Appendix C: NFL Data Sources

This appendix catalogs the primary data sources for NFL analytics.

Free Data Sources

nflfastR / nfl_data_py

URL: https://www.nflfastr.com/

Access:

import nfl_data_py as nfl
pbp = nfl.import_pbp_data([2023])

Contains: - Play-by-play data (1999-present) - Expected Points Added (EPA) - Win probability - Player participation - Next Gen Stats integration

Update Frequency: Real-time during season

Pro Football Reference

URL: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/

Contains: - Historical statistics (1920-present) - Game logs - Player career data - Draft history - Combine results

Access: Web scraping or manual download

Limitations: Terms of service restrict automated access

NFL Official Stats

URL: https://www.nfl.com/stats/

Contains: - Official league statistics - Player stats - Team stats - Weekly leaders

Access: Web interface, limited API

Pro Football Focus (Free Tier)

URL: https://www.pff.com/

Contains: - Player grades (limited) - Fantasy rankings - Mock drafts - Basic analytics articles

Limitations: Premium features require subscription

ESPN Stats

URL: https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats

Contains: - Player statistics - Team statistics - QBR ratings - Fantasy projections

Access: Web interface, ESPN API (limited)

Premium Data Sources

Pro Football Focus (Premium)

Cost: ~$200/year (premium)

Contains: - Player grades by play - Detailed position metrics - Signature stats - Snap counts - Pressure rates

NFL Next Gen Stats

URL: https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/

Access: Limited public access; full data via AWS partnership

Contains: - Player tracking data - Separation metrics - Passing charts - Route data - Speed and acceleration

Sports Info Solutions

URL: https://www.sportsinfosolutions.com/

Cost: Team/enterprise pricing

Contains: - Charted play-by-play - Detailed formations - Personnel groupings - Coverage data

Stathead

URL: https://stathead.com/football/

Cost: ~$8/month

Contains: - Advanced query builder - Historical data access - Play finder - Game finder

Fantasy Data Sources

FantasyPros

URL: https://www.fantasypros.com/

Contains: - Consensus rankings - Expert projections - ADP data - Draft tools

Yahoo/ESPN Fantasy APIs

Access: Via developer portals

Contains: - League data - Player ownership - Weekly projections - Transaction history

Underdog Fantasy

URL: https://underdogfantasy.com/

Contains: - Best ball data - Pick'em results - ADP information

Betting Data Sources

Covers.com

URL: https://www.covers.com/

Contains: - Historical odds - ATS records - Betting trends - Consensus picks

Vegas Insider

URL: https://www.vegasinsider.com/

Contains: - Opening/closing lines - Odds comparison - Line history - Futures odds

Odds API

URL: https://the-odds-api.com/

Access: API (free tier available)

Contains: - Real-time odds - Multiple sportsbooks - Historical data (premium)

Combine and Draft Data

MockDraftable

URL: https://www.mockdraftable.com/

Contains: - Historical combine data - Percentile comparisons - Player measurements

RAS (Relative Athletic Score)

URL: https://ras.football/

Contains: - Composite athletic scores - Historical comparisons - Position-specific data

NFL Combine Official

URL: https://www.nfl.com/combine/

Contains: - Official measurements - Testing results - Workout data

Data Access Quick Reference

Terms of Service Notes

• Always check ToS before scraping
• Rate limit automated requests
• Cache data to reduce requests
• Cite sources appropriately

Data Quality Considerations

1. Timeliness: How quickly is data updated?
2. Accuracy: Is data validated?
3. Completeness: Are there missing values?
4. Consistency: Does format change over time?
5. Documentation: Is data dictionary available?

This appendix provides a starting point for data acquisition. Sources and availability may change over time.