Okay, so I’ve been getting really into fantasy football lately, and one thing that always bugged me was finding decent wide receiver rankings. I mean, there are a million sites out there, but they all seem to have different opinions, right? So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and create my own system. It was a total mess at first, I won’t lie.
Getting Started (aka Total Chaos)
First, I just grabbed a bunch of stats from different websites. I’m talking everything – receptions, yards, touchdowns, targets, you name it. I dumped it all into a giant spreadsheet, and let me tell you, it was overwhelming. I had no idea where to even begin!
Finding Some Order
Then, I started thinking about what really matters for a wide receiver. Obviously, touchdowns are huge, but what about consistency? I wanted guys who were getting targeted a lot, even if they weren’t always scoring. So, I started playing around with different weightings for each stat.
- Touchdowns got the biggest boost.
- Receiving yards were next.
- Then receptions.
- Targets got a small bump too, just to reward guys who were heavily involved.
It took a ton of tweaking. I mean, I spent hours just changing the numbers and seeing how it affected the rankings. It felt like I was building a super complicated formula, but really, it was a lot of gut feeling, too. Then, ran it. Then re-ran it. Repeat!
The “Eye Test” (Because Stats Aren’t Everything)
After I had a ranking system that looked okay, I started watching a lot more football. I needed to see if the guys my spreadsheet was spitting out as top receivers actually looked like top receivers on the field. There were a few surprises! Some guys had great stats but just didn’t seem to have that “it” factor. Others were the opposite – maybe their numbers weren’t amazing, but they were clearly making big plays.
Constant Refinement
Now, I’m constantly updating my rankings throughout the season. I add in the new weekly stats, tweak the formula based on what I’m seeing, and adjust for injuries or anything else that might affect a player’s performance. It’s definitely a work in progress, but it’s way better than just relying on some random website’s list. It has made all the difference for my fantasy league.
I’m always learning and changing my system. That is the best part. Each week is a new challange.