Week 9 NFL Advanced Analytics Superstars

Wide Receiver: Antonio Brown

Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
17 Receptions, 284 Yards, 23 Targets
NEP: +20.96

Not only were the Raiders gashed on the ground, but also the Oakland secondary gave up a whopping 284 receiving yards solely to Antonio Brown. It didn't matter who was throwing to him. Brown was able to get open with ease to the tune of 17 receptions on 23 targets. He even added 22 rushing yards to put him over 300 offensive yards on the day.

Brown set a career high in targets, receptions, and receiving yards as the Steelers were able to beat Oakland 38-35. His +20.96 NEP was the highest single-game performance we've seen this season, as Brown was able to raise his season-long Reception NEP to 78.99, fourth-highest among all wide receivers despite the up-and-down weeks he endured with Michael Vick and Landry Jones under center. Brown may continue to have these weeks, as it looks like Ben Roethlisberger may miss time once again because of injury.

Despite not finding the end zone, Brown's 45.6 fantasy points not only led all receivers this week but were the highest total we've seen this season -- and that was without crossing the pylons! His performance was quite the Sunday spectacle, as he had the ninth-most receiving yards in a single game in NFL history. Among active players, only Calvin Johnson's 329-yard performance against the Cowboys in 2013 eclipsed Brown's Week 9 outing.

The rest of the receivers were led by Sammy Watkins, making his debut on this list. Despite only 12 drop backs from Tyrod Taylor, Watkins was able to reel in some terrific passes for 168 yards and a score. Alshon Jeffery turned in a solid performance catching 10 of 16 targets for 151 yards on Monday Night Football. Cole Beasley had an arguably better game the night before catching 9 passes for 112 yards and scoring twice. It took 19 targets, but Mike Evans rounded out the list with 152 yards.