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In 1999 Marcus Robinson appeared
to be a receiver headed for
greatness after catching 84
passes for 1,400 yards and 9
touchdowns. In fantasy
football circles he was nicknamed
the poor man’s Randy Moss
because of his size, leaping
ability and his capacity to run
after the catch. That year
Robinson averaged an
impressive16.7 yards per
reception. He was so good back
then that ex-Chicago Bears
quarterback Jim Miller was
considered a good quarterback.
Then the injuries occurred. In
2000 Robinson’s numbers dropped
to 55 receptions, 738 yards, and
5 touchdowns after a back injury
forced him to miss the final
four games of the season. Then
after the season was over the back was so
bad that he required surgery to
alleviate the pain. In 2001 Robinson missed
the final eleven games of the
season after he tore two
ligaments in his left knee in a
game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Since the
torrent of injuries,
Robinson has only started 11
games over the last three
seasons. So why would the
Vikings sign him to a 4 year
contract worth $9.4 million with
a $2 million signing bonus? Stingray will tell you why and
what you can expect from
Robinson in 2004.
1. 2003 Finish
- Robinson’s first season with
the Ravens was uneventful until
a week 12 matchup against the
Seattle Seahawks when he caught
7 passes for 131 yards and 4
touchdowns. The first nine games
of the season Robinson caught
only 9
passes for 76 yards and 0
touchdowns until that week 12
explosion.
In the last
five games of the season
Robinson caught 22 passes for
375 yards and 6 touchdowns. As
far as receivers are concerned,
Robinson was the most improved
fantasy player over the last
eight games of the season when
his fantasy points went from a
pathetic 6 points in the first
half of the season to 76 points
the second half. To put it in
perspective, Robinson outscored
the likes of Santana Moss, Steve
Smith, Joe Horn, Amani Toomer
and Rod Smith just to name a
few.
2. Randy Moss
- The Vikings’ have not had a
complimentary receiver opposite
Randy Moss since Cris Carter
departed Minnesota. Last year
Robinson showed that he is capable of
being a big play receiver again
after averaging 14.5 yards per
reception which was the second
most of his career since his
breakout season in 1999. What’s
so impressive about Robinson’s
stats is that he put up those
numbers for a Ravens team that
was last in the league in
passing offense. Imagine what he could
do if he remains healthy in the
Minnesota offense opposite Randy
Moss.
I am not telling you to draft
Robinson as your number two or
three receiver but I would take
a chance on him late in your
fantasy draft because he has the
talent and the opportunity to
post solid fantasy numbers. Monitor his health this
off-season and if no injuries
occur don’t forget to call out
his name on draft day. You will
be pleasantly surprised.
If you have any comments on this
article feel free to contact me.
Stingray
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