Bryce

Ford-Wheaton

Slayton will need to clear that protocol in order to be eligible to play against the Commanders in Week 2. The 27-year-old was held to three catches for 26 yards in the blowout loss. If Slayton can’t go, it would lead to added snaps/targets for Jalin Hyatt and potentially Bryce-Ford Wheaton.

The undrafted free agent was pushing for a roster spot as wide receiver depth and a special teams ace but will now miss the 2023 season as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered on a special teams play Saturday. The 6' 4", 221-pound former West Virginia standout boasts blazing 4.38 40 speed and could push for a spot on the final 53 next year.

Ford-Wheaton, 23, a big-bodied receiver out of West Virginia who never had more than 675 yards in a season, said he received calls from Nick Sirianni and Pete Carroll after the 2023 NFL Draft had concluded. Ford-Wheaton said he chose the Giants because he had formed a bond with head coach Brian Daboll during a pre-draft visit. “I talked to [Daboll] for a long time,” Ford-Wheaton said. “My phone was blowing up while I was on the phone with him. I was sending everybody else to voicemail because in my head I was already like, ‘This is where I want to go.’” Daboll’s willingness to play lesser known players over highly-paid guys -- see David Sills getting snaps over Kenny Golladay in 2022 -- was a key selling point for Ford-Wheaton, who expected to be drafted in the third or fourth round. Rotoworld’s Zachary Krueger recently wrote about Ford-Wheaton’s fantasy prospects in the New York offense.

Ford-Weaton (6’4/221) has the size and speed (4.38 40-time) to compete in the NFL. What he lacks is a production profile. Playing in a Big 12 conference that’s largely devoid of defense, Ford-Wheaton never went for more than 675 yards in a season and saw his YPR steadily decline over each of the last four years. The same can be said of his YAC/REC, which topped out at an impressive 8.3 in 2020 only to regress to 4.3 by his senior season. What Ford-Wheaton lacks in ability after the catch he makes up for in contested catches. His size allows him to win contested targets with ease, and he’s shown a good knack for tracking the ball while it’s in the air. Some improved quarterback play at the NFL level could go a long way in Ford-Wheaton’s development. Over the last two seasons, he ranked 120th in catchable target rate (64.9 percent), per Pro Football Focus.

Ford-Wheaton didn’t score, but he was consistently helping West Virginia move the chains. Just not quite consistently enough for the Mountaineers to pull off the upset. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound wideout had just seven catches prior to this game, so it’ll be interesting to see if he’s as involved next Saturday against Texas Tech.

West Virginia had a pair of 100-yard receivers today, with Winston Wright Jr. also going over the century mark. In his fourth year on campus, Ford-Wheaton is breaking out. He’s already set new career-highs in receptions and yards, and, with today’s output, tied his career-high with three touchdown receptions. Ford-Wheaton has four receptions or more in four of the past five games, and six or more in three-of-five. West Virginia (4-4) welcomes Oklahoma State to town next Saturday.

According to Bob Hertzel, West Virginia had some positive tests for COVID-19 within the program this week and as a result they’re more shorthanded than usual. However, it’s important to note that some of the absences could be because of contact tracing protocols. In addition to James (6'0/184), who has been one of the Mountaineers’ best pass-catchers this season, WVU will also be without Bryce Ford-Wheaton, TJ Banks and Noah Guzman. Ali Jennings has been thrust into a starting role as a result of the absences.

Ford-Wheaton (6'3/191) paced the West Virginia passing attack for the first 100-yard game of his career. The former three-star recruit burned the KSU secondary for a 58-yard reception down the sideline that setup Ali Jennings’ five-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. His 34.7 yards per catch was a season high for the promising wideout as WVU is still waiting for a true number one receiver to emerge. The Mountaineers travel to Austin where they will face Texas next Saturday.

Wheaton (6'3/191) is a name to know in deep college fantasy football leagues given the explosive nature of his offense, especially since Wheaton is a former top-750 recruit. The three-star was being chased by Washington State, Syracuse, and other Power 5 schools before he signed with the Mountaineers. Expect Wheaton to post respectable numbers for a three-star redshirt freshman receiver in 2019.