Lost among the pre-camp hype of the Cowboys' receiving trio of CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, and Michael Gallup is one of the great truisms in NFL football.
Keep an eye out for a wide receiver entering his third season of pro football. Having played fantasy football since 1989, I can tell you that it applies to drafting a wide receiver for your fantasy teams as well as real teams.
Which means that opposing defenses, and Cowboys' fans, shouldn't sleep on Simi Fehoko in 2023.
A Standout At Stanford
A fifth-round draft pick in 2021 out of Stanford, Fehoko has had a lot of traffic between himself and a larger role in the Cowboys' offense. In 2021 he saw the field for all of seven snaps and never caught a pass.
With the departure of Cedrick Wilson and Malik Turner after the 2021 season, Fehoko moved up the depth chart. He played in five games in 2022, catching three passes for 24 yards.
Still, short of earth-shattering numbers after two seasons in professional football. Fehoko entered the draft after his junior season.
While at Stanford, he caught 62 passes in 16 games for 1,146 yards and nine touchdowns. In his sophomore year he led the Pac-12 in yards per catch at 23.6.
In the COVID-shortened 2020 season he led the Pac-12 in yards with 574 in just six games. At 6-foot, 3-inches and 220 pounds, Fehoko was a big target for the Cardinal.
Making The Transition To Pro
Becoming a reliable target and getting more touches on the field has been the challenge so far. Going into training camp this year, Fehoko has a chance to secure the fourth spot at the position on the depth chart.
His primary competition will be Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin. Both players will be entering their second seasons and neither has better stats than Fehoko.
The player sitting in that fourth spot is primed to be a big contributor in 2023. Whether the Cowboys go into a four-receiver set or – the football gods forbid – Lamb, Cooks, or Gallup go down with injury.
Fehoko, with an extra year experience with the Cowboys' offense, has the inside track to get that fourth slot. But he'll have to earn it in camp.
The Switch Flips In Year Three
For some receivers, they come into the NFL and make an instant impact. Lamb being a good example for Dallas among others throughout the NFL's history.
Some of the players that cemented their place in the NFL in their third campaign include: Michael Thomas, Tyreek Hill, Cooper Kupp, DeAndre Hopkins, T.Y. Hilton, Reggie Wayne, Terrell Owens, and Keyshawn Johnson.
More recently, the 49ers Deebo Samuel erupted in his third season, 2021, with 1,405 yards. That was over 200 yards more than his first season combined.
Hunter Renfrow cracked 1,000 yards in his third season in Las Vegas as did Marquise Brown in Baltimore.
Will Fehoko Break Out in 2023?
The three-year rule does not apply to every receiver of course. But, if he is going to have an extended career in the NFL he'll almost certainly have to do something this year.
Without showing on the field that he belongs he'll likely not see a fourth year in Dallas. So keep an eye out for Fehoko when the Cowboys land in Oxnard next month and open camp.
It could be the Cowboys have an ace up their sleeve. And so should those of you who play fantasy football.
Depending on how Fehoko progresses he might be a tidy little late-round steal for your fantasy team. Oh yes, we'll be talking about fantasy football a little more starting next month.
Just don't draft him in the first two or three rounds. Otherwise you might have to name your team Fehoko's Follies.
