Michael Crabtree Reaction
Everybody just cool your jets on this Texas Tech phenom for the time being. As sensational as Crabtree was in college we must remember that he played for one of the most prolific passing offenses in college football and his numbers are perhaps just a bit inflated.
That is not to say that Crabtree isn't a very skilled receiver because he is. But by holding out this long he has really put himself behind the 8 ball as far as his expected production this season. Football isn't like baseball where you can just plug a Ryan Howard or Albert Pujols into the middle of any lineup and reap the rewards. Football is a team game through and through and star players develop out of natural talent, good coaching and a proper scheme.
Crabtree has missed too much time to expect a breakout season this year. Early reactions are that he will eventually play out of the slot where he can be a physical mismatch over most nickel cornerbacks in the league. However, the 49ers don't really use 3 and 4 WR sets very often so his snaps will be limited for quite awhile. Even in those formations he'll only be on the field in the few packages where the coaching staff trusts him to run proper routes, block and be a decoy when needed.
At this point I wouldn't even recommend picking up Crabtree on waivers. Let another owner in your league waste the roster space while you go after useful players such as Kelly Washington, Mohammad Massaquoi and Brandon Pettigrew. It will be slow going for Crabtree in the next few weeks as he picks up the offense and learns how to study, practice and carry himself as a professional football player. It will take an injury to Josh Morgan or Isaac Bruce for Crabtree to get steady playing time and even then it would have to happen around weeks 9-12 for him to have an impact this season.
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That is not to say that Crabtree isn't a very skilled receiver because he is. But by holding out this long he has really put himself behind the 8 ball as far as his expected production this season. Football isn't like baseball where you can just plug a Ryan Howard or Albert Pujols into the middle of any lineup and reap the rewards. Football is a team game through and through and star players develop out of natural talent, good coaching and a proper scheme.
Crabtree has missed too much time to expect a breakout season this year. Early reactions are that he will eventually play out of the slot where he can be a physical mismatch over most nickel cornerbacks in the league. However, the 49ers don't really use 3 and 4 WR sets very often so his snaps will be limited for quite awhile. Even in those formations he'll only be on the field in the few packages where the coaching staff trusts him to run proper routes, block and be a decoy when needed.
At this point I wouldn't even recommend picking up Crabtree on waivers. Let another owner in your league waste the roster space while you go after useful players such as Kelly Washington, Mohammad Massaquoi and Brandon Pettigrew. It will be slow going for Crabtree in the next few weeks as he picks up the offense and learns how to study, practice and carry himself as a professional football player. It will take an injury to Josh Morgan or Isaac Bruce for Crabtree to get steady playing time and even then it would have to happen around weeks 9-12 for him to have an impact this season.
Sign up for my Email List. You will be the first in line to receive breaking news, injury updates and other important information. Just email me at thefantasyscout@gmail.com and put MAILING LIST in the subject line.
Got a tip or a question for me? Email me at thefantasyscout@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter: fftonight
posted by Jeff Mans at
3:26 PM
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