NFL Air Yards Report For Week 8: Malik Nabers & More

There’s perhaps nothing more tilting in fantasy football than unrealized air yards, but they do help paint a picture. Every Wednesday here at Fantasy Life, I’ll be highlighting some pass catchers who stood out in the NFL air yards department for the given week.

Let’s take a look at what happened in Week 7.

NFL Air Yards Report for Week 8 in Fantasy Football

Germie Bernard | WR | Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 7 air yards: 42 (37th)

When Bernard is getting double-digit targets, things, as you’d expect, will be great in fantasy.

But if he’s not, you could be pretty disappointed.

That’s what happens when a wide receiver is so heavily utilized around the line of scrimmage. Over the past two weeks, Bernard has just 63 total air yards, while seeing four targets off WR screens, the most in the NFL. Last week was yet another game where Aaron Rodgers rarely threw the ball down the field, as 30% of his pass attempts were at or behind the line of scrimmage. He also heavily targeted the running backs, as Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle combined for 10 targets. The Steelers continue to rank among the league’s most pass-heavy offenses, but given the fact that there’s virtually zero downfield usage, Bernard will continue to see a lot of targets to post strong fantasy lines.

Tre Tucker | WR | Las Vegas Raiders

Week 7 air yards: 99 (13th)

Tucker has now put together consecutive great fantasy outings, once again helped out by the Raiders chasing points and having to air it out. But hey, we love that for pass catchers. Tucker connected with Kirk Cousins on a 41-yard touchdown, giving him a 40-plus-yard gain in 3 of 7 games this season. Over the past two weeks, Tucker has accounted for 31% of the Raiders' air yards.

During that stretch, Cousins has dropped back to pass 89 times, the second-most in football. Tucker has now scored 44.8 PPR points in the fourth quarter of games, the fifth-most among all wide receivers on the season. With the Raiders' early-season start looking more and more like a mirage, Tucker should remain plenty busy.

Malik Nabers | WR | New York Giants

Week 7 air yards: 123 (5th)

It appears it doesn’t matter who is under center for the Giants.

Malik Nabers is quarterback-proof.

In J.J. McCarthy’s first start on Sunday, Nabers recorded 111 yards, his fourth consecutive 100-yard outing. When McCarthy entered the game in Week 6, he was very aggressive, but trailing 20-plus points, he had to be. But that continued this past weekend, as 19.2% of his passes went 20-plus yards, the fifth-highest rate in the league. Over the past two weeks, his 23.3% 20-plus-yard pass rate leads the NFL, giving Nabers plenty of opportunities to make explosive plays deep down the field. He ranks third in football in total air yards over the past two weeks, while averaging 11.5 air yards per target.

We’ll see if McCarthy can keep playing this well, but it’s encouraging to see him feed his WR1.