Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receiver Jeremy Maclin: 2010 Year in Review and 2011 Outlook and Beyond

2010 Year in Review

Philadelphia Eagles Jeremy Maclin played second string to DeSean Jackson in 2009 during the tenure of Donovan McNabb.  He’s been more than an adequate wideout for the Eagles offensive machine but had a breakout season during the 2010 regular season, excelling past his teammate DeSean Jackson in terms of touchdowns and receptions.  Maclin absolutely dominated the Atlanta Falcons during the early part of the season with 159 yards on 7 receptions and 2 touchdowns to lead the Eagles to a victory of 31-17.  On top of that, he had 22.7 yards per carry of which his longest was an 83-yard reception.  In that complete obliteration of the Washington Redskins of the score of 59-28, Maclin contributed 90 all-purpose yards and a touchdown.  The following game against the New York Giants, he dominated with 120 receiving.  Then began his fall as the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Chicago Bears and the Houston Texans kept him under 75 yards a game and 11.2 yards per catch. On the bright side, he did manage to score three touchdowns in those four games. However, not all this was Maclin’s doing.  At that point, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was battered as defenses caught on to his tendencies.  Vick withdrew into his former shell as a rushing quarterback as defenses blitzed consistently.  Maclin did improve somewhat when the team faced the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card game.  He had 73 receiving yards on 3 receptions and 24.3 average yards per catch.  Unfortunately, he was kept out of the endzone when the Philadelphia Eagles lost 21-16.  In 2009, he was  a low WR2 at best, but in 2010, he improved to a solid to high-end WR2/low-end WR1.  In fact, his 10 touchdowns ranked seventh among wideouts, and his 964 accumulated total receiving yards during the regular season ranked him 19th among wideouts.

2011 Outlook and Beyond

Compared to his 2009 rookie season with the Philadelphia Eagles organization, Maclin had six more touchdowns and 191 more receiving yards. He improved his ranking as 54th among wideouts in touchdowns to seventh which is a great improvement.  His 773 yards during his rookie ranked him 43rd.  However, his receiving yards led him in the company of potent San Diego Chargers wideout Malcolm Floyd and Indianapolis Colts invaluable wideout Pierre Garcon during his rookie season. During his 2010 season, Maclin was in the company of breakout Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Mike Williams. Maclin has begun maturing as a wideout, but his athleticism and speed won’t break his teammate DeSean Jackson.

Jeremy Maclin still has about three years on his contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.  However, he should still have productive seasons with Michael Vick at the helm as they have some sort of chemistry.  Jeremy Maclin’s productivity will have direct impact on others, most notably tight end Brent Celek and his teammate DeSean Jackson.  Maclin is the preferred target of Vick over Celek and Jackson during the 2010 regular season.  I expect the trend to continue into the 2011 season minimally as long as Michael Vick stays around.  Maclin will remain productive and effective wideout on the fantasy football roster.

2011 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Prospect

Jeremy Maclin has shown that he has become an effective cog in the Philadelphia Eagles offensive machine, but his productivity heavily remains on the health of Michael Vick, as do the other Eagles wideouts.  I wouldn’t draft a wideout too early during the 2011 fantasy football season however.  He should remain a solid WR2 to low-end WR1 throughout the 2011 season, but there may be surprise fantasy football wideouts that you can pick off the waiver wire that might more than adequately be as productive and serve as a substitute.  Remember Denver Broncos Brandon Lloyd, Buffalo Bills Steve Johnson and Kansas City Chiefs Dwayne Bowe among others.  Most of these wideouts were not chosen first and immediately on draft day.  This has been the trend for the past three or four seasons as free agency has leveled the playing field. The 2011 fantasy football draft should be no different.

The Shortened 8: Top 10 Drafts for Fantasy Football Wide Receivers for 2011-12

With this potentially abbreviated season coming up, this is the list of potential fantasy football wide receivers for the upcoming season.  However, for now, it should be taken more of a guide, a speculative list for preparation of a draft.  Unlike running backs, wide receivers don’t decline much over time, but their value will and vary tremendously from season to season.  They may be the primary receiver one season and replaced the next.  Ask New York Giants Mario Manningham and Green Bay Packers Donald Driver.

Must-Haves

• Philadelphia Eagles DeSean Jackson.  He is still in an explosive offense, and with a shortened season, he should be able to do well to be a solid WR1 to high-end WR1 in most games, if Michael Vick stays in the pocket — and healthy.
• Indianapolis Colts Reggie Wayne.  If this indeed a shortened season, he should be considered a high-end WR2 wideout.  He should have big games occasionally, and his numbers overall should be sufficient enough for you to edge out the competition.  And potentially their quarterback Peyton Manning won’t have to throw to a crippled roster like last season.
• Atlanta Falcons Roddy White.  If he can keep himself focused, he should be a WR1 going forward.  His major issue is his self-discipline on the field, not the talent surrounding him.
• New England Patriots Deion Branch. He’s a solid WR2 in most instances who may have a bigger upswing than Wes Welker perhaps.  But the debate on which wide receiver of the Patriots is most useful is still on the books.
• Detroit Lions Calvin Johnson.  He still has talent and speed left in his engine.  He should remain a mid to high-end WR2 in most games with moments of WR1 brilliance.  The return of Javhid Best as a healthy running back should help relieve some pressure mid-field.
• Green Bay Packers Greg Jennings. This is the first season where he exploded as he took primary receiver duties.  He should continue exploding into the next couple of seasons at least, pending any serious injury.
• Philadelphia Eagles Jeremy Maclin.  A high-end WR2 developing into a low-end WR1.  He’ll have his good days and his bad days, but he should pan out as a good addition to any roster.
• New York Giants Hakeem Nicks. Same as Jeremy Maclin but for the New York Giants instead.  He’s also a tad more consistent.  He puts up excellent numbers despite having a QB2 behind him by name of Eli Manning.
• Kansas City Chiefs Dwayne Bowe.  Whereas I am a bit less optimistic about Brandon Lloyd, I am quite optimistic that he should continue his progress from last season.  He has a talented quarterback by name of Matt Cassel with a substantive running back in Jamaal Charles.
• Houston Texans Andre Johnson.  He and his quarterback do have talent.  With their running back Arian Foster behind them, they should have been better offensively than they produced last season.  However, Matt Schaub was a bit inconsistent last season, and it costed them.  If Texans quarterback Matt Schaub can keep his head in the game, Andre Johnson should easily rise above into the top three wideouts of 2011-12 season.

Avoid

• Cincinatti Bengals Terrell Owens.  With him in limbo still, although he still has some talent left in him, I would potentially avoid him since he may backfire.
• Tennessee Titans Randy Moss.  Yeah, him.
• Tennessee Titans Kenny Britt.  Yeah, him too.
• Carolina Panthers wide receivers.  With such a defensive-minded crew, in terms of coach Ron Rivera and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, I expect more of a ground-and-pound attack going forward and low-scoring games by the Panthers. Think New York Jets, and you’ll get the picture.
• Minnesota Vikings wide receivers.  Until they get their quarterback situation pressed out, they are a high-risk gamble.  I won’t deny that Percy Harvin or Sidney Rice aren’t talented, but with no one proficient as a quarterback to throw it to them, each game would be nothing more than wide receiver football drills.
• Washington Redskins wide receivers.  I am still not willing to gamble with Rex Grossman as my quarterback with consistent production, even in a short season. Perhaps others might.

Potential X-Factors

• Buffalo Bills Steve Johnson.  The Bills have still have a long way to go before they reach elite level, but they are slowly building the elements needed to become competitive at least.
• Denver Broncos Brandon Lloyd.  Although he was first in yardage production last year, I won’t hold my breath to do it again with a shortened season, different coach and different quarterback.
• Plaxico Burress.  I wouldn’t expect no higher than solid WR2 numbers from him.  He doesn’t have the talent of some of the younger receivers out on the field.  Minimally, he’s worth a bench seat on the roster and could be trade bait coming into the fantasy football playoffs, wherever Burress may land up.
• Cincinnati Bengals Chad Ochocinco.   Before you bash me over the head with this wide receiver, bear in mind that he will have Terrell Owens out of his way this upcoming season. He could potentially put up WR1 numbers and minimally at least solid WR2 numbers.
• Dallas Cowboys Miles Austin.  He has sufficient talent and skill himself.  Whether head coach Jason Garrett chooses to exploit that talent with Tony Romo potentially returning remains to be seen.  I also question whether Tony Romo will actually become a better quarterback when it counts — or otherwise implode again.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mike Williams.  I like how Tampa Bay has improved last season.  With running back LeGarrette Blount‘s athleticism and quarterback Josh Freeman’s consistency and accuracy, he could have a productive season.  Whether it’s WR1 numbers, I still remain skeptical.  He should be worth a WR2 with some upside to him.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide Receiver Mike Williams: Fantasy Football X-Factor

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as a team, have been fighting hard throughout this season, but they lack enough offensive potency to get them over the edge. Other than the hard losses against Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints early in the season, they have remained within a touchdown in their other losses.  Mike Williams has been effective against softer passing defenses, and he’s coming upon some soft defenses in the rest of his schedule.  The Atlanta Falcons matchup should give him some breathing room, if Josh Freeman can follow through and their running backs LeGarrette Blount and Cadillac Williams can establish a running threat.  He will encounter some nice matchups against the Carolina Panthers, the Seattle Seahawks, the Washington Redskins and the Detroit Lions.  Coming into the playoffs, he could become a potential WR1, but use him with some reservation knowing that Freeman is not an elite quarterback by any means.