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 a useful tool to help you analyze the game. Let’s look at the top 10 performers at each position and the five top underperformers.
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If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – that allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team, and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
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 a useful tool to help you analyze the game. Let’s look at the top 10 performers at each position and the five top underperformers.
Check out the rest of our weekly fantasy football advice
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – that allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team, and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
Stats via FantasyPros
The Top 10 Quarterbacks
Holy smokes! Tua had the game of his life against the Baltimore Ravens. Not only did he have 50 more air yards than any other quarterback, but he had over 130 more passing yards than any quarterback in Week 2. When Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle finish with 11 receptions for over 170 yards each, it’s no surprise Tagovailoa led all quarterbacks in air yards this week. However, after totaling only 156 air yards in Week 1, it will be interesting to see what he does next week against an elite Buffalo Bills defense.
Seeing Hurts tear apart Minnesota’s defense on Monday night was impressive. However, his 6.4 aDOT was even more eye-popping. Yes, he had a few deep throws downfield to Quez Watkins, but neither DeVonta Smith nor A.J. Brown had over 60 air yards. They also accounted for only 45.7% of Hurts’ air yards on Monday night. If he can continue to perform in the air at this level moving forward, Hurts should be the favorite to end the year as the overall QB1.
The Top 10 Wide Receivers
Given Tua’s performance against the Ravens, it’s no surprise to see Hill and Waddle end the week in the top five of total air yards. However, how they got there is dramatically different. Hill had a 9.7 aDOT, one of the highest last week on 13 targets. He also led the way with 126 air yards. Meanwhile, Waddle had the most in the NFL in Week 2 with 19. Yet, his aDOT was incredibly low. Fantasy players need to take note of how things shake out against the Bills next week. Right now, Hill appears to be Tua’s downfield weapon, while Waddle will need a higher target volume to produce at an elite fantasy level.
Unlike the other nine names on the list, Wilson is the only rookie to crack the top 10 in air yards so far this season. Elijah Moore was the presumed No. 1 wide receiver for the Jets entering the year. However, Wilson stole the show Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. The rookie outperformed Moore in every category, including a higher aDOT by a full yard. While things could change when Zach Wilson returns from an injury, the rookie looks like the No. 1 wide receiver in New York.
The Top 10 Tight Ends
While he saw a 36.4% uptick in targets from Week 1 to last week, Andrews had a massive 48.8% increase in air yards. Furthermore, his aDOT jumped from 5.9 last week to 7.3 in Week 2. Hopefully, his Week 1 matchup against the New York Jets was a fluke, and Andrews can continue to post a 7.3 aDOT moving forward. For reference, his aDOT was 5.9 last year and in 2020.
For some reason, Sean McVay keeps trying to make Higbee a thing. Over the first two weeks, the veteran leads all tight ends with 20 targets. However, he has caught only 12 of them (60%) while posting an awful 2.3 aDOT. Furthermore, despite having 45% fewer targets and half as many receptions, Thomas has more air yards than Higbee this season. Hopefully, McVay realizes Higbee isn’t very talented and calls more plays designed to get Allen Robinson the ball.
The Top Five Underperformers
It was an atrocious week for some of the top wide receivers in the NFL. After superstar performances in Week 1, Adams and Jefferson were awful in Week 2. Adams and Jefferson didn’t have great matchups this week but got held back by their quarterbacks. Derek Carr targeted Adams on only 18% of his pass attempts after 46% in Week 1. Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins had one of the worse performances of his career on Monday night. Fantasy players shouldn’t worry about either wide receiver. Even superstars have a bad game every now and then.
Meanwhile, Engram was a popular streaming option in Week 2. He had a great matchup against the Indianapolis Colts and saw a team-high eight targets. Yet, despite catching seven of them, Engram had a measly 19 air yards and 46 total yards, ending the game with only 8.1 half-point PPR fantasy points. As much as people want to make Engram a trustworthy fantasy tight end, it’s time to let that dream die. He has the 12th most targets among tight ends over the first two weeks. However, he is a 3.6 aDOT while averaging only 6.5 fantasy points per game.
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.
