The 2024 season has long been over as we are a week away from the 2025 season. It’s never a bad idea to look back and see what happened so we can be better prepared for a new season. Here are 10 of the top fantasy stats from the 2024 season based on the top 10 players in each position. Our affiliate over at Fantasy Points data suite brings these stats to us (use code NERDS).
Top 10 Stats to Identify Elite Fantasy Performers
Quarterbacks | Top Fantasy Stats
| Rank | Player | FPPG | 1st Read % | Scrambles |
| 1 | Lamar Jackson | 25.7 | 62.9 | 46 |
| 2 | Josh Allen | 24.1 | 56.7 | 43 |
| 3 | Joe Burrow | 23 | 65.5 | 22 |
| 4 | Jayden Daniels | 22.5 | 68.8 | 72 |
| 5 | Baker Mayfield | 22.4 | 69.8 | 42 |
| 6 | Jalen Hurts | 21.3 | 61.2 | 39 |
| 7 | Jared Goff | 20.3 | 67.9 | 14 |
| 8 | Sam Darnold | 19.5 | 62.6 | 28 |
| 9 | Brock Purdy | 18.6 | 67 | 44 |
| 10 | Bo Nix | 18.4 | 60.7 | 50 |
1st Read % | Quarterbacks
Our first stat from 2024 will be 1st Read %. This means the percentage of pass attempts that went to the quarterback’s first option on a play. Compared to many of these stats, the 1st Read % was one you didn’t want to be in the top 10 in. None of those quarterbacks would finish in the top 10 in fantasy points per game.
Five of the top 10 quarterbacks would finish with a 62% or lower 1st Read %. This is good because the quarterback didn’t rely only on their 1st option and could process the field to better plays. Josh Allen was the best quarterback to do this, who finished with a 56.7% of 1st Read %. The closest to the top 10 in 1st Read % was Baker Mayfield, who ranked 11th with a 69.8% rate.
You may think the 1st Read % could be high for a quarterback due to the talent of the pass catchers. Quarterbacks like Tua Tagovailoa, Anthony Richardson, and Jameis Winston all had many solid pass catchers surrounding them but focused on one player. Clearly, these stats can show us who is more of an elite field processor than other quarterbacks.
Scrambles | Quarterbacks
Another interesting stat among the top 10 fantasy quarterbacks was scrambles. Scrambles are different than rushing attempts. Scrambles are quarterbacks who avoid pressure and end up running for yards afterward. They are not designated run plays, which is why this is important. The NFL game has evolved from the traditional pocket passer to the mobile quarterback who can be a threat with their legs.
Of the top 10 fantasy quarterbacks, 7 of them would finish in the top 10 in quarterback scrambles. They had at least 39 or more scrambles this season. The only three quarterbacks not fitting this tier were Joe Burrow, Sam Darnold, and Jared Goff, who aren’t known for their career mobility. Many of the quarterbacks in today’s game have that dual-threat ability to some extent. It shows in fantasy that having a quarterback who can use their legs can be an elite fantasy option.
While scrambles can be looked at as a good thing and who can avoid pressure, it also means quarterbacks may look to run first and not keep a play alive in the air. Of the top 5 in quarterback scrambles, 4 of them were rookies from the 2024 class.
Running Back | Top Fantasy Stats
| Rank | Player | FPPG | Inside the 10 | Missed Tackles Forced | Zone Run Concept Attps |
| 1 | Saquon Barkley | 22.2 | 28 | 50 | 187 |
| 2 | Jahmyr Gibbs | 19.8 | 26 | 58 | 159 |
| 3 | Bijan Robinson | 19.4 | 34 | 60 | 231 |
| 4 | Derrick Henry | 19.1 | 32 | 68 | 172 |
| 5 | De’Von Achane | 17.6 | 23 | 35 | 109 |
| 6 | Josh Jacobs | 17.6 | 40 | 58 | 157 |
| 7 | Kyren Williams | 17 | 33 | 40 | 150 |
| 8 | Alvin Kamara | 19 | 17 | 30 | 164 |
| 9 | James Cook | 17.2 | 29 | 41 | 114 |
| 10 | Chase Brown | 15.9 | 28 | 36 | 137 |
Inside the 10 | Running Backs
Our first stat for our top 10 running backs is carries inside the 10-yard line. This one is easy to explain as the number of carries that a running back has inside the 10-yard line. This one is important as you want an elite running back who will see the important carries, especially when their offense gets close to the endzone.
Among the top 10, 8 running backs would finish within the top 12 in carries inside the 10. The two backs who didn’t were De’Von Achane and Alvin Kamara, who were both in offenses that were not high-scoring teams. The top running back with carries inside the 10 was Josh Jacobs, who finished with 40 carries. As we head into 2025, look toward running backs who should control their teams’ carries near the goal line, which could result in higher touchdowns.
Missed Tackles Forced | Running Backs
Our second stat from 2024 for running backs was Missed Tackels Forced. This stat measures how often a player avoids being tackled. Last year’s top 10 fantasy running backs would all finish inside the top 15 in this stat. It’s clear that all of these running backs are dynamic in space and can be special with the ball in their hands.
James Connor would join Derrick Henry with a league-high 68 MTF. There are some interesting running backs who did finish high in this stat. Connor was close to being in the top 10 but would finish 11th, which is still an RB1 in fantasy. Ken Walker, Chuba Hubbard, and Bucky Irving all would finish high in this category. They all should have future potential Top 10 finishes with their name on it.
Zone Run Concept | Running Backs
Our final stat for the 2024 top 10 running backs is Zone Run Concepts. The concept is a running play where offensive linemen are responsible for blocking a specific area of the field (“zone”) rather than a single defender, allowing the running back to read the flow of the defense. Seven of these top 10 running backs would finish in the top 12 in carries within a zone run concept.
The worst would be De’Von Achane, who finished with 109 carries in this concept. The most would be Bijan Robinson, who finished with 231 carries. He had 50 more than the second running back in this ranking. Nine of our 10 running backs would carry in a zone run scheme in more than 50% of their carries. The one who didn’t would be Kyren Williams, who finished with 47.5%.
The top 5 teams in 2024 to run a high percentage of zone run plays were :
- Atlanta Falcons
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- New Orleans Saints
- San Francisco 49ers
- Detriot Lions
The teams that were the lowest were:
- Arizona Cardinals
- Tennessee Titans
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Indianapolis Colts
- New England Patriots
Keep your eyes on both sets of groups when considering running backs in 2025.
Wide Receivers | Top Fantasy Stats
| Rank | Player | FPPG | Target % | Non-High % | Yards After Catch |
| 1 | Ja’Marr Chase | 23.6 | 26.4 | 33.8 | 797 |
| 2 | Justin Jefferson | 19.3 | 27.4 | 27.2 | 498 |
| 2 | Tee Higgins | 19.3 | 23.1 | 20.7 | 243 |
| 4 | Amon-Ra St. Brown | 18.9 | 25.6 | 51.4 | 485 |
| 5 | Puka Nacua | 18.8 | 28.3 | 31.2 | 525 |
| 6 | Malik Nabers | 18.3 | 32.2 | 26.8 | 462 |
| 7 | Nico Collins | 17.8 | 23.8 | 24 | 377 |
| 8 | CeeDee Lamb | 17.6 | 24 | 49.9 | 545 |
| 9 | Chris Godwin | 17.2 | 26.1 | 64.1 | 362 |
| 10 | Mike Evans | 17.1 | 23 | 31.3 | 236 |
| 11 | Davante Adams | 17 | 27 | 46.9 | 477 |
Target % | Wide Receivers
Our first stat for the top 10 fantasy receivers was Team Target Share. This means the percentage of a team’s total targets a player accounted for. This is important since having a receiver see a high rate of the team targets will allow them to produce. If we look at the top 10 receivers in target %, there were seven of them from the top 10 fantasy receivers in the group. They all would finish with a 25% or better target %.
The other 25% or better receivers were A.J. Brown, Drake London, and Garrett Wilson. Brown would finish as WR12, while London and Wilson still finished as top 20 receivers in fantasy points per game. The remaining four fantasy receivers from the top 10 who didn’t have a 25% target percentage would still finish with a high rate of 23%. Continue looking toward receivers who can offer a high percentage of targets in their offenses for 2025.
Non-High Slot % | Wide Receivers
One stat we wouldn’t think that highly of is slot percentage snaps. This stat shows what percentage these receivers line up in the slot spot in an offense. The slot snap plays inside the formation.
When looking over the top 10 fantasy receivers, the highest percentage receiver was Amon-Ra St. Brown, with a 51.4% slot rate. St. Brown would rank as the 42nd player in slot percentage. It gets lower when looking at the rest of the fantasy receivers, as only three would finish over 35% in slot snaps. It’s clear this season that playing a high % slot role wouldn’t end up as a WR1 in fantasy.
So, players we may question in 2025 could be Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Josh Downs, and Jayden Reed, who all finished with a 75% slot percentage or higher. Interestingly, a high % slot receiver didn’t finish 2024 as a WR1.
Yards After Catch | Wide Receivers
The final stat for these top 10 receivers was yards after catch. This one is pretty easy to know: the amount of yardage the receiver gains after catching the ball. Seven of our top 10 fantasy receivers would finish in the top 12 in YAC. They all would finish with 460 yards or higher this past season.
The three receivers who didn’t finish in the top 12 were Nico Collins, Tee Higgins, and Mike Evans. Collins missed games, so he may have finished within that top 12. Higgins and Evans may not have, but they are big play receivers who can score plenty of touchdowns to make up for the yards after catch.
Tight Ends | Top Fantasy Stats
| Rank | Player | FPPG | Redzone Tgts | 1st Read % |
| 1 | George Kittle | 16.6 | 8 | 21.5 |
| 2 | Brock Bowers | 15.5 | 7 | 28.2 |
| 3 | Trey McBride | 15.4 | 9 | 33.7 |
| 4 | David Njoku | 13.5 | 11 | 21.6 |
| 5 | Taysom Hill | 12.9 | 1 | 14.3 |
| 6 | Jonnu Smith | 12.7 | 6 | 21.1 |
| 7 | Travis Kelce | 12.2 | 6 | 23.5 |
| 8 | Mark Andrews | 10.8 | 9 | 16 |
| 8 | Sam LaPorta | 10.8 | 9 | 15.7 |
| 10 | Dallas Goedert | 10.5 | 4 | 22.4 |
Redzone Targets | Tight Ends
Our first stat for our top 10 tight ends starts with Red Zone Targets. Red zone targets are the amount of targets a player gets in the red zone. This is important for the position since the tight ends aren’t usually the primary weapon compared to other positions. Within the top 10 red zone target leaders, 6 of the top 10 fantasy tight ends finish high in this stat. If we expand to the top 14, then 8 of those 10 tight ends would finish strong. Those tight ends would have six or more targets in the red zone.
Some notable tight ends with high red zone targets were Zach Ertz, who saw 10, and Isaiah Likely, who saw 8. Red zone targets are harder to come by for tight ends, with the highest being 11 from David Njoku. As we can see, having a tight end seeing red zone targets clearly indicates fantasy football success. The only two tight ends didn’t finish with at least six targets. One was Dallas Goedert, who isn’t the primary pass catcher in Philadelphia anyway, and we know Philly likes to run the ball inside the 20 and use the tush push for help. Taysom Hill was the other who barely finished over at least eight games. But his way of playing for the Saints doesn’t usually see targets in the red zone.
First Read % | Tight Ends
Our other big stat for the top fantasy tight end was First Read %. This stat means the percentage of a quarterback’s targets directed to their first read on a passing play. These NFL teams must use their tight ends in the passing game and create plays where they are the top read. For the top 10 1st read %, 7 of the top 10 fantasy tight ends would finish in that range. To get more detailed, those seven tight ends would finish within the top 8 in this stat. Those tight ends would have a 1st read % of 21% or more.
Evan Engram was the only tight end with a high 1st read %, but he suffered injuries all season and may have been a top-10 fantasy tight end. Now that he is in Denver, the hope is that he can continue to see a high % and return to top-10 status in fantasy.
The 3 remaining fantasy tight ends who didn’t finish in the top 10 were Mark Andrews, Sam LaPorta, and Taysom Hill. Andrews and LaPorta were hurt by other surrounding talent in their offenses, but both managed a 15% rate, which is still very solid. Taysom Hill had the lowest with 14.3%, but it isn’t bad since he is a part-time tight end. Clearly, if an offense scheme plays for their tight end, it could translate to fantasy success.
Interested in more advanced stats and tracking these data points in season? Read The Full Slate article every Thursday starting in Week 2 full of advanced analytics on fantasy football with emphasis on who to start or sit with a confidence scale!
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