Golden Tate Is A Jerk, But He Saved Your Fantasy Football Team





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Seattle Seahawks receiver Golden Tate may have set the record for earliest taunting penalty on an 80-yard touchdown catch in what is largely regarded as a classless play, but if you had him on your fantasy team, you loved his Monday Night Football performance.

If you missed it last night, the veteran WR burned the St. Louis Rams‘ secondary for his second touchdown of the game (the only two the normally potent Seahawks offense would score on the night) and waved at Rams safety Rodney McLeod before he even approached the end zone, earning a taunting penalty flag as he crossed the goal line.

Classless play? Huge for a fantasy team that desperately needed points in an otherwise offensively challenged Monday night affair? You betcha! It was part of a five-catch, 93-yard performance that likely put a lot of fantasy owners over the top for the week.

Tate later apologized for the behavior, saying he needed to be more mature than that. And he certainly got an earful from Seattle coach Pete Carroll when he returned to the sideline.

The worst part – for fantasy owners, at least – is he almost let McLeod catch him inside the five-yard line. Imagine if you needed that score to put your fantasy team over the top and, instead of sauntering in for a sure touchdown, his showboating cost you the TD points. Not cool, Golden. Not cool at all.

So, what can we expect from the otherwise reserved wideout, other than a fine from the league? Well, after a slow start where he racked up 89 yards in his first three games, the Notre Dame product has been a bit up and down. He is averaging just under 70 yards a game with three scores in his last four, but his upside is largely tied to the lack of other options for quarterback Russell Wilson.

On Monday, he had 93 of the team’s 139 passing yards and equaled the receptions (five) of all other receivers combined. Add to that the fact that Percy Harvin has yet to return with a hip injury and Sidney Rice leaving with a knee on Monday, and you can bet he’ll get some more looks in the short term.

Start him with confidence this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ woeful defense and see if he can keep the train rolling. But seriously, Golden, make sure those fantasy points are in the bank before you start the whole taunting thing next time, okay?

Matthew Wood is a fantasy football writer forRantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter or add him to your network on Google.


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