Greg M. Cooper – USA TODAY Sports
Let’s get this out of the way – Danny Amendola is probably the biggest health gamble in fantasy football in 2013. He missed a whopping 20 games over his last two seasons with the St. Louis Rams, and has actually only played one full season in his career so far.
Of course, if – and that’s a big “if” – he can stay on the field for his first season with the New England Patriots, he has a chance to be a big player in fantasy football in 2013.
It’s obvious that Amendola will benefit from playing with a future Hall-Of-Fame quarterback in Tom Brady. To say that Brady and the Pats are an upgrade over Sam Bradford and the Rams is an understatement. Brady and Bill Belichick run a well-oiled machine on offense, and they generally don’t hesitate to keep moving the ball even when it appears an opponent is beaten.
Even more importantly for Amendola, he’s going to be relied on as the go-to guy in the passing game at the start of the year, as Rob Gronkowski will miss time to injury and Brandon Lloyd and Wes Welker are no longer with the team.
Don’t fret over the running game, either. Even as Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen blew up last season, Brady still threw for over 4,800 yards and 34 touchdowns. Those passes have to go somewhere. There’s plenty of time for that chemistry between Brady and Amendola to grow.
Amendola is currently going in the early-to-mid fifth round in most drafts, and he has the potential to be the breakout star at the wide receiver position in 2013. His health concerns mean you can’t stretch for him as a WR1 on draft day, but you should definitely look to him as a high-risk, high-reward asset. If you’re a gambler, this is your guy.
Brandon Raper is a golf writer and NFL contributor for www.RantSports.com. “Like” him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter @Brandon__Raper, and add him to your Google+ network.
