Here at Footballguys.com, we have Spotlights and Faceoffs. Those features are fairly comprehensive, but they are limited to viewpoints from either one or two writers. Some players need a little more commentary. We have opened up the dialog and asked our staff to leave their thoughts on these players and what is expected from them in 2010. Here, discussion centers around WR Robert Meachem.
Sigmund Bloom: I can express this one in a formula:
Toe injury/surgery that still isn't 100% + disappeared in playoffs + Lance Moore is healthy = Meachem is over-rated
Jeff Tefertiller: In addition to the concerns Sigmund named, another is that most of Meachem's 2009 fantasy points came on touchdowns. His TD/reception ratio was off the chart and very difficult to duplicate. I also agree that the presence of Lance Moore should considerably hinder Meachem's 2010 prospects.
Andy Hicks: As much as I think Meachem still has the ability to be a solid fantasy WR2, his current ADP is ludicrous. As Jeff said, the majority of his fantasy points come from touchdowns, and no one is going to mistake Meachem for Cris Carter just yet. For Meachem to be worth his current draft slot, he either has to get a larger fraction of the Saints' targets, or the Saints have to pass the ball more. Neither is likely. Lance Moore will see more balls this year, while Colston, Henderson, the tight ends and RBs are still there as well. There are too many options for Drew Brees this year for Meachem to be worth his ADP.
Will Grant: Disappeared in the playoffs is right:
In the Divisional Round, the Saints put up 45 points on Arizona. Meachem had just one carry for four yards. In the NFC Championship, the Saints went into overtime before finally beating Minnesota. Meachem had two catches for 19 yards. In the Super Bowl, Brees had 288 yards passing and 2 TDs. Meachem had just two receptions for six yards.
The fact that he had nine TD receptions boosting his total fantasy points should give you even more pause. As others have mentioned, Meachem is a big gamble with a 7th round pick. Approach with caution.
Jeff Pasquino: Drew Brees distributes the ball too widely for anyone but Reggie Bush or Marques Colston to warrant a high draft pick. Both Meachem and Henderson are coming off injuries, so Brees will just look to his next options (Jeremy Shockey, rookie TE Jimmy Graham) if one or both are not healthy, so I would not be too anxious to grab Meachem as a WR3 candidate. That seems to be his top end value, not a pick with upside. As Jeff T. also said, the touchdowns are too much of his value. Meachem was one of only 12 wideouts to have nine or more TD catches last year. With only 65 targets in 2009 that is way too inconsistent of chances for a WR3 valuation.
Maurile Tremblay: We've covered the negatives pretty well. But on the plus side, the high TD number wasn't completely random: Meachem has very real big-play ability. He's a true deep threat and a constant threat to score. Moreover, his inconsistent stats were not a product of inconsistent play, but rather of inconsistent opportunities. Meachem was consistently solid when the ball went in his direction. I don't think it's a stretch to think that the Saints will try to make him a bigger part of the offense in 2010. While it's obviously no sure thing, I think Meachem has a better chance than most WRs to see his targets increase significantly.