Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY
When people think of the last name Patton, many tend to think of a loud-mouthed general standing in front of a huge American flag cursing and swearing at his men to prepare them for the Germans in World War II. In the spirit of this mental image, here is my best personal impression of General Patton (Fantasy Football style, of course):
Well, men and women, listen up. I want you to remember that no Fantasy championship is won in September. I also want you to remember this name: Quinton Patton, wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers (No relation to me, but you can all still thank me later).
Ok, now back to the present time. The 49ers are having some issues at the wide receiver position. Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham will start the season on the PUP list. This will give Quinton Patton a prime opportunity to start opposite veteran receiver Anquan Boldin. In Patton’s first preseason game, he caught four passes for 35 yards and a touchdown. In his second game, he topped with two receptions for 52 yards and another touchdown (ESPN.com). Yes, I know this is just a small sample size, but you still need to consider these factors.
First, Patton has great speed and pretty good hands, which he showed at Louisiana Tech. Second, the 49ers use the quarterback option from the pistol, making teams focus on the running game of the 49ers more than the passing game. This is where Patton can excel going deep down the field for quarterback Colin Kaepernick being a dangerous deep threat for the 49ers. Finally, teams will focus more on Vernon Davis than any other receiver. This will again give Patton one-on-one coverage for many routes.
I don’t think that Patton will start out like a ball of fire. However, by week six against the Arizona Cardinals, I can see Patton finally breaking loose and then there will be no stopping him. Picture his numbers to be like Mike Wallace’s first season: 750 yards with 70 targets and five touchdowns. If he has that kind of production, he will be a guy you get in the 15th round and feel great about it!
Dom DeCarlo is a Fantasy blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him @DomDecarlo1, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
Related:
Fantasy Football 2013: Giovani Bernard’s Stock Is Rising
Fantasy Football 2013: Deeper Sleepers; Part 2
Knowshon Moreno is Undervalued in Many 2013 Fantasy Football Drafts
