For the last 10 weeks, fantasy football owners have been patiently awaiting the return of several key players. One of them being Seahawks WR Percy Harvin. For a little over the first half of the NFL season, Harvin has been recovering from hip surgery. He's finally set to make his long-awaited debut this weekend.
What Harvin's role will be this week against the Vikings and the rest of the year is a toss up. The Seahawks win with the run and the play of their dominant secondary. It's hard for me to see Marshawn Lynch losing his continuing momentum with Seattle in first place. Is Harvin worth owning in all leagues? Absolutely. He could and should be the duel threat that made him famous in college and with the Vikings. But whether he will live up to that offseason WR1 hype is too much to ask for. Russell Wilson has completed 163 passes this year. That's a mere 16.3 per game. He's not built to throw more than 20-25 passes a contest. That means someone is going to lose out on targets. Golden Tate, who's been on fire recently, could be the biggest loser. Because of that, he's one of our Sell High candidates for this week.
If you must play Harvin, go for it. He does offer high reward if he gets going early in the game. "Easing ........ into the offense" doesn't carry as much meaning after we saw Giants RB Andre Brown go off in Week 10. Not to mention Harvin playing the team who traded him will have some "sweet revenge" factors.
The Fate Of Arian Foster In 2014
The Texans and Foster held out as long as they could in regards to Foster's back injury. But in the end, surgery was the only solution. Now comes the rumors and whatnot as to what Foster's role will be in 2014. Foster has never been placed on injured reserve, but he's been plagued numerous times with injuries. Most recently in 2011 when he missed the first few games due to a hamstring injury. Tate is only 27 years old, but he is an OLD running back in the world of the NFL. Since 2010, when Foster was the full-time starter, he's carried the ball 1077 times. That's a lot of carries. Plus, he's caught 181 passes. There's a lot of mileage on Foster's tires, but it's really hard for me to see the Texans cutting bait. Foster is too good. And he comes with a cheap price tag as he's due a little over $5 million in 2014. But the rumors that Foster's body might be letting him down will continue. If I'm a dynasty owner, I stand pat. He still has too much value to trade low, which many owners trading for him will try to convince his owners.
This also has an impact on Ben Tate's value past this season. Set to hit free agency, Tate might be able to cash in somewhere else with a team who could use a starting running back. He's shown he can be a three-down back when given the chance. However, running backs aren't worth what they used to be in the NEW NFL. As teams continue to focus on passing, the need for a running back isn't as high as it used to be. Not with committees getting the job done. We've seen this in Cincinnati, New England and, possibly, Denver. Don't be surprised to see Tate re-signed by Houston once he sees his market value isn't what he thinks it is.
What are your thoughts on Tate and Harvin? Am I not giving Harvin enough credit? Can he make a boom in the receiver rankings? How about Tate? Is he good enough to start elsewhere and is there a team willing to give him the guaranteed money he'd want as a full-time starter? Or do you agree that running backs, true starting running backs, are a thing of the past?