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Steve Smith is the one of the most explosive athletes in the National Football League, period. His playoff performance in the 2004 playoffs was simply magical. And after his return from a broken ankle, his 2005 campaign was worth the price of admission to every game that season. Some will point to that year and say Smith will never reach those numbers again, I am here to tell you that the people who say that are undoubtedly wrong. It is not an easy feat trying to duplicate a 1500 yard receiving season with 12 plus touchdowns. But what if I told you that he actually did it last season? Lets look closer at Smith's numbers; Smith and Jake Delhomme played in 11 games together last season. Smith caught for 1043 receiving yards in just those games alone. That is 94 yards per game, only 3 yards short of his 97 yards per game average in 2005. Smith caught ALL 8 of his touchdowns from Delhomme in those same 11 games. Lets break down the season by sheer numbers and extrapolate those numbers to 16 games, and you got 1517 yards and 11-12 touchdowns. Plus throw in a highlight reel rushing touchdown Steve Smith provides on a yearly basis and we are talking about fantasy stardom. People might question Jake Delhomme's erratic play, and granted I have seen him throw no look passes to defenders in Seattle in a playoff game and things of that nature, but that fact of the matter is' it is not hurting Steve Smith's fantasy value one bit. If anything, it helps his value because he knows Smith is a guy who must get the ball. Delhomme believes that anytime Smith touches the football, an explosive or dynamic play is a likely scenario. There is not much of an argument against that belief and Delhomme's play can vary from game to game, but that theory will stay in tact every time he drops back to pass. The other question your saying to yourself is of course the durability issue. I have talked about his numbers over a 16 game season, a 16 game season I fully expect him to play. A broken ankle, his injury in 2004, is not a "injury prone" type of injury, it is a fluke type of bone fracture and obviously that is not a concern anymore. Smith injured his hamstring last season but only missed two games and as I said before, his numbers were still spectacular with Jake at the helm. If anything, Smith has showed a great ability to bounce back from injuries quickly and still play at an elite level. People said Smith's hamstring bothered him the entire year, well if that is the case I can't imagine what he will do when is completely healthy this upcoming season. I cannot make this clear enough, STEVE SMITH HAS TO BE THE FIRST WIDE RECEIVER OFF THE BOARD IN YOUR DRAFT. He is the only WR that can put up over 230 fantasy points(in traditional non Points Per Reception leagues). Chad Johnson might be a lock for his numbers, but he does not have that kind of UPSIDE, neither does either Colts or Cardinals WR because they have to share some of their stats with their partner in crime. The Panthers offense will be improved with DeAngelo Williams moving the chains now, and Jake Delhomme has something to prove now that Carr has been brought in(quick secret:Carr won't see the field unless Delhomme gets injured). Steve Smith is also the focal point of the offense, TO might be the only other WR who can say that, but even he, at his age, cannot match the incredible upside of Steve Smith. Look for an absolute MONSTER season from the best Wide Receiver in the league, fantasy or otherwise. |
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