Boom or Bust Players
The Trashman, Rosterwatch.com

Photo by Alex Dunlap, Rosterwatch.com

Some NFL players are mixed bags when it comes to how they’ll fare from year to year. These intriguing players have both potential for top-ten production at their positions or deflated seasons, riddled with failure.

 

Quarterback

Josh Freeman QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Freeman is a chameleon on the field. Sometimes he looks like John Elway, and other times he resembles Ryan Leaf. He performed like a top-tier QB last year until midseason, when he started to nose dive in performance. Coming into this season, coach Schiano seemed wary of handing over the reigns to Freeman again, but has now put his full support behind him. With a rocket arm and a talented receiving corps, Freeman has a terrific opportunity to thrive, or he may just pack it in. Only time will tell. The 25 year old has one more year left on his contract, so it’s do or die time.

 

Philip Rivers QB, San Diego Chargers: Rivers hit somewhat of a wall last season, having the worst year we’ve seen from him in five years. With a new coaching staff in place that is implementing a more high percentage, short passing system, things should get easier on Rivers. He has solid underneath receivers in Antonio Gates and Vincent Brown. Still, many of the errors we saw from Rivers last year were unforced, and we could continue to see that trend in his play. A new safety valve in Danny Woodhead should help to ease the transition.

 

Other Boom or Bust Quarterback Candidates–

 

E. J. Manuel, Bills: The coach loves him, and so do we. It could be tough to succeed as a rookie QB in the AFC East though.

 

Geno Smith, Jets: All indications are the Smith will be the QB in New York. We have no indications as to he’ll perform though. Fortunately, anything will be an upgrade from Mark Sanchez.

 

Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins: He has the poise of a Hall of Famer but not much to work with besides Mike Wallace. It could be another building year.

 

Andy Dalton, Bengals: A. J. Green is the only thing that will make Dalton go boom. I believe Green could do it though, as he’s a special talent in the league, only surpassed by Megatron at his position.

 

Brandon Weeden, Browns: The oldest second-year player ever could surprise some folks, including myself. WR Josh Gordon is a stud when he wants to be, and Greg Little improves every year.

 

Alex Smith, Chiefs: I have my doubts, but Smith could benefit from a coach like Andy Reid. The action may be a bit much for him though.

 

Jay Cutler, Bears: Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett should make things a little easier for Cutler this season, but his attitude hasn’t changed and that’s what continually holds him back from being elite. Well, that and his accuracy.

Running Back

David Wilson RB, New York Giants: Everything is in place for Wilson to have a stellar year as the “one” in a one-two punch with teammate Andre Brown. Still, there are some question marks as Wilson wasn’t great in pass coverage last season, and had trouble holding onto the ball in important situations. If he starts fumbling again, coach Coughlin would just as well roll with Brown all the way. Wilson has electric speed, and there’s even more incentive to own him in fantasy as he’s going to return kicks, but if he can’t get over his issues that won’t really matter.

 

Chris Ivory RB, New York Jets: Chris Ivory is sort of an enigma. His body of work is impressive with over 5 yards a carry in his three year career and monstrous yards-after-contact numbers, but the volume of carries is low. He’s never carried the load for a team before now, and the Jets are relying on him to be their go-to guy. Ivory, as talented as he seems, comes off as fairly fragile. He’s dealing with hamstring injuries already, the most recent of a long list of tweaks and tears. Fortunately, he still has time to turn things around. If Ivory can stay healthy, and steal third downs from Mike Goodson who has yet to show up at camp, he could be in for a huge role on a run-heavy Jets squad.

 

DeAngelo Williams RB, Carolina Panthers: With Jonathan Stewart sidelined with ankle injuries, Williams has a shot to run away with the starting running back role this preseason. The Panthers are moving to traditional runs this year, so that would mean a ton of work for him come game time. No one, including his own GM, is committed to Williams as their guy, meaning you can get him on the cheap in fantasy leagues. He could end up paying dividends though. If Stewart can’t reclaim his role as lead back, this could be the Williams show all season in Carolina.

 

Other Boom or Bust Running Back Candidates –

 

Ryan Mathews, Chargers: The boom is very unlikely here, but if Mathews can stay healthy he might actually eclipse 1,000 yds and get a handful of touchdowns. I’ll take it

 

Andre Brown, Giants: David Wilson is the man, but Brown will be on the goal line in many situations. His touchdown potential is high wide.

 

Fred Jackson, Bills: The Bills are saying they will go with the hot back, and who knows, that may be Jackson on some days. He’s a fighter, and if they want to keep Spiller fresh, the Bills will use Jackson plenty.

 

Eddie Lacy, Packers: The kid looks good. Johnathan Franklin will be at his heels all season, but that might just motivate Lacy. Any decent running back starting for the Packers has potential to make waves, though honestly it rarely happens.

 

Mark Ingram, Saints: With Chris Ivory gone, perhaps the Saints will lean more on the powerful Ingram. That’s a big maybe though.

 

Rashard Mendenhall, Cardinals: Mendenhall has gotten a fresh start in Arizona. If he can make moves behind their atrocious line, we could see the comeback player of the year in him. He’ll have to do it himself, though.

 

Daryl Richardson, Rams: Richardson is a big question mark right now, but he’s set up to succeed in St. Louis. We’ll have a better read on him through the preseason.

 

Wide Receiver

 

Kenny Britt WR, Tennessee Titans: I was a Britt owner last year, hanging on to the could-be stud for most of the season, and cursing his name when he never quite showed up. It could very well be more of the same this year for Britt, but apparently he’s back to 100% health now and he’s ready to roll. Britt has the talent to be a top receiver in the league, but we’ve only seen glimpses here and there. If he and Jake Locker can get on the same page for more than a game or two, we could see a breakthrough year for Britt.

Denarius Moore WR, Oakland Raiders: Denarius Moore was expected to bounce back in his third year, that is until Carson Palmer left town. New QB Matt Flynn doesn’t have near the arm Palmer has, so I doubt very much that we’ll see many of the long distance connections that were lighting up the field last year. Though Flynn doesn’t have a cannon, he’s still an NFL quarterback, and Moore is too talented to be written off. He has the speed to breakaway and make short passes into long gains. If Cecil Shorts can do it with Blaine Gabbert under center in Jacksonville, then anything is possible for Moore. Just don’t be surprised if it doesn’t work out.

 

Josh Gordon WR, Cleveland Browns: With two strikes against him going into the new season in the form of a two game illegal substance suspension, fantasy owners will already be hesitant to buy into Gordon. It doesn’t help that he’s been extremely lackadaisical in camp thus far. I guess the codeine hasn’t worn off yet. Coming off of a 800 yd and 5 td rookie season, Gordon has the goods to become a major force in the league. Hopefully he realizes that his future is tenuous and cleans up his act. Should he stay out of trouble off the field, Gordon will have a breakthrough year in Cleveland.

 

Other Boom or Bust WR Candidates –

 

Santonio Holmes, Jets: He’s hurt right now, and we don’t know who his quarterback will be quite yet. Still, he’s a gamer, and someone has to make plays for the Jets.

 

Miles Austin, Cowboys: I don’t much like his chances, but if Dez can’t get things going for some reason, Austin is always an option in Big D. Let’s just hope his hamstrings hold up.

 

T.Y. Hilton, Colts: Gone is the Bruce Arians offense that made him a star, but Hilton is still the most explosive receiver on the team. We’ll see if it was all just a dream in a few weeks.

 

Justin Blackmon, He’s already down a few games, and Blaine Gabbert is still QB. Blackmon could get things rolling, but it probably won’t be anytime soon.

 

Jon Baldwin, Chiefs: The third year is the charm right? if Baldwin can’t get it going with a decent Qb in an Andy Reid offense, then he never will.

 

Alshon Jeffery, Bears: Now healthy, the rangy Jeffery could be the end-zone magnet. But then so could Martellus Bennett.

 

Greg Jennings, Vikings: His main crack is that Christian Ponder is his QB. He’s also the only receiver worth covering in Minnesota right now, and that could make things more difficult for a dinged up receiver.

 

Tight End

 

Dustin Keller, TE Dolphins: Keller has always had talent, but it’s rarely showed when it counts. That could have a lot to do with former QB Mark Sanchez. With Ryan Tannehill now throwing him balls, Keller could go big in Miami. Or he could do his usual routine of fading midway into the season. He gets points though for being one of the few decent options to target in Miami.

Rob Housler, TE Cardinals: A sure sleeper, Housler could be the victim of the Arians offense. The tight end has never been a big part of the plan, but he’s talented and Arians knows that. I think they’ll make room for him.