The glossary).

In 2013, Hunter was a metrics darling. While his raw numbers (18 catches, 42 targets, 354 yards, 4 touchdowns) were nothing special, Hunter was actually an extremely efficient player last season. Among wide receivers with at least 10 receptions in 2013, Hunter’s Reception NEP per target of 0.94 was sixth best. That means every time Hunter was targeted, the Titans were adding nearly one full point to their expected scoring total. This is mostly due to Hunter’s fantastic big-play ability, as evidenced by his near 19.7 yards per catch average last year.

This season, Hunter’s NEP-metrics are still looking fairly good. Through two weeks, his Reception NEP is a respectable 35th in the league. His Reception NEP per target has returned to Earth, and now stands at 0.54. While not nearly as good as his ridiculous 2013 figure, it's still a solid mark versus other wideouts in the league.

One potential area of concern with Hunter comes with his catch rate, which is simply the percentage of his targets that he catches. Last season, his catch rate stood at a below-average 42.86%, and that figure has dropped to 35.71% this season. His catch rate this season is really bad, but there is an explanation for it. As a big-play receiver, Hunter sees a lot of his targets deep down field. Thus far, five of his 14 targets have come on throws of 20 or more yards. Few receivers see as high a percentage of their targets coming on deep balls, naturally leading to Hunter having a lower catch rate. His deep-threat status will hurt his week-to-week consistency, but he has the type of ability and opportunity that could result in several big plays.

High on Hunter?

Through the first two weeks of the season, it has become clear that the Titans are willing to give Hunter the field-time that his fantasy owners were hoping for. While the playing time and the targets have been there, Hunter has yet to provide meaningful impact in fantasy lineups.

Part of Hunter’s lack of production can be chalked up to the mediocre play of Jake Locker. His Passing NEP stands at 19th among quarterbacks in 2014, and while he’s thrown three touchdown passes, two of them have gone to Delanie Walker. His Week 2 performance, too, was dreadful.

Big play receivers, by nature, are going to be relatively erratic. While the game-breaking plays Hunter is capable of have yet to come in 2014, it won’t be long until he breaks off some huge catches. What you want to be reassured of in the early going is that your sleepers (or late-round picks in general) are getting the requisite playing time to put up meaningful stats. In Hunter’s case, that’s absolutely what is happening, and it’s only a matter of time until the good times come.