Advertisement

Fantasy Football Six-Pack: One number explains how Lamar Jackson is breaking the game

Let's take another shot at deciphering a few things about a generally indecipherable league. Here are six fantasy football relevant stats to help you better understand the NFL as we head into Week 4 ...

85.4 - With three games in the books, Lamar Jackson has accounted for an astonishing 85.4 percent of the Ravens' total yardage via his passing and rushing contributions. He's averaged a career-best 249.7 yards per game through the air and 81.0 on the ground. Jackson leads the NFL in both passer rating (119.0) and yards per carry (9.3), which is simply ridiculous. This is, to say the least, historic stuff. He's been silly:

Baltimore currently ranks eighth in the league in rushing, averaging 135.3 yards per game and 5.6 per carry. But if we remove Jackson's contributions, the team ranks dead-last at 54.3 YPG and 3.5 YPC.

Somehow, Jackson has been better and more efficient than he was in 2019, his MVP season.

41 - Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been on the field for just 41 percent of Kansas City's offensive snaps, a career low. He's been out-snapped (though not out-touched) by Jerick McKinnon in each of the past two weeks. CEH hasn't been a fantasy problem, obviously, as he's made three house calls and caught 12 passes. But it's no simple feat to maintain RB1 status on 10-12 touches per week, playing fewer than half the team's snaps.

Kansas City Chiefs Running Back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (25) has been a good fantasy asset thus far
Is CEH's fantasy production this season a mirage? (Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

19.3 - Chris Olave's average depth of target has been 19.3 yards, the second highest of any receiver who's seen more than five chances thus far. He's played at least 45 snaps in every game and he actually leads all Saints receivers in routes run. It may seem weird to suggest that a guy coming off a 147-yard game is a buy-low in fantasy, but that's probably the case with Olave. There's no way we've seen his best just yet. At some point soon, he's going to absolutely detonate. His upcoming schedule is loaded with friendly matchups.

11 - This is the total number of receptions by all Bears wide receivers for the season, an objectively hilarious number. Across the league, seven different players have already produced games with at least 11 catches this year; Cooper Kupp has done it twice. At the moment, there is really no offense in the NFL that looks anything like this nonsense in Chicago. Justin Fields has averaged just 15.0 pass attempts per game and has completed only 23 throws. It's a hopeless offensive environment for anyone who isn't a running back (see our last blurb below).

6.7 - The Arizona Cardinals defense is allowing 6.7 yards per play so far this year, the worst rate in the league. Arizona also ranks next-to-last in yards per pass attempt allowed (8.4), so, if DJ Moore intends to gain yardage at some point, this would seem to be a good week in which to do it. Baker Mayfield has of course been mostly dreadful for the Panthers, completing only 51.9 percent of his attempts with exactly one touchdown pass in each game. If Carolina can't manage to move the ball against the Cards, none of the team's receivers can be trusted the following week against the Niners.

4.82 - Khalil Herbert has gained 4.82 yards after contact per attempt this season, best in the league among anyone with 10 or more carries. He's also third in the NFL right now in YPC at 7.3. Nine of his 33 attempts have gone for at least 10 yards. By any measure, he's been fantastic. Herbert is about to face a Giants defense that's allowing 5.3 YPC on the season and just gave up big games to both Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, so the second-year Bears back is a clear must-start.

Listen to the Yahoo Fantasy Football Forecast

This embedded content is not available in your region.