Daily Fantasy Football: Identifying Trends in Big Games From Wide Receivers

On Monday Night Football in December of 2015, Odell Beckham went full ign'ant.

After recording only 2 catches for 18 yards through the first 28 minutes, Beckham logged a 45-yard reception right before half time. Then he had a ridiculous, toe-tapping, drool-inducing touchdown catch in the third quarter. To top it off, he decided to take a pass 84 yards to the house just a few minutes later. All in all, Beckham had 7 receptions for 166 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Bruh.

Those who didn't use Beckham in daily fantasy football that week were likely left on the outside looking in for their tournament entries. Cold showers abounded, and obscenities were doled out like weight-loss pamphlets in a gym parking lot.

The thing about Beckham's performance is that it wasn't particularly rare. Because wide receivers are more able to spring off 80-yard receptions, big point totals aren't necessarily uncommon. You can usually assume there will be at least one per week on a given slate.

The question isn't whether wide receivers can produce scoreboard-ascending games; it's how can we predict them? Or can we predict them?

Like most of you, this is a question I've wrestled with for a long time. So, let's try to answer this age-old question that could lead to fantasy riches. Can we predict when wide receivers will have big games?