Faceoff - Who Is the Seahawks' WR2?

Posted 7/20, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Nate Burleson - by Mark Wimer

Nate Burleson looked like a fantasy monster in the making entering 2008 - he had a great camp and preseason and was coming off a nine-TD campaign during 2007 (50/694/9). He had developed great chemistry with Matt Hasselbeck (benefiting from his first full training camp with Seattle) and was out of the gates strongly in Week 1 of 2008 (5/60/1, out of nine targets).

Then he went down for the season to a knee injury that required reconstructive surgery. Burleson's potential in Seattle remains mostly unrealized.

However, all reports out of Seattle this year indicate that he is running routes crisply and catching a lot of the balls that come his way. Burleson seems to be running effortlessly and appears to trust his reconstructed knee. With new teammate T.J. Houshmandzadeh commanding attention from opposing DBs, Burleson may be able to return to solid WR3 status among fantasy WRs this year. He has considerable upside if he (and QB Matt Hasselbeck) can stay healthy. Happily, Hasselbeck has been active during May and June OTAs and appears to be fully healed after enduring a troublesome back injury during 2008.

Deion Branch (the other true contender for touches on the ball in Seattle at the WR position) had a knee scoped at the end of 2008 and was in street clothes for May OTAs (still walking stiffly, with a slight limp). Deon Butler has yet to catch a pass at this level of the game, while the other receivers currently on the roster are definitely not household names (Jordan Kent, Ben Obomanu, and Logan Payne).

Burleson should easily hold onto the No. 2 WR slot in Seattle, and he'll be very productive in that role with Houshmandzadeh and TE John Carlson to occupy opposing defenders in the pass patterns. I think Burleson is a great boom-or-bust pick for the depth positions on your fantasy WR bench this year. He may well end up being an every-week fantasy starter during 2009.

Deion Branch - by Matt Waldman

It is a difficult task to take the side of a receiver coming off an ACL tear - unless of course, the other guy has suffered a similar injury. Choosing between Deion Branch and Nate Burleson is like deciding which car to buy when the only two contenders have unsavory CARFAX reports. In the end, I'm happy to take Branch because there is greater evidence to suggest that he'll be the more effective player, and likely No. 2 WR for Seattle.

The fact Branch and Burleson are potential starters this year underscores the weakness of the Seahawks receiving corps. The addition of T.J. Houshmandzadeh helps, but it's like a solid month of rain in a town suffering from record-breaking drought: it's a good start, but without reserves, it won't turn things around.

Seattle's depth is below average. Jordan Kent and Ben Obomanu are one-dimensional. Logan Payne, who tore his ACL in Week 2 of 2008, is on the Kevin Walter slow track of development. Their best prospects are Mike Hass, who like a young Ed McCaffrey, shines in practice but is overlooked, and undersized rookie, Deon Butler who might develop into an Eddie Royal-like player but not as soon.

Branch and Burleson share a similar career trajectory: both had promising starts followed by droughts in production. Both are good matches in a west coast offense because when healthy, they have the hands, refined routes and YAC skills to succeed.

ESPN reports that Branch was unusually forthcoming about his ACL tear. "You will never be back to normal once you have this type of procedure done. I actually feel stronger, but it's not normal. Something has been done that removed [parts] of my knee. My biggest thing is to continue to strengthen it," he said.

It's not a ringing endorsement of his recovery, but a truthful one -- something we don't often hear from NFL players. Branch did return to 7-on-7 drills in mid-June after a second procedure on the knee that could probably be described as follow up maintenance. His estimated date of participation in training camp is unknown, but after tearing his ACL in 2007 he did return at the end of 2008 to accumulate 27 receptions for 381 yards and four scores, including a four-catch, 88-yard, two-score effort against his former team the Patriots and a six-grab, 90-yard, two-touchdown performance in the season finale against Arizona.

This makes me more optimistic about Branch in 2009 compared to Burleson, who tore his ACL in week one of 2008. Even if Burleson is ahead of schedule, he's more likely to deal with nagging injuries as he overcompensates for the knee. Remember, west coast receivers are relied upon to do more running after the catch and I expect Branch to be the player with the more physically sound knee to handle the cutting and contact involved with this type of role. Burleson should play, but he'll serve as more of a role player as his rehab continues to begin 2009.