In 1 Big Thing, Blair Andrews uses the RotoViz tools to take a deep dive into an interesting, unique, and potentially actionable development from the last week of fantasy football. This week he looks at Justin Jefferson’s chances at history.
I covered Justin Jefferson two weeks ago in this space. Since then, however, he’s totaled another 268 receiving yards, despite a relatively poor showing against a tough Jets’ defense. In Week 14 he torched the Lions for 223 scoreless yards on 15 targets.
Jefferson’s 223 yards were not only a career high but also a franchise record, and when your franchise’s history includes receivers like Cris Carter, Randy Moss, Sidney Rice, Adam Thielen, and Stefon Diggs, that’s saying something.
Jefferson’s day should have been even better, were it not for a questionable whistle after he appeared to step out of bounds on a 38-yard gain with three minutes left in the game. The broadcast replay showed pretty clearly that he remained in bounds, and he likely would have scored on the play.
Justin Jefferson’s Place in History
In any event, Jefferson is now up 1,510 receiving yards on the season. Only once has a receiver had more yards through 14 weeks since the year 2000: Calvin Johnson’s record-setting 2012 season.
Johnson finished that year with 1,964 receiving yards. Only Cooper Kupp in 2021 has even come close to that mark by the end of the season (1,948).
Jefferson has four more games this season, which means that to break Johnson’s record by the end of the season, he’ll need to average about 114 yards per game. That sounds like a lot — and it is — but it’s actually below Jefferson’s current pace. Given his upcoming schedule, 455 more yards over the next four weeks is very much within reach.
