Some NFL players are running wild. Others are running in mud. Some passers are flicking the pigskin everywhere. Others can't complete a significant pass to save their bacon (I love bacon, best food on earth). Pass catchers seem to be everywhere. Which are producing in a manner that deserves your attention? Ray Flowers will paint a picture of the NFL through the use of numbers in this piece.

 

THROWERS

Did you know that Andrew Luck has thrown for 26 touchdowns to lead the NFL? You might know that. However, did you know that Matthew Stafford (11) and Drew Brees (15) have combined to throw only 25 scores?

Blake Bortles has thrown 13 interceptions in seven games. In 16 games Tony Romo (six) and Andy Dalton (six) have thrown 12. 

Derek Carr completed three pass of more than 10 yards in the air in Week 9. He also fumbled and lost two passes to interception. Just awful. He's thrown for three scores the past three games and has failed to reach 200-yards in four of his last six outings. The Raiders are awful. 

Kirk Cousins still leads the NFL in yards per attempt at 8.38. That's one hundredth ahead of Aaron Rodgers and six tenths ahead of Peyton Manning. Andrew Luck? He's way down at 9th (7.85) while Jay Cutler is 19th (7.14).  

Andrew Luck threw for 354 yards in Week 9 giving him 7-straight games of at least 300-passing yards. That stretch tied Peyton Manning for the second longest streak ever. The only man with a longer stretch is Drew Brees who has had two periods of 9-straight games with a passing score. Luck has thrown for 3,085 yards through nine games. Only three others have thrown for 3,000-yards through nine games: Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning. 

Philip Rivers was atrocious in Week 9. Slough it off. Yes it killed you, that's what happens when a guy throws for 138 yards and three interceptions, but come on, what were you expecting from him? Were you really expecting him to produce one of the ten best passing seasons in football history? Take heart. Rivers has a better QB Rating than Andrew Luck (102.6 to 100.3). Rivers has completed 197 passes, 14 more than Matthew Stafford. Rivers is averaging 261.2 yards a game. Tony Romo is at 249.8. Rivers has thrown for 20 touchdowns, one more than Aaron Rodgers. Yes the bye weeks are helping Rivers, he hasn't missed a game yet, but his overall production is still superb.

Ben Roethlisberger is the first player in league annals to throw six passing scores in back-to-back games. In fact, only he and Y.A. Title have thrown for six scores in a game twice in one season (for Tittle it was in 1962). 

Mark Sanchez was 11-for-13 on passes he threw under 10 yards from the line of scrimmage. That leaves him at 4-for-9 on passes over 10 yards. Just to point it out, in 63 career games he's averaged 1.11 TD passes and 1.13 INTs per contest. 

Alex Smith throws the ball on 42.7 percent of the Chiefs' first downs. That's the highest percentage in football. 

Ryan Tannehill has had a run of at least 20-yards in each of his last four games. Only two other signal callers can match that streak over the last 25 years: Michael Vick and Steve Young. Tannehill also had a QB Rating of 131.1 on the 23 drop backs he took in which he wasn't pressured in Week 9. Still cannot complete a pass downfield though. 

 

 

Make sure you sign up for an account with Draft Kings. When you do, you'll get a free entry into a daily football game. Put behind you the injury woes that have ruined your season and put together a new team every week at Draft Kings.

 

RUNNERS

Isaiah Crowell is averaging 4.9 YPC. That's a full yard better than LeSean McCoy. 

Andre Ellington averaged 5.5 YPC last season. This year the mark is sickly at 3.8. He does have 149 carries and 32 receptions giving him 181 touches, 24 more than last season despite appearing in seven fewer games. 

Matt Forte has 58 receptions to lead all runners (it's also the second best mark in football to the 71 catches posted by Antonio Brown). Forte is two receptions away from his third 60 catch season and he's 16 off tying the career best mark of 74 from last season. But here's the most exciting part. Forte has averaged 34.3 yards per game for his carer. This season he's at 61.3. In fact, Forte's 16 game pace would include 1,124 rushing yards and 980 receiving yards. One other note. Forte is the only runner in football who has run for 400-yards and failed to record at least one run of 20-yards. DeMarco Murray leads the way with eight long runs. 

The Niners offense is in a total funk. Frank Gore has one score in his last six games, and over the last three he only has one run of 10-yards. Gore is averaging 59 yards a game on the ground, this after 8-straight years of at least 70 rushing yards a contest.

Mark Ingram is averaging 86 yards a contest which would equate to 1,379 rushing yards over 16 games. He averaged 36 yards a game in 2012-13. He's also scored three times in his last two games to push his season mark to six, already a career best. 

Eddie Lacy is the #10 runner in a PPR setup the last five weeks. Jamaal Charles is only 12th. Both runners have a bye in that stretch.

Yao Ming is massive. Check out the photographic proof. I mean, look at how "normal" Shaq looks.

LeSean McCoy has run for at least 83 yards in 3-straight games. That's the second time he has ever done that - in his career. He's also run for at least 80-yards in 4-straight games, something he has never done before. He's also up to 622 rushing yards putting him on pace to crest 1,200 on the season. For his career he averages 73.8 yards a game. He's running for 77.8 this season. So much for him sucking eggs.

Jerick McKinnon (446) has more rushing yards than Jamaal Charles (435). 

Alfred Morris scored twice last week and has three scores the last two games. He's also still looking for his first 100-yards game this season. Heartening to see the workload still be there as well - at least 18 carries each of the last three games. 

DeMarco Murray has run for 1,133 yards through nine games. Last season DeMarco Murray ran for 1,121 yards in 14 games. Add together the work of Matt Forte (562) and Marshawn Lynch (549) and you get 1,111 yards. Pretty amazing has Murray been. 

Khiry Robinson has had the most success running the ball in the second half. He leads all running backs with a 5.7 YPC mark on his 34 rushes. 

RECEIVERS

The last four weeks in a PPR setup (1 pt for 10 yards, 1 pt for reception, 6 pts for TD), check out these facts. (1) Brandon LaFell is ranked #5 amongst all wideouts. (2) Mohamed Sanu is #7. (3) Larry Fitzgerald is #10. Let's look at each. 

LaFell is a legit weekly starter at this point, despite less than ideal talent. He keeps getting the ball as one of the few options that Tom Brady trusts out wide. Be careful though. LaFell has caught 17 passes the last two weeks but the previous six games he caught only 19 balls. 

Sanu has to deal with the return of A.J. Green, and that will hurt a bit. Sanu still saw eight targets in Week 9 but that was his lowest mark in five games. Fair to point out he still went for 95 yards and a score... the third time in four games he has gone for at least that many yards. 

Fitzgerald went for 160 yards an a score in Week 8 to boost his recent performance but you should still note that he's gone for at least five catches and 70 yards in three of his last four games. Why the increase in production? A healthy Carson Palmer certainly helps. Palmer has played five games this season, and in those five games Fitzgerald has averaged 4.8 receptions for 71 yards. Do that over the course of 16 games and you end up with 77 receptions and 1,136 yards. Last season Fitzgerald caught 82 passes for 954 yards. 

The last four weeks Rob Gronkowski leads tight ends with 95.6 fantasy points (using the same scoring system as above). The #2 man is Antonio Gates (55.0). In the third spot is Dwayne Allen with 46.0 points. A few notes about Allen. In those four games he’s caught a total of 11 passes. That's terrible. He's failed to hit 50 yards three times with a single game high of 52 yards. The only thing saving his bacon is the scores - he has three of them the last four games (bacon yet again). Pro-rate his four games numbers to 16 contests and you get 44 receptions and 720 yards. He better keep getting into the end zone.  

In honor of Halloween. A bit, well, keep your kids from viewing... 

Rob Gronkowski scored last week which is hardly a shock given that he's scored 50 times in 59 career games. The only player to reach 50 scores faster was Lance Allworth who did it in 54 games (Randy Moss also scored 50 times in 59 games). 

Mike Evans has caught at least four passes every game he has played as a rookie. He's also seen at least seven targets in each of his last five games and he's scored four times in his last four games. 

Coby Fleener caught four balls for 77 yards an a score in Week 9. He had caught seven passes for 79 yards the previous three games. He also saw 11 targets in Week 9. He had caught a total of 11 passes his previous four games. 

Malcolm Floyd has no scores and 11 receptions the last three games. Eddie Royal has four receptions and no scores. So much for that duo leading anyone to the promised land. 

Percy Harvin caught 11 balls for 129 yards in Week 9. In five games with the Seahawks he caught 22 passes for 133 yards. Seriously. He's still been unable to reach the end zone in his last eight regular season games as a pass catcher, but his usage last week was extremely encouraging. 

Donte Moncrief... not so much. A week after he caught seven passes he was the recipient of one target in Week 9. One. This is what happens with rookies. He also finished well behind Hakeem Nicks in snap count, a rather shocking development. 

Julius Thomas is ranked 8th at the tight end spot the last four weeks. Not only has Thomas scored just once in three games but he's failed to hit 35 yards in any of those three outings. Thirty-five yards folks, hardly a barometer for success.

 

Listen to Ray Flowers' show Monday through Friday on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear him Sunday nights, 7-10 PM EDT.