Fantasy Football: 3 Things We Learned From Week 13
Ladarius Green's Time Has Come
Ladarius Green was a hot commodity in early offseason drafts headed into the 2016 season. For years, he labored behind living legend Antonio Gates with the San Diego Chargers, never getting a full workload. So when he hit free agency, his signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers was taken as a sign his moment had arrived.
But after January surgery on his ankle didn't progress fast enough and landed him on the PUP list, Green had been a forgotten weapon in the Steelers' arsenal. That changed in Week 13.
For the previous two weeks since coming off of the PUP list, Green was operating on a pitch count, totaling no more than 14 snaps in either Week 11 or 12. But in Week 13 his snaps increased to 35 out of 73 per Nathan Janke. And boy did he handle business when he was on the field.
Green garnered a ridiculous 11 targets against the Giants; good for 31% of the team’s total target share, and more than Antonio Brown's 7 targets. Looking at the numbers behind the numbers also speaks volumes to Green’s worth to the Steelers. Here at numberFire, we use our signature metric, Net Expected Points (NEP), to measure player performance above-or-under expectation using historical down-and-distance data. You can learn more about NEP by checking out our glossary.
With his 11 targets, Green posted a filthy 11.13 Reception Net Expected Points (NEP), at a clip of 1.01 Reception NEP per target. His 0.96 Reception NEP per target this season is ridiculous, too. The average NFL wide receiver has a 0.67 Reception NEP per target. Of the 115 wide receivers with 20 or more targets, only five are more efficient on a per-target basis.
Green, it goes without needing mention, is a tight end.
With Ben Roethlisberger looking his way early and often, Green should get plenty of opportunities to keep ascending in this high-flying Steelers offense. Folks who scooped him up early on waiver wires now have a chance to reap the rewards right as they enter their fantasy football playoffs.
