5 NFL Stats to Know Through Week 6

Week 6 was a bit of a return to normalcy after running backs have dominated the top of the fantasy ranks for most of this season. A quarterback had the most fantasy points among all players for the first time since Week 1, and the top three fantasy performers were all quarterbacks for the first time all season.

Coming off of last week's tight end fantasy extravaganza, Greg Olsen and Benjamin Watson were the only two tight ends among the top 50 fantasy players in Week 6. 

Dan Campbell picked up his first win in his debut as the Dolphins head coach, led by a strong defensive performance as the Dolphins defense and Cameron Wake both ranked in the top 12 fantasy players of the week. 

Speaking of personnel changes, the the Steelers offense was rejuvenated after they were forced to switch quarterbacks midway through their game.

Here are 5 stats to know through Week 6.

1. The Denver Broncos’ -48.30 Adjusted Defensive Passing Net Expected Points is first in the league

Adjusted Defensive Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) measures how many points a defense has prevented from an opposing passing offense compared to another team in a similar situation, adjusted for strength of schedule.

The Eagles are ranked second in this category with -16.68. That means the Broncos have prevented 31.62 more points through the passing than any other defense in the league.

Denver is also first in total Adjusted Defensive NEP as well, which includes defending the run in addition to the passing game.

They lead the league with 26 sacks and rank second with nine interceptions including three returned for a touchdown.

Their dominance has carried over to fantasy football also, and their 96 fantasy points are the most among all defenses. Much like their NEP statistics, no other team is close to them in fantasy points.

The Broncos defense has racked up double-digit fantasy points each week and has hit the 20-point mark twice through six games.

They have a tough matchup in Week 8 against the Packers, who have given up the fourth fewest fantasy points to opposing defenses. However, the Packers have allowed multiple sacks in four of six games, and the Broncos will be playing at home coming off of a bye week.

2. Lamar Miller’s 2.17 Rushing Net Expected Points ranks 14th in the NFL

Dan Campbell wisely unleashed Lamar Miller in his first game as head coach, giving him 19 carries compared to his previous season high of 13.

Miller converted those carries into 113 yards and touchdown, good enough for a 5.54 Rushing NEP. Through Week 5, Miller was ranked 35th among running backs with 25 or more carries with a -3.37 Rushing NEP.

He was the clear lead back, while Jonas Gray and Damien Williams combined for nine rushing attempts, and his 17.80 fantasy points were good enough for seventh among running backs.

Leaning on Miller and the rejuvenated defense, Campbell led the Dolphins to their second win of the season in his debut.

In Week 7, Miller and the Dolphins will take on the Texans, who have allowed the seventh most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

3. Landry Jones is first in the league with a 1.08 Passing NEP Per Drop Back

Among quarterbacks with 10 or more drop backs, Landry Jones is the only quarterback ahead of teammate Ben Roethlisberger (0.56) in terms of Passing NEP per play. The other Steelers quarterback, Michael Vick (-0.26) ranks 47th of 48 quarterbacks.

Of course, 12 drop backs is a very small sample size, but Jones’ play showed that Vick has been very bad and that it doesn’t take a superstar quarterback to excel in this offense.

Vick started the game with three completions on eight attempts for grand total of six passing yards before Jones took over. He completed 8 of 12 attempts for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns.

In his first game back from suspension, Martavis Bryant picked up where he left off last year on his way to 6 catches for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns. All but eight of those yards came after Jones entered the game.

Among players that have been targeted at least five times, Bryant is second in the NFL with a 1.62 Reception NEP per target. Again, this is a small sample size, but it shows that there is some life in this passing offense without Vick.

In Week 7, the Steelers will travel to Kansas City, who has given up the most fantasy points to both wide receivers and quarterbacks this season. With Jones most likely under center, Bryant will be a must play in fantasy leagues. Jones is also worth consideration in daily leagues at a discounted price.

4. Philip Rivers threw for 503 yards in Week 6

Philip Rivers' 503 passing yards in Week 6 is the highest weekly passing yardage total of any quarterback and his fourth game with 350 or more passing yards this season.

He did it against the Packers, who even including that game, have allowed the 11th fewest passing yards per game.

The Chargers still ended up losing the game, making Rivers the first quarterback in NFL history to lose a game while throwing for 500 yards and no interceptions.

Rivers was really spreading the ball around with Keenan Allen, Malcom Floyd, and Antonio Gates all eclipsing 90 receiving yards while Ladarius Green and Dontrelle Inman caught Rivers’ touchdown passes.

Gates has the best matchup of all of Rivers' pass catchers in Week 7 against the Raiders, who have have allowed the most points per game in the NFL to tight ends this season and currently rank 31st in pass defense according to our power rankings.

5. Chris Ivory’s 115 rushing yards per game is most in the NFL

Chris Ivory’s 460 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns are both third best in the league, despite only playing in four games so far. The Jets have already had their bye week, and Ivory missed one game due to injury.

Among running backs with 50 or more carries this season, he ranks in the top eight in all numberFire rushing categories. (Rushing Successes refer to the number of rushes that contribute positively toward a player's Rushing NEP.)

Ivory participated on a limited basis in Week 2 before missing all of Week 3 with an injury. He had at least 22 fantasy points in all of the three games in which he had 20 or more rushing attempts.

Last week, he amassed 25.6 fantasy points against the Redskins, who have allowed the second fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this year. At this point, Ivory should be in all fantasy starting lineups regardless of his weekly matchup.