3 Reasons to Gamble on Martavis Bryant

Jan 3, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Clemson Tigers wide receiver Martavis Bryant (1) makes a touchdown catch as Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Armani Reeves (26) defends during the second half in the 2014 Orange Bowl college football game at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Martavis Bryant fell under the radar a bit during his career at Clemson, competing with Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins for targets. Watkins and Hopkins were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, while Bryant fell to the fourth round.

Coming off a preseason injury, Bryant broke out in his week 7 debut with a 35 yard touchdown, beating a Texans corner deep with his lightning quick speed. Bryant continued to his production throughout the season, scoring 8 touchdowns in 10 games for the Steelers.

Unfortunately, Martavis has suffered from marijuana addiction and was sidelined for the first quarter of the 2015 regular season. Finally, Bryant returns to the Steelers and is pencilled in to start across from Antonio Brown in week 5’s matchup versus the Chargers on Monday Night Football.

Here are some of the top reasons to pick up or trade for Martavis Bryant in fantasy football today!

Next: Touchdown 'Tavis

Aug 21, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant (10) raises his hands and celebrates his touchdown during the second half of a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles won 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

In his last 23 football games between Clemson and Pittsburgh, Martavis Bryant has scored 15 times! His 6’4 frame allows him to easily highpoint the football on fade throws, making him a perfect red zone option for Michael Vick or Ben Roethlisberger when he returns.

Bryant also has tremendous speed for a receiver at that size, running a 4.34 40 yard dash at the 2014 NFL Draft Combine. The freakish combination of size and speed makes Bryant an excellent target on crossing and vertical patterns.

Out of his 8 touchdowns last season, 4 of them amassed more than 20 yards, including a 94 yard touchdown. His explosive ability should help those in leagues that reward bonuses for long touchdowns.

With 12 games left on the season for Bryant, I wouldn’t be surprised if he puts up double digit scores for his fantasy owners.

Next: The Josh Gordon Hypothesis

Sep 7, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant (10) catches passes during warm-ups before playing the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 30-27.Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

This case is eerily similar to the Josh Gordon case of 2013. Gordon had a stellar freshman season in the NFL, but was suspended for the first two games of the 2013 season. Gordon was drafted towards the end of drafts as a stash for later in the season. In my main fantasy league, I was lucky to trade for Gordon one week before the suspension ended. Let’s just go on to say that I won the trade as Gordon went off to become the number 1 fantasy wide receiver, while piling up 1,646 yards and 9 touchdowns in 13 games. Bryant has a couple more things working to his advantage. Vick, although not as good as Roethlisberger, is a much more capable quarterback than who Gordon worked with in 2013.

In that season, I gave up just Lance Moore who only had 457 receiving yards and two touchdowns. This trade helped propelled my team to the championship. Bryant is the perfect target because of his ability to break out. As of now, his price shouldn’t be too high since he hasn’t put up any stats yet and Ben Roethlisberger is hurt. Should he breakout, your team will have an unfair advantage, starting a superstar caliber wide receiver in your flex.

Next: Antonio Brown's Complement

Sep 3, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers Antonio Brown (84) and Martavis Bryant (middle) and Markus Wheaton (11) talk on the field before playing the Carolina Panthers at Heinz Field. Carolina won 23-6. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

With Antonio Brown taking over the league as arguably the best wide receiver in football, Bryant should draw great match-ups as the opposing defense will be preoccupied by Brown. Bryant can expose these lower level corners by beating them deep as well as using his physicality to make catches in traffic.

Brown is more of a possession receiver who is capable of stretching the field; however, with Bryant back, Brown won’t need to be as much of a vertical threat and should play more of a high volume safety valve role then in the past. Many of Vick’s deep targets will go towards Bryant as they attempt to rekindle the high powered offense they had two weeks ago versus San Francisco.

Next: 5 Waiver Wire Pickups for Stashing in Week 5

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