Welcome to Air Yard Analysis! Each week, I’ll break down the trends in air yards across the NFL. In case you haven’t used air yards for fantasy analysis before, here’s the rundown on what the advanced stat means:

Fantasy football is a game of volume. Snaps, carries, targets, receptions, yards, red-zone looks — all of these reflect the opportunities a player receives in a game. While it’s up to the player to capitalize on their chances, a player’s efficiency tends to vary more than their opportunities.

Air yards are another volume stat that’s crucial to understanding a player’s value. Air yards measure the total distance that a thrown ball travels from the line of scrimmage to the player in question, and they help us to understand which targets are worth more than others.

For example, a wide receiver who earned six targets and eight air yards is far less valuable than one who earned four targets and 92 air yards, even if the second player failed to catch all of their looks. That’s because a best-possible six receptions for eight yards gives you only 6.8 PPR points, while four catches for 92 yards would let you 13.2 PPR points. That’s a higher ceiling, and the second player could even drop a pass and still out-perform the first player.

Each week, I’ll go read through and analyze every team’s air yards to give you my take. I’ll include every player with a target in my charts, and I’ll highlight which players are leading the league in each stat. Please note: due to Tuesday Night Football, I could not access data from the Buffalo/Tennessee game before the time of writing.

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Arizona Cardinals

Takeaways: These numbers are below average for the Cardinals because they build up a lead and Kyler Murray had no need to throw it deep … Christian Kirk is becoming an increasingly viable fantasy option due to a larger target share, although his total air yards per game have remained consistent … you don’t need me (or these air yards) to know that DeAndre Hopkins is a high-end WR1, but the data stands by his elite status … as I’ve said pretty much every week now, Chase Edmonds’ frequent usage beyond the line of scrimmage gives him flex value, especially as Kenyan Drake continues to struggle.

Atlanta Falcons

Takeaways: The Falcons opted to ride Todd Gurley against the Panthers’ ineffective rushing defense last week, so these numbers are a bit lower than what we’re used to seeing … if you faded Ridley after his goose-egg last week (despite his 108 air yards), I don’t know what to tell you … with Julio Jones out again, Olamide Zaccheaus continued to have a role on the perimeter, although he’s not quite fantasy-relevant … look for Hayden Hurst and Russell Gage to bounce back with Dan Quinn out as head coach.

Baltimore Ravens

Takeaways: The Ravens got ahead early, but they did a lot of their damage through the air … Marquise Brown is one of the league’s best deep threats, and his fifth-most air yards and his long-range aDOT are proof … that said, he’s a bit boom or bust — if the Ravens don’t throw his way enough early, there’s a decent chance that they won’t need to look his way later … it’s interesting that both running backs who saw targets (Edwards and Dobbins) were targeted beyond the line of scrimmage — the Ravens are finding ways to get their running backs involved out of the backfield.

Carolina Panthers

Takeaways: While the air yards used to support D.J. Moore’s case for positive regression, developments in Week 4 and Week 5 have me firmly in Anderson’s camp … also, he’s now tied with Moore for air yards, so that argument for Moore has weakened dramatically … Curtis Samuel had an unusually large role early against the Falcons, but he didn’t see much use as the game progressed, and it’s hard to justify rostering him at this point.

Chicago Bears

Takeaways: Allen Robinson is the sole fantasy-relevant wide receiver on this roster — he has a dominant share of the team’s air yards, and he hasn’t needed a lot of long-range looks to accomplish that feat … Anthony Miller should be off your fantasy radar at this point … Darrell Mooney is an interesting pickup/hold in dynasty leagues, but I’m skeptical of his weekly value; he’s not a bad home-run DFS play, though … Graham, surprisingly, remains fantasy-relevant at 33 years old.

Cincinnati Bengals

Takeaways: A.J. Green is on his way out of Cincinnati — he’s still top-10 in the league for air yards, but he logged only 15 of them on one target this week … Tee Higgins will get Green’s long-range targets with him trending down … Boyd is a fantastic WR2 in PPR formats despite his low share of air yards — he just gets too many short-range looks not to be … after an expanded early-season role, Giovani Bernard is droppable.

Cleveland Browns

Takeaways: I still think that Landry is an easy fade — 37.5% of his air yards came in last week’s game, and he hasn’t gotten consistent usage … that said, the Browns may end up passing more frequently with Nick Chubb out … Austin Hooper more than doubled his share of air yards last week, and again, I suspect that Week 4 was a fluke … Odell Beckham remains a low-end but high-upside WR2 in this offense … Kareem Hunt continues to see usage beyond the line of scrimmage, and that gives him some extra value in PPR formats.

Dallas Cowboys

Takeaways: Amari Cooper saw much less volume last week, but I’m blaming that on James Bradberry, not him — he should return to WR1 status by next week … in his stead, Lamb led the offense in air yard and targets, and he’s looking like a mid-tier WR2 this season, although that may change with Dak Prescott out … Michael Gallup continues to be the deep threat in this offense, and as last week proved, he’ll continue to play that role with Andy Dalton under center … Dalton Schultz’s fantasy value is sketchy at best moving forward, although he’s not droppable quite yet.

Houston Texans

Takeaways: Well, it looks like Cooks and Fuller can succeed at the same time … Cooks may have an expanded role with Bill O’Brien out of town, and since both the Titans and Texans play at top-10 paces, he’s not a bad start at WR3 this week … likewise, Fuller should benefit from an aggressive, pass-heavy game script … Cobb isn’t seeing much usage downfield, but he provides decent floor as a WR4/5 in PPR formats … David Johnson’s use beyond the line of scrimmage adds to his fantasy value in PPR formats.

Indianapolis Colts

Takeaways: Is Hilton back? He could be, but I’d chalk this up as a fluke … it’s still early in the season, but Philip Rivers just isn’t getting the ball far downfield anymore, so Hilton will need a multitude of mid-range looks (like the ones he got last week) to be fantasy-relevant … Trey Burton seems like the tight end to roster in Indy, although he lacks the pop of Mo Alie-Cox and probably won’t win you your matchup … Pascal’s negative air yards are a concern, although he should rebound in Week 6 as the Colts play the Bengals’ soft secondary.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Takeaways: Chark limped off the field late last week, and his injury woes have paved the way for Chris Conley to see long-range targets in his stead … we all saw how bad the Jaguars looked without Chark a few weeks ago, so Keelan Cole’s value actually takes a hit if Chark can’t suit up … if Laviska Shenault can play (he didn’t practice on Wednesday), he’s a good bet to put up points against the Lions.

Kansas City Chiefs

Takeaways: Hill broke into the league’s top 10 for air yards after his multitude of deep looks last weekend … he remains a high-end, high-upside WR1 in all formats … Kelce is leading this team in volume due to his short-to-mid-range targets … now that Sammy Watkins is injured, look for Hardman and Robinson to have expanded roles; Robinson will benefit the most, as he has a more similar role to Watkins’ … Hardman’s aDOT may look similar to Watkins’, but that’s because Hardman is frequently targeted either close to the line of scrimmage or very deep.

Las Vegas Raiders

Takeaways: Derek Carr is taking lots of deep shots for the Raiders, and three of his receivers crack different aDOT top-10 lists as a result … when Carr isn’t throwing the ball deep, he’s passing it to Darren Waller close to the line of scrimmage, evinced by his incredibly low aDOT … all of Carr’s receivers will continue to have boom-or-bust value moving forward, but Ruggs is the best candidate to hit value.

Los Angeles Chargers

Takeaways: With the strength of Justin Herbert’s arm, Mike Williams’ big Week 5 was rather predictable … Williams is a high-end, boom-or-bust WR3 now that Herbert is the starter … Guyton continued to see long-range looks from Herbert, and he’s now third on this team in air yards on just 10 targets … he’s too risky of a play for me in redraft, but he could be a home-run hitter in DFS (not this week, however, as the Chargers are on a bye) … Allen left the game early with back spasms, so he should rebound in Week 7.

Los Angeles Rams

Takeaways: After multiple games of very short-range usage, (he had a 4.7 aDOT on the season as of Week 4), Woods caught a deep pass for a 56-yard score last week … he’s still little more than a short-yardage perimeter weapon, however, and he’s only startable in PPR formats … Josh Reynolds is the only receiver consistently getting targeted for more than 10 yards … Tyler Higbee has been a huge disappointment this season, and Jared Goff’s short-range throws are a huge part of why … only one of Goff’s receivers has surpassed 200 air yards (Kupp), and he ranks 68th in the league.

Miami Dolphins

Takeaways: I pronounced Preston Williams dead last week, but he came back as the Dolphins shockingly embarrassed Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers … Williams did his damage on multiple deep looks from Ryan Fitzpatrick, and he’s worth holding onto to see if this is sustainable … Parker continues to be a solid downfield threat for Miami, although a bounce-back from Williams would limit his fantasy utility … Isaiah Ford fell off as the Dolphins opted to huck the ball downfield instead of using their short-range receiving weapons.

Minnesota Vikings

Takeaways: Thielen has been one of the league’s best receivers thus far despite Minnesota’s penchant for running the football … you can chalk his fantasy success up to a mid-range aDOT and a lack of competition … Jefferson hasn’t lived up to his strong showing from a few weeks ago, but he’s doing what the Vikings are asking of him, so be patient … Irv Smith finally showed up, and he’s set for a big game against Atlanta’s atrocious tight end defense — if the game gets played this week.

New Orleans Saints

Takeaways: Take these numbers with a grain of salt; “Slant Boy” Michael Thomas’ return will change these numbers dramatically … it took a few weeks, but Sanders inserted himself as the go-to short-range wide receiver without Thomas, and time will tell if he can hold onto a similar target share with him around … interestingly, tight end Cook continues to have a team-leading aDOT, although Drew Brees doesn’t often throw deep anyway … Tre’Quan Smith faded hard after his two-score showing a week ago, but he’ll probably have more fantasy value alongside Thomas than Sanders will.

New York Giants

Takeaways: Slayton continues to be a fantastic deep threat despite Daniel Jones’ inefficiency, and he’s a low-end, high-risk WR2 as a result … that said, Jones still hasn’t thrown a touchdown since Week 1 … it took a rushing play for Evan Engram to find the end zone this week … the value of both Engram and Tate will take a big hit once Sterling Shepard gets back to claim his short-yardage role in this offense … there’s not much to get excited about here, so I would stay away for fantasy purposes.

New York Jets

Takeaways: Joe Flacco was willing to chuck the ball downfield against the Cardinals, and it shows in his players’ aDOTs and air yards … Smith, who only caught three of his 11 targets for 23 yards, is nonetheless one of Flacco’s favorite downfield reads … speedsters Denzel Mims and Breshad Perriman may be back soon, however, and their return would cause Smith’s value to nosedive. … also, Crowder got a critical long-range look from Flacco that he turned into a 52-yard gain … the veteran slot receiver will have some extra downfield pop for as long as the Elite Dragon is throwing him the football

Philadelphia Eagles

Takeaways: You wouldn’t know it from the box score, but Hightower led the league in air yards this week … despite the accomplishment, he caught just two of his six targets for 18 yards … both Hightower and Fulgham will fade into fantasy irrelevance once Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, and Jalen Reagor get healthy — sell high on them if you can … Zach Ertz continued to disappoint, although at least he had double-digit air yards this week.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Takeaways: Chase Claypool looks like a stud, and the Steelers remain the league’s best team at drafting wide receivers … though Claypool’s breakout only came as a function of Diontae Johnson’s injury, there’s no putting the cat back in the bag here, as Claypool has earned Big Ben’s trust … Smith-Schuster’s role continues to depend on him breaking plays after the catch, and it’s hard to get excited about him outside of PPR formats … if Johnson can stay healthy, he should remain a fantasy-relevant threat, but Claypool’s emergence definitely caps his upside.

San Francisco 49ers

Takeaways: The 49ers did not look good against the Dolphins, and we’ll need to see a turnaround from Jimmy Garoppolo soon … despite Samuel going before him in most fantasy drafts, Aiyuk’s longer-range role gives him more value than the sophomore … Jerick McKinnon had a pretty abysmal fantasy day, but his usage beyond the line of scrimmage suggests that a rebound should be on the horizon.

Seattle Seahawks

Takeaways: Another week, another disappearance from Tyler Lockett … his three-touchdown performance now looks like more of a fluke than an indication of fantasy relevance … he’s still a solid option at WR2/3, but he may have less of a floor than we had anticipated … in contrast, DK Metcalf looks like a fantastic high-volume deep threat, and as long as Russ is cooking, he’s a high-end WR2 with some pop … David Moore is continuing to get opportunities downfield, and even though he failed to catch any of his five targets last weekend, he’s not a bad touchdown-or-bust play in DFS formats.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Takeaways: Not listed: Scotty Miller, who failed to log a target in the Week 5 loss to Chicago … Mike Evans caught five of his nine targets for 41 yards and a score against the Bears, so while he didn’t capitalize on his opportunities downfield, he remains a high-upside play … he’s still suffering through an ankle injury, however … with O.J. Howard injured, backup tight ends Tanner Hudson and Cameron Brate saw usage alongside Rob Gronkowski, and the Buccaneers are unlikely to feature one player at the position all season … Tyler Johnson posted surprisingly good numbers, but Miller didn’t do anything, and neither Chris Godwin nor Justin Watson played, so who knows what that means moving forward … Ronald Jones’ usage beyond the line of scrimmage adds to his value in PPR formats.

Washington Football Team

Takeaways: This offense is a mess. Scary Terry was the only receiver to log more than 20 air yards, and neither Kyle Allen nor Alex Smith had much time to throw … the Rams notched an impressive eight sacks against the Football Team in the process … that said, two of Kyle Allen’s receivers finished in the top-12 for air yards last season, so expect bigger numbers from McLaurin and either Thomas or Inman next week … McKissic’s usage as a runner and receiver gives him some flex utility in PPR-scoring formats, but time will tell if he loses those opportunities to Gibson.

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Isaiah Sirois is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Isaiah, check out his archive and follow him @is_sirois.