If you're still waiting on that Devante Parker breakout performance or considering him as a buy-low candidate, it's probably time to stop doing that.
Parker dealt with injuries and played sparingly during his rookie season. He finished the year with 26 receptions for 494 yards and three touchdowns. While he had some big plays and big performances, he also repeatedly failed at the catch point and showed off a severe lack of route running ability. In season two, expectations weren't high for Parker but he was expected to be a consistent producer in a Miami Dolphins offense that would make him a focal point.
Through six weeks and five starts, Parker has accumulated 275 yards and one touchdown on 20 receptions. He has one 100-yard game and two games with fewer than 30 yards. His touchdown came against the Cleveland Browns in Week 3 when he only caught three total passes for 51 yards.
It's not that Parker hasn't been getting opportunities to put up bigger numbers. It's that he has repeatedly squandered the opportunities he's been given while showing off little in the way of creating his own production. Parker was drafted to be Ryan Tannehill's "bad ball receiver," someoen who gave his quarterback a greater margin for error at the catch point and someone who could make contested catches while towering over smaller defensive backs. While he has the size, he doesn't have the mentality or seemingly even the talent to be that type of player.
The above play comes from the beginning of the Dolphins' most recent game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ryan Tannehill gets time in the pocket and delivers a strike to Parker as he runs a post route into the endzone. Parker has the space to catch the ball cleanly before bracing for an impending hit. The hit itself doesn't ever have an impact on the play becaucse Parker lets the ball bounce off of his hands as soon as it arrives.
Whether it was the presence of the defenders around him or just his bad hands that caused him to drop this ball is irrelevant. Neither is an acceptable reason for him to not secure the ball.
If this were a once off for Parker it wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately, it's been the story of his career so far. He has made some spectacular plays, his touchdown reception against the Browns this year was an example of that, but you won't consistently produce or gain the trust of your coaching staff to be featured if you continually fail to make plays when presented with opportunities.
A week previous, Parker was responsible for an interception. This time Tannehill didn't throw him a good ball. The quarterback reacted poorly to pressure and missed Parker inside when he was running a shallow crossing route. It wasn't a severe miss though. Tannehill's ball still hit Parker in the chest/shoulder and Parker was able to snag it before a defender could get to his body. When the ball arrives in that position, a ball-winning receiver wouldn't let it out of his grasp. He would grip it tightly with his size and strength to secure the first down.
That's not what Parker did. Parker succumbed to the aggression of Jason McCourty. He showed no resilience as McCourty came in and ripped the ball off of his chest, giving Tannehill the interception on a play where traditional stats won't even mark it as a drop for Parker.
In Week 2, Parker had his best game of the season but should have had a significantly better day Early in the game he failed to make a play on a deep ball where Tannehill trusted him to go up and get the ball with a cornerback in no position to stop him. Parker had to catch the ball between two defenders but neither made significant contact with him as Devin McCourty tried to play the ball rather than the receiver. Like his touchdown opportunity on Sunday, Parker simply dropped this ball on his own before anyone could knock it from him.
The second opportunity came late in the second quarter when Tannehill broke the pocket and attempted to hit Parker on the sideline while running. This isn't an easy play to make, but Parker huts his chances with his technique. He shouldn't be turning his elbows away from the ball so his whole body has to turn awkwardly. He should fully extend his arms to snatch the ball out of the air while his elbows face the direction the ball came from.
Parker's feet are slow and not precise enough when he works the sideline. That leads to some awkward approaches to the ball in the air. Notably at the end of the Patriots game he had an opportunity to read the flight of the ball and attack in front of the defensive back who ultimately intercepted it. He never located the ball so was ultimately left flailing at the ball with one hand as the defender rose above him to catch it into his chest.
Parker has had some big plays and he will have some big games for your team as a fantasy owner. He's too reliant on perfect service and too limited in how he can produce to be a valuable asset though. Parker doesn't create yards after the catch and he doesn't run a variety of routes. He struggles to run the routes he is asked to run so he has to be dominant at the catch point to consistently produce.
We simply haven't seen that so far in his career.
Holding Parker in the hope that his volume eventually leads to greater value is a fair strategy at this point of his career. However, if you can swap him out for a receiver who is more likely to consistently produce then that would be a smart play. Someone who would make sense as a potential target is Sterling Shepard from the New York Giants. Shepard was excellent over the Giants first three games but has accounted for just 69 yards on 10 caatches over the past three games. It would be easy to envision an owner boiling over with frustration at this point.
Shepard has suffered more because of his offense than he has because of his play. Eli Manning has been erratic and Ben McAdoo's play calling has forced the ball to running backs and tight ends rather than his receivers. His running backs and tight ends combined for 33 touches against the Ravens while the Giants receivers combined for 16, Odell Beckham had half of those. Shepard is still playing well when given opportunities. He made one crucial fourth down play against the Ravens last week and drew another pas interference play when he could have broken off a big gain after the catch.
The rookie receiver lines up in the slot here against aggressive coverage and runs a physical slant route to give his quarterback a window to hit. Shepard's footwork is precise and well timed while he also uses his upper body to slightly push away from the defensive back after coming out of his break. Shepard is the complete opposite to Parker as he has the nuances of the position down to the point that he plays like a 10-year veteran.
In dynasty leagues (or even redraft leagues if the opportunity is there)f a trade that gets you Shepard and a pick for Parker or even just a straight swap is a deal worth moving on. It all depends on how much your league mate cares about height at the receiver position and how frustrated he is with Shepard's lack of production.
A more aggressive move would be to try and move Parker for Sammy Watkins. Watkins being injured right now means that his value is deflated in dynasty but he should still prove to be a difference-making receiver over the course of his career. He is a far superior talent to Parker and would be an ideal player to target if you're not expecting to compete this season.
