Okay, so I’ve been having this debate with my fantasy football league buddies for weeks now: Chris Olave or Jaylen Waddle? Both are stellar wide receivers, but who do you pick if you have to choose?
I decided to finally settle this, not with gut feelings, but with some actual data digging. Here’s how I went about it:
Step 1: Season Stats Deep Dive
First, I pulled up both players’ stats for the current season, and even looked back at the last one. I mainly focused on:
- Targets: How often are they thrown to?
- Receptions: How many of those throws do they actually catch?
- Receiving Yards: Pretty self-explanatory.
- Touchdowns: Again, pretty basic, but super important in fantasy.
Waddle had some really explosive games, but Olave seemed, at first glance, a bit more consistent week-to-week. This was just a starting point, though.
Step 2: Looking at Quarterback Situation
A receiver is only as good as the guy throwing him the ball, right? So, I started digging into the quarterback situations for both players.
Olave, catches balls from a strong armed player who is famours.
Waddle’s Quarterback is good too, but recently has gotten injured.
Step 3: Strength of Schedule So Far
Then, I started thinking about their opponents. Had one of them faced a bunch of really tough defenses, making their numbers look worse than they should? Or had the other played a bunch of pushovers, inflating their stats?
I found some “strength of schedule” rankings online. It wasn’t perfect, but it gave me a rough idea of who had faced tougher competition.
Step 4: Red Zone Looks
Touchdowns are king in fantasy, so I wanted to see how often each player was targeted in the red zone (inside the opponent’s 20-yard line). I figured this would give me a good sense of their scoring potential.
I spent a good hour just cross-referencing different stat sites to make sure I had the right numbers.
Step 5: Expert Opinions… Sort Of
Finally, I did a quick scan of some fantasy football expert rankings. I didn’t want to just blindly follow their advice, but I figured it was worth seeing where the consensus was.
The (Annoying) Conclusion
After all this, I… still couldn’t definitively say one was clearly better. Olave is a bit more consistent, has a great connection with his QB, and should have a solid floor.
But Waddle, when he’s on, he’s on. His big-play ability is insane.
So, my final answer? It depends on your team. If you need a safe, reliable points every week, I’d slightly lean Olave. If you’re willing to gamble on boom-or-bust potential, Waddle might be your guy. I hate to be the “it depends” person, but it’s really, a personal choice. I went with Olave, by a hair, for my team. Wish me luck!
