Is Hakeem Nicks worth a second-round pick in fantasy drafts?
This really is a multi-part question. First, is it worth using one of your top two fantasy draft picks on a wide receiver? Then, if it is, what wide receivers are worth the choice?
The first part is easy. Once the limited number of every-down backs are off the board, consider drafting a quarterback. And once the upper tier of quarterbacks are gone, there are still plenty of comparable starters left over that you can afford to wait on them. There aren't enough every-down backs and upper-tier quarterbacks to fill two rounds in most standard leagues, though. So, yes, it's worth taking a potential fantasy-game-changing wideout before Round 3.
Figuring which wideout to take is a little tougher. In last year's NFL.com Fantasy Magazine league, three wide receivers went in the first two rounds: Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Randy Moss. Johnson? Still a go this year on that one. Fitzgerald? Nope, too many questions at quarterback in Arizona. Moss? Fuhgeddaboudit.
Anybody else? Reggie Wayne? Maybe. But he'll be 33 this season, and those touchdown numbers have been pretty pedestrian. Roddy White? Okay, but can you believe he'll turn 30 already this season -- and will there be enough passes to spread around in Atlanta after the arrival of Julio Jones? Calvin Johnson? Another maybe, though he's been inconsistent. Dwayne Bowe? Last season's numbers probably are out of reach this year.
Hakeem Nicks? Now there's an intriguing choice. The undisputed No. 1 target in the Giants' passing game, Nicks is arguably the elite wide receiver with the fewest question marks outside of Andre Johnson.
True, Nicks missed three games last season, but he had surgery on his toe before the year started and never was completely healthy. And yet he still caught 79 passes for 1,052 yards and 12 touchdowns. This year, he says he is completely healed, and he has spent part of the offseason working out with quarterback Eli Manning. Nicks is ready for a monster season.
Bottom Line:Hakeem Nicks is on the verge of becoming one of fantasy football's best wide receivers. Grab him in the second round if you can.
