After joining the Miami Dolphins in 2015 as a part of a trade with the New Orleans Saints, wide receiver Kenny Stills no longer had future Hall of Famer Drew Brees throwing him the ball.
That led to him struggling during his first year in the Dolphins' offense en route to a mere 27 total receptions for 440 yards and 3 touchdowns. He looked to improve on those numbers with an additional year under his belt working alongside quarterback Ryan Tannehill, and that's exactly what happened.
| Category | 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Total Receptions | 27 | 42 |
| Reception NEP per Target (Rank) | 0.60 (30th) | 0.85 (3rd) |
| Catch Rate | 42.86% | 51.85% |
| Touchdowns | 3 | 9 |
Stills quietly had a terrific 2016 season while being buried on a busy roster full of wide receivers. He ranked third on his team in total targets, catches and yards, but interestingly enough ranked first in total touchdowns on the entire team with 9.
If we dive into our advanced analytics, Stills rose near the top with his Reception Net Expected Points per target increasing from 0.60 to 0.85 -- ranking third in the NFL out of the 82 qualifying wide receivers. His NEP per target also ranked better than Brandin Cooks and Mike Evans, who are two receivers widely regarded as top-10 talents.