Fantasy football wide receivers yielding in Year 2: Taylor Price, New England Patriots

Price goes up, comes down with ball

When a receiver is buried on the depth chart behind Wes Welker, Chad Ochocinco and Deion Branch and competing with Brandon Tate and Julian Edelman for attention, he might seem like a hopeless case. But the most talented wideout on the New England Patriots' roster may be moving ahead of those last two names and into Tom Brady's circle of trust.

Still, in that scenario, why fantasy football players would take an interest in 2010 third-round pick Taylor Price, who was active for only one 2010 game - in Week 17 - isn't immediately obvious. To those who haven't seen the 6-foot, 205-pounder play, that is.

Limited time only, reduced Price

Price, a product of Ohio University, has top-end speed, explosiveness and nimbleness. He put those abilities on display here in Week 1 of the preseason. He also has incredible hands and body control, which he exhibited on his twisting, toe-tapping, tip-of-the-fingers touchdown catch in the same game.

Price ordinarily takes his licks and bounces right back, but his toughness came into question when he missed the Pats' second exhibition contest and practice leading up to it. According to ESPNBoston's Mike Reiss, the reason: "bumps and bruises." The 23-year-old took a couple of serious hits in that first fake game, against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Perhaps Bill Belichick was protecting him a bit. New England's head coach seems to have taken a liking to him. Price impressed one of Belichick's mentors, too: "I think you're going to see this guy do a lot of big things for the Patriots," stated Bill Parcells after watching that tilt versus the Jags. The Big Tuna wasn't a big fan of Terry Glenn, but Price, dare say, is reminiscent of the Ohio State great, only less advanced and more rugged.

But, as any second-year wideout should be, Price is much more comfortable with his team's playbook. "One year in that system, I feel pretty good by now," he said. "I learned a lot and I think I'm ready to make that next jump."

How big of a jump will that be? Unless you're in an incredibly deep game or a dynasty league, you don't have much reason to draft Price, barring an injury to someone in front of him. He may become a popular waiver wire pickup if that scenario develops in the regular season. He may not catch more than 25 balls in 2011, but in the next couple of years, it's going to be hard to keep him off the field - and your fantasy team.

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