Quarterback Deep Ball Leaders
Quarterback Deep Ball — 2018 NFL leaders, updated Aug 13, 2026. Russell Wilson (SEA) led the league in deep-ball expected points added per attempt at 1.02, ahead of 32 other qualifying players. Based on verified 2018 play-by-play data (nflverse); Half-PPR scoring. Through the 2018 season.
A deep ball is defined by where it was aimed, not by where it ended up: 20 or more air yards past the line of scrimmage, caught, dropped or overthrown. That is why the split is worth its own page. A completion rate near 50 percent down here is excellent where the same number on a full passing line would be alarming, and the expected-points column is the one that settles arguments, because a deep incompletion costs an offense almost nothing while a deep completion is often the whole drive. Read the rate column last: how often a quarterback goes deep is mostly his coordinator's decision, and it belongs next to how well it went rather than inside it.
| # | Player | Deep Att | Deep Cmp% | EPA/Att | Deep Yds | Deep Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russell Wilson | 71 | 42.3% | 1.02 | 1,061 | 16.6% |
| 2 | Drew Brees | 53 | 49.1% | 0.91 | 818 | 10.8% |
| 3 | Jared Goff | 63 | 46.0% | 0.83 | 979 | 11.2% |
| 4 | Patrick Mahomes | 88 | 40.9% | 0.75 | 1,369 | 15.1% |
| 5 | Philip Rivers | 56 | 42.9% | 0.75 | 847 | 10.9% |
| 6 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | 37 | 48.6% | 0.68 | 659 | 15.0% |
| 7 | Dak Prescott | 54 | 35.2% | 0.61 | 771 | 10.2% |
| 8 | Matt Ryan | 73 | 38.4% | 0.61 | 983 | 11.9% |
| 9 | Matthew Stafford | 53 | 35.8% | 0.59 | 659 | 9.5% |
| 10 | Ben Roethlisberger | 83 | 31.3% | 0.57 | 1,043 | 12.2% |
| 11 | Eli Manning | 68 | 38.2% | 0.57 | 880 | 11.7% |
| 12 | Aaron Rodgers | 86 | 32.6% | 0.56 | 1,033 | 14.3% |
| 13 | Baker Mayfield | 73 | 38.4% | 0.55 | 946 | 14.8% |
| 14 | Marcus Mariota | 34 | 44.1% | 0.49 | 474 | 10.2% |
| 15 | Andy Dalton | 34 | 38.2% | 0.47 | 417 | 9.3% |
| 16 | Kirk Cousins | 62 | 32.3% | 0.47 | 719 | 10.1% |
| 17 | Andrew Luck | 67 | 41.8% | 0.46 | 947 | 10.4% |
| 18 | Deshaun Watson | 58 | 41.4% | 0.39 | 776 | 11.5% |
| 19 | Derek Carr | 56 | 46.4% | 0.38 | 803 | 10.1% |
| 20 | Alex Smith | 35 | 31.4% | 0.27 | 339 | 10.6% |
| 21 | Carson Wentz | 45 | 35.6% | 0.26 | 595 | 11.2% |
| 22 | Jameis Winston | 42 | 26.2% | 0.20 | 414 | 11.0% |
| 23 | Nick Mullens | 20 | 40.0% | 0.18 | 262 | 7.3% |
| 24 | Tom Brady | 62 | 30.6% | 0.14 | 639 | 10.9% |
| 25 | Mitchell Trubisky | 67 | 32.8% | 0.11 | 760 | 15.3% |
| 26 | Joe Flacco | 51 | 23.5% | 0.08 | 393 | 13.4% |
| 27 | Sam Darnold | 59 | 27.1% | 0.05 | 487 | 14.2% |
| 28 | Case Keenum | 68 | 36.8% | 0.03 | 839 | 11.6% |
| 29 | Blake Bortles | 42 | 31.0% | -0.02 | 460 | 10.4% |
| 30 | Ryan Tannehill | 35 | 25.7% | -0.07 | 348 | 12.8% |
| 31 | Josh Rosen | 49 | 28.6% | -0.08 | 464 | 12.4% |
| 32 | Josh Allen | 65 | 24.6% | -0.13 | 539 | 20.3% |
| 33 | Cam Newton | 39 | 23.1% | -0.19 | 246 | 8.2% |
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- Rushing Yards Over Expected
- Target Share
- Running Back Receiving Efficiency
- Completion Percentage Over Expected
- Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt
- Quarterback Pressure Rate
- Defensive Blitz Rate
- Quarterbacks vs Man and Zone Coverage
- Pass Rate Over Expected
- Clean-Core Rating
- Usage vs Production
- Team Expected Points Added
- Quarterback EPA per Dropback
- Air Yards Share
- Stacked Box Rate
- Regression Flags
- Weighted Opportunity Rating
- Snap Share
- Pass-Snap Share
- Receiving Yards per Pass Snap
- Availability
- Tight End Receiving Efficiency
- Tight End Average Depth of Target
- Stat Stickiness
- Play-Action Rate
- Pre-Snap Motion Rate
- Drop Rate
- Contested Catch Rate
- Interception-Worthy Throw Rate
- Quarterback-Fault Sack Rate
- Quarterback Intended Air Yards
- Team Air Yards and Passing Volume
- Receiver Separation and Cushion
- Wide Receiver Receiving Efficiency
- Team Success Rate and Explosive Play Rate
- Goal-Line Usage
- Team Pace
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