The Rise and (Continuing) Fall of Percy Harvin

There was a time that many football fans fervently believed that Percy Harvin was destined to become one of the most dynamic, dangerous weapons in the league. The idea hardly seemed crazy, as Harvin was a young wide receiver who possessed a unique skill-set that made him a threat to break off a monster play at any given moment the ball was in his hands. In 2011 he had a season that showed off how talented he was, when he created over 1,300 yards of offense for the Vikings, including almost 350 yards rushing. He did all of this at a young 23 years old, so the sky seemed to be the limit for Harvin.

Now seasons have passed, and instead of the expected progression, Harvin actually has experienced a noticeable regression. A huge part of his struggles are due to injuries, as he has only played in 23 games over the last four seasons. Yet even when he has been able to play, he has appeared to be a mere shell of his former self.

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His numbers have been shockingly low, as he has failed to provide the spark that both the Seahawks and Jets were expecting when they added him to their rosters. Now Harvin has joined the Buffalo Bills, and he is confident that he is ready to bounce back and finally become the super star that many once expected him to be. He has claimed that he will no longer be used as a “gadget guy,” which he feels is the biggest reason for his decline over the last few years. Perhaps Harvin will back up his words and have another monster season, but it seems much more likely that Harvin will continue to decline and fall farther away from the great player he once was.

The biggest problem with having faith in Harvin to be a solid performer on your fantasy team is the simple fact that he has shown himself to be incredibly susceptible to injuries. It may seem harsh or unfair to criticize Harvin for his injury history, but the fact is that he has only played a full 16 games one season in his entire career. His injuries have continually kept him off the field, and it is hard to trust a pick on someone who likely will miss at least part of next season. Maybe his injuries are finally behind him, but why would you take that risk when he has spent almost as much of his career on the sideline as he has on the field. But even if you are willing to overlook his extensive history of being hurt, Harvin still is not a good fantasy investment as the Bills are not the ideal situation for him to experience any sort of resurgence.

If Harvin is going to have a successful season, it will be absolutely essential for him to have a quality quarterback that would know how to get the most out of Harvin’s one-of-a-kind talent. The Bills have an unquestionably talented roster, but the one area where they certainly are not properly equipped is at quarterback. There currently appears to be a battle for the starting position between E.J. Manuel and Matt Cassel, neither of which are likely to inspire much confidence in Bills fans.

Manuel has been largely inconsistent over the last two years, and any signs of him becoming a solid starting QB in the NFL are minimal. Any hope for Cassel becoming a long term starter in the league seem long gone, as he greatly struggled in both Kansas City and Minnesota. Buffalo is so desperate that they apparently are even considering Tyrod Taylor for the starting job. Don’t feel bad if you have never heard of Taylor before that last sentence, because he has only passed for 199 yards over four seasons in the league. The fact that Taylor is even in the conversation is an obvious indictment of the complete lack of faith the organization has in Manuel or Cassel.

The Bills have nothing close to an answer at quarterback, and this will have a huge impact on Harvin. Instead of having a quarterback that could help elevate him back to his former glory, Harvin is likely going to have to deal with a carousel of low-end quarterbacks. That makes it even less likely for him to put up the impressive numbers that warrant a quality draft pick.

On top of the history of injury and lack of a decent quarterback, the unfortunate truth is that even a healthy Percy Harvin is simply not the player that many hoped he would be. People were excited by Harvin because his abilities were so different than a typically great receiver. They thought that he could represent a new kind of dual-threat, the likes of which we had never seen.

Yet this reality never panned out, and it is clear that Harvin will never again replicate the accomplishments of his early career. His skills seem to have diminished, and defenses no longer seem to be surprised by him like they so often were in his early years. If you are to draft him on your team, make sure you only do so if he is still available into the late rounds. It is possible he could prove to be a valuable bench player that gives occasional value when your starters are on a bye week, but that is about as much as you can hope for from the long-suffering Harvin. He is not worth the risk, and you would be wise to allow someone else to have him on their roster.

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