Footblog's Favorite Wide Receiver Is...

Footblog's Favorite Wide Receiver Is...

I have a confession to make; I don't particularly like wide receivers. I don't know if it's the inconsistency that plagues the position that bothers me most, or the pretty-boy 'throw me the damn ball' attitude that many pass catchers seem to radiate these days, but nonetheless wide receivers in general just don't turn my crank the way running backs do. So every season I go on a quest to find one wide receiver that I can get excited about. We're talking about;

The Wide Receiver For People Who Don't Like Wide Receivers

This year it was an easy decision. Steve Smith is our favorite wide receiver. This small-framed guy is a big play waiting to happen on every snap of the ball for the Carolina Panthers. What he gives away in height and weight, he more than makes up for in speed and toughness. Did I mention, toughness? Smith plays the game angry and he backs down to nobody. Throw in the fact that he plays on a balanced offense with one of the best emerging stud QB's in Jake Delhomme, and Steve Smith should be a lock to improve on his breakout 2003 season. Because I focus much of my strategic effort in ensuring I have a stellar fantasy backfield at all times, I don't ask my WR's to win games for me, just don't cost me any. A little fantasy football tidbit for you; most stud WR's have a big discrepancy between their Home results and their Away results. For example, Terrell Owens ranked 4th overall at Home last year, but only managed to rank 27th on the Road. Many of the big-name WR's fall into this kind of inconsistency. Not Steve Smith. Last season, Smith ranked 16th at Home and 16th on the Road and finished with a 13th overall fantasy ranking amongst WR's. Now that's consistency! Tonight, he suits up against a formidable Packers team on Monday Night Football to kickoff his season. This could be the game of the week, and I'd be surprised if we don't see #89 make a few big plays with a national audience and a sellout home crowd in the offing.

Photo: [AP]

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