Talk to me about Shawn Nelson - BUF TE (1 Viewer)

[TPW]

I'm presently in the hunt for a project tight end to ultimately become a long-term addition to my dynasty team. This guy seems to be a good fit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSZfPHWF1j8

PROS

1. Lee Evans is the only widely used receiving option returning to the Bills this year. Roscoe Parish is a situational player and James Hardy has never seen any extensive action due to his knee injury last season. Nelson should have plenty of opportunties to show his stuff in the passing game.

2. Buffalo has a new head coach. Chan Gailey isn't necessarily known for developing great tight ends but he is a former tight end position coach and was able to get the most he could out of Tyler Thigpen via Tony Gonzalez in KC in 2008. He seems to tailor his offenses around what he's given and not try to force the proverbial square peg through a round hole while implementing his system.

3. Nelson ran a 4.52 at the NFL combine and is a true receiving tight end with tons of raw athletic talent.

CONS

1. Nelson was dinged up in 2009 and missed a lot of playing time while suffering from migraines due to a concussion. He's suffered no major injuries but durability may still be an issue.

2. Buffalo doesn't exactly have a history of great tight ends. They haven't produced one who would be viable for fantasy purposes since Jay Riemersma in 2001. QB's Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick don't exactly make opposing defenses tremble with fear either.

3. With a RB stable of Lynch, Jackson, and Spiller the Bills are going to a run-first team all season long.

So what do you think? Is this guy worth a spot on an 18 position dynasty roster? Does he have what it takes to make it at the pro-level and become a fantasy option given his current situation?

 

[Area51Inhabitant]

FWIW, Gailey's first depth chart lists Jonathan Stupar as the starting TE with Nelson as the #2 TE. I'm hopeful Nelson has potential as a receiving TE in 2 TE packages but at this point he's a Fantasy unknown.

 

[JohnnyU]

FWIW, Gailey's first depth chart lists Jonathan Stupar as the starting TE with Nelson as the #2 TE. I'm hopeful Nelson has potential as a receiving TE in 2 TE packages but at this point he's a Fantasy unknown.

He's not a fantasy unknown, but he is fantasy irrelevant, especially with those QBs.

 

[Grigs Allmoon]

FWIW, Gailey's first depth chart lists Jonathan Stupar as the starting TE with Nelson as the #2 TE. I'm hopeful Nelson has potential as a receiving TE in 2 TE packages but at this point he's a Fantasy unknown.

FWIW, Gailey's first depth chart lists Jonathan Stupar as the starting TE with Nelson as the #2 TE. I'm hopeful Nelson has potential as a receiving TE in 2 TE packages but at this point he's a Fantasy unknown.

He's not a fantasy unknown, but he is fantasy irrelevant, especially with those QBs.

IMO, you're both wrong.He's not going to bust out like Gates did, but he's definitely worth keeping an eye on (if he can stay healthy) for a lot of reasons - lack of pass catchers, Edwards being check-down king, good size/athleticism, et al.

 

[Area51Inhabitant]

Do you see him as the every down TE? I know you're high on high on Nelson as a pass catcher but is he a good enough blocker to play on first and second downs? I'm going to hold off on the enthusiasm for him until I actually see something during a pre season game that indicates he's ready for that kind of role.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

I snagged him in a couple dynasties, and also spent 5 bucks on him in the FBG subscirber contest flyer TE

 

[Dawg Pound 69]

FWIW, Gailey's first depth chart lists Jonathan Stupar as the starting TE with Nelson as the #2 TE. I'm hopeful Nelson has potential as a receiving TE in 2 TE packages but at this point he's a Fantasy unknown.

FWIW, Gailey's first depth chart lists Jonathan Stupar as the starting TE with Nelson as the #2 TE. I'm hopeful Nelson has potential as a receiving TE in 2 TE packages but at this point he's a Fantasy unknown.

He's not a fantasy unknown, but he is fantasy irrelevant, especially with those QBs.

IMO, you're both wrong.He's not going to bust out like Gates did, but he's definitely worth keeping an eye on (if he can stay healthy) for a lot of reasons - lack of pass catchers, Edwards being check-down king, good size/athleticism, et al.

You nailed it. Trent Edwards kills the value of Evans because he has a weak arm and isn't patient in the pocket. This should work to the benefit of Nelson. Having Chan Gailey as HC also helps his value. There's virtually no downside to rostering Nelson as your TE3, or possibly TE2. His value can only go up, and you can then sell him for much more than you bought him for. With the explosion of Finley, it's surprising that more people aren't jumping on Nelson in hopes that he takes a similar step forward in Year 2. Physically they are very similar.

 

[Multiple Scores]

FWIW, Gailey's first depth chart lists Jonathan Stupar as the starting TE with Nelson as the #2 TE. I'm hopeful Nelson has potential as a receiving TE in 2 TE packages but at this point he's a Fantasy unknown.

He's not a fantasy unknown, but he is fantasy irrelevant, especially with those QBs.

The same could be said about your dream loverboy Cook. How is this any different?

 

[FavreCo]

FWIW, Gailey's first depth chart lists Jonathan Stupar as the starting TE with Nelson as the #2 TE. I'm hopeful Nelson has potential as a receiving TE in 2 TE packages but at this point he's a Fantasy unknown.

He's not a fantasy unknown, but he is fantasy irrelevant, especially with those QBs.

Pretty much sums it up. Someone to keep an eye on if they ever get solid QB production.

 

[Grigs Allmoon]

FWIW, Gailey's first depth chart lists Jonathan Stupar as the starting TE with Nelson as the #2 TE. I'm hopeful Nelson has potential as a receiving TE in 2 TE packages but at this point he's a Fantasy unknown.

He's not a fantasy unknown, but he is fantasy irrelevant, especially with those QBs.

Pretty much sums it up. Someone to keep an eye on if they ever get solid QB production.

TEs without solid QB production can't be successful? Gonzalez, Heap, Sharpe, Vernon Davis, Alge Crumpler and many more would seem to disprove that.

 

[GroveDiesel]

FWIW, WR Chad Jackson has apparently looked pretty good in camp so far. I still really like Steve Johnson too. I'm not at all convinced that Shawn Nelson will be relevant fantasy-wise. For the Bills sake I hope that he is. But I think that with their offensive line, the Bills will look to use 3 WR sets and a RB as a receiving threat while keeping the TE in to block an awful lot of the time.