I'm trying to remain cautious when it comes to the Saints, but really, now I'm thinking it's for real. I know, I know, I said I wouldn't do this, knowing just how bad the 49ers are. But I can't help it. After Week 5, Drew Brees had one touchdown pass and nine interceptions. My thought on him at that point was not that I was giving up on him, but it would take a month of decent play for me to believe. It's been three weeks. I'm 95 percent convinced he's back.
But even when the Saints were 0-4, I never wavered on Marques Colston. I always believed, and I've always played him. I've never bought into the theory that one needs to recommend the quarterback while liking the wide receiver, or vice versa. The wide receiver needs to catch the ball and make big plays. Colston can do that, though he was inconsisent. While he can fumble, he can't get picked off. He's not going to deliver a Rex Grossman-like minus-fantasy day. Brees was doing that. He was killing fantasy teams. Colston wasn't. And based on the favorable schedule, and the talents Colston had, I dealt for him in one key league and kept playing him even when he didn't deliver much, hoping for that big day, or string of days.
Through seven weeks, even I was starting to wonder, as Colston was ranked tied for No. 43 among wide receivers for the season. He was even with Devin Hester, who had all of five receptions. He was behind other receivers deemed as busts, like Vincent Jackson and Andre Johnson, who played in only two games. And still, I kept recommending the guy and ranking him among my top 20. Finally, in Week 8, it all pays off with three touchdown catches. That's why you wait for talent.
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Eric Karabell
