Cecil Shorts (WR, HOU) - Waiver Wire Pickups

This is a player that has been under the radar all season. Does anyone remember a couple years ago when Shorts broke out for the Jacksonville Jaguars? He put up 55 catches, 979 yards and 7 TDs in 14 games. That is almost 18 yards per catch. Since then, he has become more of a possession WR and less of a big-play threat, but that should not hurt him this week.

Going against the Falcons’ weak pass defense in Week 4, Shorts should have plenty of space to move around underneath the coverage. Atlanta’s top cornerback, Desmond Trufant, will more than likely shadow DeAndre Hopkins. Fellow WR Nate Washington will be looking to take the top off the defense. With these in play, Shorts should see plenty of targets this week and do not be surprised if he finds the endzone for the first time this season.

Shorts’ value, I believe, would actually be going up should RB Arian Foster make his season debut this week. Not only would the defense have to worry about Hopkins, but now they need to crowd the line of scrimmage to defend against a healthy Foster. Regardless, expect a worthy stat-line this week against Atlanta.

Prediction: 5 receptions, 60 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown