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FootballsFuture WR1 Tournament (General Information, Participants, Bracket)


BayRaider

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Well, a certain thread has inspired me to make this thread. I think it'll be a fun little way to look at everyone who is a WR1 in the NFL, who has the potential to be a WR1, and who's the best WR in the NFL according to FootballsFuture (winner of the Tournament) since for the first time in a while, there is no "clear" consensus. You can make the argument for quite a few guys. 

- I have looked over the WR's in the NFL and there are 19 guys who I think are WR1's. This is opinion and subjective. However, I've decided to randomize the seeding so at least that will not be subjective/opinion based, as the seedings would have been very subjective. 

- I almost did this with QB's, and might still do it, just felt it'd be pretty obvious stuff. Mahomes and Rodgers in the finals, predictable Top 7, and so on. 

- If there is a WR1 that should be on the list and you feel they should have been, then I am sorry. If you think someone on the list is not a WR1, then also sorry. This part of the list will be subjective. However, I think this list will have a decent consensus/agreeable. 

WR1's in the NFL:

(No Specific Order)

DeAndre Hopkins
Davante Adams
Julio Jones
Calvin Ridley
Mike Evans
Chris Godwin
Stefon Diggs
Michael Thomas
Courtland Sutton
Keenan Allen
Tyreek Hill
Allen Robinson II
Amari Cooper
Odell Beckam Jr.
Justin Jefferson
Adam Thielen
DK Metcalf
A.J. Brown
DeVante Parker

Upper Tier WR2's in the NFL:

Tyler Lockett
Tyler Boyd
Terry McLaurin
D.J. Moore
Brandin Cooks

Players who have the Potential to become a WR1:

D.J. Moore (never really had a QB, and has the tools)
Ja’Marr Chase (almost a lock)
DeVonta Smith
Rashod Bateman
Jaylen Waddle
Jerry Jeudy
Henry Ruggs III
CeeDee Lamb
Brandon Aiyuk
Dyami Brown
Chase Claypool
Denzel Mims
 

Some Possible Questions:

- "But Bay, Lockett and McLaurin's stats are good!"

Well, look, WR1 isn't just production. Its toolbox, dominance, and production. I love McLaurin but I don't view him as dominant. Same with Lockett, one of my favorite WR's, but he's not dominant. If I left your WR out, it could always be worse, I could have left out Archer in the TV Series Tournament....

- "DeVante Parker?"

I've always thought Parker has the WR1 toolbox. He finally put it all together in 2019 and looked like a dominant, legit WR1. In 2020 he dealt with injures yet again and also Tua's rookie growing pains. 

"Calvin Ridley, Chris Godwin, Adam Thielen? They aren't even WR1 on their own team!" 

Ridley and Godwin clearly have WR1 toolboxes. Ridley finally broke out last season and looked utterly dominant. Godwin broke out in 2019 and looked dominant. Godwin played injured in 2020. As for Thielen, I view him as a Low-Tier WR1, but he is still a WR1, dominant at times, and especially dominant in the redzone. 

How the WR1 Tournament will work:

- 16 Man Single Elimination. 4 Rounds. 

- Since we have 19 WR1's, there will be 15 WR1's hand selected to go into the actual Tournament, while four WR1's of my choosing will battle it out in a Four Way Death Match. 

The Four WR's in the Four Way Death Match and why I chose them:

- Amari Cooper

I view Amari Cooper as a Low-Tier WR1 in the NFL, but still a WR1. 

- Adam Thielen

I view Adam Thielen as a Low-Tier WR1 in the NFL, but still a WR1. Basically the same as above. 

- Keenan Allen

Obviously Allen has been a Top 12-15 WR for a long time. However, his YPR dipped to 9.9 which is definitely pretty bad and looks like he took a step back. Could it be regression, could it be a rookie QB, or is it a combination of the two? We'll find out this year, but for now, he goes in this four way match. 

- DeVante Parker

Parker definitely needs to earn his spot in the tournament. Some might not view him as a WR1, although I do. 

Tournament Time Table:

- Each Round will last 7 days, except the Final will last 5 days because everyone should know about the Tournament by then. Also, the opening wildcard round with the four participants will last 4 days. 

Voting Type:

- Public (people can see who you voted for), except for the four way wildcard round, which I'll make private

Tie-Breaker Rules:

- If Tied at the time of poll closure, the two players will enter a Sudden Death Overtime. The first player to take a TWO vote lead will win right away. If no player obtains a two vote lead within 36 hours, whoever has a one vote lead will win the round. 

Tournament Bracket:

Screen-Shot-2021-05-15-at-10-24-49-AM.pn
 

(Remember, the seedings are randomized to avoid subjectivity, and mean nothing)

 

Also, the term "WR1" has no relation to fantasy, otherwise we know there's only like 12-13 guys. WR1 here represents skill-level, and if they are good enough to be a primary option on a team. I don't think I have to explain this, but just in case... 

Edited by BayRaider
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Devin Funchess.

On a serious note.  I don't care what anyone says, Hopkins is hands down the best WR in the NFL. You can put pair with any QB in any system and line him up against the best corners in the league and he will still produce.  It's just too hard to match his size and skillset.  Can anyone name one negative aspect about his game? That's a serious question too. He may not be the absolute best at everything in history, but he's as well-rounded as you will find in the modern era.

After him, I feel like it gets a bit fuzzy and the list becomes interchangeable depending on personal preference and bias.  There are just so many good WRs now that the days of having a huge drop-off from #1 to #7, or #10, are just not that far apart anymore.

Adams got slept on for too long by the majority of fans but is finally starting to get the recognition he deserves.  Julio is still good but is showing his age.  OBJ has the potential but I question where his head is at anymore.   Evans is another one who has gone under the radar but when watching him I don't feel like I'm watching a top-3 WR.  Hill is much better than he gets credit for--- largely by the "Ried-system-Mahomes-one trick pony" crowd.  Thomas may have a limited short yardage skillset but he's mastered it to a tee. He's what Landry aspired to become. 

So again, you could rank each of these guys differently on several lists and you probably wouldn't get much complaints from me to be honest. 

 

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excuse me? Courtland Sutton gets an automatic bid but Keenan Allen has to "play in"? Sutton's best year is probably Allen's 5th best year, and he's never had a specific season better than Allen's comparative season

Cool concept, but that's my only big beef about the process

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5 minutes ago, Tk3 said:

excuse me? Courtland Sutton gets an automatic bid but Keenan Allen has to "play in"? Sutton's best year is probably Allen's 5th best year, and he's never had a specific season better than Allen's comparative season

Cool concept, but that's my only big beef about the process

This isn’t about career body of work. It is who is the best right now. Sutton is easily a WR1 and Top 15 WR. He is basically baby Michael Thomas. Allen definitely took a slight step backwards last season. 

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This is why I never did the QB Tournament, people cry about subjectivity. There is always going to be subjectivity, regardless who makes the Tournament. I at least randomized the seeds otherwise there would be more complaining. 
 

Don’t like it? Don’t participate. End of story. I put a lot of time in this to make a fun little game during the offseason. 

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7 minutes ago, BayRaider said:

This isn’t about career body of work. It is who is the best right now. Sutton is easily a WR1 and Top 15 WR. He is basically baby Michael Thomas. Allen definitely took a slight step backwards last season. 

I guess we agree to disagree

This is based on subjectivity, it just jumped out as the "one thing that is not like the other"

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I'm biased, but I'm struggling to think of an argument for DJ Moore not being a WR1 outside of his TD numbers, which I think can largely be attributed to McCaffrey feasting in 2019 and Bridgewater being allergic to the end zone in 2020.  

He has the 6th most receiving yards in the last 2 years and is the only WR with 1200+ yards in the last 2 seasons.  And undoubtedly one of the best at getting open downfield (averaged 18 Y/R in Brady's offense last year), even despite having QBs who couldn't consistently hit or find him.  If we're going to call DeVante Parker a WR1, then no way Moore isn't.  I wouldn't even slightly consider taking Parker over Moore.  Same with Sutton.  How is he a WR1 and not Moore?

Not to take away from the work you did doing this, it just seems odd to exclude Moore when he's absolutely as good, if not better, than those guys. And he's produced.

Edited by iknowcool
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16 hours ago, iknowcool said:

I'm biased, but I'm struggling to think of an argument for DJ Moore not being a WR1 outside of his TD numbers, which I think can largely be attributed to McCaffrey feasting in 2019 and Bridgewater being allergic to the end zone in 2020.  

He has the 6th most receiving yards in the last 2 years and is the only WR with 1200+ yards in the last 2 seasons.  And undoubtedly one of the best at getting open downfield (averaged 18 Y/R in Brady's offense last year), even despite having QBs who couldn't consistently hit or find him.  If we're going to call DeVante Parker a WR1, then no way Moore isn't.  I wouldn't even slightly consider taking Parker over Moore.  Same with Sutton.  How is he a WR1 and not Moore?

Not to take away from the work you did doing this, it just seems odd to exclude Moore when he's absolutely as good, if not better, than those guys. And he's produced.

WR1

Carolina

This site

Good luck, man. (I agree with you)

 

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D.J. Moore needs to be more dominant and take over games. Too many times that guy disappears for 3 1/2 quarters and hits a 60 yard reception. Hopefully with Darnold (who sadly might be the best passer the guy has worked with...) he might show the world he is indeed a dominant WR1. 

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13 minutes ago, BayRaider said:

D.J. Moore needs to be more dominant and take over games. Too many times that guy disappears for 3 1/2 quarters and hits a 60 yard reception. Hopefully with Darnold (who sadly might be the best passer the guy has worked with...) he might show the world he is indeed a dominant WR1. 

That still doesn't explain how Parker or Sutton can be considered number one guys but not Moore.  Parker has played 3 more years than Moore, but only 2 more 100+ yard games, and Moore has more career games with 80+ yards.  Sutton has a measly 2 100+ yard games.  And I'm not saying Sutton is bad or anything, but I'm just not seeing what somehow separates Sutton from Moore.  At least with Sutton I can see the upside.  I'm gonna be honest Parker has never impressed me much, even as he's improved over the last few seasons.  He's a solid possession receiver but he doesn't threaten you in as many different ways as Moore does (which means you can do a lot more with your offense with Moore leading your WR group than you can Parker).

Also with Moore, he's consistently rated out as one of the best WRs after the catch (source) and downfield.  Yes he can do better at being more dominant but that shouldn't exclude him from being considered a WR1.  

Edited by iknowcool
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@iknowcool I'm a big D.J. Moore fan, so let's not get it twisted. Top 10 WR potential, and I talked him up a storm going into 2020. Like I said, it's all subjective. When I view WR1's, I can't have a guy who consistently gets shut down for 55 minutes and breaks one big play. That's not how a WR1 plays. Sutton is not getting shut down 90% of a game unless he's playing a Top-Tier CB. Sutton is a big target, reliable, and massive third down converter. 

Believe it or not, I have probably talked up D.J. Moore than anyone on this website. Hopefully he is more consistent in 2020 and not hoping to break one big play a game. I want to see him dominate. And while Darnold gets hate, he's actually not a bad pure passer, and he'll definitely get Moore the ball. 

Edited by BayRaider
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34 minutes ago, BayRaider said:

@iknowcool I'm a big D.J. Moore fan, so let's not get it twisted. Top 10 WR potential, and I talked him up a storm going into 2020. Like I said, it's all subjective. When I view WR1's, I can't have a guy who consistently gets shut down for 55 minutes and breaks one big play. That's not how a WR1 plays. 

Sutton, in his lone 1,000 yard season, had 18 plays of 20+ yards (8th in the NFL), and 6 of those went for 40+.  That same year, 2019, DJ Moore ranked 31st with just 13 plays of 20+ yards, 4 of those being 40+.  So the way you are describing him doesn't even seem to align with what the numbers show, as they show that if anyones numbers benefited more from explosive plays, it was Sutton.  Especially considering despite that discrepancy, DJ Moore finished with more receiving yards in 1 less game played.  Moore also had more receptions, a higher catch %, and more catches resulting in a first down.

Edited by iknowcool
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48 minutes ago, BayRaider said:

@iknowcool I'm a big D.J. Moore fan, so let's not get it twisted. Top 10 WR potential, and I talked him up a storm going into 2020. Like I said, it's all subjective. When I view WR1's, I can't have a guy who consistently gets shut down for 55 minutes and breaks one big play. That's not how a WR1 plays. Sutton is not getting shut down 90% of a game unless he's playing a Top-Tier CB. Sutton is a big target, reliable, and massive third down converter. 

Believe it or not, I have probably talked up D.J. Moore than anyone on this website. Hopefully he is more consistent in 2020 and not hoping to break one big play a game. I want to see him dominate. And while Darnold gets hate, he's actually not a bad pure passer, and he'll definitely get Moore the ball. 

In their last 2 full seasons:

Sutton has 15 games with 3 or fewer receptions

Parker has 10 games with 3 or fewer receptions

Moore has 5 games with 3 or fewer receptions

It certainly appears as though Moore definitely is NOT "shut out for 3.5 quarters". At least nearly as often as those other two.

 

There seems to be a pattern with not recognizing Carolina WRs on this board...

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11 minutes ago, incognito_man said:

In their last 2 full seasons:

Sutton has 15 games with 3 or fewer receptions

Parker has 10 games with 3 or fewer receptions

Moore has 5 games with 3 or fewer receptions

It certainly appears as though Moore definitely is NOT "shut out for 3.5 quarters". At least nearly as often as those other two.

 

There seems to be a pattern with not recognizing Carolina WRs on this board...

This is incredible cherry picking. Sutton was a rookie in 2018 and did not start half his games. So of course he’s going to have a ton of games under 3 receptions that year, even though he technically played in them. 
 

Shoot me on the stats you want. I watched Panther games in full, Moore way too many times was silent for 55 minutes, caught 3-4 balls on the same series or back to back series. That is not how a WR1 operates. I hope to see him be more consistent for a full 60 minutes in 2020. 
 

You guys can complain all you want, FootballsFuture favorite pasttime. Probably why goldfish didn’t do his Draft Poll Mock this year. 

Edited by BayRaider
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