While running backs seemed to grab a majority of the limelight in Week 3 of the NFL regular season, we still saw a significant amount of passing across the league. The pecking order for targets on each team continues to reveal itself and we’re also getting more than just a glimpse as to who the most trusted receivers inside the red zone seem to be. As always, we’ll start with the weekly targets leaders and take a detailed look at what Week 3 brought us, followed up with the overall targets leaderboard and analysis.
NFL Week 3 Target Leaders
Player Name | Pos | Team | Pass Att | Tgts | Rec | Rec Yds | TD | RZ Tgts | RZ Tgt% | Catch% | Tar% |
Antonio Brown | WR | PIT | 44 | 18 | 12 | 140 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 66.7 | 40.9 |
Kevin White | WR | CHI | 39 | 14 | 6 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 42.9 | 31.1 |
Terrelle Pryor | WR | CLE | 38 | 14 | 8 | 144 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 57.1 | 36.8 |
Emmanuel Sanders | WR | DEN | 35 | 13 | 9 | 117 | 2 | 5 | 55.6 | 69.2 | 36.1 |
Mike Evans | WR | TB | 54 | 13 | 10 | 132 | 1 | 2 | 14.3 | 76.9 | 22.4 |
Larry Fitzgerald | WR | ARI | 50 | 12 | 7 | 60 | 0 | 1 | 25.0 | 58.3 | 24.0 |
Jarvis Landry | WR | MIA | 38 | 12 | 7 | 120 | 1 | 1 | 16.7 | 58.3 | 33.3 |
Adam Humphries | WR | TB | 54 | 12 | 9 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 75.0 | 20.7 |
John Brown | WR | ARI | 50 | 11 | 6 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 54.6 | 22.0 |
Michael Floyd | WR | ARI | 50 | 11 | 4 | 65 | 0 | 2 | 50.0 | 36.4 | 22.0 |
Steve Smith | WR | BAL | 40 | 11 | 8 | 87 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 72.7 | 27.5 |
A.J. Green | WR | CIN | 28 | 11 | 8 | 77 | 0 | 1 | 25.0 | 72.7 | 39.3 |
T.Y. Hilton | WR | IND | 37 | 11 | 8 | 174 | 1 | 2 | 50.0 | 72.7 | 31.4 |
Allen Robinson | WR | JAX | 38 | 11 | 7 | 57 | 2 | 3 | 50.0 | 63.6 | 28.9 |
Michael Thomas | WR | NO | 54 | 11 | 7 | 71 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 63.6 | 20.4 |
Coby Fleener | TE | NO | 54 | 11 | 7 | 109 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 63.6 | 20.4 |
Odell Beckham | WR | NYG | 38 | 11 | 7 | 121 | 0 | 3 | 37.5 | 63.6 | 28.9 |
Quincy Enunwa | WR | NYJ | 44 | 11 | 4 | 37 | 0 | 3 | 42.9 | 36.4 | 25.0 |
Michael Crabtree | WR | OAK | 35 | 11 | 8 | 102 | 0 | 1 | 50.0 | 72.7 | 31.4 |
We always give a nod to the weekly targets leader, but there’s really nothing more to say about Antonio Brown that hasn’t been said. The guy’s a stud and a must-start each and every week, regardless of match-up.
With the Bears limiting Alshon Jeffery’s workload due to a knee injury, new starting quarterback Brian Hoyer will continue to lean on Kevin White. At least he’ll try to. Maybe it was the two trying to build their on-field rapport, but with 14 targets and only six catches, White was not all that impressive. He’s still young and his NFL chops are still developing, so we’re not dismissing him. Just make sure you’re not relying too much on him and his production. The Bears are a bit of a mess right now, but the season is young and there’s so much more that can happen.
If Terrelle Pryor remains a focal point of this offense, and that goes for quarterback work as well, he could prove to be somewhat of a fantasy beast. His work as a receiver was obviously solid this week and should be moving forward as the Browns are likely to feast on garbage time throughout the season. But while the added passing yards are a small bonus, if he ends up under center inside the red zone, things could get very interesting.
It was a big day for Emmanuel Sanders and hopefully we’re looking at strong production moving forward. Trevor Siemian seems to be getting more comfortable in the offense and he will continue to heavily look in Sanders’ direction as he seems to be that steady, reliable, move the chains guy who, thankfully, also sees the ball inside the red zone.
The changing of the guard continues in Tampa as Adam Humphries continues to see strong target numbers. His ability to pick up significant yardage after the catch is a huge bonus and it’s starting to look like Vincent Jackson could be getting phased out even more. Expect to see Humphries join Mike Evans as the target percentage leaders for the Bucs this season.
Looks like Drew Brees is finally starting to spread things around a little more. It was likely due to Willie Snead being out with an injury, but in addition to Michael Thomas and Coby Fleener, Brandon Coleman saw some extensive work as well. While Brandin Cooks owners weren’t thrilled with the final fantasy results from this past week, it should be somewhat comforting to know that this offense can support multiple receivers each and every week. Thomas and Coleman may take a step back once Snead returns, but it looks like Fleener is starting to get locked in a little better here.
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Overall Targets Leaderboard
Player Name | Pos | Team | Pass Att | Tgts | Rec | Yds | TD | RZ Tgts | RZ Tgt% | Catch% | Tgt% |
Antonio Brown | WR | PIT | 118 | 40 | 24 | 305 | 2 | 1 | 8.3 | 60.0 | 33.9 |
Mike Evans | WR | TB | 142 | 37 | 21 | 301 | 3 | 5 | 29.4 | 56.8 | 27.4 |
Jarvis Landry | WR | MIA | 113 | 35 | 24 | 314 | 1 | 2 | 18.2 | 68.6 | 32.7 |
T.Y. Hilton | WR | IND | 124 | 34 | 18 | 294 | 1 | 6 | 31.6 | 52.9 | 28.6 |
Larry Fitzgerald | WR | ARZ | 121 | 32 | 20 | 218 | 3 | 7 | 33.3 | 62.5 | 26.4 |
A.J. Green | WR | CIN | 115 | 32 | 22 | 295 | 1 | 4 | 22.2 | 68.8 | 28.6 |
Allen Robinson | WR | JAC | 127 | 31 | 16 | 183 | 2 | 4 | 25.0 | 51.6 | 24.6 |
Terrelle Pryor | WR | CLE | 97 | 31 | 14 | 244 | 0 | 1 | 12.5 | 45.2 | 32.0 |
Odell Beckham | WR | NYG | 107 | 30 | 19 | 280 | 0 | 6 | 30.0 | 63.3 | 28.0 |
Emmanuel Sanders | WR | DEN | 94 | 29 | 17 | 205 | 2 | 9 | 60.0 | 58.6 | 30.9 |
Marvin Jones | WR | DET | 120 | 29 | 18 | 408 | 2 | 3 | 18.8 | 62.1 | 25.0 |
Jeremy Maclin | WR | KC | 118 | 29 | 15 | 166 | 1 | 2 | 10.5 | 51.7 | 25.2 |
Amari Cooper | WR | OAK | 118 | 29 | 15 | 270 | 0 | 2 | 14.3 | 51.7 | 24.8 |
Tavon Austin | WR | LA | 91 | 29 | 14 | 145 | 1 | 1 | 33.3 | 48.3 | 32.2 |
Jordy Nelson | WR | GB | 94 | 27 | 17 | 206 | 4 | 8 | 47.1 | 63.0 | 29.0 |
Doug Baldwin | WR | SEA | 110 | 27 | 20 | 276 | 2 | 6 | 35.3 | 74.1 | 25.7 |
DeAndre Hopkins | WR | HOU | 109 | 27 | 16 | 223 | 2 | 3 | 21.4 | 59.3 | 25.0 |
Stefon Diggs | WR | MIN | 92 | 27 | 20 | 325 | 1 | 2 | 33.3 | 74.1 | 29.3 |
Greg Olsen | TE | CAR | 109 | 27 | 18 | 259 | 1 | 2 | 28.6 | 66.7 | 25.5 |
Kevin White | WR | CHI | 107 | 27 | 13 | 132 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 48.1 | 26.5 |
Brandon Marshall | WR | NYJ | 113 | 27 | 12 | 160 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 44.4 | 23.5 |
Jordan Matthews | WR | PHI | 102 | 26 | 15 | 204 | 2 | 5 | 27.8 | 58.0 | 25.7 |
Kyle Rudolph | TE | MIN | 92 | 26 | 14 | 166 | 2 | 3 | 50.0 | 53.8 | 28.3 |
Brandin Cooks | WR | NO | 140 | 26 | 15 | 224 | 2 | 3 | 30.0 | 58.0 | 19.0 |
Steve Smith | WR | BAL | 118 | 26 | 16 | 170 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 61.5 | 22.0 |
Jamison Crowder | WR | WAS | 124 | 25 | 16 | 175 | 2 | 8 | 38.1 | 64.0 | 20.7 |
Quincy Enunwa | WR | NYJ | 113 | 25 | 17 | 183 | 1 | 4 | 28.6 | 68.0 | 21.7 |
Tajae Sharpe | WR | TEN | 107 | 25 | 14 | 157 | 0 | 3 | 18.8 | 56.0 | 23.4 |
Will Fuller | WR | HOU | 109 | 25 | 12 | 242 | 1 | 3 | 21.4 | 48.0 | 23.1 |
Jordan Reed | TE | WAS | 124 | 25 | 16 | 190 | 0 | 3 | 14.3 | 64.0 | 20.7 |
Cole Beasley | WR | DAL | 99 | 25 | 20 | 213 | 0 | 2 | 12.5 | 80.0 | 25.8 |
Michael Crabtree | WR | OAK | 118 | 25 | 19 | 220 | 1 | 2 | 14.3 | 76.0 | 21.4 |
Adam Humphries | WR | TB | 142 | 25 | 18 | 201 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 72.0 | 18.5 |
Michael Floyd | WR | ARZ | 121 | 24 | 9 | 134 | 1 | 7 | 33.3 | 37.5 | 19.8 |
Dennis Pitta | TE | BAL | 118 | 24 | 18 | 183 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 75.0 | 20.3 |
Allen Hurns | WR | JAC | 127 | 23 | 13 | 179 | 0 | 5 | 31.3 | 56.5 | 18.3 |
Dez Bryant | WR | DAL | 99 | 23 | 11 | 150 | 1 | 4 | 25.0 | 47.8 | 23.7 |
Julian Edelman | WR | NE | 87 | 23 | 18 | 180 | 0 | 3 | 23.1 | 78.3 | 26.4 |
Jeremy Kerley | WR | SF | 96 | 23 | 12 | 114 | 0 | 1 | 9.1 | 52.2 | 24.0 |
DeSean Jackson | WR | WAS | 124 | 23 | 14 | 238 | 1 | 1 | 4.8 | 60.9 | 19.0 |
Coby Fleener | TE | NO | 140 | 23 | 10 | 144 | 1 | 1 | 10.0 | 43.5 | 16.8 |
Kelvin Benjamin | WR | CAR | 109 | 22 | 13 | 199 | 3 | 3 | 42.9 | 59.1 | 20.8 |
Vincent Jackson | WR | TB | 142 | 22 | 9 | 99 | 0 | 3 | 17.6 | 40.9 | 16.3 |
Golden Tate | WR | DET | 120 | 22 | 13 | 94 | 0 | 2 | 12.5 | 59.1 | 19.0 |
Kenny Britt | WR | LA | 91 | 22 | 14 | 199 | 0 | 1 | 33.3 | 63.6 | 24.4 |
Michael Thomas | WR | NO | 140 | 22 | 17 | 185 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 72.3 | 16.1 |
Travis Benjamin | WR | SD | 100 | 21 | 17 | 229 | 2 | 5 | 20.0 | 81.0 | 21.4 |
Travis Kelce | TE | KC | 118 | 21 | 17 | 197 | 1 | 5 | 26.3 | 81.0 | 18.3 |
Eric Decker | WR | NYJ | 113 | 21 | 9 | 194 | 2 | 4 | 28.6 | 42.9 | 18.3 |
DeAngelo Williams | RB | PIT | 118 | 21 | 14 | 89 | 1 | 1 | 8.3 | 60.0 | 17.8 |
Jason Witten | TE | DAL | 99 | 20 | 14 | 142 | 0 | 6 | 37.5 | 70.0 | 20.6 |
Tyrell Williams | WR | SD | 100 | 20 | 11 | 201 | 1 | 6 | 24.0 | 55.0 | 20.4 |
Jacob Tamme | TE | ATL | 103 | 20 | 14 | 154 | 1 | 4 | 26.7 | 70.0 | 19.6 |
Pierre Garcon | WR | WAS | 124 | 20 | 13 | 135 | 0 | 4 | 19.0 | 65.0 | 16.5 |
Demaryius Thomas | WR | DEN | 94 | 20 | 15 | 238 | 1 | 3 | 20.0 | 75.0 | 21.3 |
Alshon Jeffery | WR | CHI | 107 | 20 | 14 | 271 | 0 | 3 | 23.1 | 70.0 | 19.6 |
Giovani Bernard | RB | CIN | 115 | 20 | 16 | 141 | 1 | 3 | 16.7 | 40.0 | 17.9 |
Eric Ebron | TE | DET | 120 | 20 | 14 | 168 | 1 | 3 | 18.8 | 70.0 | 17.2 |
Torrey Smith | WR | SF | 96 | 20 | 8 | 103 | 1 | 2 | 18.2 | 40.0 | 20.8 |
Julio Jones | WR | ATL | 103 | 20 | 10 | 188 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 19.6 |
Target Percentage Leaders
This is where we start checking in on each team’s pecking order and there’s no bigger change than the target distribution in Detroit. By a significant margin (25% to 19%), it is easy to see that Marvin Jones has supplanted Golden Tate as the primary receiver and favorite target for Matthew Stafford. The assumption heading into the year was that Tate would be the primary but apparently his shadow does not cast as wide as A.J. Green’s. We’re not going to anoint Jones as a WR1 just yet, but in this high-octane Jim Bob Cooter offense, should this continue, we could be very soon.
There seems to be little doubt that Stefon Diggs is the No. 1 guy in Minnesota, but coming in a very close second right now is tight end Kyle Rudolph with a 28.3-percent target rate. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise though as tight ends coach Pat Shurmur worked with Sam Bradford in Philadelphia and St. Louis. You know he’s whispering to Bradford all the while teaching Rudolph his quarterback’s tendencies. If Rudolph doesn’t get locked into blocking duty because the offensive line is struggling, he should prove to be a solid red zone threat and regular fantasy contributor.
Dez Bryant continues to narrow the gap in targets between him and Cole Beasley, but until he really takes over, Beasley is going to be worth owning in fantasy leagues. He’s only a bye-week filler in 12-team leagues for now, but if Dak Prescott continues to look his way, his value could climb steadily. Nothing huge, but steadily.
The situation in San Francisco could be worth monitoring as Jeremy Kerley seems to be garnering more attention than Torrey Smith. The passing attack is still a bit of a dumpster fire, but should it start to click, whichever player is seeing the majority of targets, he just might be worth using during the bye weeks.
Red Zone Target Leaders
The expectation coming into this season was that Kirk Cousins was going to be looking for Jordan Reed inside the red zone as much as possible. Maybe defenses were expecting that too and keying in one the tight end, because Cousins has made a major pivot away from Reed and towards Jamison Crowder this year. And not by a little. We’re talking eight red zone targets for Crowder to just three for Reed. That’s 38.1% to just 14.3%. There’s no guarantee that this will last, but for now, it gives Crowder significant value in standard leagues and a decent boost in PPR formats.
They say you don’t trust rookies, but it sure looks like Philip Rivers is putting a lot of faith in Tyrell Williams right now. The youngster has six red zone targets right now and, considering his size and wingspan, should continue to see the looks inside the 20 whenever Rivers wants to expose a favorable height match-up.
The four targets aren’t exactly huge, but it’s evident that Matt Ryan likes having a pass-catching tight end inside the red zone. Jacob Tamme has been a nice addition to this passing game and now that the Falcons don’t have to lock him on the line to help block, he is going to be a featured target this season. Hopefully the line stays healthy and Tamme stays productive.
Potential Risers
Sterling Shepard |
Mike Wallace |
DeVante Parker |
Zach Miller |
DeMarco Murray |
Potential Fallers
Pierre Garcon |
Michael Thomas |
Quincy Enunwa |
Vincent Jackson |
DeAngelo Williams |
Week 4 Game to Watch
New Orleans Saints at San Diego Chargers
While it’s pretty easy to see that Travis Benjamin and Tyrell Williams should have themselves quite the day running circles around the Saints’ defensive backs, figuring out exactly who Drew Brees will use might be a tougher task. Brandin Cooks should fare well and, if healthy, Willie Snead will see some significant work. But again, I’m looking at a very favorable match-up for Coby Fleener, so he should definitely be active for you this week. Also, with Antonio Gates sidelined again, keep a watchful eye on Hunter Henry. The rookie had a strong game until the very end, but should be able to shake it off without issue.