Wes Welker

                           RUSHING                            RECEIVING                            FANTASY

(+) We don't call him the “Slot Machine” for nothing…

(+) …and his middle name might as well be “PPR”

(+) Wes isn’t happy about the franchise tag—especially when they are paying Gronk—but he won't sulk. He'll play his heart out to get his next pay check (take notice, Percy Harvin)

(+) He’s had at least 111 catches a season in four of the last five years

(+) Because of his size (5’9”, 185-pounds) and color (pretty darn white), Welker seems to slip in every fantasy draft

(+) Posted career highs in yardage (1,569), TDs (9), targets (173) and of course, fantasy points in 2011

(+) Put up a career-high eight 100-yard games in 2011

(+) Was actually a deep threat last year at times and busted some long TDs

(+) Had six or more catches in 13 of 16 games (also in all three of his playoff games)

(+) Posted double-digit receptions three times last season

(+) Wes Welker’s red retro jersey is awesome!

(–) He’s getting up there in age as he’s now 31-years old

(–) The Pats added Brandon Lloyd to their offense—a favorite of offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels

(–) Considering his past seasons and the addition of Lloyd, his yardage should go down big time

(–) With lots of wide receivers in camp for the Patriots, it could be a sign they don't plan to sign Welker to a long-term deal

(–) They traded Randy Moss mid-season, so obviously Belichick isn't afraid to trade anyone on the roster…and Wes pretty much needs Brady to be a fantasy stud

2009 saw Wes Welker become just the fifth player in NFL history to catch 100+ balls in three consecutive seasons (M. Harrison, H. Moore, J. Rice, and B. Marshall) while also becoming the first to do it snagging 110+ receptions during each year.  WOW!, but that’s not all…  Another amazing record Wes chalked up in 2009 was being the first ever to record seven games with 10+ receptions in one season.  AWOWOWOW!  To put this in perspective, the most 10+ reception games Jerry Rice ever racked up in a single season was four.  Pretty impressive for the only sub-six-foot wide receiver in the group (5’9”), especially when you consider that The Slot Machine did it in just 14 games (actually 13 if you consider that he left in the 1^st quarter of Week 17 when he tore his ACL & MCL)!  This brings us to the only downfall of 2009 for Welker; his pointless ACL/MCL tears during the final game.  There was no reason in the world for Wes to be out on the field for a meaningless regular season game (the Pats had already clinched their spot in the playoffs), but Coach Bill Belichick decided to play him anyway.  That wasn’t the first major coaching mistake Belichick made during the 2009 season, but it was certainly the most costly.  Hopefully The Slot Machine responds well to his offseason surgery and comes back in 2010 to repeat this unbelievable year.

~  Ranked 12th in the league with 162.4 WR fantasy points (basic scoring system)

~  Tied for 54th in the league with 4 receiving touchdowns

~  Ranked second in the league with 1,348 receiving yards

~  Ranked second in the league with 96.3 receiving yards per game

~  Ranked first in the league with 123 receptions

~  Ranked third in the league with 162 targets

~  Ranked 65th in the league with 8 receptions of 20+ yards

~  Ranked second in the league with 71 catches for first downs

~  Ranked second in the league with 709 yards after the catch (YAC)

~  Set career bests in receptions (123), yards (1,348), receptions/game (8.8), yards/game (96.3), and yards from scrimmage (1384)

~  2009 First-Team All-Pro and made his second career Pro Bowl team

Heading into the 2010 season, the biggest question for The Slot Machine is if he can come back from serious offseason knee surgery to perform at the same level he has over the past three seasons.  Quite frankly, there is no easy answer to this question.  Welker had his surgery in early February ‘10, and according to studies on the effects of ACL surgery, the normal time it takes to get back to a pre-injury level of performance is 18 months.  However, as recently as early June, Welker was filmed at OTAs making cuts and running individual drills without any sign of a downfall.  Being a football player who keeps himself in top condition certainly helps the mending process, but that doesn’t necessarily mean his knee will be able to hold up throughout the entire year.  Even if Wes is ready to go by Week 1, which is still iffy at this point, you shouldn’t expect a 16-game season by any means and can hardly expect a fourth straight season of 100+ catches.  He should still be a high-volume reception guy when he plays, but Julian Edelman will likely eat into his time on the field as the season wears on.

~ Obviously the biggest point to consider heading into the season is whether his knee has recovered enough to be productive on the field

~ Tom Brady is now two years removed from his surgery, so he should be on top of his game

~ The Patriots defense is starting to slip, which could mean more passing for the New England offense

~ The quest for 4 straight season with 100+ receptions has to be a goal in the back of Welker’s mind

Wes does not have a Twitter account.  The official Team Twitter account comes through here:  Patriots Player Tweets

Follow Pyro® on Twitter @pyroman1ac

While playing for the Dolphins back on October 10th, 2004, Welker became just the 2nd player in NFL history to record a tackle, return a punt, return a kickoff, kick an extra point, and nail a field goal all in the same game

...against the Patriots no less

Ridiculous

After suffering basically the same knee injury...

"NOW I understand, Boss.  De Pain! De Pain!"

Welker signed a five-year, $18.1 million contract in March of 2007 that included a $5.5 million signing bonus and a $3.5 million option bonus in the second year, which Welker has now collected.  Welker enters the fourth year of this contract, and given that he didn't take it easy after collecting the fatty $5.5 million up front, we see no cause for concern other than he has already outplayed this deal and is worth a great deal more:

2010 - $1.9 million (+ $350k in various bonuses)

2011 - $2.15 million (+ $350k in various bonuses)

2012 - Free Agent

Julian Edelman is easily the best guy to handcuff to Welker, but if Torry Holt proves to have anything left in the tank, he shouldn’t be overlooked

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