Click here to see wide receivers’ performances in
their first two years The Fantasy League Guru
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It’s a statistical anomaly when a rookie wide receiver
contributes to a fantasy team. That’s a fact. It’s not
up for discussion. You can’t argue it. Rare is the successful
fantasy football owner who depends on a rookie WR.
There have been exceptions, as there are to every rule. But year
in and year out, rookie WRs fail to live up to their lofty
expectations.
Using examples dating back to the 1998 season, this column will
hopefully make a believer out of you. And if I don’t,
that’s OK. For someone to become the winner in a league,
there has to be a loser (a.k.a. nonbeliever) like you.
I’ll begin with the theoretical reasons.
“¢bull; Body. Despite all of the advances in
weight training in college, rookie WRs still enter the NFL without
the prototypical body. Whether they need to add 10 pounds of muscle
to withstand the pounding, strengthen their upper body to get past
the press coverage at the line of scrimmage or add that burst of
speed to separate themselves from the cornerback, rookie WRs need
time to physically mature.
“¢bull; Skills. Rookie WRs are just not
polished enough to earn enough playing time in their first NFL
season. In high school and college, these athletes can get away
with a lot of things. But in the NFL,there’s little room for
error. And since rookie WRs tend to run a slant at a wrong angle, a
corner route too far or an out route too soon, they usually
can’t capitalize on passes thrown their way.
“¢bull; Timing and knowledge. Even in college,
a polished and physically able WR will be eased into his role
because he lacks timing with the quarterback. There’s a
reason why veterans are able to succeed in the NFL, and
that’s because of the vast amounts of knowledge they
accumulate through time. What they need to know is now instinctive,
including what to do in case of a blitz and how to find the seam in
a cover zone scheme.
“¢bull; Pressure and ego. A lot of rookie WRs
are drafted in the first round, and with that comes expectations of
immediate return from fans, owners and the media. A lot of rookie
WRs can’t handle the pressure, while others only think they
can. Take Peter Warrick for example with a Heisman trophy candidate
in college, and 51 catches, 592 yards and four TDs his rookie year
in the NFL.
Using catches, yards and TDs as my statistics, I’ll give
you wannabe fantasy gurus the statistical proof you crave.
Good luck this week. And although it hurts, don’t forget
to bench Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison. The
Colts have a bye.
Click here to see wide receivers’ performances in
their first two years