I know this has been beat like a dead horse, but I am seeking clarification on the Volatility attribute. From what I've gathered a high volatility leads to a greater chance of a player either booming or busting.

Now, using the upcoming draft as an example, say there is a player who is currently 32/100, that means he is currently 32 rated, but can get up to a 100. Now, if that player were to have say a 12 VOL, does that mean he probably won't ever reach 100? Or does it mean he'll reach his potential, given no injuries or anything else unforeseen? Alternatively, if that same player were to have his VOL be like 89, I'm not quite sure what that means? Does that mean he has a greater than 50% chance of not reaching that same 100 rating as the first player I described does?

Also, one last thing please. Say in the 5th round there is a player whom is 23/55 with a VOL of 100. Knowing that there is a 50/50 chance of booming or busting, if he were to be a boom, does that mean his potential rating could be higher than the 55? Or am I missing something?

Thanks for the input. I've been reading the forums for the last several hours and it feels like I've slipped down the rabbit hole...

Volatility doesn't determine whether or not a player is more likely to be a boom or a bust, it only determines how MUCH they will potentially swing in one direction or another. So taking your example, if a player rated 32/100 with 12 VOL were to 'bust', they would likely only lose a few points of their potential, finishing as something like a 95-98/95-98. However, if they were instead to have had say 100 VOL, they could very easily end up losing a significant amount of potential.

Edit: Just for added clarity: A player will progress in all of his abilities until they reach their 'potential' in that ability. That fixed point of potential however is a flexible mark that can increase or decrease over time. Volatility impacts how much that increase or decrease will be.

32/100 @ 12 volatility has a low chance of varying far away from an actual 100. Rays final projection......96 to 100.
32/100@ 89 volatility has a high chance of varying far away from an actual 100. Rays final projection.....77 to 100.

23/55@ 100 volatility has the highest chance of varying far away from a 55. Rays final projection.....33 to 79.

Depending how your weights are set manipulate final numbers , but under default values , which value blue bars alot, one could get those guys final numbers to look as I projected.

Also, as you change positions the players physical weight is also calculated in the overall score, and after several seasons adjusting of a player physical weight can manipulate numbers even futher.

Still, volatility has nothing to do with this except all of them used in combonation might drastically change a players overall score.

Thanks guys! You've both been very helpful...