4 Players to Stash in Fantasy Football From the AFC North
Breshad Perriman, WR, Baltimore Ravens
The Player
In fantasy football, there are always players who you can't quit. Perhaps it's Christine Michael for you. Or Cordarrelle Patterson. Or C.J. Spiller. For me, that player for now and forever will be the injured, stone-handed Breshad Perriman.
The questions surrounding the 2015 first-round pick have caused his stock to plummet, and he is currently the 72nd receiver being drafted according to FantasyPros ADP data (214th overall). While concerns about the stability of his knees are valid, the inner optimist in me also recognizes the potential value he could be in drafts at that price, and the news that he passed his physical and participated in practice this week only solidified my unrealistic expectations.
Knees aside, Perriman is a physical freak, running a 4.26-second 40-yard dash at 6'2, 214 pounds and demonstrating outstanding athletic ability at his UCF pro day in 2015.
In 2014, Perriman put up 1,044 yards receiving on just 50 receptions. While concentration drops were an issue, his ability to attack the ball in the air and gain separation down the field are traits that just can't be taught, and nothing I saw indicated that he has hands of stone. I'm no professional scout, but I do believe there is a major difference between concentration drops and a player who fights the ball (Darrius Heyward-Bey comes to mind). In my eyes, Perriman is the former.
The Opportunity
Very rarely are teams as ravaged by injuries as the 2015 Baltimore Ravens were. By season's end, only Kamar Aiken was left standing in their receiver corps. Perriman had long been lost with a knee injury, Steve Smith to an Achilles tear, and Joe Flacco to an ACL tear.
In the offseason, the team added Mike Wallace to bolster their depth, and I presume are just praying to the gods that Smith, Flacco, and Perriman can return to the field by Week 1. While Wallace has earned accolades this summer for his deep-ball ability (he was poorly cast in Minnesota last year), expecting him to become a major factor in his age 30 season might be overly optimistic. He certainly can fill a valuable role for this offense, but this is a team searching for a true number-one target, along the lines of the Alshon Jeffery or Brandon Marshall player that offensive coordinator Mark Trestman had when he was in Chicago.
Steve Smith certainly looked the part last season, but he is now 37 years old and coming off an injury that can rob players of their explosiveness. Being activated from the PUP list last week is certainly a good sign, but it is no indication that he can still be a dominant weapon for this team come September.
The fact is that this offense is wide open in terms of target distribution and who can grab hold of the starting spots. Perriman is starting at the bottom of the depth chart, but his draft pedigree and unmatched athletic ability will earn him targets if he is healthy and can stay on the field.
Based on his current price as well as his talent and opportunity, Perriman is a player I will own in 100 percent of my leagues -- provided, of course, that he hasn't been placed on Injured Reserve by the time this article is published.
