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DUSTIN KELLER TEAM TAKE
Keller had a solid rookie season but until the Jets find a stable quarterback I can’t be too excited about Keller. I think this guy is going to be all or nothing within the next couple of years aka Antonio Gates or Vernon Davis. I like his upside but I’d rather find somebody more stable for this season.
('09 Proj: 53 rec, 598 yds, 4 touchdowns) ~Robb Perkins
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Enjoyed a good rookie season with the Jets amassing 56 catches which ranked him an impressive seventh in the AFC for tight ends. Exploded in a week 10-13 stretch where he caught 27 balls for 313 yards and a touchdown. Try to sneak him onto your roster this year at his average draft position. Big upside here.
('09 Proj: 58 rec, 650 yds, 5 touchdowns) ~Steve Cavanagh
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I can sum up my feelings for Keller in four words: Not a big fan. His numbers were inflated last year because Brett Favre’s shoulder wouldn’t allow him to go downfield as often as he would have liked. Favre is gone, and we don’t have a clue who will be the quarterback for the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets next season. Oh yeah, Rex Ryan is instilling a run-first mentality as well.
('09 Proj: 30 rec, 400 yds, 3 touchdowns) ~Jeremy Fischer
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In light of the quarterback’s tendency to heavily involve the tight end in the offensive scheme, Keller was certainly sorry to see Brett Favre retire. However, he shouldn’t fret for too long because the Jets will certainly keep him a priority. With New York expected to shift to a more ball-control oriented offense, whomever the new quarterback is will rely on Keller as a safety valve, something that will only help his numbers.
('09 Proj: 60 rec, 650 yds, 5 touchdowns) ~Frank Mazzola
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As a rookie, Keller finished twelfth in targets and receptions and finished fourteenth in yards. By season's end, he was a favorite target of the now departed Brett Favre and registered double-digit targets in a couple of weeks. As with the rest of the Jets’ receiving corps, Keller’s value hinges on the team’s currently murky quarterback situation. That said, Keller is a young, improving player with plenty of upside. He’s a borderline top-10 value.
('09 Proj: 60 rec, 700 yds, 4 touchdowns) ~Stan Feldman
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Keller showed promise as a rookie in 2009, especially during the four week stretch where he had 27 catches, which was more than half of his season total (48). Keller is already a borderline top 12 tight end heading into 2009, with upside that could put him in the top tier in a year or two. If the Jets were to win the Cutler sweepstakes, Keller immediately jumps up a couple notches.
('09 Proj: 760 yds, 5 touchdowns) ~Jon Rascon
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Keller had 48 catches for 535 yards (11.1 avg.) and three touchdowns and should enter this year as a middle-end No. 1 Fantasy option. That being said Tight End is such a crap shoot that I would not even consider drafting Keller until round 11 in the standard 12-teamer.
('09 Proj: 60 rec, 648, yds and 5 touchdowns) ~Dave Fosdick
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We can come up with plenty of assumptions as to why Keller was so effective in his rookie season. But when I'm assessing a fantasy property with very little "personal history" to lean on for support (rookie and 2nd year players), I tend to fall back on historical NFL trends. Here's what we know from the archives. Only four players in the past 20 years (John Carlson 2008, Jeremy Shockey 2002, Cam Cleeland 1998 and Keith Jackson 1988) have caught more passes as a rookie than Keller, and only five have had more yardage. The NFL curve at TE is large and reasoning be damned. Any TE that even CAN do what Keller accomplished in year one has my attention. I won't be taking him among the top seven, but if any of my drafts unfold in a way that has me among the bottom half of my league to take a TE, this guy will be on my short list.
('09 Proj: 70 rec, 750 yds, 7 touchdowns) ~Rick Perkins.
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