It’s only the first game of the Fantasy Football season, but owners have already started jumping on the hottest no-name player to make an instant impact.
Kevin Ogletree had the game of his life last night against the Giants, catching eight passes for 114 yards and two scores.
Did you know who Kevin Ogletree was before last night? The answer is obvious.
Those two scores weren’t just crucial for this game, they were the first touchdowns of his NFL career. Ogletree is only seven catches away from his career, season high of 15.
Now, can we really be surprised by his production? I say no.
Last season, Laurent Robinson made a huge impact for the Cowboys and fantasy owners. He played in the slot in Dallas’ offense, on his way to having a career year. The difference between the two is that Robinson was a slightly more polished player that was brought in through free agency for depth.
Robinson led the Cowboys with 11 touchdowns, through 54 receptions and 858 yards. His 2011 campaign landed him a nice contract with the Jaguars this offseason. Hey, if they’re willing to overpay, why not?
The question this season is if Kevin Ogletree can be this year’s Laurent Robinson in Fantasy?
There’s no reason to think that he can’t be.
The Cowboys’ slot receiver is trending to be almost as coveted as the starting running back for the Redskins. The difference is, you’ll actually know who is playing in the slot in Dallas. You can never tell who Mike Shannahan will start on a weekly basis, unless it’s a young Clinton Portis during his Denver days.
Why is the Dallas third receiver so valuable?
You have to look at the fact that they have two Pro Bowl-caliber players on the outsides, thus distracting defenses from the check down and middle routes.
It’s a position that will be great for PPR leagues, but might not be a sure thing on a weekly basis.
Robinson only had three, 100 yard games in 2011, but did have eight games of four or more receptions. Taking into account that he didn’t play in the Cowboys’ first two games last season, Ogletree could project to have an even better season than Robinson.
You can best believe that Seattle will look to pay a little extra attention to Ogletree in next week’s matchup, but that won’t keep him from being productive.
If you’re not happy with your draft and really need some help at the WR or FLEX positions, Ogletree is a quality pickup at this point. I would wait to see who else breaks out this Sunday before making any moves. The worst thing you can do is use up all of your transactions too early into the season, if your in a league that has a set number. If that’s not the case, and you’ve got room to spare, by all means pick him up now.
