D’Andre Swift get analytics-rooted props for his Week 1 performance

D’Andre Swift had an outstanding performance in Week 1, and two analytics-based sites have reinforced how good he was against the Eagles.

D’Andre Swift set a tone early with a 50-yard run in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles. He finished the game with a career-high 144 yards along with a touchdown on 15 carries. He has been nominated for Fedex Ground Player of the Week for Week 1.

If Swift’s fantasy managers have any quarrel(s) with what he did in the season opener, it would be having Jamaal Williams vulture two one-yard touchdowns and having just three catches (albeit for 31 yards).

Swift is the NFL’s third-leading rusher through Week 1. But two advanced stats websites have him as their No. 1 running back performer for the week.

D’Andre Swift’s excellent Week 1 performance, backed by analytics

First up on Tuesday was Football Outsiders. According to their Total DYAR (Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement) metric, Swift was clearly No. 1 among running backs in Week 1.

DYAR is essentially a measure against an established replacement-level baseline, as measured by Football Outsiders’ DVOA. As explained on the site, since DYAR is a total stat (as opposed to a rate state) it helps reflect the importance of workhorse backs or receivers who can draw the defense away from others.

A full article outlined why Swift’s day on Sunday was deemed so valuable.

"Swift ran for five first downs against the Eagles; four of them gained 10 yards or more, including a 50-yarder, and the other was a 7-yard touchdown. Meanwhile, he was stuffed for no gain just one time. Two of his receptions also resulted in first downs"

Pro Football Focus was also high on Swift’s work, grading him out as their top running back in Week 1 (82.3). The next three highest-graded running backs with at least five attempts were Christian McCaffrey (79.5), Nick Chubb (79.3) and AJ Dillon (76.7).

There’s a solid argument for Swift to see more than 15 carries in games going forward. There may also be a workload line where the returns start to diminish, but a full-on star turn may be coming for the third-year back in 2022.