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Fast fantasy facts on the quarterbacks of 2016

of the Green Bay Packers during the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on November 13, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The 2016 regular season is in the books. Perhaps you got a big payout and a trophy, or you are vowing to do better next year. It doesn’t matter where your head is because now is the time to get a jump on everyone else. Yes, now.

Sure, there will be a draft and free agency and other movement, but you need to look back and honestly assess the year that was before you can move forward. We learned a lot this year, and some players showed their truest selves, in good ways and in bad.

Here are some must-know quarterback fantasy facts from last season that can give you a leg up 2017.

Marcus Mariota was the most improved quarterback in the league, especially when it comes to going deep.

Mariota’s season ended with a broken fibula, and as of today, his timeline for recovery is set at four to five months. But don’t let that unfortunate end get you down. There is a lot of fantasy value to get excited about when you look over Mariota’s 2016 numbers. In 2015, Mariota ranked dead last in the league when it came to deep passing accuracy. He only completed 20.4 percent of his passing attempts targeted 20 yards or more downfield, accounting for drops, throwaways, batted passes and even when he was hit while throwing. This season, he completed 41.9 percent of his deep passing attempts. He was actually the ninth-most-accurate deep passer among quarterbacks who took at least 60 shots downfield.

Mariota’s deep passing productivity rested on the shoulders of breakout wide receiver, Rishard Matthews. Matthews put up 11 receptions that were based on targets of 20 yards or more and didn’t record a single drop. His 44.0 catch rate on deep passes ranked 11th-best among wide receivers with at least 100 targets. Matthews was an offseason acquisition and still has two years left on his contract. Look for that connection to grow in 2017.

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