10 Shocking Stats from the 2022 Fantasy Football Season
Each February, the Fantasy Footballers put together a list of shocking stats from the previous season to remind us of certain performances, give context for their fantasy output and, above all else, make you question if this whole thing was made up.
This article is a recap of the Shocking Stats from 2022 episode and a dive deeper into some of the notes from our “Show Doc”.
1. The Under-takers
There were only 26 games in the regular season that had a final over/under line of 50+ points. We normally see that as the magic number for high-scoring games, DFS bonanzas…
In 2022, over 65 % of those games hit the under, the highest by far over the last six years. In fact, 50+ total games averaged just 47.5 points per game.
Are sportsbooks getting smarter? Or are defenses adjusting?
2. The Beginning of the End?
We mentioned this on the RB Truth Episode but over the last two seasons, Alvin Kamara has six total Rushing TDs. But it’s not just him… Aaron Jones also has six rush TDs over the last two years.
Here were some players with more rushing TD in that span: Cam Akers, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Sam Darnold, Chuba Hubbard, and Boston Scott. Woof.
The efficiency for both Kamara and Jones hit rock bottom the last two years after there were efficiency outliers their previous four years in the league.
3. Can I Get a 1st Down?
The Arizona Cardinals ranked 2nd in Seconds per Play, 3rd in Plays per Game… In fact, over the last four years, they ran the 4th MOST total plays of any NFL team.
Sounds nice… but only 28.5 % of their plays resulted in a 1st down and they ranked 29th in Yards per Play.
In his 11 games played, Kyler Murray posted the LOWEST 1st down rate of any QB in the league. Just 43.6% of his completions + rush attempts resulted in a 1st down, which was lower than Davis Mills, Carson Wentz, or Kenny Pickett.
Harry How/Getty Images
The Cardinals averaged 6.9 penalties per game, the most in the NFL. In the 4-year reign of Kliff Kingsbury, the Cardinals were called for more penalties than any other team in the NFL. See ya Kliff!
4. Giants Seeing Red
The Giants became the 1st team in NFL history to rank dead last in red zone targets AND make the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. They had 28 total Red zone targets, two fewer than Travis Kelce had by himself. Rookie TE Daniel Bellinger actually led the team … with 7.
5. Doubting Travis Kelce?
Not sure anyone is actually doubting Kelce or the Chiefs but don’t tell him that. Kelce hasn’t played in a true ROAD playoff game since the 2015 season.
And the Chiefs have made the playoffs every single year in that span. That is insane.
Here are his TE finishes in terms of what that equated to at “WR”:
6. Lions Inside the Five
32 of the Lions’ 52 TDs this season came inside the 5 (62%) highlighted by Jamaal Williams finishing with a league-leading 14 rush TDs inside 5. His 30 rush attempts inside the 5-yard line are the most since 1994… aka when NFL started tracking the stat.
But it’s not just the running game as Jared Goff had 16 passing TDs inside the 5, the 2nd most in the NFL. That was one fewer than Patrick Mahomes and the 4th most over the last five years.
The offense was insanely efficient: 56% of Goff’s completions + rush attempts ended in 1st Down, the highest among all QBs in the NFL.
Nic Antaya/Getty Images
7. Tyreek is a Freak… On the Road
Tyreek Hill is not human.
But if you haven’t noticed his splits over the year, this is your last warning. He’s arguably the greatest ROAD WR of all time. Here’s how he stacks up against some of the greatest to ever play the position.
Since coming into the league in 2016, he leads the NFL in games of 20+ fantasy points on the ROAD. Heck, in 2022, he averaged 20.94 fantasy points per game away from Miami.
Tyreek’s 2022 Road GameLogs
That is a thing of beauty for those who love box score watching. If you ONLY counted his fantasy points on the road, he still would’ve finished as a WR1! That’s more road fantasy points than what Stefon Diggs (the WR4) + Amon-Ra St. Brown (the WR8) combined on the road.
8. Jaylen Making the Jump
Jaylen Waddle made a massive jump in Yards per Reception 9.8 to a league-leading 18.1. It was the largest “JUMP” for a league leader in YPR over the last decade aka the DeSean Jackson statistic
9. Great Expectations (Dickens)
Based upon WR ADP & expected FPts, the WRs drafted in the WR35-45 range destroyed the WRs in the WR15-25 range.
10. Itty Bitty Bitty City
Queue the Sad Pitty City Music…
If your league rewards you for this kinda thing, at least Michael Pittman Jr. was on the field:
- 97% snap rate- #1 among WRs
- 3rd MOST routes
- 2nd MOST route “wins”
- 8th MOST receptions in the NFL
OK, it’s time to break the bad news…
- He had the lowest receiving yards EVER for a WR with 99+ receptions in a season
- He had the lowest PPR Fantasy Points EVER for a WR with 99+ receptions in a season
Ouch.