Robert Woods comes into his rookie season as one of the most accomplished college receivers from the 2013 NFL draft class. Playing in a pro-style offense at Southern California, Woods' transition to the next level shouldn't be too big. He already has the built-in advantage of running a relatively extensive route tree in college.
Wood's production in 2013 will rely heavily on who is under center for the Buffalo Bills and how other veterans step up at the wide receiver position. Today's article will attempt to give you a primer of how his rookie season will end up from a fantasy perspective.
College Stats | Season | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD |
| 2010 | 65 | 792 | 12.2 | 6 |
| 2011 | 111 | 1,292 | 11.6 | 15 |
| 2012 | 74 | 849 | 11.5 | 11 |
Woods saw a major drop off in production from 2011 to 2012. A lot of that had to do with the Trojans struggling as a whole this past season. Quarterback Matt Barkley was nowhere near as good as he had been in the past, which had a negative impact on Woods' production.
Equally as important, Marqise Lee took over Woods' role as USC's No. 1 wide receiver. He tallied 118 receptions for 1,721 yards and 14 touchdowns. Ask any draft expert out there and they'll tell you that Lee is the better pro prospect of the two.
That's pretty much undeniable at this point.
On the other hand, Woods will be a reliable target for EJ Manual moving forward. He catches damn near everything thrown in his direction and is what you would call an ultimate possession receiver.
In reality, Woods' ceiling is probably what we saw from Michael Crabtree towards the latter part of the 2012 season. He will provide a consistent target on the outside.
If Buffalo goes with Kevin Kolb over Manuel initially, Woods will see his production level shoot through the roof. By indicating this, I am not saying that Kolb is a better quarterback than his counterpart. Instead, it just means that Buffalo will run more pass plays with the veteran in there rather than the rookie.
Ourlads.com currently has Woods as the Bills No. 3 wide receiver behind Stevie Johnson and T.J. Graham. That being said, there really isn't any reason to believe that Woods cannot start the regular season as a starter. Graham, a third-round pick in 2012, recorded just 31 receptions and one touchdown in 11 starts. Those are nowhere near No. 2 wide receiver numbers right there.
Outside of Graham, it looks like Woods' competition will be fellow 2013 rookie Marquise Goodwin and Marcus Easley. Again, not exactly the best competition to have to beat out in camp.
Projected 2013 Statistics:
With Kolb starting: 55 receptions, 625 yards and six touchdowns
With Manuel starting: 35 receptions, 395 yards and three touchdowns