Primacy effect is the tendency for us to recall the first events of a series rather than those that come later. This is why sports teams and players getting off to fast starts can linger in our minds as still being current long after the initial hot streak has since faded.

The same can also be true for slow starts. If a team or player fall flat on their face out of the gate, it takes an overabundance of information to the contrary to change our perception of the situation.

The blade of primacy effect cuts both ways in fantasy football, and is something that can be taken advantage of if we are aware of it and stay vigilant in keeping an eye out for when it rears its head.

Before we get into the latest information available in the Advanced Stats Explorer, just a few quick reminders about the article.

• Leading up to the season, I looked at the five years of data available in the Advanced Stats Explorer and broke it down into four separate articles: Routes and Targets, Intended Air Yards, Yards After the Catch and Evasion, and Catchable Targets, Drops, First Downs, and Touchdowns.
• When working through the five-year sample, we found that the 90th percentile and above generally included most of the top-24 wide receivers for each metric in any given season. The 75th percentile and above included the top 55 to 60 WRs in any given metric per season. Given that these two cohorts easily apply to a normal 12-team fantasy league, they will be referenced often throughout the article.

In Week 9 the total number of players who earned at least one target during the 2024 season grew to 201 after our Week 8 sample included 195 players.^[1]Players who have been members of multiple teams this season have their production for each team listed as separate entries in the Advanced Stats Explorer.