This is an example of the type of information you can gain access to if you pick up a copy of the fabulous 2014 Fantasy Alarm Fantasy Football Draft Guide. Click on the link to learn how to gain access to the Guide, the articles, the rankings, all of it so that you can take down your competition. Let's take a look at Marques Colston (Jeff Mans will argue for) versus T.Y. Hilton (Ray Flowers will argue for).

Marques Colston
By Jeff Mans

Well here I find myself having to defend my old buddy Marques Colston. You know the fantasy world is a fickle place these days. Nobody respects those that produce year in and year out. Everybody is looking for that hot new thing. That is fine if you are in the market for a computer, car or a wife. But in fantasy football knowing the results should be a good thing. 

Marques Colston catches 80 balls a year, racks up 1,100 yards and grabs eight scores every damn season. Yet, haters keep hating. I get the lure of the big play guy in Brandin Cooks, or T.Y. Hilton, but those type of players are incredibly inconsistent. Even if you get similar numbers they come in much more erratic fashion and that is no way to win games in the head to head world of fantasy football. 

In the 2014 Fantasy Football Draft Guide I did a study about WRs height affecting their fantasy performance. I went back to 1995 to pull the data and found that bigger is better when it comes to WRs. In fact, of the top-25 fantasy WRs last year just four were under 6’0”. Yes, T.Y. Hilton happened to be one of them at #24 but there hasn’t been a undersized WR to crack the top-25 in back to back seasons since (other than Wes Welker) since 2006. Good luck T.Y.! 

We all know that the Saints are going to throw the ball a ton this season just like they always do. Why wouldn’t you target their primary WR red zone option who also happens to be one of the most dependable receivers in the NFL? Riddle me that, Ray Flowers!!

T.Y. Hilton
By Ray Flowers

It's all about nuance Jeff. I agree with you completely that folks targeting Cooks over Colston are making the wrong call. I also agree with you that Colston is an ideal WR3 who folks simply look past because he is boring. Colston is boring but good and you can sign me up for that anytime (unless it's for a wife – then I can't allow the term boring to be part of the discussion).

So why Hilton over Colston? (1) Colston has had about 31 operations on his knees. (2) Colston's coming off his lowest statistical output in five years. (3) While Jeff is right about the hit or miss nature of Hilton from week-to-week, it should be noted that Hilton had seven more receptions, 140 more yards and scored the same amount of touchdowns (five) as Colston. When a youngster adds 32 receptions and 222 yards from his rookie season to year two, shouldn't we be excited about that player? (4) Hilton, if we include the playoffs, has 12 games of 100 yards in 34 NFL games. (5) It might be counter-intuitive, but the return of Reggie Wayne will help Hilton. Defenses will have to respect Wayne and that should help open up the field a bit for the diminutive speedster.

Finally, if you had to choose one of these two as the ascending player, who would you select? Come on Jeff, I know you would say Hilton, though I respect how you tried to make the argument stick for Colston.