Fantasy Future: Stevie Johnson

As Stevie Johnson enters his 6th year in Buffalo following 3 consecutive 1000 yard seasons, he has the potential to be a very coveted fantasy player this year. In the past 3 seasons Stevie was the 18th leading receiver in 2012 , 19th in 2011 and 11th in 2010.  As a former 7th round draft pick Stevie Johnson has performed far beyond his expectations, and continues to improve his game on a daily basis.

Stevie has been the Bills go to reciever for 3 years now, and he has put up decent numbers for fantasy owners.  I believe he will continue to be a reliable player for points, but Stevie Johnson will be sharing the ball this season more than any of the last 3 years. With the additions of Robert Woods, Marquise Goodwin and Da’Rick Rogers at this years draft, those guys are going to be very serious threats to opposing defenses, and they WILL get their fair share of passes. Lets not forget T.J. Graham either, who with the addition of E.J. Manuel’s big arm will become incredibly more useful now.

Stevie Johnson just might be worth his weight in gold this year for fantasy owners.

The one thing that has burned me in fantasy football the most is having a stud receiver on a team with other great receivers. If the quarterback has options,  and the star receiver is well covered, sometimes its best to play the second best receiver on the team. I feel it is a little bit different in Stevie’s case, because the Bills have so much more talent at receiver this year Stevie Johnson is going to flourish. He is no longer the only receiver that opposing defenses will have to really pay attention to, and you can expect him to put up big numbers as a result.

With a slew of new faces on the receiving unit in Buffalo this year Stevie is now pretty much Papa Johnson, and he has expressed an interest in becoming more of a leader and team oriented player this year. Johnson has come under heavy criticism for his behavior on and off the field, and not because he is a danger to society or anything.  His behavior is often considered childish and unprofessional. But Stevie Johnson is living the life, he is a happy man that appreciates everything that is good and fun in life. If you hate Stevie Johnson it is probably because he is having more fun than you. Stevie Johnson is laughing every day, and hurting absolutely no one in the the process. Yes he is a professional athlete who is held to higher standards than most of us, but Stevie’s antics are silly, and a lot of fun if you just take the time to concern yourself with your own life instead of someone you don’t even personally know.

For me Johnson’s fantasy potential is higher than it has ever been. I would pick him just a little bit earlier this year just in case this thing pans out and he goes buck wild while we all curse the day we didn’t draft him. Johnson plays the game at the highest level possible, and at 26 years old he will NOT be slowing down this season. If  just one of these new receivers plays as expected, you can expect at least 1500 yards from Stevie this year.  What do you think? Where do you rank Stevie Johnson on your fantasy list this year?