Fantasy Football 2013: Why Jarrett Boykin Has Value From Here On Out

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The Green Bay Packers have perhaps been the most injury-plagued team in all of football this year.

First, they watched rookie running back Eddie Lacy deal with a concussion. Then, key defensive players such as Clay Matthews and Nick Perry went down with injury. Now, fast forward to Week 8, and Green Bay is without three of their four best receiving options. Randall Cobb, Jermichael Finley and James Jones are sidelined for the time being, presenting an opportunity for some of the younger guys to play a major role in the offense. So far, fantasy owners have targeted one of those guys on the waiver wire in Jarrett Boykin. He got them off to a strong start last week, hauling in eight of 10 targets for over 100 yards and a score. However, can he continue to be a fantasy relevant asset in a time where players are going down left and right?

I sure think so.

Believe me, Boykin is no Cobb. But in this Green Bay offense, he has a chance to be. Boykin is a talented player, no doubt, but it’s the situation that intrigues me the most. Taking a look at the awesomeness that is, Pro Football Focus, I highlighted the routes and usage from both Cobb and Finley, who are essentially the two players Boykin will be stepping in for. For Week 8, Boykin will line up opposite of Jordy Nelson, but when Jones returns to the lineup (likely next week), he’ll operate out of the slot, which could bode well for him, as well as his fantasy owners. Take a look at these slot usage numbers, compliments of Pro Football Focus.

Slot Performance

Player	Targets	TDs	Catch Rate
Randall Cobb	34	2	76.5%
Jermichael Finley	9	1	66.7%

Boykin is more than likely going to run out of the slot when Jones and Nelson are on the field, and considering Cobb has been used quite a bit (and has succeeded), there is a ton of upside surrounding him for the rest of the season. Also, there’s always opportunity to put up strong numbers when a guy like Aaron Rodgers is throwing you the football. We have seen him make the most out of his receivers in the past, and so far, we are seeing that trend continue with Boykin. Sure, Green Bay isn’t throwing the ball as much as owners may like, averaging 36,7 passing attempts per game (17th), but that’s because of those injuries, as well as the emergence of their rookie running back. When Green Bay needs to throw, they will, and under Rodgers, they’ll be effective. Besides the offense, however, Boykin has the schedule the rest of the way to play well. Take a look (I like charts).

Favorable Matchups

Week	Opponent	FPPG to WRs	Rank
8	Minnesota	31.77	8^th-most
9	Chicago	28.21	20^th-most
10	Philadelphia	44.44	most
11	Giants	30.11	11^th-most
12	Minnesota	31.77	8^th-most
13	Detroit	33.90	7^th-most
14	Atlanta	36.03	4^th-most

Seemingly everything is going in the right direction for those who landed Boykin off of their waiver wire. But if you didn’t, look again. He is still available in 30 percent of Yahoo! leagues, and I truly believe this is a guy who can win you your fantasy championship down the stretch.

Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.