Our receiving options without Hopkins

[BritCard]

Obviously it's never good to lose a star player, but as I said in the Nuk thread we still have a lot of options.

So I wanted to see how we stack up through those 1st 6 games vs the rest of the division.

Cardinals

WR1 - Hollywood Brown
WR2- AJ Green
WR3 - Rondale Moore
TE1 - Zach Ertz
TE2 - Maxx Williams
Receiving back - James Conner

Rams

WR1 - Cooper Kupp
WR2- Allen Robinson
WR3 - Van Jefferson
TE1 - Tyler Higbee
TE2 - Kendall Blanton
Receiving back - Kyren Williams?

Seahawks

WR1 - Tyler Lockett
WR2- DK Metcalf
WR3 - Freddie Swain
TE1 - Noah Fant
TE2 - Will Dissley
Receiving back - Kenneth Walker

Niners

WR1 - Deebo
WR2- Brandon Aiyuk
WR3 - Jauan Jennings
TE1 - George Kittle
TE2 - Ross Dwelley
Receiving back - JaMycal Hasty


It's clear that all 3 teams have a higher peak than we will have. Lockett, Deebo and Kupp are all currently better than Brown. I think Brown can be much better in our system with Kyler but it's unrealistic to think he's going to be Kupp or Deebo.

AJ Green isn't cooked. You don't get 850 yards and finish WR32 despite being 3rd in target share if you are cooked. He did have more yards than Aiyuk last year though. He's still a good player but he isn't what he was and the Seahawks and Rams beat us here also.

But after that I think we are the best of the bunch. The others don't have much at WR3 outside Van Jefferson but I think Moore can make a similar leap in year 2 as Van did. Our overall TE groups are better and Conner as a receiver is the best of the bunch.

As long as we spread the ball around as we usually do we should be fine.

And when Nuk is back I think we have the best overall receiving options in the division.

 

[SissyBoyFloyd]

Comparing WR corps is a very tricky puzzle. They are just one piece of a complicated puzzle. You almost have to simply take it one game at a time and compare the opponents each is playing. How good is your opponent's D Backfield, do they have a strong pass rush, how good is your OL, will your QB have plenty of time to pass, how much experience do they all have playing together.

I guess what I am trying to say is, I don't know if simply comparing one WR corp to any other is very relevant to the results they may put forth on a weekly basis. I think ours is sufficient, not great yet. Still their success will definitely depend on our OL giving Murray the time he needs to find the open man and make good throws. I question if any of our WRs have had enough playing time with Murray to be at their utmost productive yet. But what do I know?

 

[Garthshort]

Still have concerns about Green and Moore. Green might have had over 800 yards, but I think a great deal of it was in the first half of the season. JMO, but it looked like he sleep walked down the stretch. In Moore's case, I think the problem was two fold:
1. Kirk played Moore's position, and that held him back.
2. KM never got in synch with RM, and w/o DH he (KM) felt more comfortable looking for Kirk and Ertz.
Bottom line, I have higher hopes for Moore. I even have higher hopes for Wesley.

P.S. In comparing WR corps, you can't forget who the QB is for that team.

 

[cardpa]

I see all the TE groups being pretty much even. I don't see any of them having a advantage overall.

 

[WeBlitz]

Kittle alone beats out everyone else’s TE group.

 

[Stout]

We are in trouble at WR to open the season. Trying to minimize it, analyze it away, explain it away, doesn't change that. Can we overcome this trouble? A dispassionate analysis says we can, if a lot of things go right, and our coach can do his job properly. Looking at what we're hoping for--an aging AJ Green to be the #2, hoping Rondale Moore can be the #3, hoping we get significant help from a rookie 2nd-round TE, hoping, hoping, hoping, paints a bleak picture.

It is what it is, a crappy situation we aren't prepared for. Will the intervening months mitigate the situation? Only the shadow knows.

 

[RON_IN_OC]

Kittle alone beats out everyone else’s TE group.

Maybe, when healthy.

 

[BritCard]

Still have concerns about Green and Moore. Green might have had over 800 yards, but I think a great deal of it was in the first half of the season. JMO, but it looked like he sleep walked down the stretch. In Moore's case, I think the problem was two fold:
1. Kirk played Moore's position, and that held him back.
2. KM never got in synch with RM, and w/o DH he (KM) felt more comfortable looking for Kirk and Ertz.
Bottom line, I have higher hopes for Moore. I even have higher hopes for Wesley.

P.S. In comparing WR corps, you can't forget who the QB is for that team.

FYI he had 456 through the first 8, then missed a game, and had 392 through the last 7. It was pretty consistent. Although should have gone up some once Nuk went out.

 

[Garthshort]

FYI he had 456 through the first 8, then missed a game, and had 392 through the last 7. It was pretty consistent. Although should have gone up some once Nuk went out.

JMO, but when he should have stepped up, he stepped out.

 

[WeBlitz]

Maybe, when healthy.

No maybe.

I would trade Ertz and Maxx for Kittle in a heartbeat and I like those two guys a good bit.

I bet fans of those other teams would do the same as well with their TE groups.

 

[bankybruce]

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[AzRedbird69]

A trade of Isabella for Harry just makes too much sense. AI from UMass and Harry from ASU. Not that it would move the needle much, but I think Harry can compete with Wesley and be productive for 6-7 games.

 

[Jetstream Green]

A trade of Isabella for Harry just makes too much sense. AI from UMass and Harry from ASU. Not that it would move the needle much, but I think Harry can compete with Wesley and be productive for 6-7 games.

The reality is that Wesley is much better than Harry or Isabella as a pro which makes one ask what is Harry and Isabella still doing collecting a paycheck in the NFL

 

[BritCard]

The reality is that Wesley is much better than Harry or Isabella as a pro which makes one ask what is Harry and Isabella still doing collecting a paycheck in the NFL

Wesley, Harry and Isabella are all garbage and using all their names in a single sentence summons the football gods to punish you.

Damn! Now I did it!

 

[kerouac9]

What a weird comparison to make considering that all these units play their opposing defensive counterparts and not each other.

Seahawks=tanking trash
San Fran=run game and play action gods
St Louis = reigning champs and Kliff’s personal daddy

The Horizontal Raid is alive and well until proven otherwise.

 

[Garthshort]

I still hold out hope for Wesley. In very limited action, he wasn't too bad. Pretty sure he'll get a good look in TC because of Nuk's suspension.

 

[BritCard]

What a weird comparison to make considering that all these units play their opposing defensive counterparts and not each other.

Seahawks=tanking trash
San Fran=run game and play action gods
St Louis = reigning champs and Kliff’s personal daddy

The Horizontal Raid is alive and well until proven otherwise.

It's weird to compare tools? 50% of the posts on this board are "X isn't as good as Y" or "we should have signed A who is better than B".

You seem to just be arguing for the same of arguing lately.

 

[BritCard]

I still hold out hope for Wesley. In very limited action, he wasn't too bad. Pretty sure he'll get a good look in TC because of Nuk's suspension.

I'm not sure he can every be more than a RZ jump ball specialist. He's simply far too slow to win his routes vs NFL CB's. He's pushing nearly a 4.7 40.

 

[Jetstream Green]

Wesley, Harry and Isabella are all garbage and using all their names in a single sentence summons the football gods to punish you.

Damn! Now I did it!

Granted, Wesley might not be great but to call him garbage is going a little too far. May I ask what this ongoing obsession with using the word 'garbage' which prompts one to summon it into our logical discussions out of the realm of hyperbole? Now Ryan Lindley's play at QB might

 

[RON_IN_OC]

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I'd say sign him, but he's likely not available until October...that's what I've read.

 

[JeffGollin]

Using stats to evaluate Green doesn’t accurately rate him because they fail to incorporate his drops of catchable passes at crunch time.

 

[overseascardfan]

Obviously a coincidence but I just saw on ESPN highlights of last night's Suns game, OBJ was at the game in a Suns jersey. He must be a Booker fan.

 

[BritCard]

Obviously a coincidence but I just saw on ESPN highlights of last night's Suns game, OBJ was at the game in a Suns jersey. He must be a Chris Paul fan.

He's often in AZ in the off season. It's where he trains.

 

[BritCard]

Using stats to evaluate Green doesn’t accurately rate him because they fail to incorporate his drops of catchable passes at crunch time.

So 1?

 

[kerouac9]

Cards Underground this week was EXTREMELY bearish on Maxx Williams. Apparently Kliff said that he had a second surgery on the knee and there is no timeline for his return.

It's extremely likely that if we play a lot of 2TE sets to start the season we'll see a lot of Trey McBride.

I also think it's extremely unlikely we see Brown and Moore on the field at the same time outside of 4WR sets. Yes, Brown has played outside in the NFL, but so has/had Christian Kirk. I think Brown will be moved inside if only to get him closer to Kyler.

I always think it's funny that people believe that Kliff is suddenly going to try harder to get more athletes on the field at the same time. Moore's snaps didn't go up when DHop went down; Antoine Wesley's did.

DHop's suspension puts us in a bind because in all likelihood we're forced to play Antoine Wesley (in 3 WR sets) or Trey McBride (in 2 TE sets) more than you really want to.

I do expect Brown to play in 2 WR sets quite a bit.