Playing a wide receiver in Madden 23’s Face of the Franchise is potentially the most fun of all positions in the game.
With the new player-lock mode, you are going to use those stick skills on your controller in every single play.
Of course, having the best WR build in Madden 23 will help you become more successful and have loads more fun while playing.
In this article, we’ve curated a total of three builds across three different playstyles and X-factors for you to try out.
Don’t worry about deciding which wide receiver build you like the most because you can easily reset your skills for free at any point, so you can give all three a try should you wish. Let’s get to it!
All Wide Receiver Skills
| Tier | Skill 1 | Skill 2 | Skill 3 |
| X-Factor | Mossed | YAC ‘Em Up | RAC ‘Em Up |
| 2 | Deep In Elite | Deep Out Elite | Mid In Elite |
| 3 | Red Zone Threat | Slot-o-Matic | Grab-n-Go |
| 4 | Speed | Strength | Jump |
| Yard | Tackle | Pass Accuracy | Throw Power |
| 99 Club | Catching | Catch in Traffic | Spectacular Catch |
- Mossed – wins 55+ yard aggressive catches
- YAC ‘Em Up – increased chance to break the first post-catch tackle
- RAC ‘Em Up – wins RAC catches vs. single coverage
- Deep In Elite – improved catching on deep passes inside the numbers
- Deep Out Elite – improved catch on deep passes outside the numbers
- Mid In Elite – improved catching on medium passes inside the numbers
- Red Zone Threat – improved catching vs. single coverage in the red zone
- Slot-o-Matic – better cuts & catching on short slot routes
- Grab-n-Go – quicker turning/change of direction after a RAC catch
- Speed – increased Speed rating by 5 points
- Strength – increased Strength rating by 5 points
- Jump – increase Jump rating by 5 points
- Tackle – boost Tackle and Hit Power ratings to 84
- Pass Accuracy – boost all Throw Accuracy ratings to 84
- Throw Power – boost the Throw Power rating to 84
- Catching – increase Catch rating by 4 points
- Catch in Traffic – increase Catch in Traffic rating by 4 points
- Spectacular Catch – increase Spectacular Catch rating by 4 points
The Yard skills don’t matter as much outside of the yard, so we will not touch on those skills for the builds.
Attribute Build – Skills
| Skills | Attribute 1 | Attribute 2 | Attribute 3 | Attribute 4 |
| Catching | Catch | |||
| Catch in Traffic | Catch in Traffic | |||
| Spectacular Catch | Spectacular Catch | |||
| Route Running | Medium Route Running | Release | Short Route Running | Deep Route Running |
| Elusive Running | Change of Direction | Spin Move | Juke Move | |
| Power Running | Trucking | Stiff Arm | Break Tackle |
For the attributes, you do not have many choices in these upgrades. Every single build below will have the same attributes when you are trying to get a 99 overall rating.
Each build will have a specific strength, and you can choose the appropriate skill points to level first, which will be mentioned in each guide.
Long Receives Build – Mossed
- Mossed
- Deep Out Elite
- Red Zone Threat
- Jump
- Spectacular Catch
Physique – Agile
This WR build is built around making standard passes and Hail Mary plays. You will be running plays that make you go long.
Most of these will be Fly calls, but other calls like Post, Corners, and Slants can also work. Since Madden 23’s Face of the Franchise mode now plays in player-lock mode, you will have full control of your player, and you can run wherever and whenever you want.
However, success will completely rely on the play that you run and how quickly you can read the defense.
Since it is on player-lock mode, you have to be careful when you are requesting a pass. Your team’s quarterback will often pass you the ball when you call for it.
If you are running long and you see a lot of traffic, it can be an easy interception. This is why we are taking the Jump rating instead of the speed.
The Deep Out Elite will help you catch them more frequently as well. If you are catching in the red zone, which is most likely that you are, your reception rate will be higher.
However, catching ridiculous passes like these is rare or even unrealistic. On a game with realistic game sliders, catching 50+ yard passes is almost impossible.
With this skill build, you are increasing all those chances while still performing great in other aspects of the game.
For the skill priority list:
Catching > Catch in Traffic = Spectacular Catch > Route Running > Elusive Running > Power Running
All-Around Build – YAC ‘Em Up
- YAC ‘Em Up
- Mid In Elite
- Slot-o-Matic
- Speed
- Catching or Catch in Traffic
Physique – Agile
This wide receiver build is the most all-around build on the list. Your strengths are heavily focused on creating space and catching the ball in a 15-30 yard range.
The YAC ‘Em Up X-factor gives you a chance to wiggle out of a tackle after making the catch. Catching the ball from a pass always slows you down, and the other defenders always have the momentum to catch up to you.
The X-factor allows you to try and get a few more yards after making the catch.
Slot-o-Matic gives you better cuts and catching on short routes.
Catching and Catch in Traffic are both viable.
Most of the plays you would want will come from short passes. It is up to you to gain a few more yards after making the catch.
Attribute priorities:
Catching = Catch in Traffic > Route Running > Elusive Running > Power Running > Spectacular Catch
You can go all around in allocating these skill points instead of focusing on one or two skills.
Runner WR Build – RAC ‘Em Up
- RAC ‘Em Up
- Deep In Elite
- Grab-n-Go
- Speed
- Catching or Catch in Traffic
Physique – Agile
RAC ‘Em Up is based on winning more in a run after catches vs. single coverage. In short, you are more successful in catching the ball against a single player, which leads to an opportunity to run.
Deep in Elite helps you catch these passes and make a run.
Grab-n-Go boosts your ability to juke the defenders after making the RAC catch. You can opt to go for dead legs and spins. But, sometimes, just a change in direction and relying on your speed and agility will leave the coverage in the rear-view mirror already.
This is also why we are taking speed. That one is pretty much self-explanatory.
Catching and Catch in Traffic are both viable as well.
Attribute priorities:
Catching = Catch in Traffic > Route Running = Elusive Running > Power Running > Spectacular Catch
The priorities are quite similar to the all-around WR build. The only difference is the Elusive Running.
You can opt to boost your Catching and Catch in Traffic attributes to the mid-80s and then focus on maxing out Elusive Running and Route Running.
There is no point in improving your running skills if you can’t catch the ball consistently. This is why we need decent attributes first on catching.
How to Reset Skills and Abilities
As mentioned before, you can freely reset skill points and abilities in the upgrade player screen. The button to reset the skill is different for each platform, so check the lower-left portion of your screen to see which button you should press to prompt the reset.
You can play around with the three different WR builds and find out which is more suited for you.
If you’re interested in other types of player builds, I recommend checking out some of our other guides. Start with this quarter-back build and go from there.
