Mark Wimer's Thoughts

Joe Horn suffered along with the rest of the Saints during last year's nightmare season. He struggled to stay on the field, appearing in only 13 games, and caught the lowest number of passes in any season since coming to New Orleans from Kansas City (49/654/1). He was nowhere near his pro-bowl numbers from 2004 (94/1399/11), and left many a fantasy owner with a gaping hole in their wide receiver's corps.

Entering the 2006 season, we are faced with hard questions regarding Joe Horn, questions like: Has father time caught up to Horn? He is 34 this year, and has played through 10 grueling NFL seasons to date. With 539 career receptions under his belt, Horn is no spring chicken. Was last year's dip in production due in large part to the Saints' difficulties, or has Horn lost a step?

Positives

• Horn is still penciled in atop the depth chart at #1, and he is only 2 years removed from a Pro-Bowl season. He has tons of experience to bolster his formidable talents.
• The arrival of Drew Brees should stabilize the New Orleans' offense, which will only benefit the wide receivers and tight ends - including Horn.
• Donte Stallworth (who actually led the team in receiving last season with 70/945/7) has finally developed into a complimentary threat across from Horn. With emerging TE Zach Hilton and hot prospect Reggie Bush also in the mix - let's not forget Deuce McAllister, returning from an ACL injury - opposing defenses will have a lot more to worry about during 2006, which could create opportunities for Horn in the passing game.

Negatives

• Horn is well past 30 years old, and he had trouble staying healthy last year. A person's recuperative powers decline with age, and Horn has absorbed a lot of hits over this 10 year career.
• The emergence of Stallworth could lead to Horn being relegated to second-fiddle in the New Orleans' offense. If Stallworth plays well during the pre-season and Horn lags, Stallworth could supplant Horn as the top receiver on the team.
• The arrival of Drew Brees means that Horn will need to build rapport with his new QB - we have yet to see how well the two will work together. There is also a new coaching regime in town, headed by Sean Payton. Change is sometimes a good thing, but Horn is essentially back to square one with his QB and his coaching staff, and there will be speed bumps in the road as the Saints adapt to their new offense/signal caller.

Final Thoughts

Joe Horn has been an outstanding fantasy WR since arriving in New Orleans, but the times they are a-changing in New Orleans. Horn will need to adapt to the new circumstances (and overcome his advancing years) to thrive during 2006. He's been a linchpin for the Saints for many years, so it's too soon to count him out - but fantasy owners will want to pay close attention to Horn's performance during the pre-season before investing a pick in him this year.

Quotations from the Message Board Thread

To view the entire Player Spotlight thread (there's a ton of fantastic commentary in there), click here.

Verbal Kint:

This is one I'm keenly interested in. Alot of factors in play to consider. I'll brainstorm for now and post projections a little later.

Kiddnets:
Horn will be overlooked this year - he was terrible last year but it was the perfect storm of injury, Brooks (lousy team) and Katrina. I see a big bounce back this year - especially with Brees/Bush on board. Not top 5 anymore but you may be able to grab him later as your #2 or even #3 WR and be pleased to see him post top 12 #s.

buster c:
He's not top 5 anymore, and getting a bit long in tooth, but you can book 900 yards and 8 TDs. Don't draft him as your WR1. He'd be a great WR3, but that's not likely in most leagues.

Joe Horn Projections

SOURCE	RSHYD	RSHTD	REC	RECYD	RECTD
Mark Wimer	0	0	68	1000	6
Message Board Consensus	0	0	78	1175	9