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Reader's Guide
As you read, you may run into some colors in the text. Blue text is a good matchup for that team's offensive players. Red text is a bad matchup. Some other key items are below:
- All red/blue highlighting in tables is relative to the entire NFL, even when showing a limited number of teams.
- All reference to fantasy points assumes DraftKings scoring rules unless otherwise specified.
- All stats reference the full 2018 season unless otherwise specified.
- All fantasy points rankings are on a per-game basis to account for bye weeks unless otherwise specified.
Announcement
This week, we're trying something different. We're going to be more table-heavy to provide the full picture behind each stat presented. The idea here is to provide you with more data to draw your conclusions. We'll also include the full tables for certain items as appendix sections to the article.
If the data is confusing or overwhelming, check the bottom of the article for how to get a hold of me. Twitter is the best way to get a fast response. E-mail is the better way to ask a longer question.
Of course, when there are action items, those will still be called out as usual.
- Follow the Targets
- Strengths vs. Weaknesses
- The Weakest Links
- **NEW FEATURE** Under Pressure
- Follow the Targets Appendix
- Strengths vs. Weaknesses Appendix
- NSOS vs. DvP Appendix
Follow the Targets
This section will examine which offensive positions have the most success through the air against certain defenses.
Wide Receivers
Below are the top-10 defenses in terms of how often wide receivers are targeted against them.
DEFENSE | WR Tgt% | WR Rec% | WR Yd% |
Carolina Panthers | 70.1% | 66.5% | 71.7% |
Baltimore Ravens | 68.7% | 64.2% | 69.7% |
New England Patriots | 68.7% | 60.5% | 63.9% |
Buffalo Bills | 66.9% | 63.8% | 66.3% |
San Francisco 49ers | 64.4% | 58.3% | 70.7% |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 64.3% | 59.9% | 67.6% |
New Orleans Saints | 63.2% | 55.4% | 67.2% |
New York Giants | 63.0% | 62.8% | 69.7% |
Cleveland Browns | 62.0% | 57.4% | 58.7% |
Below are the top-10 offenses in terms of how often these teams target their wide receivers.
OFFENSE | WR Tgt% | WR Rec% | WR Yd% |
Los Angeles Rams | 66.7% | 66.3% | 74.9% |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 66.4% | 64.8% | 72.8% |
New York Jets | 66.4% | 63.1% | 73.0% |
Cincinnati Bengals | 65.7% | 63.7% | 75.0% |
Houston Texans | 64.7% | 66.0% | 69.4% |
Arizona Cardinals | 62.5% | 60.6% | 61.1% |
Cleveland Browns | 62.4% | 59.4% | 69.6% |
Miami Dolphins | 61.6% | 58.8% | 65.3% |
Seattle Seahawks | 61.4% | 59.5% | 70.0% |
Commentary and Action Items
- Cleveland targets its wide receivers on 62.4% of its passing attempts, the seventh-highest ratio in the NFL.
- Buffalo opponents target wide receivers 66.9% of their passing attempts, the fourth-highest ratio.
- The Jets gain 73.0% of their passing yardage via wide receivers, the third-highest ratio.
- The Giants allow 69.7% of their passing yardage via wide receivers, the fifth-highest ratio.
Typically, Cleveland's WR1 would be a suggested play in this kind of profile, but once again, Odell Beckham will be dealing with an elite cornerback. The presence of TreDavious White makes Jarvis Landry a strong play once again this week.
The process says to trust Jets wide receivers again, but last week makes it difficult. Jamison Crowder led the team in targets by a wide margin last week, so he's the preferred option. But don't forget about Robby Anderson in DFS GPPs due to his deep ball acumen. If you'd rather disregard the Jets entirely, that's advisable as well.
Running Backs
Below are the top-10 defenses in terms of how often running backs are targeted against them.
DEFENSE | RB Tgt% | RB Rec% | RB Yd% |
Chicago Bears | 25.5% | 26.7% | 20.2% |
Washington Redskins | 25.3% | 26.7% | 20.1% |
Cincinnati Bengals | 24.9% | 28.9% | 20.6% |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 24.4% | 25.1% | 17.3% |
Indianapolis Colts | 24.4% | 25.8% | 16.8% |
Tennessee Titans | 24.3% | 28.0% | 18.9% |
Kansas City Chiefs | 23.8% | 25.9% | 25.5% |
Dallas Cowboys | 23.6% | 26.9% | 19.4% |
Philadelphia Eagles | 23.2% | 26.4% | 16.5% |
Below are the top-10 offenses in terms of how often these teams target their running backs.
OFFENSE | RB Tgt% | RB Rec% | RB Yd% |
Chicago Bears | 30.1% | 32.8% | 21.2% |
Los Angeles Chargers | 28.4% | 36.2% | 25.3% |
New England Patriots | 27.8% | 33.0% | 28.1% |
Denver Broncos | 26.2% | 31.7% | 20.0% |
New Orleans Saints | 26.0% | 29.6% | 21.1% |
Green Bay Packers | 25.5% | 31.7% | 24.7% |
Minnesota Vikings | 25.3% | 27.0% | 19.4% |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 24.5% | 34.1% | 24.5% |
Washington Redskins | 23.2% | 26.3% | 23.8% |
Tight Ends
Below are the top-10 defenses in terms of how often tight ends are targeted against them.
DEFENSE | TE Tgt% | TE Rec% | TE Yd% |
Kansas City Chiefs | 28.0% | 28.9% | 23.5% |
Minnesota Vikings | 27.0% | 26.5% | 23.3% |
Indianapolis Colts | 26.4% | 25.8% | 22.7% |
Arizona Cardinals | 26.1% | 27.6% | 30.1% |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 25.3% | 26.8% | 27.1% |
Denver Broncos | 24.3% | 24.7% | 23.8% |
Dallas Cowboys | 24.3% | 26.3% | 27.2% |
Green Bay Packers | 24.0% | 25.8% | 21.6% |
Chicago Bears | 23.1% | 25.7% | 27.3% |
Below are the top-10 offenses in terms of how often these teams target their tight ends.
OFFENSE | TE Tgt% | TE Rec% | TE Yd% |
Baltimore Ravens | 41.8% | 44.7% | 42.7% |
Oakland Raiders | 35.2% | 38.3% | 37.6% |
Philadelphia Eagles | 34.6% | 34.7% | 35.9% |
San Francisco 49ers | 30.0% | 34.2% | 31.8% |
Indianapolis Colts | 27.4% | 27.6% | 29.1% |
New York Giants | 26.9% | 27.2% | 26.5% |
Kansas City Chiefs | 25.0% | 25.0% | 25.3% |
Tennessee Titans | 22.4% | 24.6% | 26.3% |
Atlanta Falcons | 21.3% | 24.3% | 24.4% |
Strengths and Weaknesses
This section will dissect how offenses gain their yards and how defenses allow them.
Passing | ||||||
Offensive Team | PaYd% | Rank | Defensive Team | PaYd% | Rank | Avg. % |
Cincinnati Bengals | 81.2% | 2 | Baltimore Ravens | 76.2% | 29 | 78.7% |
Atlanta Falcons | 82.2% | 1 | New Orleans Saints | 73.4% | 27 | 77.8% |
Los Angeles Chargers | 78.0% | 3 | Oakland Raiders | 76.3% | 30 | 77.1% |
Detroit Lions | 75.5% | 6 | Chicago Bears | 71.1% | 23 | 73.3% |
Kansas City Chiefs | 76.9% | 4 | Tennessee Titans | 69.6% | 21 | 73.3% |
"PaYd%" = the percentage of a team's yards gained or allowed via the pass
"Rank" = the ranking of that percentage among NFL teams
(for offenses, 1 is the highest percentage; for defenses, 32 is the highest percentage)
"Avg. %" = the average of both "PaYd%" figures
(the higher the number, the more passing yardage we can expect for the offense)
Commentary and Action Items
- Kansas City gains 76.9% of its total yardage via the pass, the fourth-highest ratio in the NFL.
- Tennessee allows 69.6% of its total yardage via the pass, the 12th-highest ratio.
- Kansas City scores 45.2% of its total points via passing touchdowns, the 11th-highest ratio.
- Tennessee allows 50.9% of its total points via passing touchdowns, the fifth-highest ratio.
Matt Moore has kept the offense afloat, making Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce good GPP options. But if Patrick Mahomes II is back, so are the Kansas City passing game weapons as DFS cash game plays.
If Ryan Finley weren't making his first career start for Cincinnati, the key players in their passing game would show up as surprisingly attractive options. But it's not sound process to be excited about them until we see what Finley can do.
Rushing | ||||||
Offensive Team | RuYd% | Rank | Defensive Team | RuYd% | Rank | Avg. % |
Baltimore Ravens | 48.0% | 1 | Cincinnati Bengals | 40.8% | 31 | 44.4% |
Buffalo Bills | 38.5% | 5 | Cleveland Browns | 39.5% | 29 | 39.0% |
Seattle Seahawks | 33.3% | 16 | San Francisco 49ers | 42.7% | 32 | 38.0% |
Indianapolis Colts | 37.8% | 6 | Miami Dolphins | 37.5% | 26 | 37.6% |
Cleveland Browns | 35.0% | 12 | Buffalo Bills | 37.7% | 27 | 36.3% |
"RuYd%" = the percentage of a team's yards gained or allowed via the rush
"Rank" = the ranking of that percentage among NFL teams
(for offenses, 1 is the highest percentage; for defenses, 32 is the highest percentage)
"Avg. %" = the average of both "RuYd%" figures
(the higher the number, the more rushing yardage we can expect for the offense)
Commentary and Action Items
- Baltimore gains 48.0% of its total yardage via the run, the highest ratio in the NFL.
- Cincinnati allows 40.8% of its total yardage via the run, the second-highest ratio.
- Baltimore runs on 54.9% of its neutral-script plays, the highest ratio in the NFL.
- Cincinnati faces a run on 48.5% of its neutral-script plays, the fourth-highest ratio.
Mark Ingram would be a solid GPP candidate if he hadn't been shockingly popular in DFS multiple weeks already this season. And if he weren't losing carries to Gus Edwards and Lamar Jackson inside the five, he'd be a cash game play. We know that Baltimore's run game production is coming, but who will provide the lion's share of the fantasy production?
This could be a situation similar to Week 1 against Miami where the team keeps Jackson in the pocket and saves him from taking unnecessary hits. Despite Cincinnati's tendency to allow significant rushing production, perhaps Baltimore's "kid gloves" approach with Jackson could lead to more passing as it did in Week 1 when Jackson threw for five touchdowns in Miami.
The Weakest Links
In this section, we'll discuss the matchups that you should look to exploit every week.
vs. Quarterbacks | ||||
Team | NSoS | DvP | Delta | Opponent |
Miami Dolphins | 32 | 14 | -18 | Indianapolis Colts |
Arizona Cardinals | 31 | 30 | -1 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 30 | 29 | -1 | Arizona Cardinals |
Oakland Raiders | 28 | 32 | 4 | Los Angeles Chargers |
Atlanta Falcons | 28 | 31 | 3 | New Orleans Saints |
Commentary and Action Items
Be aware of the potential shootout in Tampa Bay. All members of those passing games are in play. Both Jameis Winston and Kyler Murray are top-five options this week. Both are cash game-viable, but options like Jackson and Drew Brees are preferable to due to floor/matchup combination.
vs. Running Backs | ||||
Team | NSoS | DvP | Delta | Opponent |
Carolina Panthers | 32 | 30 | -2 | Green Bay Packers |
Detroit Lions | 31 | 31 | 0 | Chicago Bears |
Miami Dolphins | 30 | 10 | -20 | Indianapolis Colts |
Kansas City Chiefs | 29 | 32 | 3 | Tennessee Titans |
Buffalo Bills | 28 | 20 | -8 | Cleveland Browns |
Commentary and Action Items
We've discussed Carolina as a reverse funnel (i.e. a defense that is strong against the pass but weak against the run) in previous weeks, and this table highlights that once again. Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams are negatively impacting each other's production, but both are still strong plays. Jones is an RB1, and Williams is an RB2.
Some regression should hit in the receiving game for these players. Williams has a receiving touchdown in four straight games, and Jones had one in Week 7 and two in Week 8. But against the "runnel" defense of Carolina, the passing game regression can be mitigated by rushing efficiency, which helps Jones more than Williams.
Detroit is dreadful against the run, as evidenced most recently by Josh Jacobs having a huge day against them without the benefit of catching a pass. David Montgomery has taken over the Chicago backfield. He has RB1 potential in season-long leagues and is cash game-viable in DFS in a week with no obvious pricing value.
vs. Wide Receivers | ||||
Team | NSoS | DvP | Delta | Opponent |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 32 | 32 | 0 | Arizona Cardinals |
Miami Dolphins | 31 | 18 | -13 | Indianapolis Colts |
Arizona Cardinals | 30 | 28 | -2 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Atlanta Falcons | 29 | 31 | 2 | New Orleans Saints |
Oakland Raiders | 28 | 29 | 1 | Los Angeles Chargers |
Commentary and Action Items
We mentioned Arizona at Tampa Bay earlier, right? The target concentration makes Mike Evans and Chris Godwin easier to predict, but Arizona's receivers could provide a GPP spark. Christian Kirk is a WR2 with WR1 upside. Andy Isabella popped last week with an 88-yard touchdown that should earn him more snaps. Against Tampa Bay's secondary, the daylight required for Isabella to get to top speed is often available.
vs. Tight Ends | ||||
Team | NSoS | DvP | Delta | Opponent |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 32 | 32 | 0 | Arizona Cardinals |
Detroit Lions | 31 | 29 | -2 | Chicago Bears |
Oakland Raiders | 30 | 23 | -7 | Los Angeles Chargers |
Cleveland Browns | 29 | 21 | -8 | Buffalo Bills |
Los Angeles Rams | 28 | 25 | -3 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Commentary and Action Items
Most of the offenses here don't use their tight ends heavily. The Chargers are the only exception, which makes Hunter Henry a clear TE1 in season-long leagues but a difficult-to-fit cash game play in DFS.
**NEW FEATURE** Under Pressure
Determining how much time the quarterback will have to make decisions can be a key factor when assessing offensive prospects each week. We've sorted the table below by the defensive teams who produce the least pressure. Ideally, the offenses opposing these teams also allow a low pressure rate.
Offensive Team | Dropbk/Gm | Pressure % | Defensive Team | Dropbk/Gm | Pressure % |
Los Angeles Chargers | 37.7 | 20.9% | Oakland Raiders | 39.0 | 15.4% |
San Francisco 49ers | 29.0 | 18.0% | Seattle Seahawks | 41.7 | 16.8% |
Baltimore Ravens | 33.8 | 16.4% | Cincinnati Bengals | 33.6 | 17.5% |
New Orleans Saints | 37.6 | 20.0% | Atlanta Falcons | 33.4 | 19.1% |
Indianapolis Colts | 35.5 | 24.4% | Miami Dolphins | 32.3 | 19.4% |
"Dropbk/Gm" = a team's pass attempts plus times sacked divided by games played
"Pressure %" = QB Hurries + QB Hits + QB Sacks divided by dropbacks
Note: for "Pressure %," the lower numbers are shown in blue because less pressure indicates a positive matchup.
Commentary
Because this is a new section, here's some hopefully obvious commentary to help with chart-reading.
- Oakland pressures the quarterback on 15.4% of opponent dropbacks, the lowest rate in the NFL.
- The Chargers face pressure on 20.9% of dropbacks, the 11th-lowest rate.
- The Chargers average 37.7 dropbacks per game, ninth-most in the NFL.
The stats above tell us that Los Angeles drops back to pass at an above-average rate but is pressured at a below-average rate. Considering Oakland's lack of defensive pressure, it stands to reason that Philip Rivers should have plenty of time on Thursday night.
- Seattle pressures on 16.8% of opponent dropbacks, the second-lowest rate in the NFL.
- Seattle opponents average 41.7 dropbacks per game, second-most.
- San Francisco faces pressure on 18.0% of its dropbacks, the fourth-lowest rate.
- San Francisco averages 29.0 dropbacks per game, tied for the fewest.
These numbers tell us that Seattle faces a ton of passing attempts and can't get to the quarterback often. As you can see with Cincinnati, Atlanta, and Miami, teams that can't pressure the quarterback tend to have lower dropback numbers. That's likely because a lack of quarterback pressure leads to deficits, negative game script, and more opponent runs.
- Atlanta pressures on 19.1% of dropbacks, the fourth-lowest rate.
- New Orleans faces pressure on 20.0% of its dropbacks, the seventh-lowest rate.
Don't overthink it. Brees is the top quarterback play this week in all formats. This spot lines up for a classic 3+ touchdown performance in front of the home crowd.
High-Pressure Defenses
Offensive Team | Dropbk/Gm | Pressure % | Defensive Team | Dropbk/Gm | Pressure % |
Seattle Seahawks | 35.0 | 28.3% | San Francisco 49ers | 33.0 | 31.8% |
Los Angeles Rams | 39.8 | 20.5% | Pittsburgh Steelers | 40.0 | 30.3% |
Atlanta Falcons | 44.0 | 22.8% | New Orleans Saints | 40.0 | 29.1% |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 33.8 | 22.3% | Los Angeles Rams | 40.5 | 28.1% |
Detroit Lions | 37.6 | 18.8% | Chicago Bears | 40.9 | 27.2% |
Minnesota Vikings | 29.0 | 23.0% | Dallas Cowboys | 40.8 | 26.4% |
Commentary
Seattle can't pressure defensively, and San Francisco doesn't face pressure offensively. The opposite of these things are true when Seattle is on offense. Good luck, Seahawks.
Both Pittsburgh and the L.A. Rams are top-five teams in defensive pressure rate. Pittsburgh is starting a young backup, L.A.'s offensive line hasn't been good, and Jared Goff hasn't been sound under pressure this season. Offense could be hard to come by in this game.
Follow the Targets Appendix
Defense (sorted by WR Tgt%)
DEFENSE | RB Tgt% | WR Tgt% | TE Tgt% | RB Rec% | WR Rec% | TE Rec% | RB Yd% | WR Yd% | TE Yd% |
Carolina Panthers | 16.0% | 70.1% | 13.9% | 18.3% | 66.5% | 15.2% | 12.0% | 71.7% | 16.2% |
Baltimore Ravens | 15.7% | 68.7% | 15.7% | 18.4% | 64.2% | 17.3% | 13.7% | 69.7% | 16.6% |
New England Patriots | 18.3% | 68.7% | 13.0% | 22.9% | 60.5% | 16.6% | 17.4% | 63.9% | 18.7% |
Buffalo Bills | 19.7% | 66.9% | 13.4% | 21.9% | 63.8% | 14.4% | 18.2% | 66.3% | 15.6% |
San Francisco 49ers | 17.8% | 64.4% | 17.8% | 22.0% | 58.3% | 19.7% | 17.1% | 70.7% | 12.2% |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 18.5% | 64.3% | 17.2% | 22.9% | 59.9% | 17.2% | 15.0% | 67.6% | 17.4% |
New Orleans Saints | 20.8% | 63.2% | 16.0% | 26.3% | 55.4% | 18.3% | 12.8% | 67.2% | 20.0% |
New York Giants | 19.4% | 63.0% | 17.6% | 21.4% | 62.8% | 15.8% | 15.7% | 69.7% | 14.6% |
Cleveland Browns | 19.7% | 62.0% | 18.3% | 23.2% | 57.4% | 19.4% | 19.9% | 58.7% | 21.4% |
Atlanta Falcons | 15.9% | 61.9% | 22.2% | 16.8% | 63.0% | 20.2% | 10.1% | 72.6% | 17.3% |
New York Jets | 22.6% | 61.8% | 15.6% | 27.2% | 56.9% | 15.9% | 19.1% | 64.9% | 16.0% |
Seattle Seahawks | 17.7% | 61.1% | 21.3% | 21.6% | 56.8% | 21.6% | 15.6% | 61.7% | 22.8% |
Detroit Lions | 21.5% | 60.4% | 18.1% | 23.3% | 56.6% | 20.1% | 21.3% | 57.9% | 20.8% |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 14.7% | 60.0% | 25.3% | 15.3% | 57.9% | 26.8% | 9.7% | 63.2% | 27.1% |
Miami Dolphins | 18.2% | 59.7% | 22.1% | 23.1% | 53.1% | 23.8% | 16.2% | 61.7% | 22.2% |
Los Angeles Rams | 19.5% | 59.6% | 21.0% | 21.4% | 57.1% | 21.4% | 14.4% | 63.0% | 22.7% |
Los Angeles Chargers | 22.1% | 59.4% | 18.5% | 24.7% | 58.8% | 16.5% | 18.0% | 63.9% | 18.0% |
Philadelphia Eagles | 23.2% | 59.3% | 17.5% | 26.4% | 54.9% | 18.7% | 16.5% | 67.7% | 15.8% |
Houston Texans | 23.1% | 58.0% | 18.9% | 30.1% | 53.3% | 16.6% | 21.7% | 64.5% | 13.9% |
Cincinnati Bengals | 24.9% | 57.6% | 17.5% | 28.9% | 53.7% | 17.4% | 20.6% | 62.2% | 17.2% |
Arizona Cardinals | 16.7% | 57.2% | 26.1% | 18.2% | 54.2% | 27.6% | 12.3% | 57.6% | 30.1% |
Minnesota Vikings | 16.3% | 56.7% | 27.0% | 16.1% | 57.4% | 26.5% | 13.4% | 63.3% | 23.3% |
Oakland Raiders | 22.2% | 55.2% | 22.6% | 26.3% | 53.2% | 20.5% | 15.7% | 63.7% | 20.6% |
Tennessee Titans | 24.3% | 54.8% | 21.0% | 28.0% | 52.5% | 19.5% | 18.9% | 61.3% | 19.8% |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 24.4% | 53.8% | 21.8% | 25.1% | 52.0% | 22.9% | 17.3% | 62.3% | 20.4% |
Green Bay Packers | 22.9% | 53.1% | 24.0% | 27.9% | 46.3% | 25.8% | 15.8% | 62.6% | 21.6% |
Denver Broncos | 22.9% | 52.9% | 24.3% | 27.4% | 47.8% | 24.7% | 18.4% | 57.8% | 23.8% |
Dallas Cowboys | 23.6% | 52.2% | 24.3% | 26.9% | 46.8% | 26.3% | 19.4% | 53.4% | 27.2% |
Washington Redskins | 25.3% | 52.0% | 22.7% | 26.7% | 51.9% | 21.4% | 20.1% | 60.3% | 19.6% |
Chicago Bears | 25.5% | 51.4% | 23.1% | 26.7% | 47.5% | 25.7% | 20.2% | 52.5% | 27.3% |
Indianapolis Colts | 24.4% | 49.2% | 26.4% | 25.8% | 48.4% | 25.8% | 16.8% | 60.5% | 22.7% |
Kansas City Chiefs | 23.8% | 48.2% | 28.0% | 25.9% | 45.3% | 28.9% | 25.5% | 51.0% | 23.5% |
Offense (sorted by WR Tgt%)
OFFENSE | RB Tgt% | WR Tgt% | TE Tgt% | RB Rec% | WR Rec% | TE Rec% | RB Yd% | WR Yd% | TE Yd% | Total Tgt |
Los Angeles Rams | 10.5% | 66.7% | 21.3% | 10.4% | 66.3% | 22.8% | 5.4% | 74.9% | 19.7% | 315 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 16.0% | 66.4% | 14.3% | 18.7% | 64.8% | 16.5% | 12.6% | 72.8% | 14.5% | 307 |
New York Jets | 20.6% | 66.4% | 9.5% | 25.0% | 63.1% | 11.9% | 16.2% | 73.0% | 10.8% | 253 |
Cincinnati Bengals | 14.8% | 65.7% | 15.4% | 18.1% | 63.7% | 17.6% | 10.5% | 75.0% | 14.7% | 338 |
Houston Texans | 13.9% | 64.7% | 19.5% | 13.2% | 66.0% | 20.8% | 10.3% | 69.4% | 20.3% | 303 |
Arizona Cardinals | 18.9% | 62.5% | 8.5% | 20.7% | 60.6% | 10.8% | 18.8% | 61.1% | 12.9% | 317 |
Cleveland Browns | 19.3% | 62.4% | 13.5% | 26.3% | 59.4% | 14.4% | 16.1% | 69.6% | 14.3% | 274 |
Miami Dolphins | 11.6% | 61.6% | 13.7% | 11.5% | 58.8% | 15.8% | 7.3% | 65.3% | 17.5% | 284 |
Seattle Seahawks | 15.4% | 61.4% | 17.4% | 18.5% | 59.5% | 20.0% | 11.9% | 70.0% | 16.6% | 293 |
Dallas Cowboys | 13.6% | 61.2% | 20.9% | 15.3% | 60.0% | 24.7% | 8.9% | 70.5% | 20.5% | 273 |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 19.0% | 60.0% | 15.9% | 24.4% | 57.5% | 18.1% | 15.8% | 71.6% | 12.5% | 315 |
Washington Redskins | 23.2% | 59.5% | 15.4% | 26.3% | 59.1% | 14.6% | 23.8% | 60.4% | 15.8% | 259 |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 24.5% | 59.0% | 11.9% | 34.1% | 50.0% | 13.5% | 24.5% | 61.9% | 10.7% | 261 |
Detroit Lions | 17.9% | 58.8% | 21.0% | 19.8% | 60.4% | 19.8% | 12.4% | 70.1% | 17.5% | 291 |
Carolina Panthers | 20.6% | 58.0% | 16.0% | 27.7% | 56.0% | 16.3% | 20.3% | 61.9% | 17.8% | 281 |
Tennessee Titans | 14.8% | 56.0% | 22.4% | 17.3% | 57.0% | 24.6% | 12.0% | 61.6% | 26.3% | 277 |
Kansas City Chiefs | 18.4% | 53.6% | 25.0% | 23.6% | 51.4% | 25.0% | 14.5% | 60.2% | 25.3% | 332 |
New England Patriots | 27.8% | 53.3% | 7.2% | 33.0% | 54.1% | 7.3% | 28.1% | 58.5% | 9.3% | 360 |
Los Angeles Chargers | 28.4% | 52.7% | 16.2% | 36.2% | 46.4% | 17.4% | 25.3% | 55.5% | 19.2% | 334 |
New York Giants | 17.6% | 52.6% | 26.9% | 19.8% | 53.0% | 27.2% | 15.1% | 58.4% | 26.5% | 346 |
Chicago Bears | 30.1% | 52.5% | 14.1% | 32.8% | 52.2% | 13.9% | 21.2% | 66.3% | 11.1% | 276 |
Buffalo Bills | 15.4% | 52.1% | 17.0% | 21.0% | 59.9% | 14.6% | 16.3% | 63.4% | 16.5% | 259 |
Indianapolis Colts | 17.9% | 50.2% | 27.4% | 22.4% | 50.0% | 27.6% | 15.6% | 55.3% | 29.1% | 263 |
Green Bay Packers | 25.5% | 49.1% | 17.6% | 31.7% | 47.1% | 18.8% | 24.7% | 55.5% | 18.0% | 318 |
Minnesota Vikings | 25.3% | 49.0% | 19.0% | 27.0% | 50.6% | 22.4% | 19.4% | 63.6% | 17.0% | 253 |
Philadelphia Eagles | 16.8% | 47.6% | 34.6% | 20.2% | 45.1% | 34.7% | 19.3% | 44.8% | 35.9% | 309 |
New Orleans Saints | 26.0% | 46.5% | 18.1% | 29.6% | 50.2% | 15.8% | 21.1% | 58.0% | 16.2% | 288 |
Atlanta Falcons | 17.2% | 45.5% | 21.3% | 19.8% | 42.1% | 24.3% | 14.0% | 50.1% | 24.4% | 343 |
Baltimore Ravens | 11.1% | 42.2% | 41.8% | 13.2% | 39.6% | 44.7% | 9.3% | 47.1% | 42.7% | 244 |
San Francisco 49ers | 20.3% | 41.4% | 30.0% | 21.7% | 37.3% | 34.2% | 17.7% | 43.0% | 31.8% | 227 |
Oakland Raiders | 17.0% | 37.9% | 35.2% | 19.4% | 35.6% | 38.3% | 15.4% | 40.5% | 37.6% | 253 |
Denver Broncos | 26.2% | 35.5% | 17.7% | 31.7% | 33.9% | 18.0% | 20.0% | 42.2% | 19.6% | 282 |
Strengths vs. Weaknesses Appendix
These tables exclude matchups with teams that have a bye week. At the top of each are offenses in good matchups this week based on how the offense gains yards and how the defense allows yards. At the bottom are offenses in bad matchups.
Passing (sorted by the "Avg. %" column)
Passing | ||||||
Offensive Team | PaYd% | Rank | Defensive Team | PaYd% | Rank | Avg. % |
Cincinnati Bengals | 81.2% | 2 | Baltimore Ravens | 76.2% | 29 | 78.7% |
Atlanta Falcons | 82.2% | 1 | New Orleans Saints | 73.4% | 27 | 77.8% |
Los Angeles Chargers | 78.0% | 3 | Oakland Raiders | 76.3% | 30 | 77.1% |
Detroit Lions | 75.5% | 6 | Chicago Bears | 71.1% | 23 | 73.3% |
Kansas City Chiefs | 76.9% | 4 | Tennessee Titans | 69.6% | 21 | 73.3% |
Arizona Cardinals | 65.0% | 22 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 79.0% | 32 | 72.0% |
Miami Dolphins | 75.7% | 5 | Indianapolis Colts | 68.0% | 17 | 71.9% |
New York Giants | 68.8% | 15 | New York Jets | 74.7% | 28 | 71.7% |
Los Angeles Rams | 74.7% | 7 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 68.0% | 15 | 71.3% |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 73.6% | 9 | Arizona Cardinals | 68.9% | 19 | 71.3% |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 69.6% | 13 | Los Angeles Rams | 71.4% | 24 | 70.5% |
New Orleans Saints | 69.6% | 14 | Atlanta Falcons | 68.8% | 18 | 69.2% |
Chicago Bears | 69.8% | 12 | Detroit Lions | 68.0% | 16 | 68.9% |
New York Jets | 70.4% | 11 | New York Giants | 67.3% | 14 | 68.8% |
Dallas Cowboys | 65.8% | 18 | Minnesota Vikings | 70.2% | 22 | 68.0% |
Green Bay Packers | 73.0% | 10 | Carolina Panthers | 63.0% | 9 | 68.0% |
Tennessee Titans | 67.9% | 16 | Kansas City Chiefs | 62.2% | 5 | 65.0% |
Minnesota Vikings | 60.4% | 30 | Dallas Cowboys | 69.4% | 20 | 64.9% |
San Francisco 49ers | 56.1% | 31 | Seattle Seahawks | 73.0% | 25 | 64.6% |
Oakland Raiders | 64.3% | 23 | Los Angeles Chargers | 64.6% | 10 | 64.5% |
Carolina Panthers | 60.9% | 29 | Green Bay Packers | 66.7% | 13 | 63.8% |
Cleveland Browns | 65.0% | 21 | Buffalo Bills | 62.3% | 6 | 63.7% |
Indianapolis Colts | 62.2% | 27 | Miami Dolphins | 62.5% | 7 | 62.4% |
Seattle Seahawks | 66.7% | 17 | San Francisco 49ers | 57.3% | 1 | 62.0% |
Buffalo Bills | 61.5% | 28 | Cleveland Browns | 60.5% | 4 | 61.0% |
Baltimore Ravens | 52.0% | 32 | Cincinnati Bengals | 59.2% | 2 | 55.6% |
Rushing (sorted by the "Avg. %" column)
Rushing | ||||||
Offensive Team | RuYd% | Rank | Defensive Team | RuYd% | Rank | Avg. % |
Baltimore Ravens | 48.0% | 1 | Cincinnati Bengals | 40.8% | 31 | 44.4% |
Buffalo Bills | 38.5% | 5 | Cleveland Browns | 39.5% | 29 | 39.0% |
Seattle Seahawks | 33.3% | 16 | San Francisco 49ers | 42.7% | 32 | 38.0% |
Indianapolis Colts | 37.8% | 6 | Miami Dolphins | 37.5% | 26 | 37.6% |
Cleveland Browns | 35.0% | 12 | Buffalo Bills | 37.7% | 27 | 36.3% |
Carolina Panthers | 39.1% | 4 | Green Bay Packers | 33.3% | 20 | 36.2% |
Oakland Raiders | 35.7% | 10 | Los Angeles Chargers | 35.4% | 23 | 35.5% |
San Francisco 49ers | 43.9% | 2 | Seattle Seahawks | 27.0% | 8 | 35.4% |
Minnesota Vikings | 39.6% | 3 | Dallas Cowboys | 30.6% | 13 | 35.1% |
Tennessee Titans | 32.1% | 17 | Kansas City Chiefs | 37.8% | 28 | 35.0% |
Green Bay Packers | 27.0% | 23 | Carolina Panthers | 37.0% | 24 | 32.0% |
Dallas Cowboys | 34.2% | 15 | Minnesota Vikings | 29.8% | 11 | 32.0% |
New York Jets | 29.6% | 22 | New York Giants | 32.7% | 19 | 31.2% |
Chicago Bears | 30.2% | 21 | Detroit Lions | 32.0% | 17 | 31.1% |
New Orleans Saints | 30.4% | 19 | Atlanta Falcons | 31.2% | 15 | 30.8% |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 30.4% | 20 | Los Angeles Rams | 28.6% | 9 | 29.5% |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 26.4% | 24 | Arizona Cardinals | 31.1% | 14 | 28.7% |
Los Angeles Rams | 25.3% | 26 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 32.0% | 18 | 28.7% |
New York Giants | 31.2% | 18 | New York Jets | 25.3% | 5 | 28.3% |
Miami Dolphins | 24.3% | 28 | Indianapolis Colts | 32.0% | 16 | 28.1% |
Arizona Cardinals | 35.0% | 11 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 21.0% | 1 | 28.0% |
Kansas City Chiefs | 23.1% | 29 | Tennessee Titans | 30.4% | 12 | 26.7% |
Detroit Lions | 24.5% | 27 | Chicago Bears | 28.9% | 10 | 26.7% |
Los Angeles Chargers | 22.0% | 30 | Oakland Raiders | 23.7% | 3 | 22.9% |
Atlanta Falcons | 17.8% | 32 | New Orleans Saints | 26.6% | 6 | 22.2% |
Cincinnati Bengals | 18.8% | 31 | Baltimore Ravens | 23.8% | 4 | 21.3% |
NSOS vs. DvP Appendix
Quarterbacks (sorted by worst NSoS)
vs. Quarterbacks | ||||
Team | NSoS | DvP | Delta | Opponent |
Miami Dolphins | 32 | 14 | -18 | Indianapolis Colts |
Arizona Cardinals | 31 | 30 | -1 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 30 | 29 | -1 | Arizona Cardinals |
Oakland Raiders | 28 | 32 | 4 | Los Angeles Chargers |
Atlanta Falcons | 28 | 31 | 3 | New Orleans Saints |
Cincinnati Bengals | 27 | 27 | 0 | Baltimore Ravens |
Houston Texans | 26 | 26 | 0 | BYE |
Detroit Lions | 25 | 28 | 3 | Chicago Bears |
Cleveland Browns | 23 | 22 | -1 | Buffalo Bills |
Tennessee Titans | 23 | 16 | -7 | Kansas City Chiefs |
New York Jets | 22 | 18 | -4 | New York Giants |
Seattle Seahawks | 21 | 25 | 4 | San Francisco 49ers |
Los Angeles Rams | 20 | 20 | 0 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Minnesota Vikings | 19 | 15 | -4 | Dallas Cowboys |
Green Bay Packers | 17 | 18 | 1 | Carolina Panthers |
New York Giants | 17 | 23 | 6 | New York Jets |
Kansas City Chiefs | 15 | 21 | 6 | Tennessee Titans |
Philadelphia Eagles | 15 | 11 | -4 | BYE |
Carolina Panthers | 14 | 24 | 10 | Green Bay Packers |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 13 | 13 | 0 | BYE |
Baltimore Ravens | 12 | 9 | -3 | Cincinnati Bengals |
Los Angeles Chargers | 11 | 4 | -7 | Oakland Raiders |
Chicago Bears | 10 | 12 | 2 | Detroit Lions |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 | 17 | 9 | Los Angeles Rams |
Indianapolis Colts | 8 | 7 | -1 | Miami Dolphins |
Buffalo Bills | 7 | 6 | -1 | Cleveland Browns |
Washington Redskins | 6 | 8 | 2 | BYE |
Dallas Cowboys | 5 | 10 | 5 | Minnesota Vikings |
New England Patriots | 3 | 2 | -1 | BYE |
Denver Broncos | 3 | 3 | 0 | BYE |
New Orleans Saints | 2 | 5 | 3 | Atlanta Falcons |
San Francisco 49ers | 1 | 1 | 0 | Seattle Seahawks |
Running Backs (sorted by worst NSoS)
vs. Running Backs | ||||
Team | NSoS | DvP | Delta | Opponent |
Carolina Panthers | 32 | 30 | -2 | Green Bay Packers |
Detroit Lions | 31 | 31 | 0 | Chicago Bears |
Miami Dolphins | 30 | 10 | -20 | Indianapolis Colts |
Kansas City Chiefs | 29 | 32 | 3 | Tennessee Titans |
Buffalo Bills | 28 | 20 | -8 | Cleveland Browns |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 27 | 24 | -3 | BYE |
Arizona Cardinals | 25 | 17 | -8 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Green Bay Packers | 25 | 16 | -9 | Carolina Panthers |
Cincinnati Bengals | 24 | 14 | -10 | Baltimore Ravens |
Chicago Bears | 22 | 29 | 7 | Detroit Lions |
Washington Redskins | 22 | 28 | 6 | BYE |
Atlanta Falcons | 19 | 19 | 0 | New Orleans Saints |
Cleveland Browns | 19 | 27 | 8 | Buffalo Bills |
Los Angeles Chargers | 19 | 26 | 7 | Oakland Raiders |
Seattle Seahawks | 18 | 15 | -3 | San Francisco 49ers |
New York Giants | 17 | 25 | 8 | New York Jets |
Baltimore Ravens | 16 | 3 | -13 | Cincinnati Bengals |
Philadelphia Eagles | 15 | 13 | -2 | BYE |
Tennessee Titans | 12 | 22 | 10 | Kansas City Chiefs |
New York Jets | 12 | 18 | 6 | New York Giants |
Los Angeles Rams | 12 | 11 | -1 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Minnesota Vikings | 11 | 7 | -4 | Dallas Cowboys |
Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 23 | 13 | Minnesota Vikings |
Houston Texans | 8 | 12 | 4 | BYE |
New England Patriots | 8 | 4 | -4 | BYE |
Oakland Raiders | 7 | 21 | 14 | Los Angeles Chargers |
San Francisco 49ers | 6 | 6 | 0 | Seattle Seahawks |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 5 | 0 | Arizona Cardinals |
Denver Broncos | 4 | 9 | 5 | BYE |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 3 | 1 | -2 | Los Angeles Rams |
Indianapolis Colts | 2 | 8 | 6 | Miami Dolphins |
New Orleans Saints | 1 | 2 | 1 | Atlanta Falcons |
Wide Receivers (sorted by worst NSoS)
vs. Wide Receivers | ||||
Team | NSoS | DvP | Delta | Opponent |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 32 | 32 | 0 | Arizona Cardinals |
Miami Dolphins | 31 | 18 | -13 | Indianapolis Colts |
Arizona Cardinals | 30 | 28 | -2 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Atlanta Falcons | 29 | 31 | 2 | New Orleans Saints |
Oakland Raiders | 28 | 29 | 1 | Los Angeles Chargers |
Houston Texans | 27 | 27 | 0 | BYE |
Minnesota Vikings | 26 | 23 | -3 | Dallas Cowboys |
Cincinnati Bengals | 25 | 20 | -5 | Baltimore Ravens |
Green Bay Packers | 23 | 21 | -2 | Carolina Panthers |
Cleveland Browns | 23 | 11 | -12 | Buffalo Bills |
Seattle Seahawks | 22 | 25 | 3 | San Francisco 49ers |
New York Jets | 20 | 19 | -1 | New York Giants |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 20 | 16 | -4 | Los Angeles Rams |
Tennessee Titans | 19 | 12 | -7 | Kansas City Chiefs |
Baltimore Ravens | 18 | 22 | 4 | Cincinnati Bengals |
Detroit Lions | 17 | 24 | 7 | Chicago Bears |
Philadelphia Eagles | 16 | 14 | -2 | BYE |
Indianapolis Colts | 15 | 12 | -3 | Miami Dolphins |
New York Giants | 14 | 26 | 12 | New York Jets |
Carolina Panthers | 13 | 30 | 17 | Green Bay Packers |
Los Angeles Chargers | 11 | 9 | -2 | Oakland Raiders |
Los Angeles Rams | 11 | 15 | 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 5 | -5 | Minnesota Vikings |
Denver Broncos | 9 | 7 | -2 | BYE |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 8 | 10 | 2 | BYE |
New England Patriots | 7 | 4 | -3 | BYE |
Buffalo Bills | 5 | 6 | 1 | Cleveland Browns |
Washington Redskins | 5 | 8 | 3 | BYE |
New Orleans Saints | 4 | 16 | 12 | Atlanta Falcons |
San Francisco 49ers | 3 | 3 | 0 | Seattle Seahawks |
Chicago Bears | 2 | 1 | -1 | Detroit Lions |
Kansas City Chiefs | 1 | 2 | 1 | Tennessee Titans |
Tight Ends (sorted by worst NSoS)
vs. Tight Ends | ||||
Team | NSoS | DvP | Delta | Opponent |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 32 | 32 | 0 | Arizona Cardinals |
Miami Dolphins | 5 | 5 | 0 | Indianapolis Colts |
Arizona Cardinals | 23 | 28 | 5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Atlanta Falcons | 18 | 22 | 4 | New Orleans Saints |
Oakland Raiders | 30 | 23 | -7 | Los Angeles Chargers |
Houston Texans | 12 | 20 | 8 | BYE |
Minnesota Vikings | 13 | 17 | 4 | Dallas Cowboys |
Cincinnati Bengals | 20 | 7 | -13 | Baltimore Ravens |
Green Bay Packers | 17 | 30 | 13 | Carolina Panthers |
Cleveland Browns | 29 | 21 | -8 | Buffalo Bills |
Seattle Seahawks | 21 | 26 | 5 | San Francisco 49ers |
New York Jets | 18 | 17 | -1 | New York Giants |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 26 | 27 | 1 | Los Angeles Rams |
Tennessee Titans | 16 | 11 | -5 | Kansas City Chiefs |
Baltimore Ravens | 2 | 3 | 1 | Cincinnati Bengals |
Detroit Lions | 31 | 29 | -2 | Chicago Bears |
Philadelphia Eagles | 6 | 3 | -3 | BYE |
Indianapolis Colts | 22 | 14 | -8 | Miami Dolphins |
New York Giants | 10 | 8 | -2 | New York Jets |
Carolina Panthers | 9 | 19 | 10 | Green Bay Packers |
Los Angeles Chargers | 3 | 2 | -1 | Oakland Raiders |
Los Angeles Rams | 28 | 25 | -3 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Dallas Cowboys | 24 | 24 | 0 | Minnesota Vikings |
Denver Broncos | 4 | 13 | 9 | BYE |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 27 | 14 | -13 | BYE |
New England Patriots | 13 | 9 | -4 | BYE |
Buffalo Bills | 7 | 9 | 2 | Cleveland Browns |
Washington Redskins | 11 | 12 | 1 | BYE |
New Orleans Saints | 25 | 6 | -19 | Atlanta Falcons |
San Francisco 49ers | 1 | 1 | 0 | Seattle Seahawks |
Chicago Bears | 15 | 31 | 16 | Detroit Lions |
Kansas City Chiefs | 8 | 16 | 8 | Tennessee Titans |
Questions, comments, suggestions, and other feedback on this piece are always welcome via e-mail hester@footballguys.com