David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
If you are planning ahead for fantasy football in 2013, there should be one player who is heading for free agency that you should be paying very close attention to. That player would be Wes Welker, who could end up leaving the New England Patriots to go elsewhere. If that were to happen, Welker’s value would certainly crash in a big way.
I honestly don’t believe Welker would be the same player outside of New England, without Tom Brady throwing him the football. Welker has made a living out of the slot position for the Patriots, and a move to any other team likely wouldn’t allow Welker to do the same things that he is doing now. I know many owners picked Welker in the first three rounds this season because of the number of catches Welker has had over the past six seasons and if Welker signs somewhere else, Welker will likely fall deep into the middle rounds.
This is a situation that fantasy football owners probably don’t want to think about right now unless they have major money in their league, but it is something that must be watched. Obviously, Welker could remain in New England with the Patriots for another few seasons, which would keep his fantasy value still in the third round of a draft. There are a ton of moves coming in free agency that will change rankings for the 2013 season, and a lot of players who were thought to be high draft picks this season just won’t be the case in 2013. That could be the case with Welker.
Andy Schmidt is a columnist/writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @ASchmidtSports or like his Facebook page.
