The New England Patriots may have walked away from the draft last weekend with the biggest steal of all: Randy Moss, in exchange for a fourth round draft choice. Makes you wonder why the Green Bay Packers didn’t offer a third round choice to quiet the boos that are making rounds in Wisconsin. You know, instead of drafting wide receiver James Jones who has potential, but not on the same level as Moss.

But rather than trying to get inside of (Packers GM) Ted Thompson’s head, fantasy owners have some things on their minds, too. What kind of an impact will Moss make on New England (see: Tom Brady), and will he produce like a number one receiver?

To answer the first question, I don’t think there is any doubt that Moss will make Tom Brady better, but don’t expect him to skyrocket from last year’s 3500 yard season. Moss is, after all, still one of the game’s most dominant players when he wants to be. And in New England he will have little choice but to push himself. Bill Belichick is hardly a fan of whiners and/or slackers, so no doubt Moss will try to impress his new coach, especially because the team is a Super Bowl contender (and favorite).

Some are also asking whether or not Moss will be a disturbance or someone who will tear the team apart. Those fans are sorely misinformed; Moss has never torn a team apart. It’s not in his personality. For some odd reason, however, fans seem to put him in the same category as Terrell Owens, someone who he is definitely not.

To answer the second question above, as to whether or not he will perform like a top-tier or starting fantasy receiver, I simply don’t think owners should expect it, nor should they draft him high in anticipation he could be. Moss is not in Minnesota anymore, where he was the only target Daunte Culpepper, a quarterback who hid his lack of accuracy by constantly throwing deep to Moss, a 6′4, 210 pound body of athleticism who could make those catches.

In New England, however, Tom Brady has other dependable targets. He isn’t in the same position as Culpepper was, not to mention that he prefers to spread the ball around.

Expect Moss to have a career revival — he’s only 30 years old, how much talent could he have lost? — with a 1100+ yard, 8-10 TD season. Not a top 5 receiver, but certainly a dependable number two who will produce both modest and highlight reel games during the course of 2007.

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