Five unheralded players that caught my eye in the wild card round of the playoffs. These are guys who potentially could make an impact in the regular season next year.
Duke Williams, Bills. Williams is a former five-star recruit who was kicked off the team at Auburn. He led the CFL in receiving yards. The Bills toyed with him early in the season for a few years, then he wasn’t even active eight games in a row. But it’s looking now like he might be a big part of their offense in 2020.
The Bills activated him for their meaningless Week 17 game, and he caught 6 passes for 108 yards. More surprisingly he was a big part of their game plan at Houston. He didn’t start the game, but he was on the field for two thirds of their plays, and they were trying to get him the ball. He saw 10 targets – more than John Brown and twice as many as Cole Beasley.
Unlike those guys, Williams is huge (6-3, 225), with a much larger catch radius. We’ll see how they handle their roster in the offseason, but right now I’m thinking he’ll be one of their three main wide receivers in the upcoming season.
Keke Coutee, Texans. Coutee has had a few notable games for Houston. When they lost in the playoffs last year, he led them with 10 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. But it seems like they’re done with him. The Texans didn’t have Will Fuller on Saturday but didn’t both even putting Coutee on the field, opting to instead go with DeAndre Carter as its third receiver.
Coutee still has two years left on his rookie contract, but if the Texans aren’t interested in him, I wonder if they will explore moving him for a late-round draft pick. Arizona would be a logical landing spot; Coutee caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards and 10 touchdowns one year for Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech.
N’Keal Harry, Patriots. Harry played in eight games this year and finished with fewer than 30 receiving yards in all of them. He caught only 2 of the 7 passes thrown his way on Saturday. (Tom Brady also had problems getting the ball to veteran receivers Mohamed Sanu and Phillip Dorsett; they caught only 2 of 9 passes for 17 yards).
But Harry has shown flashes of ability here and there. If we include the controversial catch against Kansas City, he caught 3 short TDs. He was very good on end-arounds. He passes the eyeball test. The Patriots have misfired on a lot of draft picks used on receivers over the last 15 years, but I don’t think Harry will wind up on that scrap heap. I think he’ll pan out. If I were in a dynasty league, he would be the first Patriots wide receiver I would select.
Taysom Hill, Saints. Hill is more than just as gadget oddity. They consistently put him on the field, and he regularly sparks the team with impact plays. He had the most impressive run of the weekend, spinning out of tackles on a 28-yard gain. He also completed a 50-yard pass to Deonte Harris and caught a touchdown.
Lining up at a variety of positions, Hill has caught at least one pass in 11 straight games. In his last 10 games, he’s carried 12 times for 125 yards and a touchdown and caught 16 passes for 225 yards and 5 TDs. His least notable work has been as a passer – 3 of 9 for 87 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. Add that all up, and he’s averaged 44 yards of offense per week in his last 10 games.
I’m not sure where the Saints are going at quarterback (Brees, Bridgewater or somebody else) but it’s looking like Hill will be mixed in as a utility player.
Boston Scott, Eagles. The Saints misfired on Scott. They had him; they drafted him in the sixth round a year ago. But they let him go, and it’s becoming apparent that was a mistake.
Scott has been a neat little change-of-pace running back for the Eagles over the last month. He’s quick, and he’s a bowling ball who can be tough to bring down. He’s only 5-foot-6, but Scott weighs 203 pounds. Scott sparked the team to a comeback win over the Giants in a Monday night game, then scored 3 TDs when those teams played again in Week 17.
Scott has good hands. They threw 29 passes to him, and he caught 27 of them. He made a few plays for them yesterday, carrying 6 times for 25 yards and catching 3 passes for an additional 21. Jordan Howard has been healthy enough to play the last two games, but the Eagles have instead opted to pair Scott with Miles Sanders.
Doug Pederson has long been a fan of Darren Sproles, but he’s 36 and has been hurt for most of the last three years. For 2020, it’s looking pretty certain that it will be Scott now in the Sproles role.
—Ian Allan