Welcome back folks as we continue our weekly dive into the pace of play around the NFL. As you probably know, this area should be of interest to fantasy football managers everywhere. Because the more plays a team runs in a game, the more chances your players have to score fantasy points. As The Podfather himself is fond of saying, “fantasy football doesn’t have to be hard.”
Let’s dive in.
The Leaderboard
The Pace of Play Leaderboard Through Week 13
Notable Changes
Truth be told, there were no real dramatic shifts in pace this past week. We seem to have reached a point of the season where teams seem to know who they are. The New York Jets jumped from No. 8 a week ago up to No. 4 after playing catchup for the bulk of their loss to the Vikings. But this Jets team tends towards playing fast, so this is not an earth-shattering development. They haven’t ranked lower than No. 8 all season long. What is noticeable is that over their last two games they’ve averaged 2.47 points per drive. In the ten games prior, this mark was just 1.74. I don’t think you’re coming back anytime soon, Zach Wilson.
Zach Wilson Efficiency Stats 2022
The Jacksonville Jaguars were another team that improved their pace slightly this past week. They are now up to a pace of play mark of 2.116 which is good for No. 11. But again, they’ve hovered between No. 8 and No. 14 over the last nine weeks plus they were trailing for most of their Week 13 game. I don’t think we can take too much from this.
The New Orleans Saints saw their victory hopes dashed at the last minute on Monday Night. Given how in command of the game they seemed, it’s perhaps no surprise they looked to drag the clock a tad. Their pace of play mark now stands at 2.083 after sitting at 2.100. They rank No. 16 in the league which is the lowest they have ranked since all the way back to Week 1. They’re a seriously odd team with no trusty playmakers other than the rookie Chris Olave it seems. And before you say, “What about Alvin Kamara?” I would direct you to his having six games with less than 10 fantasy points this season. This is not what you want from a player with an elite opportunity share.
Alvin Kamara Opportunity and Productivity Stats 2022
The Week Ahead
For the second time this season, the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings will lock horns. This is a clash between the No. 5 and No. 6 ranked teams in this metric. When they last met, eight different players eclipsed 10 fantasy points in the game. Justin Jefferson was not one of them, incredibly. It’s never wise to bet against Jefferson, but if he has to lock horns with Jeff Okudah again, then there might be opportunities for the ancillary pieces in the Vikings’ offense. This is especially true for the revenging T.J. Hockenson.
The Los Angeles Chargers and the Miami Dolphins matchup is another one that should interest fans of pace on offense. The good thing about this clash is that the two teams are remarkably centralized in terms of fantasy output. You know who is going to get the ball on both teams. So it’s a good week to start Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle. But don’t get too cute and think you can get away with starting DeAndre Carter.
Have a good one.
