Week 17 Player Matchups and Data Visualizations

Jam-packed article with informative charts on Week 17 matchups and macro-level team trends from throughout the 2023 NFL season.

Dec 30, 2023

Throughout this current NFL season, I’ve churned through a high number of matchup-specific charts while writing my weekly Coverage Shells article for Fantasy Points, which is in its first year of being published.

The purpose of making these charts is to better visualize individual matchups relative to other players across a game slate. I’m comparing production vs specific coverages/tendencies to their defensive opponents in a given week.

Here is an example from Week 15:

My articles fixate on a select number of matchups, which are broken down into much greater detail than anything you’ll read here.

The goal with this is to bring the data to life (literally and figuratively) and provide all of you with substantive info in the most digestible way possible.

Here are your Week 17 matchup charts:

Quarterback vs Coverage

The following charts (4) all display the same variables, the only difference with each chart is which coverage type it’s isolating for. Here’s an example with the 1st chart.

Man

X-Axis: Defensive Man coverage rates this season by each QB’s Week 17 opponent.

Y-Axis: QB’s fantasy points per dropback vs Man coverage this season (Full-PPR).

Josh Allen faces the Patriots in Week 17. Defensively, New England runs the 2nd-highest rate of Man coverage in the NFL (40%), while Josh Allen averages 0.60+ points per dropback vs Man:

Zone

Single-High (MOF Closed)

Two-High (MOF Open)

Receiving vs Coverage

Similar process here with the WR/TEs, except were subbing out points per dropback for yards per route run (YPRR).

Man

X-Axis: Defensive Man coverage rates this season by each player's Week 17 opponent.

Y-Axis: YPRR vs Man coverage this season.

Sam LaPorta faces the Cowboys in Week 17. Defensively, Dallas runs the highest rate of Man coverage in the NFL (40.3%), while LaPorta averages 2.68 YPRR vs Man: