Cole Beasley: The Next Valuable Slot

Fantasy-wise, Cole Beasley hasn’t really been what you call a looker. If Antonio Brown is the Irina Shayk of fantasy wide receivers, Cole Beasley is the three-week-old meat sculpture of Bea Arthur. Thirty-one wideouts had more yards last season than he’s had in his entire three year career.

But Beasley finally found his role in the offense towards the end of last season. More than half of his regular season receptions and all of his touchdowns came between Weeks 12 and 17. Beasley saw his targets jump from 2.1 a game to 4.7. That pace continued in the playoffs where Beasley saw an additional 11 targets, leading to seven receptions for 101 yards.

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Not exactly mind blowing numbers, but projecting out his last eight games (six regular season and two playoff) over the course of a full season, things get better. At the clip he was going, he would’ve ended up with 56 catches for 756 yards and eight touchdowns. That’s solid production, especially in PPR leagues and doubly especially because this is a guy who can be had in the later rounds of most drafts.

Beasley should be in line for an increased role in the offense this year. Jason Witten is still a solid option at tight end, but he’s now 33, and coming off a season where he saw his fewest targets since 2006. Expect Beasley to pick up more of that move-the-chains role that Witten has done so well for a decade.

And speaking of those targets, you’ll see more of them all around this year. The Cowboys are saying all the right things about Darren McFadden filling the hole left by DeMarco Murray’s departure, but is anyone really buying it? Even assuming that McFadden doesn’t go down with a broken toe or shingles sometime this season, he’s only averaged 3.4 YPC the last three seasons. Murray has averaged 4.7 YPC over the same time span. Say what you want about the qualities of their respective lines – that’s a big difference. The Cowboys will need to take to the air more often.

They’ll probably need to rely more on Beasley in third down situations and that’s where Beasley has shined. Over a third of his receptions last year were on third down and he contributed heavily to the Cowboys being ranked 2^nd in the NFL in 3^rd down conversions.

There’s no reason to think he won’t complete a full season either. Despite being the size of a baby leprechaun by NFL standards, Beasley has stayed healthy. Other than a minor preseason foot injury in 2013 he’s stayed clean, suiting up for all 16 games in 2014. He was just as injury free in college, playing in 49 of 52 contests.

You should be able to pick up Beasley in the 12^th to 14^th rounds, even in deeper leagues. If you’re in a league that awards points for return yardage, then pick him up even sooner. He looks to be in line for the punt return job.

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