As many of you know, most of my weekend was spent enjoying the wonderful world of Phish, Halloween and Las Vegas, but fear not…I did manage to set aside a little bit of time for some football. OK, maybe there were a few distractions, but I did pay enough attention to see just how “off” Week 8 was in comparison to each of the seven weeks prior. Obviously, six teams on a bye had plenty to do with it, but we saw just six wide receivers and three tight ends clear the century mark in receiving yards, a total that was significantly lower than usual. We did see five other wideouts and two other tight ends clear the 90-yard barrier, so maybe it wasn’t as bad as a cursory glance makes it appear, but it doesn’t change some of the things we took away from the Week 8 games.
One of the things I took away from the week can actually be found in my most recent column in the New York Post – the surge we saw in tight end production last season was more of a one-season surge than it was a developing trend in the NFL. At this point in the season last year, we saw seven tight ends in the top-15 for targets for the week and had 11 tight ends with a minimum of 45 targets through eight games. This season, we had just two tight ends in the top-15 for targets in Week 8 and just eight with a minimum of 45 targets on the season. In addition to that, receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns are all down at the position.
So what’s the issue? As I said in the article, it’s a complete lack of consistency. Maybe it’s the injuries, maybe it’s the play-calling, maybe it’s the struggles we’ve seen with a number of offensive lines. We’ve still got a lot of the same names out there, but save for Rob Gronkowski, we’re just not seeing tight ends getting the same targets and overall workload.
That, in turn, means that upgrading at the position should not be a priority for you as you’re approaching your league’s trade deadline. Making a trade for Gronk is one thing, but if you’re talking about the difference between going from Coby Fleener or Kyle Rudolph to Delanie Walker or Jordan Reed, it is not all that significant. Too many fantasy owners get caught up in trading for a guy like Reed or Travis Kelce, but given injuries and an overall reduction in targets, you’re probably much better off seeking an upgrade at the receiver, running back or quarterback position.
Now let’s get to the Week 8 targets!
Week 8 Target Leaders
Player Name | Pos | Team | Pa Att | Tgts | Rec | Yds | TD | RZ Tgts | RZ Tgt% | Catch% | Tgt% |
A.J. Green | WR | CIN | 42 | 18 | 9 | 121 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 42.9 |
Michael Crabtree | WR | OAK | 58 | 16 | 8 | 108 | 0 | 2 | 28.6 | 50.0 | 28.1 |
Allen Robinson | WR | JAX | 54 | 15 | 6 | 70 | 0 | 2 | 20.0 | 40.0 | 27.8 |
Amari Cooper | WR | OAK | 58 | 15 | 12 | 173 | 1 | 1 | 14.3 | 80.0 | 26.3 |
Dez Bryant | WR | DAL | 39 | 14 | 4 | 113 | 1 | 3 | 42.9 | 28.6 | 35.0 |
Davante Adams | WR | GB | 34 | 14 | 12 | 74 | 0 | 2 | 20.0 | 85.7 | 36.8 |
Jordan Matthews | WR | PHI | 43 | 14 | 11 | 65 | 1 | 1 | 11.1 | 78.6 | 32.6 |
Terrelle Pryor | WR | CLE | 48 | 13 | 6 | 101 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 46.2 | 25.5 |
Stefon Diggs | WR | MIN | 37 | 13 | 8 | 76 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 61.5 | 35.1 |
Jamison Crowder | WR | WAS | 55 | 13 | 9 | 107 | 1 | 1 | 20.0 | 69.2 | 23.2 |
Jordan Reed | TE | WAS | 55 | 13 | 9 | 99 | 1 | 1 | 20.0 | 69.2 | 23.2 |
J.J. Nelson | WR | ARI | 45 | 12 | 8 | 79 | 2 | 3 | 50.0 | 66.7 | 26.7 |
Tyler Eifert | TE | CIN | 42 | 12 | 9 | 102 | 1 | 2 | 100.0 | 75.0 | 28.6 |
Larry Fitzgerald | WR | ARI | 45 | 11 | 10 | 74 | 0 | 1 | 16.7 | 90.9 | 24.4 |
Theo Riddick | RB | DET | 41 | 11 | 8 | 77 | 1 | 1 | 33.3 | 72.7 | 26.8 |
Allen Hurns | WR | JAX | 54 | 11 | 7 | 98 | 1 | 3 | 30.0 | 63.6 | 20.4 |
Quincy Enunwa | WR | NYJ | 34 | 11 | 4 | 93 | 1 | 2 | 40.0 | 36.4 | 32.4 |
Mike Evans | WR | TB | 32 | 11 | 4 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 36.4 | 31.4 |
A quick nod to A.J. Green for leading the week in targets, but there’s really not much to say about him that we don’t already know. The guy is a must-start each and every week, regardless of the match-ups. Sure, there will be some weeks where he doesn’t lead your fantasy team to success, but leaving a guy like Green on the bench is a sure-fire way to guarantee a loss.
A big, hearty welcome back to Dez Bryant who showed that he and Dak Prescott are still on the same page despite the recent weeks off due to injury. Dez is obviously the top gun as far as Cowboys receivers go and should continue to see a significantly higher number of targets than both Cole Beasley and Terrance Williams. To me, he still poses a reasonably strong risk due to his extensive injury history and recent knee troubles, so I’m not running out to deal for him, but if the right offer comes my way, I’ll make the move.
While 74 yards with no touchdown wasn’t exactly super-productive, the fact that Davante Adams saw double-digit targets for the second week in a row should have you paying him more attention. Jordy Nelson still doesn’t seem to be back to 100-percent and Randall Cobb is getting more and more banged-up as the weeks pass. That leaves Adams as the most reliable option for now. Aaron Rodgers used him as a chain-mover this week with Cobb on the sidelines, but when you look at his game log and see his 18.1 yards per reception mark, you know he’s a multi-purpose receiver who is more than capable of spreading the field. In fact, owners of Adams should actually be psyched by his usage this past week as the heavy target load and 12 receptions means that Rodgers has full confidence in him in all situations.
If this week’s performance by Jamison Crowder isn’t enough to convince you that he is a viable option each and every week, I don’t know what you’re looking for in a wideout. He had a two-week lull during Weeks 4 and 5, but still maintains an average of just over seven targets per game, has 11 red zone targets on the year, has four touchdowns and now has back-to-back 100-yard performances. With the way Kirk Cousins is chucking the rock again coupled with both Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson seeing fewer looks than usual, Crowder definitely warrants weekly consideration.
J.J. Nelson does not. While Cardinals coach Bruce Arians declared Nelson his No. 2 receiver during the post-game presser, there’s a huge amount of skepticism to be had here. Granted, neither Michael Floyd nor John Brown have been consistently effective and both have also dealt with their share of injuries, but with the bye week coming up and two weeks’ worth of practice to help prepare for an inept 49ers defense, both receivers will have more than enough of an opportunity to prove to Arians that they should still be on the field in lieu of Nelson. If you’re setting waiver claims for this week, you can go after Nelson if you like, but consider him more of a contingency pick or potential stash in dynasty/keeper formats.
Click Next to get to the Overall Targets Leaderboard & Analysis ---->
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Overall Targets Leaderboard
Player Name | Pos | Team | Pa Att | Tgts | Rec | Yds | TD | RZ Tgts | RZ Tgt% | Catch% | Tgt% |
A.J. Green | WR | CIN | 288 | 88 | 59 | 896 | 3 | 8 | 24.2 | 67.1 | 31.3 |
Mike Evans | WR | TB | 269 | 86 | 44 | 595 | 6 | 9 | 29.0 | 51.2 | 32.7 |
T.Y. Hilton | WR | IND | 311 | 82 | 46 | 709 | 4 | 8 | 20.5 | 56.1 | 27.1 |
Larry Fitzgerald | WR | ARZ | 326 | 81 | 56 | 554 | 5 | 10 | 28.6 | 69.1 | 25.2 |
Amari Cooper | WR | OAK | 323 | 80 | 52 | 787 | 2 | 7 | 17.1 | 65.0 | 25.2 |
Brandon Marshall | WR | NYJ | 285 | 77 | 34 | 540 | 2 | 13 | 35.1 | 44.2 | 25.6 |
DeAndre Hopkins | WR | HOU | 297 | 76 | 40 | 434 | 3 | 7 | 20.0 | 52.6 | 25.8 |
Terrelle Pryor | WR | CLE | 291 | 76 | 41 | 532 | 3 | 5 | 19.2 | 54.0 | 26.6 |
Emmanuel Sanders | WR | DEN | 273 | 75 | 44 | 567 | 3 | 17 | 42.5 | 58.7 | 28.0 |
Michael Crabtree | WR | OAK | 323 | 75 | 47 | 569 | 6 | 10 | 24.4 | 62.7 | 23.6 |
Antonio Brown | WR | PIT | 274 | 75 | 48 | 592 | 5 | 6 | 24.0 | 64.0 | 27.5 |
Odell Beckham | WR | NYG | 270 | 70 | 40 | 630 | 3 | 9 | 34.6 | 57.1 | 25.9 |
Allen Robinson | WR | JAC | 290 | 70 | 32 | 366 | 3 | 12 | 28.6 | 45.7 | 24.2 |
Julio Jones | WR | ATL | 279 | 70 | 43 | 859 | 4 | 3 | 6.5 | 61.4 | 25.3 |
Jarvis Landry | WR | MIA | 213 | 65 | 46 | 572 | 1 | 4 | 21.1 | 70.8 | 33.2 |
Demaryius Thomas | WR | DEN | 273 | 64 | 42 | 535 | 4 | 11 | 27.5 | 65.6 | 23.9 |
Tavon Austin | WR | LA | 237 | 64 | 36 | 299 | 2 | 7 | 26.9 | 56.3 | 27.4 |
Greg Olsen | TE | CAR | 259 | 63 | 40 | 621 | 2 | 9 | 37.5 | 63.5 | 24.7 |
Alshon Jeffery | WR | CHI | 292 | 63 | 36 | 583 | 1 | 7 | 18.4 | 57.1 | 22.1 |
Julian Edelman | WR | NE | 249 | 62 | 41 | 358 | 1 | 8 | 25.0 | 66.1 | 24.9 |
Golden Tate | WR | DET | 282 | 62 | 38 | 434 | 1 | 6 | 16.2 | 61.3 | 20.0 |
Mike Wallace | WR | BAL | 189 | 61 | 35 | 490 | 3 | 7 | 25.0 | 57.4 | 20.9 |
Jordy Nelson | WR | GB | 275 | 60 | 31 | 415 | 6 | 15 | 28.8 | 51.7 | 22.3 |
Marvin Jones | WR | DET | 282 | 59 | 36 | 656 | 4 | 9 | 24.3 | 61.0 | 19.0 |
Quincy Enunwa | WR | NYJ | 285 | 59 | 36 | 502 | 3 | 7 | 18.9 | 61.0 | 19.6 |
Jordan Reed | TE | WAS | 321 | 59 | 42 | 415 | 3 | 7 | 16.3 | 71.2 | 18.8 |
Jeremy Kerley | WR | SF | 213 | 58 | 30 | 331 | 2 | 5 | 22.7 | 51.7 | 27.6 |
Travis Benjamin | WR | SD | 293 | 58 | 38 | 509 | 3 | 7 | 12.1 | 65.5 | 20.1 |
Kelvin Benjamin | WR | CAR | 259 | 57 | 31 | 467 | 4 | 7 | 29.2 | 54.4 | 22.4 |
Jamison Crowder | WR | WAS | 321 | 57 | 40 | 498 | 4 | 11 | 25.6 | 70.2 | 18.2 |
Davante Adams | WR | GB | 275 | 57 | 40 | 424 | 5 | 8 | 15.4 | 70.2 | 21.2 |
Dennis Pitta | TE | BAL | 189 | 57 | 38 | 335 | 0 | 4 | 14.3 | 66.7 | 19.5 |
Allen Hurns | WR | JAC | 290 | 56 | 31 | 443 | 2 | 11 | 26.2 | 55.4 | 19.4 |
Brandin Cooks | WR | NO | 308 | 56 | 36 | 530 | 5 | 6 | 13.6 | 64.3 | 18.5 |
DeSean Jackson | WR | WAS | 321 | 56 | 30 | 416 | 1 | 5 | 11.6 | 53.6 | 17.8 |
Pierre Garcon | WR | WAS | 321 | 55 | 36 | 396 | 1 | 9 | 20.9 | 65.5 | 17.5 |
Jeremy Maclin | WR | KC | 255 | 55 | 30 | 376 | 2 | 7 | 18.4 | 54.6 | 22.3 |
Randall Cobb | WR | GB | 275 | 55 | 39 | 388 | 2 | 9 | 17.3 | 70.9 | 20.4 |
Michael Thomas | WR | NO | 308 | 55 | 42 | 500 | 3 | 7 | 15.9 | 76.4 | 18.2 |
Jordan Matthews | WR | PHI | 228 | 55 | 36 | 419 | 3 | 5 | 13.5 | 65.5 | 24.3 |
David Johnson | RB | ARZ | 326 | 55 | 35 | 407 | 0 | 6 | 17.1 | 63.6 | 17.1 |
Kyle Rudolph | TE | MIN | 236 | 54 | 31 | 322 | 3 | 6 | 33.3 | 57.4 | 23.1 |
Zach Miller | TE | CHI | 292 | 54 | 40 | 393 | 3 | 7 | 18.4 | 74.1 | 18.9 |
Tyrell Williams | WR | SD | 293 | 53 | 32 | 530 | 2 | 11 | 19.0 | 60.4 | 18.3 |
Stefon Diggs | WR | MIN | 236 | 52 | 35 | 466 | 2 | 3 | 16.7 | 67.3 | 22.2 |
Doug Baldwin | WR | SEA | 250 | 51 | 38 | 481 | 2 | 6 | 23.1 | 74.5 | 21.9 |
Will Fuller | WR | HOU | 297 | 51 | 25 | 372 | 2 | 5 | 14.3 | 49.0 | 17.3 |
Mohamed Sanu | WR | ATL | 279 | 50 | 32 | 342 | 3 | 9 | 19.6 | 64.0 | 18.1 |
John Brown | WR | ARZ | 326 | 49 | 28 | 350 | 1 | 4 | 11.4 | 57.1 | 15.2 |
Kenny Britt | WR | LA | 237 | 48 | 33 | 535 | 2 | 4 | 15.4 | 68.8 | 20.5 |
Sterling Shepard | WR | NYG | 270 | 48 | 31 | 334 | 2 | 3 | 11.5 | 64.6 | 17.8 |
Gary Barnidge | TE | CLE | 291 | 47 | 33 | 403 | 0 | 3 | 11.5 | 70.2 | 16.4 |
Duke Johnson | RB | CLE | 291 | 47 | 34 | 297 | 0 | 4 | 15.4 | 72.3 | 16.4 |
Jimmy Graham | TE | SEA | 250 | 46 | 30 | 442 | 1 | 6 | 23.1 | 65.2 | 19.7 |
Cole Beasley | WR | DAL | 221 | 46 | 37 | 443 | 3 | 5 | 14.3 | 80.4 | 20.9 |
Tajae Sharpe | WR | TEN | 248 | 46 | 23 | 259 | 0 | 4 | 14.3 | 50.0 | 20.7 |
Travis Kelce | TE | KC | 255 | 45 | 34 | 377 | 3 | 10 | 26.3 | 75.6 | 18.2 |
Target Percentage Leaders
As expected, 49ers receiver Jeremy Kerley continues to see his target rate drop. He’s sitting at 27.6-percent after Week 7/8 (the team is coming off a bye) which is down from 30-percent in Week 5. Again, it’s not a matter of ability as much as it is the change in quarterback. Though he didn’t make the overall leaderboard, Torrey Smith’s target percentage (15.2) has actually climbed by just over 3.0-percent in the same time span.
Another situation to monitor with regard to target percentage has to be in Indianapolis. With the return of Donte Moncrief, it is very possible that T.Y. Hilton’s rate starts to go down. Andrew Luck’s early-season numbers have not been very good in comparison to what we usually expect from him, but with the return of Moncrief, you can expect him to start improving with another strong, reliable option available to him. Hilton may retain the top place in the pecking order over the remainder of the season, but you can expect the current gap between the two to dwindle each week.
Red Zone Target Leaders
After target rate, all bets are off with regard to the difference between Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns. A-Rob sees the majority of targets, but once the Jaguars get inside the red zone, Hurns gets a near-even split in targets from Blake Bortles, something he’s actually maintained from last season. It doesn’t help the value in PPR leagues all that much, but in standard formats, he should certainly get a little bump as this is the only consistent stat for the Jags’ passing attack from last year to this season.
Whether you’d like to admit it or not, Jarvis Landry’s value continues to take a tumble. Sure, his target rate inside the red zone remains strong with regard to the rest of the Dolphins’ receivers, but given the ineptitude of Miami’s offense, his team-leading 21.1-percent red zone target rate has only provided four looks inside the 20 over the first seven games of the season. It’s nice that on the rare occasion the Fins get into the red zone, Landry gets a look, but without the touchdowns, his relevance is pretty limited to being a WR3 in a PPR format.
Potential Risers
Dez Bryant |
Willie Snead |
Anquan Boldin |
Delanie Walker |
Theo Riddick |
Potential Fallers
Tajae Sharpe |
Cole Beasley |
John Brown |
Jeremy Kerley |
Pierre Garcon |
Week 9 Game to Watch:
New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers
While most will turn to the Packers/Colts game which has a week-high 54 O/U, I’m looking at this game due to both defenses being absolutely atrocious. Yes, both teams will likely open the game with a heavy dose of running, but in the end, things are going to open up significantly for both quarterbacks and allow them to expose some pretty weak secondaries. Torrey Smith and Vance McDonald should see plenty of targets in this game and how much do you have to love Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead and Michael Thomas here? Just keep in mind that the 49ers rank eighth in the league against the tight end, so you can probably overlook Coby Fleener.