Austin vs. Quick: Who To Take in 2013 Fantasy Leagues
Dorian “The Trashman” Colbert, Rosterwatch.com

 

The 2013 St. Louis Rams reinvigorated offense promises to be a high-flying display, harkening back to its “Greatest Show on Turf” days.

This is thanks in part to newly acquired rookie receiver Tavon Austin and the hopes of emergence from second-year product Brian Quick at the same position. Fantasy-wise, both are shiny new toys for you to play with, rife with potential, but the question is which one do you take first come draft day?

Austin is considered by many to be the biggest potential playmaker from this year’s NFL draft, drawing instant comparisons to smallish utility men Percy Harvin and Randall Cobb. Is your mouth watering yet? He is already getting snaps at running back in OTAs, and Rams HC Jeff Fisher wants him involved in the return game in addition to his starting receiver duties. It’s not all rainbows and lollipops in Austin land though, some teams during the draft process were afraid of hangers on issues plaguing the young man’s career. According to Austin himself, there are already people with their hands out, waiting for their cash cow to come through. He said everyone is the city of Baltimore seems to be “his cousin” now.

But responsibilities like this are nothing new to players coming from more humble beginnings, and the fact that Austin is aware of the potential pitfalls speaks volumes to how he will handle the situation. I don’t see this being an issue at all.

Brian Quick is a beast of a man at 6’4″, 220 pounds—a diametric opposite of Tavon Austin, but with wheels to go round. He garnered high expectations coming into the league last year as a raw prospect out of Division II Appalachian State, but struggled with the playbook. Quick ended up not making an impact at all with 11 catches and 156 yards on the 2012 season. It seems now that Quick has gotten a grasp on things, as he’s been penciled in as a starter and has, according to team sources, been putting on a show in OTAs. In just last Friday’s session he caught at least 17 passes from almost every spot on the field. With playbook worries behind him, Quick is poised to have a breakthrough year for the Rams.

Still the question remains, who will be most fantasy relevant?

My vote goes to Austin. Quick has a frame and skill set reminiscent of a certain transformer-like Detroit Lion, but he also has a ton of competition for looks in the forms of Jared Cook, Chris Givens, Austin Pettis, Stedman Bailey and Austin. Austin will simply have more opportunities to touch the ball, and even with fewer touches he has a greater chance of making plays due to his explosiveness.

It may very well be the case that you can pick up Quick as a sleeper well after Austin, as people may be wary that his lackluster play will continue. In this instance, he could end up being the better overall value, as Austin may be overvalued on draft boards. Either way, both players will be worth owning from day one, especially in dynasty and keeper leagues.