In Defense Of Brandon Myers

Most people who turned on their tv’s on Thursday to watch the Bronco’s play the Raiders were fantasy football owners, hoping to see their players galloping towards the end zone or lobbing touchdown passes. A surprising number of fantasy starters were in a game that means absolutley nothing to ‘real football’. Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer have both been consistent fantasy options, the game was Darren McFadden’s first back from injury ( and maybe his last, with reports that he re-tweaked his ankle), the two Bronco’s wide outs are widely owned and started and Knowshon Moreno was a hot waiver wire add that should have been in your lineup.

The one man not mentioned in that lineup is of course, Brandon Myers. Over the last month, Myers has been the number 4 tight end in fantasy football. Clearly, the owners who had him were relying on him. Perhaps you lost Gronkowski in Extrapointgate and Myers was performing admirably as a stop gap. Regardless of the reason why, many people had Myers in their line up. Not only was Myers coming off of a career defining 14 catch, 140 yard, 1 TD performance, but he was playing the Denver Broncos, who have been giving it up to the tight end all year long. He was a no brainer start, right?

One catch. Seven yards.

Some terrible, awful results. His performance helped no one and more likely, killed a couple owners in the first week of the playoffs. However, there isn’t anything we can do about that. The larger question that has to be addressed, is one asking if this becomes a trend or is something that can be viewed as an aberration.

Previously, we saw Myers coming off a great game. When looking at that game closer however, we can see that most of his numbers game in a zone beyond garbage time. 6 of his 14 catches game in the last drive and his touchdown came as the clock was striking double zero’s. Those points were so trashy, even Kim Kardashian doesn’t find them attractive. Furthermore, even though the matchup looked juicy on the surface, Myers actually had his lowest receiving total of the season and fewest targets in Oakland’s matchup versus Denver earlier in the year. Oakland has a pitiful offensive line and a quarterback that makes the Lincoln Memorial look mobile. Myers is the best blocking tight end on the roster, so against speedy and powerful edge rushers Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil, he is required to stay in as a pass blocker much more often. That is often the curse of being a strong, inline tight end. Performance will often be dictated by offensive line play. This phenomenon is not unfamiliar to owners of players such as Brent Celek or even Jimmy Graham owners over the last several weeks.

While the tendency is going to be to over react, this performance should be viewed all on its own. With Kansas City and Carolina coming up, two porous defenses that lack elite edge rushers (Sorry, Tamba Hali fans), Myers production should be more consistent and sustainable in week 15 and 16, provided that you make it there.