FantasyData Stats To Find The Best Talent
It’s easy to look at the stats from previous seasons heading into a new fantasy football season and say, “Those guys are going to perform this season for sure!” But if you have the time to invest in a little more research into finding more viable options for your fantasy team and want to look like a genius amongst your league mates, there are a few other statistical categories that you may want to check out. At times, fantasy football can host a ton of stats that may overwhelm the average fantasy football manager. But there are some benefits to adding these elements to your offseason fantasy research. In this article, I’ll highlight a few advanced metrics I like to use that may be able to help you in your search to gain an edge over your league mates come draft season. Since there are several positions to choose from in fantasy football, each advance metric you’re looking for should reflect your target position. So, I’ll start from the top of the fantasy roster and work my way down.
Advanced Metrics
Efficiency Player Metrics
Quarterbacks
The quarterback position is up first, so one category I like to look at is “passing attempts per game” (ATT/GM). Here, I sift through how many times a quarterback throws on average per game throughout the previous season. This shows that the quarterback has the volume that will affect the skill players involved in that team’s system, which could produce more fantasy points. For example, during the 2023 season, more quarterbacks that averaged 32.9 pass attempts per game had a higher chance of finishing in the top 15. 17 quarterbacks averaged 32.9 pass attempts per game. Of that bunch, nine finished inside the top 12 among fantasy quarterbacks. The only outliers that didn’t have that many attempts were Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (28.6/g, 26th ranked) and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (31.6/g, 20th ranked) it makes sense when you factor in their rushing ability. That’s about 53% of the quarterbacks for this category that met that average of pass attempts per game.
Another stat I like to use for picking quarterbacks is the “Air Yards.” FantasyData defines this category as the “yardage gained by the wide receiver or tight end strictly from the depth of throws by the quarterback.” It’s the yardage calculated by the quarterback’s throw and the receiver’s catch or tight end before they move forward and create YAC. Last season, 12 quarterbacks accumulated 2,000+ air yards during the 2023 season. Of the 12, 10 quarterbacks finished inside the top 10 among fantasy quarterbacks in total fantasy points. That’s an 83% success rate. And of that 10, six quarterbacks averaged 18.4 FPPG. That’s a 60% success rate. So there’s some correlation between these stats and top-end quarterback production.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
The wide receiver and tight end positions share certain statistical categories that can help fantasy managers find success in their research. The difference between the two is their level of volume. Tight ends won’t top out with huge receiving yard statistics like wide receivers can. They don’t see the same amount of targets like wide receivers do. For example, only five tight ends saw 120+ targets in 2023.
In contrast, 22 wide receivers saw 120+ targets. The level of volume is just different. Target volume and Snap Share % are good indicators to find top-end talent at the wide receiver position. High snap shares can lead to more opportunities. The trick is understanding the wide receivers’ roles in their offense to separate the talent further. I mean, you wouldn’t select Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce solely because he posted a 95% snap share last season when he only averaged 5.6 FPPG last year. There’s a bit more to it. But if you combine both, you could come away with more information. Even though Alec Pierce saw a high snap share percentage, he only saw 65 targets last season. On the other hand, Raiders wide receiver Devante Adams not only saw a 93.4% snap share (third-highest) but he also saw the second-most targets among fantasy wide receivers (175).
Specifically for tight ends, I like to look at the target share percentage. Fantasy tight ends don’t see the kind of volume the wide receivers do, as previously mentioned. However, that doesn’t mean that they can’t carve out a significant role on their team. Getting a big enough portion of a target share can help them to do that. 15 tight ends saw a near 17% target share. Of the 15 that had this share, 11 tight ends averaged 10 FPPG or better. That’s a 73% success rate.
Running Backs
For running backs, we go back to the well and check out snap share percentage. This gives us an idea of who our true RB1’s are heading into the season. The higher the snap share the more they see the field. There were 25 running backs that saw north of 54% in snap share last season. Of the 25 running backs, 16 running backs finished inside the top 25 in total fantasy points. Normally, the running backs that spend the most time on the field in the game get the most opportunity. We’re also looking for versatility, running backs that can catch and run out of the backfield. During the 2023 season, 21 running backs saw at least 50 targets in their respective offenses. About nine running backs that saw 50 targets finished inside the top-15 among fantasy backs. Knowing the offenses help in breaking down how much work a back is used and you also get to know who else is in the backfield that could take or force a split in reps.
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