FANTASY FOOTBALL NFL PLAYERS

Posted: 3/14/2013 1:44pm et

The deal signed by Denver Broncos WR Wes Welker has $150,000 in incentives for each year he catches 90 or more passes, but no other incentives.

Huddle Up: Even in a new system, 90 catches shouldn't be a big deal for Welker, who has had 111 or more in 5 of the past 6 seasons. Marvin Harrison, Jerry Rice and Torry Holt share the league's all-time mark with 6 90-catch-plus seasons apiece.

Posted: 3/13/2013 5:27pm et

The Denver Broncos have agreed to terms with WR Wes Welker on a two-year, $12 million deal.

Huddle Up: The Broncos tweak Tom Brady and the Patriots and give Peyton Manning a dynamic slot receiver; think back to the numbers a younger Brandon Stokley put up in that role in Indy. Welker hangs on to most of his fantasy value, but Eric Decker's upside takes a hit.

Posted: 3/12/2013 11:17pm et

Talks between free-agent WR Wes Welker (Patriots) and the New England Patriots have broken down, and Welker will test the free-agent market.

Huddle Up: The Pats were hoping to lock up their leading receiver before open bidding started -- a good number of outside onlookers presumed that would happen -- but Welker is casting his line into open waters, and we'll see if he gets any bites.

Posted: 3/5/2013 12:59pm et

The New England Patriots are closing in on a multi-year deal to re-sign WR Wes Welker. An NFL source says that the two sides are hoping to have something finalized before the onset of free agency March 12.

Huddle Up: The hot and cold Welker-New England relationship sounds like it's taken a turn for the warmer, but give it a bit and then take another temperature reading.

Posted: 3/4/2013 12:40pm et

The New England Patriots aren't expected to place the franchise tag on free-agent WR Wes Welker.

Huddle Up: This doesn't necessarily mean Wes is gone, but it does open the door for other teams to pitch an offer. The assumption was that when Tom Brady reworked his deal it was to free up money to keep players like Welker in New England; guess we'll find out soon enough if that was the case.

Posted: 2/26/2013 1:44pm et

The New England Patriots have begun talking about a contract extension with WR Wes Welker. These negotiations are independent of the negotiations with QB Tom Brady that led to a deal, but that contract freed up $15 million and gave both sides more room to work with in these talks.

Huddle Up: No surprise here. In fact, Brady's settlement more than likely carried an unwritten provision that the extra money be put toward re-signing his favorite target, who has an amazing 111 or more catches in 5 of the past 6 seasons.

Posted: 2/18/2013 11:53am et

The New England Patriots will not place the franchise tag on impending free-agent WR Wes Welker, according to someone with intimate knowledge of the team's thinking. Welker is being whispered about as someone who is aging, drops too many balls and doesn't get enough yards after the catch.

Huddle Up: If Welker is on his way out, the Patriots may have something in mind to fill what will be a glaring hole in their wide receiver corps. Maybe they'll make a run at Danny Amendola, maybe they'll swing a deal for Percy Harvin, maybe they're targeting Tavon Austin in the draft... maybe Bill Belichick goes with one running back and four tight ends. However, losing Welker would be an adjustment for Tom Brady.

Posted: 2/17/2013 4:20pm et

New England Patriots impending free-agent WR Wes Welker, impending free-agent OT Sebastian Vollmer and impending free-agent CB Aqib Talib are believed to be the three main candidates for the franchise tag if the team decides to use it.

Huddle Up: Of the 3, Welker figures to attract the most open-market interest but, playing WR, he also likely would carry the highest franchise price tag. In any case, an intriguing offseason is at hand in New England.

Posted: 2/7/2013 12:40pm et

The Denver Broncos could show interest in New England Patriots impending free-agent WR Wes Welker if he becomes available this offseason.

Huddle Up: The Broncos got a little more out of Brandon Stokley than they hoped in 2012, but the slot receiver is a free agent and will turn 37 in June so an upgrade definitely wouldn't be out of the question.

Posted: 2/2/2013 12:03am et

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he would like to see WR Wes Welker back in a Patriots uniform. "I'd love him to be around," Kraft said today. "He's a great guy. Like I've said all along, it takes two sides to make a transaction. We have to manage the lawyers and the agents that they don't mess it up. I think Wes wants to be with us, and we want him here. It's just a matter of whether both sides can be intelligent."

Huddle Up: It's difficult to imagine Tom Brady without his security blanket, or Welker in another uniform. Seems logical for the two sides to work this one out, but until the ink has dried nothing is certain.

Posted: 1/20/2013 10:55pm et

The New England Patriots lost in the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens Sunday, Jan. 20. The future of WR Wes Welker moves to the forefront, as he is scheduled for unrestricted free agency.

Huddle Up: Sure, Welker has his fair share of drops -- he had a key third-down bobble Sunday -- but the Pats wouldn't consistently have been knocking on the Super Bowl title door for the past 6 seasons without the slot receiver, who has had 100 or more catches in 5 of his 6 seasons in New England. It's also hard to envision Welker being as productive in any other offense, so we'll see if that's enough mutual attraction to bring the sides together for an offseason deal.

Posted: 12/17/2012 11:33am et

New England Patriots WR Wes Welker was spotted leaving the locker room following Week 15 with ice on his left quadriceps/thigh area, walking with a limp.

Huddle Up: We know Welker will show up on the New England injury report as "questionable", along with most of the rest of the Patriots' roster. And this time they might actually mean it.

Posted: 12/2/2012 7:42pm et

New England Patriots WR Wes Welker caught 12 passes for 103 yards and one touchdown against the Miami Dolphins in Week 13. Welker tied retired WR Jerry Rice's NFL record of recording at least 10 receptions for the 17th time.

Huddle Up: Welker, who was targeted a team-high 18 times, rolls on as a PPR stud as he has not had fewer than 5 receptions in a game since Week 1.

Posted: 11/16/2012 12:19pm et

New England Patriots WR Wes Welker returned to practice Friday, Nov. 16.

Huddle Up: A practice on Friday suggests it's safe to plug Welker into your fantasy lineups this weekend.

Posted: 11/15/2012 10:20pm et

New England Patriots WR Wes Welker (ankle) did not practice Thursday, Nov. 15.

Huddle Up: Welker, the Pats' leader in targets (94), receptions (66) and receiving yards (810), missed his second straight practice Thursday. What he does Friday, as always, will go a long way in determining his status for Sunday.

Posted: 9/24/2012 12:19pm et

New England Patriots WR Wes Welker mostly lined up in the slot in the team's three-receiver package in Week 3, finishing with eight receptions for 142 yards. Welker played in 71 of 82 offensive snaps in Week 3, most among the team's wide receivers.

Huddle Up: One week after being benched, and with trade rumors swirling, Welker was back to being the Wes Welker fantasy owners knew and loved. Will it last? Hard to say given the way Bill Belichick likes to tinker with his game plan on a week-to-week basis; the best guess is that once Aaron Hernandez returns to the lineup Welker will become expendable once again.

Posted: 9/22/2012 5:51pm et

New England Patriots WR Wes Welker's role for Week 3 remains unclear at this point; however, he said he will be ready for whatever role he is given. 'Obviously I want to be out there as much as possible,' Welker said. 'However I can contribute to help us win, that's my job.' Welker acknowledged other players will have to step up in TE Aaron Hernandez's (ankle) absence.

Huddle Up: It is Hernandez's absence -- possibly for the next month or so -- that gives Welker's fantasy owners some hope after the WR's targets and production took a noticeable jump after Hernandez departed the Week 2 game. For all the hubbub though, Welker still ranks second on the Pats with 16 targets in 2 games.

Posted: 9/17/2012 7:28pm et

New England Patriots WR Wes Welker played in 59 of the 81 offensive snaps in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals and grabbed five passes for 95 yards, but WR Julian Edelman played in 75 snaps. Welker likely saw the field more after TE Aaron Hernandez (ankle) went down with an injury, too. Edelman looks to the No. 2 receiver over Welker after two weeks; Edelman was lined up across from WR Brandon Lloyd 17 of the 19 times the team went with a two-receiver set, with Welker being used the other two times. Of the 22 plays Welker was not on the field, 14 were run plays, one was a spike and one play was whistled dead. Welker played in 73 percent of the plays in Week 2 after playing in 90 percent of the plays last year. However, Welker was in on 76, 73 and 75 percent of plays in the previous three seasons.

Huddle Up: This may be reading into the play percentages a little too deeply. Here are some other numbers: Welker had 11 targets in Sunday's game while Edelman had 6. Both finished with 5 catches with Welker totalling a team-high 95 yards and Edelman 50.

Posted: 9/17/2012 10:16am et

New England Patriots WR Wes Welker became the team's all-time leading receiver with 562 catches after hauling in five balls in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals. He began the day tied with former WR Troy Brown at 557. Welker finished with 95 yards, but he did not find the end zone. As far as Brown, he was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame, and honored at halftime.

Huddle Up: Strange that Welker hits this milestone on a day where he wasn't even in the starting lineup, seeing the field only after tight end Aaron Hernandez went down with an injury. With Hernandez shelved for the next month or so, Welker should have an opportunity to push that record number a little higher.

Posted: 9/11/2012 8:21pm et

New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said WR Wes Welker's limited involvement in the offense in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans was a by-product of the game plan that he set up. Welker caught just three passes (five targets) for 14 yards in his lowest total as a member of the team in a game in which he wasn't injured. 'I think the game plan each week is really different. We definitely had some personnel groupings, I don't know how many exact number of snaps, but we played quite a few snaps of three tight ends in the game at the same time,' McDaniels related.

Huddle Up: Definitely count on the Pats mixing things up from week to week. With the passel of weapons at Tom Brady's disposal, there will be games when a wideout or TE functions more as a decoy and sees fewer targets. It simply was Welker's turn out of the gate.

Posted: 9/10/2012 12:24pm et

New England Patriots WR Wes Welker played just 43 of 67 offensive snaps in Week 1 after playing in 89.2 percent of the team's total offensive snaps in 2011. Welker split time with WR Julian Edelman in Week 1. Edelman played 23 of 67 offensive snaps.

Huddle Up: The Patriots not offering Welker a long-term deal this offseason was a hint his role in the offense might be declining, but five targets was a more significant drop-off than anyone expected. It may be a one-week blip, but with so many options in New England it's certainly disconcerting for those who spent a high pick on Welker to see him well below his expected level of productivity.

Posted: 7/16/2012 5:01pm et

The New England Patriots will not sign WR Wes Welker to a long-term contract extension before the deadline.

Huddle Up: Welker will play this season under the franchise tag. And with the emergence of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, as well as the addition of Brandon Lloyd, maybe Welker is playing his final season with Tom Brady.

Posted: 7/13/2012 2:28pm et

A source with knowledge of talks put it at 50-50 that the New England Patriots sign WR Wes Welker to a new deal before the deadline Monday, July 16.

Huddle Up: The New England offense doesn't seem to be quite as Welker-reliant as it has been in the past, but that doesn't mean the Patriots don't see the value in inking him long-term. Welker seems destined to remain a Patriot; whether that's for a year under the tag or for something longer remains to be seen.

Posted: 6/19/2012 8:38pm et

New England Patriots WR Wes Welker and some of his close friends were involved in a near fight with security guards during a bachelor party in Aspen, Colo. Friday, June 15. Nobody in Welker's group were arrested, but cops threatened to do so.

Huddle Up: Here's a clip from WEEI.com: "Welker and six of his friends arrived at a Patron tequila-sponsored event and tried rushing inside without checking in with party staffers, which led to security tackling the uncooperative group and a near brawl, according to sources. Witnesses reportedly said that Welker and his friends still wouldn’t cooperate and demanded to be let in, but after security threatened to arrest them, they backed down and were kicked out."

Posted: 6/16/2012 12:24pm et

The New England Patriots have not made much progress in long-term contract talks with WR Wes Welker over the last few weeks. The Patriots have until July 16 to agree to a long-term contract since he will be playing on a one-year franchise tender.

Huddle Up: Welker is such a perfect fit for the Patriots offense that it seems unlikely the two sides won't be able to reach some sort of agreement. But if mid-July comes and goes without Welker inking a deal it could indicate the Patriots are going in a different direction--one in which Brandon Lloyd might be the biggest fantasy beneficiary.