Laveranues Coles

Coles missed five games last year between a concussion and a high ankle sprain, but when he was healthy, he was serviceable in a possession receiver capacity, catching 62 percent of the balls thrown his way, but averaging just 11.8 yards per catch. This is right in line with his numbers from 2006 (60 percent catch rate, 12 YPC), and it's probably a good barometer of what we can expect from the 30-year old this season. At 5-11, 190, Coles is on the small side, but he's got excellent speed and is quick in and out of his breaks. With his skill set, it's surprising the Jets don't look down the field to him more, but this has been a pattern for several seasons now. In fact, his slower, more rugged teammate, Jerricho Cotchery gets most of the downfield looks, but Coles for some reason saw eight targets (tied for 4th) and three scores from inside the five last year. Coles also had 16 red-zone targets, one more than Cotchery, despite playing just 11 games. But that pattern didn't match up with Coles' previous usage, so consider it a fluke and don't expect a bump in touchdowns unless the Jets' passing game takes a quantum leap.

Despite being one of the fastest receivers in the league, Coles has essentially been a possession receiver the past few seasons, in part due to Chad Pennington’s pop-gun arm, and in part because of the way the Jets use him. Coles was the seventh-most targeted receiver in football last year, but was tied for 12th in receiving yards despite catching 60 percent of the balls thrown his way. That’s because Coles averaged just 12 yards per catch. At 5-11, 193, Coles isn’t much of a red-zone presence (that’s teammate Jerricho Cotchery’s job), but he’s got tremendous lateral quickness in addition to his speed, and he’s tough enough to make catches over the middle. The problem here is that too few of Coles’ many targets are high-value ones because the Jets don’t throw to him down the field (just three catches of 40-yards or more) or near the goal line. As a result, Coles is a good bet for receptions and some yardage, but touchdowns will be hard to come by. It’s also worth noting that Coles hinted that he might not play much beyond 2007 due to the wear and tear the game has had on his body. Of course, he made that statement in January, after a grueling NFL season, but we have to wonder whether he might accelerate his retirement timetable should he suffer nagging ailments during training camp or at any point during the season.

Coles is the type of receiver who's more valuable in real life than he is to fantasy players; he's a possession guy who seldom gets deep or reaches the end zone. On the plus side: Coles will play through just about any type of injury, and he's a very safe bet for 70-90 catches, making him a sneaky value play in point-per-reception leagues. He's only averaged around 11 yards a catch in the past two seasons combined, but some shaky quarterback play in Washington and New York had a little something to do with that. Coles probably won't spearhead you to a title in 2006, but in most leagues he's got a fair chance to return a profit.

Coles’ 2004 was a disaster. Not only did he reach the end zone only once, but he posted just 950 receiving yards despite being targeted 170 times (second most in the league). In other words, the Redskins averaged just 5.6 yards per passing play when they called his number, giving him the second lowest per-play production among the 39 NFL receivers with 100 targets or more. That’s barely more than teammate Clinton Portis averaged running the ball with Denver in 2002 and 2003. Lest we give the impression Coles was to blame, consider the Redskins passing offense as a whole averaged 5.6 yards per passing play, and last year Portis averaged a meager 3.8 yards per carry. No, it was the Redskins’ horrendous offense (31st) that dragged the entire crew down with the ship. Fortunately for Coles, he now finds himself back with quarterback Chad Pennington and the Jets. With offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger replacing the conservative Paul Hackett, New York likely will look downfield more this season, and we expect Coles to average closer to 14.5 yards per catch (which is close to his previous career marks) than the woeful 10.6 he posted in 2004. Moreover, in 2002, the last year he played with Pennington, Coles averaged 9.0 yards per passing play, a far cry from the 7.3 and 5.6 he’s put up the last two seasons. At 5-11, 193 pounds, Coles will never be much of a threat around the goal line, but he’s one of the fastest wideouts in the league, has a great burst off the line and is fearless going across the middle. Expect a return to form now that he’s back in a functional offense with a good quarterback again.

We’ve discussed how Joe Gibbs’ offensive philosophy has created fantasy opportunities for his QBs and RBs. How have his WRs fared? In his 12 prior years coaching the Redskins, Gibbs sent a receiver to the Pro Bowl eight times. Coles will have veteran Mark Brunell distributing the ball this year as opposed to the ill-protected and understandably shell-shocked Patrick Ramsey. Coles was targeted 158 times last year, but those passes connected only 52 percent of the time. That target number should at least hold steady this year, as Gibbs directed 100-catch seasons out of Art Monk when that total really meant something. Coles is also a great runner after the catch, finishing third among receivers in this category. But remember that Coles has just 15 red-zone catches in the last two seasons combined and just two on plays originating inside the opponents’ 10. So his TD potential is limited. Coles, who played despite a fractured toe in his right foot for much of last season, ruled out offseason surgery because the toe would require four months to completely heal, so he’ll be playing through the injury again in 2004.

Coles took a step up in his third season, catching 89 passes for 1,264 yards and five touchdowns. The Redskins certainly were paying attention, because after the season they threw a seven-year, $35 million deal at Coles, and the wideout jumped at it. The