Chris Chambers just finished possibly the worst season a wide receiver has ever had in the history of the NFL. Chambers was targeted 154 times this year, the fourth most in the league. He turned all of those looks into just 59 catches, a historically low 38.3 percent reception rate. Of the top-16 most targeted receivers, every other one eclipsed 1,000 yards, with most in the 1,200 range. And then there's Chambers, who finished with just 677 receiving yards. Terry Glenn was targeted 44 fewer times, yet accumulated 1,047 yards. And don't blame poor quarterback play, as the rest of Miami's receivers combined to catch 63 percent of intended passes. In 64 fewer looks, teammate Marty Booker accounted for nearly 100 more receiving yards and two more TDs, while hauling in 61.1 percent of the passes thrown his way.
In contrast, Lee Evans was probably football's most productive receiver. While Chambers got 4.4 yards per target, Evans got 9.4, second only to Reggie Wayne (9.6), who had far superior teammates. Defenses needed to worry about stopping Marvin Harrison and the best QB in the game, while Buffalo is bereft of talent. Evans also hauled in six passes for 40 yards or more, and if JP Losman continues to improve (7.1 YPA this year), Evans could easily crack the top-5 as a fantasy WR next year.
Speaking of which, props to RotoWire's Chris Liss, who was ahead of the curve regarding Evans. In the preseason rankings, Liss had Evans pegged as the #11 fantasy WR. RotoWorld had him #26, Fanball #24, TheHuddle #23, etc. Liss was also the only one to rank Evans ahead of Chambers, so we can forgive him for putting Derrick Mason above TJ Houshmandzadeh.
Bottom line, Chris Chambers is a dreadful receiver in real football, and it finally translated into the fantasy realm this year. Lee Evans is already a top-5 WR talent in the league, and fantasy owners should take notice, as his numbers will reflect this as soon as next year.
Random question: How do Drew Brees and Carson Palmer finish 2nd and 3rd in Comeback Player of the Year voting? It's one thing for Brees to rebound from that 24 TD, 7.2 YPA, 16 games played 2005 season, but how about Palmer bouncing back from his 32 TD, 7.5 YPA, MVP-worthy 2005 campaign? Someone get the AP a dictionary.