The Player Comparison Tool allows you to view players’ utilization stats in a side-by-side comparison. Each player is given a player “utility card”, which displays all of their most pertinent utilization stats on a season-long basis. This allows you to compare and contrast player’s utilization stats visually.
You begin by choosing a player. Once you have selected a player his utility card will be brought up and you’ll have the ability to see all of his season-long utilization stats. These are the same stats you would see in some of the other Utilization Report tools on Fantasy Life, but the player comparison cards puts them together in condensed form so you can compare and contrast beside other cards.
In the Player Comparison Tool, you can also customize the utilization data being shown by using the weekly range slider. The slider allows you to specify which weeks of data you want to show on the player cards.
For example, if you were looking up stats for Ja’Marr Chase and had his player card on the screen, you could move the slider to be set at Weeks 3 to 6. The card for Chase would then only display the average of Chase’s utilization stats from Weeks 3 to 6.
After you have specified your period (or simply left the slider on its default, season-long settings), you can then use the player comparison search tool to display up to four player cards
After you are done bringing up all your players, the Player Comparison Tool will automatically highlight whichever player card has the strongest utilization stats (for the period you have selected) by marking that player card with a green box that states “best utility”.
The tool will also highlight, in green, whichever utilization stats are the strongest of the group on a stat-by-stat basis. So if you have three WR player cards, and one player has a route rate of 94%, and the other two have route rates of 90%, the player with the 94% route rate would have that stat highlighted in green to signify it being the strongest of the group.
Below are a list of stats that the Player Comparison Tool displays and uses to compare and contrast the different utilitilization of every player.
Snaps are an indicator of playing time. A player's snaps, or snap count represents how often he is on the field. For fantasy purposes, the more time your player is on the field, the more chances he will have for scoring you points by gaining yards/catches/TDs.
Tracking snaps is important for RB/WR/TEs but it is also the most rudimentary utilization metric and often doesn’t provide us with an entire picture of a player’s usage.
For example, players with high snap counts don’t always earn a lot of touches or score a lot of fantasy points. However, players with low snap counts can earn a lot of fantasy points in a single game or two but rarely turn into high-level, consistent fantasy producers (unless their snap count increases).
So, while high snap counts are no guarantee of success, they can be an indicator of future success or potential. Further, low snap counts can also be a sign that a player who has been producing big games, may be in for regression soon.
In the season-long utilization tool, snaps are tracked by an overall percentage. For a game-by-game summary of exactly how many snaps each player played, you can use the search function on Fantasy Life to bring up a player’s Fantasy Life game log card.
For a game-by-game breakdown of snap percentage visit the utilization game log tool.
Dropbacks are a quarterback-specific stat. They track how many times per game a QB drops back with the intent to pass, as opposed to handing the ball off to another one of his players. Dropbacks differ from pass attempts as not every QB dropback results in him passing the ball (he can be sacked or scramble, etc).
In the season-long stats page for the utilization tool, dropbacks for quarterbacks are tracked on a per-game basis. Knowing which QBs have high dropback rates can give you an idea of which offenses and quarterbacks will have higher passing volume ceilings and betting potential for fantasy scoring.
Pass plays track the number of times that a quarterback passes the ball. Like dropbacks, these are tracked on a per-game basis in the season-long utilization tool.
Quarterbacks who have a big spread between pass attempts per game and dropbacks per game are often either heavy scramblers or take an inordinate amount of sacks.
aDOT refers to average depth of target. It is a stat that can be tracked for both quarterbacks and receivers.
For receivers, the metric is meant to track how far downfield the ball is traveling, on average, for the total sum of a player’s targets.
For quarterbacks, it tracks the average depth of target of each pass attempt.
QBs and receivers with higher aDOTs tend to have the more explosive potential for fantasy purposes. However, low aDOT receivers can also be great PPR point getters as they often have a higher catch rate (and often also have a higher target rate, as a result).
For fantasy, receivers with high target rates, high catch rates and high aDOTs often end up being the most elite point-getters.
Comp% stands for completion percentage, and is a QB stat used to track how efficient a QB is in completing his passes. A higher compilation percentage usually means that a quarterback is an accurate thrower.
However, QBs with high completion percentages aren’t always great for fantasy if all they do is throw short passes (have low aDOTs). QBs with high aDOTs and high completion percentages are often elite fantasy point-getters.
YPA stands for yards per attempt. Yards per attempt tracks the average amount of yards a quarterback’s pass travels in the air before it reaches his target. A quarterback with a higher YPA metric attempts more passes downfield than one with a low YPA metric.
This tracks the number of designed rush attempts called for a player on a per snaps basis. This is a QB-specific stat that tracks plays where the play intends to have the QB carry the ball and attempt to gain yards on the ground.
Designed QB runs differ from scrambles (or scramble percentage) as scrambles are generally plays where the QB is initially dropping back to pass but instead chooses to run the ball (aka not a designed run).
The number of plays where the QB is initially dropping back to pass but instead chooses to run the ball.
Plays where the QB drops back to pass but is tackled for a loss of yards before he runs or passes the ball.
This stat tracks the percentage of rushing attempts for a player that comes inside the five-yard line. Players who take most of their carries inside the five-yard line will have a high I5 percentage, while players who get little to no carries in this portion of the field will have a low I5 carry percentage.
For fantasy and betting, rushers with a high I5 carry % will often be good TD producers due to the higher volume of touches they are getting near the opposing team’s goal line.
The lowest single-game score (across the chosen year or season) that a player achieved in full-point PPR scoring.
The average score a player achieved (across the chosen year or season) in full-point PPR scoring.
The best single-game score (across the chosen year or season) that a player achieved in full-point PPR scoring.
A player’s season-long ranking in full-PPR scoring leagues
Snaps are an indicator of playing time. A player's snaps, or snap count represents how often he is on the field. For fantasy purposes, the more time your player is on the field, the more likely chances he will have for scoring you points by gaining yards/catches/TDs.
In the season-long utilization tool, snaps are tracked by an overall percentage. A higher snap% means more snaps played, which equates to more (potential) opportunities to touch the ball.
Players can have high snap counts and low carry rates, targeting, and poor utilization (in general) but higher snap counts also provide a path to achieving better utlizationn in futures games as well.
The percentage of rush attempts a player receives for his team.
A rush attempt is typically defined as anytime a player starts with the ball from behind the line of scrimmage.
This metric (often known as route rate) measures the percentage of passing plays on which a player ran a route in any given game.
It excludes plays where the player either was on the sidelines or stayed in to block, so it also tells you how frequently each player was an option to receive a target.
For more information on route rate, click here.
This stat is the measure of all passing targets that were directed towards a receiver.
This can also be defined as team target share since a player’s target share is essentially showing us where he ranks, on a percentile basis (for targeting), compared to other receivers on his team.
A consistently high team target share shows that a player is a dominant target earner on his team.
The percentage of targets, per route, a player receives. Players who earn a higher number of targets, despite running a low number of routes, are generally elite target earners and have high TPRR %’s.
In general, the higher the TPRR %, the better the player is at earning targets.
Short-down-and-distance snaps (when a team is faced with less than or equal to two yards to go on 2nd/3rd/4th down) (based on historical preference of teams to run).
The percentage of snaps a player sees when his team is in a short down and distance to go situation.
Long-down-and-distance snaps (3 or more yards to go on third or fourth down).
These represent the number of snaps played by an RB when a team is in a LDD situation.
2min snaps are snaps that occur within 2min of the half or end of game.
2min metrics show us the percentage of snaps a running back plays for his team when the clock is within 2 mins of the half or end of game.
The average score a player achieved (across the chosen year or season) in full-point PPR scoring.
A player’s season-long ranking in full-PPR scoring leagues
The Utilization Score represents the strength of a player's role and performance relative to their peers. It is a weighted calculation incorporating the most predictive data points associated with scoring future points at the RB, WR, and TE positions since 2020. For more on the Utilization Score, read here.
This metric (often known as route rate) measures the percentage of passing plays on which a player ran a route in any given game. It excludes plays where the player either was on the sidelines or stayed in to block, so it also tells you how frequently each player was an option to receive a target.
For more information on route rate, click here:
The percentage of targets, per route, a player sees. Players who earn a higher number of targets, despite running a low number of routes, are generally elite target earners and have high TPRR %’s.
In general, the higher the TPRR %, the better the player is at earning targets.
This stat is the measure of all passing targets that were directed towards a receiver.
This can also be defined as team target share since a player’s target share is essentially showing us where he ranks, on a percentile basis (for targeting), compared to other receivers on his team.
A consistently high team target share shows that a player is a dominant target earner on his team.
Catchable targets or catchable target rate, is the percentage of the receiver's targets that were labeled as “catchable”.
Low catchable target rates can sometimes be an indicator that a receiver is attached to poor QB play. Other times it can be an indicator that the receiver is used only on high leverage, low efficiency types of routes.
aDOT refers to average depth of target. It is a stat that can be tracked for both quarterbacks and receivers.
For receivers, the metric is meant to track how far downfield the ball is traveling, on average, for the total sum of a player’s targets.
For quarterbacks, it tracks the average depth of target of each pass attempt.
QBs and receivers with higher aDOTs tend to have the more explosive potential for fantasy purposes. However, low aDOT receivers can also be great PPR point getters as they often have a higher catch rate (and often also have a higher target rate, as a result).
For fantasy, receivers with high target rates, high catch rates and high aDOTs often end up being the most elite point-getters.
This tracks the percentage of team air yards attributed to a receiver. A higher percentage of air yards means that a player is seeing a higher portion of his teams downfield targets. For more information on air yards and why they are important click here.
The number or percentage of overall targets a player sees that come when he is standing in the end zone.
Players who have high end zone target rates generally end up being efficient TD scorers and can have big ceilings for fantasy purposes as well.
The percentage of a receiver’s targets that come on 3rd or 4th down.
PA stands for “play action”. This stands for the percentage of targets that a receiver sees when the team is employing play action on a drop back (play action being when the QB fakes a handoff but then drops back to pass anyways).
Play action targets can be extremely valuable as passes off of play action passes often are more efficient and can lead to a higher percentage of big plays. Between 2019 to 2022, play action targets were noted as having 20% more worth than non-play action targets in PPR formats.
The average score a player achieved (across the chosen year or season) in full-point PPR scoring.
A player’s season-long ranking in full-PPR scoring leagues
The Utilization Score represents the strength of a player's role and performance relative to their peers. It is a weighted calculation incorporating the most predictive data points associated with scoring future points at the RB, WR, and TE positions since 2020. For more on the Utilization Score, read here.
This metric (often known as route rate) measures the percentage of passing plays for which a player ran a route in any given game. It excludes plays where the player either was on the sidelines or stayed in to block, so it also tells you how frequently each player was an option to receive a target.
For more information on route rate, click here.
The percentage of targets, per route, a player sees. Players who earn a higher number of targets, despite running a low number of routes, are generally elite target earners and have high TPRR %’s.
In general, the higher the TPRR %, the better the player is at earning targets.
This stat is the measure of all passing targets that were directed towards a receiver.
This can also be defined as team target share since a player’s target share is essentially showing us where he ranks, on a percentile basis (for targeting), compared to other receivers on his team.
A consistently high team target share shows that a player is a dominant target earner on his team.
Catchable targets or catchable target rate, is the percentage of the receiver's targets that were labeled as “catchable”.
Low catchable target rates can sometimes be an indicator that a receiver is attached to poor QB play. Other times it can be an indicator that the receiver is used only on high-leverage, low-efficiency types of routes.
aDOT refers to the average depth of target. It is a stat that can be tracked for both quarterbacks and receivers.
For receivers, the metric is meant to track how far downfield the ball is traveling, on average, for the total sum of a player’s targets.
For quarterbacks, it tracks the average depth of target of each pass attempt.
QBs and receivers with higher aDOTs tend to have the more explosive potential for fantasy purposes. However, low aDOT receivers can also be great PPR point getters as they often have a higher catch rate (and often also have a higher target rate, as a result).
For fantasy, receivers with high target rates, high catch rates and high aDOTs often end up being the most elite point-getters.
This tracks the percentage of team air yards attributed to a receiver. A higher percentage of air yards means that a player is seeing a higher portion of his team's downfield targets. For more information on air yards and why they are important click here.
The number or percentage of overall targets a player sees that come when he is standing in the end zone.
Players who have high end-zone target rates generally end up being efficient TD scorers and can have big ceilings for fantasy purposes as well.
The percentage of a receiver’s targets that come on 3rd or 4th down.
PPR average points
PA stands for “play action”. This stands for the percentage of targets that a receiver sees when the team is employing play action on a drop back (play action being when the QB fakes a handoff but then drops back to pass anyways).
Play action targets can be extremely valuable as passes off of play action passes often are more efficient and can lead to a higher percentage of big plays. Between 2019 to 2022, play action targets were noted as having 20% more worth than non-play action targets in PPR formats.
The average score a player achieved (across the chosen year or season) in full-point PPR scoring.
A player’s season-long ranking in full-PPR scoring leagues.
The Utilization Score represents the strength of a player's role and performance relative to their peers. It is a weighted calculation incorporating the most predictive data points associated with scoring future points at the RB, WR, and TE positions since 2020. For more on the Utilization Score, read here.