This is the Air Yards Report Week 10! Find out which players led Week 9 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 9
Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Seattle Seahawks — 227 Air Yards (1st Overall)
Jaxon Smith-Njigba looked like vintage Cooper Kupp in week nine. He was deployed all over the field and saw 13 targets catching seven receptions for 180 yards and two touchdowns. He finished as the WR1 on the week. This performance was reminiscent of week two when JSN saw 172 Air Yards on 16 targets. While JSN is on bye this week and DK Metcalf may return in Week 11, I’d be hard pressed to keep this type of week winning upside on my fantasy bench.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba – Next Gen Stats Route Chart
Courtland Sutton | Denver Broncos — 132 Air Yards (4th Overall)
With Bo Nix playing well, Courtland Sutton has realized some Air Yards lately. He has seen at least 130 Air Yards and double digit targets the past two weeks. He finished as the WR6 in fantasy points in Week 9. This fantasy production is a long way away from his first two games to start the season where Sutton saw a total of 208 Air Yards and scored only 11.4 fantasy points. Look for Sutton to continue to post solid WR2 production this week against the Chiefs.
Players Who Disappointed but Will Bounce Back
Christian Watson | Green Bay Packers— 145 Air Yards (2nd Overall)
Christian Watson saw a season high 145 Air Yards on seven targets last week against the Detroit Lions. Unfortunately, he didn’t capitalize on those opportunities catching only three passes for 37 yards. While the Packers receiving room will likely continue to frustrate fantasy players as targets will be widely dispersed, Watson did lead the room in Air Yards and targets in Week 9. With the Packers on bye this week, look for Watson to continue to rest up his ankle injury which has continued to linger since Week 4. Watson could be the wide receiver you want in Green Bay after the bye week.
Keenan Allen | Chicago Bears — 131 Air Yards (6th Overall)
Keenan Allen saw a season high 131 Air Yards last week. He had 96 Air Yards the week prior. Despite this opportunity Allen scored 7.6 and 5.9 fantasy points respectively. The Bears offense appears in disarray. However, they are just too talented of a squad for this type of offensive ineptitude to continue.
When the offensive production picks up, Allen is set up to be the one of the main benefactors. He is not a player I would start confidently presently but is a solid hold in a typical redraft league to help navigate some tough bye weeks ahead.
Tight End to Prioritize
Dalton Schultz | Houston Texans — 92 Air Yards (1st Overall)
With Nico Collins likely to miss Week 10, start Dalton Schultz with confidence. Despite failing to finish as a top 12 tight end in any week thus far this season, Schultz makes for a fine play as he has seen at least 50 Air Yards and six targets his past two games.
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