Faceoff - WR Donald Driver, Green Bay Packers

Posted 6/29, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Upside - by Sigmund Bloom

The demise of Donald Driver has been greatly exaggerated. His drop to WR30 in 2007 had more to do with the balance in Green Bay's passing offense than any dropoff in Driver's game. Brett Favre won't be there to feed Driver, his favorite target during the twilight of his career, but there are many signs that the Green Bay offense will remain very productive in the passing game.

With the emergence of Greg Jennings, James Jones, and Donald Lee in 2007, Green Bay's passing attack no longer had to go through Donald Driver to make big gains through the air. Driver's targets dropped his lowest total since 2003, but he caught over two thirds of them and still eclipsed 1000 yards. His touchdown total dropped to only two, but it was not accompanied by the loss of any speed or skill that made him a more viable threat. The law of averages dictates that a starting WR in a successful offense like Driver should easily top his paltry 2007 TD total.

The Packers are going to stick with their spread the field west coast offense, and Aaron Rodgers should be able to keep it well-oiled. The Pack drafted yet another WR who can be a reliable dangerous target in Jordy Nelson, and a QB who can also run the spread attack well in Brian Brohm. They are going to still throw about 500 times, and Driver will get a quarter of those targets. He may never be the borderline WR1 he was with Favre from 04-06, but he'll be a solid #2, especially in PPR leagues.

Downside - by Chris Smith

Donald Driver has been a top-ten fantasy receiver three times in his career and has had a very nice career. However when breaking down his chances this season, I have to admit that I don't love what I see. There are many reasons to be down on him entering into this season and not much to be excited about as I'll illustrate below.

Reasons to pass on Driver in fantasy leagues

• The retirement of Brett Favre: The gridiron legend known as 'Favre' has finally come to an end in Green Bay and there will obviously be an impact to the passing attack going forward. No offense to Aaron Rodgers but he is not Favre and the passing numbers will take a hit this season as the Packers move to a pound-the-ball offensive philosophy that will allow their strong defense to win games for them. Less passing attempts and less yardage will spell disaster for a player that has struggled to find the endzone (no 10+ touchdown seasons)
• Age is catching up: Driver is not old yet but at 33-years of age, Father Time is beginning to creep up on him and that has to be a concern.
• He is no longer the top-dog in Green Bay's passing offense: Greg Jennings has become the top receiver in Green Bay, forcing Driver to share more targets than he has in the past.
• Did Driver help Favre become the 'Legend' or did Favre help elevate Driver? This is a tricky question to break down in one small faceoff, but if you look at the long string of receivers that Favre has had success with, it does appear that Favre elevates the play of his receivers instead of the other way around. Driver is a good player but I don't believe he is of the 'great' ilk that can create big plays from nothing.

Final Thoughts

I believe that Driver has marginal starting value in fantasy leagues this season. Playing with Favre all those seasons in the prime of his career, Driver only managed 3 top-ten fantasy performances. He has struggled to score touchdowns as a top receiver, he no longer has the 'Legend' getting him the football and he is sharing time with Jennings. Each of the above points is valid enough reasons to bump him down your rankings this season, but together they are quite compelling. I would look elsewhere for my starters in 2008