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

Slot machines function in the same way for each spin, which means you won't be able to find any secret hacks to beat them. There are a few tips you can follow to increase your chances of winning.

Take a look at the RTP of a particular game first. This is a measure of how much players can anticipate winning in the long run.

Slot Efficiency

Slot efficiency is the aim of maximizing the amount of slot switches that can be used while avoiding the violation of certain constraints. These constraints include, for example the minimum operational delay (usually expressed as scheduling delays) fairness, equity, access, competition, environmental goals and many more. The process of distributing slots isn't easy and optimizing it in order to meet the desired performance metrics requires careful analysis of the factors involved.

The process starts by identifying the different types of requests to prioritize based on historical precedents. Once the type is determined then the slot allocation model is then employed to reduce the delay criteria. However, there are many research gaps have been discovered related to the optimization of slot scheduling models particularly when the balance between fairness and efficiency is being maintained.

ABC (assigned according to velocity) is a popular strategy for prioritizing slot assignment. This method collects the item's history and determines a group based on velocity. Items with the highest velocity are given the most slots, while less popular items are placed further back in the warehouse.

Another key element of slot effectiveness is the distance factor, which is the amount of space that has to be allocated to support the pick-to ship process. The measure takes into account the velocity group of the items, as well as their racking placements and handling characteristics of the equipment.

To increase slot efficiency In order to increase the efficiency of slot machines, it is important to consider the cost of the change to a particular slot. Managers can determine the costs of a typical change to a slot as well as its impact on other aspects of slot efficiency such as velocity by analyzing the typical slot.

After a couple of months validating the data, and back-dating the recommendations, the casino started using the solution more frequently. The gaming operations team estimates they will save between 10 and 12 hours per month by using their traditional analysis but that doesn't count the time spent reviewing customer-rated data or preparing and analyzing new, actionable strategies.

Using the new recommendations from SRE the team was able make hundreds of suggestions for game changes that increased the revenue of players. Dancing Drums Explosion, and Twinstar Wave XL from Scientific Games saw significant gains in the top lease rankings and WAP rankings. The casino also managed to shift their budget from marketing and other costs to improving the floor's performance.

Perimeter Efficiency

We all know that wide receivers tend to score more touchdowns on areas that are not targeted by slot targets because they're usually targeted way downfield and are often faced with one-on-one coverage. What may be surprising to some, however, is that the top five slot players and the rest of the group score different on targets in the perimeter.

Mike Evans, Amari cooper, Tyler Lockett, and Michael Gallup were the top five scorers on perimeter routes of the 66 wide-receivers who saw at least 40 targets in each of the previous two seasons. The bottom of this list is filled with receivers who are more possession-based like Chris Godwin and Diontae Johnston. The latter two are likely to see a boost in their targets this season, if the Bucs shift them into the slot more frequently however, they'll have to increase their perimeter scoring to keep that high level.

The slot is the best option for wideouts who are quick, since they can get open more quickly when their route will not be covered by a linebacker or cornerback. The only wide receiver who isn't speedy on the list that benefits from more slot work is Corey Coleman, as he's an extremely reliable receiver on intermediate and short routes.

Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler and other possession-based receivers are at the low end of the list. They are better in intermediate and short routes, rather than in deep areas. Jeudy, who will be the Rams principal slot receiver this season is a sleeper selection. Courtland Cooper and Amari Sutton are expected to play a greater role in downfield targets. Hamler should be able to excel on short-to-mid routes, given that's exactly what he did well in 2021 when he played for the Bills. He could be a great replacement for the departing wideout Jordan Matthews in Buffalo.

Percentage of Snaps In Slot

The proportion of snaps receivers take in the slot can be a good indicator of their ability to run deep routes. It's not always an accurate reflection of a receiver’s skill set because certain receivers excel in the slot but don't play deeper.

Alshon Jeffrey, for instance, leads the league in targets received per game (4.8) However, he's only ranked 6th when it comes to slot receiving scores (58.5). This is due to the fact that the majority of his targets have come from the outside and it's difficult to get a first down in a wide-open deep line in that situation.

Some receivers are better at playing inside, while others struggle on the outside. For example the Panthers handed Robby Anderson 978 snaps last season, and he ran an astounding 74% of his slot routes compared to just 26% for boundary routes. This is a significant difference that shows how much more productive Anderson is when aligned to the slot.

Chris Godwin, a Buccaneers player, is in the middle of the field most of his passing downs and is among the top five slot receiving scores (58.5). However, he also played 51 percent of his perimeter routes last season and is a top performer in one-on-one coverage.

Speed receivers tend to be more effective when they are lined up inside. They can be targeted further down the field and are often faced with one-on-1 coverage. That's why you'll see names like Julio Jones, Mike Evans and Amari Cooper in the top five on our list.

McDuffie, Moore and other slot features cornerbacks also belong to this group. Both have been able create pressures in the passing game, with McDuffie leading the NFL with seven forced fumbles and Moore being the most effective tackle stop efficiency on this list (-3.5). By using McDuffie in the slot when they're running nickel or dime-type packages, and then placing McDuffie on the outside in base defense, Spagnuolo has maximized his abilities. In addition, Moore's capability to stop big run plays has been a tremendous benefit when playing in the slot.

Percentage of Snaps Outside

While top NFL receivers such as Golden Tate, Larry Fitzgerald and Baldwin excel on the perimeter, their slot counterparts are also equally good. Wide receivers with high slot grades score touchdowns in the same way as those on the perimeter. This is mainly because quarterbacks are more consistent with their targets when they throw to slot and outside wide receivers rather than other inside options like backfield passers and tight ends.

It's also interesting to see a receiver such as CeeDee Lamb on this list in 2022 as he plays the slot in three WR sets and flanker in two of the sets. He's running more routes in the slot than a lot of the players listed on this chart. This is an excellent way to generate matchup advantages for your team. It also helps clarify why Lamb is rated as the top-rated slot receiver in our system this season.

Of course, he plays the X position, and makes some big plays on the perimeter, too. Lamb isn't nearly as explosive as the players in this ranking, but he's still an extremely high-quality receiver and is a perfect match for the Cowboys scheme.

Mecole Hardman, a player who is able to put huge numbers on both types of targets is a further example. He's among the best in the game at catching throws from behind his shoulders. He's also a superb contested-catch player.

Another player on this list that's an authentic slot specialist is Baltimore's Jalen Hilton who has been positioned in the slot on 85.7 percent of his defensive snaps this season. He has the third-lowest EPA for targets and the fifth-highest EPA for runs stopped among cornerbacks in the slot. This makes him an important player in the defensive unit. He's had a difficult time stopping passes from the outside, and his EPA against this kind of target is negative. This is a result of playing alongside poor linebackers and safeties who can't match up with Hilton's size, speed and route-running ability.