The Quality Game Score helps you dominate your Fantasy league by identifying the most consistent Fantasy players in your league. A tool within the Quality Game Score arsenal is the Quality Matchup; it identifies which players are in the best situation to earn a Quality Game in any specific week.

A Quality Matchup is any game where a Fantasy player is playing either at home, or away versus a bad defense (bottom 10). Therefore, every player during a full 16 game season should have eight Quality Matchups at a minimum. Some will have more based on their scheduled opponent. History has proven that on average, players will earn a Quality Game in approximately 70 percent of their Quality Matchups. This concept is extremely helpful when making lineup decisions during the season.

This week, we will take a look at the wide receivers and see how they performed during their Quality Matchups. Quality Games Earned (QGE) and Quality Matchups Played (QMP) define their appropriate columns, which lead to their Quality Matchup Success Rate (QMSR).

THE EXPECTED

Mike Wallace tops the charts with a perfect 100 percent Quality Success Rate (QSR). Let’s be honest, most of the remaining top receivers on this list are expected to be here. Jordy Nelson and Steve Johnson probably have a higher QSR than you would expect when playing in a Quality Matchup, but we’ll address that below.

THE UNEXPECTED

I believe the unexpected receivers, who did not excel when playing in a Quality Matchup, are the ones to highlight. Let’s start near the bottom of the list. Reggie Wayne did not even come close to taking advantage of his Quality Matchups in 2011 as he only earned four Quality Games in the 11 Quality Matchups for a pathetic Quality Matchup Success Rate (QMSR) of 36 percent. However, before you blame Wayne, take a look at Pierre Garcon who had a 45 percent QMSR. So, maybe it was the quarterback scenario in Indianapolis?

The other low QMSR that I want to highlight is Robert Meachem. His 45 percent QMSR appears to be a representation of how the Saints and Drew Brees spread the ball around. Marques Colston had a 78 percent QMSR. Jimmy Graham’s QMSR was a perfect 100 percent and Darren Sproles had a 91 percent QMSR. So, yes, I believe Meachem was the red-headed step child and I believe he will excel inSan Diego.

However, some players do earn most of their Quality Games when playing in a Quality Matchup. The chart below is expanded from the above chart to represent which players’ QMSR greatly exceeded their normal QSR. This excess is called Quality Matchup Value Added (QMVA). This highlights the players who may rely on weaker schedules to improve their consistency. Fantasy owners need to be aware of these players as you enter 2012. These players could see a decline in Fantasy consistency and value.

Let’s focus at the top of the list. These players improved their overall QSR by dominating during their Quality Matchups and didn’t perform as well during non-Quality Matchups.

THE EXPECTED

First off, do not expect to see the top Fantasy studs near the top of this list. In fact, most of the consistently consistent receivers are right in the middle. Why? This is because the top Fantasy receivers are normally consistent whether they have a Quality Matchup or not. In fact, many of the best receivers will perform better in non-Quality Matchups because teams tend to pass more. Just take a look at the receivers who have negative Quality Matchup Value Added (QMVA) scores. It is players like Calvin Johnson, Roddy White, Larry Fitzgerald, and Greg Jennings. In fact, one of the biggest negatives on the chart is A.J. Green. This is because he has very few games against Quality Matchups, due to his matchups in the AFC Central, but still he was very consistent. He is certainly one of my highly ranked consistent receivers heading into the 2012 season.

THE UNEXPECTED

Let’s look at the top of the list. Jordy Nelson and Steve Johnson are ranked first and third respectively with QMVA scores of +22 and +15. So, what does this mean to their Fantasy value and what does it say about 2012? It shows their Fantasy value benefitted greatly from playing and excelling in Quality Matchups. Does this mean that in 2012 we should expect a decline? Not necessarily, in fact, Nelson and Johnson have exactly the same number of available Quality Matchups in 2012. So, I’d expect them to be highly ranked in my consistency rankings in 2012.

However, players like Doug Baldwin, Plaxico Burress and Steve Breaston are not high on my list for 2012 as their high QMVA scores just mean that the few Quality Games they did earn were primarily earned during a Quality Matchup and they should be ignored.

Quality Matchups don’t guarantee a Quality Game but they are an excellent indicator for them. Keep this in mind as you pick your wide receivers this coming season on your way to dominating your league.

If you have any questions about the Quality Game Scores, you can email me at blung@rotoexperts.com. You can also follow me on Twitter.