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Air Yards Analysis: Marquise Brown, Tee Higgins, Kyle Pitts (2021 Fantasy Football)

Air Yards Analysis: Marquise Brown, Tee Higgins, Kyle Pitts (2021 Fantasy Football)

Air yards are the total yards the QB threw the ball in the air toward the wide receiver. Why is this important? It helps us differentiate targets, weighing targets deeper downfield heavier than shorter throws. Since yards are a fantasy football stat, having players who need only to catch the ball to accumulate the most yards is a tried and true strategy.

Everyone is trying to gain an edge on their league. Therefore, it is advantageous to know which players are garnering the opportunities to have monster weeks before they put it all together. Every week, we will give you the top receivers (not just WR, but RB & TE too) according to air yards for every NFL team. Additionally, we will provide an evaluation of those numbers and what fantasy football actions are warranted.

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**only players with >40 Air Yards for the week are listed below**

Arizona Cardinals

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
DeAndre Hopkins 77 8.6
Christian Kirk 65 13.0
A.J. Green 64 21.3
Zach Ertz 63 12.6

Evaluation: Fantasy managers are thrilled for Ertz. He is in one of the top offenses in the league and immediately cashed in with a TD. Expect this to be a regular occurrence moving forwards.

Atlanta Falcons

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Kyle Pitts 148 18.5
Russell Gage 80 13.3
Calvin Ridley 68 6.8

Evaluation: Ridley underperformed his Air Yards significantly, so expect a nice bounce-back next time he takes the field. Pitts’ buying season is officially over.

Baltimore Ravens

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Marquise Brown 321 22.9
Mark Andrews 82 11.7
Josh Oliver 79 15.8
Rashod Bateman 69 11.5

Evaluation: Ok, Hollywood. We see you. The young Raven was in overdrive all afternoon, flying by defenders and regaining the momentum he showed earlier in the season. Give him some respect.

Buffalo Bills

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT

Evaluation: Folding tables rejoiced this week in western New York.

Carolina Panthers

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
D.J. Moore 104 10.4
Robby Anderson 77 8.6
Keith Kirkwood 48 9.6

Evaluation: If you went back and rewatched this disaster after it was over, perhaps you’ve hit rock bottom. Just know, we at FantasyPros are here to help.

Cincinnati Bengals

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Tee Higgins 179 11.9
Ja’Marr Chase 117 11.7
C.J. Uzomah 50 16.7
Tyler Boyd 44 6.3

Evaluation: Just to mix it up this week, Higgins’ involvement was promising for fantasy managers. Of course, Ja’Marr Chase cannot be stopped.

Chicago Bears

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Allen Robinson 70 17.5
Darnell Mooney 59 11.8

Evaluation: The time is now. Before you are staring up at 2-6, move on from Allen Robinson. This is the lost season. Do not let him ruin the second half of the fantasy season; the first was enough damage.

Cleveland Browns

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Odell Beckham 81 13.5
Anthony Schwartz 69 23.0
Jarvis Landry 55 6.9

Evaluation: Jarvis Landry returns to do Jarvis Landry things. He’s a fair PPR FLEX play, but do not expect him to win you a week.

Dallas Cowboys

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT

Evaluation: Michael Gallup will return soon, leaving fantasy managers wondering if that will spell doom for Dalton Schultz.

Denver Broncos

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Courtland Sutton 61 12.2
Tim Patrick 61 12.2

Evaluation: My goodness, Denver. The lack of downfield passing in this game was absurd. No one registered 20 receiving yards on the day! Yuck.

Detroit Lions

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Kalif Raymond 64 8.0
T.J. Hockenson 55 6.1

Evaluation: This was a great YAC day for Raymond, as he continues to impress. There’s value in bad teams for your fantasy squad, so don’t overlook him.

Green Bay Packers

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Davante Adams 58 8.3
Allen Lazard 48 8.0
Robert Tonyan 40 8.0

Evaluation: As Green Bay prepares for a week without Adams and Lazard, the question begs to answer: who the heck can you trust for fantasy? The quick answer is likely no one.

Houston Texans

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Nico Collins 67 13.4
Brandin Cooks 46 6.6

Evaluation: It was a disappointing day for Cooks, but the mantra remains. Brandin Cooks or bust.

Indianapolis Colts

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Michael Pittman 91 22.8
Ashton Dulin 45 11.3

Evaluation: Pittman continues to elevate his 2022 draft stock. He’s a stud.

Jacksonville Jaguars

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT

Evaluation: Yes, Marvin Jones remains a WR3 with decent upside, especially in PPR formats.

Kansas City Chiefs

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Byron Pringle 121 20.2
Travis Kelce 110 9.2
Tyreek Hill 64 7.1

Evaluation: Kansas City looks broke. Will a Monday matchup with the Giants cure the ills?

Las Vegas Raiders

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Zay Jones 43 43.0
Bryan Edwards 39 9.8

Evaluation: Bryan Edwards is a poor man’s, poor man. While the upside is capped, you could do worse than starting the top outside WR on a good passing offense.

Los Angeles Chargers

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT

Evaluation: Rest up, Mike Williams. Signed, all of us that stuck with you despite the neigh sayers.

Los Angeles Rams

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Cooper Kupp 143 11.9
Van Jefferson 107 15.3

Evaluation: Cooper Kupp ran a receiving clinic this week. Detroit had no answer, and the Rams could have thrown him the ball 50 times if they wanted to. He was always open. Also, Van Jefferson needs to be rostered.

Miami Dolphins

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Mike Gesicki 82 10.3
Jaylen Waddle 53 6.6
Durham Smythe 48 12.0

Evaluation: Air Yards continues to push Gesicki up the board into the top-tier TE conversation. He’s consistently involved in the offense weekly. Unfortunately, that quality is hard to find in the position.

Minnesota Vikings

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT

Evaluation: Kirk Cousins will never get the fantasy love he deserves. Thank you, Kirk, for giving us all of these wonderful WRs to plug in our lineups each week.

New England Patriots

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Nelson Agholor 99 19.8
Jakobi Meyers 66 9.4
Jonnu Smith 54 10.8
Hunter Henry 43 10.8

Evaluation: A master class from Mac Jones on Sunday versus the Jets occurred. He hit every wide-open receiver all afternoon. Attack the New York secondary each chance you get.

New Orleans Saints

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Kenny Stills 109 36.3
Kevin White 65 32.5
Marquez Callaway 57 8.1
Tre’Quan Smith 43 14.3

Evaluation: The pattern for New Orleans is a maze. Good luck sifting through the haystacks each week to figure out which WR will draw throws. Avoid.

New York Giants

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Darius Slayton 134 14.9
John Ross 19 9.5

Evaluation: Slayton turned in a satisfactory performance in what was otherwise a forgetful day for all on the field.

New York Jets

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Corey Davis 66 11.0
Elijah Moore 65 10.8

Evaluation: There likely isn’t anyone to trust from the Jets to play in fantasy, but you could convince us that Corey Davis is almost a FLEX play.

Philadelphia Eagles

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
DeVonta Smith 108 12.0
Dallas Goedert 99 19.8
Quez Watkins 94 23.5

Evaluation: Add Dallas Goedert to the weekly must-start TEs. He’s running routes at an incredible clip since the Ertz trade.

Pittsburgh Steelers

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT

Evaluation: Does rust get better or worse with age? Asking for a 39-year-old former MVP.

Seattle Seahawks

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
D.K. Metcalf 78 15.6
Freddie Swain 56 9.3
Tyler Lockett 46 15.3

Evaluation: Metcalf’s long TD catch-and-run was all Seattle could muster. The air attack is pitiful right now. It will be another week of start/sit decisions for D.K. and Lockett managers.

San Francisco 49ers

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Deebo Samuel 86 7.8
JaMycal Hasty 34 5.7

Evaluation: Cannot say this enough. Deebo is a league winner. The scary thing is? There could be another level once Trey Lance is a fixture under center.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Chris Godwin 114 10.4
Mike Evans 99 9.9

Evaluation: Start your Bucs. It’s that simple.

Tennessee Titans

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
A.J. Brown 121 13.4
Julio Jones 41 10.3

Evaluation: As stated herein Air Yards Analysis last week, watch out for A.J. Brown. He is about to have a crazy fantasy run. Enjoy it, believers.

Washington Football Team

PLAYER WEEK 7 AIR YARDS WEEK 7 aDOT
Terry McLaurin 143 10.2
Adam Humphries 44 11.0

Evaluation: Until Washington throws the ball to anyone other than number 17, you can forget the pass-catchers not named McLaurin.

Air Yards are a beast to tackle each week, and I couldn’t put this together without the work of Dave Wright of Dynasty League Football. His weekly spreadsheet is incredible, and you should subscribe to his Patreon for a wealth of fantasy football content!

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Aaron Pags is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Aaron, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyTriage.

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