This is the Air Yards Report Week 4! Find out which players led the week in Air Yards and how YOU should use Air Yards when determining your fantasy lineups.
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 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. The only top-six WR not in the top five in Air Yards was CeeDee Lamb: he finished No. 9.
Air Yards Standouts Who Shined in Week 3
Davante Adams | Las Vegas Raiders – 240 Air Yards (1st Overall).
Davante Adams had himself a day this past Sunday torching the Steelers secondary for 13 receptions, 172 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 20 targets. There was some debate this offseason as to how Adams would mesh with newly acquired Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Thus far the results are great. Adams as scored at least 12 PPR fantasy points in each game this season and is second to only Tyreek Hill in Air Yards on the season. Father time has not yet caught up with Adams, as his age 30 season looks like it might be one of his best ever.
D.J. Chark | Carolina Panthers – 188 Air Yards (2nd Overall)
D.J. Chark saw only a 63.3-percent snap share in Week 2. However, his snap share shot up to 94-percent in Week 3 with rookie Johnathon Mingo sidelined with a concussion. Chark made the most of his opportunity catching four of 11 targets for 86 yards and a touchdown.
If Mingo is unable to clear concussion protocol this week, Chark makes for a great week four boom-bust desperation play against an exploitable Vikings secondary.
Amari Cooper | Cleveland Browns – 145 Air Yards (10th Overall)
Last week we highlighted Amari Cooper’s teammate, Elijah Moore as a player that would bounce back. Moore had a fine game against a hapless Titans secondary, but it was Cooper who stole the show. Amari Cooper posted seven receptions on for 116 yards and touchdown. He should have had an even bigger day as he was en route to another touchdown score before being mistakenly called out of bounds for a touchdown. Cooper is a WR2 with WR1 spike week upside for the rest of the season.
Players Who Disappointed but will Bounce Back
Calvin Ridley | Jacksonville Jaguars – 108 Air Yards (24th Overall)
Since his Week 1 tour de force in which Calvin Ridley posted 24.1 PPR fantasy points, Ridley has failed to eclipse double digit fantasy points. As pointed out by Jordan McNamara on twitter/X, through three weeks, Ridley and Gabe Davis, shockingly, have roughly the same amount of fantasy points. While the Jaguars offense has struggled, Ridley has seen at least 73 Air Yards and seven targets in each game this season. Look for a course correction in London, against Ridley’s former team, the Falcons. Ridley is best viewed as a WR3 with upside.
Through three weeks:
Gabe Davis PPR points: 36.7
Calvin Ridley PPR points: 36.3 pic.twitter.com/jRkmztJxZy
— Analytics of Dynasty (@McNamaraDynasty) September 25, 2023
Jerry Jeudy | Denver Broncos- 122 Air Yards (18th Overall)
Jerry Jeudy is still working his way back from a hamstring injury and saw 76-percent of the snaps last week in the Broncos embarrassing week three defeat against the Dolphins. Jeudy was able to salvage his fantasy day with some garbage time production.
However, he saw more Air Yards than Courtland Sutton in this match up despite seeing four less targets and playing 19-percent less snaps. Jeudy faces an atrocious Bears secondary in Week 4 and should be able to turn in a solid fantasy day. He is a WR3/flex play.
Jayden Reed | Green Bay Packers – 97 Air Yards (30th Overall)
Jayden Reed saw 60 fewer Air Yards and five less targets than Romeo Doubs who led the Packers receivers in fantasy points last week. However, Reed remains a focal point of the Packers passing attack, failing to see less than 60 Air Yards in each game this season. While there is some caution with playing him this week, especially with the potential returns of Aaron Jones and Christian Watson, Reed makes for an intriguing desperation play this Thursday against Lions. If Watson and Jones are active, he is a WR5 with upside.
