“Better than average” is an annual measurement of how players did the previous season. Not just their total yardage or fantasy points. What this considers is which player posted the most fantasy points against a particular defense. Who had a Top-4 or a Top-8 performance? With 16 games for each defense, anyone that scored in the best eight against them for that position was “better than average.”
This considered a standard fantasy performance scoring with a reception point for running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends. The “BTA” score adds up the instances of whether a score was the highest, in the best four or eight allowed to the position by a defense. In that way, a No. 1 showing gets counted three times (as the No.1, in the Top-4 and the Top-8).
This is actually more accurate than considering total fantasy points. This indicates how well a player did versus all others that faced the same defense. Each defense only gives up one instance of a No. 1.
DeVante Parker was a surprise, even to any Dolphins fan, when he suddenly caught fire after years of mediocrity but then again, defenses weren’t exactly freaking out when they faced Miami. To have multiples of any category is impressive considering there are at least 64 starting wideouts in the NFL in any non-bye week.
Davante Adams slid down in this metric and while Chris Godwin did well, consider that Mike Evans played injured and ended on injured reserve but led the NFL with three Top-1 performances. Michael Thomas turned in a ridiculous year with 13 games in the Top-8 allowed by that defense. For wide receivers, those Top-8 are the most telling given how many wideouts a defense faces in a season. DJ Chark, Robert Woods, and Allen Robinson are all relatively young players improving their worth to their teams.
Julio Jones and Amari Cooper fell in this measurement compared to their total points for the season.
Here are just the No. 1 performances allowed by a defense (a total of 32).
