Many of the teams that suffered the biggest losses in the short passing game last offseason also saw heavy losses in their medium passing game, but as I suggested in my theory on depth-based roles, they frequently tabbed separate receivers to fill those needs. There is a little less room for creativity in predicting sleepers based on team needs on medium and deep throws. Few backs and tight ends can stretch the field in the same way outside receivers can. Still, I found that this analysis uncovered a few gems that made it a worthwhile exercise.
Teams that needed a medium target
| PPR Points Lost on Medium Passes, 2016 to 2017 | ||
| Team | Points Lost | Notable Players Lost |
| NYJ | 168.0 | Brandon Marshall (86.1), Quincy Enunwa (39.1) |
| CLV | 158.4 | Terrelle Pryor (86.1), Gary Barnidge (40.2) |
| BLT | 158.0 | Steve Smith (69.3), Dennis Pitta (39.3) |
| SF | 146.0 | Jeremy Kerley (42.6), Vance McDonald (35.8) |
| CHI | 142.8 | Alshon Jeffery (61.2), Cameron Meredith (49.6) |
| LAR | 137.2 | Kenny Britt (78.3), Brian Quick (42.2) |
| BUF | 127.6 | Sammy Watkins (36.6) |
| NE | 119.2 | Julian Edelman (76.6) |
| TEN | 106.1 | Tajae Sharpe (47.8) |
| WAS | 101.0 | Pierre Garcon (62.1), DeSean Jackson (38.9) |
| PHI | 88.7 | Jordan Matthews (45.1) |
New York Jets
Jermaine Kearse sat between Austin Seferian-Jenkins (8.9) and Robby Anderson (16.9) with a 12.6-yard average depth or target in 2016, and he dominated the medium-depth production for the Jets this season. His 49.6 PPR points on medium throws nearly doubled those scored by Seferian-Jenkins (28.9) and Anderson (28.4).
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