This is the Air Yards Report Week 11! Find out which players led Week 10 in Air Yards and how YOU should use Air Yards when setting your fantasy lineups.
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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 come from 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.
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 Who Shined in Week 10
Ja’Marr Chase | Cincinnati Bengals — 264 Air Yards (1st Overall)
Ja’Marr Chase had a historic Week 11 posting a slate breaking 55.4 fantasy points with 11 receptions 364 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Chase is now the only wide receiver this season averaging over 20 fantasy points per game. Even with Tee Higgins likely returning week, Chase is set to smash again against the Chargers.
Calvin Ridley | Tennessee Titans — 149 Air Yards (3rd Overall)
Since the DeAndre Hopkins trade, Calvin Ridley has averaged 146 Air Yards and 20.1 fantasy points per game. He has more than 100 Air Yards in seven out of nine games this season. He is coming off a week where he scored 25.4 fantasy points after securing five receptions for 84 yards and two touchdowns. It may sound strange, but Ridley’s Prayer Yards have been answered since the Hopkins trade, and he remains a no brainer WR2 play in redraft formats.
Players Who Disappointed but Will Bounce Back
Jameson Williams | Detroit Lions— 140 Air Yards (4th Overall)
Jameson Williams returned from a two-game suspension and led the Lions in Air Yards in Week 10. Despite seeing 140 Air Yards, he only scored 8.3 fantasy points. Williams has been a volatile play this season which is to be expected from a player with an average target distance of 15.6 yards. Through seven games played, Williams has four games in which he finished as a top 25 wide receiver and two games where he failed to crest two fantasy points. He does have a great matchup this week against the Jaguars and is a preferred flex play.
Kayshon Boutte | New England Patriots — 117 Air Yards (9th Overall)
After scoring 14.9 fantasy points in Week 6, Kayshon Boutte failed to score double digit fantasy points again despite averaging 93 Air Yards in the next four contests. Despite this lack of production, Boutte continues to see copious amounts of Air Yards from exciting rookie Drake Maye.
He has also seen six targets in each game over the past three games. If you are in a rough spot and in need of a desperation flex, you could do a lot worse than having Boutte in your lineup.
Air Yards Player to Fade
Marquez Valdes-Scantling | New Orleans Saints – 109 Air Yards (15th Overall)
An Air Yards frequent flyer, Marquez Valdes-Scantling saw 109 Air Yards on only three targets in his debut with the Saints. He hauled in 109 yards and 2 touchdowns scoring 25.9 fantasy points. Chase was the only receiver to outscore MVS in Week 10. But with a 17.8 average target distance, this performance reeks of flukiness. Josh Larky said it best with how you should treat MVS in fantasy this week.
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