Fantasy Football Six Pack: JuJu Smith-Schuster has joined some elite company
It only took us nine weeks, but we're finally beginning to figure out a few things about the NFL in 2022. Here are six stats to help put all the nonsense into greater focus ...
408 – Justin Fields has rushed for 408 yards over his last four games, the fourth-highest total in the league regardless of position. He hasn't rushed for fewer than 60 yards in any of those four games; he's now on pace to run for over 1,100 yards for the year. There is a very good chance both Fields and Lamar Jackson are going to finish top-10 in rushing this season, which is just outrageous. Fields faces Detroit and Atlanta over the next two weeks, so his fantasy binge isn't about to end.
315 – JuJu Smith-Schuster has gained 315 yards after the catch so far this season, the fourth-highest total in the NFL. He ranks behind only Cooper Kupp (421), Justin Jefferson (367) and Tyreek Hill (347), which tells you this is a stat reserved for exceptional receivers. The next four guys on the list are Jaylen Waddle, Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown and Stefon Diggs. So, in case you hadn't noticed, Smith-Schuster has played his way into elite company statistically. He's now on pace for 93 catches and over 1,230 receiving yards. Wherever you drafted him, you've certainly profited.
15.0 – George Pickens has an average depth of target of 15.0 yards entering the season's second half and Chase Claypool's old workload (6.3 targets per game) suddenly needs to be redistributed. Pittsburgh's offense has been a complete embarrassment, of course, so we're not promising a WR1-ish finish for Pickens. But any potential uptick in his touches qualifies as an actionable fantasy event because that guy is a silly talent, capable of cartoonishly difficult catches.
11 – Josh Jacobs has been relatively quiet over the past two weeks, producing just 141 scrimmage yards on 32 touches without a touchdown. But let the record show that he was credited by PFF with 11 missed tackles forced on Sunday, the week's second-highest total among all running backs. He's now tied with Nick Chubb for the NFL lead in missed tackles (51). The quality of his play has definitely not regressed, even if the fantasy totals have slipped. Without question, you can trust him against the Colts in Week 10.
4.1 – The Indianapolis Colts are averaging just 4.1 yards per play over the past three weeks, making them the league's least efficient offense. Sam Ehlinger has averaged only 5.8 yards per attempt and we're still waiting for his first touchdown pass. Last week, the team gained 121 total yards. And the Colts have almost no one on the coaching staff with any play-calling experience. Things are bleak in Indy, friends. This is as tanky as tanking gets. We have to be on alert for a Jonathan Taylor shutdown and we can't think of Michael Pittman Jr. as an auto-start.
3 – The longest rush by any Chiefs running back on Sunday night went for three yards. Patrick Mahomes scrambled for 63 while the team's three-headed rushing committee ran for just 14 yards on a dozen carries. Clyde Edwards-Helaire led the way with four attempts for five yards. Tennessee's run defense is, of course, among the league's best, but, um ... yikes. It's entirely possible that the right answer in KC's backfield is "Nope."
