The Stats Room: Zman's WR Projection Model

The Stats Room: Zman's WR Projection Model

This article is part of our The Stats Room series.

After creating a basic projection model for quarterbacks (The Zman's), I've moved onto wide receivers. Truthfully, I wanted an easier task with just a few stats on which to concentrate. The projections for wide receivers stabilize quickly and need to be regressed quite a bit less than the quarterbacks. These projections can give a person a good read on their talent level. The key now is figuring out how each team's targets will get distributed.

These projections have no team context information. They are bare bones for now. They were created in the image of Marcels in which Tom Tango did baseball players.



As Tom describes it, "... uses as little intelligence as possible. So, that's the allusion to the monkey."



I went with the same approach with just a tad more detail in the weights and regression. The basic procedure was to take a three-year weighted sample, regress the data as needed and then add an aging factor. I did not project playing time, which I'll discuss later. 

Compared to the quarterbacks (and running backs, which I've started), the wide receiver stats are not regressed as much. There is more distinction between the good and bad wide receivers. Their job is to just to catch the ball and run. They are less reliant on those around them. That said, here are the categories I projected:

Note: I stayed away from lumping tight ends with wide receivers to see if there are any major differences. I will eventually

After creating a basic projection model for quarterbacks (The Zman's), I've moved onto wide receivers. Truthfully, I wanted an easier task with just a few stats on which to concentrate. The projections for wide receivers stabilize quickly and need to be regressed quite a bit less than the quarterbacks. These projections can give a person a good read on their talent level. The key now is figuring out how each team's targets will get distributed.

These projections have no team context information. They are bare bones for now. They were created in the image of Marcels in which Tom Tango did baseball players.



As Tom describes it, "... uses as little intelligence as possible. So, that's the allusion to the monkey."



I went with the same approach with just a tad more detail in the weights and regression. The basic procedure was to take a three-year weighted sample, regress the data as needed and then add an aging factor. I did not project playing time, which I'll discuss later. 

Compared to the quarterbacks (and running backs, which I've started), the wide receiver stats are not regressed as much. There is more distinction between the good and bad wide receivers. Their job is to just to catch the ball and run. They are less reliant on those around them. That said, here are the categories I projected:

Note: I stayed away from lumping tight ends with wide receivers to see if there are any major differences. I will eventually create tight end projections.

Receptions per Target: A three-year weight average is used with the most recent season getting almost 60 percent of the projection. It was barely regressed and stabilized at 10 targets. Additionally, its aging curve peaks at age 25 and then begins its decline.

Yards per Reception:
A three-year weight average is used with the most recent season only getting weighted at ~45 percent. This aging curve is more of a downward plunge with receivers losing about a third of a yard per catch per season. Again, little regression is used with the value stabilizing after just 12 catches.

Touchdowns per Reception:
A three-year weight average is used with each of the last three seasons getting even weight. The aging curve is a downward slope from with no upward trend. Also, little regression was added with the stat stabilizing quickly.

I was worried this stat was just a proxy for yards per reception. The more yards a receiver could run, the more touchdowns they got. To see if this was true, I compared the yards per reception to touchdowns per reception and ended up with an r-squared of 0.24. There is some correlation but some guys seem to find the end zone while other can't. At some future date, I do want to compare red-zone production to see if it a repeatable skill.

Fumbles per reception:
A three-year weight average is used with the most recent season only getting weighted at more than 60 percent. Also, this value is regressed an insane amount, more than 100 receptions. While I didn't just use the league average, I probably could have.

With the descriptions out of the way, here are the projections. I included any receiver who caught one pass in 2016 in the projections (rookies later).

Note: I used the database designation for positions (e.g. wide receiver, running back, etc). Some players like Ty Montgomery got grouped in here with relievers.

PLAYERAGECATCH%Y/RECTD/RECFUM/REC
A.J. Green 29 65.7 14.0 8.2 0.97
Aaron Burbridge 24 55.4 10.7 5.3 1.73
Adam Humphries 24 67.6 10.5 4.2 0.84
Adam Thielen 27 73.6 12.8 5.5 1.23
Albert Wilson 25 61.8 10.8 5.5 0.90
Aldrick Robinson 29 62.5 12.7 7.3 1.07
Alex Erickson 25 68.5 10.6 5.5 1.15
Allen Hurns 26 55.0 13.5 10.9 1.03
Allen Robinson 24 53.2 13.1 9.7 0.69
Alshon Jeffery 27 58.7 13.7 7.6 0.76
Amari Cooper 23 61.9 13.2 6.6 0.87
Andre Holmes 29 53.4 11.9 11.3 1.02
Andre Johnson 36 48.7 10.8 6.2 1.16
Andre Roberts 29 56.6 11.6 5.2 1.72
Andrew Hawkins 31 61.1 10.7 4.3 1.11
Anquan Boldin 37 60.6 10.3 7.1 0.88
Antonio Brown 29 69.9 12.5 9.0 0.89
Arrelious Benn 29 59.2 12.3 7.7 1.15
Bennie Fowler 26 56.6 11.5 4.9 1.06
Bradley Marquez 25 59.5 9.5 4.4 1.13
Bralon Addison 24 66.7 10.4 6.1 1.79
Brandin Cooks 24 68.3 12.9 8.4 0.67
Brandon Coleman 25 66.8 11.7 7.5 0.95
Brandon LaFell 31 58.6 12.4 7.0 0.81
Brandon Marshall 33 52.7 12.5 10.1 1.08
Brandon Tate 30 63.3 11.8 6.5 1.20
Braxton Miller 25 58.9 8.9 6.3 1.09
Brenton Bersin 27 62.9 10.7 5.3 1.50
Breshad Perriman 24 54.3 12.8 7.3 0.99
Brian Quick 28 53.8 12.4 7.0 0.91
Brice Butler 27 55.2 13.1 8.1 1.03
Brittan Golden 29 62.0 10.1 7.1 1.71
Bryan Walters 30 68.8 10.2 5.1 1.44
Bryce Treggs 23 48.8 11.9 5.9 1.17
Cameron Meredith 25 69.1 12.2 5.3 1.68
Cecil Shorts 30 51.7 10.9 3.4 1.27
Charles Johnson 28 58.5 12.0 4.3 1.01
Charone Peake 25 58.9 10.0 4.2 1.07
Chester Rogers 23 59.7 11.9 4.2 1.07
Chris Conley 25 63.9 11.0 4.0 0.89
Chris Harper 24 62.9 10.1 4.6 1.38
Chris Hogan 29 66.4 13.5 7.5 1.35
Chris Moore 24 55.4 9.5 5.3 1.14
Cobi Hamilton 27 62.1 11.6 8.8 1.05
Cody Core 23 64.4 10.8 4.4 1.08
Cody Latimer 25 60.3 10.0 5.8 1.10
Cole Beasley 28 74.5 10.6 7.5 1.19
Cordarrelle Patterson 26 70.7 9.4 4.0 1.17
Corey Brown 26 56.4 12.0 7.7 0.99
Corey Coleman 23 50.0 11.3 7.3 0.99
Damiere Byrd 24 66.7 10.5 6.1 1.18
Daniel Braverman 24 58.1 10.4 6.3 1.19
Danny Amendola 32 71.2 9.6 7.2 1.45
Darren Waller 25 60.4 9.7 8.5 1.12
Darrius Heyward-Bey 30 49.3 13.0 8.5 1.15
Davante Adams 25 61.8 11.4 9.1 1.08
De'Anthony Thomas 24 71.4 8.3 3.8 1.34
DeAndre Hopkins 25 56.9 12.8 7.3 0.68
DeAndre Smelter 26 66.7 10.8 6.1 1.18
Demarcus Ayers 23 61.2 9.9 7.1 1.13
Demarcus Robinson 23 64.4 10.4 6.3 1.19
Demaryius Thomas 30 61.8 12.3 6.6 1.53
Deonte Thompson 28 63.2 11.5 6.9 1.58
DeSean Jackson 31 57.6 16.7 8.6 1.00
DeVante Parker 24 63.2 13.3 7.2 0.82
Devin Funchess 23 47.7 13.5 11.8 1.21
Devin Hester 35 60.1 11.5 5.6 1.83
Devin Smith 25 49.5 11.0 6.9 1.44
Devin Street 26 52.2 11.4 6.9 1.45
Dez Bryant 29 55.7 13.9 14.0 1.17
Dezmin Lewis 25 61.3 10.4 6.3 1.19
Donte Moncrief 24 59.9 11.1 11.0 0.84
Dontrelle Inman 28 60.9 12.8 6.2 1.01
Dorial Green-Beckham 24 52.0 12.2 7.5 0.90
Doug Baldwin 29 74.5 12.0 9.1 0.64
Dwayne Harris 30 64.1 10.9 8.6 1.77
Eddie Royal 31 72.1 10.0 6.9 0.94
Eli Rogers 25 72.7 11.0 5.2 1.31
Emmanuel Sanders 30 59.7 13.2 7.0 0.99
Eric Decker 30 59.3 12.7 10.2 1.09
Eric Weems 32 66.6 10.3 8.6 1.18
Freddie Martino 26 68.0 11.9 7.2 1.13
Geremy Davis 25 58.9 10.3 6.0 1.18
Geronimo Allison 23 60.4 12.3 7.7 1.08
Golden Tate 29 68.9 10.9 4.7 1.10
Greg Salas 29 59.7 12.9 6.3 1.14
Griff Whalen 27 66.9 10.4 5.4 1.76
Harry Douglas 33 58.7 11.1 4.3 1.20
Isaac Fruechte 26 61.3 10.4 6.3 1.19
Isaiah Burse 26 52.3 10.4 6.3 1.28
J.D. McKissic 24 66.9 10.0 5.9 1.17
J.J. Nelson 25 50.3 15.1 10.4 1.68
Jaelen Strong 23 61.1 10.2 7.7 1.05
Jakeem Grant 25 61.3 10.4 6.3 1.80
Jalin Marshall 22 64.5 10.6 8.2 2.22
James Wright 26 64.4 10.1 4.3 1.10
Jamison Crowder 24 70.8 11.2 6.6 1.32
Jared Abbrederis 27 56.5 10.6 4.4 1.13
Jarius Wright 28 69.4 11.3 4.0 1.23
Jaron Brown 27 54.7 11.8 7.2 1.05
Jarvis Landry 25 71.5 10.5 4.3 1.40
Je'Ron Hamm 25 62.3 10.1 6.0 1.18
Jeff Janis 26 57.3 11.8 8.6 1.09
Jeremy Butler 26 70.5 10.6 3.3 1.08
Jeremy Kerley 29 57.4 10.1 5.0 1.22
Jeremy Maclin 29 63.5 12.5 8.2 0.92
Jeremy Ross 29 69.5 10.7 5.7 2.12
Jermaine Kearse 27 56.3 12.8 5.8 0.83
John Brown 27 58.8 13.4 8.0 1.00
Johnny Holton 26 59.5 10.8 6.0 1.78
Jordan Matthews 25 65.9 11.2 7.7 0.85
Jordan Norwood 31 61.3 10.1 3.9 2.51
Jordan Payton 24 60.2 10.1 6.1 1.18
Jordan Taylor 25 65.3 11.2 7.9 1.64
Jordy Nelson 32 63.2 13.0 12.1 1.07
Josh Bellamy 28 55.7 11.9 6.8 1.01
Josh Doctson 25 57.1 11.9 6.0 1.18
Josh Huff 26 67.3 9.8 6.9 1.08
Julian Edelman 31 63.4 10.6 4.7 1.40
Julio Jones 28 67.1 14.5 6.3 0.75
Justin Hardy 26 65.7 9.7 7.7 1.00
Justin Hunter 26 55.6 13.4 10.1 1.03
Kalif Raymond 23 57.9 10.4 6.3 1.80
Kamar Aiken 28 61.4 11.4 7.0 1.05
Kasen Williams 25 62.4 10.3 6.1 1.19
Keenan Allen 25 72.3 10.2 5.2 1.28
Keith Mumphery 25 60.3 9.2 3.8 1.07
Kelvin Benjamin 26 55.8 13.4 10.1 1.30
Kendall Wright 28 64.9 11.9 8.6 0.96
Kenny Britt 29 59.8 14.5 6.6 1.15
Kenny Stills 25 56.0 14.6 9.8 0.85
Keshawn Martin 27 63.2 11.2 6.1 1.94
Kevin White 25 57.8 10.0 4.2 1.07
Laquon Treadwell 22 59.7 10.5 6.1 1.18
Larry Fitzgerald 34 68.2 10.2 5.6 1.22
Leonte Carroo 23 61.1 10.2 8.1 1.17
Logan Paulsen 30 54.9 9.0 6.1 1.24
Lucky Whitehead 25 71.3 9.8 5.1 2.03
Malcolm Mitchell 25 67.1 11.2 8.0 0.96
Marc Mariani 30 65.3 11.4 4.0 1.40
Mario Alford 25 65.8 10.5 6.1 1.19
Markus Wheaton 26 59.0 13.1 7.1 0.99
Marqise Lee 26 60.1 12.1 4.5 1.23
Marquess Wilson 25 58.9 12.8 5.6 1.03
Marquise Goodwin 27 48.1 12.4 7.4 1.01
Marvin Jones 27 58.8 13.8 6.0 0.77
Matthew Slater 32 57.2 10.4 6.3 1.80
Maurice Harris 25 66.2 9.8 5.2 1.13
Michael Campanaro 26 67.2 10.3 6.1 1.16
Michael Crabtree 30 61.3 10.6 7.9 0.64
Michael Floyd 28 53.6 14.0 11.5 0.89
Michael Thomas 24 76.0 11.6 8.3 1.54
Michael Thomas 24 54.5 10.5 5.9 1.77
Mike Evans 24 56.5 14.0 10.2 0.64
Mike Wallace 31 59.9 12.6 8.0 0.79
Mohamed Sanu 28 70.1 11.4 6.1 1.17
Nelson Agholor 24 55.5 10.5 5.3 1.85
Nick Williams 27 67.9 10.1 7.1 1.10
Odell Beckham Jr. 25 63.0 13.4 11.0 0.95
Paul McRoberts 25 66.8 10.2 6.1 1.18
Paul Richardson 25 63.6 11.6 5.5 1.01
Paul Turner 24 65.2 11.2 5.1 1.13
Percy Harvin 29 63.9 9.8 3.8 1.15
Pharoh Cooper 22 67.9 9.3 4.6 1.10
Phillip Dorsett 24 56.8 13.1 5.8 1.19
Pierre Garcon 31 67.0 11.4 5.2 0.68
Quan Bray 24 66.9 10.5 5.9 1.17
Quincy Enunwa 25 56.7 13.3 5.1 0.84
Quinton Patton 27 59.1 11.2 3.0 0.97
Randall Cobb 27 69.8 11.3 9.1 0.76
Rashad Greene 25 61.1 8.1 6.9 1.66
Rashad Ross 27 66.4 12.1 6.9 1.15
Rashard Higgins 23 59.1 10.7 5.5 1.15
Ricardo Louis 23 55.6 10.6 4.3 1.07
Rishard Matthews 28 63.6 13.4 10.5 1.17
Robby Anderson 24 57.1 12.3 5.3 1.43
Robert Woods 25 65.6 11.0 5.3 1.05
Rod Streater 29 66.8 10.1 7.9 1.06
Roger Lewis 24 50.9 11.0 9.4 1.14
Russell Shepard 27 58.6 12.2 7.6 1.03
Ryan Grant 27 55.0 10.2 5.5 1.05
Sammie Coates 24 49.6 15.2 6.6 1.04
Sammy Watkins 24 58.8 14.7 9.7 0.91
Seth DeValve 24 70.6 10.9 8.8 1.12
Seth Roberts 26 55.0 11.4 11.0 0.90
Shane Wynn 25 60.3 10.6 6.1 1.18
Stefon Diggs 24 72.1 11.1 4.9 0.71
Sterling Shepard 23 63.5 10.2 9.6 0.85
Steve Smith 38 58.2 12.1 6.6 0.78
TJ Jones 25 52.3 11.8 6.3 1.40
Tajae Sharpe 23 53.2 11.6 5.4 0.95
Tanner McEvoy 24 67.3 11.6 9.0 1.13
Tavarres King 27 60.0 12.3 7.4 1.15
Tavon Austin 26 59.4 8.8 5.4 1.56
Taylor Gabriel 26 65.4 13.6 6.0 1.07
Ted Ginn 32 53.1 13.6 10.4 1.64
Terrance Williams 28 65.2 14.1 10.6 1.23
Terrelle Pryor 28 55.8 12.3 5.2 0.81
Tommylee Lewis 25 65.0 10.4 5.3 1.14
Tony Lippett 25 64.7 10.4 6.3 1.19
Tony Washington 27 66.6 10.3 6.1 1.18
Torrey Smith 28 50.7 14.5 14.4 0.94
Travis Benjamin 28 59.4 13.4 8.0 2.40
Trevor Davis 24 58.8 10.1 8.1 1.77
Trey Burton 26 64.0 9.6 4.2 0.96
T.Y. Hilton 28 58.8 15.1 6.7 0.70
Ty Montgomery 24 77.8 8.6 3.9 1.32
Tyler Boyd 23 67.4 10.7 3.5 1.35
Tyler Lockett 25 67.4 12.7 6.9 1.06
Tyreek Hill 23 73.1 9.7 8.1 1.31
Tyrell Williams 25 59.8 14.1 9.1 0.83
Victor Cruz 31 56.6 13.0 4.0 1.41
Vince Mayle 26 62.9 10.4 6.3 1.19
Vincent Jackson 34 49.3 13.1 4.4 1.02
Walter Powell 26 60.6 10.2 4.6 1.18
Wendall Williams 27 62.9 11.4 5.7 1.16
Will Fuller 23 55.4 11.6 4.6 0.90
Willie Snead 25 70.2 12.3 4.9 1.09

The key to the preceding table is matching up the talented wideouts with potential targets.

Here the receivers ranked as if they each were to get 150 targets this season. I used the following non-PPR scoring to rank them.

Passing yard: 0.04 points
Passing touchdown: 4 points

Rushing yard: 0.1 points

Rushing touchdown: 6 points

Turnover: -2 points

PLAYERTARGETSRECYARDSTDFUMPTS (NON-PPR)
Terrance Williams 150 97.8 1375 10.4 1.2 198
Doug Baldwin 150 111.8 1344 10.2 0.7 194
Jordy Nelson 150 94.8 1234 11.5 1.0 190
Odell Beckham Jr. 150 94.4 1269 10.4 0.9 187
DeSean Jackson 150 86.4 1438 7.4 0.9 186
Michael Thomas 150 114.1 1326 9.5 1.8 186
Rishard Matthews 150 95.4 1281 10.0 1.1 186
Antonio Brown 150 104.9 1310 9.5 0.9 186
Dez Bryant 150 83.6 1160 11.7 1.0 184
A.J. Green 150 98.5 1374 8.1 1.0 184
Julio Jones 150 100.7 1462 6.3 0.8 183
Brandin Cooks 150 102.4 1324 8.6 0.7 183
Sammy Watkins 150 88.2 1294 8.5 0.8 179
Chris Hogan 150 99.6 1343 7.4 1.3 176
Adam Thielen 150 110.4 1414 6.1 1.4 175
Torrey Smith 150 76.0 1104 11.0 0.7 175
Tyrell Williams 150 89.7 1269 8.2 0.7 174
Randall Cobb 150 104.6 1179 9.5 0.8 173
Kenny Stills 150 84.0 1228 8.2 0.7 170
Mike Evans 150 84.8 1184 8.6 0.5 169
Seth DeValve 150 105.9 1153 9.3 1.2 169
Tanner McEvoy 150 101.0 1167 9.1 1.1 169
Tyler Lockett 150 101.1 1281 6.9 1.1 168
T.Y. Hilton 150 88.2 1333 5.9 0.6 167
Michael Floyd 150 80.3 1128 9.2 0.7 167
Taylor Gabriel 150 98.1 1333 5.9 1.1 167
Cole Beasley 150 111.7 1184 8.4 1.3 166
DeVante Parker 150 94.8 1261 6.8 0.8 165
Eric Decker 150 89.0 1129 9.0 1.0 165
Jeremy Maclin 150 95.3 1196 7.8 0.9 165
Kendall Wright 150 97.4 1162 8.3 0.9 164
Kenny Britt 150 89.7 1303 6.0 1.0 164
Freddie Martino 150 102.0 1218 7.3 1.2 164
Allen Hurns 150 82.5 1111 9.0 0.8 163
Justin Hunter 150 83.4 1120 8.4 0.9 161
Kelvin Benjamin 150 83.7 1118 8.4 1.1 160
Brandon Coleman 150 100.1 1169 7.5 1.0 160
Rashad Ross 150 99.6 1210 6.9 1.1 160
Alshon Jeffery 150 88.0 1206 6.7 0.7 159
Malcolm Mitchell 150 100.7 1131 8.0 1.0 159
John Brown 150 88.2 1186 7.0 0.9 159
J.J. Nelson 150 75.5 1137 7.9 1.3 158
Travis Benjamin 150 89.2 1199 7.1 2.1 158
Willie Snead 150 105.2 1299 5.1 1.1 158
Aldrick Robinson 150 93.7 1187 6.9 1.0 158
Amari Cooper 150 92.8 1227 6.1 0.8 158
Donte Moncrief 150 89.9 999 9.9 0.8 158
Jamison Crowder 150 106.2 1184 7.0 1.4 157
Tyreek Hill 150 109.7 1068 8.9 1.4 157
Mohamed Sanu 150 105.1 1202 6.4 1.2 156
Ted Ginn 150 79.7 1083 8.3 1.3 156
Cameron Meredith 150 103.7 1261 5.5 1.7 155
Cobi Hamilton 150 93.1 1080 8.2 1.0 155
Mike Wallace 150 89.9 1130 7.2 0.7 155
Jordan Matthews 150 98.8 1108 7.6 0.8 155
Davante Adams 150 92.6 1057 8.4 1.0 154
Emmanuel Sanders 150 89.6 1180 6.3 0.9 154
Jordan Taylor 150 98.0 1100 7.7 1.6 153
Marvin Jones 150 88.3 1223 5.3 0.7 153
Markus Wheaton 150 88.6 1164 6.3 0.9 152
Eric Weems 150 99.9 1026 8.6 1.2 152
Eddie Royal 150 108.2 1087 7.5 1.0 151
Dwayne Harris 150 96.2 1049 8.3 1.7 151
Geronimo Allison 150 90.6 1112 7.0 1.0 151
Sterling Shepard 150 95.2 973 9.2 0.8 151
Eli Rogers 150 109.1 1195 5.7 1.4 151
Allen Robinson 150 79.8 1050 7.8 0.5 150
Stefon Diggs 150 108.2 1199 5.3 0.8 150
Dontrelle Inman 150 91.3 1168 5.7 0.9 149
Tavarres King 150 90.0 1107 6.6 1.0 148
Arrelious Benn 150 88.8 1091 6.8 1.0 148
Andre Holmes 150 80.1 950 9.1 0.8 148
Demaryius Thomas 150 92.7 1136 6.2 1.4 148
Greg Salas 150 89.6 1158 5.6 1.0 147
Rod Streater 150 100.2 1017 7.9 1.1 147
Brice Butler 150 82.8 1081 6.7 0.9 147
Brandon Tate 150 95.0 1117 6.2 1.1 147
Seth Roberts 150 82.5 938 9.0 0.7 147
Russell Shepard 150 88.0 1076 6.7 0.9 146
Jalin Marshall 150 96.7 1029 7.9 2.1 146
Danny Amendola 150 106.8 1024 7.7 1.6 146
DeAndre Hopkins 150 85.3 1094 6.2 0.6 145
Devin Funchess 150 71.5 964 8.5 0.9 145
Pierre Garcon 150 100.6 1151 5.2 0.7 145
Deonte Thompson 150 94.8 1088 6.5 1.5 145
Brandon Marshall 150 79.0 984 8.0 0.8 145
Brandon LaFell 150 87.9 1091 6.1 0.7 145
Jeff Janis 150 86.0 1012 7.4 0.9 144
Nick Williams 150 101.8 1028 7.2 1.1 144
Jeremy Ross 150 104.3 1119 5.9 2.2 143
DeAndre Smelter 150 100.1 1080 6.1 1.2 142
Keenan Allen 150 108.4 1107 5.6 1.4 141
Kamar Aiken 150 92.0 1046 6.4 1.0 141
Sammie Coates 150 74.4 1127 4.9 0.8 141
Marquess Wilson 150 88.3 1129 4.9 0.9 141
Paul Richardson 150 95.4 1105 5.3 1.0 140
Golden Tate 150 103.3 1131 4.9 1.1 140
Jarius Wright 150 104.1 1175 4.2 1.3 140
Damiere Byrd 150 100.0 1054 6.1 1.2 140
Alex Erickson 150 102.8 1085 5.6 1.2 140
Michael Crabtree 150 91.9 970 7.3 0.6 139
Corey Brown 150 84.6 1017 6.5 0.8 139
Michael Campanaro 150 100.9 1042 6.2 1.2 139
Phillip Dorsett 150 85.3 1113 4.9 1.0 139
Josh Huff 150 100.9 993 6.9 1.1 139
Steve Smith 150 87.3 1054 5.8 0.7 139
Justin Hardy 150 98.5 951 7.5 1.0 138
Breshad Perriman 150 81.5 1041 6.0 0.8 138
Quan Bray 150 100.3 1051 5.9 1.2 138
Robert Woods 150 98.3 1085 5.2 1.0 138
Wendall Williams 150 94.3 1073 5.4 1.1 137
Quincy Enunwa 150 85.1 1128 4.4 0.7 137
Tony Washington 150 99.9 1028 6.1 1.2 137
Mario Alford 150 98.7 1032 6.1 1.2 137
Jarvis Landry 150 107.2 1125 4.6 1.5 137
Paul Turner 150 97.8 1092 5.0 1.1 137
Keshawn Martin 150 94.7 1062 5.7 1.8 137
Bralon Addison 150 100.0 1036 6.1 1.8 137
Larry Fitzgerald 150 102.4 1046 5.7 1.2 137
Paul McRoberts 150 100.1 1020 6.2 1.2 137
Jermaine Kearse 150 84.4 1083 4.9 0.7 136
Leonte Carroo 150 91.6 939 7.4 1.1 136
Tony Lippett 150 97.1 1005 6.1 1.2 135
Jaelen Strong 150 91.6 938 7.1 1.0 134
Demarcus Robinson 150 96.6 1000 6.1 1.1 134
Bryan Walters 150 103.2 1054 5.3 1.5 134
Griff Whalen 150 100.4 1045 5.5 1.8 134
Lucky Whitehead 150 106.9 1048 5.5 2.2 133
J.D. McKissic 150 100.3 1002 5.9 1.2 133
Marc Mariani 150 98.0 1120 3.9 1.4 133
Brian Quick 150 80.8 999 5.7 0.7 132
Darrius Heyward-Bey 150 73.9 963 6.3 0.8 132
Darren Waller 150 90.6 881 7.7 1.0 132
Josh Bellamy 150 83.5 994 5.7 0.8 132
Marqise Lee 150 90.2 1092 4.1 1.1 131
Vince Mayle 150 94.4 977 5.9 1.1 131
Anquan Boldin 150 90.8 940 6.5 0.8 131
Jaron Brown 150 82.0 971 5.9 0.9 131
Jeremy Butler 150 105.7 1119 3.5 1.1 131
Robby Anderson 150 85.7 1057 4.5 1.2 130
Josh Doctson 150 85.6 1016 5.1 1.0 130
Brittan Golden 150 93.0 942 6.6 1.6 130
Adam Humphries 150 101.4 1062 4.3 0.9 130
Devin Hester 150 90.2 1033 5.0 1.6 130
Tommylee Lewis 150 97.5 1009 5.2 1.1 130
Albert Wilson 150 92.8 1003 5.1 0.8 129
Dorial Green-Beckham 150 78.0 949 5.9 0.7 129
Victor Cruz 150 84.9 1103 3.4 1.2 128
Trevor Davis 150 88.2 889 7.1 1.6 128
Kasen Williams 150 93.5 961 5.7 1.1 128
Brenton Bersin 150 94.3 1011 5.0 1.4 128
Terrelle Pryor 150 83.7 1030 4.4 0.7 128
Dezmin Lewis 150 91.9 951 5.8 1.1 128
Isaac Fruechte 150 91.9 951 5.8 1.1 128
Demarcus Ayers 150 91.8 908 6.5 1.0 128
Shane Wynn 150 90.5 963 5.6 1.1 128
Chester Rogers 150 89.5 1067 3.8 1.0 127
Cody Core 150 96.6 1039 4.2 1.0 127
Jakeem Grant 150 91.9 951 5.8 1.7 127
Tyler Boyd 150 101.2 1078 3.6 1.4 127
Chris Conley 150 95.8 1052 3.8 0.9 126
Charles Johnson 150 87.8 1056 3.7 0.9 126
Maurice Harris 150 99.3 973 5.2 1.1 126
Je'Ron Hamm 150 93.4 940 5.6 1.1 125
Roger Lewis 150 76.4 840 7.2 0.9 125
Johnny Holton 150 89.3 963 5.4 1.6 125
Laquon Treadwell 150 89.6 940 5.5 1.1 125
Julian Edelman 150 95.1 1006 4.4 1.3 124
Ty Montgomery 150 116.6 1000 4.6 1.5 124
Cordarrelle Patterson 150 106.1 996 4.3 1.2 123
Jordan Payton 150 90.3 910 5.6 1.1 122
Andre Roberts 150 84.9 987 4.4 1.5 122
Rashard Higgins 150 88.6 951 4.8 1.0 122
Bennie Fowler 150 84.9 978 4.2 0.9 121
Geremy Davis 150 88.4 914 5.3 1.0 121
Daniel Braverman 150 87.1 902 5.5 1.0 121
Pharoh Cooper 150 101.8 945 4.7 1.1 120
Cody Latimer 150 90.5 908 5.3 1.0 120
Marquise Goodwin 150 72.2 898 5.3 0.7 120
TJ Jones 150 78.5 927 4.9 1.1 120
James Wright 150 96.7 972 4.1 1.1 120
Andrew Hawkins 150 91.7 984 3.9 1.0 120
Kalif Raymond 150 86.8 898 5.5 1.6 120
Devin Street 150 78.3 892 5.4 1.1 119
Chris Harper 150 94.4 955 4.4 1.3 119
Harry Douglas 150 88.0 978 3.8 1.1 118
Matthew Slater 150 85.8 888 5.4 1.5 118
Will Fuller 150 83.0 967 3.8 0.7 118
Corey Coleman 150 75.0 851 5.5 0.7 117
Tajae Sharpe 150 79.7 923 4.3 0.8 116
Walter Powell 150 90.8 923 4.2 1.1 115
Vincent Jackson 150 74.0 970 3.3 0.8 115
Trey Burton 150 96.0 917 4.0 0.9 114
Percy Harvin 150 95.8 939 3.6 1.1 113
Quinton Patton 150 88.6 989 2.6 0.9 113
Aaron Burbridge 150 83.0 891 4.4 1.4 113
Michael Thomas 150 81.7 859 4.8 1.4 112
Bryce Treggs 150 73.2 874 4.3 0.9 111
Nelson Agholor 150 83.3 878 4.4 1.5 111
De'Anthony Thomas 150 107.1 892 4.1 1.4 111
Jared Abbrederis 150 84.8 902 3.8 1.0 111
Jeremy Kerley 150 86.1 870 4.3 1.1 111
Devin Smith 150 74.3 817 5.1 1.1 110
Braxton Miller 150 88.3 786 5.5 1.0 110
Ryan Grant 150 82.6 843 4.5 0.9 110
Jordan Norwood 150 92.0 928 3.6 2.3 110
Rashad Greene 150 91.6 746 6.3 1.5 109
Isaiah Burse 150 78.5 812 4.9 1.0 109
Charone Peake 150 88.3 881 3.7 0.9 108
Ricardo Louis 150 83.4 887 3.6 0.9 108
Bradley Marquez 150 89.3 851 4.0 1.0 107
Kevin White 150 86.7 867 3.6 0.9 107
Tavon Austin 150 89.0 781 4.8 1.4 104
Andre Johnson 150 73.0 788 4.5 0.8 104
Chris Moore 150 83.0 789 4.4 0.9 104
Logan Paulsen 150 82.4 742 5.1 1.0 103
Keith Mumphery 150 90.5 831 3.4 1.0 102
Cecil Shorts 150 77.6 842 2.7 1.0 98

With the targets evenly distributed, some of the top producers move off their top spots but should return once targets are correctly distributed. Some names stick out, though, especially Terrance Williams at the top (eight spots ahead of teammate Dez Bryant).

Williams tops the list for the simple reasons: he is projected to catch balls thrown his way (65 percent), get good yardage (14.1 Y/REC) and score a touchdown every 10 times he catches the ball. While Bryant goes deep and scores, he's projected to only catch 56 percent of the passes thrown his way.

Another interesting name is Rishard Matthews at seventh overall. If targeted, he could be a productive receiver, but the Titans added Eric Decker, Corey Davis and Taywan Taylor this offseason. While I haven't projected the rookies yet, Decker ranks as the 29th overall receiver. Figuring out who will get the targets will be key to determining each of their values.

That's it for wide receivers. While it would be easy for me to transition to tight ends, running backs are more important. Those are up next.

Want to Read More?
Subscribe to RotoWire to see the full article.

We reserve some of our best content for our paid subscribers. Plus, if you choose to subscribe you can discuss this article with the author and the rest of the RotoWire community.

Get Instant Access To This Article Get Access To This Article
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only NFL Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire NFL fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeff Zimmerman
Jeff is a former RotoWire contributor. He wrote analytics-focused baseball and football articles for RotoWire. He is a three-time FSWA award winner, including the Football Writer of the Year and Best Football Print Article awards in 2016. The 2017 Tout Wars Mixed Auction champion and 2016 Tout Wars Head-to-Head champ, Zimmerman also contributes to FanGraphs.com, BaseballHQ and Baseball America.
NFL Staff Picks: Week 11 Winners
NFL Staff Picks: Week 11 Winners
Guillotine League Strategy: Late Season Strength of Schedule Downgrades
Guillotine League Strategy: Late Season Strength of Schedule Downgrades
Survivor: Week 11 Strategy & Picks
Survivor: Week 11 Strategy & Picks
NFL Waiver Wire: Week 11 Deep Dive
NFL Waiver Wire: Week 11 Deep Dive