The 32 Observations series has covered passing and rushing over the past two weeks, so the next logical step is to look at receiving. This week you can see various situational statistics on receivers so you can learn a little bit more about them. In order to qualify for this article, a player (regardless of position) must have 20 targets.
AFC East
Buffalo Bills: Plenty of tight ends are lining up frequently as wide receivers, and getting a lot of their stats playing like a WR. Scott Chandler is more of a traditional tight end who has seen only two of his 24 targets while lined up in the slot. He has 17 catches on 24 targets for 185 yards coming from a traditional tight end position. Those 185 yards are third-most in the league.
Miami Dolphins: The players with the most receiving yards on go routes are mostly the receivers you would expect, but one man on the list is Charles Clay. He has five catches on go routes which is the most in the league, and has 174 yards which is the second-most.
New England Patriots: Of Danny Amendola’s 98 snaps, there has been a defender in press coverage lined up across from him on only 13. That 13.3% rate is the lowest for wide receivers.
New York Jets: For most teams it is easy enough to figure out their best wide receiver. The Jets on the other hand, have Stephen Hill, Jeremy Kerley and Santoino Holmes who have 1.88, 1.86 and 1.83 Yards Per Route Run respectively, which makes it look like they have three receivers who have produced at around the same level.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens: On third downs, Torrey Smith has 10 catches for 254 yards. No other receiver has more than 200 yards on such plays.
Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals have yet to find much success from receivers lining up in the slot this year. The receiver with the most slot yards is Mohamed Sanu with 73 yards on 10 catches. His 73 yards from the slot is the second-lowest amongst receivers who lead their team in slot yards.
Cleveland Browns: Each of the Browns' top three wide receivers are among the bottom fifth of the league in terms of drop rate. Greg Little is at 22.2%, Davone Bess at 19.2% and Josh Gordon at 14.3%.
Pittsburgh Steelers: In the first half of games, Jerricho Cotchery has caught two of eight passes thrown his way for 19 yards with one drop. In the second half he has caught 13 of 17 passes thrown his way for 229 yards, two touchdowns and no drops.
AFC South
Houston Texans: There are 11 receivers in the league with at least 20 catches and no drops. The one with the most catches in the league without a drop is Andre Johnson, with 37. DeAndre Hopkins is another one of the 11, with 22 catches without a drop.
Indianapolis Colts: During the season both T.Y. Hilton and Darius Heyward-Bey have seen snaps as the Colts No. 2 receiver. Yards Per Route Run shows Hilton should receive more snaps in the two receiver sets. He ranks sixth among receivers at 2.50, while Heyward-Bey is 10th-worst at 0.95.
Jacksonville Jaguars: When Chad Henne is the quarterback of the Jaguars instead of Blaine Gabbert, Cecil Shorts sees a higher percent of the targets (36.8% to 30.2%), a higher Catch Rate (54.3% to 46.2%), and a higher Yards per Catch (14.5 to 11.3).
Tennessee Titans: A big reason why Nate Washington has had a noticeable season is his great play in the fourth quarter. He’s caught 10 of 15 passes thrown his way for 200 yards and a touchdown. The 200 yards is second-most in the league.
AFC West
Denver Broncos: The league leader in yards and touchdowns from wide receiver screens is Demaryius Thomas. He has caught nine screens so far for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
Kansas City Chiefs: On Dwayne Bowe’s 17 catches, he’s had seven players miss tackles on him. That is a rate of 0.41 missed tackles per catch which is the best rate among wide receivers.
Oakland Raiders: When a Raiders quarterback has held on to the ball for at least 4 seconds, Rod Streater has been the man to throw to. He’s caught 5 passes on 6 targets for 76 yards on these kind of plays, which is more yards than all of his teammates put together.
San Diego Chargers: Not only does Antonio Gates have more catches on first downs than any other tight end, he has more than any other receiver, at 17. His 265 yards on those catches is second most for all receivers.
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys: Only 3.3% of the Cowboys' aimed passes have been dropped which is the second lowest rate in the league. They are one of six teams to not have a player on the team with more than two drops.
New York Giants: On 56% of his snaps, Hakeem Nicks has had a defender line up in press coverage across from him. That is the highest rate in the league.
Philadelphia Eagles: There are 13 players in the league who have at least 100 receiving yards from plays where they started in a three-point stance. One is Zach Ertz, who has 123 receiving yards on five catches, and another is Brent Celek with 104 yards on four catches. The Eagles are the only team with two players on the list.
Washington Redskins: There are seven different players on the Washington roster with at least 90 receiving yards. This includes their top four wide receivers, Logan Paulsen and Jordan Reed at tight end, and Roy Helu at running back. They are the only team with seven players with 90 or more yards.
NFC North
Chicago Bears: One of the reasons Alshon Jeffery is having a breakout year is because he has done well on hitch routes, with 14 of his 28 catches coming on the route. This has come on 18 targets for 145 yards, which all lead the league.
Detroit Lions: One way that Calvin Johnson is leading the league is in slant routes. He has 9 catches on 11 targets for 166 yards and two touchdowns, with each of those numbers leading the league.
Green Bay Packers: The duo of James Jones and Jordy Nelson has caught 25 of 28 passes thrown their way for 378 yards and 5 touchdowns when there was no defender lined up in press coverage on them to begin the play. When there was someone in press coverage, they have caught just 17 of 28 passes for 332 yards and no touchdowns.
Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings have had 63.3% of their team's receiving yards come from Jerome Simpson and Greg Jennings, which is the second-highest rate in the league for any pair of receivers.
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons: Receiver Roddy White has been decent in the first half of games, with 11 catches on 13 targets for 108 yards. In the second half he has disappeared, with three catches on eight targets for 21 yards.
Carolina Panthers: Of Steve Smith’s 32 targets, half have come when a defender is lined up in press coverage at the snap. Of the 16 targets without press against him, he has 13 catches for 141 yards. Of the 16 targets with press against him, he has five catches for 62 yards.
New Orleans Saints: When Drew Brees is not under pressure and targets Jimmy Graham, he has 35 catches on 43 targets for 578 yards, five touchdowns and no drops. When Brees is under pressure and targets Graham, he has just two catches on eight targets for 15 yards, one touchdown and three drops.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: By far the most efficient player from the slot this year has been Vincent Jackson, with 3.78 Yards Per Route Run in the slot. Only one player is within a yard per route of Jackson.
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals: Of players with at least 20 targets, Andre Ellington has the third-worst drop rate regardless of position. He has dropped four passes compared to 13 catches for a drop rate of 23.5%.
St. Louis Rams: The receiver group with the most dropped passes this season is the Rams with 18. It is led by Tavon Austin with five, and Daryl Richardson with three.
San Francisco 49ers: Anquan Boldin has 40.5% of the 49ers' receiving yards, which is the second-highest rate in the league.
Seattle Seahawks: Of Golden Tate’s 236 receiving yards, 67.3% of them have come after the catch. This is the second-highest rate for wide receivers. On the other hand, Sidney Rice has 146 receiving yards and only 12.3% have come after the catch, which is third-lowest.
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