No matter which fantasy sport you play, using a tiered system to choose, or at least judge, players is often a wise move. It's a dangerous tact to enter any draft or auction proceedings intent on ending up with any particular names, as in many cases there are others -- from wide receivers to outfielders to point guards -- in a similar class who can easily become bargains. We're talking statistics here, and while all of us bring some degree of inherent bias to who we choose and who we ignore, a tiered system helps alleviate this.
While I admit to often straying from a tiered fantasy football system when it comes to quarterback (with so few reliable choices and one starter per fantasy team) or running back (for this season the position is simply a mess and decisions can be dictated by myriad factors), this isn't the case at wide receiver. In fact, this season I've been relying on a tiered system. This is a significant deep position, and if I miss out on a guy I happen to like -- don't covet anyone! -- in the sixth round there's more often than not someone just like him lurking. In a way, the names become somewhat irrelevant. Just find another with similar statistical potential.
As a result, here are my thoughts on wide receivers for 2012 drafts using a tiered system, an exercise that essentially just groups similar options together. It's true that if five of the six players I group in a certain tier are off the draft/auction board, I would consider working a bit harder -- or overdraft/overpay -- for the final option. Of course, even though all the names are listed in efficient fashion in the ESPN draft tool, I like to print out a cheat sheet for all drafts, regardless of sport, and draw lines to signify certain tiers in advance, then cross out actual names during the draft/auction. If four members of a wide receiver tier are still out there in Round 6, I'll probably take a running back. If one name is there, I probably will not. Here are my updated rankings.
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Eric Karabell | email
ESPN.com Senior Writer- ESPN contributor on TV, radio, podcasts, blogs, Magazine
- Charter member of FSWA Hall of Fame
- Author of "The Best Philadelphia Sports Arguments"
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Eric Karabell
Eric Karabell is an ESPN.com senior writer. He has worked at ESPN since 1997 and covered fantasy sports for ESPN since 2001, specializing in baseball and football. Eric appears several times per week on SportsCenter, NFL Live and other ESPN shows, contributes to ESPN Radio and ESPN The Magazine and is the host of the Baseball Today Podcast. He has been honored twice as fantasy sports writer of the year by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, his blog was named best fantasy baseball series for 2007 and he was inducted into the inaugural FSWA Hall of Fame class in 2010.
Eric grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs, and accordingly, favors Philly teams first, his fantasy teams second. He previously served as ESPN.com's lead NBA editor, and is a former Washington Post and Philadelphia Inquirer sports writer. Eric is also the author of "The Best Philadelphia Sports Arguments," published by Source Books and available in bookstores and online.
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