maybe not quite as much, but shouldn't Luck's progression from rookie to 2nd year starter help average that out? He only completed 54% of his 627 passes for 339 completions. If by way of less drops and increased accuracy he manages to increase that to 60%, he'd only need 565 passes to complete 339 of them. I know 6% seems like a huge jump, but Luck is a good QB and good QBs typically throw for better than 60%. Even Nick Foles was at 60.8% last year and Ponder was at 62.1%. Peyton Manning went from 56.7% his rookie year to 62.1% his second year.

Anyway, just some food for thought. There's some good discussion in here about DHB.

 

[FF Ninja]

I think anyone who assumes he will toss TY Hilton to the side after a pretty impressive rookie season needs to check themselves. Hilton flasjed plenty coming out of FIU, thought he did very well last season. DHB is interesting but to start projecting him to take over the Reggie Wayne role...he will benefit form Luck and that's good but i wouldn't have too many illusions unless injuries creep up.

Personally, I like the gamble on him because it's not that he has to toss Hilton to the side. Avery got a lot of targets last year with Hilton, so it's very possible DHB exceeds his ADP simply as a WR3 for Indy. But it's also worth noting that Hilton had a horrible drop %, so DHB may not have to "toss Hilton to the side" since Hilton may just lose the job rather than DHB win it. And the third possibility is that DHB works hard and improves his game from where he was in 2011 and straight up earns the job. He was in a less than ideal situation in Oakland and he's got talent. Brandon Lloyd was a middling WR for a longer period than DHB. He's simply a low risk/high ceiling guy. No illusions here. I think everyone knows it's possible he doesn't beat out Hilton and they've ended up with a WR4/5 guy for the price of a WR5. Not a terrible worst case scenario...

 

[Two Deep]

I think anyone who assumes he will toss TY Hilton to the side after a pretty impressive rookie season needs to check themselves. Hilton flasjed plenty coming out of FIU, thought he did very well last season. DHB is interesting but to start projecting him to take over the Reggie Wayne role...he will benefit form Luck and that's good but i wouldn't have too many illusions unless injuries creep up.

I think DHB is going to step into Avery's 131 targets which was 28 more than Hilton. Even over the second half, Avery had 9 more targets than Hilton. I think DHB is an upgrade over Avery, and will garner the second most targets on the team.

I think Lavon Brazill will have something to say about this. He will end up being Waynes future replacement.

 

[jonboltz]

I think anyone who assumes he will toss TY Hilton to the side after a pretty impressive rookie season needs to check themselves. Hilton flasjed plenty coming out of FIU, thought he did very well last season. DHB is interesting but to start projecting him to take over the Reggie Wayne role...he will benefit form Luck and that's good but i wouldn't have too many illusions unless injuries creep up.

I think DHB is going to step into Avery's 131 targets which was 28 more than Hilton. Even over the second half, Avery had 9 more targets than Hilton. I think DHB is an upgrade over Avery, and will garner the second most targets on the team.

I think Lavon Brazill will have something to say about this. He will end up being Waynes future replacement.

IMHO, he's a likely WR4 on his own team for his entire rookie contract; assuming he gets tendered and not released prior to that point.

 

[ICON211]

NE picking him up gives him a chance. Great sleeper. He's just a big play wr so very boom or bust but a great cheap flyer.Would love to have him as my 5th/6th wr

Indy, I assume you mean. But he's not really a big-play WR. More of a YAC guy.

Sorry, Indy, but he is a big play wr. He was used horribly in oak.

How is he a big play WR? Because he's fast? He's not really enough of a plucker/hands catcher to be elite downfield or in the endzone. He's much better when you get the ball into his hands closer to the LOS and let him work. But he'll also never be Harvin in that regard. I think he's a fast possession guy. Nothing wrong with that, I just don't see him as a "big play WR".

His strength is running as fast as he can downfield, his hands suck which makes him an awful possession wr. Oak used him wrong, he'll be used to stretch the field in indi.

No, Oakland tried to use him to stretch the field, but he was awful on deep passes. He uses his body to catch the ball very often and could not high point the ball by going up and catching it with his hands. As others have pointed out he was awful at tracking the ball and would often lose his awareness of where he was in relation to the sideline on deep throws. He is a hard worker who did really improve and he could be really good in Indy, but the deep ball is not something he should be targeted on.

 

[silentmark]

NE picking him up gives him a chance. Great sleeper. He's just a big play wr so very boom or bust but a great cheap flyer.Would love to have him as my 5th/6th wr

Indy, I assume you mean. But he's not really a big-play WR. More of a YAC guy.

Sorry, Indy, but he is a big play wr. He was used horribly in oak.

How is he a big play WR? Because he's fast? He's not really enough of a plucker/hands catcher to be elite downfield or in the endzone. He's much better when you get the ball into his hands closer to the LOS and let him work. But he'll also never be Harvin in that regard. I think he's a fast possession guy. Nothing wrong with that, I just don't see him as a "big play WR".

His strength is running as fast as he can downfield, his hands suck which makes him an awful possession wr. Oak used him wrong, he'll be used to stretch the field in indi.

No, Oakland tried to use him to stretch the field, but he was awful on deep passes. He uses his body to catch the ball very often and could not high point the ball by going up and catching it with his hands. As others have pointed out he was awful at tracking the ball and would often lose his awareness of where he was in relation to the sideline on deep throws. He is a hard worker who did really improve and he could be really good in Indy, but the deep ball is not something he should be targeted on.

Exactly, been saying for a while buyer beware, unless you're moderated ...

 

[ConnSKINS26]

NE picking him up gives him a chance. Great sleeper. He's just a big play wr so very boom or bust but a great cheap flyer.Would love to have him as my 5th/6th wr

Indy, I assume you mean. But he's not really a big-play WR. More of a YAC guy.

Sorry, Indy, but he is a big play wr. He was used horribly in oak.

How is he a big play WR? Because he's fast? He's not really enough of a plucker/hands catcher to be elite downfield or in the endzone. He's much better when you get the ball into his hands closer to the LOS and let him work. But he'll also never be Harvin in that regard. I think he's a fast possession guy. Nothing wrong with that, I just don't see him as a "big play WR".

His strength is running as fast as he can downfield, his hands suck which makes him an awful possession wr. Oak used him wrong, he'll be used to stretch the field in indi.

No, Oakland tried to use him to stretch the field, but he was awful on deep passes. He uses his body to catch the ball very often and could not high point the ball by going up and catching it with his hands. As others have pointed out he was awful at tracking the ball and would often lose his awareness of where he was in relation to the sideline on deep throws. He is a hard worker who did really improve and he could be really good in Indy, but the deep ball is not something he should be targeted on.

Exactly, been saying for a while buyer beware, unless you're moderated ...

It's not buyer beware. It's know what you're buying.

 

[cstu]

Chuck Pagano spent a portion of this evening schmoozing with Indianapolis Colts season ticket holders.

• Wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey: “It’s great to have DHB in the fold. Big, fast, long, athletic guy that can go up and pluck the football, high-point it. (He) certainly can stretch the defense. (Heyward-Bey) and Luck are starting to build chemistry. I look for great things out of DHB this year.

INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has been impressed with the addition of former Oakland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, who joined the team through free agency.

“Darrius had been great, he’s been a great addition,” Luck said after Wednesday’s OTA workouts. “He has great speed, obviously, and he’s got a real knack for football.

“He’s played a lot of football and he understands situations. He’s a good force in the wide receiver rotation. He’s done a phenomenal job so far.”

QB houdinis (from FootballOutsiders), and it also has broken tackle stats for receivers, of which Harvin led the NFL with 19 in his shortened season. Clocking in at #5, with 14, was Tate. But what was absolutely nuts was that Tate broke tackles on 29.2% of his touches, which led all receivers by an absurd amount. Darrius Heyward-Bey was second at 25.6% and Harvin was third at 22.6%. The next closest was Dez Bryant at 17%. Tate broke a tackle on nearly one-third of touches, the next guy was a touch over one-fourth.

 

[renesauz]

I'm expecting WR3 numbers THIS year, but could see him continuing to improve and stepping up as Wayne retires. His value might be better in dynasty than in redraft.

 

[cstu]

(Rotoworld)The National Football Post's Dan Pompei reports the Colts "will be trying to get" Darrius Heyward-Bey more opportunities than he ever had in Oakland.

Analysis: Pompei adds that the Colts are looking to develop their vertical passing attack further this season, and part of their enthusiasm has to do with DHB's acquisition. The coaching staff sees Heyward-Bey as a "potentially explosive playmaker" who can get behind coverage. He and T.Y. Hilton will likely alternate in two-wide sets early on, but we'd expect Hilton to run away with the starting job opposite Reggie Wayne. Heyward-Bey will still see plenty of snaps as the No. 3.

 

[cstu]

I'm expecting WR3 numbers THIS year, but could see him continuing to improve and stepping up as Wayne retires. His value might be better in dynasty than in redraft.

Considering people have been acquiring him for 3rd round picks, absolutely.