Week 3 Target Watch – AFC

Jacksonville Jaguars

Laurent Robinson: 9-6 (15), Justin Blackmon: 6-4 (10), Cecil Shorts: 7-2 (9), Maurice Jones-Drew: 5-3 (8), Marcedes Lewis: 5-0 (5), Mike Thomas: 1-3 (4), Montell Owens: 3-0 (3), Greg Jones: 2-1 (3), Zach Potter: 0-2 (2), Rashad Jennings: 1-dnp (1)

The Houston Texan’s defense of week two was the polar opposite of the Minnesota Vikings defense of week one and Blaine Gabbert felt it more keenly than us bystanders can imagine. The good news is, it looks like he will be better against bad defenses than he was last year.

We really didn’t learn much from this last game since they finished with a franchise record tying 117 total yards. And of course 67 of those yards and the lone touchdown came from Maurice Jones-Drew.

Like last season, there are no offensive players you can count on other than MJD.

Kansas City Chiefs

Dwayne Bowe: 6-15 (21), Dexter McCluster: 10-5 (15), Tony Moeaki: 6-4 (10), Peyton Hillis: 3-3 (6), Jon Baldwin: 0-6 (6), Steve Breaston: 4-1 (5), Shaun Draughn: 2-2 (4), Jamaal Charles: 0-4 (4), Kevin Boss: 2-1 (3)

Dwyane Bowe was the story of week two. Dexter McCluster was the story of week one. I think Dwayne Bowe wins the headlines from here on out. The more Bowe, the less McCluster.

Jon Baldwin saw a nice leap in targets from zilch to six and ended up catching three of them for 62 yards. He will also hurt McCluster’s targets unfortunately. Bowe seems like the only consistent receiver except in great matchups like the Saints this week.

The splits between Peyton Hillis and Jamaal Charles are harder to wrap our brains around. Charles had some soreness in his surgically repaired knee, which probably was the reason Hillis saw 34 snaps to Charles’ 21. They will continue to split snaps until one shows they are superior. That should be JC Superstar, but a lot depends on his knee.

Miami Dolphins

Brian Hartline: 8-12 (20), Davone Bess: 7-6 (13), Reggie Bush: 6-4 (10), Anthony Fasano: 5-3 (8), Charles Clay: 1-3 (4), Legedu Naanee: 2-1 (3), Anthony Armstrong: 3-dnp (3), Daniel Thomas: 3-dnp (3), Jorvorskie Lane: 1-0 (1)

Brian Hartline and Reggie Bush led the way as the Dolphins mangled the Raiders. Bush is easily the centerpiece of the offense, but they hope they have found a number one receiver in Hartline. His 20 targets rank him ninth out of all wide receivers and with little competition, he should continue to get targets.

Reggie Bush ranks 6th out of all running backs for targets and if you add those opportunities to his average of 20 carries a game, he’s set up for good fantasy numbers each week.

New England Patriots

Brandon Lloyd: 8-13 (21), Wes Welker: 5-11 (16), Rob Gronkowski: 6-9 (15), Aaron Hernandez: 7-1 (8), Julian Edelman: 2-6 (8), Stevan Ridley: 3-4 (7), Danny Woodhead: 0-1 (1)

The Patriots offense has yet to find their footing, so these numbers are a bit in flux, especially with the loss of Aaron Hernandez early against the Cardinals.

The good news is that if you own Brandon Lloyd, you can expect a huge game at any moment now. He obviously leads in targets and has just been missed by a Brady a few times. When they get on target, which they will, watch out.

Wes Welker didn’t start, but after Hernandez went down he came in and had 11 targets. Whatever the reasoning behind his ’demotion’ it doesn’t really matter now. Eleven targets are eleven targets.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis had 13 targets all last year while Stevan Ridley has 7 already. That is awesome news for Ridley’s fantasy prospects.

New York Jets

Santonio Holmes: 8-11 (19), Jeff Cumberland: 4-5 (9), Jeremy Kerley: 4-4 (8), Stephen Hill: 6-2 (8), Bilal Powell: 1-2 (3), Chaz Schilens: 1-0 (1), Dustin Keller: 1-dnp (1), Shonn Greene: 1-0 (1), Clyde Gates: dnp-1 (1)

So Jeff Cumberland is second in targets for the Jets. That’s not really what you want.

It looks like Santonio Holmes continues to be the only Jets receiver you can safely roster and even then you can’t really safely start him.

Bilal Powell was on the field more than Shonn Greene, but that’s because Greene was shaken up after a hit.  But Powell looks like he has a little more life in his legs and I could see them splitting work soon.

Oakland Raiders

Darren McFadden: 18-7 (25), Rod Streater: 10-3 (13), Darrius Heyward-Bey: 5-8 (13), Brandon Myers: 5-6 (11), Denarius Moore: dnp-8 (8), Derek Hagan: 5-2 (7), Marcel Reece: 2-3 (5), David Ausberry: 1-3 (4), Richard Gordon: 0-4 (4), Mike Goodson: 0-3 (3)

I truly don’t know what to make of this Raiders team yet. They have a ton of offensive upside, but just can’t get moving. Darren McFadden leads the team in yardage and he’s rushed for 54 yards on 26 carries. I don’t even want to do the math! Yeah, he’s gotten most of his yards through the air, but still!

Denarius Moore returned to the lineup and had eight targets. That’s decent news I guess. Especially because Moore is easily their most explosive receiver. If he can get healthy and stay healthy, we may have something here.

Tight end Brandon Myers has been a bit of a revelation so far. He’s had 11 targets and caught all 11 for 151 yards. If he had gotten into the end zone, he’d be in everyone’s waiver wire articles.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Antonio Brown: 8-10 (18), Emmanuel Sanders: 8-4 (12), Mike Wallace: 6-5 (11), Heath Miller: 7-3 (10), Jonathan Dwyer: 4-2 (6), Isaac Redman: 2-1 (3), Chris Rainey: 1-2 (3), Jerricho Cotchery: 1-2 (3), Leonard Pope: 0-1 (1), Will Johnson: dnp-1 (1)

Antonio Brown is getting the targets in Pittsburgh, but hasn’t been able to get into the end zone, much like last season. I think it’s just a matter of time before he starts scoring though.

Emmanuel Sanders is the no doubt #3 receiver now, which will help open things up for everyone on the field, but he’ll drop below Wallace in targets soon. He’s going to have trouble being consistent.

The running back situation is a complete mess with Dwyer and Redman splitting carries and sucking at the same time. Add to that Rashard Mendenhall will likely be back in week 5 and you have a cluster of running backs to not want to own.

San Diego Chargers

Malcom Floyd: 6-8 (14), Ronnie Brown: 5-4 (9), Curtis Brinkley: 5-4 (9), Antonio Gates: 8-dnp (8), Robert Meachem: 2-4 (6), Dante Rosario: 1-4 (5), Eddie Royal: 2-3 (5), Le'Ron McClain: 4-0 (4), Randy McMichael: 0-4 (4), Ladarius Green: dnp-1 (1)

Brown, Brinkley and McClain have 20 receptions on 22 targets. That bodes well for young Mr. Mathews once he returns to full force, which hopefully happens this week.

Malcom Floyd continues to be the target leader, but that’s likely because Gates was out last week. Floyd isn’t going to become a PPR stud anytime soon since Rivers spreads the ball around very well, but he will be a force in the red zone where he has four targets already this season.

Tennessee Titans

Kendall Wright: 6-8 (14), Damian Williams: 6-6 (12), Jared Cook: 6-6 (12), Chris Johnson: 7-3 (10), Nate Washington: 8-2 (10), Darius Reynaud: 4-0 (4), Lavelle Hawkins: 4-0 (4), Craig Stevens: 1-1 (2), Kenny Britt: dnp-2 (2), Jamie Harper: 1-dnp (1), Taylor Thompson: 0-1 (1)

The Titans have looked about as awful as any team this year, but they have more talent on offense than most teams. That gives me at least some hope for a turnaround. That and the fact that Kenny Britt should be back this week. He was “back” last week, but for only 19 plays and two targets. Nate Washington played, but was iffy to play going in and then only had two targets. Kendall Wright, Damian Williams and Jared Cook led the way. They need their full complement of players to be successful.

Chris Johnson has no excuses left for being horrible, so I’m just going to not talk about how horrible he is so maybe a miracle will happen while I sleep. (Think Christmas)

Snap count data comes from our friends at Pro Football Focus and red zone data from our other friends at The Football Guys.

Welcome to the AFC version of Target Watch. You will find all of the AFC teams below, with all of their passing targets, plus some snap count data and words my brain neuroned together after analyzing the NFC teams on Wednesday.

With two weeks of data under our hat I’ll be showing y’all per-week targets and the total number of targets. So for Dennis Pitta you’ll see “Dennis Pitta: 9-15 (24).” That means he had nine targets week one, fifteen targets week two, for a total of 24 targets. Addition!!

But before we get to all of these AFC teams, let me give you the top players for red zone targets and carries. Look at this handy dandy chart below.

        Red Zone Targets                           Red Zone Targets                        Red Zone Carries

I’ll let you mull over this red zone chart, but I do want you to pay close attention to the Black Unicorn (Bennett), because he’s on the touchdown radar big time. Oh and these Chargers sure like their running backs. I wonder if that Ryan Mathews fella can do some damage at some point? Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Onto the targets!!!

Baltimore Ravens

Dennis Pitta: 9-15 (24), Ray Rice: 4-10 (14), Anquan Boldin: 5-4 (9), Torrey Smith: 3-5 (8), Ed Dickson: 3-4 (7), Jacoby Jones: 3-2 (5), Vonta Leach: 3-1 (4), Deonte Thompson: 2-0 (2), Tandon Doss: 0-1 (1)

Who is the target leader for all tight ends? You guessed it, Dennis Pitta, that’s who! And where does he sit in the fantasy tight end rankings? Ninth! Yes! Oh wait, that’s not that great, but it is good, so don’t get all huffy. I side with the targets here and if the targets are there, the fantasy points will come along for the ride.

I’m starting to wonder if Torrey Smith decided to get on board though. Right now he is behind Jacoby Jones and Anquan Boldin in fantasy points. He’s up there with Boldin in targets with eight to his nine, but if he’s getting so few targets he must get into the end zone to be relevant. If we see another five targets or less day against New England, who they should throw against, I’ll be worried.

Ray Rice isn’t getting the rushing attempts his owners want (and deserve!), but he does have nine receptions on 14 targets, which keeps him in prime fantasy territory.

Buffalo Bills

Stevie Johnson: 10-5 (15), Scott Chandler: 6-5 (11), Donald Jones: 7-3 (10), C.J. Spiller: 3-3 (6), David Nelson: 5-dnp (5), Tashard Choice: 0-1 (1), Brad Smith: dnp-1 (1), Lee Smith: 1-0 (1), T.J. Graham: dnp-1 (1)

The Bills didn’t need to air it out against the Chiefs on Sunday because C.J. Spiller hung the Chiefs out to dry. So it’s difficult to see exactly how many targets David Nelson’s replacement, Donald Jones might have had if Fitzpatrick would have thrown more than 19 times.

The good news is for Scott Chandler who managed to up his targets, at least in relation to the other receivers. If he can continue being targeted around the second most on the team, he could become a consistent fantasy option.

Cincinnati Bengals

A.J. Green: 11-12 (23), Jermaine Gresham: 8-5 (13), Andrew Hawkins: 9-3 (12), Armon Binns: 5-5 (10), BenJarvus Green-Ellis: 2-3 (5), Brandon Tate: 2-3 (5)

A.J. Green continues to get his targets in a consistent way. Last year he started out the first three weeks with targets of 4, 14, and 5. If he sees double digits a third straight week, he should easily be a top-5 receiver this season.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis saw a single uptick in targets, which is actually great news for his prospects, especially if he catches each one like he did last week. He hardly saw a target as a Patriot, so this aspect of his game would help him gain more PPR relevance.

Jermaine Gresham’s three red zone targets week one dropped to zero last week. He’s been a consistent red zone target for Dalton, so I think this is probably an anomaly.

Andrew Hawkins proved he could be a factor on just three targets, a big drop from last week. I hate to see the drop, but he looks like the real deal, so his numbers should go back up.

Cleveland Browns

Mohamed Massaquoi: 8-7 (15), Greg Little: 4-7 (11), Trent Richardson: 3-5 (8), Josh Gordon: 4-3 (7), Travis Benjamin: 6-0 (6), Chris Ogbonnaya: dnp-6 (6), Alex Smith: 1-4 (5), Brandon Jackson: 4-dnp (4), Ben Watson: 2-1 (3), Owen Marecic: 2-1 (3), Josh Cribbs: 0-2 (2), Jordan Cameron: 1-0 (1)

We have a bit of a dilemma here. Week one Brandon Weeden was totally overwhelmed by the Eagles defense, but in week two, he looked great against the Bengals, so far, not so good defense. That also coincided with Trent Richardson breaking out, so chicken meet egg. But if you believe Weeden is closer to week two Weeden, then we need to start taking a closer look at these receivers.

The target and reception numbers favor Massaquoi, but he hasn’t found the end zone like Little has, so people aren’t as keen on him and his post-post-sleeperness. I’d say he has just as much a chance as Little and Gordon of breaking out if Weeden can play well.

Chris Ogbonnaya had a crazy six targets and six receptions last week, but Richardson was still in on 21 pass plays compared to Ogbonnaya’s 14. It looks like they will be splitting receiving work for the time being.

Denver Broncos

Demaryius Thomas: 7-11 (18), Eric Decker: 7-8 (15), Brandon Stokley: 3-6 (9), Jacob Tamme: 5-4 (9), Joel Dreessen: 2-2 (4), Willis McGahee: 1-2 (3), Lance Ball: 0-2 (2), Matt Willis: 1-1 (2)

So far Demaryius Thomas is the guy and the guy behind the guy (who’s standing next to Decker) in receptions, yards and touchdowns. There’s no reason to think otherwise going forward. Eric Decker is still useful, but Thomas’ upside is higher week in and week out.

Joel Dreessen was on the field 59 times to Jacob Tamme’s 27, but Tamme had four targets to Dreessen’s two. Right now I’m shying away from both.

Houston Texans

Owen Daniels: 8-9 (17), Andre Johnson: 10-4 (14), Arian Foster: 3-7 (10), Ben Tate: 3-4 (7), Kevin Walter: 2-4 (6), James Casey: 2-4 (6), Keshawn Martin: 1-2 (3), Lestar Jean: 2-0 (2), Garrett Graham: 0-1 (1)

Last week was a rushing parade with Arian Foster and Ben Tate as co-grand marshals. Tate was on the field for 22 plays compared to Foster’s 58. So far Foster has 52 carries and seven targets to Tate’s 12 carries and seven targets. The two to one touchdown lead by Tate will not last.

Andre Johnson’s lack of targets was disappointing, but as long as he’s healthy, you just go onto the next game and collect your fantasy points.

Owen Daniels is the leader in targets, and even though he will go back to second on that list at some point, it’s worth taking notice. In games where they need to pass more, Daniels will be useful in fantasy.

Right now the hopefulness surrounding Lestar Jean and Keshawn Martin was only that. Hope in one hand; pick up Donnie Avery in the other.

Indianapolis Colts

Reggie Wayne: 18-7 (25), Donnie Avery: 8-10 (18), Coby Fleener: 10-4 (14), Kris Adams: 4-3 (7), Mewelde Moore: 1-2 (3), Donald Brown: 2-0 (2), Vick Ballard: 0-1 (1), Dwayne Allen: 0-1 (1), LaVon Brazill: 1-dnp (1), T.Y. Hilton: dnp-1 (1)

Andrew Luck’s 76 pass attempts ranks 8th overall, which is good news for Wayne, Fleener, Avery and/or maybe someday Collie. Those are the only guys worth owning on your team right now and they have decent upsides with Luck and the Indianapolis defense helping them out.

Donald Brown of course is the starter and probably needs to be on teams, but only as a desperation start. Right now he is giving up a lot of work to Vick Ballard and neither are doing much that’s productive.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Laurent Robinson: 9-6 (15), Justin Blackmon: 6-4 (10), Cecil Shorts: 7-2 (9), Maurice Jones-Drew: 5-3 (8), Marcedes Lewis: 5-0 (5), Mike Thomas: 1-3 (4), Montell Owens: 3-0 (3), Greg Jones: 2-1 (3), Zach Potter: 0-2 (2), Rashad Jennings: 1-dnp (1)

The Houston Texan’s defense of week two was the polar opposite of the Minnesota Vikings defense of week one and Blaine Gabbert felt it more keenly than us bystanders can imagine. The good news is, it looks like he will be better against bad defenses than he was last year.

We really didn’t learn much from this last game since they finished with a franchise record tying 117 total yards. And of course 67 of those yards and the lone touchdown came from Maurice Jones-Drew.

Like last season, there are no offensive players you can count on other than MJD.

Kansas City Chiefs

Dwayne Bowe: 6-15 (21), Dexter McCluster: 10-5 (15), Tony Moeaki: 6-4 (10), Peyton Hillis: 3-3 (6), Jon Baldwin: 0-6 (6), Steve Breaston: 4-1 (5), Shaun Draughn: 2-2 (4), Jamaal Charles: 0-4 (4), Kevin Boss: 2-1 (3)

Dwyane Bowe was the story of week two. Dexter McCluster was the story of week one. I think Dwayne Bowe wins the headlines from here on out. The more Bowe, the less McCluster.

Jon Baldwin saw a nice leap in targets from zilch to six and ended up catching three of them for 62 yards. He will also hurt McCluster’s targets unfortunately. Bowe seems like the only consistent receiver except in great matchups like the Saints this week.

The splits between Peyton Hillis and Jamaal Charles are harder to wrap our brains around. Charles had some soreness in his surgically repaired knee, which probably was the reason Hillis saw 34 snaps to Charles’ 21. They will continue to split snaps until one shows they are superior. That should be JC Superstar, but a lot depends on his knee.

Miami Dolphins

Brian Hartline: 8-12 (20), Davone Bess: 7-6 (13), Reggie Bush: 6-4 (10), Anthony Fasano: 5-3 (8), Charles Clay: 1-3 (4), Legedu Naanee: 2-1 (3), Anthony Armstrong: 3-dnp (3), Daniel Thomas: 3-dnp (3), Jorvorskie Lane: 1-0 (1)

Brian Hartline and Reggie Bush led the way as the Dolphins mangled the Raiders. Bush is easily the centerpiece of the offense, but they hope they have found a number one receiver in Hartline. His 20 targets rank him ninth out of all wide receivers and with little competition, he should continue to get targets.

Reggie Bush ranks 6th out of all running backs for targets and if you add those opportunities to his average of 20 carries a game, he’s set up for good fantasy numbers each week.

New England Patriots

Brandon Lloyd: 8-13 (21), Wes Welker: 5-11 (16), Rob Gronkowski: 6-9 (15), Aaron Hernandez: 7-1 (8), Julian Edelman: 2-6 (8), Stevan Ridley: 3-4 (7), Danny Woodhead: 0-1 (1)

The Patriots offense has yet to find their footing, so these numbers are a bit in flux, especially with the loss of Aaron Hernandez early against the Cardinals.

The good news is that if you own Brandon Lloyd, you can expect a huge game at any moment now. He obviously leads in targets and has just been missed by a Brady a few times. When they get on target, which they will, watch out.

Wes Welker didn’t start, but after Hernandez went down he came in and had 11 targets. Whatever the reasoning behind his ’demotion’ it doesn’t really matter now. Eleven targets are eleven targets.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis had 13 targets all last year while Stevan Ridley has 7 already. That is awesome news for Ridley’s fantasy prospects.

New York Jets

Santonio Holmes: 8-11 (19), Jeff Cumberland: 4-5 (9), Jeremy Kerley: 4-4 (8), Stephen Hill: 6-2 (8), Bilal Powell: 1-2 (3), Chaz Schilens: 1-0 (1), Dustin Keller: 1-dnp (1), Shonn Greene: 1-0 (1), Clyde Gates: dnp-1 (1)

So Jeff Cumberland is second in targets for the Jets. That’s not really what you want.

It looks like Santonio Holmes continues to be the only Jets receiver you can safely roster and even then you can’t really safely start him.

Bilal Powell was on the field more than Shonn Greene, but that’s because Greene was shaken up after a hit.  But Powell looks like he has a little more life in his legs and I could see them splitting work soon.

Oakland Raiders

Darren McFadden: 18-7 (25), Rod Streater: 10-3 (13), Darrius Heyward-Bey: 5-8 (13), Brandon Myers: 5-6 (11), Denarius Moore: dnp-8 (8), Derek Hagan: 5-2 (7), Marcel Reece: 2-3 (5), David Ausberry: 1-3 (4), Richard Gordon: 0-4 (4), Mike Goodson: 0-3 (3)

I truly don’t know what to make of this Raiders team yet. They have a ton of offensive upside, but just can’t get moving. Darren McFadden leads the team in yardage and he’s rushed for 54 yards on 26 carries. I don’t even want to do the math! Yeah, he’s gotten most of his yards through the air, but still!

Denarius Moore returned to the lineup and had eight targets. That’s decent news I guess. Especially because Moore is easily their most explosive receiver. If he can get healthy and stay healthy, we may have something here.

Tight end Brandon Myers has been a bit of a revelation so far. He’s had 11 targets and caught all 11 for 151 yards. If he had gotten into the end zone, he’d be in everyone’s waiver wire articles.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Antonio Brown: 8-10 (18), Emmanuel Sanders: 8-4 (12), Mike Wallace: 6-5 (11), Heath Miller: 7-3 (10), Jonathan Dwyer: 4-2 (6), Isaac Redman: 2-1 (3), Chris Rainey: 1-2 (3), Jerricho Cotchery: 1-2 (3), Leonard Pope: 0-1 (1), Will Johnson: dnp-1 (1)

Antonio Brown is getting the targets in Pittsburgh, but hasn’t been able to get into the end zone, much like last season. I think it’s just a matter of time before he starts scoring though.

Emmanuel Sanders is the no doubt #3 receiver now, which will help open things up for everyone on the field, but he’ll drop below Wallace in targets soon. He’s going to have trouble being consistent.

The running back situation is a complete mess with Dwyer and Redman splitting carries and sucking at the same time. Add to that Rashard Mendenhall will likely be back in week 5 and you have a cluster of running backs to not want to own.

San Diego Chargers

Malcom Floyd: 6-8 (14), Ronnie Brown: 5-4 (9), Curtis Brinkley: 5-4 (9), Antonio Gates: 8-dnp (8), Robert Meachem: 2-4 (6), Dante Rosario: 1-4 (5), Eddie Royal: 2-3 (5), Le'Ron McClain: 4-0 (4), Randy McMichael: 0-4 (4), Ladarius Green: dnp-1 (1)

Brown, Brinkley and McClain have 20 receptions on 22 targets. That bodes well for young Mr. Mathews once he returns to full force, which hopefully happens this week.

Malcom Floyd continues to be the target leader, but that’s likely because Gates was out last week. Floyd isn’t going to become a PPR stud anytime soon since Rivers spreads the ball around very well, but he will be a force in the red zone where he has four targets already this season.

Tennessee Titans

Kendall Wright: 6-8 (14), Damian Williams: 6-6 (12), Jared Cook: 6-6 (12), Chris Johnson: 7-3 (10), Nate Washington: 8-2 (10), Darius Reynaud: 4-0 (4), Lavelle Hawkins: 4-0 (4), Craig Stevens: 1-1 (2), Kenny Britt: dnp-2 (2), Jamie Harper: 1-dnp (1), Taylor Thompson: 0-1 (1)

The Titans have looked about as awful as any team this year, but they have more talent on offense than most teams. That gives me at least some hope for a turnaround. That and the fact that Kenny Britt should be back this week. He was “back” last week, but for only 19 plays and two targets. Nate Washington played, but was iffy to play going in and then only had two targets. Kendall Wright, Damian Williams and Jared Cook led the way. They need their full complement of players to be successful.

Chris Johnson has no excuses left for being horrible, so I’m just going to not talk about how horrible he is so maybe a miracle will happen while I sleep. (Think Christmas)

Snap count data comes from our friends at Pro Football Focus and red zone data from our other friends at The Football Guys.