Wes Welker's value? (1 Viewer)

[UCSBgerry]

I'm a Welker owner and am having trouble deciding what kind of year he is going to have. He was great for Miami but now on NE with their spread offense I'm unsure of his value. What do you folks envision for Welker this year.

 

[Ron_Mexico]

I traded Issac Bruce and a 2008 2nd round pick

for Wes Welker and a 2008 3rd rounder in my dynasty league.

Tough to gauge the value right now,

but he had more catches for more

yards than Chris Chambers last season,

on a suck team with a suck QB.

I like him a lot as an NFL player,

a little less as a FF player.

.

 

[jurb26]

I traded Issac Bruce and a 2008 2nd round pickfor Wes Welker and a 2008 3rd rounder in my dynasty league.Tough to gauge the value right now, but he had more catches for more yards than Chris Chambers last season,on a suck team with a suck QB.I like him a lot as an NFL player,a little less as a FF player..

I'm the one Ron Mexico traded with here. I have to agree that Welker is a huge enigma right now as a fantasy player. With all the moving and shaking in NE and several WRs brought in it's impossible to say how he will perform. My feelings are that he will kind of get lost in the shuffle on an offense that likes to get the ball in a lot of guys hands. Which is why I was hopeful to trade him. Based on what he did in Mia, I can also see why there is reason to be optimistic.

 

[Banger]

He'll probably be a good special teams players and a decent #3 wr. He probably had more fantasy value last year as the primary target on the Phins.

 

[Mapmaker]

Welkers greatest asset in New England will be the fact he's excellent in the return game, a glaring need for the Pats that they wanted to fix last season as well as this offseason ... with the WR corp still very undefined in NE I wouldn't expect great things from him, just due to the nature of the Pats offensive scheme.

I'm thinking he was brought in primarily for his prowess as a returner.

 

[KellysHeroes]

I'm a Welker owner and am having trouble deciding what kind of year he is going to have. He was great for Miami but now on NE with their spread offense I'm unsure of his value. What do you folks envision for Welker this year.

hey.. when does the "Derrick Mason has one more decent year left in him" thread come out .I'll give you my input on WesHes currently #3 on the depth Charts; but that doesn't mean anything at this moment. Don't forget, Maroney is no longer their KO return man.. therefore Welker fit great in their plans which why they went after him. He fills 2 roles; He'll be the inside guy that makes the shot catches, the 3rd down Wayne Chrebet Role. Along w/ being their KO specialist.FF wise; no more than #4 for ya.

 

[coolnerd]

Welker's value is proportional whether or not you league uses PR/KR yardage as a factor. I suspect that he will be in the dual roles in NE as he was in Miami. If gets even normal NFL WR#3 numbers, he will have good value in return yadage leagues. In a 14 team yardage and PPR league he was 26th in 2005 and 18 in 2006 or a WR2. In my least WR friendly league with no PPR or retuen yardage he 86th on 2005 amd 58th on 2006 in 12 team league menaing he was barely rosterable in 2006 and not all in 2005. He is ultimate depends on your scoring system player. In one league he should starting every week and another he is a bye flyer at most.

 

[Bri]

On 3rd down I expect he'll be very much like Chrebet was for the Jets, "money" in the slot.

With Brady spreading it around and all their other offensive talent I don't expect too much else. If Watson takes his game to another level finally or if Thomas establishes himself, they could really minimize his 3rd down role too.

I don't like him too much for FF except maybe in deeper leagues. Hopefully like Troy Brown, he'll be the only reliable target on bad days and contribute lots of hustle and determination that are infectious to the rest of the team.

I think that Bruce trade is pretty uneven.

 

[SoloMatisse]

Im interested to see if/how Welker is used in the return game. Imo, he's really not a standout returning either punts or kicks, but he'll probably be used there nonetheless.... but I doubt exclusively. Last season, Welker ranked 28th in the NFL in return avg on kickoffs at only 22.2 per return with no TDs and a long of only 46yds. By comparison, New England's primary returner, Laurence Maroney was 2nd in the league @ 28.0 per with a long of 77yds. So, Welker as a kick returner represents major digression there. Obviously, they cant afford to keep Maroney back there when he'll be the #1RB, but Im not counting on Welker being their lead guy there....he's simply not that good. On punt returns, WW was 14th in the league @9.2 per with a league high 29 fair catches. NE's lead punt returner last season, Kevin Faulk, was 5th in the NFL @10.6 per with 5 fair catches. Again, Welker in this area of the return game does NOT represent improvement. Faulk is a reliable veteran, so I expect him to continue to be called upon to return punts. Welker's main value as a FF player, if you even want to call it that, will be as a WR, but even in that area I dont see him providing anything more than modest #s. And Id be shocked if he started more than a handful of games.....he'll be their 4th best WR next season at best. Id expect 40-50 catches for a maximum of 6-700yds and maybe 3 scores. The Pats propensity to spread the ball around, and in this case to a host of players with far more talent than Welker, would lead me to not even consider drafting him. Having said all that, Im glad to see Welker with the Pats because he's a versatile, hard-working player with a team first attitude that wont cry about #s, and will fit in well amongst the many other blue-collars on this team.

 

[Ron_Mexico]

Im interested to see if/how Welker is used in the return game. Imo, he's really not a standout returning either punts or kicks, but he'll probably be used there nonetheless.... but I doubt exclusively. Last season, Welker ranked 28th in the NFL in return avg on kickoffs at only 22.2 per return with no TDs and a long of only 46yds. By comparison, New England's primary returner, Laurence Maroney was 2nd in the league @ 28.0 per with a long of 77yds. So, Welker as a kick returner represents major digression there. Obviously, they cant afford to keep Maroney back there when he'll be the #1RB, but Im not counting on Welker being their lead guy there....he's simply not that good. On punt returns, WW was 14th in the league @9.2 per with a league high 29 fair catches. NE's lead punt returner last season, Kevin Faulk, was 5th in the NFL @10.6 per with 5 fair catches. Again, Welker in this area of the return game does NOT represent improvement. Faulk is a reliable veteran, so I expect him to continue to be called upon to return punts. Welker's main value as a FF player, if you even want to call it that, will be as a WR, but even in that area I dont see him providing anything more than modest #s. And Id be shocked if he started more than a handful of games.....he'll be their 4th best WR next season at best. Id expect 40-50 catches for a maximum of 6-700yds and maybe 3 scores. The Pats propensity to spread the ball around, and in this case to a host of players with far more talent than Welker, would lead me to not even consider drafting him. Having said all that, Im glad to see Welker with the Pats because he's a versatile, hard-working player with a team first attitude that wont cry about #s, and will fit in well amongst the many other blue-collars on this team.

Well stated.I am a huge Patriots fan.I traded Bruce for him mainly becauseI think he is a wild card with a lot more upside than Bruce at this pointin their respective careers.. He will also be #6 WR, no big deal.I think the addition of Drew Bennett will eat into Issac Bruce's numbers,plus he's 35 years old..

 

[SoloMatisse]

I think you did well picking up Welker for Bruce, RM. Welker may turn out to be more than I expect if he develops a strong chemistry with Brady. The age difference between the two is huge, but while Im not expecting great things from WW, he clearly has more upside and may just turn out to be a Brady favorite. I just wouldnt expect big TD #s regardless.

 

[Boston]

I'm a huge fan of Welker's. Probably more than most. The big issue with him is I believe he'll be a much better real football player than fantasy player. I look for him to be sort of a Troy Brown reliable hands/chain mover. Yet, I don't foresee a lot of trips to the end zone. IMO the Pats gave up a #2 and a #7 and a decent contract with the full intention of having him be a big piece of the puzzle for the next five or so years. Like Bri said he'll bring an energy to the offense that was missing last year.

Overall I think he has the chance to lead the Pats in receptions next year. The guy is a very hard worker who runs precise routes and I'm willing to bet he will become Brady's favorite/most reliable target. Yet, I don't see the yardage being anything special and the TDs being somewhat limited. As for his overall receptions that's a crapshot because there's so many questions with the Pats recieving unit. Does Stallworth get it all together and not have his hamstrings fall off? Can Washington develop? Is the Jabar Gaffney of the end of last season the one we'll see this year? Does David Thomas shine this year? Can Watson get more consistent? Is Garrett Mills a factor? Is Chad Jackson alive?

Overall I would not be in a rush to obtain any Patriots in the recieving game. There's just too many options and the more that play well means the more the ball will be spread around. If I had to roll the dice on one it would be Stallworth because he has by far the biggest chance to put up some big TD numbers.

 

[phthalatemagic]

Welkers greatest asset in New England will be the fact he's excellent in the return game

Really?