Storyline: Price Per Yard (PPY) is a way to figure out how much money is being spent to get the ball downfield. In this article I look at PPYs for NFL Wide Receivers.
This article continues my analysis of NFL players using a statistic I call “Price Per Yard.” I applied PPY recently to evaluate NFL RBs. In this article I apply the statistic to evaluate NFL Wide Receivers (WRs).
Courtesy: Sportsworldreport.com
To Recap: Price Per Yard (PPY) is a way to break down players and positions to figure out how much money is being spent to get the ball downfield. It’s calculated by taking the players cap hit to the franchise and dividing it by the TOTAL yards the player gained.
PPY measures how effective players are compared to their cap hit. The lower the PPY, the more efficient the player is to their franchise.
I took the top WRs from each team and found that the NFL average PPY in 2014 was $4,519.05 per yard. The average for non-playoff teams come out to $5,262.40. The teams that made the playoffs were most efficient with their players to reach an average of $3,128.27. Teams that went to the playoffs were 1.44 times more efficient with their players than the average team; and they were 1.68 times more efficient than non-playoff teams.
Courtesy of: Huffington Post
The most efficient WR last year was T.Y. Hilton of the Colts at a PPY of $517.84. Hilton, who had one of the best QBs in the league throwing to him, gave the Colts a cap hit of only $706,850. Hilton was a great success, gaining 1,365 total yards. He’s a great example of having good quality players on rookie contracts carrying a large load for a team. Rookie contracts are a big part of creating cheap and efficient offenses in a league where QBs demand large payrolls. These strong, young players will demand larger contracts sooner or later, which might result in creating a monster like Mike Wallace.
The highest paid receiver per yard last year actually turned out to be Wallace at $19,646.92 per yard. The Miami Dolphins were excited to pair this receiver with their young QB, Ryan Tannehill. But they overpaid to get him. That resulted in a cap hit last year of $17,250,000. His cap hit and total 878 yards resulted in a very inefficient WR. Mike Wallace saw big money coming, but I don’t think he realized what it was going to take to make himself worth that kind of investment. Fortunately for the Dolphins, they were able to pawn off Wallace to the Minnesota Vikings, thereby avoid yet another year of disappointment and money-burning.
Here are the results of my PPY analyses for WRs for the 2014 season.
Courtesy: rantsports.com
Lowest PPY WR’s 2014
1. T.Y. Hilton (Colts)* $517.84
2. Kenny Stills (Saints) $585.16
3. Allen Hurns (Jags) $622.84
4. Taylor Gabriel (Browns) $665.61
5. Randall Cobb (Packers)* $771.28
Courtesy: blacksportsonline.com
Highest PPY WR’s 2014
1. Mike Wallace (Dolphins) $19,646.92
2. Andre Johnson (Texan)* $16,714.30
3. Dwayne Bowe (Chiefs) $15,232.49
4. Brian Hartline (Dolphins) $13,101.27
5. Brandon Marshall (Bears) $13,002.77
* = Went to Playoffs in 2014
Final Thoughts
Every player on Lowest PPY list were on first or rookie contracts.
All players with the Highest PPY list will be on new teams in 2015.
Courtesy: fabric.com
- Mike Wallace to the Vikings
- Andre Johnson to the Colts
- Dwayne Bowe to the Browns
- Brian Hartline to the Browns, and
- Brandon Marshall to the Jets.
The Miami Dolphins had two players on the Highest PPY list last year, and neither one is returning for the 2015 season. They gained Kenny Stills, who was the second most efficient player last year, in a trade with the Saints.
Randall Cobb will be on a new contract starting in 2015. His cap hit increases from $1.02 million in 2014 to $5.35 million in 2015. How much will his efficiency fall in 2015?
