Let’s go back to your draft day. It’s late rounds and you are scouring your draft sheet for someone that you think can make an impact, or just trying to make a pick that your friends won’t make fun of (Like Lenny Hankerson). You see this guy named Antonio Brown and you may pass over him thinking he will be buried deep on the Steelers depth chart. If you were smart you would of watched some pre-season games (I know its tough but it comes in handy in the late rounds). He is a great pick-up, or buy low option in all formats, especially PPR. A few weeks ago I wrote an article called “City of Otherly Love” featuring Jermey Maclin and how he is putting up the numbers and being forgotten because of Desean Jackson. The same thing is happening in the Steel City but not quite on the Maclin level, YET! Slowly, Ben Roethlisberger has been building a rapport with Brown. When it matters most, Ben is looking to Brown. Take the 2010 AFC Championship game for example. The Steelers were looking to close out the Ravens and facing a 3rd and 19, and they didn’t throw the ball to their speedy wideout Wallace, but connected with Brown for a 58 yard completion that sealed the deal.
Now, I know Brown isn’t having the huge year that Wallace is, but he is putting up numbers that would be perfect for a number 2 or flex option. Brown has been targeted 62 times this year, opposed to Wallace’s 56. Wallace does put up the yards because he is the deep threat, but Brown is catching balls in what I call the money zone. The money zone is the 10-20 yards past the line of scrimmage. This is where the high completion percentages are coming in, and the passes where your receivers should be money. Brown has 34 catches on the year with 15 catches for 228 in the “money zone” compared to Wallace who has 9 catches for 128 in the “money zone”. Since the first week when the Steelers got pounded by the Ravens, Brown has been averaging 6 catches a game for 50 yards, and Wallace is averaging 5 for 99
If Brown can figure out a way to get in the endzone more frequently, the sky is the limit. He is only 23 years old and for a guy who was drafted in the 6th round in 2010, he is 3rd most productive wideout in his class, behind only Mike Williams and Dez Bryant. For a guy who is only owned in 59% in most leagues, take a flyer on him and thank me later. If you are in a keeper league, hold onto this guy for a while and hope his one field connection with Roethlisberger doesn’t carry-over to an off the field connection with Roethlisberger. So what can Brown do for for you? How about deliver a championship straight to your doorstep!
