I decided to do a little audit of the New England Patriots’ wide receivers when I learned Brandon LaFell was in a boot.
Josh McDaniels said he’s excited about Aaron Dobson pic.twitter.com/RxwM2sB3ow
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) June 11, 2015
I have to honest that I almost forgot Aaron Dobson was still a member of the Patriots. With the Patriots focusing on defense in the 2015 NFL Draft, however, Dobson is placed in an interesting position. Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman are still focal points for moving the ball, but a LaFell injury means there is a chance for another player to step up.
Dobson and former teammate Kenbrell Thompkins were favored as heavy sleepers heading into 2013, but neither player stepped up when Gronkowski only played a seven-game season. Remember when Tom Brady was getting really mad in 2013? Yea, a lot of it was from drops and poor route running by Dobson and Thompkins.
We still have the same cast of characters from 2014: Gronk, Edelman, Danny Amendola and LaFell. Brady has plenty of targets, but he was also able to aid three players to 900 or more receiving yards in 2014. Edelman finished with 972 while LaFell totaled 953. So if LaFell can’t start the season, who is the next man up?
I’m not sure it’s Dobson, but I don’t think he’s a bad pickup if you have a deep bench. He’s fought several injuries through his short NFL career but Dobson is only 24 years old. The young receiver played his college ball at Marshall which appeared to create exaggerated expectations. He is not Randy Moss.
While not a burner, Dobson was praised in college for has ability to fight for extra yards when he did have the ball. I can’t advise allowing Dobson a coveted bench spot at this point. What I can advocate, however, is that serious Fantasy Football players keep an eye on what happens with LaFell.
Jack Delaney is the owner of Your Fantasy Football Coach. Connect with him on Twitter and Facebook, and make sure to check out his new ebook The Smart Fantasy Football Investor: 2015 Edition to start preparing for your 2015 Fantasy Football draft.
Categories: 2015 Fantasy Football, 2015 Fantasy Football Wide Receivers
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