8 Ludicrous Fantasy Football Efficiency Facts

By Michael Dubner

Every year, there are a handful of players who have insanely efficient or laughably inefficient metrics. While some of these facts and projections are strictly for comedic purposes (i.e. Derrick Henry) and some are more realistic (i.e. Michael Thomas), all are interesting to say the least.

Adrian Peterson
AP only played three games in 2016, but those three games were arguably the worst of his career. On 37 carries, he ran for a mere 72 yards (1.95 YPC) and 0 touchdowns. This is the same player who recorded the 2nd most single-season rushing yards in NFL history - in 2012: 348 carries, 2097 rushing yards (6.0 YPC), and 12 rushing touchdowns.

Using AP's career average carries per game (19.7) and his 2016 yards per carry (1.95), it would take Peterson 54.6 games to reach his 2012 yardage mark.

Mike Gillislee
In 2016, Gillislee lead the league in yards per carry (5.7). He also had 8 touchdowns (tied for 11th in the NFL) on his 101 rushing attempts - a rate of 1 touchdown per 12.625 rushing attempts. Gillislee is now on the New England Patriots where Blount had 299 carries for 1161 rushing yards and a league leading 18 rushing touchdowns in 2016. If Gillislee retains the same efficiency and is given the same workload as Blount, he would run for 1704 yards and 23.7 touchdowns, which would be the 6th most rushing touchdowns in a single season. It would also equate to 312.6 fantasy football points - only David Johnson had more in 2016.

Derrick Henry
Henry is the all-time leader in high school rushing yards with 12,124 rushing yards in his 4 years at Yules High School in Florida. Henry averaged 8.7 YPC, 252.6 yards per game, and 3,031 yards per season.

Henry's high school career rushing yards would rank 14th all time in NFL career rushing yards, but Henry did it over the course of 4 years compared to the ~10 years it took for NFL players. If Henry averaged his per game high school rushing yards in the NFL, it would only take him 72.6 games (or 4.5 seasons) to break Emmitt Smith's all-time career rushing yard record of 18,355.

Le'Veon Bell
On December 11th, 2016, Bell recorded 298 all-purpose yards, 3 touchdowns, and 4 receptions - 49.8 half-PPR fantasy points. If Bell averaged that many fantasy football points over the course of a season, he would accumulate 796.8 half-PPR fantasy points - more than Jordy Nelson, Mike Evans, and Antonio Brown combined.

Michael Thomas
In 2016, of the 48 receivers to see 100+ targets, rookie WR Michael Thomas had the highest catch rate (76%). With the departure of Brandin Cooks' 117 targets and Thomas continuing to develop and build chemistry with Brees, Thomas could easily see an increase in 30 targets next season. If Thomas retains the same catch rate and sees 151 targets, he would have 114 receptions, which would be the highest in the NFL last season.

Donte Moncrief
In Moncrief's three seasons in the NFL, he has 16 career touchdowns on 126 receptions - a ridiculous career touchdown rate of 1 TD per 7.875 rec. If Moncrief continues that pace and has as many receptions as Marvin Harrison's single-season record of 143 receptions in 2002, Moncrief would score ~18 receiving touchdowns, which would be tied for 3rd all time in a single season. Even with that rate, it would still take him 11.5 seasons to break Jerry Rice's all-time career receiving touchdown record of 208.

Tyreek Hill
In 2016, during a 6-game stretch from weeks 11-16, Ty-Freak Hill scored 8 rushing, receiving, and return touchdowns on only 59 total touches (9.8 touches per game). If Ty-Freak continues this freakish rate of 1 touchdown per 7.4 touches and we project him for 6 receptions, 2 rushes, and 4 returns per game in 2017, he would score 26 all-purpose touchdowns.