Ladarius Green in Pittsburgh: Opportunity
will no longer be an excuse for failed fantasy production.
For the past several years fantasy owners have gotten themselves
in a lather waiting for Ladarius Green to ascend to the top of the
tight end scorers. Antonio Gates is old they said. Green is an athletic
freak who will help to redefine the position they said. The main
problem for Green and his fantasy value is this same scenario played
out for a couple years. But last year, finally, with Gates suspended
the first four games, Green had his chance. While he didn’t
light the world on fire, he did put up a respectable 19-224-2 over
those four games. But that was the best it got, as Gates returned
to the top of the pecking order upon returning from suspension,
and Green became an afterthought , failing to catch 5 passes, or
surpass 50 yards in a game the rest of the season. Extrapolated
over a 16 game season, Green would have put up a 76-896-8, easily
top 10 numbers. But that’s simply not what happened. So what
gives? Is it lack of talent? Still not enough opportunity? A little
bit of both?
Well, we’re going to find in 2016 that’s for sure! After
signing a four-year $20 million dollar deal with the Steelers to
replace retiring Heath Miller, Green finds himself as the No.1 tight
end option for the first time in his career. It’s easy to
look at Green and question just how good he is. Sure he’s
a physical freak, but so is Jared Cook, and he’s the annual
“fool me once…” candidate at tight end. Sure,
he failed to beat out Gates and assert himself in the Charger offense,
but let’s not forget that Gates is one of the best tight ends
of all time, and has continued to play at a high level even late
into his career. In Pittsburgh, Green has a big armed quarterback
in Big Ben, and an offensive progression that starts 30 yards down
the field, perfect for Green’s speed game. And if the opportunity
for Green to shine wasn’t big enough in Pittsburgh, word came
down over the weekend that ultra-talented, but epically damaged
Martavis Bryant will most likely be suspended for the 2016 season.
Green is no Bryant, but his game is infinitely more vertical that
Heath Miller’s was.
It’s abundantly clear that opportunity will no longer be an
excuse for failed production. Green should step into this offense
and instantly become the third option in this passing game (behind
Brown and Bell). Miller hauled in 126 receptions in this offense
over the last two years, an average of 63 a season. I think those
63 receptions are Green’s floor. With space to roam the middle
of the field, and hit the seams, Green could also reach 800 yards
as well. But the real money to be made from Green could very well
come in the red zone. Frequently offensive coordinator Todd Haley
would isolate Bryant in the redone and utilize his size and speed
to overmatch corners. I can easily envision a similar role for Green,
giving him a legit shot at 6-plus touchdowns. These totals look
eerily similar to the 16 game projections for last year. Yup! Take
a long look at Green this summer, and pay attention to his role
in the offense. Will they deploy him as a “replacement”
for Bryant, or an enhanced version of Miller? Either way, Green
should be an interesting candidate at a thin fantasy position.
