Second and Third Year Player Development: Week Nine

In this weekly column, I dissect a few young players who haven’t made much of a consistent impact to date. Some of these players may be available on your waiver wire, while others 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 longer look at the surprising Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Marvin Jones as well as the oft injured, disappointing San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Brown . I will focus on their most recent matchups to draw the majority of my insight.

Marvin Jones, WR CIN

The former Cal Bear has definitely shot up to almost super fantasy stardom in a short amount of time. Much of that has to do with his breakout performance against the Jets – four touchdowns, 122 receiving yards, eight catches on eight targets in week eight. Now depending on whose stats you follow, Jones only played 18 or 19 snaps during that game, but that did not seem to matter to the Bengals coaching staff when they determined starters for the Dolphins game. The second year receiver watched the first Bengals offensive series from the sidelines, and to make matters worse slot receiver, Andrew Hawkins, coming off injured reserve, made his way to the gridiron before Jones did. I guess Jones is a lot like Rodney Dangerfield aka “he gets no respect.”

When Jones did get the chance to line up, it was as an outside receiver in three wide sets. I know most dynasty owners will be disappointed with his box score of four catches for 66 yard day on seven targets. That, my friends, is only the beginning of what young Jones did against the Dolphins. And shame on any of you that expected another dominant performance as AJ Green must get fed the ball before anyone else on the Bengals receiving corp.

On Jones’ first reception of the night, he caught a quick slant pattern with a cornerback draped all over him. He showed quickness and hand power snatching a pass out of the air, gaining a few inches of separation to make the most of his opportunity. Andy Dalton did not have a great statistical night as he threw three interceptions, but one of his most impressive throws was the long hook route to Jones. The second year receiver fully extended his body, catching the pass in stride, despite once again being mugged by the corner in his hip pocket. Jones dragged both of his feet, showing good sideline awareness, to secure the pass.

The former Cal Bear’s best play of the night was reduced by 35 yards and the touchdown averted thanks to perhaps an unnecessary hold by Jermaine Gresham. Jones caught a short crossing pattern ten yards down the field in full stride and used his burst to break the play 50 yards down the sidelines for an apparent touchdown. So it was 50 yards of great running for only a 15 yard netted gain. The other Jones game changing play was the target that Dalton threw behind the receiver, as that pass got intercepted and returned for a 95 yard touchdown by cornerback Brent Grimes. If the ball is properly thrown on Jones’ outside shoulder, the second year receiver continues his touchdown scoring streak. On his last catch of the night, Jones made two defenders miss on a short dump off pass, using a little shoulder shake and quick hips to turn a negative play into a six yard reception.

There is much to like about Jones as he plays on a great offense, but sometimes there seems to be too many mouths to feed to make everyone in Cincinnati happy. I value Jones as a dynasty WR3 who will have some great games every once and awhile, but will mostly be an average starter for you. If you can get WR2 value for him, it isn’t a bad idea to trade him, especially if you don’t like the roller coaster ride.

Vincent Brown, WR SD

Fantasy pundits got excited about the third year receiver last preseason, only to be disappointed by an ankle injury that took an entire year to heal. Despite being in the high-powered Chargers offense, Brown has not become the special player many people thought (myself included). While he runs very precise routes and is quite agile, Brown is lacking when it comes to speed. The Chargers are trying to overcome the speed issue by setting him in motion on a lot of his routes.

On his first target of the day, Brown appeared to have lost concentration on a pass down the middle of the field. The Philip Rivers’ pass wasn’t his best throw, but it was catchable and Brown seemed disinterested in getting down low to attempt the catch. On his next target, his quarterback threw a pass ten yards further down the field missing what could have been a 25+ yard gain. For his only reception of the day, Brown caught a nice outside hook pattern, fully extended his body for the catch, and tip-toed the sidelines to stay in bounds. Rivers threw another ugly pass intended for Brown on a broken play, but it was not meant to be.

It’s maddening that with six targets Brown and Rivers only connected one time. Perennial overachiever Eddie Royal turned his six targets into four receptions, 56 yards, and a touchdown in this same matchup. This performance puts Brown as the fifth or sixth option in the passing game behind Keenan Allen, Antonio Gates, Danny Woodhead, Royal, and Ladarius Green? I’m sorry, but unless you are in a super deep dynasty league, I think it is time to cut bait. Brown has one touchdown this season, two games with seven or more receptions, and one game with more than a 42 yards. Those type of numbers will not help you win now or in the future.

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