So at first I thought I could fill up an entire post on just one strategy for wide receivers. Then I thought to myself ‘really, how much can you say about just one approach about wide receivers? You’re no Charles Dickens, broseph’. I have these casual chats with myself sometimes. It eases the pain of feeling forever alone…but nonetheless, there’s more then one way to approach those 3 wideouts in your draft. Most times, just like anything, it will depend who’s available to you and when. If I have Calvin Johnson as my WR1, that’s going to make me reconsider who my WR2 should/could be vs if it’s, say, Randall Cobb. Different strokes for different folks there, Willis, and we’re gonna try to account for them all as best we can. So without further fluff, let’s take a look at draft strategy for wide receivers for the 2013 Fantasy Football season…oops, looks like I forgot something…what was it? Oh yeah, if you’re not signed up in or commishing a Razzball Commenter League by now, you’re dead to me son! So go find out how to get involved and maybe along the way you win the grand prize. What prize is that, you ask? Well ya gotta go click the link to find out, brochacho! And now I’m done pandering/threatening so let’s get back on course…
Waiting On The WR3 – In this fun little game of ours, wide receiver is always the deepest position and outside of a few players, the one with what I’d say is the second highest week to week variance outside of the top players in terms of skill position (TE being first in this scenario). So with that in mind, approach your draft like you’re only drafting two WRs. Don’t be frightened, little one, you won’t be left in the dust. To verify that, let’s take a look at guys who were either FAs or drafted and sat on the bench in most leagues to start 2012: Cecil Shorts, T.Y. Hilton, and James Jones to name a few. I’ve already highlighted a good late rounder with my Chris Givens Sleeper post earlier this summer but those late rounds are full of talent. This is the strategy I find myself deploying the most, especially with early season drafts where you don’t have to field a K/DEF just yet. Sit on a package of guys like Vincent Brown, Alshon Jeffery, Ryan Broyles and maybe more depending on bench size and see what comes of it during the pre-season.
The early WR approach – Not even gonna pretend to suggest it as the way to go but let’s say you’re sitting there in the first round and you took Calvin Johnson. Then let’s say you’re sitting there in the second and Brandon Marshall falls to you. You now have last year’s top 2 receiving threats. So you’re now out of the running on the top end RBs, don’t try and fight it, go with it. Spend either your 3rd or 4th round pick on a solid WR3 and then attack those 3-7 round RBs with gusto. In theory, you’re taking less risk due to the difference in physical nature of the positions involved. Again, this is not an approach I’m really hip on but it can be viable if you know who your RB targets are later in the draft. In the end, it’s the risk of missing out on starting RBs that makes it tough for me to get behind. If I had to rate this approach, I’d give it 3 out of 5 Christopher Walkens.
To The 5th Round And Beyond – So this is a dangerous proposition in a different way then the one I propose above. It really means you have to have the rest of your team lined up right but it also gives you the opportunity to buy in on Gronk or Graham early, which is a bonus. With this strategy, you should enter the 5th round with 3 RBs and either a top end QB or Gronk/Graham (preferably the latter). So this puts you in the running to go after a few of the remaining WR value plays that you have circled on your list to make them your WR1/2/3. This route could give you Pierre Garcon as your 1, Cecil Shorts as your 2 and Danario Alexander as your 3. You COULD wait until the late rounds for your WR3 with this strategy but I’m of the belief leaving yourself with that many WR2 types as this draft strategy proposes leaves you at risk for as much upside as it does downside. Remember, it only takes one of these guys to fail to make it hurt. Draft upside late to back it up, don’t rely on it.
Well, thanks for letting me dictate unto you how to play this little game of ours. I hope you find it useful/applicable/delectible or any other ‘ble’ or ‘ful’ word you wanna use in this scenario. Draft on, Razzballers, and I’ll catch you on the flip side.
