Second and Third Year Player Development: Week Four

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In this weekly column, I typically explore some young players who haven’t made much of a consistent impact to date. Some players may be available on your waiver wire, some may be available via a cheap or moderate trade. Acquiring or not acquiring one of these players could decide how well your dynasty or keeper team does for the next few years. This week I will be taking a look at two St. Louis Rams second year players in running back Daryl Richardson and wide receiver Chris Givens as well as Seattle Seahawks third year receiver Doug Baldwin .  I will focus on their most recent matchup to draw the majority of my insight.

Daryl Richardson, RB STL

Richardson was a bit of a surprise last season coming out of small Abilene Christian.  At times the young running back looked better than Steven Jackson.  As a rookie, Richardson accounted for 638 combined yards on 122 touches.  One season later and I doubt you could find a single fantasy owner who would take Richardson over Jackson despite the injury to the Atlanta back.

The second year running back’s effort against the strong front seven of the 49ers looked almost child-like. Richardson carried the ball 12 times for 16 yards, all the while looking like he was running in place.  There were no visible rushing lanes created by the Rams offensive line. He was only targeted twice in the passing game.  During weeks one and two, Richardson was thrown to six times in each game.  He did not play in the third game due to injury.  The young running back came into the Thursday night matchup with a sore ankle, but that simply cannot account for why he ran so upright and was unable to escape containment on the inside of the line.

One of the best parts of Richardson’s game is his ability to break plays to the outside.  I do not recall seeing him run outside of either offensive tackle’s shoulders the entire game. Even when he fell forward, Richardson showed very little leg drive or power to move the pocket.  He doesn’t pick up his feet near the line of scrimmage and tends to get caught up in the trash which helped the defense bottle him up.  There was little to no sign of Richardson possessing a second or third gear of speed.  He was just mediocre in pass protection.  The young back has soft hands, but struggled with concentration as he dropped a pass running a short crossing route.

Richardson is a dynasty roster clogger and should not be relied upon for any consistent fantasy production.  He is a bye week fill-in player at best. If you can unload Richardson for anything valuable, I would trade him now, before the secret is out.

givensChris Givens, WR STL

Mr. Givens was one of Mike Mayock’s favorite rookie wide receivers last season.  He had a decent rookie season in 2012 finishing with a little over 700 combined yards and three touchdowns on 45 touches.  The young receiver looked primed for a deep threat breakout with targets like Tavon Austin and Jeff Fisher transplant Jared Cook to occupy the defense.  So far in the 2013 season, it has not turned out that way. Even though he was slowed by a knee injury, Givens was Bradford’s first target of the night.

The wide receiver can make tough catches in traffic, does a good job shielding defenders away from the ball with his physicality, and runs sharp routes.  He has quick feet, but struggles to gain separation against the defensive backs when he runs shorter pass patterns. Givens’ game is very dependent on the deep ball.  He was hindered by the strong pass rush of the 49ers because Bradford did not have enough time to let plays develop down the field.

The 49ers bracketed Givens with a linebacker and safety most of the night.  While he only caught 50% of his targets (four for eight), Givens did have an opportunity for a touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter, but he was separated from the ball with a head shot that drew a penalty in the end zone.  Givens should be a WR3-4 on your dynasty team, but will not be a dependable option until the Rams establish a running game to better protect Bradford.

Doug Baldwin, WR SEA

This former free agent third year wide receiver from Stanford is doing more with less in the Seattle offense.  Baldwin sees far fewer snaps and throws than bigger named receivers Golden Tate and Sidney Rice, but is more productive with what is offered to him, catching 80% of his targets.  His only missed target of the game was a poorly thrown pass by Russell Wilson, and Baldwin still almost made the catch.  When Seattle needed a playmaker, Baldwin stepped up not only with his hands, but also blocking down the field in the running game.

The young wide receiver has great balance and concentration, creates separation, and runs crisp, clean routes.  Don’t get too excited though as Baldwin is a more of a possession receiver than a downfield threat.  Whenever the Seattle offense needed a spark against the Texans, Baldwin was there.  He made a highlight  tippy-toe catch on the sideline to keep a drive going and get the Seahawks out of their own end zone.

I am not advocating using Baldwin as a weekly WR3 in your dynasty league, as he is a matchup dependent player.  But he does offer great depth, which is what every one of your dynasty teams needs right now especially heading into the bye weeks. I don’t expect more than 60 receptions, 800 yards, and a handful of touchdowns which makes Baldwin a strong WR4.

For follow-up questions or information, contact me on twitter @AndrewMiley.