Fantasy Football Air Yards Reports For Week 2: DK Metcalf On The Go

Air yards. A trendy metric when it comes to wide receivers, but they often help us paint a picture on a wide receiver’s utilization, expected fantasy points and regression potential.

Fantasy Life has a tool solely dedicated to air yards, helping you get an idea of how pass-catchers are being utilized. Let’s take a look at some wide receivers that stand out from Week 1.

Air Yards Overview Ahead of Week 2

DK Metcalf | WR | Steelers

Week 1 air yards: 171 (2nd)

DK Metcalf could very well find himself on this list quite a bit throughout the season. And just like last year, he just couldn’t connect with Aaron Rodgers on deep passes in Week 1. Metcalf accumulated 171 air yards on Sunday, the second most in the NFL, accounting for 48% of Pittsburgh's total air yards.

Unfortunately, most of those air yards were unrealized.

Metcalf’s day ended with 4 catches for 40 yards on 10 targets. There were a handful of deep targets that were not converted, as Metcalf ran nine go routes, accounting for nearly 22% of his Week 1 usage. And while he’ll continue to see plenty of deep targets in this offense, there was one change with his usage in Mike McCarthy’s offense. Metcalf’s slant route rate skyrocketed to 23.8% on Sunday, way, way up from his 13.8% rate from a season ago. Given Rodgers’ propensity to hyper-target slant routes, this is a very, very encouraging shift for Metcalf if it holds. Over the last two seasons, no quarterback has targeted slant routes more than Rodgers (96).

Admittedly, I wasn’t very high on Metcalf entering the season, but we have to be fluid. And while his overall stat line won’t excite anyone, it also doesn’t tell the whole story. Metcalf is a viable buy-low candidate, especially for teams dealing with wide receiver injuries.

George Pickens | WR | Cowboys

Week 1 air yards: 108 (14th)

Outside of a CeeDee Lamb touchdown, Dallas’ passing game was pretty disappointing in Week 1. That’s especially true for George Pickens, who caught just 3-of-6 targets for 28 yards against the Giants. Pickens handled 40% of Dallas’ air yards, with go routes making up a whopping 37.5% of his usage. It’s only one week, but it was a bit surprising to see after the Cowboys utilized him much more on in-breaking routes during his first year with the team.

HC Brian Schottenheimer said in the offseason that Pickens would be moved around the formation more, but he ran only one route from the slot this past weekend. It was also a strange game where Dallas’ defense couldn’t get off the field, limiting the offense to just two second-half possessions. I’m interested to see how Pickens’ usage changes over the next few weeks, but regardless, a home matchup with a poor Washington secondary is the perfect get-right spot.

Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR | Cardinals

Week 1 air yards: 74 (32nd)

The raw air yards aren’t massive, but in his first game with new playcaller Mike LaFleur, Marvin Harrison Jr. remained a vertical target. His aDOT was over 24 yards, while running go routes nearly 30% of the time. Once again, more of the schemed underneath looks went to Trey McBride, Michael Wilson and even Kendrick Bourne, which will continue to make MHJ someone I want nowhere near my starting lineup. And while the Cardinals surprised in Week 1, we can’t forget that this is still a poorly projected team with the most difficult schedule in all of football.

Mike Evans | WR | 49ers

Week 1 air yards: 60 (44th)

I loved this usage from Mike Evans in his San Francisco debut.

Loved it.

Throughout his Tampa Bay tenure, Evans was mostly used deep down the field and at the goal line, which gave us massive fantasy upside. He’ll still see those looks in San Francisco, but they'll be paired with a lot more schemed looks from HC Kyle Shanahan. Last Thursday, Evans was mostly used on out routes from the slot and corner routes, using his physicality against man coverage. Three of his seven targets came from the slot, while Shanahan’s use of motion helped open Evans up in the middle of the field against zone coverage.

Don’t get me wrong. There will be plenty of weeks where Evans surpasses 100 air yards. But the overall usage is going to lead to much more consistent fantasy results, while the red-zone touchdown upside will always be there.