Wide Receiver Hits & Misses

Fantasy football draft strategy

Updated: June 10, 2009
Original Release: August 31, 2005

Evaluating potential sleepers and busts for your fantasy football draft does not have to require you getting in the doghouse with your spouse, neglecting your kids, or displaying erratic behavior while combing through magazines screaming there is some hidden code to be found. In fact, there are some simple methods you can use to screen potential players quickly to help stack the fantasy odds in your favor. In this article, the Docs provide you with a quick reference that will empower you with a little nugget that can help make a big difference on your fantasy football draft day. If you don't even have time for an article, sign up for our draft guide and get our complete fantasy football player rankings. If you can spare a few minutes, please continue.

Although doing your homework on sleepers and busts can pay big dividends for your team, many people do not have the time to weed through the rumors, digest all the "coach talk", and evaluate player performance in the preseason. Among all the whispers and hearsay, one component that is often overlooked is evaluating each player's physical attributes. By simply making a quick comparison of player height and weight, you can help screen potential candidates to help shift the probability of a correct outcome during your draft. Just ask Tony Holms at Fantasy Sharks.  Tony is a long time member of the fantasy football community who is probably best known for his Prognosticator. Originally composed in 1999, Tony released a set of draft strategy articles that are fun reads.  Although we respectfully do not prescribe to everything stated in these articles, the series has some nice points, and you will be a better fantasy football player for reading it (For those interested, direct links to these articles are provided at the bottom of the page). In the series, Tony states that he is a big believer in picking players in your fantasy football draft that fit a "mold" for height and weight at a position, and we are too.  Historical data supports some of the best players at each position have similar physical characteristics. While there are several positions that could be discussed when considering the "mold" for a NFL player, the position of wide receiver is of particular interest in fantasy football. Why? Typically this position can yield some of the biggest fruit in the mid to late rounds of your draft relative to other positions. It is a position that is often targeted by savvy fantasy football veterans as a "fill" position for their later rounds of their fantasy football draft after they have secured one, two, and sometimes three quality running backs earlier in their draft. After all, everyone in the draft must target a position where they select a potential starter for their team last (hey, we all can't have eight first round picks), and it is common for the second and third (depending on league setup) wide receiver slots to be that position (all kickers and team defenses excluded from consideration as those slots should be filled very late in your draft).

As for the "wide reciever mold", let's face it - you will be hard pressed to find many wide receivers less than six feet tall with league longevity. For one, the "jump ball" is a play that is already not an option for shorter receivers. If all things were equal, there would be no short players in the league at receiver. However, clearly rosters spots are won by shorter players exhibiting exceptional speed, hands, intangibles, or any combination of the three. They take this roster spot with a higher probability of a reduced career. Once they lose a step, they typically lose their value, while their taller counterparts keep sticking around in the league. Shorter receivers also run the added risk of a taller counterpart emerging during the year, which can bump them down on the depth chart or take away "favorite" status from their quarterback. Few things are more welcome to a quarterback's eyes than a tall receiver when inside the redzone or needing to convert a key third down.

Having said that, we have compiled four reference tables that compare the heights and weights of wide receivers subdivided into the following four groups: "Reference", "Picks with Potential", "Proceed with Caution", and "Danger Will Robinson". These tables are presented in a scannable format to allow easy comparisons between players. The first table serves as a reference, as it shows a combination of tall, highly-valued wide receivers and tall veterans still playing in the league. All players on this list are at or above 6' 0" in height (notice most players on this list cover the top 20 or so ranked WRs from just about any source). This list is not intended to be used for anything other than a quick comparison of physical attributes for some of the higher ranked players with some time-tested, tall veterans tossed in (i.e. do not select an older player at the end of their playing career in the 4th round of your draft just because he is on this list!).

Player Team Height Weight Years Exp.   Plaxico Burress FA 6'5" 226 9   Calvin Johnson DET 6'5" 239 2   Marques Colston NOR 6'4" 225 3   Michael Jenkins ATL 6'4" 217 5   Brandon Marshall DEN 6'4" 229 3   Randy Moss NWE 6'4" 210 11   Braylon Edwards CLE 6'3" 211 4   Larry Fitzgerald ARI 6'3" 223 5   Andre Johnson HOU 6'3" 219 6   Terrell Owens BUF 6'3" 226 13   Dwayne Bowe KC 6'2" 220 3   Justin McCareins FA 6'2" 215 8   Muhsin Muhammad CAR 6'2" 217 13   Roy Williams DAL 6'2" 212 5   Anquan Boldin ARI 6'1" 220 6   Jerricho Cotchery NYJ 6'1" 200 5   T.J. Houshmandzadeh SEA 6'1" 200 8   Chad Ochocinco CIN 6'1" 192 8   Roddy White ATL 6'1" 201 4   Donald Driver GRB 6'0" 192 10   Tory Holt JAX 6'0" 190 10   Hines Ward PIT 6'0" 215 11   Reggie Wayne IND 6'0" 198 8

The second table demonstrates a list of candidates to target for your mid-to-late rounds of your draft. For each tier of receivers in your player rankings, the list is intended to provide that extra nugget of information to perhaps sway your decision to select a player with better potential for a good season. (Player tiers for your particular fantasy football scoring system can be found by using our Fantasy Football Draft Software). All players on this list are not as highly valued by the general fantasy football community due to being either less experienced or not proven to be a consistent performer, yet they are all 6' 0" or taller in height (Notice there are no NFL rookie WRs listed - to find out why, be sure to read our article NFL Rookie Fantasy Football Draft Strategy). These players provide good targets for the mid-to-late rounds of your draft. Place a plus next to the names of each of these players in your fantasy football rankings:

Player Team Height Weight Years Exp.   James Hardy BUF 6'6" 220 1   Vincent Jackson SDG 6'5" 241 4   Chris Henry CIN 6'4" 197 4   Sidney Rice MIN 6'4" 200 2   Maurice Stovall TAM 6'4" 215 3   Miles Austin DAL 6'3" 215 3   Jacoby Jones HOU 6'3" 192 2   Kevin Walter HOU 6'3" 221 6   Domenik Hixon NYG 6'2" 192 2   Mike Walker JAX 6'2" 197 1   Bernard Berrian MIN 6'1" 190 5   Earl Bennett CHI 6'1" 205 1   Steve Breaston ARI 6'1" 175 2   Antonio Bryant TAM 6'1" 192 6   Anthony Gonzalez IND 6'0" 193 3   DeSean Jackson PHI 6'0" 178 1   Josh Morgan SFO 6'0" 218 1   Steve Smith NYG 6'0" 195 2

The third table exhibits players that are considered to have value with demonstrated potential and/or have had successful seasons in the past, but they are all below 6' 0" in height. Clearly some of these players will indeed have another good season, but the clock is ticking on their careers and perhaps this it the year they experience a decline in production. Place an asterisk next to the names of each of these players in your rankings:

Player Team Height Weight Years Exp.   Donnie Avery STL 5'11" 186 1   Chris Chambers SDG 5'11" 210 8   Laveranues Coles CIN 5'11" 193 9   Kevin Curtis PHI 5'11" 186 6   Joey Galloway NWE 5'11" 197 14   Ted Ginn Jr. MIA 5'11" 178 3   Greg Jennings GRB 5'11" 195 3   Mark Clayton BAL 5'10" 193 5   Lee Evans BUF 5'10" 197 5   Devin Hester CHI 5'10" 185 3   Santonio Holmes PIT 5'10" 185 4   Derrick Mason BAL 5'10" 190 12   Santana Moss WAS 5'10" 185 8   Antwaan Randle El WAS 5'10" 192 7   Eddie Royal DEN 5'10" 182 1   Steve Smith CAR 5'9" 185 8   Wes Welker NWE 5'9" 190 5   Sinorice Moss NYG 5'8" 185 3

Finally, the fourth table provides players to just flat-out avoid. These receivers are either short rookies or short veterans that have lost a step and have been cast to the wayside. The odds are stacked heavily against these players having an impact year. Cross out these names on your draft list.

Player Team Height Weight Years Exp.   David Patten CLE 5'10" 190 12   Brandon Stokley DEN 5'10" 197 10   Deion Branch SEA 5'9" 193 7

Keep these physical attributes in mind, and be sure to check out Tony's Draft Strategy Series at Fantasy Sharks:
Article 1: The Golden Rules
Article 2: Eagle Scout
Article 3: Pressure Cooker
Article 4: The Art of War