Jimmy Graham: Fantasy Football Man-Crush

I’m not gonna lie, but I have a major man-crush right now. No, it’s not Randy Moss (life-long man-crush), Andre Johnson (2 years ago’s man-crush) or Jamaal Charles (last year’s man-crush). It’s none other than Mr. 45 catches, 674 yards and 5 TDs through 7 games himself: Jimmy Graham. The guy is so good, that even after breaking his own coach’s tibia while simultaneously tearing his MCL, the coach still has nothing but positive things to say about him.

This guy literally came out of nowhere, and I took a flyer on him late last season on the waiver wire in my aforementioned dynasty league. Little did I know that from that moment on, Jimmy and I would develop a long, trusting relationship. He is the rare fantasy player than won’t let me down. Sure, he’s due for a bad game, but when your QB is one of the best in the league, the offense you play in scores on average more than 34 points/game, and you’re too fast for linebackers, too strong and tall for cornerbacks, can jump over an Escalade, do 360 dunks on the goalpost and have the softest hands this side of a Bath & Body Works commercial, your bad game might be another top TE’s average one.

Jimmy Graham is on pace to catch 103 balls, 1,540 yards, and 11 TDs. Are you kidding me?!?! Let me put that in perspective for you by giving you the numbers from the top TEs since 2007:

• Jason Witten ’07: 96 catches, 1145 yards, 7 TD
• Tony Gonzalez ’08: 96 catches, 1058 yards, 10 TD
• Vernon Davis ’09: 78 catches, 965 yards, 13 TD
• Jason Witten ’10: 94 catches, 1002 yards, 9 TD

To put this even crazier in perspective, Antonio Gates has NEVER exceeded 90 catches OR 1200 yards, and only exceeded 10 TDs once. And that’s from a first ballot Hall of Famer! He will obliterate every top TE’s career year in just his first as a starter. Jeez, my head is spinning.

If he was a wide receiver, he’d be nestled in a 3-way tie for 4^th overall with Greg Jennings and Steve Smith in standard leagues. He has as many points as Ray Rice!! This is not a case of soft schedule in the first half of the year and later it will get tougher. After playing Green Bay, Houston, Chicago, and Tampa Bay in the first half, look at how easy his schedule is from here on out:

• @ St. Louis (The only thing that could stop him is if he trips over Steven Jackson’s dreads)
• Tampa Bay (In Tampa he had 7 catches for 124, so…)
• @ Atlanta (In a dome against division rival who can’t stop anyone)
• BYE (Literally the only thing guaranteed to stop him)
• NY Giants (At home, against a good team with solid corners and no linebackers or safeties)
• Det (at home again, in a shootout with a high powered offense and lackluster defense)
• Fantasy Playoffs: Tennessee, Minnesota, Atlanta

Looking at that schedule, you can see nothing will stop this guy except himself, Brees, Brees’ mole, or some good old fashioned New Orleans voodoo.

A new era in football the past few years has created these hybrid receiver/tight end combos that are clearly the wave of the present and future, and Graham seems to be the perfect specimen for this type of athlete, along with being in a great situation. Watching him get open, jump on fade routes, and erase any doubt anyone had for the young 24 year old is only topped by the fact that I know I have him in that league for his whole career. Now if you’ll excuse me, I will go scribble his name all over my notebook and trapper-keeper.