Posted by BeastOrBust on Wednesday, Nov 04 2009  -  about 9 months ago

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Steve Smith vs. Steve Smith

Up until this season, if you rostered Steve Smith you either had a beastly WR from Carolina or a potential PPR asset from the Giants. So far this season, though, it has been a different story. With Plaxico Burress on lockdown and Amani Toomer retiring, the Giants version of Steve Smith has had his chance to step up. And that is exactly what the 24 year old has done so far. He is leading the league in receptions through Week 8 with 53, is fourth with 662 yards receiving and has a career-best 4 TD grabs. The Panthers version of Steve Smith has 30 catches, 414 yards and just 1 TD as he plays at age 30.

One great name, two great fantasy wide receivers. Which Steve Smith do you want on your Dynasty roster?

Carolina Panthers Steve Smith

Steve Smith came into this year with a reputation as one of the best wideouts in the NFL. He plays bigger than his 5’9” frame and has the speed to light up any secondary. In 2008, he caught 78 balls for 1,421 yards and 6 TD’s, averaging over 18 yards per catch. He was likely a Top 5-7 WR off the board in most fantasy leagues, and still a solid bet for 3+ years of elite production in Dynasty formats because he showed no signs of slowing down as he turned 30 years old this offseason.

 

Fantasy stocks are volatile and Steve Smith’s is down thus far in 2009, but there is nothing wrong with the Panthers WR. There could be, however, something wrong with the Panthers offense thus far – they have just looked out of sync. More specifically, there could be something wrong with the guy throwing him the ball. Jake Delhomme has been connecting with Smith since he came to Carolina in 2003. He has been a solid average/slightly above average QB in his career and has shown a very strong rapport with Smith on the field. In 2008, when Delhomme passed for 3,288 yards, over 40% of those belonged to Smith. This season, Delhomme has struggled to the tune of just 1262 yards, 5 TD’s and 13 INT’s in 7 games. Cause and effect – Steve Smith’s numbers are down from where an elite WR should be.

 

The New York Giants Steve Smith is a very good, young WR, but he does not have the skillset that Panthers Steve Smith possesses. Steve has the confidence of Eli Manning and catches the ball in traffic in big spots. His upside, however, may be limited to just outside the Top 10-15 WR, even in PPR leagues. Panthers Steve, despite his QB woes, has the potential to be a Top 10 WR for the next 2-3 years, just as long as he keeps his speed. If you are looking to rebuild your team around much younger players, you probably will want the Giants Steve. If you are a few pieces away from fielding a contender, buy low on Panthers Steve and be happy that you did when he starts beasting again.

New York Giants Steve Smith

For two seasons, he was known in fantasy circles as the "other" Steve Smith. Now, he is really making a name for himself.  Steve Smith of the New York Giants has supplanted himself in an excellent position as a young receiver.  Drafted in 2007, Smith spent his first two seasons comfortably situated in the shadow of the Giants all time receptions leader Amani Toomer.  Now in his third season, Steve Smith is emerging as a talent that has benefitied from his time spent learing his trade from Toomer.  Dynasty owners monitoring Smiths stat line closely, while he remained a relatively unknown commodity, recognized that while starting behind Toomer and Plaxico Burress he also led the Giants in receptions in 2008...a sure indication of a breakout season was soon to come.  Smith is now Eli Mannings most trusted posession receiver and is a clear cut starter on a Giants team showing signs of keeping up with the passing trend in the NFL.  Expect his role in NY to continue for years as it did for so long with Toomer.

The start to the 2009 season can be considered Smith's breakout.  Within the first 4 weeks of the season, he was the leading fantasy WR position posting over 400 yards and 4 TD's. For those in PPR leagues, he had an added bonus of leading the NFL in receptions as well.  Impressive number to say the least, especially considering that he only had 1 TD catch in his previous two seasons and just over 600 yards. Not surpising, his streak has slowed down some, 1) The Giants were dominating very poor opposing teams in the first 4 weeks of 2009. 2) Steve Smith was benefiting from the fact he was generally an unknown throughout the league and opposing defenses, however it is clear that his role is here to stay. How Steve Smith adjusts to more attention will be very crucial when evaluating his long term ceiling, which we think will definitely be that of a Top 15 WR.

At 5'11" and 195 lbs. and only slightly above average speed, Steve Smith was not thought to be more than an average possession receiver in the NFL. With his sure hands, a strong work ethic and knack for the big catch, he has evolved from a limited upside player to one that could certainly be a starting WR on a championship caliber team. So while we don't see Smith maintaining his Top 10 fantasy receiver status thorughout his career, at only 24 years of age Steve Smith is a valuable Dynasty prospect that is going to produce solid fantasy stats for the next 6-8 years on an offense that loves themselves a reliable possession receiver. Smith's consistency and redzone targets add to his value as an excellent fantasy asset. Like Amani Toomer before him, his fantasy upside will be limited by the big play recievers lining up opposite him.  He will always be relied on in the big spot, but through the course of a game, the playmakers will reap the true fantasy benefit. Smith may someday challenge Amani Toomers record as the leading Giants reception leader of all time.
 

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