By: Zach Jacobson
The past few years, Oakland has been full of wide
receivers that were supposed to break out and perform. But guess what?
I don't see Chaz Schilens or Louis Murphy racking up 1,000 yards
anytime soon. Hopefully Jacoby Ford doesn't fall into the category of mediocre
Raider's receivers. He hardly played the first half of 2010, and I
first really took notice of him in week 9 vs. the Chiefs. Ford finally became a blip on the fantasy football radar when he had a solid second part to the season.
You could watch him for one play and know that Jacoby Ford is fast...really, really fast. This guy makes even the fastest defensive backs in the league look slow. With a sub-4.3 40-yard dash time, Ford is one of the speediest receivers in the leagues. Quality route running can be learned, but no
matter how hard someone trains, that kind of speed is natural...it's
genetics, man. Ford's explosiveness makes him not only a receiving threat, but also a small rushing threat as well, which translates into fantasy gold. It's not often you see a
wide receiver that only played half the season produce 155 rushing yards
and 2 TDs. He also had three 94+
yard return TDs last year, so it's an added plus if your fantasy football league
rewards return yards, because he'll be worthy of starting every week.
From what I've heard, Jacoby has come back with a drive to get better this preseason. Ford's been working hard with quarterback Jason Campbell this off-season to improve his receiving game, and his coach has nothing but high praise for him. Here's Oakland Raider's head coach Hue Jackson on Jacoby Ford:
“Obviously Jacoby is going to become a household name because he has some very special ability. He’s very good with the ball in his hands – he’s very good without the ball in his hands because he draws a lot of attention. He’s just scratching the surface of what he can truly be.”
Jacoby is definitely not a possession receiver. He'll never catch a large number of passes, but hopefully his pure speed allows him to transform into a quality deep threat...similar to Percy Harvin, DeSean Jackson, or the Carolina Steve Smith in his prime. If you're looking for week-to-week production, Ford will probably be extremely inconsistent (that's what angers DeSean owners so much). However, with his rushing and return ability there's a decent chance he'll get you a non-receiving touchdown multiple weeks. I could easily see 1,000+ total yards (rushing and receiving) this year, and in the upcoming seasons I'd look for him to build on that number.
Don't forget to follow me on Twitter! @Zatchj62
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