Bang for your Buck, True Value of Wide Receivers. Pt 1

The pass-happy NFL has seen coaches place an importance on finding top-tier receiving talent. A true, number one receiver has often been the difference between a dynamic or an anemic offense. When thinking of elite receivers players like Julio Jones and Antonio Brown come to mind. But who comes after the "top-tier" receivers in the league?

Bang for your buck is going to give you an in-depth look at the Wide Receiver position and provide new analytical ways to evaluate them. Who should your team sign as a viable number two option? Need a game plan for your upcoming fantasy draft? Bang for your Buck will help you understand who are the studs and duds at Wide Receiver.

For this study I chose receivers who recorded a minimum of 500 receiving yards from the 2017-2018 regular season. A minimum of 500 receiving yards ensured that the players I am evaluating were factored into their teams game plan on a regular basis and seeing enough targets to be a reliable target.

For part one I wanted to rank receivers by their usage and production. This gives a sense of both their importance to the offense that they are in and their ability to get downfield with the ball. Players with a high value in this ranking are being thrown to often and are able to pick up large chunks of yards per reception. For fantasy owners, this is important (especially in PPR format) because receivers who perform well in this category will post consistent, high scoring performances.

Below are the five best and worst scores from my model

Best

1. Jarvis Landry- 18.29

2. Larry Fitzgerald- 12.41

3. Michael Thomas- 12.28

4. Demaryius Thomas- 12.08

5. DeAndre Hopkins- 11.06

Worst

1. JJ Nelson- 3.48

2. Chris Godwin- 3.57

3. Travis Benjamin- 3.71

4. Keelan Cole- 4.66

5. Albert Wilson- 4.69

No, I am not writing off Antiono Brown or Julio Jones. They are absolute game changers and should be at the top of any fantasy mock draft. However, it is impressive that Larry Fitzgerald was near the top of this list. About to enter his 15th season in the league it is incredible that Fitzgerald is still able to produce at a high level. As for the five worst, they were all younger receivers who understandably had lower targets and will surely see more opportunities as they see more time in the league. One player who was not listed above and everyone should keep an eye on is Jamison Crowder. Crowder is entering his 4th NFL season and posted a respectable 8.58. Crowder could be on the verge of a breakout season with new quarterback Alex Smith potentially using Crowder similar to the role Tyreek Hill has in Kansas City.

Next week I will examine receivers statistics against that of the entire offense to determine importance/reliance on each player.

antonio brown