Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Before I get into the why, let me be clear about something, Randall Cobb is an amazing football player. I try to own him on as many fantasy football teams as possible. He can do it all, run precise routes, make tough catches, return kicks, take direct snaps. There’s more, but you get the point. When Cobb went down with injury earlier this season, he remained a roster stash in all dynasty/keeper leagues, and even some standard league owners held on to him in case he was able to make it back in time for the fantasy playoffs.
After news emerged Friday afternoon that Cobb practiced well and should return for the Green Bay Packers this week when they travel to take on the Chicago Bears, I’m sure more than a few fantasy football owners started moving him into their starting lineups. As much as I hate to say it, that is the wrong move.
Cobb could certainly score. The Bears defense has been nothing short of terrible this season and Cobb is a playmaker with the potential to score every time he touches the ball. However, the Packers know how valuable he is to the future of their franchise. He is signed through 2015 and I would be very surprised to see him return from a ten week layoff to a full snap count. Green Bay doesn’t want to have a Percy Harvin situation, and they know that if they advance to the playoffs that Cobb could be one of the keys to a Super Bowl run. It would be a major loss to those chances if they rush him back too soon and lose him for a potential playoff run. I would assume that Cobb will see some return duties and run a limited snaps from the slot on passing downs.
When deciding on a fantasy lineup, an owner always needs to consider the amount of snaps that player plays and how many targets he typically gets. Tons of owners were left scratching their heads after Marvin Jones, for example, came up with around six fantasy points the week after catching over 100 yards and four touchdowns. Jones had a great week eight, but managed to do that playing around one third of the team’s offensive snaps. With the threat of Cobb being in a similar situation, starting him would be a true boom or bust scenario for fantasy owners.
I understand that it is tough to sit an early round draft choice in the last game of your fantasy season. Unless you have no other options, starting Cobb is going to be a risky strategy. While he definitely has the talent to find the end zone, with a likely limited snap count in a game that could get out of hand there might not be many chances for him to reward risk taking fantasy owners.
As always, I welcome your comments. If you think I’m wrong, I’m willing to listen. Just back it up with some facts and solid evidence. Thanks for reading and good luck this season.
Dustin Manko is an author at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DustinManko, ”Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
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