When it comes to receiving production, which NFL player provided their team with the biggest bang for their buck in 2011? This is a fun analysis based on receiving statistics and salary cap numbers. I found most of the contract information on Spotrac.com.
Before I get into more detail, I just wanted to say that I love writing and I appreciate all the feedback, good or bad. I have strong opinions about most things and also have thick skin. We definitely have intelligent and passionate readers and I couldn’t ask for more than that.
I like to make predictions and being wrong comes with the territory.
Getting back to my analysis, I took the 154 players with the most receiving yards. This list included receivers, tight ends, and running backs. I stopped at 154 because this is where Chad Ochocinco ranked, with 276 receiving yards. This is not scientific. Many arguments very brought up regarding my last two posts, including “good contracts”, first-down catches, and “top-tier” production. I just wanted to break down numbers and let you digest them on your own. Of course, I will highlight the Miami Dolphins but will keep my opinions to my self, this one time.
Here are the TOP 25 in 2011 receiving yards per salary dollar:
| Rec | Yards | Avg | Yds/G | TDs | 1st | 1st% | Salary $M | Rec/$M | Yards/$M | ||||
| 1 | Victor Cruz | NYG | WR | 82 | 1,536 | 18.7 | 96 | 9 | 59 | 72 | 0.405 | 202.47 | 3792.59 |
| 2 | Rob Gronkowski | NE | TE | 90 | 1,327 | 14.7 | 82.9 | 17 | 69 | 76.7 | 0.405 | 222.22 | 3276.54 |
| 3 | Antonio Brown | PIT | WR | 69 | 1,108 | 16.1 | 69.2 | 2 | 57 | 82.6 | 0.429358 | 160.71 | 2580.60 |
| 4 | Jimmy Graham | NO | TE | 99 | 1,310 | 13.2 | 81.9 | 11 | 74 | 74.7 | 0.571285 | 173.29 | 2293.08 |
| 5 | Doug Baldwin | SEA | WR | 51 | 788 | 15.5 | 49.2 | 4 | 40 | 78.4 | 0.380833 | 133.92 | 2069.15 |
| 6 | Mike Wallace | PIT | WR | 72 | 1,193 | 16.6 | 74.6 | 8 | 54 | 75 | 0.708333 | 101.65 | 1684.24 |
| 7 | David Nelson | BUF | WR | 61 | 658 | 10.8 | 41.1 | 5 | 32 | 52.5 | 0.409 | 149.14 | 1608.80 |
| 8 | Jake Ballard | NYG | TE | 38 | 604 | 15.9 | 43.1 | 4 | 31 | 81.6 | 0.405 | 93.83 | 1491.36 |
| 9 | Denarius Moore | OAK | WR | 33 | 618 | 18.7 | 47.5 | 5 | 26 | 78.8 | 0.422625 | 78.08 | 1462.29 |
| 10 | Mike Williams | TB | WR | 65 | 771 | 11.9 | 48.2 | 3 | 41 | 63.1 | 0.55075 | 118.02 | 1399.91 |
| 11 | Aaron Hernandez | NE | TE | 79 | 910 | 11.5 | 65 | 7 | 46 | 58.2 | 0.65312 | 120.96 | 1393.31 |
| 12 | Torrey Smith | BAL | WR | 50 | 841 | 16.8 | 52.6 | 7 | 34 | 68 | 0.611725 | 81.74 | 1374.80 |
| 13 | Johnny Knox | CHI | WR | 37 | 727 | 19.6 | 51.9 | 2 | 31 | 83.8 | 0.53106 | 69.67 | 1368.96 |
| 14 | Preston Parker | TB | WR | 40 | 554 | 13.9 | 34.6 | 3 | 25 | 62.5 | 0.405 | 98.77 | 1367.90 |
| 15 | Laurent Robinson | DAL | WR | 54 | 858 | 15.9 | 61.3 | 11 | 36 | 66.7 | 0.685 | 78.83 | 1252.55 |
| 16 | DeSean Jackson | PHI | WR | 58 | 961 | 16.6 | 64.1 | 4 | 39 | 67.2 | 0.76996 | 75.33 | 1248.12 |
| 17 | Arian Foster | HOU | RB | 53 | 617 | 11.6 | 47.5 | 2 | 19 | 35.8 | 0.525 | 100.95 | 1175.24 |
| 18 | Greg Little | CLE | WR | 61 | 709 | 11.6 | 44.3 | 2 | 35 | 57.4 | 0.605 | 100.83 | 1171.90 |
| 19 | Jared Cook | TEN | TE | 49 | 759 | 15.5 | 47.4 | 3 | 34 | 69.4 | 0.655 | 74.81 | 1158.78 |
| 20 | Danario Alexander | STL | WR | 26 | 431 | 16.6 | 43.1 | 2 | 19 | 73.1 | 0.41375 | 62.84 | 1041.69 |
| 21 | Brandon LaFell | CAR | WR | 36 | 613 | 17 | 38.3 | 3 | 23 | 63.9 | 0.6085 | 59.16 | 1007.40 |
| 22 | Andre Roberts | ARI | WR | 51 | 586 | 11.5 | 36.6 | 2 | 29 | 56.9 | 0.586 | 87.03 | 1000.00 |
| 23 | Damian Williams | TEN | WR | 45 | 592 | 13.2 | 39.5 | 5 | 27 | 60 | 0.6105 | 73.71 | 969.70 |
| 24 | Brian Hartline | MIA | WR | 35 | 549 | 15.7 | 34.3 | 1 | 30 | 85.7 | 0.606243 | 57.73 | 905.58 |
| 25 | Dezmon Briscoe | TB | WR | 35 | 387 | 11.1 | 24.2 | 6 | 20 | 57.1 | 0.430625 | 81.28 | 898.69 |
Many of the players on the list have already received hefty raises. Our own Brian Hartline makes an appearance at No. 24. Here are the rest of the Dolphins and Brandon Marshall:
| Rec | Yards | Avg | Yds/G | TDs | 1st | 1st% | Salary $M | Rec/$M | Yards/$M | ||||
| 63 | Legedu Naanee | CAR | WR | 44 | 467 | 10.6 | 31.1 | 1 | 20 | 45.5 | 0.735 | 59.86 | 635.37 |
| 104 | Davone Bess | MIA | WR | 51 | 537 | 10.5 | 33.6 | 3 | 25 | 49 | 1.763 | 28.93 | 304.59 |
| 109 | Chad Ochocinco | NE | WR | 15 | 276 | 18.4 | 18.4 | 1 | 13 | 86.7 | 1 | 15.00 | 276.00 |
| 129 | Anthony Fasano | MIA | TE | 32 | 451 | 14.1 | 30.1 | 5 | 25 | 78.1 | 2.75 | 11.64 | 164.00 |
| 141 | Brandon Marshall | MIA | WR | 81 | 1,214 | 15 | 75.9 | 6 | 53 | 65.4 | 10.6 | 7.64 | 114.53 |
| 149 | Reggie Bush | MIA | RB | 43 | 296 | 6.9 | 19.7 | 1 | 12 | 27.9 | 3.75 | 11.47 | 78.93 |
I understand that Reggie Bush is at a disadvantage here because we are solely looking at receiving statistics.
Here are the 2011 rankings in multiple categories for the present Dolphins and Brandon Marshall:
| Bess | Bush | Fasano | Hartline | Naanee | Ochocinco | Marshall | |
| Receptions | 62T | 88T | 126T | 119T | 85T | 154 | 10T |
| Rec Yards | 83 | 146 | 103 | 81 | 98 | 154 | 10 |
| Yards/Rec | 124 | 153 | 51 | 29T | 122T | 7T | 38T |
| Yards/Game | 96 | 152 | 112 | 93 | 108T | 153 | 13 |
| TDs | 75T | 122T | 45T | 122T | 122T | 122T | 33T |
| 1st Downs | 87T | 152 | 87T | 70T | 105T | 146 | 14T |
| 1st Down % | 124 | 152 | 18 | 5 | 128T | 4 | 73 |
| Salary | 59 | 25 | 40 | 117 | 104 | 89T | 3 |
| Rec/$M | 92 | 136 | 133 | 49 | 44 | 123 | 146 |
| Yards/$M | 104 | 149 | 129 | 24 | 63 | 109 | 141 |
I hope you enjoy my effort. I will be back with cornerback talk.
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