This is an example of the type of information you can gain access to if you pick up a copy of the fabulous 2014 Fantasy Alarm Fantasy Football Draft Guide. Click on the link to learn how to gain access to the Guide, the articles, the rankings, all of it so that you can take down your competition. Let's take a look at Julian Edelman (Jeff Mans will argue for) versus Michael Crabtree (Ray Flowers will argue for).

Julian Edelman
By Jeff Mans

Why am I the only one that remembers just how lost Tom Brady was last season? Without Wes Welker to lean on Brady went to the only familiar face in Julian Edelman over and over again. What’s more is that the Pats had completely ruled out bringing back Edelman when they signed Danny Amendola but had no choice but to pay the man with the way that Brady and Edelman played last year. 

So with Edelman back in tow with a brand new contract he is pretty much a lock for 100+ receptions and another 1,100 yard season in 2014. Although I will fully admit that Edelman doesn’t have the pure TD hawking skills of the bigger wideout in Michael Crabtree, the volume of passing offense in New England compared to San Francisco makes the TD race between these two much closer than you might realize. If you were projecting Crabtree for 8-9 TDs in 2014 I don’t think Edelman would be that far behind that total with a lot more catches.

Anybody who dares use the Danny Amendola excuse I would gladly point you toward some facts about him. He has played in just 54 of a possible 80 games in his career. Of those 54 games he has left 10 of them early due to injury. Also of those 54 games played just 23 were starts. Amendola has caught more than 63 passes just once in his career and has never had more than 689 yards or 3 TDs in a season. Thus, Amendola is a non-factor in Julian Edelman’s world despite what some pundits might have you believe. 


Michael Crabtree
By Ray Flowers

Don't worry Jeff, I will not be using the “Amendola excuse.” I agree with you completely – you simply cannot trust that man. I still have a hard time believing Edelman goes for triple-digits again in the reception department, not many do that back-to-back. It certainly seems like Rob Gronkowski is going to be ready early in the year, and he certainly siphons off plenty of targets. A healthy Shane Vereen is going to take his fair share of looks as well. Those two returning players, maybe even Amendola (it's possible I guess) lead me to worry about Edelman's workload.

As for Crabtree, Jeff is right that the Niners offense is nowhere near as prolific as the Patriots, especially through the air (the Patriots threw 39.3 passes a game last season, the Niners 26.1). The Niners also added Stevie Johnson to the mix. But, Anquan Boldin is a year older, Vernon Davis has never been a volume receiver and the Niners rarely throw the ball to their running backs. Crabtree is finally healthy. He's dropped the 15 lbs he added when he couldn't work out because of his Achilles injury. He is Kaepernick's favorite target. He caught 85 passes for 1,105 yards and nine scores in 2012. An there is this. Even though I cannot quantify it, I can anecdotally mention that Crabtree is in a contract year and he wants to get paid. 

More physically gifted no doubt is Crabtree, and his ceiling is simply higher than that of Edelman despite being hampered by the ground and pound offense the Niners often deploy.