FANTASY FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT “DENNIS PITTA”
Hello fantasy footballers it’s me again “THE FANTASY TYPHOON” here to bring you more league dominating information. This fantasy football spotlight is dedicated to the breakout talents of Dennis Pitta. Dennis Pitta is a special kind of talent that is in the right place at the right time. Pitta was already a decent fantasy football player but once Anquan Boldin was traded his fantasy impact inflated to BREAKOUT status. Now don’t get me wrong and begin thinking that the absence of Boldin automatically qualifies Pitta as a top option by default. Absolutely not. What you look for in breakout players are the talents, strengths, and skills of a player that once they get an opportunity to shine they don’t look back. This is the difference between a breakout player and a temporary starter.
Example: Daniel Thomas was considered a breakout player because of the opportunity that he fell into in Miami. His talent was not on a breakout level thus he was replaced by Reggie Bush and currently by Lamar Miller. He went from a number one option with promise, or breakout, to a number three option in 3 years. Just because an opportunity presents itself to a player does not automatically make a player a breakout candidate ready for top-tier numbers. My point is that talent precedes opportunity, and opportunity dictates fantasy points, and fantasy points wins trophy’s. That’s why you saturate your fantasy rosters and your bench with talent and not with players that have the best path or opportunity to stardom. As you read this article you could almost make that case for Torrey Smith this year. Torrey has the opportunity but does he posses the talent to breakout and stay out. He’s definitely on notice.
Here are some reasons as to why Pitta is ready to not only breakout but take over in Baltimore.
September 10, 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta (88) catches a touchdown pass during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at M
EXCELLENT HANDS and QUARTERBACK – These two options go hand in hand. Pitta has some excellent receiving hands for a TE but if he does not have a quarterback that has the trust and the ability to make certain throws then Pitta is just a regular, or average TE. Make no mistake folks Pitta can make catches that some seasoned veteran wide receivers still can’t make with consistency. Joe Flacco understands that in the NFL a QB has to possess the skills to be able to throw a receiver open or place the ball in certain spots that only the receiver can make a play on the ball. This helps Pitta greatly because he is not known for his speed and separation skills. What he does excel in is ball positioning. If you notice the picture above the Cincinnati DB Leon Hall, is all over Pitta. This catch alone takes tons of focus, agility, strength, and down home my ball mentality. This is why the timing and trust Flacco has in Pitta paramount. You could easily argue that Flacco should not make this throw because it will either be knocked down or tipped. This is a major concern for me when I think about Boldin in San Francisco. Will Kaepernick possess this ability? If not then Boldin stock will plummet and Kaepernick will pull down the ball and run or find other options because he will view Boldin as covered when he makes his reads. If it continues then soon he wont even be looking for Boldin.
TORREY SMITH WILL BE DOUBLE TEAMED – Another caveat we need to discuss is the wide receiver play of Torrey Smith. When I watched the tape last year I didn’t see too much use of the route tree from Torrey. He lined up in the “Z” mostly and he faced double coverage some of the time. Even in this prime situation he did not exceed 1,000 yards and now we think he will somehow magically do it being doubled? He was considered a deep threat just like his cohort Jacoby Jones. Actually if Torrey does not step up his route tree skills he will be a fantasy disappointment in 2013. I am avoiding drafting his services until I see more consistency. So with Torrey doubled who will go across the middle and make the back shoulder and sideline fades? Yep, Pitta. The absence of Boldin will make opposing defenses key in on Torrey or double team him almost every play and make Flacco look elsewhere for a receiver. The rapport that Pitta has with Flacco will make all of the difference here. Flacco will start throwing to Pitta by habit or memory. There is not another consistent wide receiver option in Baltimore at the moment. Even if they hire an FA during camp or preseason it still will not override Pitta’s connection with Flacco. It will help Torrey’s value. Pitta will be to Flacco as to what Jason Witten is to Tony Romo BUT without the second threat of Miles Austin. Did that make sense? Basically what I am saying here is that the targets or opportunity to be a fantasy TE stud are literally jumping off of the page. If Pitta finished in the top three at TE by season end I would not be surprised. Remember that when talent meets opportunity, scheme, and coaching approval you have a perfect storm for your fantasy roster.
JIM CALDWELL LOVES TO USE HIS TIGHT ENDS – If you look back at 2012 you can see that once Jim Caldwell took over for Cam Cameron on December 10th Pitta’s targets dramatically increased. Baltimore lost the game to Washington that Sunday, fired Cam on Monday, and Pitta went bananas that following Sunday against Denver. Pitta was also used heavily during the Baltimore Ravens super bowl run. This is the litmus test for breakout candidates. If management shows enough faith in your abilities during playoffs and super bowls runs it is really saying a whole lot. Pitta became a fixture in the offense during that span, while Cam Cameron used Pitta sparingly and his fantasy numbers (your points) suffered. This is why knowing your NFL sets and schemes and coaching tendencies is imperative. This is where I differ from my counterparts because I use a mixture of coaching, player’s talents, and opportunity to come up with my synopsis. I very rarely use stats because I like looking into the future and using the eyeball test. It’s more reliable (IMO).
Pitta has everything needed to be a fantasy football stud for 2013 and beyond. He has the hands and the QB, he has the targets and ability, and most importantly he has the coaching staff scheming special plays for him. Right now Pitta is going off of the board in rounds 6-7 but I am snatching him in the fifth. I anticipate Pitta’s average draft position (ADP) to rise once the beat writers and fantasy football sites confirm what was stated in this article. He is a must have for my fantasy teams this season. I also own him in my major dynasty league.
My job is to bring you the information to make an informative decision but at the end of the day the decision is yours. Dennis Pitta is on deck for fantasy football BREAKOUT status. Act accordingly.