*The Wideout Weekly

[dropbear]

Date: Friday 23 February (AEST) | Weeks: 1 - 3

It's been a tumultuous few weeks to start the regular season in the DSFL. Through just three weeks we've already seen player trades, re-sims, and inactives. Who knows what the rest of the season will bring.

After week 1, Tijuana traded Dustin DeMarco (WR) and Joel Schroeder (CB) to Portland in exchange for Nate Atasuke (WR) and a 5th-round pick in the S8 draft. It also appears as though Dustin DeMarco (@Ramrod18) of Portland has gone inactive.

TPE, Attributes, and Post Tracker


To paint a picture of progression over the long and short term, I've updated my spreadsheet to include both week-to-week and season-long changes in TPE totals and post count.

This week, DeAndre Green (@GridironGang) and Mark Grau (@keanex) are the big movers, claiming 1st and 2nd in TPE increases respectively and also rounding out the top 3 posters for the week behind me.

Footballer Catcherman's (@cpetrella) updates have stagnated, though he did have 4 forum posts in the week, while Dustin DeMarco's (@Ramrod18) activity has ceased across the board.

Note: while I have listed Jeff Taven (@TetrisTech) as having 62 TPE, he is yet to actually apply the TPE in an update. If this isn't rectified by the next Wideout Weekly, I will list him as 50 TPE.

Week One


Week 1 saw some interesting results. My Kansas City Coyotes won big against the Tijuana Luchadores, while San Antonio beat the reigning champions Palm Beach. The runner-up Portland Pythons reminded everyone why they finished last season with the best record in the league with a dominant display against Norfolk.

In terms of individual performances, Howard Miller shined in the Coyotes win against Tijuana. He was one of only two players to catch a TD pass, and the only receiver to eclipse 100 yards, doing so with 9 receptions. Miller's teammate DeAndre Green wasn't far off, catching 4 passes for 64 yards in his team's 30-point win over the Luchadores.

Week Two


The second week of the regular season was marred by re-sims of all 3 games. The eventual results were a crash back to reality for Kansas City against the Solar Bears, continued woes for Tijuana and Norfolk, while Portland and San Antonio remained flying high.

Footballer Catcherman was a standout in the Marshal's 16-point win over the Luchadores, hauling in 6 catches for 81 yards. Miller wasn't far off in his side's losing effort, also catching 6 passes but only for 53 yards as the Palm Beach defenders shut him down quickly.

Week Three


Week three saw Norfolk snap a two-game losing streak, comfortably defeating the struggling and as yet winless Luchadores. Portland avenged their Ultimini loss, beating Palm Beach by 14 to remain undefeated. San Antonio also shot out to 3 - 0 with a tight win against the Coyotes.

It was a quiet week for receivers across the board, no doubt due to the fatigue caused by playing back-to-back games the previous week. Despite only catching 3 passes, Footballer Catcherman managed to get halfway to a 100-yard game and a little beyond. By catch volume, Howard Miller was on top 5. However, he fell 5 yards short of Catcherman's yardage total.

In all, a quiet week for receivers, and the second consecutive week without a DSFL rookie wide receiver catching a touchdown pass.

Analysis and Rankings
Season Totals


Game Averages


Analysis
In terms of volume, Howard Miller is the standout. He is 8 receptions clear of his closest competitor, and is the only player to have reached 200 receiving yards. He is also one of only two players to catch a TD pass.

By averages, it's a bit closer between Footballer Catcherman and Miller. While Miller is targetted more, Catcherman averages almost 5 additional yards per catch. However, despite this, Miller still averages almost 10 yards more in total per game. The low TD totals make it difficult to choose an outright winner.

Rankings

1. Howard Miller The TPE changes are more a reflection of when players were updated and what earning opportunities have been available since the last article as opposed to individual effort. Furthermore, the stats speak for themselves. Across the board, Miller is the outright leader as a receiver in this group.

2. Mark Grau See, I told you. I had this guy as #2 last week before he'd even played a down, and he's proven it to be a wise choice. Grau remains the second overall TPE earner, and has respectable numbers on a well-rounded Portland offense. Look for him to only improve as the season goes on.

3. DeAndre Green "With little else to go off, I like Green's starting build, and feel that he's set himself up with a strong base from which to improve. I'm excited to see what GridironGang can do this season." That's what I said in the previous edition of Wideout Weekly, and I think it's aged well. DeAndre is the victim of a somewhat struggling offense and playing behind Miller on the depth chart. However, when he gets his number called, he typically burns defenses. Don't believe me? Just check out his 17.3 YPC average. While Catcherman and Taven have both outperformed Green, their activity levels are suspect, and all signs point to Green being a better long-term prospect.

4a/4b. Football Catcherman & Jeff Taven Catcherman and Taven are each yet to update since our last edition, and have minimal activity on the forum. Their performances to date are a culmination of their initial efforts in updating their player and their luck in landing on what is proving to be a strong team in San Antonio this year. If their activity increases, they will likely vault back to claiming spots 2 and 3, but whether that will happen remains to be seen.

6. Dustin DeMarco Inactive. Nuff said.

Code:

~950 words + images | ready for grading