Calvin Johnson was the most sought after receiver in football prior to this season, but his poor performance so far this year has damaged that divine-like perception.
Megatron as most like to call him, has been far from that this season. The sixth year receiver has 41 receptions for 638 yards on the year but has found the end zone just once—putting him in the same group as Jacksonville Jaguars’ tackle Guy Whimper and another 100-plus players that have scored at least one touchdown this season.
Luckily for his owners he has been able to stay in the top 15 of players for both receptions and yards; with 638 receiving yards which is seventh among receivers and 41 receptions which is tied for 12th.
However, Johnson was taken in the first round of most drafts and hasn’t lived up to that billing, ranking outside the top 10 of receivers in most leagues.
In a PPR league I’m in, Johnson was taken with the fifth overall pick and has left much to be desired for the fantasy footballer who drafted him. In a season of close fantasy matchups and no touchdowns from your top receiver he makes a huge difference. A team that would have five or six wins with the 2011 Megatron finds themselves with a 2012 Calvin Johson that has just three or four wins.
Johnson’s 41 catches, 638 yards and one score this season has given him the value of a third or fourth round pick as he has shown inconsistency on the field, looking like Terrell Owens at times, dropping passes that you would normally expect him to make.
Reggie Wayne, Demaryius Thomas and Randall Cobb are just a few players who were taken in the later rounds after some drafters had already taken one or even two receivers. This inconsistency among the top receiver only makes you reconsider taking receivers so early in the draft. Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson were the consensus second and third best receiver in the draft and they too find themselves outside the top 10.
Being able to find receivers later in the draft is key to the success of your teams and finding the right sleepers has proved to be positive for those who went by this sleeper article I put out before the season started.
With all that being said Johnson could flip the switch and go off from now until Week 17 — although I highly doubt it. His best opportunity will be this week against Jacksonville as he will be playing Atlanta, Arizona (twice), Minnesota and Houston before the season comes to an end. If Calvin Johnson shows a bit of the old Megatron try to deal him. With the hype he already has, a solid performance this weekend against a sorry Jacksonville defense would make your offer more enticing than it normally would be.
The Johnson you’ve seen is the Johnson you’re most likely going to get in the upcoming weeks so don’t expect a big jump in his production between now Week 17.
With the inconsistency he’s shown this year I find it hard to take Johnson anywhere close to the first round next season.
See what we had to say about Calvin Johnson a.k.a. Megatron in our Week 9 fantasy football video.
