Which Quarterbacks Threw Deep Most Often in 2017?
1. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Deep Rate: 25.36% | Passing NEP per Attempt: 0.47 | Success Rate: 38.57%
Once you take Watson out of the equation, the gap between Russell Wilson and the rest of the pack was pretty massive. He went deep on 25.36% of his passes this year, and Winston was second at 23.30%. And although Wilson's overall deep numbers this year won't blow you away, they look a lot better once you break them down by player.
So let's do that, shall we? Here's a breakdown of Wilson's numbers when targeting various players deep this year. One of these things is not like the others.
| Wilson Throwing Deep | Targets | Touchdowns | Interceptions | Passing NEP per Attempt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doug Baldwin | 35 | 6 | 2 | 0.95 |
| Paul Richardson | 31 | 3 | 1 | 0.57 |
| Tyler Lockett | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0.45 |
| Jimmy Graham | 17 | 0 | 4 | -0.76 |
The mark by Doug Baldwin made him the sixth-best deep-ball wide receiver in the league among those with at least 20 targets. Paul Richardson and Tyler Lockett were both above average. But Jimmy Graham done sunk the whole ship.
Both Richardson and Graham are unrestricted free agents this offseason. Losing Richardson might negatively affect the vertical passing offense, but Graham clearly would not. If the Seahawks can either re-sign Richardson or snag someone to fill that void, they could really hum along in 2018.
Wilson already led the league in fantasy scoring this past season despite not having his most efficient year. If he were to become more effective on his deep passes with Graham out of the fold, it's a bit wild to think what he could do.
It is weird to think that a quarterback going at the end of the fourth round in early fantasy drafts (according to Fantasy Football Calculator) could actually be "undervalued." That may be the case with Wilson, though. We know he can run, he's willing to chuck it deep, and he has some of the tools to be effective. It shouldn't be a surprise if he's able to carry his fantasy supremacy from 2017 over into next year.
