When you think of a true WR1 for an NFL franchise, neither Berrian nor Cotchery will spring to mind. That’s not a slight on either of them: Both are fine receivers and Berrian did play the role of a number one guy when he was with Chicago. However, neither of them has ever cracked 90 receptions or double digit touchdowns in a season...

Still, when September rolls around this year, they will both be asked to step up and lead the air assault of their respective teams.
 

Berrian struggled a bit last season with injuries to his knee and ankle and didn’t exactly have a Pro Bowl quarterback in either Gus Frerotte or Tarvaris Jackson throwing to him. Despite these handicaps, though, fantasy owners who played him in any of the four games that he broke the 100 yard mark must have been pleased. Berrian showed that, while he was inconsistent, he can be one of the more explosive options in the game at times. Cotchery, on the other hand, had Brett Favre firing at will and turned in seven games with five or more catches. When Favre began to have his troubles, though, Cotchery was far from immune to them and he was especially affected in the latter part of the season.
 

They both have some favorable circumstances coming into this year.  Berrian will have a chance to develop offseason chemistry with Sage Rosenfels (presumably) and Cotchery will no longer have to share looks with Laveranues Coles.  He's now the undisputed "man" for the Jets.
 

So, which guy would you rather have on your team?

REDRAFT CONSIDERATIONS:
 

Berrian will always have to deal with a major impediment while he is in Minnesota: Adrian Peterson. The man nicknamed “All Day” is such a dynamic force and can score literally any time he touches the ball that the passing game tends to get the shaft. Since the Vikings have come to rely on this weapon, they have been among the league’s bottom in terms of passes attempted. Luckily, though, Berrian can do some damage whenever he does get the call as his career 16.0 Yards Per Catch average will attest to (a number better than those of Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Smith and quite a few other big-name wide receivers out there.) You’ll have to pick your spots with him, but he can be a very productive WR3 or flex player for you. Best of all, you can likely draft him after the sixth round.
 

Though Cotchery has a more balanced offense to work in, he has his own share of troubles to deal with. For one, with Coles gone, he is going to draw the most attention of his career in the form of double-teams. Secondly, he’ll probably be working with an unproven quarterback (Kellen Clemens, who looks the starter at this point, has only thrown 256 professional passes). However, the Jets appear to be shifting to a more ball-control offense, something that works in the favor of a possession receiver in the Cotchery mold (sure hands, quick off of his cuts and NOT blazing speed). Not to mention, double-teamed or not, the Jets are going to look his way often as the rest of the receiving corps is young and will navigate the learning curve on the fly (literally). You’ll probably have to draft him a bit higher than you like (prior to the fifth round) based on his previous production, but he’ll perform well as a low-end WR2.

 

KEEPER/DYNASTY CONSIDERATIONS:
 

If Berrian stays healthy this season, whatever his output turns out to be, will probably be his ceiling in Minnesota. In all likelihood, nothing will change enough for the Vikings to deviate from the current offensive scheme they have. Berrian also turns 29 this season and, unless he leaves Minnesota for a more wide open attack, may not have much longer to take full advantage of that top end speed. A lot of his potential rests with how Rosenfels and/or Jackson ultimately develop. Berrian could be a favorite in fantasy leagues that reward long touchdowns for a few years to come.
 

Cotchery, with his three straight seasons of more than 70 receptions, is already a coveted PPR league player. It will be interesting to see how he plays without Coles across from him. At 27, he is just entering his prime and continues to improve how he positions his body to make difficult catches. If he can translate his better technique into more red zone success, he’ll have bolstered the one area of his game that has left us unconvinced about him. He may struggle a bit this season, but if the Jets can find a complementary receiver (Stuckey) to present a deep threat to opposing defenses, Cotchery should be a reliable piece to just about anyone’s long term fantasy puzzle.

THE BOTTOM LINE:
 

When many fantasy players look back at their most successful seasons, they’ll find that the guys who put them over the top at the end were not their top picks. Perhaps it was that waiver-wire receiver they picked up in Week 8 who had an unexpectedly good stretch run? Or maybe it was that fourth running back they never intended to play who picks up 80 yards and a garbage time score to provide the margin of victory that got them into the playoffs (Sproles).
 

You never can tell who is going to be that guy that props up the complimentary portions of your fantasy tean, but both Berrian and Cotchery have the strong potential to do so.
 

In the short term, it’s close between these two and I think it even comes down to what scoring formay you play in as to which guy you prefer. Over the long haul, though, Cotchery’s consistency, along with his newfound status as the top dawg for the first time in his career, makes him the better investment.

REDRAFT EDGE: Cotchery

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