No longer picking up soap in the clank, Plaxico Burress is headed to Florida to begin training for the upcoming NFL season. Should you consider him a sleeper worthy of a late round pick and roster spot? Here's the hype and facts to go off of:
- Burress hasn't played football since 2008.
- He is down to 225 lbs, 15 pounds lighter than his normal weight.
- Plaxico was quoted "I'm gonna rip it up this year".
- He will have to learn a new system.
- We have no clue what type of offense he will land on who he will complement.
- Miami Herald's Armando Salguero reports the Dolphins are "absolutely not" interested in signing free agent Plaxico Buress.
- Over the course of his NFL career Burress has averaged a touchdown every 9.2 catches.
- He should enter the NFL with a chip on his shoulder, I like this a lot.
- Of the 31 receivers with 60 or more catches last season, only two were older than Plaxico Burress will be at the start of this season.
- The jail bird jokes won't stop if he goes to Philly.
- How long did it take Vick to become and impact in Philly?
There will be some teams in fantasy football leagues that draft Plaxico Burress, deep league players might take a shot. If you want to draft him expect the following:
- He will not be an immediate impact player, best case scenario expect to see Plaxico becoming a factor in week 6.
- Could the lack of playing time since 2008 make him an injury risk?
- He has never been a burner, he's a red zone type guy. I'd only target him if he goes to a team that lacks a red zone threat, and a team that should should yield a considerable amount of red zone visits. Then and only then would I accept the risk / reward associated with drafting PlaxicoBurress.
In the leagues I play in I don't see Plaxico getting drafted, our roster spots are like gold, not a place the players sit while we wait for them to develop.
ESPN Chris Carter's take on The Level Of Interest In Plaxico
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBem39ZK8As
