Don't doubt Doubs

By: Josh Frey-Sam

My antennas went up as soon as I read the news.

“Packers FA WR Romeo Doubs is signing with the Patriots.”

Well, that’s an interesting landing spot.

I broke down the situation he was entering in my head, and my interest quickly heightened, as I concluded: right now, Doubs projects as one of the best WR values in fantasy this season.

Still just 25, Doubs is coming off a career year by many metrics. He hauled in 55 passes for 724 yards and six touchdowns, and averaged a career-best 13.2 yards per grab.

Now I can already hear some of you saying, “724 yards is a value?”

The thing that needs to be hammered home about Rome’s time in Green Bay is that he was never “the guy” for a full season. He had periods where the Packers needed to rely on him to be the WR1 while they dealt with injuries to Christian Watson and/or Tucker Kraft, but he was really treated like a complementary piece, and he let his feelings about that be known on occasion.

Now I think this is a much better situation for him to thrive in. One where he will be depended on each week and truly get to show the league what he’s all about.

Doubs possesses a similar skill set that made Stefon Diggs so intriguing to me last year.

No, he doesn’t have the same kind of after-the-catch ability as Diggs, but he has a lot of the same qualities that make him so comforting for a rising quarterback like Drake Maye: the ability to win quickly off the line, strong route-running and dependable hands.

He’s not fast, but he is quick, and that’ll play in Josh McDaniels’ offence, which has produced plenty of solid fantasy seasons for players of a similar mould.

The question marks that surround Doubs’ season will include his supporting cast. How does Treveyon Henderson factor into the passing game? Does Kyle Williams command more opportunities in Year 2? Kayshon Boutte and Mack Hollins are still solid depth options that could eat into his numbers, right? What about Hunter Henry?

Frankly, these players, although worth paying attention to, aren’t worth stressing over when it comes to Doubs.

Diggs commanded 20.32% of the targets and was the first read on 23.33% of his routes — numbers that don’t blow you away, but are nothing to sneeze at either.

Those are vacated targets that will need to go to someone, and judging by his four-year, $70 million deal, I would wager Doubs is the guy to take those on.

Among all WRs with at least 50 targets last year, Diggs ranked 9th in fantasy points per target (2.10). I think you’d be happy if Doubs could produce a similar year for you.

While his opportunity has never been that of a WR1, he’s a player who, as the undisputed WR1, should present a really solid floor. The one concern most people will have is around his upside.

Could he be a 1,100-yard, eight-touchdown receiver? I mean, a 31-year-old Diggs — fresh off an ACL tear — caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns last year, so I would think that kind of season is in the realm of outcomes for Doubs.

Do I think he could be a 1,300-yard, double-digit touchdown guy? I do not, and that would absolutely blow me away.

What I do think is Doubs will probably go somewhere in rounds 5-6 in drafts this year — a spot where you could be relying on him as your every-week WR2.

I think he certainly has the upside of a very reliable high-end WR2, and the floor of a bottom-tier WR2.

He’s a bet that, as of right now, I will be taking often.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh