With fantasy playoffs beginning in most leagues, it would be nice if we could all simply use the players who have gotten us this far, but that isn’t always an option. There were a lot of intriguing performances last week from players getting a lot of targets, so let’s take a look at the most notable ones.
Keke Coutee had as many targets in Week 13 (nine) as in his previous three games this season combined. The number two receiver in a Deshaun Watson offense has obvious fantasy appeal, but I am not getting excited about a possession receiver who just had his first good fantasy game in 23 months. Brandin Cooks is the clear number one receiver, and I would actually like Coutee less if Cooks was out.
The best case for Keke Coutee is that he is Cole Beasley , who caught nine of 11 targets for 130 yards and a touchdown Monday. Josh Allen has suddenly become great at finding Cole Beasley against zone defense and Stefon Diggs against man, and I don’t see any reason to believe that won’t continue so long as John Brown is out. Beasley may never be a big play or red zone threat, but he doesn’t have to be, especially when the passing offense is humming.
DeAndre Hopkins is obviously too good to bench if he’s gotten you this far, but I don’t think I’m encouraged by his eight receptions on 13 targets for 52 yards and a touchdown. By way of comparison, Travis Kelce had the same number of receptions, targets and touchdowns but had 84 more receiving yards.
The Tennessee office has been A.J. Brown, Derrick Henry and one of Corey Davis or Jonnu Smith , depending on the day. I don’t think that changes after Davis caught 11 of 12 targets for 182 yards and a touchdown with Smith out. Most of that production came after Tennessee was down big, and it seems unlikely that will happen against Jacksonville or Detroit the next two weeks. Davis is a borderline fantasy starter next week, especially if Smith is out again, but it is worth noting backup tight end Anthony Firkser finished with five receptions on seven targets for 51 yards. Tight ends will likely always play an important role in this offense.
Kirk Cousins topped 290 passing yards for the fourth straight game, and both Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson had double-digit targets and a touchdown. Jefferson has at least 10 targets in three of his last four games, and I don’t think it is an overreaction to say he is the best Vikings receiver for fantasy right now.
Taysom Hill finally had to air the ball out against Atlanta, and Michael Thomas caught nine of 11 targets for 105 yards. He’s still looking for his first touchdown of the season, but I think there’s a decent chance it comes against Philadelphia this week.
Mike Gesicki topped six targets for the second time this season, catching nine of 11 targets for 88 yards and a touchdown against Cincinnati. It was his first touchdown reception from Tua Tagovailoa, and while I don’t trust him for the fantasy playoffs, my valuation of him for 2021 could change quite a bit based on how he performs down the stretch.
T.Y. Hilton has at least 80 receiving yards and a touchdown in two consecutive games, but unlike Week 12, he actually was a big part of the passing attack in Week 13. He set season highs with 11 targets, eight receptions and 110 yards, though those numbers are far less impressive considering they came against Houston. Hilton faces Houston again in Week 15, and barring a disaster at the Raiders this week, he could be a fantasy starter for that game. No other Colt had more than five targets Sunday, including Michael Pittman. If I’m starting any Colts receiver, it’s Hilton, but I wouldn’t blame anyone who wanted to see it again before they were willing to start him.
Marvin Jones had 12 targets for the second consecutive game, but unlike Week 12 against Houston, Jones made the most of his targets against Chicago. He had eight receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown, and while I wouldn’t want to have to rely on him, I would certainly consider it if Golladay is out again.
I cannot wait for Las Vegas to get good receivers, whether that means the continued improvement of Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards, or if they bring in receivers in the offseason through the draft and free agency. Being bad at football finally caught up to Agholor Sunday, when he caught four of 11 targets for 38 yards. He now has 26 targets over his last three games, but even with Indianapolis not looking like a scary matchup anymore, I’m not using Agholor in the fantasy playoffs.
Jarvis Landry had eight receptions and a touchdown on double-digit targets for the second consecutive game with Odell Beckham out and reasonably decent weather. I don’t know that I could get away from using him against Baltimore this week, but I wouldn’t feel good about it. That being said, good receivers getting 10+ targets from average quarterbacks don’t just fall out of the sky, and Landry should at least be considered for the fantasy playoffs.
T.J. Hockenson has at least seven targets in four of the five games Kenny Golladay has missed, and while I think you’re starting Hockenson in the fantasy playoffs no matter what, I would like to see what he looks like with Golladay healthy. Hockenson only has one touchdown in that span, so even if he loses some targets, he may have more opportunities in the red zone.
Last week we mentioned Sterling Shepard as the lone Giants receiver who might be usable with Daniel Jones out. Shepard led the Giants receivers with six targets, but he only caught one for 22 yards, though he did catch a two-point conversion. Evan Engram led the Giants with eight targets, but he did very little with those as well. I would have a hard time giving up on a tight end with at least eight targets in five of his last six games, but
Dallas Goedert led the Eagles in targets even with Zach Ertz back, catching five of seven for 66 yards. His fortune could change if Jalen Hurts is the starter going forward, but I would still be willing to bet on Goedert’s talent.
Logan Thomas caught all nine of his targets for 98 yards and a touchdown in Washington’s upset win over Pittsburgh. It was his first time with more than six targets since Week 3, but they could certainly decide to go to him more after this performance. Washington’s offense figures to look a lot different in 2021, but if Logan Thomas is still the starting tight end, I think he’ll be worth a shot later in drafts.
There really isn’t much to say about J.D. McKissic ’s team-high 10 targets, except that I wonder if his performance this season is enough for him to have the same role next season. I think the answer is yes, though I also think a more functional offense probably wouldn’t target McKissic 6.5 times per game.
For all the talk about Pittsburgh’s drops against Washington, Diontae Johnson, Eric Ebron and JuJu Smith-Schuster all caught over 60 percent of their targets. Johnson leads the league with 10 drops, but he also has double-digit targets in five straight games, so I don’t think the Steelers or fantasy managers will mind the drops too much. One thing that is clear from writing this article is drops can be highly variable from year-to-year, even among players like Eric Ebron who seems to drop at least two passes in every game. If someone in my fantasy league wants to fade Diontae Johnson in drafts next season because of the drops, I will happily scoop him up.