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Dynasty Price Check: Michael Crabtree

By Bruce Matson

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Michael Crabtree has been long for gotten in the fantasy community. Currently he is being drafted around the 9-10th rounds during startup drafts. The thing that is intriguing about Crabtree is that he is going to be a free agent this offseason, which could be a blessing for Crabtree. Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick are not very fantasy friendly when it comes to their wide receivers. There aren’t very many opportunities in San Francisco for Crabtree since their offense is very run heavy, and he has to compete for targets against Vernon Davis and Anquan Boldin.  With Kaepernick, who only averages 29 attempts per game, leaving the 49ers for free agency, this could be very advantageous for Crabtree.

Nov 16, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) scores the game winning touchdown during the second half against the New York Giantsat MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Crabtree is a very good possession receiver. An increase of targets will help him drastically. The odds are very good that his targets will increase because most quarterbacks in the NFL throw the ball more than 29 times on average in a game, so he will have a lot more opportunities. With Kaepernick being ranked 24th in the league in completion percentage, there is a very good chance that Crabtree will be paired with a QB that is more accurate. Not only will Crabtree get more targets, the targets that he’s going to receive well be more accurate, which will lead to more receptions and possibly more yards. Last year Crabtree caught 68 receptions for 698 yards and 9 TDs while averaging 6.5 yards per target last season. Crabtree is not a blazer, so he won’t take the top off the defense, but he is an excellent possession receiver and demonstrated that with his stat line last season. I think with a better QB Crabtree will get higher yards per target, and will have an opportunity to get 1,000 yards receiving.Crabtree is also a gamble because he could be paired up with a bad QB and be in a similar situation. Even if he does go to a bad situation, the price point for Crabtree is very cheap and more than likely won’t kill your roster because he was drafted during the latter part of the draft. With the price point being that cheap on Crabtree (around 40th receiver off the board.), there is nothing really to lose when you draft him.

I think Crabtree can be acquired with a late 2nd-mid 3rd rookie pick, which is a great value if you need a receiver to patch up the back end of your wide receiver corps. If he goes to a bad situation like the Browns or Bills, then you won’t be out much because you barely spent anything for him. Even if he goes to a bad team, he still has the ability to be a decent WR 3 for your team because he was able to do that last year with Kaepernick and he can’t get paired up with QB that’s much worse than him.  Crabtree is worth taking a chance on during the latter part of your draft, and if you’re in need of a receiver, I recommend trying to trade for him with a mid-round rookie pick.

For fantasy advice feel free to follow me on Twitter @bmatz08.

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