This is the Air Yards Report Week 6! Find out which players led Week 5 in Air Yards and how YOU should use Air Yards when setting your fantasy lineups.
PlayerProfiler is home to the award winning redraft rankings and tools. Our Player Rankings are second to none, and the World Famous Draft Kit contains detailed player write ups and cheat sheets to help You dominate fantasy drafts! Check it out.
What are Air Yards?
Air Yards measure how many yards the football travels past the line of scrimmage on a passing play. Some Air Yards have completed passes, and some are incomplete passes. They are not a perfect measurement of future fantasy success but a tool that we can utilize to help us make lineup decisions. In 2023, the Air Yards receiving leaders were Mike Evans, DeAndre Hopkins, Davante Adams, A.J. Brown, and Tyreek Hill. All five players, save for Hopkins, finished inside the top 10 in fantasy points on the season. In 2022, the Air Yards receiving leaders were Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown, and Stefon Diggs. All five players finished within the top six scorers at the WR position.
This season we will parse through the Air Yards Metric to help identify players who you should prioritize as starters in your fantasy lineups, players who disappointed but are likely to bounce back based on their Air Yards, and players you should feel free to fade despite voluminous Air Yards.
Air Yards Standouts that Shined in Week 5
Darnell Mooney | Atlanta Falcons – 192 Air Yards (3rd Overall)
Darnell Mooney has established himself as the clear-cut number two option in the Falcons passing attack after posting 31.5 fantasy points in Week 5. He has seen only four less targets on the season than Drake London, but Mooney has seen 51 more Air Yards on the season compared to London. Mooney should be treated as a set and forget WR3 play for the rest of the season especially if the Falcons continue to skew pass heavy.
Garrett Wilson | New York Jets – 167 Air Yards (6th Overall)
It easy to accumulate Air Yards when you see 22 targets like Garrett Wilson did last week. This was somehow only Wilson’s second game of the season with double digit targets. He and Aaron Rodgers continue to experience growing pains as they look to develop chemistry with one another. Hopefully, this is a building block for their relationship, and Wilson can finally pay off at his early round ADP.
Players Who Disappointed But Will Bounce Back
Marvin Harrison Jr. | Arizona Cardinals – 95 Air Yards (22nd Overall)
Marvin Harrison Jr. had his worst game since Week 1 posting only 5.6 fantasy points. However, he still saw seven targets and has a top 10 42.2-percent Air Yards Share on the season. He will continue to be fed deep targets down field. MHJ is best viewed as a WR2 with upside for the rest of the season.
Dontayvion Wicks | Green Bay Packers – 91 Air Yards (26th Overall)
After seeing 200 Air Yards last week, Dontayvion Wicks fell just nine yards shy of clearing the century mark in Air Yards again. With Christian Watson out with injury and Romeo Doubs suspended, Wicks led the Packers with seven targets in Week 5. Assuming either Watson or Doubs remain out in Week 6, he has a good shot of leading the Packers in targets again and realizing some Air Yards against the Cardinals this week.
Air Yards Player to Fade
Mack Hollins | Buffalo Bills – 128 Air Yards (12th Overall)
Mack Hollins saw six targets for the second consecutive week in Week 5. He also cleared 75 Air Yards for the second consecutive week. While Hollins’ usage is trending upward in the Bills offense, his usage is just too volatile to trust. With a 15.4 Average Target Distance, Hollins is best used in a daily fantasy tournament lineup and left on waivers in redraft.
Tight End to Prioritize
Dalton Kincaid | Buffalo Bills – 98 Air Yards (1st Overall)
Dalton Kincaid led all tight ends in Air Yards in Week 5 and is ranked inside the top 10 at the position in both Air Yards Share and Air Yards on the season. He is not going to be the TE12 in fantasy points for long with these metrics.
If you’re in need of tight end help, (and let’s be honest, who isn’t) Kincaid makes for a great “buy low” at the position.
For more articles from PlayerProfiler, check out the fantasy home page – NFL Fantasy | PlayerProfiler – Fantasy Football News & Media
