Surprising Fantasy Stats
With Week 11 quickly approaching, things are starting to take shape. Whether you’re a team in no danger of missing the playoffs, a team still fighting for one of the last few spots, or you already feel like you’re out of it, it’s becoming increasingly clear who the stronger and weaker teams are in your league. Still, as we continue to compete until the end we could use any advantage available. Sometimes this can come in the form of knowing some of the stats beneath the stats. Let’s take a look at a few. Here are 10 surprising fantasy stats after ten NFL weeks.
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JOE BURROW (QB)
*Most passing yards in the league
The season has not gone the way the Cincinnati Bengals were hoping. The team sits at 4-6 and has a steep uphill climb to make the playoffs. Still, for his part, Joe Burrow (and the other marquee names) have looked good this season. Through ten weeks, Burrow leads the league in passing yards with 2,672. He has done this even though one of his primary targets (Tee Higgins) has missed half the season. Burrow attempts 35.8 passes per game and as long as that continues, I expect him to continue to find success. He may not be winning many real games, but he could help fantasy managers win championships.
LAMAR JACKSON (QB)
*Best touchdown rate among all starting quarterbacks
Lamar Jackson has been one of the best assets in fantasy football this season. He is the No. 1 QB and has scored 30+ points in four games straight and seven games total. He even has three games with 40+ points. On top of this, Jackson also has the best touchdown rate (7.8) among all starting quarterbacks. It’s usually advisable to wait on quarterbacks in fantasy drafts. But anyone who decided to reach for Jackson early has been rewarded, and I see no reason to think it won’t continue. Jackson is the type of fantasy asset who can almost single-handedly win you your league.
DE’VON ACHANE (RB)
*Sees a stacked box less than any top-15 running back
De’Von Achane has had a bit of an up-and-down season. While he has shown his immense upside in four 20+ point games, he has also underwhelmed in games where he failed to score. But he has seen sixteen or more opportunities in all but two games (one of which he only played 14% of the snaps after leaving early due to injury) and should continue to be heavily involved. He has also benefitted from his dual-threat ability as well as from being on a team with a lot of weapons. This has led him to see a stacked box a league-low 1.1% of the time. If that continues he will continue to succeed as a high-end RB2 with RB1 upside.
CHASE BROWN (RB)
*Sees a stacked box more than any top-15 running back
On the flip side, Chase Brown is producing while seeing a stacked box more than any top-15 running back. Brown sees a stacked box 21.9% of the time. No other top running back even comes close to that, and yet, Brown is a top-15 running back regardless of format. Coming into the season, Zack Moss was expected to lead the Bengals offense in the backfield, and for a few weeks that seemed to be the case. But eventually, the Bengals coaching staff realized what we all saw with our own eyes. Brown is the more explosive player, and with Moss now on IR, the sky is the limit for the talented second-year player.
DERRICK HENRY (RB)
*Has more total touchdowns than targets
It seems like every week, there’s a new surprising and impressive stat regarding Derrick Henry. Many people believed that Henry was going to be a bust this season. They looked at his age and his new situation and felt fantasy managers who drafted him would be disappointed. After nearly two-thirds of the season that couldn’t be further from the truth. Henry currently leads the league in total touchdowns and rushing yards. In fact, Henry has more total touchdowns (14) than targets (12.) Henry has never been heavily involved in the passing game, but it’s still an impressive accomplishment. Henry is on the fast track to finish the season as the overall RB1.
JA’MARR CHASE (WR)
*Most receptions and receiving touchdowns in the league
Before the season, fantasy managers were concerned about Ja’Marr Chase. They either worried about a holdout or that if he did choose to play he would be underwhelming due to being unhappy in Cincinnati. As a result, his ADP dropped slightly from being a top-four pick to a mid-to-late first-round pick. It appears those fears were unwarranted. Chase is the No. 1 wide receiver in fantasy and leads the league in receptions (66) and receiving touchdowns (10.) Chase is the only player in the league (regardless of position) with double-digit receiving touchdowns. Even when Higgins comes back, I expect Chase to continue his dominance and win a lot of people their leagues.
GARRETT WILSON (WR)
*Highest snap share of any wide receiver
Garrett Wilson has been much better this season than people admit. Wilson is currently a top-five wide receiver regardless of format and top-three in half-PPR and full-PPR. There were high expectations for Wilson with Aaron Rodgers under center. Those expectations were tempered when the Jets traded for Davante Adams. But the presence of Adams has not hurt Wilson. The first key to being productive is being on the field, and Wilson has seen a higher snap share (96.6%) than any wide receiver. The Jets may not be a good team, but Wilson is a great fantasy wide receiver.
DARNELL MOONEY (WR)
*Fewest redzone targets among top-12 PPR wide receivers
Darnell Mooney has been a pleasant surprise this season. When the Falcons acquired Kirk Cousins the consensus was that Drake London and Kyle Pitts would finally have a quarterback who could help them reach their full potential. While London and Pitts have been better this season, the breakout star of the team has been Mooney who came out of nowhere to be a top-12 fantasy wide receiver regardless of format. He has done so while only scoring five times and garnering the fewest redzone targets (5) among top-12 PPR wide receivers. Keep firing him up as a high-end WR2 with WR1 upside.
CADE OTTON (TE)
*Highest snap share among tight ends
For six weeks at the beginning of the season, Cade Otton was just “a guy.” Someone you could plug into your lineup if you chose to wait on a tight end in your fantasy drafts, but not a player you were excited about. But after Chris Godwin and Mike Evans got hurt, Otton became a focal point of the passing game and has been a top-five option in three of his last four games. He also has the highest snap share among tight ends at 93%. Even when Evans comes back, I expect Otton to be heavily involved. Otton is on bye this week but feel free to keep firing him up when he returns.
GEORGE KITTLE (TE)
*Most redzone targets among tight ends
George Kittle is the TE1 this season. While he has benefitted from other key skill players being injured, this past week with a full stable of healthy targets, Kittle still finished in the top-five at the position. He did have the fewest targets he’s seen since Week 4, but he was efficient with them and managed to find the endzone, something he has done seven times. He is a trusted target when San Francisco gets close to the endzone, seeing the most redzone targets (13) among tight ends. As long as they continue to look his way, Kittle will continue to be one of the most consistent and trustworthy players at the position.
