I wouldn't draft Larry Fitzgerald in the 1st...2nd...3rd...4th (2 Viewers)

[brewer]

1st of all his trade value was in the crapper the 1st half of the season so you drafted him in the 1st or 2nd round and if you could find a partner you likely didn't get great value on the trade.

Who trades their first or second round pick after a few bad weeks to start the season? If you drafted Fitz, you most likely have started him every week of the season.

 

[bostonfred]

1st of all his trade value was in the crapper the 1st half of the season so you drafted him in the 1st or 2nd round and if you could find a partner you likely didn't get great value on the trade.

Who trades their first or second round pick after a few bad weeks to start the season? If you drafted Fitz, you most likely have started him every week of the season.

I kept him and have started him every week. Not sure what those "bad weeks" to start the season were. Seven catches or a TD early was startable, just not the kind of high end production you wanted from an early pick.

 

[Shutout]

Let's face, Fitz owners have been extremely lucky this year. His point totals through 3 quarters of most of his game have been ####. He's been racking up some late garbage points in the 4th quarter consistently all year. Can this continue? I traded for him a few weeks ago, right before he "broke out." I'm happy with his production, but am very worried when the garbage time points run out.

And luck is How much of FF?The skill was keeping him/acquiring him. The luck is getting the benefit of him in the FF playoffs when he facesthe Broncos, Panthers, and Cowboys. I mean, it is what it is. I cite luck (or the lack of it) as the reason I lose games when my opponent has Chiefs or Saints or Seahawks players that are up by 20+ and still throwing the ball with a minute left in the game. Or playing the Sproles, Forte, Deangelo Hall owner when they have a career game or their only good game of the year. But whatever it is, it's real and all I know is, I would much rather have Fitz in my lineup in weeks 14-16 instead of playing against him.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

2nd of all his biggest week came afer a bye week and then a real stinker(3/30). Arizona was in flux and a lot of owners benched him that week.

How can you possibly know that? I am deep at WR in the league I have Fitz, I start him every week without hesitation.

SP Thread Lot of stuff in there. Not everyone was trading or benching him but some were. 8 Team league eh?Another SP Thread Same type of stuff

 

[Ghost Rider]

2nd of all his biggest week came afer a bye week and then a real stinker(3/30). Arizona was in flux and a lot of owners benched him that week.

How can you possibly know that? I am deep at WR in the league I have Fitz, I start him every week without hesitation.

SP Thread Lot of stuff in there. Not everyone was trading or benching him but some were. 8 Team league eh?

Yep. It's an 8-team family league - my older brother and a bunch of cousins - that we do just for fun and a small bit of cash. Like I said, I am deep at WR, yet I put Fitz in every week without even thinking about it. And I am not sure how much I would put into SP threads since people are more likely to proclaim that they are not starting a high round pick like that, as opposed to the alternative. For example, I don't think I have once jumped into a thread here this year and said, "I am starting Fitz!" Don't read too much into that kind of stuff.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

2nd of all his biggest week came afer a bye week and then a real stinker(3/30). Arizona was in flux and a lot of owners benched him that week.

How can you possibly know that? I am deep at WR in the league I have Fitz, I start him every week without hesitation.

SP Thread Lot of stuff in there. Not everyone was trading or benching him but some were. 8 Team league eh?

Yep. It's an 8-team family league - my older brother and a bunch of cousins - that we do just for fun and a small bit of cash. Like I said, I am deep at WR, yet I put Fitz in every week without even thinking about it. And I am not sure how much I would put into SP threads since people are more likely to proclaim that they are not starting a high round pick like that, as opposed to the alternative. For example, I don't think I have once jumped into a thread here this year and said, "I am starting Fitz!" Don't read too much into that kind of stuff.

That's funny GR. I understand and like I said on the previous page, good for Fitz owners right now but relying on garbage time stats every week is not like going into the flop with pocket KK everytime.

This was an entertaining thead, and it had a nice shelf life. Let's let the season completely unfold but for the moment Fitz is doing well for owners. Be happy.

 

[[icon]]

OWn Fitz in my $250/16 Team league. Currently 9-2 and he's coming on strong at just the right time to help folks win big. Currently Tied for 14th in non-ppr and moving up rapidly.

to Fitz.

 

[Shutout]

2nd of all his biggest week came afer a bye week and then a real stinker(3/30). Arizona was in flux and a lot of owners benched him that week.

How can you possibly know that? I am deep at WR in the league I have Fitz, I start him every week without hesitation.

SP Thread Lot of stuff in there. Not everyone was trading or benching him but some were. 8 Team league eh?

Yep. It's an 8-team family league - my older brother and a bunch of cousins - that we do just for fun and a small bit of cash. Like I said, I am deep at WR, yet I put Fitz in every week without even thinking about it. And I am not sure how much I would put into SP threads since people are more likely to proclaim that they are not starting a high round pick like that, as opposed to the alternative. For example, I don't think I have once jumped into a thread here this year and said, "I am starting Fitz!" Don't read too much into that kind of stuff.

That's funny GR. I understand and like I said on the previous page, good for Fitz owners right now but relying on garbage time stats every week is not like going into the flop with pocket KK everytime.

This was an entertaining thead, and it had a nice shelf life. Let's let the season completely unfold but for the moment Fitz is doing well for owners. Be happy.

MOP, this has been a spirited thread on both sides and you have been a gracious advocate for your points. I think in this one, both sides will end the season being satisfied. I think there will be those who can point to cases where it helped to avoid him. I know there will be those who will point out how he carried them. Fitz hasn't been all-world Fitz, but, in my leagues anyways, the situations have made him as valuable as anyone sans the top 5 elite WRs.I will say this about relying on garbage points. As a team that has been as snake-bitten as I ever have on last minute garbage from a GOOD number of teams and players this year, I am willing to dismiss HOW THE POINTS were scored and just accept that, at the end of the day, the points are there because I know for fact that, in this crazy year at least, for every team that benefited from any points at the end of the day from Fitz this year, there are ten times that many that benefited or got bitten from dozens of players around the league. More than most years, its rediculous how teams like the Lions and Texans and Redskins, etc, etc, are ALWAYS playing big final minutes. How teams like the Chiefs, Seahawks, Broncos, and Saints are still throwing very late into the 4th even when the game is over.

Point being, yeah, there are garbage points by Fitz this year but they are by no means unique to the league. Garbage points are a norm instead of the exception these days.

 

[PahtyTom]

Early in the season he was killing owners but he has proven solid as of late. I am kind of baffled why folks would even hint of rubbing it in like he's been studly or something, his numbers from last year are well off. And it's a 13-14 week season in most leagues, we're in week 11. Early on owners were screaming bloody murder about Fitz.And in non PPR league he has not been as easy a start.

Well your main premise was Fitz would not be good because of Leinart. It's hard to imagine Leinart is worse than DA, who has played worse than any other starting QB in the league. Maybe Leinart is even worse, but I personally doubt it. Regardless, Fitz is still producing pretty well. I'd call this one a draw right now.

A 1st round pick that is #17 in non PPR, that's a draw?It's not like I was dunking this thread in anyone's face when Fitz struggled early this year. He's had 4 solid weeks in a row in PPR and folks are wanting to heckle? Makes no sense. Guy was a mid 1st round pick in most drafts in August, let's be honest.

It's a draw because you said you wouldn't draft him in the 4th round.

 

[LawFitz]

Early in the season he was killing owners but he has proven solid as of late. I am kind of baffled why folks would even hint of rubbing it in like he's been studly or something, his numbers from last year are well off. And it's a 13-14 week season in most leagues, we're in week 11. Early on owners were screaming bloody murder about Fitz.And in non PPR league he has not been as easy a start.

Well your main premise was Fitz would not be good because of Leinart. It's hard to imagine Leinart is worse than DA, who has played worse than any other starting QB in the league. Maybe Leinart is even worse, but I personally doubt it. Regardless, Fitz is still producing pretty well. I'd call this one a draw right now.

A 1st round pick that is #17 in non PPR, that's a draw?It's not like I was dunking this thread in anyone's face when Fitz struggled early this year. He's had 4 solid weeks in a row in PPR and folks are wanting to heckle? Makes no sense. Guy was a mid 1st round pick in most drafts in August, let's be honest.

It's a draw because you said you wouldn't draft him in the 4th round.

No, it's a joke b/c he said he wouldn't (and thus implied that others shouldn't) draft him in Rd 3 or 4. Like I said before, anyone who passed on Fitz in those rounds clearly made a mistake.No offense MOP, you are a great contributor here, but this was not one of your best calls. It's okay to be wrong sometimes. God knows the rest of us are fairly often.

 

[Touchdown There]

It's okay to be wrong sometimes. God knows the rest of us are fairly often.

MOP is not wrong, but you certainly have the right to agree to disagree.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Time to put a bow on this thread. let me break this down thru segments of the season.

Part I- Weeks 1-5 Fitzgerald was the #17 WR in PPR leagues that I competed in. He was not putrid but certainly a far cry from where folks drafted him. At that point I was looking pretty strong in this predicition.

Intermission - He had a bye week and then a real turd game and owners were already leery of him. I imagine he was still started but his best week of the year came in week 8 on the heels of one of his worst. You can shout no owner would bench him but i knew some who did. It's worth mentioning.

Part II - Weeks 8-11...Here is where owners thumped their chests. Fitz was #10 overall with a 20.5 game avg over the span of 4 weeks. Certainly owners felt they were getting a decent return on their money here and probably were anticipating a solid run to the playoffs. I can't argue with much during this span.

Part III - Weeks 12-14 so far have proven pretty awful. He is #33 over the last 3 weeks with a very ho hum 10 ppg. Will he turn it around in the final playoff weeks? Are owners still alive that drafted him in the 1st or 2nd this season? I hope owners not facing me get something out of him but as I scan across most of my leagues he is not on many rosters of the remaining owners. Just being honest.

Does he get it done this week with a rookie QB3 against a 1-12 team?

 

[footballnerd]

both teams I had him on made the playoffs, and he's starting this week. am i totally confident, no, but its a good match up.

 

[Tau837]

Time to put a bow on this thread. let me break this down thru segments of the season. Part I- Weeks 1-5 Fitzgerald was the #17 WR in PPR leagues that I competed in. He was not putrid but certainly a far cry from where folks drafted him. At that point I was looking pretty strong in this predicition. Intermission - He had a bye week and then a real turd game and owners were already leery of him. I imagine he was still started but his best week of the year came in week 8 on the heels of one of his worst. You can shout no owner would bench him but i knew some who did. It's worth mentioning. Part II - Weeks 8-11...Here is where owners thumped their chests. Fitz was #10 overall with a 20.5 game avg over the span of 4 weeks. Certainly owners felt they were getting a decent return on their money here and probably were anticipating a solid run to the playoffs. I can't argue with much during this span. Part III - Weeks 12-14 so far have proven pretty awful. He is #33 over the last 3 weeks with a very ho hum 10 ppg. Will he turn it around in the final playoff weeks? Are owners still alive that drafted him in the 1st or 2nd this season? I hope owners not facing me get something out of him but as I scan across most of my leagues he is not on many rosters of the remaining owners. Just being honest. Does he get it done this week with a rookie QB3 against a 1-12 team?

Kudos on this thread. It was a controversial call that I happened to generally agree with. I was in four leagues this year. I am the sole owner in two of them, and in those I did not draft or acquire Fitz. I have a partner in each of the other two leagues, and they both were still high on Fitz, so we had him on those teams. In the dynasty league, we acquired him through a trade and made the playoffs, but lost last week. His performance definitely hurt us this year, but he was not the sole reason we are out. And he is still a great long term value, so I'm still fine with the trade.In the redraft league, we drafted him at 3.8. And it really hurt us. Our team finished as 5th best, with just 4 teams making the playoffs. One win would have made the difference, and I think it's very safe to say that Fitz cost us at least one win. We actually reached a point a couple of weeks ago where we decided we could not see playing him again and cut him due to roster limitations.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Time to put a bow on this thread. let me break this down thru segments of the season. Part I- Weeks 1-5 Fitzgerald was the #17 WR in PPR leagues that I competed in. He was not putrid but certainly a far cry from where folks drafted him. At that point I was looking pretty strong in this predicition. Intermission - He had a bye week and then a real turd game and owners were already leery of him. I imagine he was still started but his best week of the year came in week 8 on the heels of one of his worst. You can shout no owner would bench him but i knew some who did. It's worth mentioning. Part II - Weeks 8-11...Here is where owners thumped their chests. Fitz was #10 overall with a 20.5 game avg over the span of 4 weeks. Certainly owners felt they were getting a decent return on their money here and probably were anticipating a solid run to the playoffs. I can't argue with much during this span. Part III - Weeks 12-14 so far have proven pretty awful. He is #33 over the last 3 weeks with a very ho hum 10 ppg. Will he turn it around in the final playoff weeks? Are owners still alive that drafted him in the 1st or 2nd this season? I hope owners not facing me get something out of him but as I scan across most of my leagues he is not on many rosters of the remaining owners. Just being honest. Does he get it done this week with a rookie QB3 against a 1-12 team?

Kudos on this thread. It was a controversial call that I happened to generally agree with. I was in four leagues this year. I am the sole owner in two of them, and in those I did not draft or acquire Fitz. I have a partner in each of the other two leagues, and they both were still high on Fitz, so we had him on those teams. In the dynasty league, we acquired him through a trade and made the playoffs, but lost last week. His performance definitely hurt us this year, but he was not the sole reason we are out. And he is still a great long term value, so I'm still fine with the trade.In the redraft league, we drafted him at 3.8. And it really hurt us. Our team finished as 5th best, with just 4 teams making the playoffs. One win would have made the difference, and I think it's very safe to say that Fitz cost us at least one win. We actually reached a point a couple of weeks ago where we decided we could not see playing him again and cut him due to roster limitations.

And just to follow up what you are saying and I'm sure what some like LawFitz and others feel...yeah Fitz was a disappointment but so were many other topflight WRs like Austin after Romo went down, Randy Moss, Calvin was up and down, Brandon Marshall, Steve Smith(both), and it's a valid point so I don't want to act like I don't realize it. But in August this was the hot topic, not "Will all the high priced WRs fail?" So I have to go with this although i understand the debate. I guess I could have picked a number of WRs and would have looked pretty good, it's a valid post.

 

[imagroid]

I honestly don't get it. He's WR15 in PPR leagues. Worth a 1st? Of course not but it seems like of the WR's that went around Fitz's ADP, only a couple have really out performed him. I think he was an okay pick late 2nd. Definitely worth a 3rd or 4th. He's basically at his floor right now. Seems like a decent pick imo.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I honestly don't get it. He's WR15 in PPR leagues. Worth a 1st? Of course not but it seems like of the WR's that went around Fitz's ADP, only a couple have really out performed him. I think he was an okay pick late 2nd. Definitely worth a 3rd or 4th. He's basically at his floor right now. Seems like a decent pick imo.

Did you read what I posted today? There are segments to his season and the last 3 weeks he is way below WR15...WR33 in fact. He was running in the 15-17 range early, popped into the top8 for a few weeks and now is in the 30+ range. C'mon now.

 

[imagroid]

I honestly don't get it. He's WR15 in PPR leagues. Worth a 1st? Of course not but it seems like of the WR's that went around Fitz's ADP, only a couple have really out performed him. I think he was an okay pick late 2nd. Definitely worth a 3rd or 4th. He's basically at his floor right now. Seems like a decent pick imo.

Did you read what I posted today? There are segments to his season and the last 3 weeks he is way below WR15...WR33 in fact. He was running in the 15-17 range early, popped into the top8 for a few weeks and now is in the 30+ range. C'mon now.

Yes I did. WR's can be streaky we all know that. Regardless, we are nearing the end of the season and he is WR15 with QB's worse than anybody could have imagined. You can break up games however you want to say whatever you want, but in the end he's WR15 right now. It's not as if he put up two huge 50 pts games and then a bunch of duds. He's the model of consistency.

 

[OPS]

I honestly don't get it. He's WR15 in PPR leagues. Worth a 1st? Of course not but it seems like of the WR's that went around Fitz's ADP, only a couple have really out performed him. I think he was an okay pick late 2nd. Definitely worth a 3rd or 4th. He's basically at his floor right now. Seems like a decent pick imo.

Did you read what I posted today? There are segments to his season and the last 3 weeks he is way below WR15...WR33 in fact. He was running in the 15-17 range early, popped into the top8 for a few weeks and now is in the 30+ range. C'mon now.

You can find stretches in any players season where they are not top 15. You are cherry picking stats in your post. He is WR15 for the whole season in PPR. He's not been great, but he has been fairly consistent. Even WR33 is worth a flex start in most leagues.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I honestly don't get it. He's WR15 in PPR leagues. Worth a 1st? Of course not but it seems like of the WR's that went around Fitz's ADP, only a couple have really out performed him. I think he was an okay pick late 2nd. Definitely worth a 3rd or 4th. He's basically at his floor right now. Seems like a decent pick imo.

Did you read what I posted today? There are segments to his season and the last 3 weeks he is way below WR15...WR33 in fact. He was running in the 15-17 range early, popped into the top8 for a few weeks and now is in the 30+ range. C'mon now.

Yes I did. WR's can be streaky we all know that. Regardless, we are nearing the end of the season and he is WR15 with QB's worse than anybody could have imagined. You can break up games however you want to say whatever you want, but in the end he's WR15 right now. It's not as if he put up two huge 50 pts games and then a bunch of duds. He's the model of consistency.

OK, but you are being obtuse IMO. I think I am being very fair and analyzing his numbers for the year and what many expected. This is the money rounds and he is falling off the map right now. Not sure many owners feel confident going into weeks 15 and 16 with the #33rd ranked WR over the last 3 weeks. That is not stat twisting, that's the truth. And it's no different then when owners were thumping their chests in weeks 8-11. Also if you would have told most owners he would be playing with a rookie QB3, I doubt most would have been too optimistic.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I honestly don't get it. He's WR15 in PPR leagues. Worth a 1st? Of course not but it seems like of the WR's that went around Fitz's ADP, only a couple have really out performed him. I think he was an okay pick late 2nd. Definitely worth a 3rd or 4th. He's basically at his floor right now. Seems like a decent pick imo.

Did you read what I posted today? There are segments to his season and the last 3 weeks he is way below WR15...WR33 in fact. He was running in the 15-17 range early, popped into the top8 for a few weeks and now is in the 30+ range. C'mon now.

You can find stretches in any players season where they are not top 15. You are cherry picking stats in your post. He is WR15 for the whole season in PPR. He's not been great, but he has been fairly consistent. Even WR33 is worth a flex start in most leagues.

Cherry picking??? He has had 3 clear stages of the season with momentum building to a rookie QB3 now. And others agree with me. Cherry picking is throwing out a high game or two, I never did that. Hater

 

[imagroid]

You have to get to the money rounds first. You want to look at a 3 game sample instead of a 13 game one. Okay?

I'm sure avoiding Fitz wouldn't have been the doom to any decent drafter, but to say he's not worth a 3rd or 4th and then getting kudos for it? Seems way off to me.

EDIT: by your rationale Rodgers wasn't worth a 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th either cause we're in the money rounds and he's gonna put up 2 donuts.

 

[footballnerd]

Yes I did. WR's can be streaky we all know that. Regardless, we are nearing the end of the season and he is WR15 with QB's worse than anybody could have imagined. You can break up games however you want to say whatever you want, but in the end he's WR15 right now. It's not as if he put up two huge 50 pts games and then a bunch of duds. He's the model of consistency.

Ya I'd have to agree, you can chop it up how you want, but in the end yearly projections/rankings is what we are drafting for.

 

[Steed]

I honestly don't get it. He's WR15 in PPR leagues. Worth a 1st? Of course not but it seems like of the WR's that went around Fitz's ADP, only a couple have really out performed him. I think he was an okay pick late 2nd. Definitely worth a 3rd or 4th. He's basically at his floor right now. Seems like a decent pick imo.

Did you read what I posted today? There are segments to his season and the last 3 weeks he is way below WR15...WR33 in fact. He was running in the 15-17 range early, popped into the top8 for a few weeks and now is in the 30+ range. C'mon now.

Yes I did. WR's can be streaky we all know that. Regardless, we are nearing the end of the season and he is WR15 with QB's worse than anybody could have imagined. You can break up games however you want to say whatever you want, but in the end he's WR15 right now. It's not as if he put up two huge 50 pts games and then a bunch of duds. He's the model of consistency.

I'd venture to guess the entire premise of this thread is based on Fitz' horrendous QB situation. It's not unimaginable at all.

 

[brewer]

No matter what Fitz has done or will do for the remainder of the season, it was still preposterous to say that you wouldn't draft him in the 4th round of any reasonable league(I suppose your 6 team, start 2 WR league, that might be reasonable).

I don't understand why everyone needs validation. You didn't like the guy coming into the season, so you didn't draft him. Great. However, he was drafted by many teams who are in the playoffs now. Could they have maximized their points with another option? Maybe, but in a season that has seen him thrown to by Derek Anderson, Max Hall and John Skelton, he's still around the #20 WR. In other words, it's been about as bad as it possibly could be and Fitz is still a WR2.

 

[imagroid]

I honestly don't get it. He's WR15 in PPR leagues. Worth a 1st? Of course not but it seems like of the WR's that went around Fitz's ADP, only a couple have really out performed him. I think he was an okay pick late 2nd. Definitely worth a 3rd or 4th. He's basically at his floor right now. Seems like a decent pick imo.

Did you read what I posted today? There are segments to his season and the last 3 weeks he is way below WR15...WR33 in fact. He was running in the 15-17 range early, popped into the top8 for a few weeks and now is in the 30+ range. C'mon now.

Yes I did. WR's can be streaky we all know that. Regardless, we are nearing the end of the season and he is WR15 with QB's worse than anybody could have imagined. You can break up games however you want to say whatever you want, but in the end he's WR15 right now. It's not as if he put up two huge 50 pts games and then a bunch of duds. He's the model of consistency.

I'd venture to guess the entire premise of this thread is based on Fitz' horrendous QB situation. It's not unimaginable at all.

Most thought his floor was around the numbers he put up with Leinart. Which is pretty much where he is at with Anderson/Hall/Skelton. Pretty much the entire reason I bothered posting is because I feel that WR15 is worth a 3rd, definitely a 4th.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I'd venture to guess the entire premise of this thread is based on Fitz' horrendous QB situation. It's not unimaginable at all.

Correct and I thought Leinart was going to be bad enough but then we were treated to Derek Anderson and a couple of rookies that have no business taking the field in the NFL. Some saw the outcome against NO and said that the QB situation was decent, but I did the game recap that week and it was one of the worst performances of a QB you will ever see if you watched it live. How AZ managed to win that game was some kind of miracle. And I hold little hope this week for whoever the rookie is they are going with. Even against Carolina.I want to also say that I do appreciate Fitz and think he is a top3 at his position in NFL terms. I give him all the credit in the world but he is faced with a challenge that almost no WR could flourish in. The fact he has even done as well as he has or had periods of solid numbers over the year is a real testament to his skills and abilities.

 

[imagroid]

Yeah Yeah, but do you honestly think not drafting him in the 3rd-4th was correct?

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Yeah Yeah, but do you honestly think not drafting him in the 3rd-4th was correct?

You and a few like to throw that up...most were drafting him in the 1st and some in the 2nd, very few owners got a crack at him in the 3rd. The title of the thread is more about avoiding him which is where I was going. If you feel vindicated about a 4th round call then be my guest. Probably less than 5% of owners in any format out there got a crack at him in the 4th. Almost every league I drafted in saw him gone by the early 2nd. Imagine I am reading the title and I talk loudly on the 1st, 2nd, voice starts to trail a bit, 3rd, 4th kind of muttering...I'm not backing off the statement but I tend to use artistic liberty when I am putting threads together. This thread topic sparked a ton of debate which is what I wanted to accomplish. Same can be said for the KC thread I posted. The QB situation has turned to puke-CheckIt's money time and owners are worried-CheckFitz stock has taken some hits-CheckAnd I think the last statement and when you talk dyansty is where a lot of MOP hate in this thread derives from. Most owners SP owners passed on Fitz the last week or two of the preseason...plus he got injured. Dynasty owners however got derailed some and it hurts when you might have just gotten Fitz in a big trade and suddenly you don't look like a potential title contender anymore. Let's not fight, you make some good point and I think I have been very fair in the assessment of Fitz this season. maybe he'll blow the doors off the next 2 weeks and propel owners to their titles, but right now things don't look too good. I think most owners would settle for a 10-15 point perfomrance this week.

 

[wiscstlatlmia]

Time to put a bow on this thread. let me break this down thru segments of the season. Part I- Weeks 1-5 Fitzgerald was the #17 WR in PPR leagues that I competed in. He was not putrid but certainly a far cry from where folks drafted him. At that point I was looking pretty strong in this predicition. Intermission - He had a bye week and then a real turd game and owners were already leery of him. I imagine he was still started but his best week of the year came in week 8 on the heels of one of his worst. You can shout no owner would bench him but i knew some who did. It's worth mentioning. Part II - Weeks 8-11...Here is where owners thumped their chests. Fitz was #10 overall with a 20.5 game avg over the span of 4 weeks. Certainly owners felt they were getting a decent return on their money here and probably were anticipating a solid run to the playoffs. I can't argue with much during this span. Part III - Weeks 12-14 so far have proven pretty awful. He is #33 over the last 3 weeks with a very ho hum 10 ppg. Will he turn it around in the final playoff weeks? Are owners still alive that drafted him in the 1st or 2nd this season? I hope owners not facing me get something out of him but as I scan across most of my leagues he is not on many rosters of the remaining owners. Just being honest. Does he get it done this week with a rookie QB3 against a 1-12 team?

Kudos on this thread. It was a controversial call that I happened to generally agree with. I was in four leagues this year. I am the sole owner in two of them, and in those I did not draft or acquire Fitz. I have a partner in each of the other two leagues, and they both were still high on Fitz, so we had him on those teams. In the dynasty league, we acquired him through a trade and made the playoffs, but lost last week. His performance definitely hurt us this year, but he was not the sole reason we are out. And he is still a great long term value, so I'm still fine with the trade.In the redraft league, we drafted him at 3.8. And it really hurt us. Our team finished as 5th best, with just 4 teams making the playoffs. One win would have made the difference, and I think it's very safe to say that Fitz cost us at least one win. We actually reached a point a couple of weeks ago where we decided we could not see playing him again and cut him due to roster limitations.

And just to follow up what you are saying and I'm sure what some like LawFitz and others feel...yeah Fitz was a disappointment but so were many other topflight WRs like Austin after Romo went down, Randy Moss, Calvin was up and down, Brandon Marshall, Steve Smith(both), and it's a valid point so I don't want to act like I don't realize it. But in August this was the hot topic, not "Will all the high priced WRs fail?" So I have to go with this although i understand the debate. I guess I could have picked a number of WRs and would have looked pretty good, it's a valid post.

how can you put calvin in that category? please stop the insanity

 

[Ministry of Pain]

how can you put calvin in that category? please stop the insanity

You are 100% correct. He ended up being about the best play on the board from the early rounds.

 

[imagroid]

Don't confuse a disagreement with a fight. Take a look at the top 15 WR's drafted by ADP and Fitz is smack in the middle of them. I'm not really convinced that he wasn't worth the mid 2nd he usually went for. I would characterize it like this: a disappointing 1st, an adequate 2nd, a good 3rd and a great 4th.

 

[wiscstlatlmia]

But seriously I am not here to correct you...I am here as a supporter of Fitz at the beginning of the year. I was wrong...dead wrong. I looked at this topic when I was drafting and i laughed arrogantly saying something to the tune of "o man it doesnt matter , IT'S LARRY FREAKING FITZGERALD!!" and then ignoring the topic. for once I will admit, I drafted him way to high and it wasnt worth it.

Kudos to you MOP

 

[mphtrilogy]

I have followed this thread, and still wound up drafting Fitz, was never crazy about it, but love his talent, he has been ok for me, and has provided, for the most part, steady production along the lines of a low end #2 or high end #3.

My league awards points for long tds, so my picks of HNicks and MWallace helped offset LFitz overall production. But I have hung in with him all season.

Now I have a question for supporters and detractors.

Do I start him over Mike Wallace? Wallace in my league's scoring is #6 this year and Fitz is 26th...

 

[PahtyTom]

I honestly don't get it. He's WR15 in PPR leagues. Worth a 1st? Of course not but it seems like of the WR's that went around Fitz's ADP, only a couple have really out performed him. I think he was an okay pick late 2nd. Definitely worth a 3rd or 4th. He's basically at his floor right now. Seems like a decent pick imo.

Did you read what I posted today? There are segments to his season and the last 3 weeks he is way below WR15...WR33 in fact. He was running in the 15-17 range early, popped into the top8 for a few weeks and now is in the 30+ range. C'mon now.

Yes I did. WR's can be streaky we all know that. Regardless, we are nearing the end of the season and he is WR15 with QB's worse than anybody could have imagined. You can break up games however you want to say whatever you want, but in the end he's WR15 right now. It's not as if he put up two huge 50 pts games and then a bunch of duds. He's the model of consistency.

OK, but you are being obtuse IMO. I think I am being very fair and analyzing his numbers for the year and what many expected. This is the money rounds and he is falling off the map right now. Not sure many owners feel confident going into weeks 15 and 16 with the #33rd ranked WR over the last 3 weeks. That is not stat twisting, that's the truth. And it's no different then when owners were thumping their chests in weeks 8-11. Also if you would have told most owners he would be playing with a rookie QB3, I doubt most would have been too optimistic.

MOP you are a great poster, but trying to make a point based on WR variance is flimsy. There is no way to predict, before the season, when WRs will go hot and cold. Obviously it is not good to be cold during playoffs, but it is also not great to be cold when you are trying to get into the playoffs. Check out the Marques Colston thread where guys are still crying about his slow start. The bottom line to me is end year numbers and Fitz is #16 WR which pretty much makes this whole argument of whether he was worthy of a 4th round pick a draw.

 

[Tau837]

You can break up games however you want to say whatever you want, but in the end he's WR15 right now. It's not as if he put up two huge 50 pts games and then a bunch of duds. He's the model of consistency.

One problem with this perspective is that he is only #24 in average points per game. That is very disappointing given where he was likely drafted.

 

[imagroid]

You can break up games however you want to say whatever you want, but in the end he's WR15 right now. It's not as if he put up two huge 50 pts games and then a bunch of duds. He's the model of consistency.

One problem with this perspective is that he is only #24 in average points per game. That is very disappointing given where he was likely drafted.

#17 ppg. Maybe that's non-ppr?

 

[Ministry of Pain]

MOP you are a great poster

I stopped reading, I like to feel good going into the weekend I hear you PT, we'll see what happens down the stretch here. Fitz has more talent than almsot anyone in the NFL but he is carrying a 35 pound weight around his ankle that many others aren't right now. Good luck to you this weekend in your leagues.

 

[footballdiva]

MOP you are a great poster

I stopped reading, I like to feel good going into the weekend I hear you PT, we'll see what happens down the stretch here. Fitz has more talent than almsot anyone in the NFL but he is carrying a 35 pound weight around his ankle that many others aren't right now. Good luck to you this weekend in your leagues.

I didn't draft him but the week of 9/23, I traded Garcon & Portis for him. Partly to please my nephew but at the time, I thought it was a good trade as I had a ton of RB's plus DJax & BMW. Both Garcon & Portis went down within a few weeks and I plugged Fitz in & out so I do believe he helped me at the time. I'm now in the playoffs & onto the championship if I win this week. I grabbed VJax 16 minutes before the game last night so I'll be rolling with either Branch or DJax this weekend. I am shocked at folks who drafted Fitz early knowing the QB problems. That's why I knew my trade would go through & that he would be serviceable in the right matchup. Love your posts!

 

[Hipple Long Ware & Peete]

I honestly don't get it. He's WR15 in PPR leagues. Worth a 1st? Of course not but it seems like of the WR's that went around Fitz's ADP, only a couple have really out performed him. I think he was an okay pick late 2nd. Definitely worth a 3rd or 4th. He's basically at his floor right now. Seems like a decent pick imo.

Did you read what I posted today? There are segments to his season and the last 3 weeks he is way below WR15...WR33 in fact. He was running in the 15-17 range early, popped into the top8 for a few weeks and now is in the 30+ range. C'mon now.

Yes I did. WR's can be streaky we all know that. Regardless, we are nearing the end of the season and he is WR15 with QB's worse than anybody could have imagined. You can break up games however you want to say whatever you want, but in the end he's WR15 right now. It's not as if he put up two huge 50 pts games and then a bunch of duds. He's the model of consistency.

OK, but you are being obtuse IMO. I think I am being very fair and analyzing his numbers for the year and what many expected. This is the money rounds and he is falling off the map right now. Not sure many owners feel confident going into weeks 15 and 16 with the #33rd ranked WR over the last 3 weeks. That is not stat twisting, that's the truth. And it's no different then when owners were thumping their chests in weeks 8-11. Also if you would have told most owners he would be playing with a rookie QB3, I doubt most would have been too optimistic.

This might be a fair tactic when evaluating Steve Smith (who was supposed to have decent qb play and a solid running game), but anyone who watched the preseason saw this coming down the track. I think IIRC that I/MOP and others early on even said this both before and after they cut/traded lienert. It wasn't like everyone didn't know how bad DA stinks, and QB2/3 were both rookies, ergo it's a little disingenious to cry 'qb3' killed Fitz. This team was a from week -4.And no, a wr 33 is NOT a good start as a WR3/flex. That u think it is is prolly why you (and other guys who burned a 1-4 pick of Fitz) and larry fitz are more than likely watching from the sidelines un less your other first 4 included the likes of foster, gates, roddy white, MJD etc.And WR33 is what you wann hit with your 10-19 pick, not flail at with your 1-4.

 

[Hipple Long Ware & Peete]

You have to get to the money rounds first. You want to look at a 3 game sample instead of a 13 game one. Okay? I'm sure avoiding Fitz wouldn't have been the doom to any decent drafter, but to say he's not worth a 3rd or 4th and then getting kudos for it? Seems way off to me.EDIT: by your rationale Rodgers wasn't worth a 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th either cause we're in the money rounds and he's gonna put up 2 donuts.

FWIW MOP and I digress here in the 'money rounds make the player theory'. Draft again today with hindsight and Vincent Jackson still goes in the 14th round (or earlier if someone feels so stacked they can jump early to grab the 'money rounds' points.

 

[Hipple Long Ware & Peete]

fwiw larry fitz is wr17 (ppr), wr 18, wr 19, wr 19 in my four leagues.

 

[Hipple Long Ware & Peete]

No matter what Fitz has done or will do for the remainder of the season, it was still preposterous to say that you wouldn't draft him in the 4th round of any reasonable league(I suppose your 6 team, start 2 WR league, that might be reasonable).I don't understand why everyone needs validation. You didn't like the guy coming into the season, so you didn't draft him. Great. However, he was drafted by many teams who are in the playoffs now. Could they have maximized their points with another option? Maybe, but in a season that has seen him thrown to by Derek Anderson, Max Hall and John Skelton, he's still around the #20 WR. In other words, it's been about as bad as it possibly could be and Fitz is still a WR2.

To be fair even IIRC I said that based on talent alone I *might* take him in the fourth, but that the odds were that u wouldn't have the chance as someone else would grab him before then...

 

[Hipple Long Ware & Peete]

I think a lot of us predicting the "demise if Fitz" are really just predicting that he will fall out of the top 10 WR's this year, and will be mixed in with the pack of the guys in the 10-20 range. So that's still decent. It's not like Fitz is going to finish as WR 40. It's just that I think he has a better chance of finishing as the WR 20 than the WR 2.

I think Lienert is so bad that tis will be like MEGA last year. A few games where his supreme talent shines through, but a lot of frustration and disaapointment.Oh and while u can't necc. predict injuries, I do think that the "lienert hanging him out to dry one too many times" is gonna be the real achilles heel of one of the top 5 WRS in the game talent wise.

This BBT post is more like what the 'sharks' were saying. This is a 2nd round grade.

This thread is a JOKE!Fitz is a supreme talent and his QB situation will not keep him out of the top 5.-Calvin Johnson was top 5 With Cullpepper/Stanton as qb-Braylon Edwards was top 5 With Leinart's backup throwing him the ball.-Antonio Bryant finished top 10 bucs with a few different QB's Garcia bein the bestFitz is in the prime of his career and will see 150 targets to suggest he has a better chance of finishing #20 vs.#2 is plain silly. The talk of Boldin leaving hurts Fitz? Really?? So Boldin was drawing the double coverage..lol I dont think so. Fitz will see the same coverage w/ Boldin gone but will probably get some of his targets.Fitz has,Awsome Handsis one of the best route runnerswill see 150 targets Becasue Leinart was 4 for 6 in pre season I. LOOK at Warners pre season last year, it makes Leinart look like Manning right now.

 

[Hipple Long Ware & Peete]

Most that pass on him are taking guys like Randy Moss, MIles Austin, Calvin Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Roddy White...which of these WRs do you see as inherently more risky and how far off do you think owners will suffer for taking one of these other topflight WRs?

Dude, the TITLE of your thread says you'd pass on him in Rd 4. Since when are those guys going in Rd 4?

It sounds like alot of people in here are advocating passing on Larry in the early third round. I just have a hard time envisioning a scenario where Fitzgerald doesn't have at least 1,200 yards and 8 TDs considering the amount of targets we should expect.If you think he's going to get injured because Leinart will hang him out to dry, so be it, but if he plays 16 healthy games he should see 160+ targets. With a career ypc of 13.5, an average catch percentage of 61%, and 59 TDs in 6 career seasons (not including his dominance in the playoffs) you're looking at 97 receptions, 1,300 yards, and 9 TDs if he plays to his career averages and sees that many targets, and those averages include his rookie season AND an injured season.I don't really think those target levels can be debated and with Boldin gone he'll likely set a career high in targets. 170 doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility. Larry Fitzgerald will be the focal point of Arizona's passing attack. Even if you think Leinart/Anderson will be dreadful, Fitz will still see a ton of passes. Of the players you listed I would only take Calvin Johnson and Randy Moss ahead of him. He's 4th on my board.

 

[Eastwood]

all that matters is this weekend. If he puts up a big game I'm thrilled with him. Granted i don't play in redrafts, but in a dynasty, I'm still in love with the guy. QB situation can only improve next year.

 

[Tau837]

Don't confuse a disagreement with a fight. Take a look at the top 15 WR's drafted by ADP and Fitz is smack in the middle of them. I'm not really convinced that he wasn't worth the mid 2nd he usually went for. I would characterize it like this: a disappointing 1st, an adequate 2nd, a good 3rd and a great 4th.

I wish the Shark Pool discussions were not focused on rounds, because there is such disparity in league starting lineups, scoring, and number of teams. For example, my 4 leagues this year had 10 teams, 10 teams, 14 teams, and 16 teams. Big difference in what was available in the 3rd and 4th rounds in 10 and 16 team leagues...Instead, I wish we talked about things in terms of where players were drafted relative to their positions. So if Fitz was the 4th WR drafted, he was a bust IMO. But if he was the 10th WR drafted, it was easier to take. Etc.

 

[Tau837]

You can break up games however you want to say whatever you want, but in the end he's WR15 right now. It's not as if he put up two huge 50 pts games and then a bunch of duds. He's the model of consistency.

One problem with this perspective is that he is only #24 in average points per game. That is very disappointing given where he was likely drafted.

#17 ppg. Maybe that's non-ppr?

Yes, I should have clarified that I play in all non-PPR leagues.

 

[kutta]

MOP was totally correct on this. I supported him from the start, and I still support it. And even if the draft was held today, and we knew everyone's stats, I'm not sure I would draft Fitz in the 4th round. Look at it this way. Since PPR makes his stats look better, let's use that. He is the #55 overall player in my PPR league. Granted, 17 of those are QB's, so let's remove them and add back in seven, because that's how many realistically would be drafted in the first three to four rounds. That makes Fitz the #45 ranked player overall.

So in a 12 team league, the end of the fourth round would give us 48 players. That makes him barely a fourth round pick.

 

[LawFitz]

MOP was totally correct on this. I supported him from the start, and I still support it. And even if the draft was held today, and we knew everyone's stats, I'm not sure I would draft Fitz in the 4th round. Look at it this way. Since PPR makes his stats look better, let's use that. He is the #55 overall player in my PPR league. Granted, 17 of those are QB's, so let's remove them and add back in seven, because that's how many realistically would be drafted in the first three to four rounds. That makes Fitz the #45 ranked player overall.So in a 12 team league, the end of the fourth round would give us 48 players. That makes him barely a fourth round pick.

So you're saying the #15 WR in PPR (who also BTW probably has the lowest scoring standard deviation of any WR) isn't worth a fourth round pick? MOP was right to say Fitz wasn't worth a 1st or 2nd pick.He was wrong to say he wasn't worth a 3rd or 4th pick.Seems pretty clear to me.