Target Report: Tate bound to regress with Megatron's return from injury
Golden Tate surged toward the top of the wide receiver rankings over the last five weeks due, at least in part, to Calvin Johnson’s ankle injury. Megatron played hurt for two games, but limped ineffectually around the field before sitting out for three games. In those five games, Tate was a fantasy stud, and helped Detroit move to the top of the NFC North. He caught 39 passes for 599 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 15.58 fantasy points per game in standard-scoring leagues. He also racked up 59 targets while Johnson was rehabbing his ankle.
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Even though the Detroit offense has proven itself capable of supporting two fantasy starters, a healthy Johnson almost ensured that Tate would see fewer targets, therefore subtracting from his fantasy value. When he returned in Week 10, Johnson indeed had a big game against the Dolphins, catching seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown, and leading the team with 15 targets. He did not lead the Lions, however, in receptions. That honor belonged to Tate, who hauled in 11 passes from Matthew Stafford for 109 yards. Tate got 13 targets, the fourth consecutive game he had at least 12 passes thrown his way. It wasn’t just the amount of the targets, either, that should encourage Tate owners. It was also the way the Lions worked him and Johnson in tandem.
As is usually the case, Johnson moved all over the field. Imagine the field as a tic-tac-toe board with the vertical lines drawn at the hash marks, and the horizontal lines drawn 10 and 20 yards from the line of scrimmage. Johnson got at least one target in all nine squares, including four that traveled at least 20 yards in the air.
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With Johnson roving from sideline to sideline, the Lions deftly dropped Tate in underneath on most of his routes. Tate caught both of his intermediate targets for a total of 45 yards, including 15 yards after the catch. He gashed the Dolphins on screens, catching five such passes for 40 yards. While Johnson occupied the defense’s attention deep down the field, Tate carved it apart in the short and intermediate parts of the field.
Tate is no longer the No. 1 option in the Detroit passing game, but he doesn’t need to be to be a regular starter for his fantasy owners. It’s clear that both he and Johnson can thrive for the Lions week in, week out. Don’t forget, they both surpassed the 100-yard mark against a Miami team that is ranked fourth in pass coverage and second in pass rush according to Pro Football Focus. Don’t worry about a significant drop-off from Tate.
With that, let’s get to the Week 10 Target Report. As always, target data includes plays negated by penalty.
Arizona Cardinals
Larry Fitzgerald – 72 targets, 12 red-zone targets, 92 percent of season snaps played, 97 percent of last week’s snaps played
John Brown – 63, 6, 56, 62
Andre Ellington – 56, 5, 70, 80
Michael Floyd – 52, 3, 87, 88
John Carlson – 40, 7, 88, 89
Floyd has been a great disappointment in what nearly everyone believed would be his breakout season. He has hurt himself with two drops on deep balls, giving him a drop rate surpassed only by Justin Hunter and Torrey Smith on such passes. Still, he has six receptions for 226 yards and two touchdowns on passes down the field. Where he has really come up short for his fantasy owners is in the red zone. Part of that is a gameplan issue, as a receiver of Floyd’s stature and leaping ability should have more than three red-zone targets at this point of the season. Part of that, too, owes to his inability to get open in scoring range. He has one red-zone reception, which, unsurprisingly, went for six points. Still, it’s hard to get excited about him with Carson Palmer out for the season.
Atlanta Falcons
Julio Jones – 98 targets, 6 red-zone targets, 88 percent of season snaps played, 80 percent of last week's snaps played
Roddy White – 66, 6, 92, 80
Devin Hester – 33, 2, 39, 21
Levine Toilolo – 28, 3, 87, 83
Devonta Freeman – 25, 4, 18, 15
Harry Douglas – 25, 2, 62, 47
Jacquizz Rodgers – 20, 2, 29, 24
Steven Jackson – 19, 1, 40, 47
Antone Smith – 14, 1, 15, 17
Well would you look at that? Jones gets double-digit targets, and the Falcons have their best offensive performance in weeks. It’s almost as if getting your best player more involved opens up the entire offense. Who would’ve thought that? The opponent had something to do with it, as well, but Week 10 was the first time both Jones and White scored at least 10 fantasy points in the same game since Week 1. Matt Ryan wasn’t able to ride that to a strong fantasy day himself, but the Falcons’ receivers still make him a borderline play from week to week. Even with this offense underperforming this year, Jones and White are slam-dunk plays every single week.
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Baltimore Ravens
Steve Smith – 91 targets, 12 red-zone targets, 76 percent of season snaps played, 77 percent of last week's snaps played
Torrey Smith – 61, 9, 77, 73
Owen Daniels – 47, 9, 73, 92
Justin Forsett – 44, 4, 62, 73
Lorenzo Taliaferro – 9, 0, 17, 5
Bernard Pierce – 4, 0, 22, 21
Quick, guess which Ravens receiver has been among the top-15 scorers at the position over the last five weeks. Given that this wouldn’t be interesting if it were Steve Smith, the answer is Torrey Smith. He’s averaging 11.4 points per game in that span, and is now the No. 24 overall receiver in standard-scoring leagues. After a horrendous start to the season, he’s up to 27 catches for 446 yards and six touchdowns. He’s getting 9.1 yards per target, and has scored at least 10 points in all but two of his games since Week 3.
Buffalo Bills
Sammy Watkins – 78 targets, 8 red-zone targets, 96 percent of season snaps played, 93 percent of last week's snaps played
Robert Woods – 62, 5, 85, 81
Fred Jackson – 46, 5, 51, 37
Scott Chandler – 42, 8, 69, 75
Bryce Brown – 10, 2, 32, 37
Anthony Dixon – 4, 0, 21, 26
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It was an ugly game for the Bills last week, and that’s going to happen every now and again when you have an average quarterback going up against a tough defense. There were two things to take away if you’re invested in this offense. First, Watkins got 10 more targets in the loss. It was the third time in five Orton starts that he reached double-digit targets. He may have caught just four of those, but the opportunities are going to be there all year long. Second, a clearly still-hobbled Jackson had five targets and three carries. Dixon’s and Brown’s brief flirtation with fantasy relevance is over. Expect Jackson to be back in command of the backfield in Week 11.
Carolina Panthers
Kelvin Benjamin – 91 targets, 13 red-zone targets, 84 percent of season snaps played, 88 percent of last week's snaps played
Greg Olsen – 76, 10, 95, 100
Jerricho Cotchery – 54, 2, 79, 67
Jason Avant – 41, 4, 55, 41
Jonathan Stewart – 19, 1, 59, 45
DeAngelo Williams – 6, 0, 36, 37
Garbage time can be a fantasy owner’s best friend. Benjamin had been completely silent through three quarters against the Eagles last week, but caught two meaningless, in real life, touchdowns, finishing the night with 19 points in standard-scoring leagues. He and Olsen each got seven targets from Cam Newton, and while their quarterback isn’t playing all that well right now, the fact that Benjamin and Olsen continue to rack up huge target numbers is really all that matters for fantasy purposes. Newton attempted three deep passes to Olsen last week, and the big tight end caught two of them for a total of 68 yards. Olsen only had three such targets entering the game, so don’t expect it to be something that lasts.
Chicago Bears
Alshon Jeffery – 83 targets, 10 red-zone targets, 87 percent of season snaps played, 93 percent of last week's snaps played
Matt Forte – 79, 10, 90, 86
Brandon Marshall – 79, 16, 90, 83
Martellus Bennett – 72, 18, 88, 93
There has been plenty of hand wringing over the state of the Chicago offense, and that makes all the sense in the world from a real-life standpoint. Want to know why I’m not the least bit worried about these receivers, though? Marshall got 10 targets last week, while Jeffery got 12. Jay Cutler is going to continue slinging the ball all over the field, and the Bears still have games left this year with the Vikings (twice), Buccaneers and Saints. There may be no team more disappointing than Chicago this season, but its skill players are still plenty capable of being fantasy studs. If someone in your league is trying to sell Jeffery after three straight lackluster games, go get him while you can.
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Cincinnati Bengals
Mohamed Sanu – 80 targets, 9 red-zone targets, 93 percent of season snaps played, 99 percent of last week's snaps played
Jermaine Gresham – 48, 6, 92, 82
A.J. Green – 46, 6, 67, 88
Giovani Bernard – 34, 2, 69, N/A
Brandon Tate – 22, 2, 54, 15
Jeremy Hill – 20, 0, 39, 70
There was a silver lining for Green owners after last week’s debacle against the Browns. First, he was not at all responsible for Andy Dalton turning into a high school quarterback. Second, he played 88 percent of the team’s snaps after playing just 56 in his first game back from a toe injury. He also led the Bengals in targets with 10. You should have no qualms about starting him every single week, regardless of what happened with Dalton a week ago. He could put up a monster against the Saints on Sunday.
Cleveland Browns
Andrew Hawkins – 69 targets, 6 red-zone targets, 68 percent of season snaps played, N/A
Miles Austin – 52, 6, 65, 63
Taylor Gabriel – 48, 8, 61, 84
Jordan Cameron – 33, 4, 73, N/A
Travis Benjamin – 28, 4, 37, 50
Ben Tate – 11, 0, 50, 33
Terrance West – 8, 4, 42, 47
Isaiah Crowell – 5, 0, 23, 20
The fantasy community is focused on the Cleveland backfield for the time being, and we’ll get into it more later in the week. The abridged version, though, is that West is the only viable fantasy starter at this point. He has led the team in carries and snaps in each of the last two weeks. His share of snaps decreased last week, but the gap between he and the No. 2, Tate, widened. This is the team’s final game without Josh Gordon, who is set to return from suspension in Week 12. We have no reason to expect anything other than him immediately taking over as the top option in the passing attack. That means Hawkins’ stock is about to take a huge hit, while Gabriel can probably be dropped after this week.
Dallas Cowboys
Dez Bryant – 96 targets, 10 red-zone targets, 84 percent of season snaps played, 73 percent of last week's snaps played
Jason Witten – 55, 3, 99.99999, 95
Terrance Williams – 48, 10, 79, 68
DeMarco Murray – 42, 2, 74, 60
Cole Beasley – 26, 2, 44, 40
Lance Dunbar – 16, 2, 14, 17
Gavin Escobar – 10, 4, 21, 25
Joseph Randle – 2, 0, 9, 13
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After light red-zone usage for Bryant earlier in the season, Dallas quarterbacks have looked his way more often in scoring range in recent weeks. He has five receptions in the red zone, all of which have resulted in touchdowns. He showed off his versatility last week, taking a short crossing pattern and breaking a few tackles on a 35-yard touchdown, then beating man coverage and shaking a tackle attempt to go 68 yards to the house. Meanwhile, Murray played just 60 percent of the snaps last week, his lowest total of the season. The game situation definitely played a role in that, and the Cowboys could have taken him out even earlier. The fact that the NFC playoff race is still so bunched is good news for Murray’s fantasy owners. The Cowboys likely won’t have the luxury of resting him too much.
Denver Broncos
Demaryius Thomas – 107 targets, 19 red-zone targets, 89 percent of season snaps played, 76 percent of last week's snaps played
Emmanuel Sanders – 89, 14, 92, 83
Julius Thomas – 50, 15, 90, 79
Wes Welker – 36, 2, 71, 83
Ronnie Hillman – 33, 8, 54, 39
C.J. Anderson – 12, 2, 17, 51
Montee Ball – 10, 2, 68, N/A
Juwan Thompson – 3, 0, 13, 13
The most interesting thing happening in Denver right now is in the backfield. Hillman is expected to be out a few weeks with a foot sprain, opening the door for Anderson and Ball. We’ll dive deep on this situation in the Running Back Committee Watch later this week, but suffice to say that all three of these guys have to be universally owned in fantasy leagues. The bet, which will be explained further in the committee watch, is that the Broncos play the hot hand, with Anderson getting the first crack and proving he’s the guy. The good news for Anderson is that the Broncos did not dial back running back involvement in the passing game last week. He got seven targets, while Hillman got five.
Detroit Lions
Golden Tate – 99 targets, 8 red-zone targets, 84 percent of season snaps played, 94 percent of last week's snaps played
Calvin Johnson – 53, 6, 73, 87
Reggie Bush – 36, 6, 41, 28
Joique Bell – 31, 4, 58, 67
Corey Fuller – 25, 2, 49, 19
Jeremy Ross – 22, 0, 70, 66
Theo Riddick – 21, 6, 14, 10
Eric Ebron – 21, 4, 45, N/A
Brandon Pettigrew – 14, 2, 66, 64
Keep an eye on Bush’s practice participation this week. If he sits out because of his ankle injury, Riddick would inherit the primary pass-catching role. Having said that, neither Bell nor Riddick (or Bush, for that matter) is going to be an advisable play this week with the Lions visiting the Cardinals. They’ve allowed the fewest points per game to running backs on the season.
Green Bay Packers
Jordy Nelson – 91 targets, 19 red-zone targets, 90 percent of season snaps played, 63 percent of last week's snaps played
Randall Cobb – 62, 16, 86, 66
Davante Adams – 38, 7, 66, 57
Eddie Lacy – 31, 6, 63, 64
Andrew Quarless – 28, 10, 61, 64
Richard Rodgers – 14, 2, 45, 76
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There’s really not much more to say about the Green Bay passing game that we haven’t already said at this point of the season. Lacy owners have to be very encouraged at how involved he has been through the air in the team’s last two games. He has 11 receptions for 191 yards and a score in that timeframe, and while Chicago’s poor tackling and pursuit certainly added in his touchdown last week, there’s no doubt that he has been a greater presence in the passing game than he was for the first two months of the season. That can only help, as it’s unlikely he’s going to starting getting 18-to-20 carries per game.
Houston Texans
Andre Johnson – 89 targets, 13 red-zone targets, 92 percent of season snaps played, 97 percent of last week's snaps played
DeAndre Hopkins – 68, 6, 94, 93
Arian Foster – 36, 5, 75, 65
Garrett Graham – 20, 1, 77, 80
Alfred Blue – 8, 1, 24, 22
It remains to be seen how the move to Ryan Mallett will alter the Houston passing attack. Ryan Fitzpatrick really struggled in the red zone, completing just 13 of his 31 pass attempts inside the 20. However, Hopkins enters Week 11 ranked 16th in fantasy points at the wide receiver position, so it’s hard to imagine his stock increasing much, if at all, with Mallett under center. On the flip side, Johnson has just one touchdown and doesn’t have a catch for longer than 26 yards. His stock can’t go anywhere but up.
Indianapolis Colts
T.Y. Hilton – 86 targets, 7 red-zone targets, 75 percent of season snaps played, 76 percent of last week's snaps played
Reggie Wayne – 71, 8, 81, 72
Hakeem Nicks – 46, 9, 54, 51
Coby Fleener – 46, 10, 62, 52
Ahmad Bradshaw – 44, 11, 51, 59
Dwayne Allen – 41, 8, 70, 75
Trent Richardson – 28, 4, 46, 28
Donte Moncrief – 25, 2, 23, 33
The Colts have a huge Sunday night showdown with Tom Brady and the Patriots after both teams had their bye last week. The Colts have been consistent in the target department all season, featuring Hilton, Wayne and Bradshaw in the passing game. There’s no reason to expect that to be different this week.
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Jacksonville Jaguars
Allen Robinson – 80 targets, 6 red-zone targets, 78 percent of season snaps played, 92 percent of last week's snaps played
Cecil Shorts – 62, 7, 80, 76
Allen Hurns – 57, 4, 74, 46
Clay Harbor – 33, 2, 86, 76
Marqise Lee – 24, 2, 39, 37
Denard Robinson – 19, 0, 42, 56
Toby Gerhart – 13, 1, 37, 13
With news breaking on Tuesday that Allen Robinson will miss the rest of the season due to a stress fracture in his foot, Shorts and Hurns should be slid up the rest-of-season rankings. Robinson becomes a nice buy-low target in dynasty leagues, especially if you’re out of it this year. The Jacksonville passing attack doesn’t generate a ton of fantasy points, but Shorts and Hurns should each see an uptick in targets for the rest of the season. They both carry a WR3 ceiling.
Kansas City Chiefs
Dwayne Bowe – 61 targets, 4 red-zone targets, 83 percent of season snaps played, 93 percent of last week's snaps played
Travis Kelce – 46, 8, 54, 67
Anthony Fasano – 29, 4, 89, 77
Jamaal Charles – 28, 8, 63, 73
Junior Hemingway – 19, 1, 36, 33
Knile Davis – 17, 4, 37, 20
A.J. Jenkins – 17, 2, 42, 67
The Chiefs continued an improbable streak on Sunday, as they have still yet to have a receiver score a touchdown this season. Having said that, Bowe has actually been productive in full PPR leagues. He caught eight passes for 93 yards last week, and is up to 39 receptions and 491 yards this season. In full PPR leagues, he’s averaging a shade more than 11 points per game. The Chiefs aren’t going to go the entire season without getting a spike or two from their wide receivers, so consider Bowe’s rest-of-season value even higher. Chances are strong he gets in the end zone three or four times over the final seven weeks of the year.
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Miami Dolphins
Mike Wallace – 78 targets, 13 red-zone targets, 74 percent of season snaps played, 87 percent of last week's snaps played
Charles Clay – 53, 15, 77, 90
Jarvis Landry – 50, 6, 56, 62
Brian Hartline – 46, 8, 83, 77
Lamar Miller – 31, 6, 55, 18
Clay has been a boom-or-bust player over the last four weeks. In his two good games in that span, he has averaged 12.15 point per game. In the two bad ones, he scored a total of 4.6 points. Nevertheless, the fact that he leads the Dolphins in red-zone targets should tell you all you need to know about what Ryan Tannehill thinks of him. Landry led the team with 10 targets last week, and now trails Wallace by just three receptions on the season. Wallace is still the better fantasy option because he has more touchdown upside, but don’t be surprised when Landry has more catches than Wallace at the end of the season.
Minnesota Vikings
Greg Jennings – 58 targets, 9 red-zone targets, 86 percent of season snaps played, 86 percent of last week's snaps played
Cordarrelle Patterson – 56, 2, 77, 74
Jarius Wright – 42, 4, 55, 40
Matt Asiata – 36, 4, 48, 51
Jerick McKinnon – 33, 1, 43, 49
Chase Ford – 30, 3, 63, 68
Rhett Ellison – 15, 0, 56, 75
The Vikings could very well get Kyle Rudolph back from a sports hernia this week. That would be great news for everyone in the offense, most notably Teddy Bridgewater. Rudolph’s presence in the middle of the field could very well open things up for Jennings and Patterson, though. This remains a low-value passing attack, with Jennings and Patterson topping out as WR4s. Rudolph could be a strong play against a Bears defense that has allowed the most points to tight ends this year.
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New England Patriots
Julian Edelman – 86 targets, 12 red-zone targets, 85 percent of season snaps played, 90 percent of last week's snaps played
Rob Gronkowski – 80, 11, 67, 90
Brandon LaFell – 65, 8, 75, 89
Shane Vereen – 53, 9, 54, 74
Danny Amendola – 22, 4, 43, 54
Tim Wright – 18, 4, 21, 14
Jonas Gray – 1, 0, 29, 26
We’ve talked ad nauseum about the exploits of Gronkowski and LaFell since the Patriots offense awoke after the shellacking it took in Kansas City, but it was encouraging to see Edelman catch nine of 10 targets for 89 yards and a score two weeks ago. He may not have a very high ceiling, but his floor is respectable simply by virtue of being in this offense.
New Orleans Saints
Jimmy Graham – 77 targets, 14 red-zone targets, 66 percent of season snaps played, 73 percent of last week's snaps played
Brandin Cooks – 64, 6, 72, 62
Marques Colston – 53, 5, 75, 91
Kenny Stills – 38, 2, 55, 77
Travaris Cadet – 38, 5, 21, 37
Pierre Thomas – 30, 3, 39, N/A
Mark Ingram – 17, 0, 49, 59
Khiry Robinson – 6, 0, 28, N/A
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Colston’s marginal influence in the New Orleans offense came to a head last week, as he got just four targets in an overtime game, catching two of them for 36 yards. Colston was once a huge weapon for Drew Brees in the red zone, but now nearly all of those looks go to Graham, as they should. It’s an odd world when Graham is the only pass catcher in New Orleans who can be trusted, but it’s the one we now inhabit. Cooks has been a boom-or-bust player all year long, scoring either more than 14 points or fewer than six in all but one of his nine games this year. Ingram continues to churn right along, and he should not see his value decrease one bit when Thomas and Robinson return.
New York Giants
Rueben Randle – 83 targets, 14 red-zone targets, 92 percent of season snaps played, 97 percent of last week's snaps played
Larry Donnell – 56, 15, 81, 88
Odell Beckham Jr. – 39, 7, 87, 97
Preston Parker – 34, 3, 43, 75
Andre Williams – 17, 1, 43, 65
Rashad Jennings – 14, 2, 59, N/A
All Beckham has done in five NFL games is catch 25 passes for 370 yards and three touchdowns, scoring double-digit fantasy points four times. He’s getting 10.28 yards per target, and is already approaching 10 red-zone looks. Randle, on the other hand, continues to fall far short of expectations. He got 10 more targets last week, catching five of them for 39 yards. He’s now all the way down to 5.18 yards per target. A few more games like last week, and he’ll plunge beneath the ignominious five-yard mark. Beckham is a weekly WR2 with WR1 upside, while Randle shouldn’t be anywhere near your starting lineup.
New York Jets
Eric Decker – 68 targets, 10 red-zone targets, 74 percent of season snaps played, 71 percent of last week's snaps played
Jeremy Kerley – 54, 8, 67, 32
Jace Amaro – 46, 7, 44, 54
Jeff Cumberland – 30, 7, 83, 97
Percy Harvin – 27, 5, 67, 68
Chris Johnson – 23, 3, 34, 27
Chris Ivory – 20, 4, 42, 51
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The Jets’ win over the Steelers last week featured an odd game flow, as Michael Vick attempted just 18 passes while the Jets ran the ball 36 times. There’s good news for Harvin owners again this week, as he led the team with five targets, and already has more red-zone targets with the Jets than he did with the Seahawks. The only problem is that the Jets’ offense just doesn’t generate a ton of scoring chances through the air. Even though Harvin is in a better situation, his ceiling remains that of a WR2. Decker is experiencing the pains concomitant with leaving a team like the Broncos for one like the Jets. However, in the four games where he has had at least nine targets, he has scored at least 10 fantasy points three times.
Oakland Raiders
James Jones – 73 targets, 7 red-zone targets, 71 percent of season snaps played, 68 percent of last week's snaps played
Mychal Rivera – 49, 5, 74, 86
Andre Holmes – 49, 3, 61, 63
Darren McFadden – 43, 2, 67, 49
Denarius Moore – 27, 2, 47, 37
After two of the best games of his career, Rivera played a season-high 86 percent of Oakland’s snaps last week. He came through again, catching six passes for 64 yards and a score. That gives him 21 receptions on 28 targets for 185 yards and three touchdowns in the last three weeks, an average of 12.17 points per game. This doesn’t appear to be a flash in the pan either, as the Raiders have clearly made a concerted effort to get Rivera more involved in the passing game. Consider him a low-end TE1 for the rest of the season.
Philadelphia Eagles
Jeremy Maclin – 90 targets, 8 red-zone targets, 86 percent of season snaps played, 77 percent of last week's snaps played
Jordan Matthews – 64, 10, 61, 61
Riley Cooper – 57, 7, 85, 76
Zach Ertz – 47, 5, 52, 50
Darren Sproles – 33, 3, 29, 15
LeSean McCoy – 32, 4, 71, 73
Brent Celek – 29, 5, 70, 58
Matthews had his best game as a pro against the Panthers last Monday night, catching seven of nine targets for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Celek, meanwhile, caught five passes for 116 yards, and out-snapped Ertz. Is this another case of a backup quarterback being more familiar and comfortable with his fellow second-teamers, or is there something to the breakout games for Matthews and Celek? It’s safe to say that Maclin remains an elite WR1, but Matthews may have vaulted into the weekly WR3 discussion after what he did against the Panthers. At the same time, remember that the Carolina defense has been one of the most friendly to receivers all season long. The fact that Celek played more snaps than Ertz is disconcerting. You shouldn’t be rolling Celek out there as a fantasy starter, but Ertz can no longer be considered for that role, either.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Antonio Brown – 119 targets, 18 red-zone targets, 94 percent of season snaps played, 94 percent of last week's snaps played
Le’Veon Bell – 66, 9, 79, 89
Markus Wheaton – 58, 7, 72, 59
Heath Miller – 53, 10, 96, 100
Martavis Bryant – 24, 4, 45, 59
LeGarrette Blount – 8, 3, 18, 9
Bryant’s touchdown rate is likely going to slow down at some point, but he continues to display his value to this offense on a weekly basis. Last week, after being held in check for most of the game, he got loose for an 80-yard touchdown that kept the Steelers breathing late in their loss to the Jets. He had eight targets, catching four of them for a total of 143 yards. Four of his targets traveled at least 20 yards in the air, and he caught two of those for 125 yards. That is precisely why this offense has been so much more dangerous since activating Bryant. Reason No. 3,712 why full PPR leagues are the scourge of fantasy football: Le’Veon Bell had 69 yards from scrimmage last week, but ranked 15th among running backs in PPR leagues thanks to eight receptions.
San Diego Chargers
Keenan Allen – 72 targets, 9 red-zone targets, 95 percent of season snaps played, 84 percent of last week's snaps played
Antonio Gates – 57, 14, 65, 51
Malcom Floyd – 47, 6, 82, 86
Eddie Royal – 43, 3, 63, 73
Branden Oliver – 27, 6, 53, 47
Donald Brown – 20, 4, 44, 33
Ladarius Green – 18, 4, 37, 43
Ryan Mathews – 4, 0, 32, N/A
The Chargers return from their Week 10 bye and welcome back Mathews, who is expected to play for the first time since hurting his knee Week 2. Chances are he resumes a workhorse role, with Oliver serving as the third-down back. The San Diego offense desperately needs a shot in the arm after the team has dropped three consecutive games.
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San Francisco 49ers
Anquan Boldin – 78 targets, 8 red-zone targets, 88 percent of season snaps played, 90 percent of last week's snaps played
Michael Crabtree – 74, 11, 72, 64
Steve Johnson – 40, 6, 30, 26
Vernon Davis – 33, 1, 83, 99
Brandon Lloyd – 23, 0, 42, 30
Carlos Hyde – 12, 4, 33, 19
Frank Gore – 12, 1, 59, 72
While this Niners’ passing game has not been all that lucrative for fantasy owners, Boldin has emerged as a realistic WR2 over the last month. He has at least 90 yards and a touchdown in three of his last four games, racking up at least nine targets in all of those contests. He had that many looks just once in San Francisco’s first five games. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he had 99 yards in that game. As Crabtree’s influence in this offense wanes, expect Boldin to continue putting up WR2 numbers.
Seattle Seahawks
Doug Baldwin – 56 targets, 6 red-zone targets, 86 percent of season snaps played, 77 percent of last week's snaps played
Jermaine Kearse – 39, 6, 86, 81
Marshawn Lynch – 30, 5, 69, 67
Luke Willson – 20, 4, 55, 23
Paul Richardson – 16, 2, 42, 64
Cooper Helfert – 15, 4, 33, 48
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Russell Wilson attempted 17 passes last week and threw for 172 yards. It was the fifth time this season he had less than 200 yards in a game. The Seahawks won comfortably behind 350 rushing yards, including 140 and four touchdowns from Lynch. This is clearly the blueprint they will use to try to get back to the Super Bowl. In other words, you don’t want to have anything to do with this passing game. Baldwin will likely have one or two more strong fantasy performances this year, but you should not be banking on him at this stage of the season. He turned six targets into an anemic 31 yards last week.
St. Louis Rams
Jared Cook – 58 targets, 5 red-zone targets, 74 percent of season snaps played, 74 percent of last week's snaps played
Kenny Britt – 36, 1, 71, 92
Benny Cunningham – 26, 4, 42, 40
Lance Kendricks – 26, 4, 58, 44
Tavon Austin – 23, 0, 43, 66
Zac Stacy – 20, 2, 34, 0
Chris Givens – 19, 1, 28, 45
Stedman Bailey – 12, 1, 32, 74
Tre Mason – 11, 1, 44, 61
There’s, quite frankly, absolutely nothing to like about this team from a fantasy perspective. Cook got in the end zone last week, but he got just three targets, catching two of them for 84 yards. It’s cool that Britt is playing 90-plus percent of the snaps since Brian Quick’s injury, but the last time he had more than three receptions in a game, we still weren’t sure if the Royals were going to make the playoffs. Byes are essentially over and done with, meaning you, as a fantasy owner, shouldn’t have any reason to concern yourself with the Rams.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Vincent Jackson – 89 targets, 8 red-zone targets, 96 percent of season snaps played, 92 percent of last week's snaps played
Mike Evans – 64, 4, 79, 85
Bobby Rainey – 37, 3, 57, 61
Louis Murphy – 37, 6, 68, 67
Austin Seferian-Jenkins – 33, 4, 84, 82
Doug Martin – 14, 0, 58, N/A
Charles Sims – 2, 0, 32, 32
One of the standout traits of the 2014 season has been the success of rookie receivers, and while Sammy Watkins and Kelvin Benjamin have had more attention, Evans is right there with them. Over his last five games, Evans has 26 catches on 42 targets for 447 yards and five touchdowns, good for an average of 14.94 fantasy points per game. That per-game average would have been good enough to make Evans the No. 1 receiver in 2010 and 2012, the No. 3 last year, and No. 2 in 2011. Remember, this is a 21-year-old who just started playing organized football four years ago. If I could have just one rookie receiver in a dynasty league, Evans would be my guy.
Tennessee Titans
Kendall Wright – 62 targets, 6 red-zone targets, 81 percent of season snaps played, 84 percent of last week's snaps played
Delanie Walker – 62, 9, 78, 53
Justin Hunter – 52, 5, 86, 95
Nate Washington – 36, 4, 78, 58
Dexter McCluster – 20, 5, 26, 7
Bishop Sankey – 13, 1, 40, 58
Shonn Greene – 2, 1, 21, 7
I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize for buying into Hunter one last time. I thought he could make good against the Ravens last week, and instead he caught one of his whopping two targets for 17 yards. He may not have the right quarterback to take advantage of his talents, but he has been a colossal bust this year. Walker, on the other hand, was cruising right along last week, catching three passes for 37 yards before having to leave the game early with a concussion. The Titans play on Monday night this week, which makes his status complicated for fantasy owners. You may have to go in another direction, unless you also happen to own Heath Miller, as the Titans host the Steelers.
Washington Redskins
DeSean Jackson – 66 targets, 9 red-zone targets, 76 percent of season snaps played, 88 percent of last week's snaps played
Pierre Garcon – 62, 2, 86, 91
Andre Roberts – 50, 7, 70, 66
Niles Paul – 39, 5, 57, 49
Roy Helu – 33, 3, 42, 37
Jordan Reed – 28, 3, 48, 66
Alfred Morris – 11, 0, 55, 63
Washington was on bye last week, and gets a great matchup with Tampa Bay in Week 11. Garcon has been arguably the most underachieving receiver in the league this season, but he makes a solid WR3 against a Buccaneers’ defense that has allowed the most points per game to receivers.
