In this weekly article, Ryan Ramsarran uses the Advanced Stat Explorer and other RotoViz tools to dive deep into wide receiver usage trends. Usage is key for making waiver wire adds, start/sit decisions, and finding the next blowup WR in DFS. We’ll use the advanced WR metrics to highlight a few buy-low options at the position each week.
Week 3 is in the books, and like always it was full of some close games and some blowouts as well. Wide receivers especially had some huge games this week, headlined by the two veterans, Keenan Allen and Davante Adams, scoring over 40 fantasy points each.
Before we get into it, let’s have a quick replay of the 49-yard touchdown pass that Keenan Allen threw to Mike Williams:
KEENAN ALLEN TOUCHDOWN PASS TO MIKE WILLIAMS!
📺: #LACvsMIN on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/UQdQ05hqXN pic.twitter.com/IVqZX7j6UX— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2023
Routes Run and Routes per Target
Routes run is the first key statistic I’ll focus on because WRs need to be on the field to produce. The second statistic is routes per target. Unlike RB usage, targets are earned as a WR and routes per target is a helpful measure in figuring out which players are good (or which players coaches want to get the ball to).
*Routes for Monday’s games are not included