Slot Rankings - How Wide Receivers Score More Touchdowns in the Slot

Slot machines function the same way for every spin, which means you won't discover any secrets to beat them. There are some tips that you can apply to increase your chances of winning.

First, you should check a game's RTP. This statistic will tell you how many players could win on average over the long run.

Slot Efficiency

The goal of slot efficiency is to maximize the amount of changes that can be made without breaking the constraints of a set of pre-defined rules. These constraints may include, for instance, the minimum allowed operational delay (usually expressed as scheduling delays), fairness, equity access, competition, environmental goals and more. The slot allocation process is a complicated one and optimizing it to achieve the desired performance metrics requires careful analysis of all factors at play.

In general, the process starts with the identification of kinds of requests that need to be prioritized according to established historical precedence. Once the type of request is identified and a slot allocation model is utilized to reduce the delay the criterion. A number of research gaps have been discovered regarding the optimization slot scheduling models particularly when it comes to trying to balance fairness and efficiency.

A common method for prioritizing slot assignments is the ABC (assigned by velocity) strategy that gathers information about the history of items and then determines a velocity group. Items with the highest velocity are given the best slots, whereas less popular items are placed farther back in the warehouse.

Another important aspect of slot efficiency is the distance factor, which measures the amount of space that has to be allocated to support the pick-to ship process. The factor takes into account the velocity of the items as in addition to their placement on racking and the characteristics of handling equipment.

It is also important to be aware of the costs of a change in the slot in order to increase slot efficiency. Managers can determine the costs of a typical change in slot and the impact it has on other aspects of slot efficiency like velocity by analyzing the typical slot wins.

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Perimeter Efficiency

We all know that wide receivers are more likely to score more touchdowns on targets that are in the perimeter than slot targets, as they're usually targeted way downfield and often have one-on-one coverage. One thing that might be surprising to some however, is that the top five slot players and the rest of the group score differently on targets that are outside.

Mike Evans, Amari cooper, Tyler Lockett, and Michael Gallup were the top five scorers on perimeter routes among the 66 wide-receivers who saw at least 40 targets during each of the two previous seasons. The bottom of the list was filled with more possession-based receivers, including Chris Godwin and Diontae Johnson. The Bucs will likely move the two latter players into the slot more often this season, which could increase their targets. However, they'll have to improve their scoring from the perimeter to maintain their top-of-the-line performance.

The slot is a great option for wideouts that are quick, since they can open up more easily when their route won't be covered by a cornerback or linebacker. The only wide receiver who isn't speedy on the list who can benefit from more slot time is Corey Coleman, as he's an extremely reliable player on intermediate and short routes.

The bottom of the list is populated by possession-based receivers that are more effective on intermediate and short routes than deep ones such as Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler. Jeudy is a great option to be a sleeper for this season since the Rams' primary slot receiver for the Rams while Courtland Sutton and Amari Cooper are likely to play on more downfield targets. Hamler, meanwhile, should be a natural on short-to-mid-long and intermediate routes, since this is where he was at his best when playing for the Bills in 2021. He could be a great replacement for the departed wideout Jordan Matthews in Buffalo.

Percentage of Snaps in the Slot

The proportion of snaps a receiver plays in the slot is an excellent indicator of their ability to play deep routes. It's not always a reliable indicator of a receiver’s skill set since some receivers are better in the slot but don't play more deep.

Alshon Jeffrey, for example is the league leader in targets received per game (4.8) However, he's only ranked 6th in slot receiving scores (58.5). This is due to the fact that the majority of his targets come from the outside and it's hard to score a first-down in a wide-open deep line in that setting.

Some receivers are better at playing inside, whereas others struggle to do so on the outside. For instance, the Panthers handed Robby Anderson 978 snaps last season, and he ran a whopping 74 percent of his slot routes as opposed to just 26% for boundary routes. This is a huge difference that shows how much more efficient Robby Anderson is when he's aligned with the slot.

Chris Godwin, a Buccaneers player, lines up in the middle of the field most of the time on his passes and is among the top five slot receiving scores (58.5). He also played 51% of his perimeter routes and is a pro in one-on-one coverage.

Speed receivers are typically more efficient when they line up inside, because they can get targeted way down the field, and often are in one-on-one coverage. You'll find names like Mike Evans, Amari Cooper and Julio Jones in our top five.

McDuffie, Moore and other slot cornerbacks also belong to this group. Both have been able to create pressures in the passing game with McDuffie leading the NFL with seven forced fumbles and Moore being the most effective tackle stop performance on this list (-3.5). By deploying McDuffie in the slot when they run nickel or dime-type packages, and then deploying McDuffie on the outside in base defense, Spagnuolo has maximized his capabilities. Moore's ability in stopping big run plays is an enormous asset when playing the slot.

Percentage of Snaps Outside

While the NFL's top receivers such as Baldwin, Golden Tate and Larry Fitzgerald excel on the perimeter, it's also worth noting that their slot counterparts are also excellent. As a group wide receivers with a high slot receiving grade score touchdowns at roughly the same rate as players who play on the outside. This is due to the fact that quarterbacks have a more stable target distribution when throwing to outside and slot receivers compared to other inside options like tight ends and backfield pass-catchers.

It's also interesting to see a receiver like CeeDee Lamb on this list in 2022, as he plays the slot in three WR sets, and flanker in two of the sets. Lamb is running more routes in the slot than most of the players on this list. This is a great method to gain matchup advantages for your team. It also helps to explain why Lamb is the top-rated receiver in our system.

Of course, he also plays the X position and makes huge plays from the perimeter too. Lamb isn't as fast as the other players in this ranking but he's an elite wide receiver who is a good fit in the Cowboys scheme.

Mecole Hardman is a further example of a player who's capable of putting up huge numbers on both targets. He has a high slot receiving grade and is one of the league's best at catching back-shoulder throws but he's also an excellent player for contested-catch.

Jalen Hilton is another player who is slot specialist. He's been positioned in this position on 85.7 percent of his defensive snaps to date. He has the third-lowest EPA for targets and the fifth-best EPA for run stops among cornerbacks in the slot. This makes him a valuable player in the defensive line. He's struggled to stop passes from the outside, and his EPA against this type of target is negative. This is due to him playing with linebackers and safety players who aren't able to match Hilton's speed, size and ability to run routes.