A wide receiver can easily finish as a top-30 fantasy player at his position and still struggle making a consistent impact. We have seen this year after year around the fantasy football world. This is also one of the reasons why eDraft came up with its own advanced metric called "player consistency."
The premise is simple. When a wide receiver puts up 100-plus receiving yards and/or one touchdown, he's put in one category for that week. When he doesn't, he's put in a completely different category.
That's where you get our consistency metric (or percentage).
Check out the complete list here.
Here are some of the most inconsistent fantasy running backs from a season ago.
Note: I am only including wide receivers that finished in the top 30 of our overall quarterback rankings from 2013. Needless to say, lower-ranked fantasy receivers being included in this article would skew it a bit too much.
1. Kendall Wright, Tennessee Titans
Wright may have finished the 2013 regular season as a mid-tier FLEX option, but he lacked a great deal when it came to consistency. Some of this had to do with who Tennessee had to throw out there under center, but it's important to keep an eye on heading into 2014 fantasy drafts.
The former first-round pick ranked 79th overall in consistency among wide receivers, putting up either 100 yards or one touchdown just three times on the season. A total of 36 percent of Wright's fantasy production came in just three games. This means he was nothing more than a bench option in the other 13 outings.
2. Brian Hartline, Miami Dolphins
Hartline has never really been considered a decent starter around the fantasy world, but he did rank 26th among wide receivers in fantasy points last season. In fact, Hartline finished with more points than the likes of Marques Colston and Victor Cruz.
Hartline did struggle from a consistency standpoint. He tallied 100-plus yards or one score in just 25 percent of Miami's games a season ago. A total of 47 percent of Hartline's fantasy production came in four games last season. Hartline averaged just six fantasy points in his other 12 games.
3. Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints
You would expect the No. 1 wide receiver on a pass-happy offense to be a more consistent threat. Colston was that for many years, but Jimmy Graham, even as a tight end, has taken over that role for Drew Brees and Co. over the past couple seasons.
Colston's decline in production is evident from a fantasy football perspective. He might have ranked as a top-tier FLEX option in 2013, but the veteran put up either 100 yards or one touchdown in just four of his 15 games last season, with 56 percent of his fantasy output coming in four games.
4. Victor Cruz, New York Giants
This has as much to do with Eli Manning falling completely off a cliff as a quarterback last season. Coming off an outstanding fantasy performancein 2012, Cruz simply wasn't the same player in 2013. Cruz finished as a mid-tier FLEX option in standard 2WR leagues, behind the likes of Riley Cooper and Marvin Jones. If you saw that coming prior to the season, please give me some stock tips.
As it relates to consistency, Cruz wasn't even a decent bench option. He ranked 41st among wide receivers in that category, at 29 percent. In addition to that, 43 percent of Cruz's fantasy production came in just two games. Think about that for a second before you rely on him this year.
5. Torrey Smith, Baltimore Ravens
Smith finished as the 20th-ranked fantasy receiver a season ago, making him a decent WR2 option in standard 12-team leagues. That's about where many had him pegged heading into the year. Unfortunately for those who were relying on him throughout the season, his consistency just wasn't there. He ranked 37th in consistency according to our official metrics, with 44 percent of his fantasy production coming in four games.