WRs

[Hammer]

From what I have read route running seems the most important rating for a great WR, although perhaps this can be counter productive if a QB keeps throwing to a poor WR, especially a guy that drops a lot? In one league I play there is a WR nearly maxed in everything bar RR - which was 0. This guy still caught 60 odd balls a year, so perhaps RR is not everything when it comes to where the QB throws the ball.

Anyone got any other ratings they particularly do or do not care about in a WR?

[JeffW]

With WRs, I think all the ratings are roughly equal, with route running being the only one that is significantly more important than the others.

[albionmoonlight]

There is a school of thought (to which I subscribe) that a WR with great Route Running but poor bars in other areas actually hurts your team. He absorbs targets that could be going to other, better, wide receivers.

[bselig]

I've been looking exclusively at getting downfield and big-play receiving in my game. My offense focuses on downfield passing(have mostly eliminated the screen pass and cut down on the shortest short pass) so it seemed like a logical move. Big-play receiving seems like one of the most expensive single ratings in the game.

Totally ignore third down catching, courage and ajust to ball

[Warhammer]

I like the following in WRs, avoid drops, third down receiving and getting downfield.

Most of my offenses are ball control, 3 yards and a cloud of dust. Then if we need to pass on third down, it helps to have a guy that is a good clutch WR. I think 3rd down receiving tends to have the guy catch the ball at the 1st down marker, as when I don't have guys with high 3rd down receiving I tend to have a worse 3rd down conversion %.

[QuikSand]

I've been looking exclusively at getting downfield and big-play receiving in my game. My offense focuses on downfield passing(have mostly eliminated the screen pass and cut down on the shortest short pass) so it seemed like a logical move. Big-play receiving seems like one of the most expensive single ratings in the game.

Just FYI... in case you hadn't realized it (I'm guessing you hadn't)... in FOF, "getting downfield" essentially measures a player's ability to get yards after the catch -- of primary use in shorter passing schemes. Not to say it isn't a valuable rating, but if your interpretation is that it's about "getting downfield for a long pass" you are very understandably mistaken. BPR is the key rating for what you're describing there, I believe.

[bselig]

Ah, yeah, that's how I thought of it. I'm not sure if it'll change my strategy, since anecdotally I feel like the per catch ratings are more valuable then the if you'll catch ones. Might move up route running though

[Narcizo]

There is a school of thought (to which I subscribe) that a WR with great Route Running but poor bars in other areas actually hurts your team. He absorbs targets that could be going to other, better, wide receivers.

Me to. I look for a wide receiver with route running that is in line with his overall talent level. If it's a lot less (Otto Stowe in HFL) then he will be a cap drain who doesn't catch enough to justify his salary demands. If it's a lot more he's a pass magnet who doesn't make the most of the multiple opportunities that come his way.

[JeffW]

Me to. I look for a wide receiver with route running that is in line with his overall talent level. If it's a lot less (Otto Stowe in HFL) then he will be a cap drain who doesn't catch enough to justify his salary demands.

I'll take him off your hands if he's too bothersome. :D

[Leonidas]

Getting downfield, RR, 3rd down receiving are my faves. The key I believe is having most talented guy in your corps with the best RR as he will be the guy open the most often and getting the most passes thrown his way. Sure, you may have a guy with a solid RR catching 70 passes, but he may be taking all the action away from a more talented guy who is just below him in RR. I think there's a heirarchy. You want your best guy to have the best RR, your gamebreaker. Then probably your possession/hands guy next with a good 3rd down rate to get those clutch plays, maybe a TE here.

I think avoid drops is an overrated category. On average, how many drops does a guy with a low rating have in a season? 6-7 maybe? As opposed to a guy with a good rating dropping 2-3. Ooh, maybe four passes in a whole season. Sorry, but if the guy with a low avoid drops is a gamebreaker and a getting downfield guy who catches 60 passes at 16 ypc while dropping 8, to me is better than a good hands guy who catches 70 passes at 12 ypc and only drops 2.

[Ksyrup]

I think avoid drops is an overrated category. On average, how many drops does a guy with a low rating have in a season? 6-7 maybe? As opposed to a guy with a good rating dropping 2-3. Ooh, maybe four passes in a whole season. Sorry, but if the guy with a low avoid drops is a gamebreaker and a getting downfield guy who catches 60 passes at 16 ypc while dropping 8, to me is better than a good hands guy who catches 70 passes at 12 ypc and only drops 2.

I distinctly recall Shaun McDonald dropping 12 passes for me one year. I signed him as an UFA before camp at a decent salary, so he wasn't a huge bust or anything. And he had caught 60+ passes for the 49'ers the year before, but he pretty much sucked for me despite catching 40-something passes. I don't recall what his rating was.

[Ksyrup]

Dola.

I wonder if that's a tracked stat? I'll have to check. I'd love to see who holds the year and career "records" for most dropped passes in my league.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

Drops depends entirely on targets. Even some very good catching WRs who get close to 200 passes thrown their way can drop 20.

With my experience in FOF2k4, I would say (assuming the targets to be the same), to be more like 4 drops compared to 12-14. So, that's a different of about 8-10, still not very much though.

[Passacaglia]

I guess I tend to not bother with the avoid drops rating either -- ever since Tyrone Calico was the prize of the eNFL. Didn't he have a high rating, but several drops? I figure, it's probably less than one drop per game, and the rating doesn't even seem like that great an indicator of how many drops the guy will have.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

Clearly, it's not that big of a rating in the NFL either. Look at the money T.0. is getting. His avoid drops rating is terrible.

[Eaglesfan27]

There is a school of thought (to which I subscribe) that a WR with great Route Running but poor bars in other areas actually hurts your team. He absorbs targets that could be going to other, better, wide receivers.

Me to. I look for a wide receiver with route running that is in line with his overall talent level. If it's a lot less (Otto Stowe in HFL) then he will be a cap drain who doesn't catch enough to justify his salary demands. If it's a lot more he's a pass magnet who doesn't make the most of the multiple opportunities that come his way.


Absolutely agree. I'll always look to avoid having a receiver with high RR if he doesn't have equal ability in multiple other areas.

[dj_morton]

Thanks for the help..seems like RR/3rd down receiving are the 2 big ones for WR's!

[Sgran]

I'm not sure i buy into the logic of good route running hurting your team. A QB goes through a progression of reads. He looks first to his primary receiver (which should be your stud). If that guy can't get open, then he looks to dump off to your secondary guy, who is a good outlet because he's usually open. Maybe he's taking away from your tight end of running back, but you'd still want to get the ball to your number 2 receiver unless he's a complete bum.

[Hammer]

Thanks for the help..seems like RR/3rd down receiving are the 2 big ones for WR's!


I was looking at a quality WR the other who had a 0 rating in 3rd down receiving. Having the extra stats available now, I had a look at his 3rd down stats. Guess what, they are no worse than the other WRs of his calibre. False bar perhaps?

That set me looking at other WRs with extremely low 3rd down receiving, this time I found a good WR, but his 3rd down stats actually were poor. Confusing.

I don't think there is a lot of doubt a poor WRs with high RR can cause trouble. Your QB will keep looking to him, and he just won't be able to make the most of the opportunities.

[Synovia]

I think avoid drops is an overrated category. On average, how many drops does a guy with a low rating have in a season? 6-7 maybe? As opposed to a guy with a good rating dropping 2-3. Ooh, maybe four passes in a whole season. Sorry, but if the guy with a low avoid drops is a gamebreaker and a getting downfield guy who catches 60 passes at 16 ypc while dropping 8, to me is better than a good hands guy who catches 70 passes at 12 ypc and only drops 2.


In Shiba, its game 14 at this point, I'm 6-8, and my two stud WRs, Otiz Diaz (64/64, 90% developed.. will end up 70/70 IMO) and Brock Gerard (65/65, 80% developed, will end up 75-80) both have 13 drops.

[gstelmack]

Heck, my WR corps in WOOF had 6 drops in my last game alone...

[dj_morton]

I was looking at a quality WR the other who had a 0 rating in 3rd down receiving. Having the extra stats available now, I had a look at his 3rd down stats. Guess what, they are no worse than the other WRs of his calibre. False bar perhaps?

That set me looking at other WRs with extremely low 3rd down receiving, this time I found a good WR, but his 3rd down stats actually were poor. Confusing.

I don't think there is a lot of doubt a poor WRs with high RR can cause trouble. Your QB will keep looking to him, and he just won't be able to make the most of the opportunities.


Thanks for the update

[Synovia]

Thanks for the update

I don't think there is a lot of doubt a poor WRs with high RR can cause trouble. Your QB will keep looking to him, and he just won't be able to make the most of the opportunities.

I still disagree with this. On 3rd down, in passing situations, generally the #1 is double covered. Having a number 2 with high route running gets you a ton of first downs.<br><br>Its only really an issue if the guy absolutely sucks.