It doesn’t seem to be happening for Martavis Bryant in Oakland. He hasn’t even appeared yet in a preseason game, of course, but the coaches indicate he’s not picking up the offense properly.
Jon Gruden ripped Bryant at the start of the week, of course. And now James Jones (a former Raiders receiver) says offensive coordinator Greg Olson told him the same thing. Bryant has ideal size and speed but simply doesn’t know the offense.
“They said he’s not picking up the playbook, and that’s the reason of a little frustration right now because they want to get him on the field but he’s not able to grasp the playbook yet,” says Jones, who’s now an analyst for NFL Network. “They need him to pick it up.”
Jordy Nelson is an older receiver who’s lost some speed, but with his superior experience and know-how, he looks like a better fantasy choice right now. He’ll probably start, with Bryant more likely to fill a limited role as a third receiver.
The Steelers may have known exactly what they were doing when they shipped away Bryant for a third-round pick. He doesn’t seem to be the same guy he was at the start of his career. In Bryant’s first two seasons, he averaged 1.53 fantasy points per pass play – 3rd-best among the 84 wide receivers with at least 100 targets in those seasons.
RECEIVERS: PRODUCTION PER PLAY (2014-15) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | Tgt | No | Yards | Avg | TD | Pt/Tgt |
DeSean Jackson | 143 | 86 | 1,697 | 19.7 | 10 | 1.61 |
Odell Beckham | 132 | 91 | 1,305 | 14.3 | 12 | 1.53 |
Martavis Bryant | 141 | 76 | 1,314 | 17.3 | 14 | 1.53 |
Jordy Nelson | 151 | 98 | 1,519 | 15.5 | 13 | 1.52 |
Torrey Smith | 155 | 82 | 1,430 | 17.4 | 15 | 1.50 |
Doug Baldwin | 201 | 144 | 1,894 | 13.2 | 17 | 1.45 |
Odell Beckham | 158 | 96 | 1,450 | 15.1 | 13 | 1.41 |
Dez Bryant | 210 | 119 | 1,721 | 14.5 | 19 | 1.36 |
Terrance Williams | 157 | 89 | 1,461 | 16.4 | 11 | 1.35 |
A.J. Green | 248 | 155 | 2,338 | 15.1 | 16 | 1.33 |
Allen Hurns | 202 | 115 | 1,708 | 14.9 | 16 | 1.32 |
Antonio Brown | 375 | 265 | 3,532 | 13.3 | 23 | 1.31 |
Sammy Watkins | 224 | 125 | 2,029 | 16.2 | 15 | 1.31 |
Jeremy Maclin | 267 | 172 | 2,406 | 14.0 | 18 | 1.31 |
Michael Floyd | 188 | 99 | 1,690 | 17.1 | 12 | 1.28 |
Brandon Marshall | 278 | 170 | 2,223 | 13.1 | 22 | 1.27 |
Allen Robinson | 232 | 128 | 1,948 | 15.2 | 16 | 1.25 |
Randall Cobb | 255 | 170 | 2,116 | 12.4 | 18 | 1.25 |
Emmanuel Sanders | 277 | 177 | 2,539 | 14.3 | 15 | 1.24 |
Jordan Matthews | 231 | 152 | 1,869 | 12.3 | 16 | 1.22 |
Malcom Floyd | 160 | 82 | 1,417 | 17.3 | 9 | 1.22 |
Eric Decker | 247 | 154 | 1,989 | 12.9 | 17 | 1.22 |
Brandin Cooks | 199 | 137 | 1,688 | 12.3 | 12 | 1.21 |
T.Y. Hilton | 264 | 151 | 2,469 | 16.4 | 12 | 1.21 |
Cole Beasley | 124 | 89 | 956 | 10.7 | 9 | 1.21 |
Calvin Johnson | 277 | 159 | 2,291 | 14.4 | 17 | 1.20 |
John Brown | 204 | 113 | 1,699 | 15.0 | 12 | 1.19 |
Marques Colston | 166 | 104 | 1,422 | 13.7 | 9 | 1.18 |
DeAndre Hopkins | 319 | 187 | 2,731 | 14.6 | 17 | 1.18 |
Julio Jones | 367 | 240 | 3,464 | 14.4 | 14 | 1.17 |
Jermaine Kearse | 135 | 87 | 1,222 | 14.0 | 6 | 1.17 |
Kenny Stills | 148 | 90 | 1,371 | 15.2 | 6 | 1.17 |
Alshon Jeffery | 239 | 139 | 1,940 | 14.0 | 14 | 1.16 |
Mike Evans | 272 | 142 | 2,257 | 15.9 | 15 | 1.16 |
Willie Snead | 101 | 69 | 984 | 14.3 | 3 | 1.15 |
Kenny Britt | 156 | 84 | 1,429 | 17.0 | 6 | 1.15 |
James Jones | 210 | 123 | 1,556 | 12.7 | 14 | 1.14 |
Donte Moncrief | 154 | 96 | 1,177 | 12.3 | 9 | 1.11 |
Rueben Randle | 217 | 128 | 1,735 | 13.6 | 11 | 1.10 |
Amari Cooper | 130 | 72 | 1,070 | 14.9 | 6 | 1.10 |
Mike Wallace | 187 | 106 | 1,335 | 12.6 | 12 | 1.10 |
Demaryius Thomas | 361 | 216 | 2,923 | 13.5 | 17 | 1.09 |
Markus Wheaton | 166 | 97 | 1,393 | 14.4 | 7 | 1.09 |
Kendall Wright | 153 | 93 | 1,123 | 12.1 | 9 | 1.09 |
Larry Fitzgerald | 248 | 172 | 1,999 | 11.6 | 11 | 1.07 |
Steve Smith Sr. | 133 | 79 | 1,065 | 13.5 | 6 | 1.07 |
Greg Jennings | 128 | 78 | 950 | 12.2 | 7 | 1.07 |
Kamar Aiken | 159 | 99 | 1,211 | 12.2 | 8 | 1.06 |
Eddie Royal | 141 | 99 | 1,016 | 10.3 | 8 | 1.06 |
Kelvin Benjamin | 146 | 73 | 1,008 | 13.8 | 9 | 1.06 |
Andre Holmes | 131 | 61 | 894 | 14.7 | 8 | 1.05 |
Julian Edelman | 223 | 153 | 1,664 | 10.9 | 11 | 1.04 |
Chris Hogan | 120 | 77 | 876 | 11.4 | 6 | 1.03 |
Travis Benjamin | 171 | 86 | 1,280 | 14.9 | 8 | 1.03 |
Jarius Wright | 112 | 76 | 1,030 | 13.6 | 2 | 1.03 |
Marvin Jones | 103 | 65 | 816 | 12.6 | 4 | 1.03 |
Golden Tate | 270 | 189 | 2,144 | 11.3 | 10 | 1.02 |
Mohamed Sanu | 147 | 89 | 1,184 | 13.3 | 5 | 1.01 |
Nate Washington | 166 | 87 | 1,305 | 15.0 | 6 | 1.00 |
Roddy White | 192 | 123 | 1,427 | 11.6 | 8 | .99 |
Anquan Boldin | 241 | 152 | 1,851 | 12.2 | 9 | .99 |
Jerricho Cotchery | 132 | 87 | 1,065 | 12.2 | 4 | .99 |
Brandon LaFell | 193 | 111 | 1,468 | 13.2 | 7 | .98 |
Miles Austin | 101 | 60 | 792 | 13.2 | 3 | .96 |
Pierre Garcon | 216 | 140 | 1,529 | 10.9 | 9 | .96 |
Keenan Allen | 210 | 144 | 1,508 | 10.5 | 8 | .95 |
Michael Crabtree | 254 | 153 | 1,620 | 10.6 | 13 | .94 |
Robert Woods | 184 | 112 | 1,251 | 11.2 | 8 | .94 |
Vincent Jackson | 205 | 103 | 1,545 | 15.0 | 5 | .90 |
Jarvis Landry | 277 | 194 | 1,915 | 9.9 | 9 | .89 |
Riley Cooper | 136 | 76 | 904 | 11.9 | 5 | .89 |
Brian Hartline | 140 | 85 | 997 | 11.7 | 4 | .88 |
Danny Amendola | 131 | 92 | 848 | 9.2 | 4 | .83 |
Andre Johnson | 224 | 126 | 1,439 | 11.4 | 7 | .83 |
Harry Douglas | 147 | 87 | 967 | 11.1 | 4 | .82 |
Andrew Hawkins | 156 | 90 | 1,100 | 12.2 | 2 | .78 |
Reggie Wayne | 116 | 64 | 779 | 12.2 | 2 | .78 |
Tavon Austin | 131 | 83 | 715 | 8.6 | 5 | .77 |
Taylor Gabriel | 119 | 64 | 862 | 13.5 | 1 | .77 |
Dwayne Bowe | 109 | 65 | 807 | 12.4 | 0 | .74 |
Jeremy Kerley | 101 | 54 | 561 | 10.4 | 3 | .73 |
Marqise Lee | 100 | 52 | 613 | 11.8 | 2 | .73 |
Davante Adams | 160 | 88 | 929 | 10.6 | 4 | .73 |
Cecil Shorts III | 110 | 53 | 557 | 10.5 | 1 | .56 |
Bryant last year ranked 58th of 85 wide receivers (with at least 50 targets). (The league leader last year, by the way, was the player who replaced Bryant – JuJu Smith-Schuster.
RECEIVERS: PRODUCTION PER PLAY (2017) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | Tgt | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | Pts/Tgt |
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pitt. | 79 | 58 | 917 | 15.8 | 7 | 1.69 |
Will Fuller, Hou. | 50 | 28 | 423 | 15.1 | 7 | 1.69 |
Marvin Jones, Det. | 107 | 61 | 1,101 | 18.0 | 9 | 1.53 |
Sammy Watkins, LAR | 70 | 39 | 593 | 15.2 | 8 | 1.53 |
Tyreek Hill, K.C. | 105 | 75 | 1,183 | 15.8 | 7 | 1.53 |
Ted Ginn, N.O. | 70 | 53 | 787 | 14.8 | 4 | 1.47 |
Tyrell Williams, LAC | 69 | 43 | 728 | 16.9 | 4 | 1.40 |
Stefon Diggs, Minn. | 95 | 64 | 849 | 13.3 | 8 | 1.40 |
Paul Richardson, Sea. | 80 | 44 | 703 | 16.0 | 6 | 1.33 |
Brandin Cooks, N.E. | 114 | 65 | 1,082 | 16.6 | 7 | 1.32 |
Nelson Agholor, Phil. | 95 | 62 | 768 | 12.4 | 8 | 1.31 |
Travis Benjamin, LAC | 62 | 34 | 567 | 16.7 | 4 | 1.30 |
Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 163 | 101 | 1,533 | 15.2 | 9 | 1.27 |
Robert Woods, LAR | 85 | 56 | 781 | 13.9 | 5 | 1.27 |
Davante Adams, G.B. | 117 | 74 | 885 | 12.0 | 10 | 1.27 |
Doug Baldwin, Sea. | 116 | 75 | 991 | 13.2 | 8 | 1.27 |
Chris Hogan, N.E. | 59 | 34 | 439 | 12.9 | 5 | 1.25 |
Ryan Grant, Wash. | 65 | 45 | 573 | 12.7 | 4 | 1.25 |
Cooper Kupp, LAR | 94 | 62 | 869 | 14.0 | 5 | 1.24 |
DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 174 | 96 | 1,378 | 14.4 | 13 | 1.24 |
Robby Anderson, NYJ | 114 | 63 | 941 | 14.9 | 7 | 1.19 |
Rishard Matthews, Tenn. | 87 | 53 | 795 | 15.0 | 4 | 1.19 |
Devin Funchess, Car. | 111 | 63 | 840 | 13.3 | 8 | 1.19 |
Albert Wilson, K.C. | 62 | 42 | 554 | 13.2 | 3 | 1.18 |
Kenny Stills, Mia. | 105 | 58 | 847 | 14.6 | 6 | 1.15 |
Amari Cooper, Oak. | 96 | 48 | 680 | 14.2 | 7 | 1.15 |
Keelan Cole, Jac. | 83 | 42 | 748 | 17.8 | 3 | 1.12 |
Kelvin Benjamin, 2 tm | 78 | 48 | 692 | 14.4 | 3 | 1.12 |
Alshon Jeffery, Phil. | 120 | 57 | 789 | 13.8 | 9 | 1.11 |
T.Y. Hilton, Ind. | 109 | 57 | 966 | 16.9 | 4 | 1.11 |
Josh Doctson, Wash. | 78 | 35 | 502 | 14.3 | 6 | 1.11 |
Keenan Allen, LAC | 159 | 102 | 1,393 | 13.7 | 6 | 1.10 |
Julio Jones, Atl. | 148 | 88 | 1,444 | 16.4 | 3 | 1.10 |
A.J. Green, Cin. | 143 | 75 | 1,078 | 14.4 | 8 | 1.09 |
Jermaine Kearse, NYJ | 102 | 65 | 810 | 12.5 | 5 | 1.09 |
Michael Crabtree, Oak. | 101 | 58 | 618 | 10.7 | 8 | 1.09 |
Golden Tate, Det. | 120 | 92 | 1,003 | 10.9 | 5 | 1.09 |
Allen Hurns, Jac. | 56 | 39 | 484 | 12.4 | 2 | 1.08 |
Mike Wallace, Balt. | 92 | 52 | 748 | 14.4 | 4 | 1.07 |
Adam Thielen, Minn. | 142 | 91 | 1,276 | 14.0 | 4 | 1.07 |
Chris Godwin, T.B. | 55 | 34 | 525 | 15.4 | 1 | 1.06 |
Mohamed Sanu, Atl. | 96 | 67 | 703 | 10.5 | 5 | 1.04 |
Jaron Brown, Ariz. | 69 | 31 | 477 | 15.4 | 4 | 1.04 |
Michael Thomas, N.O. | 149 | 104 | 1,245 | 12.0 | 5 | 1.04 |
Marquise Goodwin, S.F. | 105 | 56 | 962 | 17.2 | 2 | 1.03 |
J.J. Nelson, Ariz. | 61 | 29 | 504 | 17.4 | 2 | 1.02 |
Sterling Shepard, NYG | 84 | 59 | 731 | 12.4 | 2 | 1.01 |
Deonte Thompson, 2 tm | 69 | 38 | 555 | 14.6 | 2 | .98 |
Randall Cobb, G.B. | 92 | 66 | 653 | 9.9 | 4 | .97 |
Jordy Nelson, G.B. | 88 | 53 | 482 | 9.1 | 6 | .96 |
Mike Evans, T.B. | 136 | 71 | 1,001 | 14.1 | 5 | .96 |
Tyler Lockett, Sea. | 71 | 45 | 555 | 12.3 | 2 | .95 |
Jarvis Landry, Mia. | 161 | 112 | 987 | 8.8 | 9 | .95 |
Bennie Fowler, Den. | 56 | 29 | 350 | 12.1 | 3 | .95 |
DeSean Jackson, T.B. | 90 | 50 | 668 | 13.4 | 3 | .94 |
Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. | 161 | 109 | 1,156 | 10.6 | 6 | .94 |
Jamison Crowder, Wash. | 103 | 66 | 789 | 12.0 | 3 | .94 |
Martavis Bryant, Pitt. | 84 | 50 | 603 | 12.1 | 3 | .93 |
Marqise Lee, Jac. | 96 | 56 | 702 | 12.5 | 3 | .92 |
Trent Taylor, S.F. | 60 | 43 | 430 | 10.0 | 2 | .92 |
Dez Bryant, Dall. | 132 | 69 | 838 | 12.1 | 6 | .91 |
Danny Amendola, N.E. | 86 | 61 | 659 | 10.8 | 2 | .91 |
Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 140 | 83 | 949 | 11.4 | 5 | .89 |
Cole Beasley, Dall. | 63 | 36 | 314 | 8.7 | 4 | .88 |
John Brown, Ariz. | 55 | 21 | 299 | 14.2 | 3 | .87 |
Rashard Higgins, Clev. | 50 | 27 | 312 | 11.6 | 2 | .86 |
Jeremy Maclin, Balt. | 72 | 40 | 440 | 11.0 | 3 | .86 |
Taylor Gabriel, Atl. | 51 | 33 | 378 | 11.5 | 1 | .86 |
Adam Humphries, T.B. | 83 | 61 | 631 | 10.3 | 1 | .83 |
Torrey Smith, Phil. | 67 | 36 | 430 | 11.9 | 2 | .82 |
Brandon LaFell, Cin. | 89 | 52 | 548 | 10.5 | 3 | .82 |
Seth Roberts, Oak. | 65 | 43 | 455 | 10.6 | 1 | .79 |
Bruce Ellington, Hou. | 57 | 29 | 330 | 11.4 | 2 | .79 |
Dede Westbrook, Jac. | 51 | 27 | 339 | 12.6 | 1 | .78 |
DeVante Parker, Mia. | 96 | 57 | 670 | 11.8 | 1 | .76 |
Eric Decker, Tenn. | 83 | 54 | 563 | 10.4 | 1 | .75 |
Pierre Garcon, S.F. | 67 | 40 | 500 | 12.5 | 0 | .75 |
Roger Lewis, NYG | 72 | 36 | 416 | 11.6 | 2 | .74 |
Kendall Wright, Chi. | 91 | 59 | 614 | 10.4 | 1 | .74 |
Emmanuel Sanders, Den. | 92 | 47 | 555 | 11.8 | 2 | .73 |
Corey Coleman, Clev. | 58 | 23 | 305 | 13.3 | 2 | .73 |
Terrance Williams, Dall. | 78 | 53 | 568 | 10.7 | 0 | .73 |
Zay Jones, Buff. | 74 | 27 | 316 | 11.7 | 2 | .59 |
Ricardo Louis, Clev. | 61 | 27 | 357 | 13.2 | 0 | .59 |
Corey Davis, Tenn. | 65 | 34 | 375 | 11.0 | 0 | .58 |
—Ian Allan