ESPN Ownership: 11.7%
Yahoo Ownership: 22%
Ladarius Green has always been a bit of a unicorn: beautiful to behold, but really just a figment of our imagination from a productivity standpoint.
Blessed with an otherworldly combination of size and speed, Green was expected to ascend to the top of the San Diego Chargers' tight end ranks as soon as the aging Antonio Gates called it a career. But of course, Gates kept on playing, and Green struggled to produce with any level of consistency in San Diego.
And then he got signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and back once more were the high expectations, especially after the suspension of Martavis Bryant and the retirement of Heath Miller left a major void in terms of both targets and playmaking ability. An ankle injury and recurring headaches forced him to the PUP, however, but in the past two weeks, the Steelers have had a glimpse at what Green can bring to this offense.
Green followed up his 2-catch, 67-yard performance last week with a 6-catch, 110-yard, 1-touchdown performance yesterday against the New York Giants. His ability to stretch the field up the seam and be a weapon for Ben Roethlisberger in the red zone was on full display on Sunday.
The Steelers have been searching for a receiving weapon to complement Antonio Brown all season, and no one has stepped up to this point due to either injury or inconsistency. Perhaps Green is ready to emerge in that role. With the tight end position as unpredictable as ever this season, he is certainly a top priority heading into the playoffs.