RADIO
Again with this guy? Really?
You should all be reading this in the same exasperated tone I am writing in. Devante Parker is a superb athletic specimen. No one can take that away from him. He should be good at football, but after three years on an NFL field, we can definitively conclude that he is not.
Let's all collectively agree that DeVante Parker is an overhyped player that is not going to deliver on his promise - not in 2018 and possibly never.
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When Will the Hype Stop?
We heard all the hype when he was a rookie. He saw just 50 targets and caught one more than half of them for under 500 yards and three touchdowns. He was useless his rookie year. But as a sophomore, "This is the year!" The natural second-year progression. Parker goes out and posts a 56-744-4 line in 15 games. Well, at least he was improving! Then we get to 2017, "This the year!" Third year breakouts! Obviously! 57-670-1 in 13 games. The man is averaging 44 receiving yards per game over his career and has eight touchdowns in 43 games. The box score numbers haven't been there. But, maybe there's underlying reason for optimism?
Was Parker efficient last year? He's efficient in the same way using the spacebar to center your text is efficient. His QBs, while admittedly not particularly good last year, posted a 58.1 rating when throwing to Parker, 93rd in the league. He was 98th in target separation, 87th in fantasy points per target, 49th in catch rate. And if you think Ryan Tannehill is going to be some sort of savior, I implore you to continue your search. Tannehill is a below average QB. He is not going to be the catalyst behind a Parker breakout.
To be clear, I don't think Parker is completely useless. My issue with him is he keeps being drafted as if his breakout is imminent or likely. All he's shown is that he's an inefficient WR that shies away from contact and plays soft. His supporters will point to a handful of highlight reel plays. News flash: every player has highlight reel plays. I am far more concerned with what he does the other 98% of the time.
Parker's ceiling is probably WR3, but he's more of a WR4/5. I know he was supposed to be great coming out of college and I was once a believer as well. At some point, his NFL performance has to outweigh his college performance. We are long past that point. At his WR39 ADP, let someone else waste their pick while you take a shot on a player with far more plausible upside.
