What fantasy football receiver data trends are telling us after Week 2

I have been across the fantasy sport for some time, and the goal stat has come a good distance, child.

Targets did not grow to be a tracked stat till 1992. Professional Soccer Reference wasn’t launched till 2003. My early days of fantasy soccer within the 90s concerned scoring leagues by hand, sitting down within the morning with a pencil, a caffeinated beverage and the newspaper.

The pencil and newspaper are gone from my life now; the caffeine stays.

At one in all my early fantasy gigs, I would provide deep, hard-hitting evaluation like, “It seems like each different Peyton Manning move is meant for Marvin Harrison.” Being on-line within the mid-90s and discovering a bar that had the NFL Sunday Ticket was hitting the lottery, a rocket ship to the moon.

Receiving stats and evaluation have blossomed since. Heck, this text a decade in the past would have been merely about targets, full cease. Immediately, we’ve got so many extra knowledge factors — first-read targets, common depth of goal, catchable targets, routes run, red-zone knowledge; the cup feels bottomless.

My aim each Tuesday this season is to research huge receiver knowledge and developments, monitoring the place the puck has been and making an attempt to determine the place the puck is headed. Targets will nonetheless consider loads, after all. However bear in mind: we’ve got a number of totally different buckets to look at now.

Puka Nacua, too good to be true

Nacua has been the breakout star of the recent fantasy season, the runaway chief in targets (35) and catches (25). Nacua can also be second in yards, with 266 (Justin Jefferson is already at 309).

Nacua’s begin jogs my memory of what Anquan Boldin did in 2003. Boldin was the 54th total choose within the 2003 draft — again when a choose in that vary wasn’t anticipated to supply instantly — and he smashed in his debut, a 10-217-2 explosion at Detroit. Boldin adopted it up with 8-62-0 the following week, and we had been off and working. He was the fantasy WR6 that 12 months.

Nacua’s 35 targets via two video games ties a document for the quickest goal open to a season. Andre Rison had 35 targets to open 1994, and Roddy White collected 35 targets on the entrance of the 2010 season. 9 different gamers have totaled 30 or extra targets via two weeks of an NFL season: Antonio Brown, Tony Martin, Randy Moss, Julian Edelman, Jimmy Smith, Isaac Bruce, Herman Moore, Jordy Nelson and Michael Thomas. Plenty of star energy on that checklist.

After all, Nacua’s work is usually brief and intermediate — he is solely averaging 10.6 yards per catch. And he would not have a landing but. Everybody however Nacua on that 30-target-and-up question scored at the least as soon as on their season-opening push, and 6 gamers had a number of touchdowns. Certain, we like touchdowns.

Though teammate Tutu Atwell has additionally been a nice shock for the Rams (and is getting extra downfield love; Atwell is a precedence pickup in lots of leagues), the design of the offense has been all about Nacua. The rookie ranks third in first-read proportion (44.8%), trailing alphas Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson (I am too unhappy to speak about him proper now).

Matthew Stafford is off to a terrific begin and Sean McVay stays one of many smartest play designers within the league.

Backside line, even when Cooper Kupp comes again (ought to we be saying “if”?), Nacua is just too gifted to not have a meaty, fantasy-relevant position. And the Rams shall be underdogs as a rule, forcing them to chase the sport and construct passing quantity. This could possibly be a fantasy carnival.

Marvin Mims Jr., hiding in plain sight

Mims, the Denver rookie, percolated to the highest of many sleeper lists in the summertime. His debut was quiet — two brief catches, simply 17 snaps — and expectations had been low for the Week 2 sport towards Washington. Then Mims had a coming-out occasion Sunday, with a 60-yard landing catch, a 53-yard reception and a few runs for 10 yards. Not dangerous for 16 piddly snaps.

Let’s body it in a distinct context. Not dangerous for a piddly 5 routes run.

You possibly can view that route depend as a function or a bug. I want to border it as a function. If we assume rational teaching — and Sean Payton strikes most individuals as a rational coach — we’d infer that Mims is headed for an expanded position after this breakout efficiency. The Broncos prioritized Mims on draft day and traded as much as land him. Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton are high quality gamers however may fall in need of alpha standing.

There are a number of shifting components right here, after all. If Russell Wilson would not enhance his play, he is perhaps at risk of being benched — and that could possibly be a function or a bug for this offense, relying on how you are feeling about Jarrett Stidham.

Mims is at the moment rostered in 23% of Yahoo leagues. That quantity will swell considerably when the Wednesday AM waiver run is processed. Perhaps Mims is finest seen as a slow-developing Polaroid, somebody who could possibly be extra proactively utilized after Halloween, however I am nonetheless hoping a good variety of you’ll be able to stash him.

Say this for the Cardinals, they have been an entertaining watch. Certain, they’re 0-2, however it’s been a aggressive 0-2. Each video games had been winnable. (It is nonetheless surprising the Giants one way or the other pulled out Sunday’s comeback win. Choosing towards Arizona has been fruitful, however disturbing, for Survivor gamers.)

Ertz wasn’t on draft radars in the summertime. Who needs a catch-and-fall tight finish in his age-33 season? However Ertz has been a key consider Arizona’s offense thus far.

That 12-77-0 receiving line may go away you underwhelmed, however it’s helpful in any PPR-related league. Ertz checks in as TE6 in full PPR, and he is first on the place in first-read targets (30.2%). When the Cardinals go to the air, that is the prioritized man. Ertz additionally leads all tight ends in uncooked targets (18) and market share (29.5%).

Maybe the Cardinals are showcasing Ertz. Maybe a 33-year-old tight finish cannot be counted on for a full season. I simply know Ertz has a secure and juicy position in the mean time, and Play For Immediately is all the time a part of my fantasy ethos. Let’s financial institution early wins, attempt to get some leverage.

Jake Ferguson, below the radar in Dallas

You may win a whole lot of bar bets with this one — who leads the NFL in red-zone targets via two weeks? Clearly it is Ferguson, per the header, however your buddy would not know that. Ferguson has collected eight red-zone targets via two video games. Tyreek Hill, Zay Flowers, Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett and Zay Jones are all subsequent, with 5 (man, did the Jaguars accumulate “nearly touchdowns” in Week 2).

When you want your targets measured a little bit nearer, Ferguson nonetheless tracks. He has 5 targets inside the ten (first) and three targets contained in the 5 (tied for first).

The Cowboys, after all, have a monster protection they usually’ve gained each of their video games in routs. There shall be weeks the place the Dallas offense would not have a whole lot of passing quantity. Ferguson had a landing in Week 2 however in any other case, his 5-22-1 line is uninspiring. However there’s clearly latent upside right here. In case your league format justifies rostering two or maybe three tight ends, Ferguson is the right assist man.

Checking in with working backs

Remember to contemplate the backfields once we are monitoring goal knowledge and the varied sidebars. We like backs who can play in all sport scripts, who will not grow to be invisible if his workforce falls behind. Versatility is your good friend.

Two fascinating backs, Kyren Williams and Jaylen Warren, are on the high of the RB goal checklist, 12 every. Williams, Bijan Robinson (looks amazing) and Tony Pollard all have three red-zone targets, tied for first — Williams can also be among the many leaders in red-zone carries. Aaron Jones nonetheless leads the place in receiving yards, regardless of not enjoying in Week 2. (AJ Dillon seemed like he was working in quicksand within the loss at Atlanta; the Pack desperately wants Jones again.)

One option to enter the Circle of Belief is to catch every thing in your space. Rhamondre Stevenson (9-for-9). Rachaad White (7-for-7) and Chuba Hubbard (7-for-7) have achieved simply that.

On the flip facet, whereas dropped passes aren’t handled like fumbles, there are a handful of gamers with two drops already: Saquon Barkley, Joe Mixon, Joshua Kelley, Breece Corridor and the ever present Williams. Veteran gamers are not often taxed for drops, however we’ll see what occurs with the youthful guys.

Knowledge from Professional Soccer Reference, Fantasy Factors, and Rotowire was used on this article