Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Before the 2009 season even started, there were rumblings around the NFL that wide receiver Brandon Marshall would be traded from the Denver Broncos. The reasons? Marshall wanted a big time pay raise and was in no way chummy with new head coach, Josh McDaniels. But, holding onto Marshall, the Broncos rattled off 6 straight wins, and everything seemed heavenly. However, the downward spiral began yet again, and after missing the playoffs due to a late season collapse, the Marshall trade talks picked back up. After a lot of speculation all off-season, again, the wide receiver was finally dealt to the Miami Dolphins.

We all know the reasons why he was traded, and none of it was for his on field performance. After all, Marshall played some of his best football of late in 2009 with totals of 101 receptions for 1,120 yards and a career high 10 touchdowns. It was the 3rd straight year Marshall had over 100 catches and 1,100 yards. He is young (just turned 26 in March) and keeps getting better every year. But, the fact that Marshall wanted to be paid like the best wide out in the game and had an attitude that could ruin a locker room was too much for Denver to handle.

Now, Marshall goes to the Dolphins, a team that has had little semblance of a passing game in recent years - largely because they have missed the threat of a big play wide receiver. Still, the question remains as to whether Miami will now open up the offense and throw more, or if they’ll continue to hand the rock off to Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, who still remain in the backfield. The answer to that question will determine Marshall’s fantasy value for 2010.

The offensive situation in Miami is comparable to the one Marshall just left in Denver, especially when it comes to the lack of receiving talent; however, we’d be remiss if we didn’t remind you that the Dolphins’ running game is a bit more established than Denver’s. Even with the Dolphin’s having a young quarterback in Chad Henne behind center, who they wish to develop by giving opportunities, you must remember that both of the running backs in their backfield will garner 10-20 touches a game. With that being said, Marshall will see the majority of the passing targets and open the offense up for the Dolphins. Will he reach over 100 receptions again? It’s doubtful. He will however get over 1,000 yards receiving again, if not for the sole reason that there aren’t many other playmakers on the outside for Miami. While this is a tough projection to make, Marshall will likely see about 90 receptions for his usual 1,100 yards and 6 touchdowns. Good numbers, but not superstar quality numbers in the fantasy football world.

If you have followed the mock drafts done by the staff here at the Bruno Boys this off-season, you will see that Marshall has been drafted in the bottom of the 3rd round in a standard league (good enough for a middle of the road/top end WR2) and in the 1st round in a PPR league (high end WR1). Remember that both of those selections were made with Marshall still a member of the Denver Broncos. Now that he is on the Miami Dolphins, you could probably see Marshall come off the board in the 4th round in standard leagues (middle to low end WR2) and somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd round in PPR leagues (low end WR1 to high end WR2).

In short, Marshall will still produce solid fantasy numbers as he has the last 3 seasons. The difference as a result of his new scenery will be miniscule, but it is my belief that his numbers will see a slight decrease. However, being that he is the only true big time wide receiver in Miami and has all the talent in the world (plus will have something to prove since he was traded), the sky is the limit for this guy. But for the first year in his new digs, it is tough to say how the offense will change with him added to the mix. Considering the running game has been so good for Miami in the past, it’s tough seeing them go away from a winning formula just to appease Brandon Marshall.

This article has been written by Bruno Boys Greg. He can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

 
Have an opinion on Brandon Marshall’s prospects for 2010? If so, let us know!

To see more Crystal Balls predictions go here… 2010 Fantasy Football Crystal Balls

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