Purple Haze

Every season, unannounced rookies come in and dominate the fantasy football world. Last year we were witness to Steve Slaton, Matt Forte, and Matt Ryan. These guys were not as hyped as Jonathan Stewart or Rashard Mendenhall and that made them fantasy gold! They each outperformed their ADPs by 10+ rounds and carried many a team to fantasy titles.

Every now and again a player comes along that lives up to the hype. We know it’s not going to be Michael Crabtree this season. There is a universal man-crush on players like Knowshon Moreno and Beanie Wells. Some players are moving up the boards and are no longer flying under the radar. These players include Donald Brown, Bernard Scott, and James Davis. All of these players have the talent, but do they have the opportunity?

Percy Harvin is the one rookie that is best positioned for immediate success and he will live up to the hype (barring injury). Take that in for a moment. Out of all the glory praise for rookie RBs, I am touting a rookie WR to be my Rookie of the Year. Against the grain? Absolutely. About as against the grain as Harvin’s ACL snapping cuts…

This kid ran a 4.32 forty… as a freshman in high school

This kid was a National Champion in high school.

He was the #1 ranked high school player coming out… Rivals.com. (http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewrank.asp)

As a collegiate freshman, he was a National Champion, the SEC championship game MVP, and the SEC Rookie of the Year.

Now, he is in the NFL. He is a rookie again.

He is not going to be considered the best player on the field…

This is a kid that has proven time and again that he rises to the occasion.

The NFL is not going to be too fast for Harvin.

In fact, he may be too fast for the NFL…

Yes, he failed a drug test at the combine…

Yes, he may be a bit of a primadonna…

Yes, Florida Gator WRs generally don’t pan out…

Why am I so high on Harvin?

First, the NFL is a new challenge for him. New environments bring out his best.

Second, teammates like Adrian Peterson, Brett Favre, and the Minnesota Offensive Line.

Defenses have to strategically game-plan around stopping the established players in Purple Jesus and that ancient QB. He teams with the best running back in football and the best quarterback of this generation. This is going to leave the door wide open for one of the NFL’s newest and most dynamic playmakers to make an immediate impact on the game.

Harvin is a hybrid player – WR, RB, and sometimes QB. No one position is enough for this kid. He is going to get carries, he is going to get receptions, he is going to manage the wildcat, and he is going to score touchdowns. Who, on defense, is going to be able to cover Percy Harvin? If a team commits anyone to Harvin, Peterson and Favre are going to roll. Harvin is too fast for any linebacker or any safety and the cornerbacks already have their assignments. The Vikings coaching staff knows what they have here and defenses are not going to know what hit them. They are scripting a new chapter in the Minnesota playbook as we speak.

Percy Harvin is now in the NFL.

Can he slow the NFL game down as he slowed all of the other levels of play? He is an absolutely dominating player that doesn’t have a position… he has three. The best place for Percy Harvin is on the field. In this offense, he is the ultimate long distance threat. He’s everything you want Reggie Bush or Darren McFadden to be.

There’s a new sheriff in rookie town, and his name is Percy Harvin (aka Purple Haze). - Jack Winn

Jack Winn is a fantasy football sports columnist from the New York City area. A growing reputation for concrete insight is reflected not only in his articles, but in his yearly performance in fantasy leagues. As a 15 year commissioner of multiple high-end fantasy leagues, Jack understands the strategic thought process of many ultra-competitive gamers. His philosophical approach is conservatively aggressive and astonishingly effective. We hope you enjoy the content of his articles.