Fantasy Enigma: Wes Welker

2. July 2008  - Published by Dan Clasgens

The Patriots' Wes Welker finished the 2007 season tied for the league lead in receptions with T.J. Houshmandzadeh as he caught 112 balls.  With him in the slot and Randy Moss on the outside, Tom Brady and New England's passing game had an epic season that led to the team setting all kinds of records and finishing just one game short of perfection.

The question fantasy owners must ask themselves entering the '08 campaign is, "where does Welker fall in to receiver rankings for '08?"

In addition to his 112 receptions in '07, Welker also set career highs with 1175 yards and 8 TD's.

There's no doubt that the Patriots will be airing out again in '08, but it may be foolish for fantasy owners to expect the same output the offense as a whole. Look for  Welker to continue to be a big part of the action. It's not going to be too much of stretch thinking he could 100 receptions again, but the eight scores may be a bit of a stretch (consider that both Jabar Gaffney and Ben Watson had more red-zone targets).

In point-per-reception leagues, Welker could still turn out to be a top 10 wideout, but in most formats he'll likely be overpriced or taken too early. He is somewhere between No. 15 and No. 20 on my board at this point, but someone I will likely not target on draft day as owners will be quicker to pull to the trigger than I will be.

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