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We are officially now in the hype season, or as we call it, NFL training camp. This is a time where you will hear plenty of praise for players from coaches, teammates and beat reporters. Maybe it’s a simple as someone slimming down and adding muscle or a receiver got contact lenses finally or last season a player’s shoes were too tight, but now they’re nice and comfy. Whatever the hype, as fantasy players, we hear it as affirmation about a player we like or hollow praise about a player we don’t like.
Throughout camp we’ll keep an eye out for the hyped player of the day and see if the praise is something we should take notice of or disregard. For today, that player is Buccaneers wide receiver Scotty Miller.
Miller had some hype going into his rookie year, as his 4.38 40 and great 3-cone and shuttle times were hard to ignore. And now with Breshad Perriman moving onto the Jets, the Buccaneers have a hole to fill at WR3.
The hype
Miller looks like a totally different player this year. He wasn’t active for the first two games last season before finishing with 13 catches for 200 receiving yards. Now he’s making some of the biggest plays of camp and building his case for the third receiver spot. — ESPN’s Jenna Laine
@TomBrady https://t.co/iW0XSlVR7H
— Scotty Miller (@MillerTime___10) August 28, 2020
You know Scotty Miller from his speed, but I just watched him cut so quickly on a route in one-on-ones that he gave himself probably three yards of separation. Easy toss from Brady for the completion.
— Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV) August 24, 2020
Is the hype real?
The connection between Brady and Miller appears to be the real deal. Does that mean he will be able to beat out Justin Watson, who has also been good in camp, for the third wide receiver position? Only time will tell, but it’s fair to say that Miller is in the lead.
The Buccaneers will throw the ball a lot, but there probably aren’t enough targets for a starting Miller to have true value in 12-team leagues. But, there appears to still be value there in right leagues and as a bench player who is set up well if there are any injuries ahead of him on the depth chart.
Is the hype too much?
Anytime Tom Brady talks up a receiver, there is going to be hype. In this instance, we know that Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Rob Gronkowski are ahead of the Bucs No. 3 wide receiver by a wide margin. But, his consistent play in training camp should keep him firmly in the fantasy bench realm. That might not make him draftable in most casual leagues, but his situation is great in Bruce Arians’ system with his new friend Brady at the helm. If your benches are long enough, he’s worth holding onto as a lottery ticket.