This article will tell you about 20 advanced stats that you should know about as we approach Sunday’s Week 5 slate of NFL action. The advanced metrics that FantasyData provides our subscribers are not the end all be all. They are very useful at helping you better understand matchups and make the best possible lineup decision.
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Justin Herbert’s True Passer Rating
Herbert is currently ranked tenth with a true passer rating of 106.3. This quarterback rating factors out unpressured throwaways and dropped passes. Herbert has completed 72 percent of his passes, exceeded 290 passing yards, and thrown five touchdowns over the last three weeks He has a good matchup against the Saints in Week 5. New Orleans’ defense has allowed an average of 35.6 fantasy points per game to top quarterback scorers of its last five regular-season games.
Justin Herbert was the cover boy to our Start’em Sit’em article this week.
Matt Ryan’s True Passer Rating
Ryan is currently ranked 23rd with a true passer rating of 80.8. He threw for over 400 passing yards the first game of the season, but Ryan hasn’t exceeded 300 passing yards in any of his last three games. It doesn’t help that Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley are dealing with hamstring injuries. The Falcons host the Panthers this week. Carolina’s defense has only allowed an average of 15 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season.
- Josh Allen leads all quarterbacks with 34 pass attempts in the red zone.
- Gardner Minshew is averaging four interceptable pass attempts per game.
- Aaron Rogers leads all quarterbacks with 27 deep ball pass attempts. These are attempts in which the football travels 20 or more yards in the air.
James Robinson’s Opportunity Share
Robinson has the fourth-highest opportunity share among running backs this season. This is the percentage of the total team running back carries plus targets. Robinson has also faced a light defensive front on 63% of his rushing attempts. He’s a weekly RB2 and faces a Houston defense that has allowed an average of 32.7 PPR fantasy points per game to running backs this season
Dalvin Cook’s Juke Rate
Cook currently ranks second in Juke Rate. This metric isolates a running back’s on-field elusiveness and tackle-breaking power by dividing the total number of evaded tackles by the total number of touches. Cook has averaged 21.5 opportunities and 24 PPR fantasy points per game this season. He leads all running backs in Yards Created. This metric measures all yards above and beyond what was blocked. Yards Created are generated by the runner after the first evaded tackle. Cook is an elite RB1 every week and well-positioned to go boom against the Seahawks defense in Week 5.
- Melvin Gordon ranks second in breakaway runs. This metric tracks rushing attempts of 15 or more rushing yards.
- Alvin Kamara leads all running backs with 1.05 fantasy points per opportunity.
- Mike Davis has faced a stacked defensive front on 43% of his rushing attempts.
- David Johnson’s played nearly 84% of the Texans offensive snaps.
Stefon Diggs’ Air Yards
Diggs leads all wide receivers with 337 air yards. He’s averaged 8.8 targets and 19.6 PPR fantasy points per game this season. Diggs has only been targeted five times in the red zone. He also ranks seventh (2.74) among receivers in Yards Per Pass Route. Diggs has caught eight out of nine of his contested targets. He can be viewed as a weekly WR1.
Justin Jefferson’s Yards Per Pass Route
Jefferson currently leads all receivers with 3.7 Yards Per Pass Route. He’s played 77 percent of the Vikings offensive snaps. Jefferson has exceeded 100 or more receiving yards in consecutive games and has accumulated 14 targets; in fact, he has been targeted nearly as much as Thielen (15) over that time frame. Jefferson can be viewed as a weekly WR2.
- Robert Woods has a true catch rate of 100%. This metric divides total receptions by total catchable targets.
- Robby Anderson ranks fifth among receivers with 2.78 yards per pass route.
- N’Keal Harry (8) is tied with Calvin Ridley for the most red zone targets.
- DK Metcalf has played 100% of the Seahawks offensive snaps.
Mike Gesicki’s Air Yards
Gesicki (173) leads all tight ends in air yards. He’s only averaged 5.5 targets and nine PPR fantasy points this season. Gesicki (5) is tied with Jonnu Smith for the second most end zone targets among tight ends. More productive games are ahead for the Dolphins tight end especially when you analyze his upcoming schedule.
Mo Alie-Cox’s Yards Per Pass Route
Alie-Cox’s leads all tight ends with 4.04 yards per pass route this season. He’s only averaged 3.2 targets per game this season while playing only 53 percent of the Colts offensive snaps. There are a plethora of tight ends in Indianapolis, but Alie-Cox is my preferred one to target in fantasy football.
- George Kittle and Travis Kelce both have a true catch rate of 100 percent.
Conclusion
FantasyData has a wealth of statistical information available to you at your fingertips. Do you ever wonder how to weave all of the information together in order to make informed decisions for your fantasy football team? That’s the purpose behind the Advanced Metrics series that I’m writing this season. One way to approach any decision in fantasy football is to analyze two things. The first one revolves around the narrative. What are NFL Insiders, beat writers, and coaches saying. The second one revolves around the statistics, metrics, and other data. Take a moment to think of a piano. You can play music with one hand, but once you use both hands the music is even better. You should have the same mindset when it comes to managing your fantasy football team. If you have additional questions you can also refer to my fantasy football rankings or better yet reach out to me on Twitter for an immediate response (@EricNMoody). Thanks for reading and please sign up for FantasyData Premium.
