Odell Beckham rewarded those fantasy owners that stuck with him

Eric Moody provides the numbers behind Week 6 performances to help fantasy football owners prepare for Week 7.

Fantasy football is a game of numbers. The goal is to outscore your opponent every week. The game film tells one story, but innovative statistics and analytics tell another.

Drew Brees (465) and Eli Manning (403) were the only quarterbacks who threw for over 400 yards in Week 6. Brees (4) and Matthew Stafford (4) tied for the most passing touchdowns. Cody Kessler (6) took the most sacks and Tyrod Taylor (70) had the most rushing yards.

Ezekiel Elliott (28), Melvin Gordon (27), and Jay Ajayi (25) had the most rushing attempts in Week 6. Ajayi was the only running back with over 200 yards rushing. He is the only player in the NFL to rush for 200 yards or more in a game this season. LeSean McCoy and David Johnson both scored three touchdowns. James White (8) led all running backs in targets.

Cameron Meredith (15) was the most targeted wide receiver in Week 6. He also happened to have the most receptions with 11. Odell Beckham (222) was the only wide receiver with over 200 receiving yards.

Dennis Pitta and Zach Miller led all tight ends with 10 targets in Week 6. Rob Gronkowski had the most receptions (7) and led all tight ends in fantasy points catching 88 percent of his eight targets.

Injuries continue to rear its ugly head. Ben Roethlisberger suffered a knee injury that turned out to be a torn meniscus. It is anticipated that he will miss anywhere from three to six weeks. Davante Adams apparently suffered a concussion and Eddie Royal suffered a toe injury that will cause him to miss Week 7. Carlos Hyde will miss this week’s game with a shoulder injury. LeSean McCoy appeared to sustain a right leg injury last week. He stayed on the field for what seemed like an eternity being tended to by the Bills trainers. McCoy returned to the game in the second half. He felt tightness in his hamstring at practice this week and is dealing with a mild to moderate strain. Odell Beckham dealt with a hip pointed last week, but persevered to help fantasy owners win weeks as the No. 1 fantasy wide receiver.

The fantasy football season continues to be a rollercoaster filled with numerous twists and turns. The goal of this weekly column is to share stats with you to provide you context, clarity, and to help you understand how productive certain players can be for your fantasy football team. With that in mind, it’s time to dive into Week 6.

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Drew Brees continues to produce like a statistical monster in the comfy confines of the Superdome. 

Brees produced 0.65 fantasy points per drop back in Week 6 according to Pro Football Focus. He completed 79.1 percent of his aimed throws with a depth of 8.7 yards. Brees produced six plays of 20 yards or more and three plays of 40 yards or more. This was the type of performance that helps fantasy owners win matchups. The elephant in the room is that Brees’ most productive games have been at home. Here is a visual of his week by week production this season:

The difference in fantasy production is concerning. Brees and the Saints have two road games against the Buccaneers and Cardinals during the fantasy playoffs (Weeks 14 through 16). He remains a weekly QB1, but owners should temper their expectations in games on the road.

Jay Ajayi was an RB1, but was unfortunately not in many starting lineups. 

The narrative surrounding the Dolphins backfield heading into Week 6 was that Arian Foster would return and get the majority of the running back touches. The Dolphins coaching staff’s treatment of Ajayi up to this point led us to believe this would happen. Head coach Adam Gase and Ajayi have not been on the same page this season. The signing of Arian Foster prior to the season was viewed as a slap in the face to him and to be candid Ajayi handled it poorly. How productive was he against the Steelers this past Sunday?

Ajayi produced 1.27 fantasy points per touch. He had the second highest Pro Football Focus fantasy points per opportunity (0.79) among running backs who had 15 or more carries in Week 6. Ajayi produced an astounding 8.2 yards per carry and 5.9 yards after contact. He produced three runs of 20 yards or more and one of 40 yards or more. Ajayi also had six carries inside the 20-yard line. He has been the most efficient running back on the roster. All the wear and tear is catching up Foster. He has not looked right to me all season. I think the Dolphins have found the workhorse back they have been looking for. Ajayi will continue to lead the team’s running back by committee and can be viewed as a solid RB2 moving forward. Here is a visual of his production this season:

Odell Beckham Jr. rewarded fantasy owners who stuck with him or traded for him. 

I answered so many questions about Odell Beckham on Twitter. Should I trade him? Should I buy low on Beckham? He is the type of wide receiver, like Julio Jones, that you simply keep plugging into lineups because Beckham would go boom sooner rather than later. He is the equivalent of a large company stock that provides numerous advantages that include stability and steady returns. The fictional corporate raider Gordon Gekko, immortalized by actor Michael Douglas in the films Wall Street and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps has a quote that applies to Beckham’s fantasy owners through his ups and downs so far in the 2016 season:

Hey, hey, stay positive, pal. Most people, they lose, they whine and they quit. But you got to be there for the turns. Everybody’s got good luck, everybody’s got bad luck. Don’t run when you lose. Don’t give in when it hurts. It’s like the first grade, Jerry. Nobody likes a crybaby.

The Giants schedule moving forward is very favorable. Beckham caught 80 percent of his 10 targets in Week 6. He had an aDOT (Pro Football Focus average depth of target) of 12.9 yards. Beckham produced three plays of 20 yards or more and three plays of 40 yards or more. He was only targeted once inside the 20-yard line and had a fantasy points per opportunity of 0.92. The only other wide receiver with a higher metric with eight targets or more was Kendall Wright. Beckham played 82 percent of the snaps last week despite having the injury scare. He remains an elite WR1 that should be started each and every week. Here is a visual of his production this season:

Hunter Henry does not care about the narrative surrounding rookie tight ends. 

Henry led the Chargers in targets, catches, and receiving yards against one of the top defenses in the NFL. He has scored touchdowns in three straight games and continues to gain the confidence of quarterback Philip Rivers. Antonio Gates is at the end of his career. He continues to look sluggish on film. It makes you wonder about his four-game suspension last season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. Henry caught 86 percent of his seven targets and had an aDOT of 9.9 yards. He had the highest fantasy points per opportunity (0.82) of any tight end with three or more targets in Week 6. Henry played 68 percent of the offensive snaps against the Broncos. He can be viewed as a weekly low-end TE1 and has a plus matchup against the Saints in Week 7. Here is visual of his production this season:

Conclusion

There are a lot of statistics out there revolving around the NFL and fantasy football. The purpose of this week’s column was to highlight certain players at various position and dive deeper into their Week 6 production. What statistics stood out to you? Feel free to leave a comment below or better yet reach out to me on Twitter @EricNMoody where I am very active.

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