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Is L.J. Smith starting for the Eagles? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Magnum
- Start date
I wouldn't drop Cooley from my roster. Just trying to get some insight on the current situation w/ the Eagles TE spot (now that LJ is back and healthy).
He had a good week last week, I am also considering picking him up, I currently only have Sheffler.
thehornet
Footballguy
you do know that LJ is only 26 or 27 right. he is in the prime of his career. he could easily be a top 5 TE, albeit with some luck.
Wadsworth
Footballguy
LJ Smith might not do much the rest of the way, but at this point in the season he's a pretty good flyer with a lot of potential. You don't often get a chance to get a TE off the waiver wire in week 11 that even has a shot at top 5 numbers. If the Eagles offense can get it together, LJ Smith could benefit greatly. Any team that doesn't have Gates, Winslow, Whitten, or Gonzo should take a look at Smith. I'd rate his chances about as good as any TE outside of those 4.
fatness
Footballguy
2 of the reasons he had a good week last week are because Sean Taylor left the game, and because Rocky McIntosh has difficulty covering TE's. Not all teams have similar weaknesses.
Sidewinder16
Footballguy
I had never really watched Smith before this past weekend and was a little surprised to see how he gets used by Philly similar to how Washington uses Cooley. Smith lined up all over the field and was sent in motion a good bit, even into the backfield to lineup like a FB IIRC.
I think he'd at least be a very good backup to Cooley on a fantasy roster, if not an outright TE1 from here on out.
I think he'd at least be a very good backup to Cooley on a fantasy roster, if not an outright TE1 from here on out.
Bob Henry
Footballguy
We're talking through the end of the year, not for dynasty considerations. He's also coming off a serious injury that sidelined him for the majority of the season. Even though he appears to be 100% healthy right now, there is no empirical data to suggest that he'll suddenly rise to top-5 status this year going forward. There are several reasons that would suggest why he won't - chief among them - 1. Nothing in his past performance suggests he'll be top five. 2. He is still getting back into the rhythm with the rest of the offense. Last week was surely a positive sign, but he's still competing for targets with Westbrook, Curtis and Brown. I think he'll be productive. Like I said, top 10 is quite probably, top 15 almost certainly.. but I don't think he'll be more productive than Shockey, Winslow, Witten, Gates (even with Rivers sucking), Dallas Clark (even though he's banged up currently) or even Heath Miller. I think he compares favorably to players like Ben Watson, Owen Daniels, Donald Lee and Greg Olsen though for the rest of the year.If we want to talk dynasty, then you have to consider that he's staring at free agency and there's a decent change he won't be back in Philly. I don't know for sure if he's UFA or RFA, so that would make a difference of course. If he goes to another team, his talent aside, I don't think there's a very good chance of him being top 5.. but again, I do think he's a solid player, plenty of upside remaining and a good top 10 or top 15 talent.
Last year he finished 9th amongst TE using standard scoring rules, only 16 points out of the number 5 spot. That's one point per game from being top 5. It isn't like he was some total slouch. It really isn't that much of a strecth for him to do well and crack the top 5 from here on out IF he is healthy. And I don't think 1 point per game is THAT much of a "sudden rise."Bob Henry said:
thehornet
Footballguy
nice write up. I really had thought this would be the year that LJ broke out and became a true power house pass catching TE, but the injury derailed him. he certainly has soft hands and he had been averaging close to if not more than 60 catches for the past two years. 4-5 tds seemed about average with 650 yards, if i recall also. i really though he would jum to 70 catches but with a few more td's and a slight yardage uptick.so just a slight modification would put him at 70/850/6to7 would put him close to the top te's. again i dont have numbers in front of me, but this seems accurate. just my lousy 2 cents.Bob Henry said:
Bob Henry
Footballguy
Nor is there any reason to believe that the players I mentioned above will drop by 1 pt per game. Then again, this isn't last year, so I would rather compare numbers that are relevant to this year, not last year. Hey, each to their own. I put together the reasons why I believe he won't be top 5. I never intimated that he's a slouch either. He's a good player, but in my estimation he's not top 5. I own him in a couple leagues, too.. I just don't expect that kind of production from him in the next 7 games.
I picked him up as a bye week filler for Owen Daniels, and after last week's performance, I'm not so sure I want to drop him and pick Daniels back up.
When I picked L.J. up last week, I looked at his previous year's stats and game logs. If I recall correctly, he's usually good for some huge games (toward the beginning of the season), and then is pretty average. He's been hurt the whole year, and hasn't had any huge games, so I'm wondering if he's not due. Then again, he's been hurt the whole season and it might have an affect on the rest of the year negatively.
The reason Daniels had such promise last year and heading into this year was that he had 5 TD's on a relatively small amount of catches. This year, the yards and receptions are there, but the TD's are all that's been lacking. Perhaps he's due, as well?
When I picked L.J. up last week, I looked at his previous year's stats and game logs. If I recall correctly, he's usually good for some huge games (toward the beginning of the season), and then is pretty average. He's been hurt the whole year, and hasn't had any huge games, so I'm wondering if he's not due. Then again, he's been hurt the whole season and it might have an affect on the rest of the year negatively.
The reason Daniels had such promise last year and heading into this year was that he had 5 TD's on a relatively small amount of catches. This year, the yards and receptions are there, but the TD's are all that's been lacking. Perhaps he's due, as well?
packersfan
Footballguy
The good news if you're picking up Smith this week, though, is the Miami defense has no strengths.fatness said:
Bob Henry
Footballguy
Here's some more thoughts I have on Smith. The last two years (2005 and 2006) were his best seasons to date. He finished 9th in both years averaging roughly 55 catches, 646yards, 4 TDs each season. Yet his numbers fell from 2005 to 2006 except for TDs - fewer targets, catches and yards.
The one thing that plagues TEs perhaps more than other positions is consistency. This is an area that has hurt L.J. and his owners most. In those two year, he produced 3 pts or less (e.g. 30 yds or less) 10 times. Three times in 2005 and Seven times in 2006.
So, one could take the half-full approach and say IF only he produced a couple of catches in those games he would gain that proverbial 1 ppg and ascend into or near that top 5 plateau. On the other hand, the half-empty mindset is that he didn't and therefore we can't extrapolate that WHAT IF scenario. Three of those 10 games were goose eggs, too.
I've always been a fan of his talent and skills, but I think he tends to get lost in the shuffle behind Brian Westbrook, then Terrell Owens (which helped free him up but he also demanded all the targets, too), and now Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown to a lesser extent.
The one thing that plagues TEs perhaps more than other positions is consistency. This is an area that has hurt L.J. and his owners most. In those two year, he produced 3 pts or less (e.g. 30 yds or less) 10 times. Three times in 2005 and Seven times in 2006.
So, one could take the half-full approach and say IF only he produced a couple of catches in those games he would gain that proverbial 1 ppg and ascend into or near that top 5 plateau. On the other hand, the half-empty mindset is that he didn't and therefore we can't extrapolate that WHAT IF scenario. Three of those 10 games were goose eggs, too.
I've always been a fan of his talent and skills, but I think he tends to get lost in the shuffle behind Brian Westbrook, then Terrell Owens (which helped free him up but he also demanded all the targets, too), and now Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown to a lesser extent.
Synthesizer
Footballguy
No way he's top 5 from here on out. Let's use last year as a starting point. He was TE#9 behind Gates, Gonzalez, Cooley, Winslow, Shockey, and a few others. Also consider that he finished last season just ahead of Watson, H.Miller, Dallas Clark, Witten, and O.Daniels, all guys who have all solidified themselves as FF starters this year. There's no reason to believe that he can outscore 5 of those 10 guys over the remaining 6 games.
