50 lines about 50 players: The fantasy stats to know for 2020

As the old adage suggests, “Numbers, they never lie.” Sometimes they can distort reality, but in this age of advanced analytics and information overload, there are several under-the-surface stats that lend insight into a player’s particular set of skills. Liam Neeson would agree. Here are 50 datapoints you should get familiar with before your fantasy football draft day: 

1. Allen Robinson, widely regarded as a borderline top-10 receiver per ADPs, finished No. 5 in contested catch rate in 2019. Reminder of his college/pro QBs: Matt McGloin, Christian Hackenberg, Blake Bortles, Chad Henne, Chase Daniel and Mitchell Trubisky. Please start Nick Foles, Nagy. 

2. The top taco among running backs in yards after contact per attempt, Tony Pollard, in spotty duty racked 4.51 in the category. He was also numero uno in yards created per touch. Muy caliente. 

3. Despite having a bunch of worthless sacks to throw to downfield last season in New England, Tom Brady tallied the ninth-highest deep-ball passer rating. Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Rob Gronkowski will be godsends in Tampa. 

4. Bills bulldog Devin Singletary saw the lowest number of eight-plus man fronts (5.5%) among rushers in 2019. Pretty astonishing considering Josh Allen couldn’t hit Lake Erie in the flat. 

5. “T-Rex” Teddy Bridgewater was the ultimate short-arm specialist last season with the Saints. No passer posted a lower average depth of target (6.1 yards). Good news for D.J. Moore. 

6. Noah Fant set the pace in YAC per reception at the tight end position with an 8.26 mark. If you include wide receivers, it was the third-highest output. 

7. DeVante Parker, in his Year 25 breakout season, finished the season No. 8 in contested catch rate. His nine touchdowns on 30 red-zone targets also moved the meter. You can have Preston Williams. 

8. Colts rookie rusher Jonathan Taylor, who refuses to let sleeves restrict him, was uncontainable last season with the Wisconsin Badgers. Among FBS rushers he ranked RB3 in total YAC and RB3 in total missed tackles. 

9. Kenyan Drake, freed from his football purgatory in Miami, ignited in the desert with Arizona. Over eight games with the Cards he was on a 1,622-total-yard, 56-catch, 16 combined-TD pace. 

10. Cam Newton unintentionally prepared for New England’s dink-and-dunk two years ago with Carolina. That season he ranked QB9 in adjusted completion percentage, QB5 in red-zone completion percentage and QB1 in play-action completion percentage. 

11. Ronald Jones was seventh-to-last in pass-blocking efficiency last season. On 49 snaps in those situations he allowed eight pass rushes, five hurries, two hits and one sack. Don’t sleep too hard on Ke'Shawn Vaughn. 

12. Julio Jones ranked No. 2 in total air yards, No. 3 in 0.5 PPR fantasy points among WRs and registered a 99-1,394-6 line all while ranking WR49 in catchable target percentage and WR55 in red-zone target percentage, tied with former Falcon Mohamad Sanu.

13. No wide receiver totaled more yards of separation per route than Pittsburgh’s Diontae Johnson. Imagine what the receiver could accomplish with a more competent Ben Roethlisberger at the helm. 

14. Hybrid rookie Antonio Gibson forced an absurd 33 missed tackles on 77 career touches with Memphis. He’s very unpolished, but hope for a midseason breakthrough in Washington is warranted. 

15. Positive TD regression candidate No. 1: Robert Woods, despite logging 129 targets, crossed the chalk an almost unfathomable two times in 2019. His resulting 13.2% red-zone target percentage was the lowest in the league among wideouts with at least 50% of team snaps played. 

16. The party thumped through the night at the Nick Chubb club. His 3.77 YAC per attempt and 23.6 missed tackle percentage ranked top-seven among eligible RBs. He, however, was RB15 in 0.5 PPR leagues Weeks 10-17 with Kareem Hunt on the field. 

17. Inexplicably, Patrick Mahomes ranked QB33 in red-zone completion percentage. If his touch inside the 20 from 2018 is rediscovered, he’s a strong candidate to eclipse 40 passing TDs. 

18. Employing the powerful FTN Splits tool, here are Tyler Boyd’s splits with A.J. Green active in 2018 (9 games): 6.1 receptions per game, 79.7 yards per game, five total TDs. Here are the splits without Green (5 games): 4.2 receptions per game, 62.2 yards per game and two TDs. You read that correctly. Boyd was actually more productive with Green on the field. 

19. Barely outdoing Kalen Ballage, which is the equivalent of outmaneuvering a parked Volvo, David Johnson tallied a sickly 2.08 YAC per attempt and forced 11 missed tackles on 130 touches. Good news: There’s only one direction to go for the Texans starter. 

20. Maestro of the mustache, Gardner Minshew, twirled the best deep-ball passer rating (122.0) of any quarterback in the NFL last fall. Add touch on short-to-intermediate throws and he could be a breakout candidate this season. 

21. Advanced analytics Titan A.J. Brown was otherworldly on a per-catch basis netting 20.2 yards per catch and the highest YAC per reception among WRs and TEs (8.88). He finished WR15 in 0.5 PPR fantasy points though No. 41 in total target share. Unsustainable alert! 

22. ARTHRITIC KNEE!!! Todd Gurley’s secondary profile continues to yield listless results. He checked in at RB39 in yards created per carry and RB35 in YAC per attempt. Go right ahead and bank on another 51 red-zone carries. They may be necessary to justify his RB17 ADP. 

23. Golden Tate, with an ADP in the 120s, continues to be a hidden gem. Over 11 contests last season with the G-Men he was WR26 in 0.5 PPR scoring. Per usual, he also nestled inside the top-10 in YAC per reception. 

24. The league’s newest “Joe Cool,” Joe Burrow, spun at least a 122.9 passer rating on every imaginable throw — short, intermediate, deep — last season with the national champ LSU Tigers. He also chipped in the second-best adjusted completion rate among FBS passers. 

25. Austin Ekeler in a secondary role with OC Shane Steichen calling the shots Weeks 9-17: 12.6 touches per game, 99.0 total yards per game, four touchdowns, 11.46 YAC per reception and 3.55 YAC per attempt. He was the 10th-most valuable RB during that span in 0.5 PPR.

26. Positive TD regression candidate No. 2: Leonard Fournette. The Jaguars pack mule notched the second-highest opportunity share and the sixth-most red-zone carries (46) among RBs yet he found the end zone a laughable three times. Why? As the FTN Fantasy Situation and Pace tool shows, the Jags passed it 71% of the time inside the 20. 

27. Philly powder keg Boston Scott ignited in Weeks 14-17 working in tandem with Miles Sanders. During the stretch he amassed 23 receptions, 87.5 total yards per game, a 3.97 YAC per attempt and was an impeccable three-for-three on carries inside the five. 

28. Vikes rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson generated the highest contested catch rate, a gargantuan 92.3%, last season with the LSU Tigers. He also graded out as the seventh-best wideout at the FBS level on opportunities between 10-19 yards. 

29. At the NFL level, Terry McLaurin was the nuts among WRs in contested catch percentage. He also added rock solid production in aDOT (13.9 yards) and yards per catch (15.8). If his WR40 standing in catchable target percentage increases, he should sail past 1,000 yards. 

30. Brandin Cooks is one year removed from slashing an 80-1,204-6 line. Last year with the Rams he was a punchline due to injuries and his knee-slapping WR96 catchable target percentage. Deshaun Watson’s more accurate arm could be just what the doctor ordered. 

31. Positive TD regression candidate No. 3: Alvin Kamara. The Saints RB’s red-zone carries in 2018: 51. His red-zone carries in 2019: 27. Considering the top-ranked line and myriad injuries he played through (knee, ankle and back), he could easily return 10-plus scores this fall.

32. Along atop the throne of missed tackle percentage is Josh Jacobs. Last year in his inaugural campaign, the Raider smashed and dashed his way to a 29.7% output in the category. 

33. Using the FTN splits tool, here are Tyler Higbee’s splits with Gerald Everett on the field (10 games): 3.5 receptions per game, 31.6 yards per game and one total TD. Here are Higbee’s splits without Everett (4 games): 8.5 receptions per game, 108.5 yards per game and 2 TDs. 

34. Receiving Adonis DK Metcalf hoarded targets near the goal line. His 30.9% red-zone target share tucked inside the position’s top-five. Meanwhile, his 18.6% end-zone target percentage set the WR pace. He finished with seven total touchdowns. 

35. Matthew Stafford blazed a fiery trail before a bad back saddled him. In Weeks 1-8 he averaged 312.4 pass yards per game and totaled eight touchdowns. That was good for a 4,998-yard and 38-TD pace over 16 games. He was also No. 1 in aDOT (11.4 yards). 

36. “Free Falling” is an appropriate theme song for Le'Veon Bell’s under-the-surface numbers. He pushed outside the top-40 among eligible RBs in YAC per attempt (2.67), missed tackle percentage (18.9) and yards created per carry (RB46). His volume masks clear career erosion.

37. Positive regression TD candidate No. 4: Darren Waller. The breakout tight end swallowed a heavy dose of tough luck. He hit the pylons only three times, though he finished TE6 in YAC per reception and lured almost an identical number of targets (117) as Kenny Golladay. 

38. Stiff-arming Father Time, Drew Brees set the pace in adjusted completion percentage (82.9%) last season. He also was the cleanest QB in the league, placed under duress on just 25.1% of his dropbacks. 

39. Carolina Swiss Army Knife Curtis Samuel shockingly ranked No. 8 in average depth of target (15.31) and No. 9 in total air yards according to the FTN Air Yards tool. New Panthers HC, Matt Rhule, plans to shift the former Buckeye all about. He’s a sneaky late-round stash. 

40. Squirt some Raheem Mostert on your sandwich and dig in. He ranked RB7 in YAC per attempt (3.50) and RB2 in yards created per carry. Adding muscle this offseason, expected to spearhead San Francisco’s RBBC and blessed with an elite O-line, he’s a sure-fire RB2 sporting a RB3 price tag. 

41. Reigning MVP Lamar Jackson threw 39 times inside the red zone cashing in 20 touchdowns. By comparison, Russell Wilson matched the TD output but on 20 more throws. Jackson broke common perception with his astonishing efficiency. If his QB12 and QB14 standings in red-zone and adjusted completion percentages, respectively, uphold, expect a harsh TD correction. 

42. Though the mighty Jeff Driskel and David Blough were under center over the regular season’s second half, Kenny Golladay converted 34 red-zone targets into nine touchdowns. He also ranked WR5 in 0.5 PPR production despite finishing a hilarious WR71 in catchable target percentage. 

43. Chris Carson is a tractor trailer with faulty brakes speeding downhill. His 3.63 YAC per attempt was No. 5 among rushers with at least 20% of their team’s attempts. He also ranked No. 13 or higher in yards created per carry and missed tackle percentage (23.5). 

44. KC’s Flash, Mecole Hardman, tallied the highest yards per target (13.7) and third-best average separation yards per target among wide receivers. The Chiefs have a ton of mouths to feed but if he can somehow entice 70-plus targets … 

45. Positive regression TD candidate No. 5: George Kittle. The Niners’ $70 million man has an end-zone allergy. Almost impossibly he totaled five TDs despite posting the fourth-highest YAC per reception among TEs and WRs (8.49) along with a very healthy 24.7 red-zone target percentage. 

46. Cowboys rookie CeeDee Lamb inflicted lethal damage after the catch with the Oklahoma Sooners in 2019. His 11.2 YAC per reception was one of the FBS level’s highest marks. He also ranked No. 2 in total missed tackles forced. Slated to be deployed all over the place for Dallas, he’s sure to have his moments in his first season. 

47. Among rushers with at least 150 attempts, no plowshare witnessed more eight-plus men fronts than defending rush champ Derrick Henry. Just over 35% of the time he battled loaded boxes. 

48. LA Chargers RB reception totals over the past three years: 148 (No. 1 among NFL teams), 107 (No. 6) and 92 (No. 11). Nyheim Hines, who caught 77.2% of intended looks from inaccurate Jacoby Brissett in ‘19, is a viable 60-plus catch RB this season with Philip Rivers manning the controls. 

49. Fear the beard? Over his final nine games of 2019, Ryan Fitzpatrick averaged a blistering 291.3 pass yards per game, 21.6 rush yards per game and totaled 17 touchdowns (3 rushing). In total fantasy points, only Lamar Jackson and Jameis Winston outperformed him during the span. If he can hold off Tua Tagovailoa, he has a good chance to surprise for the 100,000th time. 

50. As everyone drools over A.J. Dillon’s thighs, it’s important to give Aaron Jones credit where it’s due. He was No. 8 in yards created per carry and scored a touchdown once every 2.4 red-zone rush attempts. Efficient.