Faceoff - WR Laveranues Coles, New York Jets

Posted 8/6, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Upside - by Andy Hicks

Hands up if you know the name of the only receiver to play in every game for the last 6 years? Obviously it's Laveranues Coles. This is despite lingering foot problems and moving from the Jets to Washington and back again. Coles won't be the sexiest pick in your draft as he lacks the upside in non points per reception leagues to become a WR1.He does offer you one thing however, the surest bet you can find to finish as a WR2.

Wide Receiver is one of the most turbulent fantasy positions in the NFL from year to year, with about half of the top 24 from 2005 dropping out in 2006.

Over the last 5 years Coles has been a model of consistency. He'll get you 80+ receptions, 1000 yards plus and 5 to 6 TDs. I'll take that from my WR2 every time and looking at his current ADP (mid 5th round or later), you may even snatch him as your WR3 depending on how you prefer to draft.

Some will point to his finishing position in 2004 and 2005 as a hole in the consistency argument. His one touchdown for Washington in 2004 is a career aberration. The 3 years before and the 2 years after clearly indicate that. His reception and yardage figures from 2004 are consistent with his career figures. 2005 was the year the Jets had their No.1 and No.2 QBs, Chad Pennington and Jay Fielder, injured and out for the rest of the season. Vinny Testaverde was dragged from his retirement village to play in support of the inexperienced Brooks Bollinger. Coles still managed 5 touchdowns and 73 receptions for almost 850 yards.

A common concern is that Jerricho Cotchery or Thomas Jones will steal catches from Coles. Last year the Jets backs had 55 catches between them. Thomas Jones recorded 26 & 36 in his last 2 years at Chicago. Jones will be stealing catches from the other backs, not Coles. Cotchery wasn't dissimilar to Coles last year, but was clearly the No.2 in targets and overall stats. There are no other threats on the Jets team that will eat into the figures of Coles this year. He has the absolute trust of Chad Pennington, who even took a paycut to get him back from Washington in 2005; he barely drops a target and at the peak of his ability should deliver another solid season.

Downside - by Colin Dowling

Laveranues Coles is currently being selected as the 19th receiver off the board in most fantasy leagues. While Coles' history indicates that he can be a productive receiver, that draft position is much too high for him this season. Simply put, while being a top-20 receiver is still a clear possibility, there is very little chance that Coles will outperform his draft position. Being drafted shortly after Coles are players like Deion Branch, Braylon Edwards, and Reggie Brown, all of whom should be the go-to receivers in their teams' offenses and all of whom could easily experience breakout fantasy seasons. Passing on one of them for Laveranues Coles is a bad idea.

Coles has the experience to produce excellent fantasy stats and clearly has a rapport with quarterback Chad Pennington. He benefits from lots of targets and has long been the linchpin of the Jets passing attack. That said, 2006 showed that Coles has clearly lost some of the quickness that once made him so effective. The decline in speed was evident last season even though he had an excellent statistical year. If Coles' age were to impact his production as it does eventually with almost every receiver, he could find himself with a much lower ranking then ever before, meaning your early 5th round selection of Coles would look like a mistake in hindsight. That is a risk you simply can not afford.

Even if Coles is the same player that he has been in years past, playing every game and producing, there is a greater threat to his fantasy prospects now then there ever has been before. Namely, the competition for receptions just got a lot harder. The addition of Thomas Jones at running back and the continued development of Jerricho Cotchery (current ADP -- WR29) means that there will likely be fewer balls coming Coles' way. While he may perform as a top 20 receiver, Laveranues Coles isn't likely to exceed that ranking, making him a high risk to select so early, especially considering the other options that are likely to still be available.