6 Bold Predictions About the 2014 Fantasy Football Season
3. Reggie Wayne Will Outscore T.Y. Hilton
In seven games last year - and actually, it was fewer than that - Reggie Wayne had 38 catches for 503 yards and a pair of scores. Through Week 7, Wayne was the 16th-best wide receiver in PPR leagues.
But as we all know, the now 35-year-old Wayne tore his ACL in Week 7, ending his season. In his place came T.Y. Hilton, who was averaging fewer than four receptions and 60 yards per game with Wayne in the lineup. At the conclusion of Week 7, Hilton was the 32nd-best PPR receiver.
Hilton's volume rose over the final nine games of the Colts' season, and he ended the year as the 19th-best pass-catcher in fantasy football. That's the reason fantasy owners are viewing him as a fifth-round draft selection in 2014.
But despite the fact that you can get Reggie Wayne over two rounds later than Hilton, I think he'll outscore him entirely in 2014. Camp reports indicate that Wayne's recovery has been "incredible", and that he'll be ready to play at the start of the season. And if he's on the field, he's going to be Andrew Luck's main man.
Not only do I despise Hilton in fantasy football because of the fact that he was completely volume-dependent in 2013 - volume that more than likely won't be there with Wayne's return and a couple of other receiving targets entering the picture - but the man will take you on a weekly roller coaster ride. Despite finishing as a top-20 season-long receiver last year, Hilton only had four top-24 weeks. You don't want to know some of the other names who matched that either, but here's a teaser: Nate Washington is one of them.
The weekly inconsistency Hilton brings is one reason to avoid him, but even from a cumulative perspective, I'm expecting Reggie Wayne to flat-out outperform him this season. And, naturally, I like Wayne's value much more.
