Each and every season, we fantasy football experts try to predict the breakout players at each position. People will say Ryan Tannehill will become the next great quarterback in the league. Others will say Joseph Randle or Carlos Hyde will be the workhorses at running back for years to come.
But, several names have been thrown around already regarding which pass catchers will have a breakthrough season for their team, fantasy wise. While there are some of those names (Allen Robinson, Jarvis Landry, etc.) that are looking like safe bets to take off this year, there are some that will more than likely not fulfill your expectations.
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Overvalued Wide Receivers for 2015
Martavis Bryant - WR, PIT
To his credit, Bryant did find the endzone eight times in just 10 games. But, to his weakness, he only brought in 26 receptions (2.6 catches/game). This means that Bryant was scoring a TD on roughly every third catch. This TD rate is not only unheard of, it is also impossible. To put it into perspective, in 2007, when Randy Moss, then of the New England Patriots, caught 23 TDs on 98 receptions, he was scoring every 4.5 catches.
While his TD rate is a red flag going into this season, his consistency is yet to be proven as well. To finish the 2014 season, he only produced more than 44 receiving yards once in his final six games. His season average of 21.1 yards/receptions is almost a sure thing to drop.
This year, Bryant is not guaranteed to see the same amount of snaps as he did in 2014. Fellow WR Markus Wheaton, who was expected to be last year’s number 2 receiver behind Antonio Brown, has passed Bryant on the depth chart, which means less targets and that doesn't even take in his suspension.
With Brown, Wheaton, Le’Veon Bell, and Heath Miller all fighting for targets from QB Ben Roethlisberger, it is hard to imagine Bryant providing enough return value as the 27th WR drafted. Expect similar yardage, more receptions, but less TDs this season from the second-year man.
Cody Latimer - WR, DEN
Not much was expected in his rookie season, and to some, not much is expected out of his this year. With the loss of slot man Wes Welker, some people expect Latimer to step up in three WR sets for the Broncos, but his ADP as the 63rd receiver selected shows that not many people believe that.
It is hard to image that the Broncos will be able to run an offense that enables three WRs to be fantasy relevant. Some may argue that the team was able to do so in 2013 with Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker and Welker, as well as TE Julius Thomas and RB Knowshon Moreno. But, a season like that is hard to recreate. Unless Peyton Manning goes off for another 55 passing TDs, which is hard to see in a Gary Kubiak offense, only two WRs and a RB will be relevant this year.
This is not to say that Latimer will not have a better year than he did last season. He will improve, but not to the point where he is willing of a roster spot. Last year, he finished with two catches on four targets for 23 yards, and this was with Welker playing most of the season injured.
A reasonable expectation for Latimer is roughly 35 catches for 400 yards and three TDs, but he is still far away from being a WR5.
Torrey Smith - WR, SF
While it is hard to say that Smith has not already broken out at this point into his career, but he has yet to be kind of player that's been expected out of him. And, he is not going to be this season.
Smith has yet to be in an offense that can handle more than one talented receiver. Back in 2013, Smith had 65 receptions for 1,128 yards and four TDs as a member of the Baltimore Ravens. While his yardage was positive, no one else on the team has more than 524. His four TDs was also second on the team. In 2014, WR Steve Smith Sr.’s first season in Baltimore, Torrey Smith led the team with 11 TDs, but his yardage dropped to 767, nearly 300 less than Smith Sr.
Now he's with San Francisco, whom last year, fielded Anquan Boldin, Michael Crabtree, Stevie Johnson and Vernon Davis, but they only produced 3,400 passing yards. Only Boldin found the endzone more than four times. With Crabtree and Johnson gone and QB Colin Kaepernick allegedly having improved his accuracy, there is hope.
But there is not enough hope to draft Smith as the 40th receiver, ahead of guys like Marques Colston, Devin Funchess or the previously mentioned Stevie Johnson, all of which are in better situations. Smith will have a decent season and may even improve on his yardage from last year, but he is more of a WR4 than anything else. Expect roughly 800-900 yards and about six TDs this season.
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