Andre Johnson was much more valuable in PPR leagues than he was in standard formats last year

Last time out, we looked at the running backs in the NFL who benefit the most from being in a PPR league and also the ones who suffer the most and are better options in standard leagues. This time around we are going to explore the added value for a wide receiver when the PPR function is utilized, and those who lose draft stock as well.

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In the most basic explanation possible, some running backs are more valuable than others in PPR because they are also catching the ball out of the backfield, making them dual threat options. This gives them fantasy relevance in not only rushing yardage but receiving yardage and receptions as well.

To flip that around for receivers, there is no “point per carry” that they could benefit from by being dual threats out of the backfield. Nor is the notion that they are carrying the ball out of the backfield anything more than a gadget play here and there to keep the defense honest. The end-around play is hardly a staple on an offensive coordinator’s play calling sheet. Running backs can be good receivers. Receivers are not usually good running backs.

A wide receiver’s value in PPR comes from what they can do with the ball outside of the end zone. Their value comes from how often they can help move the chains and keep the ball in their possession. The “possession receiver” has more value than the “deep threat” in a PPR league. Take the stat line of five catches, 59 yards and no touchdowns. Those results net that player 10.9 PPR fantasy points, or 5.9 in a standard league. Compare that to the player who had one catch all game, a 30-yard touchdown pass. This equates to 10.0 PPR points, or 9.0 in a standard league.

Who helped their team more? Maybe the five catches and 59 yards by the possession receiver set up the 30-yard broken play touchdown. Or maybe the one deep ball early in the game set up more underneath for the possession receiver. Either way, one is more likely to happen more often. I would take the short passes up and down the field rather than hope for the home run ball every time I put my line up together. Again, like with RBs, some of these guys are matchup proof, so we are not going to look too much into the Antonio Brown/Demaryius Thomas/Odell Beckham tier.

Some fantasy receivers’ numbers pile up through catches and yards. They are more valuable in PPR leagues and lose value in standard leagues. They may have not found the end zone as often but made their living getting down to the goal line and setting up their team. Blame the offensive scheme they’re in, their lack of “clutch” gene or getting tackled at the one-yard line. These players moved the chains, but could not always punch it in for six.

So who should you target? How do you target them? The chart below will showcase the biggest jumps and the greatest drops for players from one format to the other. This can be used as a guide to determine who is a better option in each format. One of the baselines we are going to use here is how much each player rose or fell in the final 2014 rankings. We will also be looking at what percentage of their points came from receptions versus the number of points they received from all other aspects of fantasy scoring.

Players Gaining Value (PPR Leagues)

Andre Johnson – Indianapolis Colts

The Colts replaced their 36-year-old, high target, former first round pick out of Miami with a 33-year-old, high target, former first round pick out of Miami. Reggie Wayne is out, and Andre Johnson is in. While on paper it does not look like that much of a difference, Johnson goes from a terrible QB situation in Houston to one of the best situations possible with the Colts.

His new quarterback, Andrew Luck, led the league in touchdown passes and was third in yards, third in pass attempts and sixth in completions. In total, 14 different players caught a pass from Luck, with Reggie Wayne hauling in 64 catches on 116 targets. Now, Johnson will be the beneficiary of Wayne’s 9.7 targets per game with Luck under center and should pick up where Reggie left off.

Johnson still hauled in 306 passes over the last three seasons, but only 12 touchdowns, making his value more PPR-friendly. This is clearly evident as his jump from WR41 to WR29 is the biggest change from one format to the next.

Julian Edelman – New England Patriots

Julian Edelman’s value depends on how the “Deflategate” appeal turns out. Edelman will either go back to being a top 20 WR in PPR formats, or an enormous steal for those who pick him up in the middle rounds. Tom Brady is slated to miss the first four games, spanning the first five weeks with the bye. However, Edelman has become Brady’s go-to target machine, amassing 151 and 134 targets over the last two seasons. He has also brought in 197 passes for 2028 yards in 30 games. However, with only 10 touchdowns and five 100-yard games over the last two years, his value comes from how often he is catching the ball. He jumps up 10 spots from a WR27 to a WR17 in PPR leagues, with 41.3% of his fantasy points in that format coming from actual catches. People can scoff at his 6.5 catches, 69.4 yards and 0.28 touchdown averages. But in a PPR league, what he brings to the table is precisely what you’re looking for in a low-end WR2 or flex spot. It will be easier to determine Edelman’s value after the final punishment for Tom Brady is determined.

Rueben Randle – New York Giants

I am not high on Rueben Randle, especially with the return of Victor Cruz, the addition of Shane Vereen and the emergence of Beckham. However, if you feel inclined to own him in any format, make sure it is the PPR format, as he becomes a top-30 fantasy WR, five spots up from his WR35 season in standard leagues.

He only brought in three touchdown passes with his 71 catches, or one every 23.7 receptions. He only had three games with over 100 yards receiving, with two of them coming in Week 16 and 17. On the flip side, he had a game with one catch and nine yards, and a game with two catches and one yard. This is a player who is low risk (if acquired properly) and low reward who is not going to score many touchdowns or win you many games on his own. He’ll most likely serve you as a fill in waiver wire pickup on a bye week.

Even though he finished as the 30^th scoring receiver, his 2015 ADP is 197st overall, and is the 66th receiver off the board. Both of these numbers are concerning. If you find yourself with Rueben Randle, make sure it’s in the PPR format, or prepare to be frustrated.

Roddy White – Atlanta Falcons

Roddy White jumps up five spots in the PPR format, ending the season as WR21. White quietly had a productive season behind Julio Jones ending up with 80 catches on 125 targets in 14 games. Much like how Randle benefited from Beckham and Edelman was helped by Rob Gronkowski, Roddy White has the luxury of playing next to a top five WR. White has at least 125 targets in seven of the last eight seasons (97 in 2013) and those numbers will continue to stay consistent as long as Julio Jones is there taking on extra attention from defenders. It’s hard to say White does not have value in either format (his seven touchdowns leads this list of players), but his five spot jump means that others ahead of him falter and lose value in PPR leagues. His 80/921/7 stat line in 2014 sets him up to be the 29th ranked WR in both formats this year.

Anquan Boldin – San Francisco 49ers

Anquan Boldin is another veteran on this list, playing 12 seasons with three different teams, including two Super Bowl appearances. Boldin has never had fewer than 99 targets a season in all 12 campaigns, averaging 127.5 targets per season, putting up 940 catches and 70 touchdowns with those 1,531 targets. His touchdown numbers have gone down over the last four seasons, as he has evolved into more of a possession receiver for Joe Flacco and Colin Kaepernick. In his first eight seasons, Boldin caught a touchdown once every 12.7 receptions, compared to once every 15.7 catches during the last four years. His role as a high PPR-value guy will continue to increase, as he finds himself reunited with Torrey Smith. In their two seasons together in 2011 and 2012, Torrey Smith caught 99 balls and scored 15 touchdowns, or once every 6.6 catches. Boldin had 122 catches during that time span with only seven touchdowns, or once every 17.4 catches. Boldin is primed to have a huge season in PPR formats with the addition of Torrey Smith. Boldin’s ADP is 134 and is projecting as the 49th receiver off of the board. He could be a huge steal.

Golden Tate – Detroit Lions

Golden Tate had a career year in 2014, which was his first in Detroit, setting career highs in targets, receptions and yardage. Much like the other players on this list, Tate played alongside a stud WR1 in Calvin Johnson after playing the last few years with the likes of Jermaine Kearse and Doug Baldwin. However, it was Tate, not Megatron, who finished 2014 as a borderline WR1, pacing the Lions in targets, receptions and yardage as Johnson dealt with injuries most of the year. Still, it was Johnson who led the team with eight touchdowns, making Tate more of a commodity before the team got to the end zone.

Tate caught 24.7 passes for every touchdown, which puts him second to only Andre Johnson on this list. However, he quickly became Matthew Stafford’s go-to guy in a bind, as 58 of his 99 receptions went for first downs. Not only did Tate move the sticks, but also had big play potential, as 22 of his receptions went for 20 or more yards as well. Tate projects as the 25^th receiver off the boards and his overall ADP of 56 puts him in the late fourth to early fifth round, depending on league size. Tate is what you want in a WR2 or flex spot. As a high target, high reception guy and with Megatron back to full strength, draft Tate with confidence.

Honorable mentions would include players who are part of a run-heavy offensive scheme that would benefit from play action passes and check downs, or teams with weaker quarterbacks, making low risk throws underneath the defense. These players include Eric Decker (+2), Dwayne Bowe (+5), Pierre Garcon (+7), Keenan Allen (+11) and Jarvis Landry (+18).

Players Losing Value (PPR Leagues)

Below is the list of players among the top scorers who lose spots in the rankings from PPR to standard formats. These are the wide receivers who relied heavily on big plays and getting into the end zone to be considered fantasy relevant. They are not by any means “must-sit” players, but they do not bring as much to the table from play to play. These are the “highlight reel” style players who get most of their points from yards and touchdowns. These players are much more valuable in standard leagues as they are the ones who are going to get points with the big plays that come few and far between. For this, I expanded outside of the top 30 to find people who relied heavily on scoring touchdowns with the big play and by default would not register among the top scorers. The six players below all had at least 100 fantasy points in both formats and were not in the top 15 in either format. At least 70% of their points came from either touchdowns or yards. They had quality, not quantity of touches.

A few notes (excuses/justifications) regarding decreased value players:

• Martavis Bryant did what he could with the very small amount of touches he had last year as he had to share the ball with Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell during their monster seasons for the Steelers.
• Terrance Williams suffered the same fate for the Cowboys having to be as efficient as possible as the option after Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray.
• Michael Floyd had great rapport with Carson Palmer as the Cardinals started 8-1. Then Ryan Lindley, Drew Stanton, and Logan Thomas happened.
• Torrey Smith has been boom or bust his entire career. In four season he has 30 touchdowns in only 231 receptions, or a TD every 7.1 catches.
• DeSean Jackson also suffered through a quarterback carousel in Washington as Kirk Cousins, Robert Griffin III and Colt McCoy were under center. Jackson averaged 20.7 yards per catch, making each reception as productive as possible.
• Malcom Floyd is another big play guy who has lived on yards per catch his entire career. He also has 31 touchdowns in his 291 catches (9.3/1 ratio) to go along with his career 17.1 yards per catch. Nothing surprising here for one of Philip Rivers‘ favorite targets.

Next time around, we will explore which tight ends gain or lose value in each format. Spoiler alert: Draft Rob Gronkowski regardless. Please.

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Michael Vincent is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MVtweetshere.