Fantasy football owners know that it's never too early to start looking toward next season. That's why wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is a hot topic. Maclin produced career-best numbers in the final year of his contract last season. He hauled in 85 passes for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns and parlayed that into a five-year, $55 million contract ($22.5 million guaranteed) with the Kansas City Chiefs.
What owners want to know is if Maclin can again produce like a No. 1 receiver next year as he rejoins an Andy Reid offense?
"[2014 was] Maslin's first opportunity to be the No. 1 receiver," Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote. "Reis said that the 26-year old will get a similar chance to be the first option - the 'Z' receiver in his system - that [DeSean Jackson] occupied when the two receivers played together under Reid."
Jackson produced just two 1,000-yard seasons in five years with the Philadelphia Eagles. What's more, his best year came under Chip Kelly, not Reid. Sounds like Maclin is following a similar path. In other words, fantasy owners should not expect Maclin to produce the same type of numbers in 2015 as he did last year.
"Under Kelly this past season, Maclin played a career-high 1,043 snaps, earned a career-high plus-9.1 PFF grade, was targeted a career-high 140 times, caught a career-high 85 balls for a career-high 1,318 yards and a career-high 10 touchdowns," Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus wrote. "Can you spot the trend? He also dropped a career-low number of passes; just one. If you compare those to his career averages before Kelly arrived - or, under Andy Reid, the coach he will now be rejoining in Kansas City - he averaged 173 fewer snaps, 39 fewer targets, 21 fewer receptions, 456 fewer yards and three fewer touchdowns. And Andy Reid just OK'd a contract that pays Maclin $11 million per season. That makes him the sixth-highest paid receiver in the league, fourth if you discount Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas, who are playing at the moment on the one-year inflated figure of the franchise tag. Maclin's numbers may go up from his Reid average in Philadelphia now that he is the undisputed No. 1 WR in Kansas City, but the tape shows a player who is unlikely to match, or even approach, his 2014 totals."
