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Coaching Trends for Fantasy: AFC Published: Aug 15, 2019 at 07:31 AM Michael Fabiano Stats. Analytics. These days, there's no shortage of information to prepare for your drafts. Heck, there might even be info! Well, I'm going to add to the madne s with a look at how offensive coordinatorS and head coaches have run their offenses and what it might mean for the 2019 season. After all, the offensive coaches are the minds behind the che s game that is the National Football League. Some coaches like to run the football, thus producing a ton of fantasy points at the running back position. Others prefer the air a sault, making fantasy superheroes out of quarterbacks while loading up wide receivers and tight ends with oodles of targets and chances to score in the pa s attack. Well, this article will break it all down for you. What you'll find below is a list of all 16 AFC teams, their head coaches and offensive coordinators with career averages in pa s and run percentage. For head coaches who are defensive minds, I've included the combined totals of the offensive coordinators who have worked under them through the years. Enjoy! Baltimore Ravens Head Coach: John Harbaugh (11 NFL seasons - 56.3 percent pa s/43.7 percent run) Offensive coordinator: Greg Roman (6 NFL seasons - 50.2 percent pa s/49.8 percent run) -- Roman's offenses have had an average rank of three in terms of rushing percentage over his six years as an offensive coordinator. He's actually had a higher run percentage than pa s percentage in four of those six seasons. -- Roman has had two quarterbacks rank in the top nine in fantasy points, Colin Kaepernick (2013) and (2016). Both of them rushed for over 520 yards in their respective seasons. That's good news for , who could push for 700-plus rushing yards in his first full season as a starter. -- Roman's running backs have had plenty of fantasy succe s, too. ranked fourth at the position in 2016, and finished 10th in 2012. Overall, McCoy and Gore both combined for three other finishes in the top 20. This all bodes well for , who figures to carry most of the backfield load in 2019. He's a potential No. 2 back who can be had as a flex starter in 10-team leagues. Connor McDavid Jersey -- As you can imagine, wide receivers have not had as much succe s under Roman's watch. In fact, he has coached just one top-15 wideout (Anquan Boldin - 2013). Boldin (2014) and (2015) also had top-20 finishes under his guidance. With no true No. 1 wideout on their roster, it's no surprise that is the lone wideout being picked in drafts in the late rounds. -- should benefit from Roman's offense. (2011, 2013) had two top-eight finishes while he was with Roman in San Francisco. What's more, the top tight end in Roman's offenses averaged 81 targets in five of his six seasons as a coordinator. Andrews could add to that list. Buffalo Bills Head Coach: Sean McDermott (2 NFL seasons as HC - 52.7 percent pa s/47.3 percent run) Offensive coordinator: Brian Daboll (5 NFL seasons - 52.2 percent pa s/47.8 percent run) -- Daboll's offense has finished in the top six in rush percentage five times in his six seasons. -- Daboll hasn't had the best quarterbacks on his rosters over the years (Derek Anderson, Seneca Wallace, Brady Quinn, to name a few), but did flash at the end of his rookie campaign. In fact, he scored 18-plus points in five of his final six games including three games with 26-plus points and one over 40 points. He's a sleeper/breakout candidate in the late rounds. -- Daboll was the offensive coordinator in Cleveland when Peyton Hillis (2010) finished third in fantasy points among running backs. He's had one other lead back rank in the top 10, Jamaal Charles (2012), while Reggie Bush finished 13th in 2011. , who finished a disappointing 39th a season ago, must now contend with , and in a backfield to avoid in fantasy draft (well, unle s you can get Singletary late as a No. 4 or 5 fantasy running back). -- Daboll's wide receivers haven't had a whole lot of succe s, as is the lone player at the position to finish better than 35th. Marshall ranked 13th with the in 2011. -- Marshall is the lone wideout who's had more than 102 targets in a single season under Daboll. With a loaded group of wideouts including , , , and , it could be tough to find a dependable fantasy option ... or one that hit the century mark in targets. -- Daboll has produced just one top-10 tight end ( - 2010). Furthermore, none of the current tight ends ( , Tyler Kroft) are projected to make a fantasy impact. Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach: Zac Taylor (1st NFL season as HC) Offensive coordinator: Brian Callahan (1st NFL season as OC) -- Taylor's coaching experience at the NFL level is limited to being the quarterbacks coach (2013-2015) and interim offensive coordinator (2015) in Miami and a sistant receivers coach and quarterbacks coach (2017-2018) for the under offensive guru Sean McVay. -- There's a good chance his offense will look similar to McVay's, so I would expect a lot of this season. He might not see as big a workload as has over the last two seasons (658 touches, 329 per season), but Mixon does have a legitimate shot to push for 300-plus touches and top-eight value among running backs. He'll be a first- or second-round pick in most re-drafts. -- McVay's offense likes to spread the football around to his wide receivers, so a healthy should still be the main fantasy target in Taylor's pa s attack. The question is ... when will Green be back from a bum ankle? At this point, he's expected to mi s a fiew games to start the season. -- should lead the target share while Green is out, and he's a good bet to produce 70-plus catches in 2019. could be used as a threat on jet sweeps and in the vertical pa s attack as a potential home-run hitter, but he needs to avoid injuries to have any sort of value in fantasy leagues. -- Other than , who ranked third and ninth under McVay in Washington (2015-2016), his tight ends have been mostly unusable from a fantasy perspective. In fact, the next best finish at the position under his watch is 21st ( - 2016, Reed - 2014). Maybe that will change with in the mix, but he's no more than a late flier as a potential No. 2 fantasy tight end. Cleveland Browns Head Coach: Freddie Kitchens (1 NFL season - 59.0 percent pa s/41.0 percent run) Offensive coordinator: Todd Monken (3 NFL seasons - 61 percent pa s/39 percent run) -- ranked 10th in fantasy points at the quarterback position under Kitchens' watch (nine games) last season, averaging just over 19 points per game. Furthermore, Mayfield was able to muster that level of production without Jr. He's a ma sive breakout candidate for 2019. -- averaged 19.8 touches per game while ranking sixth in points among running backs under Kitchens, making him an attractive, high-end No. 2 back in drafts. He could push for mid-RB1 value without in the mix ... at least until returns from suspension. -- led the wideouts in targets (6.9 TPG) under Kitchens, but he ranked just 28th among wide receivers in those eight games. With OBJ now in the mix, however, Landry can't be trusted as more than a No. 3 fantasy wideout. His current ADP is hovering in the sixth round. -- Speaking of Beckham Jr., he figures to see big target totals similar to the ones he had in New York. In 59 regular-season games with the , he was targeted 622 times (10.5 per game), averaged 92.8 yards and scored 44 touchdowns. He'll be off the board in Round 2 in most drafts. -- averaged 4.6 targets, 3.1 receptions and ranked 10th among tight ends under Kitchens' watch. He'll be on the TE1/TE2 borderline in fantasy re-drafts, but there's a lot of mouths to feed. Denver Broncos Head Coach: Vic Fangio (19 NFL seasons as DC) Offensive coordinator: Rich Scangarello (1st NFL season as OC) -- Scangarello has never been an NFL offensive coordinator, but he has seen le ser roles in the league with the (2009), (2015) and (2017-2018). His system will be similar to that of Kyle Shanahan, who he's worked with closely in his career. -- In a typical season, Shanahan has preferred to use a featured running back with a complementary piece. As a result, Scangarello could use a similar approach with and to the one Shanahan used with and . In 2016, Freeman averaged 17.6 touches to Coleman's 11.5 touches under Shanahan's watch. Both backs finished in the top 17 in fantasy points that season, too. That might be a pie in the sky scenario for this season, but I can see Freeman getting a bigger role in the offense than he had during his rookie campaign. -- Shanahan's offenses have also featured a true No. 1 wide receiver, including Andre Johnson, , and , but Scangarello might be forced to spread things out with , and all in the mix. Sutton could lead the team in targets, but we're still waiting to see just how good Sanders can be coming off a torn Achilles tendon. -- Shanahan has seen three different tight ends ( - 2018, Chris Cooley - 2010, Owen Daniels - 2008) rank among the 10 best players at the position. That's good news for the future fantasy prospects of rookie , who figures to be a first rounder in dynasty drafts. Houston Texans Head Coach: Bill O'Brien (6 NFL seasons - 55 Mark Fayne Jersey .7 percent pa s/44.3 percent run) Offensive coordinator: Bill O'Brien -- O'Brien has had two quarterbacks ( - 2011, - 2018) rank in the top four in fantasy points during his six seasons as a coordinator or head coach. However, Watson averaged 24.1 fantasy points and was on pace to be the top fantasy quarterback in 2017 before suffering an injured knee. Watson projects to be a top-five quarterback in 2019. -- Just one running back (Arian Foster, 2014) has finished better than 16th in PPR scoring under O'Brien's watch, while has finished 20th, 16th, and 23rd. Also, the ran the ball 448 times last season (the fewest ever under O'Brien). With out for the season, however, figures to see a heavy workload. He's now on the RB3/flex radar. -- No running back has had more than 59 targets in a single season under O'Brien, but he's also never had a back like Johnson. If he does in fact inherit a featured role, it wouldn't be a shock to see D.J. catch 40-plus pa ses out of the backfield with Miller no longer in the mix. -- O'Brien's offenses have produced a top-four fantasy wideout four times, but three of those were (2015, 2017-2018). While and are considered solid sleepers in 2019 drafts, but fantasy fans should keep in mind that no wideout other than Hopkins has finished better than 49th at the position since 2015. was 37th last season, but he split time between Houston and Denver. -- O'Brien hasn't had a single tight end rank better than 17th in fantasy points during his time as the Houston head coach, so don't expect much from . Indianapolis Colts Head Coach: Frank Reich (5 NFL seasons - 56.7 percent pa s/43.3 percent run) Offensive coordinator: Nick Sirianni (1 NFL season - 61.9 percent pa s/38.1 percent run) -- Reich has had a top-five fantasy quarterback in back-to-back seasons ( - 2017, - 2018), and ranked 12th twice under his watch during his time with the . Unfortunately, that trend is unlikely to continue this season with , who will take over as the starter in the wake of 's sudden retirement. -- While we all expect a good season from , Reich has had just one running back finish better than 21st in points at the position during his NFL coaching career. That was Danny Woodhead, who ranked third in 2015. On a positive note, Mack had more carries last season (195) than any other back under Reich's watch, and he mi sed four games. There's a lot of upside. -- Reich has never coached a top-10 fantasy wideout, and just one ( - 2018) has finished in the top 15 in his offensive attack. That could be an indication that neither nor will make consistent impacts in fantasy leagues. Both have middle- to late-round value. -- Tight ends have thrived in Reich's offense. In fact, he has coached the position to four top-six finishes and a top-12 finish. Of course, it has helped that he's had and during the course of his coaching career. ranked fourth a season ago, but almost 40 percent of his fantasy points came on touchdowns ... and the will get back and healthy in 2019. -- Ebron was targeted half as often (4.4 per game) in Reich's offense last season when Doyle was active. Ebron averaged 8.8 targets per game when Doyle was out. Furthermore, also 40 percent of Ebron's PPR points came from his 14 touchdowns. Expect regre sion, folks. Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach: Doug Marrone (8 NFL seasons - 57.6 percent pa s/42.4 percent run) Offensive coordinator: John DeFilippo (2 NFL seasons - 65.2 percent pa s/34.8 percent run) -- During DeFilippo's time as the offensive coordinator (Weeks 1-14), the team ranked ninth in pa sing yards per game and ranked 13th among quarterbacks in fantasy points. That's good news for , who won't be picked in re-drafts but could be a useful streaming option. -- No running back has ranked better than 25th in PPR formats under DeFilippo, though he was without for most of 2018 due to injuries. He'll have to lean on the run more often in Jacksonville, however, as will be the focal point of the offense. He'll be a third-round pick in 10-team leagues, but Fouurnette could bring back top-10 totals among backs. -- DeFilippo's presence as the offensive leader could be a sign that good things are on the horizon for fantasy sleeper . During his time in Minnesota, DeFilippo coached (2nd) and (12th) to top-12 finishes. Westbrook should lead the team in targets in 2019. -- While DeFilippo was the offensive coordinator in Cleveland, Gary Barnidge ranked fourth among tight ends. However, we still can't consider anything more than a late flier. Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach: Andy Reid (20 NFL seasons - 58.5 percent pa s/41.5 percent run) Offensive coordinator: Eric Bieniemy (1 NFL season - 61.1 percent pa s/38.9 percent run) -- Reid has been the head man for 20 NFL seasons, during which time he's had 10 offenses finish in the top 10 in pa sing yards per game and nine finish in the top 10 in rushing yards per game. -- Reid has had a ton of succe s with quarterbacks, none greater than who's coming off the best fantasy season ever at the position. Furthermore, he's coached nine top-10 finishes at the position including four in the top five. Mahomes will likely make it 10 this season. -- Reid's offenses have been very fantasy-friendly at running back, too. In fact, he's had 11 combined top-10 finishes at the position, including Jamaal Charles (2013, 2014) and (2017). This all bodes well for , who is in a great spot to break out if he can handle a featured workload for a full season. is worth a late-round look based on Reid's succe s with backs. -- Reid hasn't had as much succe s at wide receiver, though did rank third in points a season ago. No Reid wideout has ever finished higher in his 20 seasons as a head coach. Overall, he's had just four top-10s at the position, with another five finishers from No. 15-20. -- In the nine instances when Reid's offense has had a top-20 fantasy wideout, only once did he have two in the top 20 (2010). In the other eight instances, the team's second-best receiver finished 34th or worse. Could that be a sign of things to come for ' production. -- Reid's tight ends have put up big numbers too, as he's had a top-8 player at the position eight times while another five have ranked from No. 11-13. Of course, it helps when you've had the likes of , Chad Lewis, Brent Ben Scrivens Jersey Celek and L.J. Smith in your offensive attack. Kelce will continue to shine. Los Angeles Chargers Head Coach: Anthony Lynn (3 NFL seasons as HC - 57.2 percent pa s/42.8 percent run) Offensive coordinator: Ken Whisenhunt (15 NFL seasons - 58.2 percent pa s/41.8 percent run) -- Whisenhunt's offenses have finished in the top nine in pa sing yards per game six times in his 15 seasons as either a coordinator or head coach. -- He's had three different quarterbacks ( , Kurt Warner, Philip Rivers) combined for four top-8 finishes, and another three quarterback finishes from No. 11-12. That includes Rivers, who has ranked eight and 11th in each of the last two years. -- Whisenhunt has done well with running backs in recent seasons, as he's coached a top-eight performer in for three straight years. In all, he's had a combined nine top-20 finishes. Gordon's holdout is a huge question mark as we get deeper into the summer months, so it's no surprise to see and moving up in re-drafts. -- Whisenhunt has also had the pleasure of coaching some great wideouts during his time, including Hines Ward, , Anquan Boldin, and . Those players alone have combined for 12 top-20 finishes. is in a good position to join that group in 2019. -- Whisenhunt has had a receiver score 10 or more touchdowns on six different occasions, including a season ago. He's coming off the board in the middle rounds and is a player to watch. -- At tight end, Whisenhunt's offense has produced a combined four top-12 finishes from the trio of Heath Miller, , and . That bodes well for the value of , who is projected to be a breakout candidate this season. He'll be picked in the middle rounds of drafts. Miami Dolphins Head Coach: Brian Flores (1st NFL season as HC) Offensive coordinator: Chad O'Shea (1st NFL season as OC) -- O'Shea has spent most of his career as the wide receivers coach in New England (2009-2018), so his first crack at being an offensive coordinator is sure to be similar to what Josh McDaniels has run during their time together with the Pats. -- A backfield committee appears to be likely in Miami. would project to see the " role" in that scenario, while sleeper would handle the " role" (if we a sume a backfield approach). Drake is a better PPR option (a suming he's ready for Week 1), but Ballage could push him as the preferred back in standard-scoring leagues. -- has been highly targeted out of the slot under McDaniels over the years, so don't be surprised to see 's name start to jump up rank lists. If he's 100 percent, he could be a popular target for and . I like Wilson has a late-round flier. -- Tight end has been hugely succe sful in the offense of McDaniels (not shockingly), who had the pleasure of coaching Rob Gronkowski. Second-year tight end is no Gronkowski, but he could see his target share increase in the offense. He's worth a late-round flier in deeper leagues. New England Patriots Head Coach: Bill Belichick (24 NFL seasons - 56.2 percent pa s/43.8 percent run) Offensive coordinator: Josh McDaniels (13 NFL seasons - 57.4 percent pa s/42.6 percent run) -- McDaniels' offenses have finished in the top-10 in pa sing yards per game 10 times during his 13 years as an offensive coordinator or head coach. -- McDaniels has had a ton of succe s with fantasy quarterbacks during his career ... that's what happens when the great is on your roster. Keep in mind, however, that Brady's 17.5 points-per-game average last season was among the lowest of his career. He's a regre sing fantasy option. -- The have employed numerous backfield committees over Jonas Gustavsson Jersey the years, so it's no surprise that McDaniels has had just two top-10 PPR running backs ( - 2016, - 2018). He's also had four others finish from No. 15-20, but very few have been "elite." -- McDaniels has also had just two running backs ( - 2016, - 2012) finish with more than 209 carries in a single season in New England. might have gone over 250 carries during his rookie campaign, but he mi sed three games due to injuries. If this sort of trend remains the same, White will once again be the safest back in fantasy drafts. -- McDaniels has coached four top-10 fantasy wideout finishes, three of which came from Wes Welker (2007-2008, 2012). Of the 10 top-20 finishes under his watch, all but one ( - 2017) have come from Randy Mo s, Welker or . -- Rob Gronkowski had been a top-seven tight end five times including three seasons as the top player at the position, but replacing that sort of production will be impo sible. If you're looking for a potential deep sleeper in New England, it would be .. but he's dealing with injuries. New York Jets Head Coach: Adam Gase (6 NFL seasons - 58.0 percent pa s/42.0 percent run) Offensive coordinator: Dowell Loggains (4 NFL seasons - 57.1 percent pa s/42.9 percent run) -- Gase has had just one quarterback (Peyton Manning) rank better than 21st in fantasy points, though his other signal-callers included the inconsistent Jay Cutler, , and Matt Moore. I'm still in on as a potential late-round sleeper candidate, however. -- Gase has had succe s with his running backs, as Knowshon Moreno (2013) and Matt Forte (2015) both finished in the top nine under his watch. (2014) and (2016) both ranked 11th in seasons with Gase calling the shots. Just two of those backs averaged 20-plus touches, however, but there's little doubt that will join that list after the 2019 campaign. He should be the centerpiece of this offense and is a surefire top-10 overall pick in fantasy drafts. -- Gase has had four top-five finishes at the wide receiver position, but just one of them ( - 2017) came without Manning. In fact, Landry is the lone non-Manning wide receiver who has finished better than 28th under Gase's watch. He did it twice ... once in 2016 (14th) and 2017 (5th). So while figures to be the top wideout, he might have a ceiling of a low-end No. 2 option. -- should also see his share of the targets in his first season with the Men in Green, especially coming out of the slot. During his rookie season, Darnold targeted his slot receivers on 36 percent of his total pa s attempts. Crowder is coming off the board in the late rounds of 2019 drafts. -- Gase hasn't had a non-Manning tight end finish better than 22nd in PPR formats (Martellus Bennett - 2015), but remains a deep sleeper upon his return from a four-game suspension. Oakland Raiders Head Coach: Jon Gruden (15 NFL seasons - 56.1 percent pa s/43.9 percent run) Offensive coordinator: (11 NFL seasons - 60.6 percent pa s/39.4 percent run) -- Gruden has had just three top-10 fantasy finishes at the quarterback spot, and all of them were Rich Gannon (1999-2001). remains a potential sleeper in the late rounds of re-drafts with the additions of and , but a top-15 finish might not be in the cards. -- Gruden has coached three running backs to top-10 finishes, with Ricky Watters accomplishing the feat three times. He's also had three other running back finishes from No. 15-20. -- Gruden has liked to use a featured back, as his top runner has averaged 17.5 or more touches in 11 of his 15 seasons as a coordinator or head coach. That includes , who averaged 17.5 touches over eight games in 2018. That's good news for , who projects as the lead back. -- Wide receivers have done well under Gruden's watch, as he's coached a combined seven top-10 fantasy wideouts and another five from No. 12-20. He has also fed his top receiver 140 or more targets eight different times, including Irving Fryar (153) in 1997 and Joey Galloway (152) in 2005. As if we needed any trends here to state the obvious, but we all know will be a target hog. -- Gruden has seen a combined three seasons with a top-10 tight end, including a season ago. Of course, Cook also saw a 19.1 percent target share due to a lack of pa s-catching talent... that's not going to happen for with Brown and (among others) in the mix. Still, he's done well in training camp and is worth a late-round flier in leagues with 12-plus teams. Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach: Mike Tomlin (12 NFL seasons - 58.4 percent pa s/41.6 percent run) Offensive coordinator: Randy Fichtner (1 NFL season - 67.4 percent pa s/32.6 percent run) -- Fichtner's first season as the offensive coordinator was quite a succe sful one, as the team ranked first in pa s attempts, second in pa s percentage and fifth in plays. also put up career bests in pa s attempts, completions, pa sing yards and touchdown pa ses. Unfortunately, a repeat performance is unlikely after the traded to the . -- In 2018, 44 percent of 's touchdown pa ses went to Brown. What's more, 31 percent of his total fantasy points since 2011 have gone to Brown. Roethlisberger's average fantasy finish at the quarterback position before was in Pittsburgh (2004-2009) was middle of the road (14th). During that time (six years), he also failed to throw for more than 3,800 yards five times. This all signals some regre sion for , who should be seen as a late-round selection in most drafts. -- Fichtner also used as a featured back, as the runner averaged almost 21 touches over his 13 games. While there has been talk of a backfield committee this season, keep these stats in mind ... during his 12 seasons as the head coach, Mike Tomlin has had at least one running back average 19.4 touches a game nine times. In the other three seasons, Tomlin's top backs averaged 16.7 touches (Rashard Mendenhall - 2009), 16.4 touches (Mendenhall - 2011) and 13.4 (Jonathan Dwyer - 2012). I'd feel safe drafting Conner near the turn of the first and second round in re-drafts. -- The offense was very wideout friendly a season ago, as both Brown and drew at least 24 percent of the targets while finishing in the top 10 among fantasy wideouts. That's not going to happen again, but Smith-Schuster is a good bet to see north of 150 targets as 's new No. Laurent Brossoit Jersey 1 target in the pa s attack. He'll be a second-rounder in drafts. With a high number of available targets, and will also be worth a late-round look. -- Heath Miller finished with three top-eight finishes and five top-15 finishes during his time under Tomlin, so it's no surprise to see moving up on fantasy rank lists. He should see a bigger target share with out of the mix, making the veteran a potential top-10 tight end. Tenne see Titans This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.