Fantasy Index 2015 Redux: Wide Receiver

Alessandro Miglio's Fantasy Index 2015 Redux: Wide Receiver Alessandro Miglio Published 08/29/2016

Now that we've taken a good look back at the running back position, let's head over to the wide receiver position to see what the fantasy scoring was like at the position in 2015. The methodology at the receiver position is slightly different because of the nature of fantasy scoring. While there are a handful of receivers who take handoffs here and there, the Fantasy Index will focus on receiving for advanced metrics.

For the purposes of this article, all fantasy scoring is in points-per-reception (PPR) format.

  • Tgt%/16: The percentage of targets prorated over 16 games.
  • TD%: The receiving touchdown rate for a player
  • PPR: Points per reception
  • PPG: PPR points per game
  • FPS/16: Fantasy points shares prorated over 16 games intended to show the amount of fantasy scoring a player garners compared to the rest of his team
  • eFPS/16: A metric of FPS efficiecny based on the catch rate and receiving average for a player 

Rank Player Team Tgt%/16 Rec% TD% PPR PPR PPG FPS/16 eFPS/16
1  Antonio Brown PIT 32.7% 70.5% 5.2% 382.2 23.9 0.65 6.16
2  Sammy Watkins BUF 26.7% 64.5% 9.7% 218.8 18.2 0.63 7.06
3  Julio Jones ATL 32.7% 67.0% 3.9% 371.1 23.2 0.60 5.51
4  Brandon Marshall NYJ 28.6% 63.0% 8.1% 343.2 21.5 0.57 4.93
5  Jeremy Maclin KC 28.0% 70.2% 6.5% 244.9 16.3 0.55 4.85
6  Doug Baldwin SEA 21.1% 75.7% 13.6% 268.9 16.8 0.55 5.71
7  Odell Beckham Jr/td> NYG 27.1% 60.8% 8.2% 319.3 21.3 0.55 5.02
8  A.J. Green CIN 26.1% 65.2% 7.6% 275.7 17.2 0.55 5.36
9  Alshon Jeffery CHI 32.0% 57.4% 4.3% 158.7 17.6 0.54 4.63
10  DeAndre Hopkins HOU 31.0% 57.8% 5.7% 329.1 20.6 0.53 4.21
11  Larry Fitzgerald ARI 26.0% 74.7% 6.2% 284.5 17.8 0.51 4.21
12  Allen Robinson JAC 24.9% 53.0% 9.3% 304.0 19.0 0.50 4.64
13  Julian Edelman NE 24.9% 69.3% 8.0% 174.5 19.4 0.49 3.88
14  Keenan Allen SD 26.7% 75.3% 4.5% 163.5 20.4 0.49 3.99
15  Jarvis Landry MIA 28.4% 66.5% 2.4% 268.0 16.8 0.46 3.16
16  Mike Evans TB 31.0% 51.0% 2.1% 212.8 15.2 0.45 3.79
17  Eric Decker NYJ 23.3% 60.6% 9.1% 254.7 17.0 0.45 3.50
18  Demaryius Thomas DEN 29.2% 59.3% 3.4% 271.4 17.0 0.45 3.30
19  Steve Smith BAL 24.7% 63.0% 4.1% 131.0 18.7 0.44 4.07
20  Martavis Bryant PIT 22.7% 54.3% 6.5% 172.2 15.7 0.42 3.53
21  Ted Ginn Jr Jr CAR 22.1% 45.4% 10.3% 183.9 13.1 0.42 3.19
22  Calvin Johnson DET 23.6% 59.1% 6.0% 263.4 16.5 0.42 3.40
23  Tavon Austin STL 18.4% 59.8% 5.7% 196.7 12.3 0.42 2.26
24  Stefon Diggs MIN 22.8% 61.9% 4.8% 149.3 11.5 0.40 3.47
25  Emmanuel Sanders DEN 24.1% 55.5% 4.4% 228.4 15.2 0.40 3.33
26  Allen Hurns JAC 18.5% 61.0% 9.5% 227.0 15.1 0.40 3.91
27  John Brown ARI 19.2% 64.4% 6.9% 209.5 14.0 0.40 3.95
28  DeSean Jackson WAS 17.3% 62.5% 8.3% 106.8 13.4 0.38 4.23
29  Michael Crabtree OAK 24.1% 58.2% 6.2% 231.2 14.5 0.38 2.41
30  Brandin Cooks NO 19.3% 65.1% 7.0% 253.8 15.9 0.38 3.36
31  Jordan Matthews PHI 20.5% 66.4% 6.3% 232.7 14.5 0.37 2.91
32  Anquan Boldin SF 24.1% 62.2% 3.6% 171.9 12.3 0.37 2.65
33  Amari Cooper OAK 21.5% 55.4% 4.6% 214.7 13.4 0.35 2.92
34  Randall Cobb GB 22.5% 61.2% 4.7% 202.9 12.7 0.35 2.28
35  Michael Floyd ARI 17.9% 59.1% 6.8% 172.9 12.4 0.35 3.39
36  Marvin Jones CIN 20.4% 63.1% 3.9% 173.9 10.9 0.34 2.73
37  T.Y. Hilton IND 21.6% 51.5% 3.7% 211.4 13.2 0.34 2.86
38  Tyler Lockett SEA 14.8% 75.0% 8.8% 155.4 10.4 0.34 3.31
39  Pierre Garcon WAS 20.0% 64.9% 5.4% 185.7 11.6 0.33 2.34
40  Golden Tate DET 20.4% 69.8% 4.7% 211.4 13.2 0.33 2.11
41  Rishard Matthews MIA 15.1% 70.5% 6.6% 133.6 12.1 0.33 3.59
42  James Jones GB 17.3% 50.5% 8.1% 187.0 11.7 0.33 2.93
43  Jermaine Kearse SEA 14.4% 74.2% 7.6% 147.5 9.8 0.32 3.34
44  Travis Benjamin CLE 20.5% 54.4% 4.0% 195.8 12.2 0.32 2.48
45  DeVante Parker MIA 17.0% 52.0% 6.0% 93.4 11.7 0.32 3.14
46  Vincent Jackson TB 18.5% 53.2% 4.8% 105.3 10.5 0.31 2.76
47  Kamar Aiken BAL 19.9% 59.5% 4.0% 199.4 13.3 0.31 2.36
48  Terrance Williams DAL 18.3% 57.1% 3.3% 154.0 10.3 0.31 2.87
49  Steve Johnson SD 17.3% 69.2% 4.6% 112.7 12.5 0.30 2.30
50  Dez Bryant DAL 24.2% 43.1% 4.2% 89.1 9.9 0.30 1.67
51  Willie Snead NO 16.3% 68.6% 2.9% 187.0 12.5 0.30 2.90
52  Rueben Randle NYG 14.4% 63.3% 8.9% 184.7 11.5 0.30 2.63
53  Robert Woods BUF 19.7% 58.8% 3.8% 120.2 8.6 0.30 2.04
54  Leonard Hankerson ATL 16.9% 56.5% 6.5% 76.7 11.0 0.28 2.01
55  Kendall Wright TEN 17.4% 60.0% 5.0% 96.5 9.7 0.28 1.91
56  Donte Moncrief IND 17.0% 61.0% 5.7% 173.3 10.8 0.28 1.95
57  Nate Washington HOU 18.7% 50.0% 4.3% 136.8 10.5 0.27 1.90
58  Danny Amendola NE 15.8% 74.7% 3.4% 148.9 10.6 0.27 2.02
59  Albert Wilson KC 14.9% 66.0% 3.8% 94.7 7.9 0.27 2.27
60  Brian Hartline CLE 17.7% 62.2% 2.7% 110.3 10.0 0.26 1.86
61  Kenny Britt STL 15.2% 50.0% 4.2% 122.1 7.6 0.26 2.44
62  Cole Beasley DAL 14.2% 69.3% 6.7% 135.6 8.5 0.26 1.83
63  Markus Wheaton PIT 13.4% 55.7% 6.3% 148.9 9.3 0.25 2.39
64  Cecil Shorts HOU 17.6% 56.0% 2.7% 107.1 9.7 0.25 1.62
65  Torrey Smith SF 12.2% 55.0% 6.7% 123.3 8.2 0.25 2.76
66  Chris Hogan BUF 15.6% 61.0% 3.4% 93.4 7.2 0.25 1.89
67  Marquess Wilson CHI 15.0% 57.1% 2.0% 80.4 8.0 0.25 2.33
68  Jerricho Cotchery CAR 12.3% 72.2% 5.6% 107.1 7.7 0.24 2.19
69  Davante Adams GB 21.4% 54.3% 1.1% 104.3 8.7 0.24 1.27
70  Jamison Crowder WAS 14.1% 75.6% 2.6% 131.6 8.2 0.24 1.84
71  Philly Brown CAR 12.3% 57.4% 7.4% 103.5 7.4 0.24 1.95
72  Mike Wallace MIN 16.9% 54.2% 2.8% 98.9 6.6 0.23 1.53
73  Dorial Green-Beckham TEN 13.9% 47.8% 6.0% 110.9 7.9 0.23 1.88
74  Marques Colston NO 12.4% 67.2% 6.0% 121.0 9.3 0.22 1.73
75  Devin Funchess CAR 12.5% 49.2% 7.9% 108.3 6.8 0.22 1.62
76  J.J. Nelson ARI 9.4% 47.8% 8.7% 52.9 7.6 0.22 2.80
77  Brandon LaFell NE 17.1% 50.0% 0.0% 89.4 8.1 0.21 1.44
78  Dontrelle Inman SD 12.6% 55.6% 4.8% 101.6 8.5 0.20 1.57
79  Dwayne Harris NYG 11.1% 64.3% 7.1% 100.8 7.8 0.20 1.41
80  Jeremy Butler BAL 13.0% 70.5% 0.0% 67.3 8.4 0.20 1.64
81  Andre Johnson IND 13.1% 53.9% 5.3% 115.3 7.7 0.20 1.31
82  Jarius Wright MIN 11.7% 68.0% 0.0% 81.1 5.4 0.19 1.68
83  Harry Douglas TEN 14.9% 50.0% 2.8% 88.5 6.3 0.18 1.05
84  Roddy White ATL 12.7% 62.3% 1.4% 99.6 7.1 0.18 1.34
85  Seth Roberts OAK 9.1% 58.2% 9.1% 110.0 6.9 0.18 1.58
86  Josh Bellamy CHI 10.9% 59.4% 6.3% 53.4 5.9 0.18 1.27
87  Mohamed Sanu CIN 9.7% 67.3% 0.0% 91.5 5.7 0.18 1.46
88  Keshawn Martin NE 10.5% 64.9% 5.4% 63.5 7.1 0.18 1.30
89  Bryan Walters JAC 10.8% 71.1% 2.2% 74.8 6.8 0.18 1.47
90  Kenny Stills MIA 12.1% 43.5% 4.8% 89.0 6.4 0.17 1.23
91  Lance Moore DET 8.4% 67.4% 9.3% 86.7 6.7 0.17 1.32
92  Malcom Floyd SD 11.0% 43.5% 4.3% 104.1 6.9 0.17 1.35
93  Quinton Patton SF 12.2% 53.6% 1.8% 75.9 5.4 0.16 1.16
94  Darrius Heyward-Bey PIT 9.6% 53.8% 5.1% 64.4 5.9 0.16 1.28
95  Riley Cooper PHI 9.1% 53.8% 5.1% 65.7 6.0 0.15 1.29
96  Chris Givens STL 13.0% 37.0% 1.9% 63.1 4.5 0.15 1.00
97  Josh Huff PHI 7.9% 67.5% 7.5% 76.2 5.9 0.15 1.17
98  Ryan Grant WAS 10.1% 54.8% 4.8% 61.8 5.2 0.15 0.95
99  Brandon Coleman NO 7.3% 61.2% 4.1% 87.4 5.5 0.13 1.21
100  Andre Holmes OAK 6.7% 42.4% 12.1% 58.1 4.5 0.12 0.72

Broadly speaking, the numbers above tell us two things: how efficient a player was with his targets (PPT), and how much he was involved in the offense from a fantasy perspective (FPS/16). Prorating to 16 games levels the playing field, so to speak--we can see how much a player was involved in his team's fantasy output over a full season even if he only played 13 games. 

There is a bit of a mirage factor here in the numbers, too. A low PPT coupled with a high FPS/16 would indicate a player that relied on volume to score fantasy points, whereas a high PPT with a low FPS/16 could show a player performed well--perhaps overperformed--on relatively limited touches.

Now let's take a closer look at some standouts from the list.

Sammy Watkins, Buffalo Bills

Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD PPR PPG FPS/16 eFPS/16
93 60 1,047 17.5 9 218.8 18.2 0.63 7.06

Stop reading this right now if you are worried about Sammy Watkins’ health. You wouldn’t want to know what you’re missing out on, after all.

True, Watkins can’t seem to go a few weeks without at least dinging something up, so the caution is merited. But that caution is baked into his ADP--Watkins is currently being drafted as the 15th receiver off the board, a rather low spot for a guy who was a top-10 per-game scorer last season. Even more eye-popping than his gross averages is the fact he laps the field in eFPS/16 and was second to Antonio Brown in FPS/16.  

Jarvis Landry, Miami Dolphins

Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD PPR PPG FPS/16 eFPS/16
167 111 1,159 10.4 4 268.0 16.8 0.46 3.16

You know that guy in the NBA who scores 18 points per game but needs 20 shots to get there? That’s Jarvis Landry in the fantasy football realm.

Miami’s possession receiver--because, let’s face it, that’s his role in spite of his size--ranked 11th in PPR scoring last season, a fantastic finish in a vacuum. But we don’t live in a vacuum, do we? Because if we did, we would all be dead.

Landry’s fantasy value might get sucked out of the air lock this season if his efficiency metric is any indication. Not only did he rely on volume, but the third-year wideout averaged just 10.4 yards per reception thanks to an avalanche of short passes. What happens when Ryan Tannehill begins to spread the ball around to DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills more or dumping it off to Arian Foster in the flat? Will Landry be able to offset his diminished volume with deeper targets? The preseason says no.

Rishard Matthews, Tennessee Titans

Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD PPR PPG FPS/16 eFPS/16
61 43 662 15.4 4 133.6 12.1 0.33 3.59

Landry’s old teammate in Miami has found a new home and, theoretically, a bigger piece of the fantasy pie in Tennessee this season. If his modest breakout in 2015 is any indication, he should be able to feast this season.

Of course, Matthews is playing in a new offense that will likely throw the ball less, and there is no telling whether rookie standout Tajae Sharp will actually cut into his target share. But Matthews is cheap enough to take a worthwhile gamble given his aggregate ADP has him in the 15th round. That is practically free in most leagues.

Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos

Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD PPR PPG FPS/16 eFPS/16
177 105 1,304 12.4 6 271.4 17.0 0.45 3.30

In spite of his down year, Demaryius Thomas wound up ninth in fantasy scoring. His struggles with rapidly declining Peyton Manning and subpar Brock Osweiler were evident in his catch rate, which ticked in below 60 percent for the first time since Tim Tebow was throwing him the ball. That didn’t do much to help his eFPS/16, which is partially predicated on that number.

Now Trevor Siemien will be tossing him the football. He has looked ready to assume the mantle at quarterback this preseason, but we all know that playing well in the face of vanilla defenses means little without a track record.

Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders

Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD PPR PPG FPS/16 eFPS/16
130 72 1,070 14.9 6 214.7 13.4 0.35 2.92

None of Amari Cooper’s advanced metrics look particularly good in hindsight. But do they point to a huge sophomore campaign?

The fact he scored so well in spite of his 55 percent catch rate on just 21.5 percent of his team’s targets tells us he is primed to blow. That is if he develops as he should along with Derek Carr’s progression as a NFL starter. His volume and efficiency should improve, and with those the fantasy points will flow.

J.J. Nelson, Arizona Cardinals

Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD PPR PPG FPS/16 eFPS/16
23 11 299 27.2 2 52.9 7.6 0.22 2.80

Odds are you won’t be winning any fantasy leagues by drafting J.J. Nelson. The speedy wideout is, at best, the fifth receiving option in Arizona, good for stretching the defense and little else. Jaron Brown is getting more hype than Nelson--or John Brown for that matter--this offseason.

So why bring him up here?

There’s no reason why we can’t talk a little DFS here, though. Right?

Nelson is a GPP differentiator, one of those guys who could win someone a million dollars if utilized properly. He can explode at any given moment when he is on the field, and the Cardinals showed a propensity for throwing deep last season.  

Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD PPR PPG FPS/16 eFPS/16
68 51 664 13.0 6 155.4 10.4 0.34 3.31

One guy who has gotten hype this offseason certainly deserves it. The question is how much of a market share he will have in his own offense.

Tyler Lockett flashed his potential last season, scoring six touchdowns on 69 targets. Nice. With Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, Paul Richardson Jr, and Jimmy Graham around him, though, it's tough to see him gaining much more market share barring an injury in Seattle. He was a much better best-ball option than season-long, but he should be a good GPP option in DFS many weeks this season.

A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals

Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD PPR PPG FPS/16 eFPS/16
132 86 1,297 15.1 10 275.7 17.2 0.55 5.36

A.J. Green managed just 132 targets last season, a woefully low number for arguably the best receiver in the league. It was easy to look at that and say his target count should bounce back in a big way next season. But what if that simply isn’t in the cards in Cincinnati?

The Bengals passed the ball just 505 times last season. Some of that was due to the fact Andy Dalton missed time with injury, leaving the offense in the incapable hands of A.J. McCarron. But it’s obvious the Bengals had a balanced mentality on offense. They threw the ball 505 times--just 52 percent of the time, the fifth-lowest rate in the league. Part of that is due to Cincinnati’s winning ways--staked to a late lead, most teams will run the ball more often--and there is no reason to think the Bengals won’t be competing for the NFC North once again next season.

Hence, Green has a

Photos provided by Imagn Images
Tags:
Analysis Davante Adams Keenan Allen Danny Amendola Tavon Austin Cole Beasley Odell Beckham Jr Travis Benjamin Antonio Brown John Brown Martavis Bryant Derek Carr Randall Cobb Brandin Cooks Amari Cooper Jamison Crowder Andy Dalton Stefon Diggs Mike Evans Jimmy Graham A.J. Green T.Y. Hilton Chris Hogan DeAndre Hopkins Brian Hoyer DeSean Jackson Julio Jones Marvin Jones Jr Jarvis Landry Tyler Lockett Jordan Matthews AJ McCarron DeVante Parker Allen Robinson II Emmanuel Sanders Mohamed Sanu Willie Snead IV Kenny Stills Ryan Tannehill Sammy Watkins Albert Wilson Robert Woods
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