DMD....why so down on mccluster?

[forever in debt to mo lewis]

"I do not understand why anyone grabs McCluster in a draft. It all smacks of Josh Cribbs. McCluster is only 5'8" and 165' as was I in ninth grade. He's so dangerous that he may be a RB or a WR or a special teams maven or all three. Bottom line - he will never have 15 touches in any game and produce anything remotely close to fantasy relevant numbers. At least not with any iota of reliability. Maybe if you get special teams yardage. But otherwise what are you thinking?"

 

 

hey...at this point...who really knows...you could be completely right.....but i just dunno why you are so down on a guy that has a fairly low ADP....and has such homerun potential....

 

im not exactly sure how many games ole miss played last year....id guess around 12? mccluster touched the ball, through the air and on the ground, about 220 times last year.....

 

here is a writeup that echoes my sentiments.....

 

"The rookie saw time at both WR and RB during OTAs, often spending a full day at either position and impressed with his great footwork along the sidelines. In addition to seeing time in the slot in three-and four-wide sets, he’s also been used in Kansas City’s Wildcat formation. His quickness makes him a great tool for HC Charlie Weis to use on offense. McCluster has also shown off his quick feet as a PR. His size (5’9’’, 172 pounds) is a bit of an issue, but his toughness is tough to question. And you need to know that if anyone was a star of the Chief offense in its first preseason action, it was McCluster. The speedster became the focal point of the ground game on a second-quarter possession, as he ran 5 times in 6 plays for 25 yards, with a long of 10. He also finished with a team-high 3 catches for 23 yards. The guy has a shot to make things happen; we just don’t know from where yet."

 

i just dont see a team like KC using the 36th pick on a guy that they arent going to get the ball......while bill belichick as always emphasized the special teams portion as the third part of the game....and pioli has certainly embraced this...i dont think they drafted this kid that high to be a punt/kicker returner or dante hall.....

 

not sure exactly what his ADP is...but its not high.....you mean to tell me you dont think this kid is draftable? especially as a wr? when in addition to 5 catches...you might also be getting 5 carries a game? ....the size is a concern...and at any time during the year your pick might go right down the toilet if he goes down....but you really dont think this kid is worth a pick in the 10-13 range???....i dunno...at that point in the draft(and for me even earlier most of the time) im looking for a boom or bust/homerun type of guy somewhere.....and he fits the bill for me

[Bronco Billy]

McCluster is only 5'8" and 165'

 

Bug, meet windshield.

 

 

 

 

McCluster is only 5'0" and 165' as was I in ninth second grade.

 

Fixed

Edited August 26, 2010 by Bronco Billy

[bpwallace49]

I would rank him right there with Josh Cribbs . . and agree with DMD.

 

DO you think McCluster is better than Cribbs, or think he will geta lot more opportunites?

 

They have a very solid receiving back in Charles, a pounder RB in Tomas Jones, Bowe and Chambers outside, so he is a slot receiver at best that will get wildcat snaps every now and again.

 

Worth a late round flyer in deep leagues, but that should be about it . . imho

[forever in debt to mo lewis]

billy..he actually measured closer to 5-9...and at 172 at the combine.....that quote was taken from DMD on his size.....not that the extra quarter inch or 7lbs means much or any difference.....

 

whats wrong with him as a 10-13 range round pick? a slot receiver? ok.....a guy who may get some wildcat snaps? ok....a guy who may see a series or two in the backfield? ok....sounds like a guy who could touch the ball 10-12 times a game....not too bad for a guy that you could get in that range.....especially when most receivers you are going to grab in that range arent going to come close to touching the ball like that.....

 

i think weis will use this guy in the slot as an extension of the running game......bubble screens....all kinds of ways to get creative with him......you guys really think they took him at 36 cause they didnt plan on giving him that kind of workload? again...he touched the ball 220 times over like a 12 game season last year......

 

you may not agree that hes going to be as involved as i think he might be.....but you cant sit there and say "theres no way in hell he will touch the ball 10 times a game" with any certainty.....you could say "he may be getting a little too much love for my liking"....but to say "i dont see understand why anyone grabs mccluster in a draft" is a little ridiculous to me

Edited August 26, 2010 by forever in debt to mo lewis

[DMD]

I can just say that I have never seen guys like that pan out to be consistent fantasy scorers to the level that would justify starting him. I am sure he is shifty at this level too and may score a handful of long touchdowns. But guys like him usually sandwich good games with stretches of low production because they either break the long one or get little.

 

First week in the preseason he had five runs for 25 yards and three catches for just 23 yards in the second quarter.

 

Last week he ran once for -1 yards and had one catch for 17 yards.

 

He hasn't broken anything yet in the preseason and hasn't managed to make much out of his ten touches. Assumedly he will break one in the regular season but consistently getting FF points? Anytime they say "we have to come up with ways to get "X" on the field." is a bad sign because it means he doesn't fit in and they don't know how to use his strengths without exposing his weaknesses.

 

We'll see, but I am just pretty cool on him.

[forever in debt to mo lewis]

I can just say that I have never seen guys like that pan out to be consistent fantasy scorers to the level that would justify starting him. I am sure he is shifty at this level too and may score a handful of long touchdowns. But guys like him usually sandwich good games with stretches of low production because they either break the long one or get little.

 

First week in the preseason he had five runs for 25 yards and three catches for just 23 yards in the second quarter.

 

Last week he ran once for -1 yards and had one catch for 17 yards.

 

He hasn't broken anything yet in the preseason and hasn't managed to make much out of his ten touches. Assumedly he will break one in the regular season but consistently getting FF points? Anytime they say "we have to come up with ways to get "X" on the field." is a bad sign because it means he doesn't fit in and they don't know how to use his strengths without exposing his weaknesses.

 

We'll see, but I am just pretty cool on him.

 

in the range hes going...ill take good games sandwiched with low production....cause thats what yer getting with most guys at that point anyway(tell me how many guys you are taking in his ADP range are consistently scoring ff points)....but the potential is there.....so on 10 touches in the preseason hes at about 65 ....thats not too bad my friend.....and i think the reality is the chiefs arent going to show you much with him right now(hence the low touch total in game 2).....i think weis is falling in love with the guy really.....

 

as bpwallace pointed out...they have a tough inside runner in jones...and an explosive back/pass catcher in charles.....but i think that depth works to mcclusters advantage....they can afford to get him touches...if he gets banged up they still have depth...and both the explosive and grind it out elements....

 

i think hes done pretty good on the ten touches hes had....i dunno if id say he hasnt managed to make much of them...i dont expect him to bust one off every other time he touches the ball.....i didnt say "they have to come up with ways to get him on the field"...i believe hell be on the field plenty....they just need to get creative with him to get him touches in spaces from a few different spots on the field....the slot...the wildcat....in the backfield...direct snaps.....his only real weakness appears that he doesnt have the ideal build/body for any 1 position....yet he seems to be able to handle any of them

Edited August 26, 2010 by forever in debt to mo lewis

[SEC=UGA]

Any NFL player that is smaller than me in height and weight does not get on my squad, especially as a rookie, especially if there is no "real" position that he plays, and especially if their are better position players in the potential positions he could play on the field. He is a phenomenal athlete, this is not the year to take him higher than oh, say the 16th round.

[piratesownninjas]

I can just say that I have never seen guys like that pan out to be consistent fantasy scorers to the level that would justify starting him. I

At the same time the NFL has changed. What it was 10 or 15 years ago is completely different from what it is today... A pass heavy league where the rules have been changed to promote the passing game. A few years ago no one would have said a little white guy from Tech would go on to have 3 straight 100 reception seasons due to his insanity in the slot.

I'm not sure you can use past history when we're seeing a different NFL game. I don't know if McCluster will ever be an every week starter, but I see no reason to think he can't do what Eddie Royal did a few years ago. McCluster is ubber talented. I'm not sleeping on him.

[Seahawks21]

I won't rule him out, but there is no way I'm gonna touch him either. It has been decades since somebody his size did anything offensively in the NFL. If he is the first, so be it, I was wrong, but I'm going to wait and see.

[Gopher]

Not only has the NFL changed, but so has fantasy football. My guess is that DMD is thinking in terms of a standard 12 (or maybe 14) team league. In a 12-team league, McCluster probably has no place being drafted as anything more than a last-round flier... a WR5 or WR6. Worst case, you drop him for a bye-week defense, TE, or kicker. Best case, he out-performs projections and makes a decent bye-week filler himself.

 

In sixteen team leagues (especially the keeper/dynasty variety), I see him having slightly more value, particularly in leagues with deep rosters/lineups, where you might start 8+ offensive players. In those types of leagues, I could see McCluster turning into a decent flex option... probably not enough consistency to be a true WR2, per se, but enough touches to be a decent option in leagues that allow you to start a 4th WR, for instance.

 

And, obviously, anybody who has ever participated in a 32-team league knows that EVERYBODY who plays has decent value.

[Bronco Billy]

Wow. McCluster went out on a flare and just got blown up by 5'-10" 185 lb Asante Samuel. I mean, he looked like a rag doll getting whacked. If a CB can do this to him, what happens when it's an OLB in coverage instead, or he's dragging across a zone and into a SS?

 

This guy looks like a little kid playing out there.

[JUMbotron]

I'm kinda with David on Dexter Mac, here's my take.

 

I do believe he's a game-breaker and I don't buy into the "He's too small" thing. I watched Dexter every week at Ole Miss and saw a couple games in person. He's special. Tougher than 15 of the other 21 players on the field at any given time.

 

There is some Chris Johnson-ish talent there, the ability to make opponents twist ankles and then give up chasing him. I'm just not into the math.

The math says Chiefs 2 RBs will get more carries, and at least 2 WRs (Bowe, Chambers) will get more targets.

 

I see about five or six TDs - mixed together thru punt/kick returns, runs, and catches. Of those five or six I bet half will be from 30+ yards out. But will you have started him in a 12-team league? Probably not. In a 10-team league? Heck no.

 

So although I believe we'll all be pretty juiced when he demonstrates his skills, when it came to take him in the 15th round of my draft I passed on WR McCluster for RB Mike Bell. I just thought Bell has a better chance of being in my lineup one day and contributing 10-12 solid FF points. I couldn't put Dex on my roster.

 

JUM

[rattsass]

I agree. He might throw out a couple of big games, but you will never be able to predict when he is startable. Waiver wire tease material. He blows up. Parks himself in someones roster for a few weeks until their needs are pressed and he is back on the wire until his next big game. I would be very surprised if he turned out to be anything near consistent from week to week.

Edited August 28, 2010 by rattsass

[SEC=UGA]

got him 1st pick of 18th round... On my way to ruling my league this year!!!

[forever in debt to mo lewis]

Wow. McCluster went out on a flare and just got blown up by 5'-10" 185 lb Asante Samuel. I mean, he looked like a rag doll getting whacked. If a CB can do this to him, what happens when it's an OLB in coverage instead, or he's dragging across a zone and into a SS?

 

This guy looks like a little kid playing out there.

 

wow billy....u may not think hes big enough....and you might not think hell be a decent fantasy option.....you may be right on both accounts...time will tell....but i saw the play....and if thats how you saw it...then i think you are just looking for reasons not to like the guy...samuel had the play sniffed out...and was breaking on mccluster before the ball was even released....by the time mccluster caught it and turned his head samuel was in his face and putting a hit on him.....has nothing to do with mcclusters size....that would have happened to any back in the league....and mccluster was more than fine after the hit

 

have you watched him return punts...hes taking hits pretty well...and looks pretty impressive fielding them as well....he fielded one very nicely while tightroping the sidelines in that game...and hes taking them right up field into traffic..,..

 

SEC....you say that jokingly....but look at where you got him.....i think people may not realize....im not touting him as guy thats gonna breakout and be an every week fantasy contributor(and at the same token i think DMD might be trying to say that maybe mccluster is getting a little too much love)......but look at where you got him...the 18th round....even if its the 13-15th....are you gonna find a receiver that you can guarantee me is gonna touch the ball 5-7 times a game? i think thats a minimum....he could handle 10-12 touches...arent many guys in that area of the draft that are gonna be getting touches like that....like i said....last year at ole miss...he touched the ball 220 times on offense(that includes one game missed...one game where he logged 0 carries but 3 receptions and one game where he carried the ball once)......this team took him 6 spots after the lions moved up to take best....i dont think they brought him in to be strictly a return man(especially when they have arenas who can handle that)....weis is falling in love with him and hes going to be an x factor for this team i really believe

 

im sorry....but im failing to see any real downside of drafting this guy late.....and definitley not seeing how DMD can basically say he has no reason to be drafted at all

Edited August 30, 2010 by forever in debt to mo lewis

[HowboutthemCowboys]

im sorry....but im failing to see any real downside of drafting this guy late.....and definitley not seeing how DMD can basically say he has no reason to be drafted at all

 

cuz DMD only plays in 12 teams leagues

[Grits and Shins]

Sounds like another Greg Hill to me ... small, fast RB in college ... never made it as a RB in the NFL and never really made it as a WR. Made a heck of a return man for awhile though.

[SEC=UGA]

SEC....you say that jokingly....but look at where you got him.....i think people may not realize....im not touting him as guy thats gonna breakout and be an every week fantasy contributor(and at the same token i think DMD might be trying to say that maybe mccluster is getting a little too much love)......but look at where you got him...the 18th round....even if its the 13-15th....are you gonna find a receiver that you can guarantee me is gonna touch the ball 5-7 times a game? i think thats a minimum....he could handle 10-12 touches...arent many guys in that area of the draft that are gonna be getting touches like that....like i said....last year at ole miss...he touched the ball 220 times on offense(that includes one game missed...one game where he logged 0 carries but 3 receptions and one game where he carried the ball once)......this team took him 6 spots after the lions moved up to take best....i dont think they brought him in to be strictly a return man(especially when they have arenas who can handle that)....weis is falling in love with him and hes going to be an x factor for this team i really believe

 

With the way our draft went, there was no downside to taking him in the 18th round. But, in many leagues where they do a 16 round draft, I don't think that there is enough room to take him.

[MikesVikes]

Sounds like this guy to me. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WolfGa00.htm

 

Garrett Wolfe had a great reputation coming into the league but what has he done lately?

[Bronco Billy]

McCluster is a good end of the bench flyer if you have room for those. I mean, why not? KC is trying him out all over the field.

 

That said, he might be the toughest SOB in the world but that still doesn't preclude the laws of physics. When a 170 lb smurf and a 240 lb LB meet in a collision, I know who has to win that battle. This isn't college anymore. McCluster is playing against guys 60 lbs heavier who clock 40s just .2 to .3 seconds slower than he does. It wasn't that Asante lined up McCluster and erased him on that him, it was that there was little to no impact to Asante in return when it happened.

 

A guy like McCluster might be shifty as hell, but when a guy who benches 375 lbs throws out an arm, McCluster doesn't have the mass to resist a lot of that force. KC is likely going to have to be very careful how they use him or he's going to end up getting snuffed out, and there are going to be certain plays and certain places on the field where he simply isn't going to be able to function given his limited size. That smells like limited opportunity to me, which makes his upside only so high.

 

You have room? Hell yes, roster him if you feel that strongly about him. You're in a big league? Yep, add him on. But don't be surprised if you get one of those guys who puts up a 100 yd 1 TD day and then follows it up with 4 consecutive sub-30 yd no TD games. I'm not sure how you'd gage where and when to use this guy unless you simply didn't have anybody more reliable on your roster.

[Chief Dick]

Sounds like another Greg Hill to me ... small, fast RB in college ... never made it as a RB in the NFL and never really made it as a WR. Made a heck of a return man for awhile though.

 

That's an interesting comparison. I would say McCluster is a lot shiftier than Hill ever was. Hill never just seemed to have a feel for where to go. McCluster does, at least by what I've seen so far.

 

He will be fun to watch, that's for sure. And right now I tend to lean towards DMD's view.

[MustOfBeenDrunk]

a couple different write ups earlier in the year from (2) different sites ,, not taking sides just posting the write ups

 

Kansas City Chiefs RB Dexter McCluster worked with the wide receivers during practice Friday, April 30, and with the running backs Saturday, May 1, according to Josh Looney, of KCChiefs.com.

 

THE HUDDLE'S TAKE: Lobby your league commissioner to list McCluster as a wide receiver, which is where he will likely be on the Chiefs' official roster. Fantasy-wise, a wideout-eligible player getting carries as a running back is a better option than a running back playing wide receiver.

 

RB/WR Dexter McCluster- Ole Miss: No, I’m not smoking crack. I realize this guy is smaller than your little brother and ran a piggish forty at the combine but it’s all about what he does on the field. Think DeSean Jackson. McCluster fits the Single Wing offense that is taking the NFL by storm perfectly. He can play RB or line up in the slot at WR. He’s a jitterbug in the whole that defenders just can’t get their hands on. He’s much quicker than he is fast. If you believe in what guys can do on the field as opposed to their 40 time, he’s your guy. He’ll slide in your drafts because he’s so small and his 40 sucked but on the right team with playing time opportunities he will make noise.

[forever in debt to mo lewis]

McCluster is a good end of the bench flyer if you have room for those. I mean, why not? KC is trying him out all over the field.

 

That said, he might be the toughest SOB in the world but that still doesn't preclude the laws of physics. When a 170 lb smurf and a 240 lb LB meet in a collision, I know who has to win that battle. This isn't college anymore. McCluster is playing against guys 60 lbs heavier who clock 40s just .2 to .3 seconds slower than he does. It wasn't that Asante lined up McCluster and erased him on that him, it was that there was little to no impact to Asante in return when it happened.

 

A guy like McCluster might be shifty as hell, but when a guy who benches 375 lbs throws out an arm, McCluster doesn't have the mass to resist a lot of that force. KC is likely going to have to be very careful how they use him or he's going to end up getting snuffed out, and there are going to be certain plays and certain places on the field where he simply isn't going to be able to function given his limited size. That smells like limited opportunity to me, which makes his upside only so high.

 

You have room? Hell yes, roster him if you feel that strongly about him. You're in a big league? Yep, add him on. But don't be surprised if you get one of those guys who puts up a 100 yd 1 TD day and then follows it up with 4 consecutive sub-30 yd no TD games. I'm not sure how you'd gage where and when to use this guy unless you simply didn't have anybody more reliable on your roster.

 

well billy...ill just say well agree to disagree

 

but like i said....samuel was breaking on mccluster before the ball was even released...by the time he caught the ball and turned his head samuel was laying into him.....there wasnt anything mccluster, or any back in the league, could have done about that...im not sure how many backs,if any, could have actually delivered impact in return to samuel on that.......it was sniffed out and well timed by samuel.....you seem to be looking at that play as proof that mccluster cant survive or excel in this league...and i think that is reaching

 

this certainly isnt college anymore.....but its not like mccluster was playing in the mountain west or conference usa here.....hes been playing against some of the best, biggest, n strongest college football has to offer

 

i agree....he could be very inconsistent....having a big day and then not giving you much the next 3 weeks.....but like i said....for where you can get him....i just dont know how many reliable guys you are going to stockpile on your roster at that juncture in the draft.....to me he provides a perfect homerun type of possibility in the later rounds....i dont think there are many guys around mcclusters ADP that can provide that......,hes a play to win pick....not a safe one.....and at that point....if i can find a potential "splash" pick...im all over it

Edited August 31, 2010 by forever in debt to mo lewis