4 Wide Receivers Worth a Late-Round Pick in Your Fantasy Football Drafts
Malcom Floyd
I’ve touched on the virtues of Malcom Floyd before, but apparently, nobody wants to listen. Floyd is currently going undrafted on average in 10-team leagues. Floyd has consistently been a top performer in terms of per-target efficiency in every season since 2009. Floyd garnered 92 targets last season, his highest total as a pro, and there’s no reason to believe that total has to shrink barring injury.
| Season | Receptions | Reception NEP | Reception NEP per Target | Rank | Drop Rate Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 45 | 68.04 | 0.90 | 6 of 71 | 35 of 101 |
| 2010 | 37 | 68.92 | 0.90 | 4 of 69 | 13 of 89 |
| 2011 | 43 | 85.47 | 1.22 | 2 of 63 | 3 of 95 |
| 2012 | 56 | 74.38 | 0.88 | 8 of 62 | 7 of 82 |
| 2014 | 52 | 80.24 | 0.87 | 10 of 67 | 5 of 90 |
Floyd has long been Philip Rivers’ second-most trusted receiver next to Antonio Gates. Why? Because the dude reels in almost every catchable target imaginable according to ProFootballFocus’s drop rate analysis. Floyd hasn’t finished lower than 13th in drop rate rank among receivers since 2010. Those are some sure hands.
But perhaps most important to the case for Floyd as a late-round fantasy flier is his predictability. In 2014 Floyd averaged 11.03 points per game in PPR formats, with a low 5.37 standard deviation. This means all but two of Floyd’s performances came within a range of 5.67 and 16.40 PPR points. While those totals aren’t exactly earth-shattering, they do provide an impressive floor and a reasonable ceiling for a player currently being looked over for younger, shinier, and unproven options.
Grab Floyd as a firewall for bye weeks and spot starts. He’s free, has big play ability, and will produce points within a predictable range every time he takes the field. Why not?
