Other Positions: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End
Better Than Average (BTA) was developed to show which players were truly better than their peers when the advantage of the schedule was removed. . This is a true 1:1 measurement because it only considers how well players did against all others who faced a particular defense. It counts up three occurrences:
“Top 8” – When a WR produced one of the top 8 game performances for fantasy points allowed by a defense.
“Top 4” – When a WR scored in the top 4 game performances for fantasy points allowed by a defense.
“#1” – Who had the best fantasy game against a defense over the past year. There could only by 32 such events since each defense can only allow one “best game”.
BTA – Simply adding up the 1, 4 and 8 values for a numerical expression of how effective a wideout truly was last year against all other players in his position. The strength of schedule doesn’t matter. Only what a player produced against all other players in that position against that defense. It is a measurement of player ability against the others in his position.
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| Multiple “#1 Games” | |
|---|---|
| Antonio Brown | 5 |
| Julio Jones | 3 |
| Odell Beckham | 3 |
| Brandon Marshall | 2 |
| Keenan Allen | 2 |
| Jarvis Landry | 2 |
It was the year of Antonio when he turned in five #1 games last year and he only had one the previous season. Keenan Allen and jarvis Landry may be minor surprises but Julio Jones, Odell Beckham and Brandon Marshall have been stars each year that they play.
The continued preference for offenses to rely so much on their wide receivers have allowed amazing consistency at the top in a position that traditionally was mostly hit or miss. Demaryius Thomas, Allen Robinson, DeAndre Hopkins, Brandon Marshall, Odell Beckham, Julio Jones and Antonio Brown all delivered big in at least half of their games. Calvin Johnson and Martavis Bryant won’t return this year making for more opportunities in Detroit and Pittsburgh.
| Player | BTA | #1 | Top 4 | Top 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio Brown | 20 | 5 | 7 | 8 |
| Julio Jones | 20 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| Odell Beckham | 17 | 3 | 6 | 8 |
| Brandon Marshall | 16 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | 16 | 1 | 6 | 9 |
| Allen Robinson | 14 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| Calvin Johnson | 12 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| Doug Baldwin | 12 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Brandin Cooks | 11 | 0 | 5 | 6 |
| Demaryius Thomas | 11 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| A.J. Green | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Alshon Jeffery | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Jeremy Maclin | 9 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Martavis Bryant | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Keenan Allen | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Mike Evans | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Sammy Watkins | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Amari Cooper | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Emmanuel Sanders | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Jarvis Landry | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Jordan Matthews | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Michael Crabtree | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Randall Cobb | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Steve Smith | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Tavon Austin | 7 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Allen Hurns | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Julian Edelman | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Anquan Boldin | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Golden Tate | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Michael Floyd | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| T.Y. Hilton | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Ted Ginn | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Travis Benjamin | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| DeSean Jackson | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Eric Decker | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| James Jones | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Markus Wheaton | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Stefon Diggs | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
