Buying Golden Tate

After two consecutive 100 yard games, some might be tempted to “sell high” on Golden Tate. My advice for owners of Tate, who likely did not have to invest too much to acquire his services, is to hold on to him. And if you are not as fortunate to already own Tate, “buying high” is the move to make at this point.

The five-foot-eleven receiver has caught at least five passes for at least 50 yards every single game so far this season. On top of consistency on the stat sheet, he has shown consistency with his hands, catching 78% of passes so far this season. Only in his Week two game against Carolina did he fail to secure more than two passes as he caught five balls on eight targets.

With Calvin Johnson still ailing, Tate should remain a focal point. Even when Johnson returns, do not expect Tate to turn into a pumpkin. He was receiving plenty of targets before Johnson’s injury, and by Football Outsider’s “Effective Yards” stat Tate has been the game’s fifth best receiver behind only Julio Jones, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and Emannuel Sanders.

The struggle with Tate is finding the end zone, which he thankfully was able to do this weekend. Even if he is only mediocre at finding the end zone, Tate’s consistent catch rate and yardage gives him solid upside to build a fantasy team’s foundation. When Johnson’s back Tate’s upside will be capped, but it is worth noting that through five weeks he currently averages 90 yards per game and is fifth in the league in receiving yards.

I believe the touchdowns will come in time, maybe he will end up with around seven or so for the season. For now, at least, he will be a focal point of the offense with Johnson still hampered by injuries and their backfield ravaged with injuries as well. If you are in a win now mode already, he is a good guy to target from a receiver rich team.

Selling Cam Newton

I know this seems kind of like inverse thinking, but if you are reading these pages you are likely competing in a very competitive fantasy league full of savvy owners who know better than to make traditional fantasy football mistakes. Selling low on Cam Newton sounds like a bad idea depending on what type of league you are in. If you are in a league in which everyone understands that Cam has been a top-four quarterback every season he has been in the league and that, even without the running, he is very valuable, then this is the type of league I would look to move Newton. If you are in a home league with less-active owners, do not let Newton go for anything under face value.

Here is the argument for moving him in those competitive leagues. This is a player whose top tier fantasy rating was focused almost entirely on his legs in the early outset of his career. He ran for an unheard of 14 touchdowns year one, eight in year two, and six last season. Through four games played this season he has none. If you drafted Cam (pre-rib injury), you were hoping for at least a pair of rushing touchdowns right now along with additional running yardage. Even more of a concern is that the entire Panther backfield has faced injuries yet Cam still is not attempting even four rushes per game.

His injuries are not the type that just go away either as his ankle and rib injuries are expected to bother him all season. He is getting hit left and right in the pocket on a regular basis, which has regularly left him hobbled. Although he has developed immensely as a passer, the fantasy points just do not compare to that of a top four passer.

Ron Rivera is a defensive minded coach, and he has stated several times that he would rather a slower paced offense instead of the no-huddle looks that helped him take care of the Chicago Bears this weekend. He wants to keep the no-huddle as an option but not the norm, so expect a plethora of intermediate routes to the chain-moving receivers and tight ends the Panthers employ. While that is a very wise move given Newton and his backfield’s injuries, a number of 15 yard catches does not light up the fantasy scoreboard.

Fewer players have as much upside as Newton, and the fact that he has shown that his floor is at least consistent over the first few weeks of the season makes moving him at this point reasonable if the opposing owner is willing to pay “face value” for a perennial top tier quarterback.