This is the Air Yards Report Week 4! Find out which players led Week 3 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 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 3
Rome Odunze | Chicago Bears – 245 Air Yards (1st Overall)
Rome Odunze season is finally upon us. After scoring a total of 7.4 fantasy points through the first two weeks, the first-round rookie receiver led the league in Air Yards last week enroute to a 23.4 fantasy point finish. After last week, Odunze leads the Bears in Air Yards on the season. Look for the Bears to continue to utilize him, especially down field, as he is averaging 2.3 Deep Targets per game.
Jauan Jennings| San Francisco 49ers – 149 Air Yards (3rd Overall)
Jauan Jennings was the leading scorer at the receiver position in Week 3 scoring 46.5 fantasy points. With Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle all out of the lineup, Jennings led the 49ers with 12 targets, 175 receiving yards, and scored three touchdowns. Even if Kittle returns in Week 4, you should be hard pressed to bench Jennings. Start him confidently as a WR3.
Players Who Disappointed But Will Bounce Back
Rashid Shaheed | New Orleans Saints – 105 Air Yards (13th Overall)
After a blistering start to the fantasy season, Rashid Shaheed tallied the dreaded doughnut in Week 3. He failed to corral any of his five targets but still saw 105 Air Yards. Surprisingly, this was a season high in Air Yards for Shaheed.
He is the Saints downfield threat averaging 18.8 yards of target distance. He remains a boom or bust fantasy option with a great chance to boom this week primarily matching up against Mike Hughes on the Falcons in this air yards report.
Brandon Aiyuk | San Francisco 49ers – 99 Air Yards (16th Overall)
Brandon Aiyuk saw 99 Air Yards last week along with 10 targets and failed to crest double digit fantasy points. After missing much of training camp, some ramp up time was should have been expected from Aiyuk until he started producing fantasy points. This is a reminder that they eventually will come. He is a player that you should target in re-draft trades if you are able to “buy low” and have some room on your bench.
Air Yards Player to Fade
Tre Tucker | Las Vegas Raiders – 107 Air Yards (12th Overall)
Tre Tucker saw 107 Air Yards and finished as a top eight wide receiver scoring 22.6 fantasy points in Week 3. He saw nine targets with the Raiders in catch up mode trailing the Panthers. This is likely an aberration, and it is unlikely Tucker tops 100 Air Yards in a game again this season barring an injury to Jakobi Meyers or Davante Adams. He’s still worth a mention in the air yards report.
Running Back to Prioritize
Cordarrelle Patterson | Pittsburgh Steelers – 20 Air Yards (6th Overall)
Cordarrelle Patterson finished as the RB38 in week three scoring 7.8 fantasy points. He saw a 34.3-percent snap share, his highest on the season as he subbed in for an injured Jaylen Warren.
With Warren questionable to play in Week 4, Patterson makes for a potential plug and play RB2 as the Steelers pass catching back if Warren is unable to play.
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