They’re doing a contest over at Fantasy Football Warehouse. They call it the “Speed Bump Challenge”. Every day they post a poll, and you have to pick the best of about four pretty similar options. They do 30 of them, and whoever ends up getting the most right wins a prize.
They asked me to weigh in on one of their early entry. Which receiver will have the best season? You’re asked to pick between Cordarrelle Patterson, Michael Floyd, Julian Edelman and Percy Harvin.
To me, that’s a pretty easy one. With the kind of role Edelman plays in New England’s offense, I think he’s a pretty safe choice to beat all four of those guys. After the Patriots elevated Edelman ahead of Danny Amendola last year, he averaged 9 catches in their final eight games, with 5 touchdowns and a pair of 2-point conversions. That’s mega production, and we’ve seen the same kind of pass catching in that offense out of Wes Welker in previous seasons.
If a guy were to average 9 catches over a full season, he’d be in the mix to challenge Marvin Harrison’s record for receptions in a season. Not that I’m setting the bar quite that high, but I think he’s as likely as anyone this year to make a run at 120 catches.
With Floyd and Patterson, you’re looking more at young, unpolished guys who are trying to establish themselves. Those guys are in the mix to maybe finish as top-15 receivers, but they’ll probably be a notch short of Edelman.
Harvin’s got nice talent, but he’s a distant fourth in my opinion, with the way they’ll use him in Seattle’s offense.
They just started this contest, and of the 12 who’ve answered so far, none see it the way I do. None of the 12 have picked Edelman. Five each have gone for Patterson and Floyd, while two have chosen Harvin.
—Ian Allan