As the first fantasy football decade of the new millennium comes to a close, we here at Pyro thought it appropriate to give our readers a bird’s-eye view of the significant fantasy stats that played out over the past ten years.  We also decided it would be interesting to give our viewers a bit of a different perspective and show how those same statistical categories looked back in the decade when fantasy football was gaining its momentum and taking the form of what it has become today:  The 90s.

There are a few striking points of interest here that we’d like to point out, just so they don’t escape the attention of your fantasy subconscious: 

Quarterbacks

QB  -  Notice how the trend of 4000+ Yard and 25+ TD passers has gone up these past few years.  More and more teams seem to be switching to a pass-heavy attack nowadays, which means more QBs are primed with the ability to climb into what was once known as the ‘elite’ status.

FANTASY Relevance  -  What this means in terms of fantasy is that the premium paid on these ‘elite’ QBs isn’t quite what it used to be.  Using a 1^st or 2^nd round pick on a player like Peyton Manning or Drew Brees might not give you the same value now as compared to those who take high-end running backs or wide receivers with those picks.  In years past, having Manning or Tom Brady could make all the difference in winning your league.  But now, besides #1 fantasy QB Aaron Rodgers (who had an unbelievable year), the difference between the #2 QB and the #9 QB was just 25 points in a basic fantasy scoring format.

Running Backs

RB  -  Notice that even though the number of 1200+ Yard rushers has gone down as of late, the number of 10+ TD rushers has gone up.  The reason behind this is yet another trend that seems to be taking over the NFL… the RBBC (Running Back By Committee).  More and more teams are using two (or three) RBs in their offensive scheme in order to keep their backfield fresh throughout the game.  However, there are two different types of RBBCs that are being employed.  1)  The “Smash and Dash” - This strain of the RBBC lets the more athletic RB of the two (or three) collect the lion’s share of the carries throughout the game while allowing the bigger RB takes on the short-yardage and goal-line carries.

FANTASY Relevance  -  Without being allowed to take on all the carries in a game, it’s hard for the athletic back to reach that 1200-yard mark over the course of the season.  At the same time, it also takes away their ability to gain value in the TD department.  As for the bigger back, he won’t come close to having a relevant amount of yardage to make a fantasy difference during the season, but gains a decent amount of value simply by stealing away TDs from the smaller, more athletic back.  2)  The “Who’s Better? Split” – This species of the RBBC can easily be the most annoying.  It’s when a team enters into the season having no idea which of their running backs is the better suited for the job and decides that the best way to go about the dilemma is to give each of them an even split of the carries out of the backfield.

FANTASY Relevance  -  Sometimes the split is 50-50, sometimes 60-40, but whatever the case, neither RB comes out having enough fantasy value to be able to start him on your fantasy team with confidence each week.

Wide Receivers

WR  -  The amount of 1200+ Yard and 10+ TD receivers doesn’t seem to waver much regardless of how many QBs end up with ‘elite’ status during any particular year.

FANTASY Relevance  -  What this shows is that the reward for fantasy owners who end up drafting one of those hidden gems that rise to the classification of ’elite’ receiver each year, can be the one maneuver that lands them the coveted pot ‘o gold in the end.  Every good fantasy player knows that there will always be those 4-6 receivers that will be at the top of the league every season, and of course, it’s nice to have one of those guys.  However, for those who use their top draft picks keeping pace with the rest of the league concerning running backs and QBs, it’s those one or two wide receivers that you grab in the later rounds of the draft that can make all the difference in whether your team prospers or hits the skids.  Basically, wide receivers demand research, and the more legwork you put in, the happier your team will be through the whole of the season.

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