The game of fantasy football has become more complex over the past several years. While the game itself hasn’t changed much, the way to analyze stats and draw conclusions has become much more in-depth with the development of advanced stats.
One of those advanced stats is air yards. Why are air yards important? Because it helps differentiate the value of targets. Quick passes like screens and slants have a different value than downfield routes. Depending on what your league’s scoring is, it will make a difference in what you want from a fantasy player.
Receiving yards is a basic yet important stat for fantasy football players. Having receivers who catch plenty of short targets is valuable in PPR scoring. However, a receiver with consistent big play ability downfield is equally valuable.
Air yards are not the golden ticket to winning your fantasy league. However, they are useful tools to help you analyze the game. Let’s look at the top 10 performers at each position and the five top underperformers.
Stats via FantasyPros
The game of fantasy football has become more complex over the past several years. While the game itself hasn’t changed much, the way to analyze stats and draw conclusions has become much more in-depth with the development of advanced stats.
One of those advanced stats is air yards. Why are air yards important? Because it helps differentiate the value of targets. Quick passes like screens and slants have a different value than downfield routes. Depending on what your league’s scoring is, it will make a difference in what you want from a fantasy player.
Receiving yards is a basic yet important stat for fantasy football players. Having receivers who catch plenty of short targets is valuable in PPR scoring. However, a receiver with consistent big play ability downfield is equally valuable.
Air yards are not the golden ticket to winning your fantasy league. However, they are useful tools to help you analyze the game. Let’s look at the top 10 performers at each position and the five top underperformers.
Stats via FantasyPros
The Top 10 Quarterbacks
While there are several surprising names on the list, Allen, Mahomes, and Herbert finishing top eight this week isn’t shocking at all. Last year, all three finished in the top nine in air yards. However, seeing Winston lead the way with 228 air yards on only 34 pass attempts is surprising.
His 6.7 aDOT is higher than any other quarterback in Week 1. Furthermore, he and Allen were the only quarterbacks to have a 5.3 or higher aDOT. The difference is Allen had two wide receivers finish in the top-10 among wide receivers in air yards, while Winston had only one. Last year, Winston’s aDOT was 4.2, 37.3% lower than his Week 1 average. Having quality wide receivers and not a bunch of below-average guys makes a difference.
The Top 10 Wide Receivers
Anyone who watched the Vikings game this weekend shouldn’t be surprised to see Jefferson at the top of the list. Green Bay had no answer for the third-year wide receiver. However, seeing Landry second on the list is shocking. Not only did he have the second-most air yards in Week 1, but Landry’s aDOT was 70% higher than his 2021 season average.
The rest of the top six isn’t a surprise, especially given the massive number of targets each player saw. However, Davis at seventh on the list is shocking. Elijah Moore is the top wide receiver for the Jets, but he had only 33 air yards on seven targets. Meanwhile, Davis led the team in air yards, 54.8% more than any other wide receiver, and targets with nine. His performance last week isn’t ideal for fantasy teams with Garrett Wilson.
The Top 10 Tight Ends
If there was any doubt Kelce is still the best tight end in the NFL, he put that to rest this past weekend. He had 35 more air yards than any other tight end. Furthermore, he had the third-most targets at the position and was more effective with them than the two tight ends ahead of him. With Tyreek Hill in Miami, the Chiefs spread the ball around to multiple receivers in Week 1. However, Kelce had 37.9% more air yards than any other player on the team.
Fifth on the list is Andrews. He got off to a slow start in Week 1. While he played 84% of the snaps, the veteran tight end led the team with seven targets. However, he finished behind Rashod Bateman in air yards. While he only scored 10.2 PPR fantasy points, fantasy players shouldn’t worry about Andrews. Last year he had an aDOT of 5.9, the same as his Week 1 number.
The Top Five Underperformers
Seeing Samuel with a negative aDOT isn’t shocking but still disappointing. Last year his aDOT was 5.1. However, Deebo had negative air yards in 2020. With the injury to Elijah Mitchell, Samuel will spend more time in the backfield and seeing quick pass targets.
Meanwhile, Higbee was awful on Thursday night. Despite finishing with 11 targets, the second-most on the team, Higbee had only 39 yards and 12 air yards. After Allen Robinson saw only two targets last week, the Rams will likely design several plays to start this week’s game to get him the ball. Higbee had a chance to shine last week. Instead, he had two drops and failed to make a difference.
Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.
