One of the main reasons we all play fantasy football is to experience the moment when one of our players has an insanely impressive week in terms of scoring. The sensational satisfaction that comes with witnessing one your stud wideouts going off for 100 receiving yards and multiple touchdowns is a euphoric feeling that is hard to match. However, while having electric scorers on your team is paramount to winning every week, sometimes the less exciting but equally important assets that have high production floors can be just as vital to your success. While Seahawks wide receiver Paul Richardson has hardly dazzled as a breakout offensive weapon, his steady presence, and reliability when his hands touch the ball (just two drops this year) make him worthy of a second look.
Team: Seattle Seahawks
Position: Wide Receiver
Percent Owned On Fantasy Teams: (Yahoo Fantasy): 26%
Fantasy Points Total Thru Week 2 (Half PPR): Projected: 26.79 Actual: 29.30
As his projected and actual points scored indicate, Richardson is not going to set the world on fire as a big play wideout. However, when you consider that Richardson has quietly garnered 59 receiving yards or a touchdown in the first four weeks of the season, his solid floor is actually impressive. When you also consider that the steady receiver is on the field for 80.6% of the Seahawks pass plays (12th in the NFL) you see that Richardson’s value on the field is much higher than perhaps his paltry statistics indicate.
However, the only thing that really matters is Richardson’s value as a fantasy weapon and in this regard, his productivity is slowly but surely rising. Since week 2, Richardson’s value as a deep threat has skyrocketed as his yards per catch number has reached the heights of a solid deep threat receiver (yards per reception numbers weeks 2-4: 9.5, 15 and 21.7). While it could be argued that this massive increase can be somewhat attributed to playing in the place of a banged up Doug Baldwin, the fact that Richardson has displayed his reliability as a utility pass catcher will allow him to have an expanded rule in the Seahawks game plan going forward. While no one likes to see a stud like Baldwin limited on the field, his absence allowed Richardson to display a versatile skill set that could be incredibly valuable for both the Seahawks and fantasy owners.
While I am not suggesting that you rush to the waiver wire and claim Richardson immediately, it’s essential to always keep an eye on under the radar players who flash moments of greatness. As fantasy owners know all too well, injuries happen regularly and if the worst comes to pass and a star wideout goes down, guys like Richardson can quickly step in and produce. For now, keep one eye on Baldwin and the other on Richardson as the season progresses.
