Grades updated Rechecked every few hours on game days
The read
Malik's best number is share of the team's passes: 25%, 9th of 94 among wide receivers.
The number holding him back is EPA per target: −0.01, 75th of 94.
Lately he is playing better. Catches over expected is +19.4 pts over the last 2 games (13 targets), against −11.8 pts before that. The change points one way, but a few plays could still explain it.
Written from his numbers, not from film. 5 games are behind the season figures.
How he stacks up
Every graded stat at a glance, against all the wide receivers in the league.
Share of the team's passes9125%9th of 94
Yards after catch over expected62−0.5 yds32nd of 83small sample
Catches over expected43−0.5 pts54th of 94
Drop rate267.1%63rd of 85small sample
EPA per target20−0.0175th of 94
Left is the worst at his job, right is the best, and the line down the middle is average. The bubble is his percentile: 90 means better than nine in ten qualifying wide receivers. Faded bars are still small samples.
How he has progressed
Where he has ranked among wide receivers after each week, and every game behind it.
Season rank climbed: 5th to 20th percentile since Wk 1.
The line is his season-to-date rank among players at his position after each week, from 100 (the best) to 0 (the worst). It rises when he passes other players, not when he has one big game. Early weeks are noisier because fewer plays are behind them. The shaded weeks are the recent stretch.
EPA per target game by game
Week
Opponent
That game
targets
Season rank after
1
vs LV
−0.40
8
5th pct
2
vs SF
+0.35
5
30th pct
3
vs KC
−0.35
10
16th pct
4
vs MIN
+0.73
5
19th pct
5
vs CIN
+0.12
8
20th pct
One game is a small sample: a single stat over 7 targets can swing on a handful of plays. Shaded rows are the recent stretch.
The numbers, in context
Each one against every wide receiver with at least 12 targets. Right on the strip is better.
EPA per target
▼Well below typical
−0.01
75th of 94 wide receivers · bottom 22%
−0.14worse to better+0.75
Expected points added: how many points the play added to (or took from) the offense's scoring chances, given the down, the distance and the field position. Every target counts, caught or not, so a receiver cannot hide behind a catch total.
The box score: Receiving yards rise with targets, not with what the targets were worth.
Does it show up in winning? Across 208 games league-wide, teams won 64% of the time when their wide receiver was in the best third on EPA per target, and 36% when he was in the worst third.
Catches over expected
●Typical
−0.5 pts
54th of 94 wide receivers · bottom 44%
−12.8 ptsworse to better+13.2 pts
His catch rate compared with what each target's difficulty predicted. +4 means he catches 4 more of every 100 targets than the throws suggested.
The box score: Catch rate rewards the receiver who is only thrown easy passes.
Does it show up in winning? Across 207 games league-wide, teams won 62% of the time when their wide receiver was in the best third on catches over expected, and 39% when he was in the worst third.
Yards after catch over expected
▲Above typical
−0.5 yds
32nd of 83 wide receivers · top 39%
−2.4 ydsworse to better+0.9 yds
The yards he gains after the catch compared with what a typical receiver gets from that spot. It separates the player who makes defenders miss from the one who is simply open.
The box score: Yards after the catch is a total, not a comparison with where he caught it.
Does it show up in winning? Across 176 games league-wide, a good or bad game on yards after catch over expected from a wide receiver has not lined up much with his team winning (49% wins in the best third, 58% in the worst).
Drop rate
▼Below typical
7.1%lower is better
63rd of 85 wide receivers · bottom 28%
12.8%worse to better0.0%
Passes charted as drops, per target. Fewer is better. Almost everyone has few, so it is shown but not counted in his overall grade.
The box score: Drops are not an official stat.
Does it show up in winning? Across 174 games league-wide, a good or bad game on drop rate from a wide receiver has not lined up much with his team winning (50% wins in the best third, 48% in the worst).
Share of the team's passes
▲Elite
25%
9th of 94 wide receivers · top 10%
9%worse to better25%
The portion of his team's pass attempts that were thrown to him, in the games he was targeted. It shows whether he is the focus of the offense.
The box score: Targets and receptions do not say how big the offense's passing game was.
Does it show up in winning? Across 425 games league-wide, a good or bad game on share of the team's passes from a wide receiver has not lined up much with his team winning (56% wins in the best third, 54% in the worst).
How he plays
Tendencies: how his game differs from the wide receivers around him. These are not better or worse, only different, and often say as much about the offense or defense he plays in as about him.
Average depth of target
Style
11.8 yds
Right around the middle of wide receivers: a typical one is 11.7 yds.
6.4 ydslow to high16.4 yds
How far downfield his targets are, on average. It is a role, not a grade.
Deep targets
Style
31%
Goes deep often, and more so than almost any of the wide receivers. A typical one is 19%.
6%low to high30%
The share of his targets that are 20 or more yards downfield.
Contested targets
Style
7%
Gets targeted in open space, more than most wide receivers. A typical one is 18%.
5%low to high37%
The share of his targets charted as contested: a defender is on him at the catch point. It says how he is used, not whether he wins.
Screen targets
Style
14%
Is a screen target often, more than most wide receivers. A typical one is 5%.
0%low to high20%
The share of his targets that are screen passes, a sign his yards come from the offense's design.
Playing time
He has played in 4 of his team's 4 games with snap counts, on the field for about 86% of the team's offensive plays when he plays.
98%
LV
73%
SF
86%
KC
87%
MIN
?
CIN
Each column is a game: the share of his team's offensive snaps he played. 80% means about 8 of every 10 plays. “Out” means he did not play; a question mark means snap counts are not posted yet. Shaded games are the recent stretch.
Game by game
Every game this season: how it ended for his team, how much he played, his box score, and the advanced numbers from that one game. One game is a small sample, so read the right-hand columns as a snapshot, not his level.
Malik Washington game by game
Game
Result
Snaps
Tgt
Rec
Yds
TD
EPA/target
CROE
YAC over exp.
Target share
Wk 1vs LV
L 13–27
98%
8
3
53
0
−0.40
−17.9 pts
−0.1 yds
25%
Wk 2vs SF
L 13–35
73%
5
4
43
0
+0.35
+7.2 pts
−2.2 yds
19%
Wk 3vs KC
L 10–24
86%
10
5
56
0
−0.35
−16.4 pts
+2.7 yds
28%
Wk 4vs MIN
L 10–15
87%
5
5
67
0
+0.73
+26.3 pts
+0.5 yds
28%
Wk 5vs CIN
L 24–31
–
8
6
43
0
+0.12
+15.1 pts
−3.3 yds
28%
The box score
The traditional totals, with where each ranks among wide receivers. A total rewards volume, which is why the advanced numbers above matter.
Malik grades below average among punt returners so far, with no number far from the middle.
Written from his numbers, not from film. 4 games are behind the season figures.
How he stacks up
Every graded stat at a glance, against all the punt returners in the league.
EPA per punt fielded18−0.0828th of 34small sample
Left is the worst at his job, right is the best, and the line down the middle is average. The bubble is his percentile: 90 means better than nine in ten qualifying punt returners. Faded bars are still small samples.
How he has progressed
Where he has ranked among punt returners after each week, and every game behind it.
Not enough games yet to draw a line.
The line is his season-to-date rank among players at his position after each week, from 100 (the best) to 0 (the worst). It rises when he passes other players, not when he has one big game. Early weeks are noisier because fewer plays are behind them. The shaded weeks are the recent stretch.
EPA per punt fielded game by game
Week
Opponent
That game
punts
Season rank after
1
vs LV
−0.37
1
–
2
vs SF
+0.07
1
–
4
vs MIN
−0.78
1
–
5
vs CIN
+0.19
3
18th pct
One game is a small sample: a single stat over 2 punts can swing on a handful of plays. Shaded rows are the recent stretch.
The numbers, in context
Each one against every punt returner with at least 5 punts fielded. Right on the strip is better.
EPA per punt fielded
▼Well below typical
−0.08
28th of 34 punt returners · bottom 21%
−0.19worse to better+0.29
Expected points added: how many points the play added to (or took from) the offense's scoring chances, given the down, the distance and the field position. From his team's side, for every punt he fields, fair catches included.
The box score: Return average ignores fair catches and the starting field position.
Does it show up in winning? Across 54 games league-wide, a good or bad game on EPA per punt fielded from a punt returner has not lined up much with his team winning (61% wins in the best third, 53% in the worst).
How he plays
Tendencies: how his game differs from the punt returners around him. These are not better or worse, only different, and often say as much about the offense or defense he plays in as about him.
Fair catch rate
Style
33%
Returns almost everything, more than most punt returners. A typical one is 41%.
19%low to high68%
How often he fair catches instead of returning, a choice about risk.
Game by game
Every game this season: how it ended for his team, how much he played, his box score, and the advanced numbers from that one game. One game is a small sample, so read the right-hand columns as a snapshot, not his level.
Malik Washington game by game
Game
Result
Fielded
Yds
EPA/punt
Wk 1vs LV
L 13–27
1
17
−0.37
Wk 2vs SF
L 13–35
1
7
+0.07
Wk 4vs MIN
L 10–15
1
0
−0.78
Wk 5vs CIN
L 24–31
3
28
+0.19
The box score
The traditional totals, with where each ranks among punt returners. A total rewards volume, which is why the advanced numbers above matter.
Malik grades below average among kick returners so far, with no number far from the middle.
Written from his numbers, not from film. 4 games are behind the season figures.
How he stacks up
Every graded stat at a glance, against all the kick returners in the league.
EPA per return23+0.1341st of 53small sample
Yards per return1222.7 yds47th of 53small sample
Left is the worst at his job, right is the best, and the line down the middle is average. The bubble is his percentile: 90 means better than nine in ten qualifying kick returners. Faded bars are still small samples.
How he has progressed
Where he has ranked among kick returners after each week, and every game behind it.
Season rank climbed: 11th to 23rd percentile since Wk 1.
The line is his season-to-date rank among players at his position after each week, from 100 (the best) to 0 (the worst). It rises when he passes other players, not when he has one big game. Early weeks are noisier because fewer plays are behind them. The shaded weeks are the recent stretch.
EPA per return game by game
Week
Opponent
That game
returns
Season rank after
1
vs LV
−0.17
3
11th pct
2
vs SF
+0.29
3
18th pct
3
vs KC
+0.26
2
22nd pct
5
vs CIN
+0.32
1
23rd pct
One game is a small sample: a single stat over 2 returns can swing on a handful of plays. Shaded rows are the recent stretch.
The numbers, in context
Each one against every kick returner with at least 5 returns. Right on the strip is better.
EPA per return
▼Well below typical
+0.13
41st of 53 kick returners · bottom 25%
−0.03worse to better+0.50
Expected points added: how many points the play added to (or took from) the offense's scoring chances, given the down, the distance and the field position. From his team's side, for each kickoff he returns.
The box score: Return average ignores the starting field position the team would have had anyway.
Does it show up in winning? Across 82 games league-wide, teams won 54% of the time when their kick returner was in the best third on EPA per return, and 30% when he was in the worst third.
Yards per return
▼Well below typical
22.7 yds
47th of 53 kick returners · bottom 14%
22.5 ydsworse to better29.8 yds
Average yards per kickoff return.
The box score: This is the box score number.
Does it show up in winning? Across 82 games league-wide, teams won 63% of the time when their kick returner was in the best third on yards per return, and 30% when he was in the worst third.
Game by game
Every game this season: how it ended for his team, how much he played, his box score, and the advanced numbers from that one game. One game is a small sample, so read the right-hand columns as a snapshot, not his level.
Malik Washington game by game
Game
Result
Ret
Yds
EPA/return
Yds/return
Wk 1vs LV
L 13–27
3
56
−0.17
18.7 yds
Wk 2vs SF
L 13–35
3
69
+0.29
23.0 yds
Wk 3vs KC
L 10–24
2
55
+0.26
27.5 yds
Wk 5vs CIN
L 24–31
1
24
+0.32
24.0 yds
The box score
The traditional totals, with where each ranks among kick returners. A total rewards volume, which is why the advanced numbers above matter.
Ranks are among players at the same job who have enough plays to be graded. Grades and rankings come from play-by-play, charting and snap-count data, so they cannot see blocking, route running or assignments. See how the grades work.
Data: nflverse play-by-play, CC BY 4.0. Also FTN charting, Pro Football Reference advanced stats, snap counts and injury reports, all through nflverse. Calculations and charts by Raiders Rundown.
