Justin Hunter left the University of Tennessee as a high-round prospect heading into the 2013 NFL Draft. The home-run hitting 6’4’’, 196-pound wide receiver honored those projections by staying home with the Tennessee Titans at No. 34 overall.
Hunter provides big-play ability with elite height, length and top-end speed. He is a tremendous vertical threat who gains the upper hand on most 50-50 balls. Aside from a few too many drops in 2012, Hunter actually outshined his former teammate Cordarrelle Patterson, the No. 29 overall pick and third receiver taken off the board.
Hunter’s 2012 Statistics: 73 Rec, 1,083 Yds, 14.8 Avg, 9 TDs
Career Totals (3 years): 106 Rec, 1,812 Yds, 17.1 Avg, 18 TDs
Now with the Titans, he’ll give quarterback Jake Locker a legitimate deep and red-zone option. He’ll fit in seamlessly with Kendall Wright and Nate Washington, who serve as more of the speed and underneath possession targets, respectively. And if Kenny Britt can avoid legal issues off the field, Tennessee will feature a dangerous WR group on the field in 2013.
Hunter’s production depends primarily on who will be taking snaps from under center. If Locker puts it all together (mostly so) in Year 3, then the Titans will have a balanced offensive attack with a deep receiving corps, strong running game, powerful o-line and dual-threat QB. Hunter would benefit greatly as a result.
If not, then Ryan Fitzpatrick will step in and lean more so on running the ball with Chris Johnson and Shonn Greene. This would negate Hunter as a viable fantasy pickup.
We predict that Locker will have a good enough season with so many weapons around him for Hunter to produce a solid rookie campaign. He won’t put up Tavon Austin-like numbers, but he’ll certainly outperform fellow high-round receivers Patterson and Robert Woods and will approach Aaron Dobson's production. Red-zone touchdowns will boost his overall output.
The Titans’ likely new No. 3 or No. 4 WR remains a WR3 or WR4 in your fantasy league. Hunter won’t earn higher fantasy status until he bulks up and develops rapport with his NFL quarterback.
Projected Statistics: 25 receptions, 400 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns
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