Fantasy Scope: Reggie Wayne vs. Marvin Harrison

We're trying out something new today and that's putting on the Fantasy Football cap to focus on some aspect of the game lifestyle we love. Each week we plan on covering a refreshing Fantasy topic, whether it be a key sleeper, a favorable match-up or what have you. So, look the fuck out Funston and crew...the ghosts are dropping their own dose of knowledge and know-how. Today in the squared circle is the growing debate (for past few seasons at least) as to who has more value Reggie Wayne or Marvin Harrison.

And real quick, we must advise that you proceed with caution as always with any advice we dish out. From all indications it looks painfully obvious that we are going to finish in last place in our own Inaugural Bloggers Fantasy League. Damn you Reggie Bush, we should've known he wasn't ready to be a feature Fantasy RB. Oh well, at least we are cleaning up in the Epic Carnival league and the haters are out there.

Moving on, for the past few seasons the growing debate amongst Fantasy owners and experts has been related to Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison. OK, there is no need to split heirs here, both players hold immense value as Top Tier WR's. However, what seems to be overlooked year in and year out is that Wayne is available generally at least 2 rounds later than Harrison when he essentially has produced equivalent #'s to Harrison for the past 2-3 years. Sure, Harrison might be a notch above Wayne or even corralled a few extra points along the road, but for my money Wayne is clearly the better pick.

Let me explain.

The debate between #1 or #1A WR's is most prevalent in Indianapolis, Arizona and Cincinnati. On all three teams the #1 WR is clearly defined. However, guys like T.J Houshmandzadeh, Anquan Boldin and Reggie Wayne are about as close to being the "man" as humanly possible. And relatively speaking Wayne has certainly distinguished himself from the rest of that pack as an upper echelon Fantasy WR. You'd be hard pressed to not find Wayne snagged up as one of the Top 10 WR's in most leagues. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have Peyton Manning as your QB.

Anyhow, If you owned Reggie Wayne last season you know full well that he outproduced Harrison on a regular basis for at least the first 10-12 weeks of the season. At one point in the season Harrison pouted during a Nationally televised game, as Wayne caught a couple TD's and Harrison hauled in a paltry 1 catch for 8 yards. In the end Harrison got his, as he always does and eventually passed Wayne on the WR rankings with two huge close-out weeks (16 and 17). However, Wayne wasn't exactly invisible down the stretch either.

The fact of the matter is, Wayne has become more consistent on a regular basis and he's often the first read for Peyton Manning. However, the benefit still lies in the fact that Harrison still holds the respect and the tag as the Colts #1 WR. Thus, he draws the teams top coverage and attention. Case and point, the Denver game last season when Champ Bailey put the blanket on Harrison leaving Manning with no choice to pick on the now deceased Darrent Williams. The result was Wayne going well over 100 yards with 3 TD's and a two point conversion ta boot.

Further evidence of the point showed in the season opener this year against the Saints. Manning opted to pick on Saints corner Jason David who was simply torched by Wayne. In recent years Manning has turned to Wayne as his go to WR time and time again. As I recall it was Reggie Wayne who caught a TD in the Super Bowl last season. And this is by no means a knock on Harrison as a WR at all. In fact, he has the credentials and probably still holds the overall edge over Reggie Wayne.

However, in terms of Fantasy Football it's a fine line as to which player you want on your team. If you think about it, Harrison is usually gone by the 2nd round of most drafts. He is generally the 1st or 2nd WR taken off the board in most Fantasy drafts. However, Wayne usually falls in the 3rd or 4th round. Hmm, considering everything we've seen as of recent from both players...isn't Wayne the more valuable pick?

If you managed one of these guys last season, it was impossible to not realize that Wayne was going to give you #1 WR production every single week. Meanwhile, Harrison had his ups and downs. Don't you just get the sense that Wayne is in fact Manning's new favorite target? Oh yeah, like Manning plays favorites...who am I kidding? Anyhow, it's much to early this season to gage if the "looks" and "touches" will continue to favor Wayne, but one can only expect that it will.

It's the logic of age, meaning that Harrison although aging gracefully, is nonetheless a year older and possibly a tiny step slower. At some point all NFL players, especially WR's just lose that step, the separation, the swagger and the dominance. Look no further than Jerry Rice for proof. OK, bad example considering Rice played way too long. Anyhow, Wayne is younger, quicker, stronger, bigger and in the prime of his career. At some point the turnover from #1A to simply #1 has to take place...right?

Well, consider this man convinced that it's already happened. The proof is in the pudding so to speak and the numbers don't lie. It's been an equal playing field as far as the Fantasy points go for Harrison and Wayne for quite sometime. You can take it for what it's worth, but honestly I'd say it's no sin to have either guy as an option. However, when it comes to your value and the upside...my money in on Reggie Wayne.

Place yours where you want.