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I never liked Now & Laters. I don't like the way taffy sticks to your teeth. Caramel is as far as I'll go in that direction of the candy shop.
It's a different story when the candy shop is Sunday of NFL on my TV. Promising players making an impact or on the rise have become those Now & Laters. I must admit that like taffy, the stickiness of some of these options can prove more troublesome than satisfying because the appeal outdistances the benefits.
That's the risk of trying to be ahead of curve. Most of the options from the Week 4 visit to the candy shop are more "later" than "now". I like it that way.
It's better for you to know about these guys earlier than your opponents—especially if an injury occurs during practice or flares up before the games. I can't tell you how many times I got the jump on the competition before the following week's free agency bidding in these scenarios.
Nows
Tyrell Williams: This isn't new, but the box score jockeys jumping horses and riding Dontrelle Inman after the Saints game have inadvertently downgraded their receiving corps. Inman had the bigger game but the Saints were playing with a brand new secondary that blew a coverage and allowed a 57-yard touchdown that could have been delivered to any receiver on this roster with success.
Inman also dropped a crucial 3rd-and-22 target late in the game—a wide-open look up the sideline.
Although tough to see from this vantage point, Williams also displayed good hand position here. Inman's drop was the result of poor hand position that often happens because of difficulty tracking the ball. Inman leaped for the ball when he only needed to extend his arms. The ball bounced off his chest and face mask. Williams on the play above tracked a more difficult target perfectly and it led to good hand position.
Williams may not be an every-week starter for you, but in 14- and 16-team leagues that have lineups with 3-5 receivers, he's a viable option and one I'd prefer to Inman—even if Inman occasionally out-points Williams.
Chris Conley (and Sammie Coates Jr): I pulled a Green Bay Packers-Josh Sitton in our staff IDP dynasty league last week, dropping Conley to make room for Tyvon Branch. It's the third time I've had Branch on this roster. He was one of my startup picks. He has never stayed healthy.
You'd think I'd learn by now.
I dropped Conley, thinking I might grab him again the next week. The Chiefs aren't an exciting passing offense with Alex Smith and I figured Conley would provide another workmanlike performance that would allow me to add him back.
I forgot that Sigmund Bloom—neurotic Steelers fan—developed his usual one-week infatuation with the recent opponent of the Steelers. By the way, if you ever hear Bloom dooming-and-glooming his beloved team before a game again don't believe a word of it. I'm sure he believes everything he says, but with the underlying motivation that if he venerates the opposition, the Steelers will win.
Naturally, Bloom watched Chris Conley make technically-sound grabs with his big, athletic frame and he jumped at the opportunity to scoop up my gamble. Conley is every bit the athlete as Sammie Coates Jr but more refined at the craft of the position.
The hand position and extension are the difference between a catch and the defender making the play on the ball. If Conley had his palms facing to the sky and waiting passively for the ball, his arms wouldn't be extended enough to catch the ball before the defender swats it away. It's reason No.1,535,3432 why football is a game of inches.
Here's another catch versus contact. The extension of the arms allows Conley to control the pass and it enhances the position he created to shield the defender with his back. When he's hit the arms and hands remain stable. If he waited on the ball with a passive scoop, using his chest as a backstop, the defender has a much better chance of dislodging the ball with a hit.
Sammie Coates Jr is an improved player. He's better with his routes and understanding off the offense. His judgment with tracking the football still needs work. This route is an excellent example.
Although a difficult angle, it's expected the receiver in this situation makes the correct adjustment to this target. Coates uses an underhand technique and if you watch this video a few times, you'll notice that the root cause is him not being sure about the angle of the target's arrival.
If Coates tracks this target better, he'd recognize faster that the ball is arriving shy of the mark and reach for the ball with arms extended and fingertips pointed skyward. Instead, his entire process is passive. He's waiting for the ball to reach him.
The target arrives he can't be the first to make contact with the ball and pull it away. His passivity gives the defender the chance to swat towards the ball and at least distract Coates' already shaky concentration on targets of this type.
Conley is technically a "now" because he's earning steady targets and he has the trust of Alex Smith but he's really more of a "later" and a one I hope gets paired with a better quarterback within the next 2-3 years. If Conley and Coates switched teams, I think Conley would be a top-20 fantasy receiver right now. But Coates has the great quarterback (shut up, Volk) and the big-play opportunities that Smith does not like to risk.
Coates is a boom-bust player who has not done enough to replace Martavis Bryant if Bryant can mature off the field. But for now, he's a nice option to have handy as matchups dictate.
Jordan Howard: The Bears runner is not that championship-winning piece because I'm not convinced the team is good enough to put Howard in position for huge games but if you have him on your team, congratulations for shoring up your RB2 spot. I still see a one-speed runner but the speed is just enough to get through the line of scrimmage and threaten a secondary.
Howard is a compact runner for his size. His streamlined style keeps him in control of his body in situations where others have flailing parts that make it easier for defenders to latch on.
Everything he does is fluid. This catch and run in the right flat is a fine example.
Howard's ceiling is capped by his burst and long speed. This 12-yard gain is a good run, but No.55 Tahir Whitehead doesn't catch a lot of the backs hitting this hole. While Howard slowed down to cut inside the defensive back just before Whitehead catches up, this wouldn't have gone for more than 20 yards if Howard could continue up the left hash without changing direction.
The linebacker at the right hash (No.53) also makes a questionable decision with his run fit, working towards the outside of the double team rather than staying inside and Howard reads it in the hole. The Lions defense has been making these types of errors since August so I'm still in wait-and-see mode with Howard's long-term fantasy upside.
It means I'm sticking with the stylistic comparison I made this spring: Stephen Davis. Not a bad player to be mentioned with—especially when you're head coach rode Davis to a Super Bowl in Carolina.
Somewhere in between Now & Later
Taylor Gabriel: Justin Hardy has already been relegated to punt return duty because of Gabriel's emergence. Kyle Shanahan liked Gabriel in Cleveland and there was a time where the staff and players from the former Browns' regime pegged him as a future star.
When Gabriel arrived in Atlanta, it took him less than a week to see the field—and significant playing time. His quick, fast, sure-handed, and plays with an awareness that I see from productive NFL starters.
Here's a speed out with excellent boundary awareness. It's an underrated play of difficulty because a lot of receivers running speed outs wait too long to anticipate the sideline. Gabriel calculates it as he's reaching for the ball and not at the catch-point.
I also appreciate Gabriel's toughness at the catch point.
Gabriel isn't a priority pick-up, but if you have the luxury to add him in a dynasty league, I'd do it. In re-draft leagues, I'd note that Gabriel often earns looks on the perimeter with the Falcons moving Mohamed Sanu to the slot. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Gabriel develops into a player who executes some of those timing routes that Matt Ryan delivered with precision to Roddy White during White's prime. It's not a feature of this offense but Gabriel offers that ability that the other receivers lack.
Paul Richardson Jr: In case you missed it, Jimmy Graham is back in a big way. He's healthy and Russell Wilson has learned to trust Graham on routes that go against the teachings of most quarterback coaches "throw it up in tight spaces and let the big guy win it." Professionals figure out how to break the rules in productive ways, which is why you see this a lot more often as an intentional strategy on Sundays.
Seattle found a formation that forced the Jets to place a linebacker on Graham and they let the basketball player rebound. Paul Richardson Jr also benefitted from a similar concept.
Although it's been a footnote with the Seattle offense, Paul Richardson Jr is a consistent and active presence on the field this year and the Seahawks still believe he has every-down upside as a productive starter. The fact that Wilson is beginning to trust Richardson with these plays on Sundays—and not just the practice field—is a notable development.
I realize that I have my favorites and I write about them a lot but I have my reasons. This play above is a "4" on a scale of 1-10 difficulty that I've seen Richardson make. He routinely made plays in the 8-10 range and that's something that only happens when a quarterback trusts the receiver.
Wilson is gradually beginning to trust Richardson.
Laters
Tyreek Hill: This is the least appealing "later" on my list because when a player has his domestic violence history of punching a choking his pregnant girlfriend, there's an increased likelihood that he behaves this way again. While he can't right his wrong, he can grow through it and he's at least saying the right things.
On the field, Hill is a work in progress. There's a former West Virginia running back that I know who believes Hill would be an even bigger asset to the Chiefs as a runner—Hill's initial position when he arrived at Oklahoma State.
I see his point, because of Hill's speed, burst, and change of direction. There was a play in the Steelers' game where Hill caught a short pass at the left sideline and dropped his pads into the cornerback, pushing his way for an extra 3-4 after the catch that many larger receivers wouldn't have earned because they lacked the technique to get it.
But the Chiefs like the progress that Hill is making as a receiver and it's clear that he tracks the ball well in the air. For now, he's punt returner and a gadget player for a coach who knows how to use one.
Later? I recall a small receiver from Utah who returned punts and gradually earned time as a slot receiver with the Carolina Panthers. He evolved into a great receiver and he hasn't even let an Achilles injury that rendered his leg into ground chuck stop him.
I don't see Hill becoming the next Steve Smith, but there are moments that make me pause and wonder.
Brice Butler: My friend and colleague John Owning is a writer at Today's Pigskin. He covered Butler this summer as an improved player in camp. A top athlete who never built on his physical skills at the college level, the Cowboys acquired him as a patience play from the Raiders.
I see the progress that Owning has observed. Butler is better at using his hands at the top of his routes.
Butler top left.
He's showing the technique to attack the ball—even in difficult positions.
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I'd argue Butler didn't use the correct hand position here. But I'd rather see a receiver err with an active approach than a passive one and that's what Butler does here.
And he's always been a good rebounder.
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If Dez Bryant doesn't return, aggravates his injury, or wears out his welcome as a Cowboy, Butler could make the most of an opening. I'd bet on the Cowboys acquiring a receiver before handing the gig to Butler long-term, but I'm seeing improvement and room for further growth that could lead to future success.
Jordan Taylor: DeMaryius Thomas' hip is a moderate concern for me this year. Watching him slow to rise from the turf and take breaks on the sideline is a clear indication that he won't be healthy all year.
Cody Latimer and Bennie Fowler are the two options most likely to share time if Thomas's injury gets bad enough that he can't play. But Taylor is the guy I'd look to as the long-term hold in dynasty leagues.
He's a big receiver with great hands and top-notch skill adjusting to the football in the air. The "updated" version of the receiver that I saw at Rice two years ago is even bigger and I was impressed with his skill after the catch.
Cecil Lammey has also noted Taylor's play in practices. The young receiver is a potential developmental gem.
