Posted by Sean in Fantasy Advice on Apr 5th 2009 (Print This)
I’ve heard multiple people around the league comment that Plax is not necessarily a bad person, but he is a person that bad things have happened to. But lets clarify something. Plaxico Burress’ problems did not start with the pulling of a trigger. Plaxico’s tardiness to team meetings, work ethic, and commitment have all come into question over the last couple of seasons. As much as I dislike the guy, there is no denying his talent. We all saw how much different of a team the Giants were when Plax was on the field, and when he was off. Whether he is catching a ton of balls or not, he is a player that keeps defensive coordinators honest – and changes how opposing teams game plan for the Giants. Earth, Wind, and Fire has lost a member, and Big Boy Brandon Jacobs could suffer with no legitimate receiving threat preventing a stacked box.
The Giants are now in the market for a number one wide receiver. Hixon shined in spot duty, but when it was time to be a true starter he “dropped the ball”. Hixon has displayed talent, but is no where near a number one caliber stud. Steve Smith has seemed to find his spot in the slot. The Giants are comfortable with him there and are most likely not to move him. So what are the options? Lets first take a look @ the draft. True, this years crop looks relatively deep and talented. But wide-outs that make an impact their rookie years are few and far between. I’m not saying that they don’t have the opportunity to draft a future number one receiver, I’m just saying they are not going to draft a number one wide-out for this year.
The “typical” learning curve for the position seems to be 2-3 years. One “atypical” player that played above the curve, and posted the greatest rookie numbers the position has ever seen is Anquan Boldin. When you think wide-outs on the market, you think Boldin. But is Boldin even on the market? If he is, Philly seems to be the more likely destination due to the array of draft picks that they possess. But mention of the physical bruit going to Philly seems to have quieted down, despite Donovan Mcnabb’s requests to bring someone in. Another team fighting for a number one wide-out will only raise Boldin’s value. But Arizona appears to have made it clear that they don’t intend to trade him. Boldin is a great locker room guy and plays with passion and physicality that few players possess. Teammates Larry Fitzgerald, and Kurt Warner have both mentioned opting to take pay-cuts in order to keep Boldin a Cardinal. This is a testament to how highly he is regarded as a player and teammate.
Other options include vets like Torry Holt and Marvin Harrison who at one time both had seats at the Royal Table of Fantasy Elite. I believe that they both still have production in them, but no longer carry the luster of a true number one guy.
An intriguing name that has quietly been coming up is Braylon Edwards. After an extremely disappointing season, plagued with inconsistency and dropped balls, Edwards is a great “buy low” candidate.
The jury is still out on exactly what will happen to Plaxico Burress. He is most likelylooking at jail time. The Giants made the right move in taking a plea bargain and cutting the cancer out before it had a chance to metastasize into the 09 season.