The numbers by each name are targets for weeks’ 1-6 followed by the total year to date targets in parenthesis.
All snap count data comes from our friends over at Pro Football Focus.
Arizona Cardinals
Larry Fitzgerald: 7-9-8-11-8-BYE (43), Early Doucet: 3-6-6-6-16-BYE (37), Andre Roberts: 4-7-6-0-6-BYE (23), Todd Heap: 3-1-10-6-dnp-BYE (20), Jeff King: 3-2-0-1-6-BYE (12), Beanie Wells: 4-2-dnp-2-1-BYE (9), Rob Housler: 0-0-0-1-8-BYE (9), Alfonso Smith: dnp-0-5-0-0-BYE (5)
When Larry Fitzgerald isn't hurt and gets out-targeted by Early Doucet by 8 there is little chance the Cardinals are winning. But as far as fake football goes, 16 targets is a whole lot, and Doucet is now clearly the 2nd (or sometimes 1st) read in this passing offense. He was targeted early and often and opportunity often trumps ability. Fitzgerald is still by far the most complete receiver on the team and most other teams and will get his, but teams are going to let Doucet try to beat them early and late.
Atlanta Falcons
Roddy White: 13-4-17-11-9-5 (59), Tony Gonzalez: 7-9-8-9-8-3 (44), Julio Jones: 6-7-7-17-4-dnp (41), Harry Douglas: 4-2-7-0-5-4 (22), Jason Snelling: 7-3-2-dnp-2-1 (15), Jacquizz Rodgers: 5-0-3-1-1-1 (11), Michael Turner: 4-1-0-2-0-3 (10), Ovie Mughelli: 0-1-1-1-1-2 (6)
Last week the Falcons went to a run first, second and third game plan against the weak Carolina Panthers rush defense. Julio Jones being out also played into that strategy as well. Roddy White led in targets and only had five so that tells you a lot. And with their run first mentality we saw more Ovie Mughelli in the blocking back role over Snelling and Rodgers. This of course won't be the game plan every week, but we now know we can't count on them airing it out unless the opponent and situation call for it.
On a side note Roddy White continues to have much less fantasy impact than in the past. In this last game he had a couple good chances for scores but drew pass interference calls. He leads the Falcons in red zone targets but still only has two touchdowns. The TDs should come.
Baltimore Ravens
Anquan Boldin: 7-7-14-2-BYE-9 (39), Ed Dickson: 5-6-9-12-BYE-3 (35), Ray Rice: 5-8-7-5-BYE-7 (32), Torrey Smith: 1-0-8-6-BYE-5 (20), Vonta Leach: 3-1-4-3-BYE-2 (13), Dennis Pitta: 2-3-1-1-BYE-5 (12), Lee Evans: 4-5-dnp-dnp-BYE-dnp (9)
The Ravens had a fairly balanced run/pass ratio with 30 rushing attempts to 33 passing attempts and got all their playmakers heavily involved. Anquan Boldin as the intermediate route runner and Torrey Smith as the deep threat worked well against the Texans and the targets seem about right for those two roles. Smith has shown more speed and ability to separate than Lee Evans and most likely will win that battle in the long run.
The tight end situation flipped back to Dennis Pitta’s side this week with five targets to Ed Dickson's three. I sure didn’t see that coming since Dickson had won the target battle every week of the season so far. This could be an anomaly but it doesn't bode well for Dickson's value.
Buffalo Bills
Stevie Johnson: 6-14-10-6-5-10 (51), David Nelson: 6-13-8-3-2-6 (38), Donald Jones: 5-6-10-8-2-dnp (31), Fred Jackson: 1-2-6-8-6-6 (29), Scott Chandler: 5-4-3-2-1-1 (16), Naaman Roosevelt: dnp-dnp-1-1-7-2 (11), C.J. Spiller: 1-1-1-1-2-5 (11)
Early on the Bills' receiver situation looked ripe for the fake football pickings but lately it has been difficult to figure out who the secondary receiver to trust might be, if any. Last week we saw Naaman Roosevelt once again put up a decent line, but this time with only two targets and one reception that went 60 yards for a touchdown. We just can't rely on him taking a slant for 6 every week with just two targets. David Nelson moved back up the target list and had six with four receptions and 64 yards. Even though he didn't get into the end zone that was a good sign for him after having low target numbers before Donald Jones was hurt.
I often make a point to point out the lack of time C.J. Spiller spends on the field but this week I can't do that. His 35 snaps were more than he had totaled in the three previous weeks combined. He also had a season high five targets and five receptions but for a measly 34 yards. With the injuries to Parrish and Jones, Spiller has stepped up in the slot. Chan Gailey says this isn't a permanent change but it at least gives Spiller some chance to touch the ball. He's not getting enough work to warrant picking him up yet but it's worth keeping an eye on.
Carolina Panthers
Steve Smith: 11-13-7-10-7-7 (55), Greg Olsen: 6-4-10-7-5-10 (42), Jeremy Shockey: 3-5-7-5-7-7 (34), Legedu Naanee: 5-7-2-11-7-2 (34), Jonathan Stewart: 3-8-3-4-1-3 (22), Brandon LaFell: 5-5-0-6-2-1 (19), DeAngelo Williams: 2-4-3-1-0-3 (13)
Superman targeted his little pal Olsen 10 times but not much came of it besides five receptions and 42 yards. Jeremy Shockey once again received too many targets for my liking, but if that's the way they want to play it, so be it. All I know is it's time for me to give up on Brandon LaFell, for now. Yes, I am the last one to do so.
The running back situation remains one to stay away from for the most part. Jonathan Stewart vultured a goal line touchdown from Cam Newton and ran more effectively than DeAngelo Williams but still just isn't seeing the ball enough to be trusted as anything more than a bye week filler.
Chicago Bears
Matt Forte: 6-14-8-5-7-7 (47), Devin Hester: 5-9-5-2-7-7 (35), Dane Sanzenbacher: 1-7-7-2-10-3 (30), Johnny Knox: 4-6-9-4-2-4 (29), Kellen Davis: 5-1-2-1-3-3 (15), Roy Williams: 4-dnp-4-1-1-4 (14), Sam Hurd: dnp-3-1-2-5-0 (11)
This was the Devin Hester show for the most part. He had his best game of the season as a wide receiver with seven targets, five receptions, 91 yards and a touchdown (and his 17th return TD). The Bears offensive line gave Jay Cutler some time for the first time this season and he made them pay. After Hester and Forte there were mainly just some scraps strewn about for the other receivers. Hester will have to repeat this type of game for me to even come close to believing that he has risen out of the muck of mediocrity.
The numbers by each name are targets for weeks’ 1-6 followed by the total year to date targets in parenthesis.
All snap count data comes from our friends over at Pro Football Focus.
Arizona Cardinals
Larry Fitzgerald: 7-9-8-11-8-BYE (43), Early Doucet: 3-6-6-6-16-BYE (37), Andre Roberts: 4-7-6-0-6-BYE (23), Todd Heap: 3-1-10-6-dnp-BYE (20), Jeff King: 3-2-0-1-6-BYE (12), Beanie Wells: 4-2-dnp-2-1-BYE (9), Rob Housler: 0-0-0-1-8-BYE (9), Alfonso Smith: dnp-0-5-0-0-BYE (5)
When Larry Fitzgerald isn't hurt and gets out-targeted by Early Doucet by 8 there is little chance the Cardinals are winning. But as far as fake football goes, 16 targets is a whole lot, and Doucet is now clearly the 2nd (or sometimes 1st) read in this passing offense. He was targeted early and often and opportunity often trumps ability. Fitzgerald is still by far the most complete receiver on the team and most other teams and will get his, but teams are going to let Doucet try to beat them early and late.
Atlanta Falcons
Roddy White: 13-4-17-11-9-5 (59), Tony Gonzalez: 7-9-8-9-8-3 (44), Julio Jones: 6-7-7-17-4-dnp (41), Harry Douglas: 4-2-7-0-5-4 (22), Jason Snelling: 7-3-2-dnp-2-1 (15), Jacquizz Rodgers: 5-0-3-1-1-1 (11), Michael Turner: 4-1-0-2-0-3 (10), Ovie Mughelli: 0-1-1-1-1-2 (6)
Last week the Falcons went to a run first, second and third game plan against the weak Carolina Panthers rush defense. Julio Jones being out also played into that strategy as well. Roddy White led in targets and only had five so that tells you a lot. And with their run first mentality we saw more Ovie Mughelli in the blocking back role over Snelling and Rodgers. This of course won't be the game plan every week, but we now know we can't count on them airing it out unless the opponent and situation call for it.
On a side note Roddy White continues to have much less fantasy impact than in the past. In this last game he had a couple good chances for scores but drew pass interference calls. He leads the Falcons in red zone targets but still only has two touchdowns. The TDs should come.
Baltimore Ravens
Anquan Boldin: 7-7-14-2-BYE-9 (39), Ed Dickson: 5-6-9-12-BYE-3 (35), Ray Rice: 5-8-7-5-BYE-7 (32), Torrey Smith: 1-0-8-6-BYE-5 (20), Vonta Leach: 3-1-4-3-BYE-2 (13), Dennis Pitta: 2-3-1-1-BYE-5 (12), Lee Evans: 4-5-dnp-dnp-BYE-dnp (9)
The Ravens had a fairly balanced run/pass ratio with 30 rushing attempts to 33 passing attempts and got all their playmakers heavily involved. Anquan Boldin as the intermediate route runner and Torrey Smith as the deep threat worked well against the Texans and the targets seem about right for those two roles. Smith has shown more speed and ability to separate than Lee Evans and most likely will win that battle in the long run.
The tight end situation flipped back to Dennis Pitta’s side this week with five targets to Ed Dickson's three. I sure didn’t see that coming since Dickson had won the target battle every week of the season so far. This could be an anomaly but it doesn't bode well for Dickson's value.
Buffalo Bills
Stevie Johnson: 6-14-10-6-5-10 (51), David Nelson: 6-13-8-3-2-6 (38), Donald Jones: 5-6-10-8-2-dnp (31), Fred Jackson: 1-2-6-8-6-6 (29), Scott Chandler: 5-4-3-2-1-1 (16), Naaman Roosevelt: dnp-dnp-1-1-7-2 (11), C.J. Spiller: 1-1-1-1-2-5 (11)
Early on the Bills' receiver situation looked ripe for the fake football pickings but lately it has been difficult to figure out who the secondary receiver to trust might be, if any. Last week we saw Naaman Roosevelt once again put up a decent line, but this time with only two targets and one reception that went 60 yards for a touchdown. We just can't rely on him taking a slant for 6 every week with just two targets. David Nelson moved back up the target list and had six with four receptions and 64 yards. Even though he didn't get into the end zone that was a good sign for him after having low target numbers before Donald Jones was hurt.
I often make a point to point out the lack of time C.J. Spiller spends on the field but this week I can't do that. His 35 snaps were more than he had totaled in the three previous weeks combined. He also had a season high five targets and five receptions but for a measly 34 yards. With the injuries to Parrish and Jones, Spiller has stepped up in the slot. Chan Gailey says this isn't a permanent change but it at least gives Spiller some chance to touch the ball. He's not getting enough work to warrant picking him up yet but it's worth keeping an eye on.
Carolina Panthers
Steve Smith: 11-13-7-10-7-7 (55), Greg Olsen: 6-4-10-7-5-10 (42), Jeremy Shockey: 3-5-7-5-7-7 (34), Legedu Naanee: 5-7-2-11-7-2 (34), Jonathan Stewart: 3-8-3-4-1-3 (22), Brandon LaFell: 5-5-0-6-2-1 (19), DeAngelo Williams: 2-4-3-1-0-3 (13)
Superman targeted his little pal Olsen 10 times but not much came of it besides five receptions and 42 yards. Jeremy Shockey once again received too many targets for my liking, but if that's the way they want to play it, so be it. All I know is it's time for me to give up on Brandon LaFell, for now. Yes, I am the last one to do so.
The running back situation remains one to stay away from for the most part. Jonathan Stewart vultured a goal line touchdown from Cam Newton and ran more effectively than DeAngelo Williams but still just isn't seeing the ball enough to be trusted as anything more than a bye week filler.
Chicago Bears
Matt Forte: 6-14-8-5-7-7 (47), Devin Hester: 5-9-5-2-7-7 (35), Dane Sanzenbacher: 1-7-7-2-10-3 (30), Johnny Knox: 4-6-9-4-2-4 (29), Kellen Davis: 5-1-2-1-3-3 (15), Roy Williams: 4-dnp-4-1-1-4 (14), Sam Hurd: dnp-3-1-2-5-0 (11)
This was the Devin Hester show for the most part. He had his best game of the season as a wide receiver with seven targets, five receptions, 91 yards and a touchdown (and his 17th return TD). The Bears offensive line gave Jay Cutler some time for the first time this season and he made them pay. After Hester and Forte there were mainly just some scraps strewn about for the other receivers. Hester will have to repeat this type of game for me to even come close to believing that he has risen out of the muck of mediocrity.
Cincinnati Bengals
A.J. Green: 4-14-5-10-8-7 (48), Jerome Simpson: 9-9-4-3-7-9 (41), Jermaine Gresham: 8-5-8-7-7-6 (41), Andre Caldwell: 1-4-12-5-4-4 (30), Brian Leonard: 2-2-1-2-3-2 (12), Cedric Benson: 1-3-1-1-0-1 (7)
Andy Dalton and the Bengals looked like the worst team in the league in preseason and now, amazingly, they don't. Dalton continues to find A.J. Green in the end zone. Green's rookie campaign is feeling very similar to Tampa Mike Williams' rookie season. Green's ability to make the tough catch will keep red zone targets coming his way.
Jerome Simpson saw a ton of targets and cashed them in for a 100 yard game. This isn't going to be the norm, but it's good to see that he can take a plus matchup and make good on it.
Cedric Benson outplayed Bernard Scott and today had his suspension reduced to just one game. And the game he gets to watch from his man cave is against the Seahawks tough run defense. All in all this is good news for Benson owners.
Cleveland Browns
Ben Watson: 7-4-10-9-BYE-8 (38), Mohamed Massaquoi: 7-6-6-9-BYE-7 (35), Greg Little: 3-5-5-8-BYE-12 (33), Josh Cribbs: 3-3-6-8-BYE-5 (25), Peyton Hillis: 8-4-dnp-6-BYE-1 (19), Montario Hardesty: 0-0-4-9-BYE-4 (17), Evan Moore: 6-1-3-2-BYE-3 (15), Alex Smith: 0-5-4-2-BYE-3 (14), Brian Robiskie: 3-0-1-3-BYE-1 (8)
The big news in the Browns target world is Greg Little. He got a promotion and ended up seeing 12 total targets against the Raiders. Add that to his eight before the bye and that's a nice trend. The Brown's offense isn't going to be able to pull off a Green Bay Packers costume for Halloween, but if Little can continue to get the targets he can be useful.
Ben Watson still leads the Browns in targets and receiving touchdowns, but Little has passed him and Massaquoi in receptions and should start to see more red zone targets going forward.
Dallas Cowboys
Jason Witten: 9-14-9-10-BYE-4 (46), Miles Austin: 9-15-dnp-dnp-BYE-10 (34), Dez Bryant: 8-dnp-4-5-BYE-8 (25), Felix Jones: 4-2-3-7-BYE-4 (20), Laurent Robinson: dnp-dnp-5-10-BYE-2 (17), Kevin Ogletree: 2-4-7-2-BYE-2 (17), Tashard Choice: 1-2-1-5-BYE-5 (14), Martellus Bennett: dnp-0-3- 3-BYE-3 (9), DeMarco Murray: 1-1-0-1-BYE-2 (5)
This week looked like it would be Dez Bryant's day but he once again decided to make an early exit into obscurity in the second half. The good news for fantasy fanatics is that Miles Austin is healthy. Yes, he dropped some balls and had a so-so game, but he had 10 targets and was visible on the field for the whole game.
Felix Jones left the game early with a high ankle sprain and DeMarco Murray and Tashard Choice filled in for him. Murray saw 26 snaps to Choice's 25 and 12 looks to Choice's 10. That's a fairly even split, but Murray looked like the more decisive runner and if I had to guess as to who would lead in touches this week it would be Murray.
Denver Broncos
Eric Decker: 5-9-12-10-5-BYE (41), Brandon Lloyd: 11-dnp-7-11-4-BYE (33), Daniel Fells: 6-2-4-3-4-BYE (19), Willis McGahee: 7-2-5-2-1-BYE (17), Matt Willis: 2-4-3-1-3-BYE (13), Lance Ball: 1-1-5-2-0-BYE (9), Knowshon Moreno: 3-dnp-0-1-3-BYE (7)
Demaryius Thomas and Eddie Royal will be back in Week 7 and Brandon Lloyd will be playing for some other team. With Tim Tebow at the helm the offense gets a whole new look. Willis McGahee will start to lose out on some goal line opportunities and Eric Decker will get the most targets in the near future.
Knowshon Moreno did get three targets against the Chargers and turned one of those into a touchdown. He was also on the field for 20 plays while McGahee was in there on 25. It will be interesting how that sorts out with Tebow Time in full effect.
Detroit Lions
Calvin Johnson: 10-7-11-13-6-9 (56), Brandon Pettigrew: 6-3-13-9-5-14 (50), Jahvid Best: 5-8-7-8-4-8 (40), Nate Burleson: 5-9-2-4-4-10 (34), Titus Young: 1-7-8-5-4-5 (30), Tony Scheffler: 1-3-1-1-1-dnp (7), Maurice Morris: 2-0-2-0-1-1 (6)
This was the week of Nate Burleson's target revival. After not topping four targets in Weeks 3-5 he received a season high with 10 catching only four of them, but one for a touchdown. Brandon Pettigrew continues to see a goodly amount of looks with a team high 14. Pettigrew is the only non-Megatron receiver that we can rely on from week to week right now.
Jahvid Best had eight targets but also left late in the fourth quarter with a concussion. Maurice Morris saw 25 snaps to Keiland Williams' two in relief but the Lions just traded for Ronnie Brown so that muddies the situation quite a bit. If Best can't go this week Morris has the upper hand since he knows the offense, but Brown would most likely come in for goal line looks.
Green Bay Packers
Greg Jennings: 8-8-10-7-5-10 (48), Jermichael Finley: 4-6-8-6-7-4 (35), Jordy Nelson: 8-2-5-6-7-3 (31), Donald Driver: 7-1-2-4-2-5 (21), James Starks: 1-4-4-6-3-2 (20), James Jones: 1-2-6-3-7-1 (20), Randall Cobb: 2-2-1-3-2-0 (10), Ryan Grant: 1-3-1-dnp-1-2 (8)
Jordy Nelson and James Jones combined for four targets, three receptions, 139 yards and two touchdowns. This is a good example of how good Aaron Rodgers is and how it impacts the weekly value of his receivers. The receivers don't need many targets to get into the end zone, but the margin of error is pretty slim when there are so many viable options for Rodgers to target.
Houston Texans
Andre Johnson: 11-9-12-5-dnp-dnp (37), Owen Daniels: 2-5-9-7-11-3 (37), Jacoby Jones: 3-4-2-1-11-7 (28), Derrick Mason: 6-2-10-3-1-4 (26), Arian Foster: dnp-2-dnp-5-7-11 (25), Kevin Walter: 2-dnp-3-1-6-8 (20), Joel Dreessen: 1-2-1-1-9-2 (16), Ben Tate: 0-4-4-0-dnp-1 (9)
The Texans took on the tough Ravens defense last week so dump offs to Arian Foster and the short passing game in general were the norm. Kevin Walter and Jacoby Jones saw 15 targets together with Andre Johnson still out. Derrick Mason saw 29 snaps to their 59 and 64. It will be interesting to see if that number moves up.
Indianapolis Colts
Reggie Wayne: 11-8-13-8-7-6 (53), Pierre Garcon: 6-5-10-8-8-11 (48), Austin Collie: 3-10-7-7-2-6 (35), Dallas Clark: 5-8-6-4-5-7 (35), Joseph Addai: 4-4-2-2-1-dnp (13), Delone Carter: 0-0-1-0-3-1 (5)
Reggie Wayne still leads in total targets, but since Curtis Painter took over, Pierre Garcon has taken over as the most targeted receiver. Dallas Clark saw a little bump in targets with seven and caught six of them for 53 yards and a touchdown. This was his best game of the season and it's a nice sign that he didn't drop half of the targets.
Delone Carter played 27 snaps to Donald Brown's 33 and had 14 looks to Brown's 7. But to complicate the matter more Brown outplayed the rookie and scored a touchdown. Hope for Joseph Addai to come back healthy soon so you don't have to worry about these two.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Mike Thomas: 11-10-8-11-7-6 (53), Jason Hill: 5-dnp-5-9-7-3 (29), Marcedes Lewis: 3-dnp-2-7-4-8 (24), Maurice Jones-Drew: 0-4-3-4-0-3 (14), Deji Karim: 3-1-2-1-4-1 (12), Jarett Dillard: dnp-2-0-3-1-3 (9)
The Jaguars offense is looking like they are led by a rookie quarterback not named Cam Newton or Andy Dalton. Marcedes Lewis had a nice eight targets, his highest on the season! Yeehaw! Oh, but he only caught two for 29 yards, wha wha whomp. The Steelers pass defense is stout, but Gabbert and company didn’t even put up a fight.
Kansas City Chiefs
Dwayne Bowe: 8-8-6-9-11-BYE (42), Dexter McCluster: 5-5-6-4-2-BYE (22), Steve Breaston: 2-2-6-5-5-BYE (20), Leonard Pope: 6-3-3-1-3-BYE (16), Keary Colbert: 3-dnp-1-4-2-BYE (10), Jackie Battle: 1-0-1-1-2-BYE (5)
Dwayne Bowe abused the Colts secondary and deserved every one of his 11 targets and then some. He will continue to be the target hog. Breaston only had five targets, but turned those into two touchdowns. Dexter McCluster was only on the field for 12 snaps and is most likely going to start losing targets to Breaston.
The running back situation is fairly split, but Jackie Battle took over as the lead back as the game went on. Battle was on the field for 34 snaps and Thomas Jones for 29.
Miami Dolphins
Brandon Marshall: 13-11-7-8-BYE-13 (52), Davone Bess: 7-5-9-5-BYE-3 (29), Brian Hartline: 7-7-4-5-BYE-6 (29), Anthony Fasano: 6-2-2-4-BYE-2 (16), Reggie Bush: 10-1-1-2-BYE-2 (16)
Matt Moore was not good, but he targeted Brandon Marshall 13 times which is very good news for his fantasy value going forward, especially since the Dolphins passing game is going to struggle for the most part.
Daniel Thomas was on the field for 40 snaps to Reggie Bush's 19 but Bush had 78 total yards to Thomas' 59. Thomas will remain the early down back with Bush as a change of pace guy.
Minnesota Vikings
Percy Harvin: 4-8-5-7-2-9 (35), Visanthe Shiancoe: 1-7-2-8-6-7 (31), Michael Jenkins: 3-3-10-1-6-6 (29), Bernard Berrian: 2-4-5-6-dnp-7 (24), Devin Aromashodu: 0-2-2-2-5-2 (13), Kyle Rudolph: 1-1-3-4-0-3 (12), Adrian Peterson: 3-2-5-1-0-1 (12), Toby Gerhart: 0-1-2-1-0-2 (6)
Percy Harvin saw less snaps than the other receivers since he sat out some plays after the game got out of hand but still led the team with nine targets and seven receptions. Ponder is the new Vikings' quarterback and he targeted Harvin twice right out of the gate and Harvin caught both for 15 and 20 yards. The sample size is still too small to really know what will happen but the signs aren't horrible for Harvin right now.
New England Patriots
Wes Welker: 12-11-20-14-8-10 (75), Aaron Hernandez: 10-8-dnp-dnp-9-14 (41), Deion Branch: 9-10-3-4-8-5 (39), Rob Gronkowski: 7-6-9-5-4-7 (38), Chad Ochocinco: 3-2-4-2-3-1 (15), Danny Woodhead: 1-2-5-0-dnp-3 (11), BenJarvus Green-Ellis: 1-1-0-1-1-1 (5)
Thankfully this offense can supply enough work for Welker, Hernandez, Gronkowski and Branch who collectively totaled 36 targets and 24 receptions. Aaron Hernandez has returned from his injury at full force with 23 targets in his last two games.
It looked like Stevan Ridley would get a lot of work against Dallas with three carries on the first drive but it was all BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead after that. Ridley was only on the field for eight snaps whereas Green-Ellis and Woodhead were there for 30 and 32.
New Orleans Saints
Jimmy Graham: 7-7-8-14-12-11 (59), Darren Sproles: 9-10-9-7-7-11 (53), Robert Meachem: 8-4-8-6-5-2 (33), Marques Colston: 9-dnp-dnp-3-6-11 (29), Lance Moore: dnp-4-9-6-6-3 (28), Devery Henderson: 9-3-4-1-1-2 (20), Pierre Thomas: 5-4-1-4-3-1 (18), Mark Ingram: 0-0-2-2-2-1 (7)
Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles are both on pace for 104 receptions. That won't happen especially with Marques Colston back in the fold, but there are a lot of receptions going around in New Orleans. Graham, Sproles and Colston all had 11 targets against Tampa Bay and it looks like they are going to continue to be the most targeted receivers from week to week. Those other guys will need some injuries to go down.
New York Giants
Hakeem Nicks: 11-7-5-14-7-7 (51), Mario Manningham: 7-7-dnp-5-9-8 (36), Victor Cruz: 2-2-5-9-11-4 (33), Ahmad Bradshaw: 2-5-5-5-5-2 (24). Jake Ballard: 3-1-1-3-4-5 (17)
Victor Cruz came down to earth this week with only four targets after having 20 the two weeks before. He was on the field for 24 snaps to 53 for Manningham and 65 for Nicks. Manningham came excruciatingly close to scoring a couple touchdowns. And Jake Ballard also came within inches of a touchdown, but Ahmad Bradshaw hoarded them all for himself. This gave Eli Manning a big fat zero touchdowns. Oh the perils of fake football.
New York Jets
Dustin Keller: 8-6-9-8-2-5 (38), Santonio Holmes: 10-4-2-11-6-4 (37), Plaxico Burress: 9-2-6-8-8-4 (37), LaDainian Tomlinson: 7-2-6-3-1-4 (23), Derrick Mason: 6-2-10-3-1-dnp (22), Shonn Greene: 1-2-7-0-2-2 (14), Jeremy Kerley: 0-0-0-1-3-4 (8)
The Jets offense has stubbornly stuck to the ground and pound philosophy in the hopes of hiding their quarterback. In turn they have really hurt any value for the receiving game. Amazingly Santonio Holmes has found the end zone the last two weeks.
The focus on the ground game would make more sense if it was working but it really isn't. Shonn Greene is averaging 3.4 yards per carry while Ladainian Tomlinson is averaging 3.3.
Oakland Raiders
Darrius Heyward-Bey: 7-dnp-3-7-12-9 (38), Denarius Moore: 1-8-6-5-6-4 (30), Darren McFadden: 1-8-3-6-3-1 (22), Derek Hagan: dnp-8-3-5-3-0 (19), Jacoby Ford: 4-dnp-dnp-2-7-4 (17), Brandon Myers: 5-3-1-0-1-1 (11), Chaz Schilens: 0-1-4-1-3-0 (9)
With Jason Campbell breaking his collarbone and Kyle Boller coming in, there wasn't much hope for the passing game, but Darrius Heyward-Bey once again led the team in targets and receptions and is finally looking safe to own. And thankfully Kyle Boller is not going to be the Raiders quarterback for long! No, Carson Palmer is no savior, but he is better than Boller and should at least keep the status quo with some room for upward mobility.
Philadelphia Eagles
Jeremy Maclin: 3-15-7-11-8-7 (51), DeSean Jackson: 12-3-6-9-7-6 (43), Jason Avant: 7-4-5-8-10-4 (38), Brent Celek: 3-7-2-4-5-9 (30), LeSean McCoy: 3-4-3-9-7-4 (30)
Jeremy Maclin is the more complete wide receiver in Philadelphia and is showing it by averaging 8.5 targets and six receptions a game this season. Desean Jackson is a riskier proposition from week to week, especially in PPR leagues. But you knew that already.
Brent Celek saw his highest target total for the season with nine and found the end zone for the first time. This is a good sign for him, but we'll probably need to take a wait and see attitude for now.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Wallace: 11-9-7-4-7-6 (44), Antonio Brown: 9-6-8-10-4-2 (39), Hines Ward: 9-6-4-4-8-4 (35), Heath Miller: 5-3-6-3-4-6 (27), Emmanuel Sanders: 3-3-5-2-3-4 (20), Rashard Mendenhall: 1-2-4-2-dnp-0 (9)
This was Rashard Mendenhall's breakout for the season and the Steelers didn't need to do much passing. It's a good sign that when Ben Roethlisberger only completes 12 passes that Mike Wallace goes for 76 yards and a touchdown. He is averaging 5.5 receptions and over 100 yards a game to go along with four touchdowns. That's good. After him there is not much consistency with Ward, Brown and Sanders all competing for targets.
San Diego Chargers
Vincent Jackson: 3-15-8-4-6-BYE (36), Mike Tolbert: 9-9-5-8-3-BYE (34), Malcom Floyd: 8-2-5-3-7-BYE (25), Ryan Mathews: 5-9-4-5-1-BYE (24), Randy McMichael: 3-1-5-6-6-BYE (21), Antonio Gates: 13-1-dnp-dnp-dnp-BYE (14), Patrick Crayton: dnp-dnp-7-1-2-BYE (10), Jacob Hester: 4-0-2-0- 2-BYE (8) With Champ Bailey doing his best Champ Bailey impersonation on Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd was able to see more work than usual.
For the most part Jackson will be the man, but not until after he faces the Jets and Revis this week.
The running back situation was a little screwy with the concussion to Mike Tolbert and the multiple injuries to Ryan Mathews.
Jacob Hester came in and looked capable, but the pecking order is pretty clear now if these guys can stay healthy. After the bye these guys should all be ready to go.
Seattle Seahawks
Ben Obomanu: 6-6-2-4-10-BYE (28), Doug Baldwin: 6-2-4-6-9-BYE (27), Sidney Rice: dnp-dnp-10-6-5-BYE (21), Marshawn Lynch: 2-2-3-4-6-BYE (17), Justin Forsett: 5-3-3-4-1-BYE (16), Zach Miller: 4-2-3-6-0-BYE (15), Mike Williams: 5-3-1-5-dnp-BYE (14), Golden Tate: 5-2-3-0-3-BYE (13), Anthony McCoy: 3-3-0-0-6-BYE (12)
Marshawn Lynch had 18 looks and the most receiving targets he's had all season. He used to be a receiving threat back in the good old days so this is a good sign. The breakdown of wide receiver targets continues to be erratic from week to week, but Doug Baldwin is slowly moving up the target totem pole and as long as Sidney Rice continues to get attention Baldwin is worth keeping a close eye on in PPR leagues.
San Francisco 49ers
Michael Crabtree: 2-dnp-6-9-5-15 (37), Vernon Davis: 6-2-9-6-3-2 (28), Josh Morgan: 2-5-4-3-6-dnp (20), Frank Gore: 4-3-2-2-2-5 (18), Delanie Walker: 1-4-2-3-3-3 (16), Ted Ginn: 0-7-0-1-0-5 (13)
I mentioned that Crabtree was crab walking his way up the target tree and then he gets a whole slew of targets against the Lions. Of course the running game is what moves that offense, but 15 targets is going to get my aunt Betty on PPR radars.
Vernon Davis only had two targets while he was helping fight off the Lions pass rush. He is susceptible to these types of games this season and looking at the effectiveness of the opponent's pass rush may be worthwhile in analyzing his weekly matchup.
St. Louis Rams
Danario Alexander: dnp-7-8-8-BYE-10 (33), Brandon Gibson: 5-8-7-1-BYE-10 (31), Mike Sims-Walker: 4-11-6-6-BYE-dnp (27), Lance Kendricks: 5-4-3 -9-BYE-6 (27), Greg Salas: 3-8-dnp-dnp-BYE-10 (21), Cadillac Williams: 10-5-2-dnp-BYE-3 (20), Steven Jackson: 0-dnp-1-8-BYE-5 (14)
The Rams just traded for Brandon Lloyd and he will most likely move right into the starting lineup and take many of Danario Alexander's targets away from him but Greg Salas should continue to see a decent number of targets in the slot. If and when Mark Clayton returns Salas' status might get cloudy, but really any receiver not name Lloyd will need to fight and gouge out eyes to get targets.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Williams: 10-4-9-8-9-13 (53), Kellen Winslow: 8-8-4-6-9-10 (45), Earnest Graham: 9-5-8-6-0-2 (30), Preston Parker: 6-7-1-7-3-5 (29), Arrelious Benn: 7-2-4-1-4-6 (24), Dezmon Briscoe: 2-4-0-0-2-2 (10), Luke Stocker: 1-1-2-4-dnp-dnp (8), LeGarrette Blount: 0-0-3-2-3-dnp (8)
Mike Williams is having trouble getting into the end zone, but not getting targets. Unfortunately he caught only six of 13 which, if my math is correct, is less than 50 percent and he only had 59 yards. Arrelious Benn on the other hand was only targeted six times and caught three for 83 yards and a touchdown. Williams is getting extra attention and also not making much happen after the catch. You can't give up on him when he is still getting so much attention. As long as he has the faith of the offensive coordinator and quarterback he has to be on fantasy teams.
Tennessee Titans
Nate Washington: 7-11-9-4-8-BYE (39), Kenny Britt: 10-13-3-dnp-dnp-BYE (26), Chris Johnson: 7-5-7-2-3-BYE (24), Jared Cook: 2-3-2-6-9-BYE (22), Lavelle Hawkins: 0-4-5-4-8-BYE (21)m Damian Williams: 2-dnp-3-4-11-BYE (20), Javon Ringer: dnp-2-2-0-6-BYE (10)
The Steelers pass defense has been very strong this season so it's hard to put too much stock in the production from their last game, but seeing Jared Cook get 9 targets is a great sign. He has the ability to be a top tight end in this league and as long as the targets are there he will produce.
Damian Williams took a step forward with 11 targets and his second touchdown in as many weeks. Yes, Matt Hasselbeck had more attempts than he usually will, but Williams is the clear No. 2 receiver now.
And don't forget about Nate Washington either. He hasn't had a great matchup since Kenny Britt left. When he gets some room to roam he should be able to produce.
Washington Redskins
Santana Moss: 8-9-8-10-BYE-6 (41), Jabar Gaffney: 7-8-6-4-BYE-10 (35), Fred Davis: 6-7-3-6-BYE-11 (33), Tim Hightower: 3-2-6-3-BYE-dnp (14), Chris Cooley: 3-2-5-2-BYE-1 (13), Roy Helu: 0-4-2-0-BYE-4 (10), Anthony Armstrong: 6-4-0-dnp-BYE-dnp (10), Donte' Stallworth: dnp-5-dnp-1-BYE-3 (9)
In yet another confusing quarterback situation we saw John Beck come in for the struggling/inept Rex Grossman. In relief Beck targeted Gaffney, Moss and Davis about the same as Grossman had. Those three are the receivers that have the value of course, but Fred Davis might have the most value since he is a tight end and and has more receiving yards than either Moss or Gaffney.
The running back situation is, as usual, frustrating. Tim Hightower did not play due to a shoulder injury, but it’s hard to say how much he would have played even if he was a full go. Ryan Torain only averaged 2.2 yards per carry on 10 rushes, but Grossman put them in a hole time after time. Roy Helu is the back with the most upside, but reading the Shanahan tea leaves is often fruitless.