NFL Air Yards Tool, Week 11: Leaders of Week 10

Each week in this space, I’m going to take a trip through the FTN air yards tool to find some of the most interesting and actionable takeaways for fantasy football.

Air yards represent the distance the ball travels from the line of scrimmage to the intended target. Regardless of whether a pass was complete or incomplete, air yards measure the amount of ground covered from passer to pass catcher. It does not account for the yards after catch on a completed pass. When calculating air yards, it’s important to keep in mind that not all air yards are created equal. An on-target throw is much more valuable than an uncatchable ball, even if the air yards are greater. Although air yards are not inductive of fantasy success, it’s a great way to calculate opportunity. The Weighted Opportunity Rating incorporates players’ share of team targets and the percentage of team air yards. Fantasy scoring is difficult to predict; however, opportunities are usually a stick stat and can translate to current and future output. Every week I will go position by position, highlighting the leaders in air yards. You can access the free air yards tool at FTN Fantasy.

Week 10 Air Yards Leaders

Quarterback

Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos

(435 air yards, fantasy QB21)

The Broncos’ offense continued to struggle with Russell Wilson under center, falling 17-10 in Tennessee against the Titans. After jumping out to a 10-0 lead in the second quarter, Denver gave up 17 unanswered points and was completely shut out in the second half. Wilson matched his season-high in attempts (42) while throwing for 286 yards, his second-highest mark all year. Despite leading the league in air yards, fantasy Wilson barely finished as a top-20 quarterback (QB21) and had the third-lowest PFF passing grade, tailing only John Wolford and PJ Walker.

Runner-up: Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings (430 air yards, fantasy QB16)
Season leader: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (2,953 air yards, fantasy QB1)

Wide Receiver

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

(211 air yards, fantasy WR2)

In what many are already calling the game of the year, Justin Jefferson put on a show Sunday, setting a career-high in targets (16) and receiving yards (193). Week 10 was the 20th time Jefferson cleared 100 receiving yards, the most by a player in his first three seasons. Jefferson made a number of critical catches to keep the Vikings in the game, but his fourth down conversion in the 90 minutes of regulation was one to remember and may go down as the greatest contested catch in NFL history. He became the second receiver to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards this year (1,160), trailing only Tyreek Hill on the season.

Runner-up: Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders (188 air yards, fantasy WR10)
Season leader: Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins (1,251 air yards, fantasy WR1)

Tight End

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

(135 air yards, fantasy TE25)

For a second straight week, Kyle Pitts led all tight ends in air yards (135) while finishing outside the top 24 at the position. He saw a team-high eight targets, catching just two for 28 yards and no touchdowns. It was the seventh time in eight games Pitts was held under 30 receiving yards and the fourth game with two or fewer catches. Pitts has eclipsed 7-plus targets in three straight games, and although the volume is encouraging, the production has not translated. On the season, Pitts leads all TEs in air yards (784) but has the 14^th-most receiving yards at the positions (313).

Runner-up: Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears (79 air yards, fantasy TE1)
Season leader: Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons (784 air yards, fantasy TE20)

Running Back

Jerick McKinnon, Kansas City Chiefs

(27 air yards, fantasy RB20)

Since Andy Reid named Isiah Pacheco the starter in Week 7, the Chiefs backfield has shifted from a three-headed committee to just two, featuring Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon. Clyde Edwards-Helaire seems to be getting phased out of the offense, playing a season-low 6% of snaps and logging 0 touches in Week 10. Pacheco led the backfield in snap share at 56%, followed by McKinnon at 38%. Although McKinnon had just one carry for two yards Sunday, he led the team in targets (8), catching six passes for a season-high 56 yards. Entering Week 11, three of the Chiefs’ top wide receivers have missed practice which should bode well for McKinnon’s outlook as another threat in the receiving game and the primary back in passing situations.

Runner-up: Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers (21 air yards, fantasy RB27)
Season leader: Breece Hall, New York Jets (147 air yards, fantasy RB20)