Week 7 Wide Receiver/Tight End Targets: You "Bess" Throw Me The Ball

RB Targets | WR/TE Targets

 

For the 3^rd week in a row, we have a fluke atop the targets' leaderboard.  The previous two were Early Doucet and Michael Crabtree, and this week Davone Bess graces us with his presence for the first time in the 2011 season.  After catching 79 balls in 2010, making him a serviceable PPR asset, Bess is on pace for just 64 receptions and 750 yards.  Still without a touchdown reception in 2011, there is still time to get back onto his 2010 pace, but I’d bet the under with Matt Moore under center for the remainder of the season.

Here’s a look at how the rest of the receivers and tight ends fared in week 7.

 

Heroes

• Brandon Lloyd’s change of scenery brought with it a season high 12 targets with A.J. Feeley under center.  Once Sam Bradford gets healthy, I like imagining what he and Lloyd will be able to get going.  St. Louis, despite all of their problems offensively and defensively, has been plagued by their lackluster production at the wide receiver position.
• Heroes as far as targets go, Kellen Winslow and Anquan Boldin both saw 12 targets but caught only 4 of them.  Put one in the column for “inept quarterback play.” 
• For the second week in a row, Greg Jennings has seen double digit targets.  Based on his past inconsistencies, he was a guy I avoided at draft time.  His production through the first 7 weeks though has him as the #4 wide receiver in PPR.  Unlike years past, Jennings is producing consistently on a weekly basis.
• Roddy White saved a mediocre day by finding the endzone for the 3^rd time this season.  Without Julio Jones, one would have thought he’d be in for some big weeks.  Roddy’s catch percentage (56.5%) and touchdown percentage (4.4%) are down big time from his huge 2010 (64.2% and 5.6%, respectively).  Part of this can be blamed on the poor quarterback play from Matt Ryan.
• Calvin Johnson just continues to get it done on a weekly basis.  Megatron currently has an absurd 10 touchdowns through 7 weeks, making Johnny’s call of Megatron to my Fitzgerald as the first WR off the board look like a no-brainer.
• Antonio Brown had a career day with 7 catches for 102 yards on 9 targets.  It’s worth noting that Hines Ward exited this game with an ankle injury.  As good as Hines Ward is, he’s just old, and the Steelers’ passing attack is clearly at its best when Wallace, Brown, and Sanders are on the field.  
• Marques Colston was perfect, with 7 catches on all 7 targets, reeling in two touchdowns in a rout of the Colts.  Like Jennings, he’s starting to show some more consistency on a weekly basis as Brees shows a willingness to favor him in the passing game.
•  Brandon Marshall does not know how to score touchdowns, but his catch/yardage numbers will keep him going as a decent WR2 in PPR leagues.  Marshall has seen 23 targets from Matt Moore in the 2 weeks since he took over.

Zeroes

• Vincent Jackson’s lone catch on 8 targets led to the 3rd time in 6 games that VJax has failed to produce double digit points.  He did have the Revis treatment, however, and he’ll face a Chiefs’ team that he’s historically performed well against in week 8 to try to get back on track.  He's an ideal buy-low candidate.
• Andre Roberts, once thought to be a high upside sleeper, continues to be brutal.  Averaging just over 4 targets and 2 catches a week, it’s time to pull the plug on this failed experiment.
• I was as high on Austin Collie as anyone this offseason…Peyton Manning’s Austin Collie, not Curtis Painter’s.  He has finally hit the waiver wire in the leagues I owned him in.
• Anyone who thought Ben Watson would be a decent bye week fill-in at tight end was left disappointed, as the Seahawks and Browns put on one of the most disgraceful displays of football ever seen.  Just a mid-range TE2, Watson is as hit-and-miss as they come.
• Guess who isn’t on this list?  A man by the name of Dallas Clark.  Once the perennial PPR tight end goldmine, he might as well have a bad disc in his neck like Peyton, because he is nonexistent in the Colts’ offense.
• After teasing fantasy owners in week 6, Arrelious Benn followed up his best game of the season with his worst, catching 0 balls on 1 target.  Outside of Mike Williams, who carries some risk of his own but has gotten it going in recent weeks, none of the Bucs receivers should be in your lineup.
• Facing a terrible Rams’ team, Miles Austin owners were punished with a 2 catch day on 5 targets.  With the Cowboys finally able to establish the run, there was just no volume in the passing game.  Needless to say, this won’t be the case going forward.
• Nobody should own Jacksonville’s Cecil Shorts III, but it’s worth pointing out that he was touted by some people close to the Jacksonville organization as the number 2 wide receiver coming out of training camp.  With 0 catches on 6 targets to this point, I think it’s safe to say they jumped the gun on that one.

Rank	Player	REC	TGTS	CT%
1	Davone Bess , MIA	7	12	58.3%
1	Brandon Lloyd , STL	6	12	50.0%
1	Anquan Boldin , BAL	4	12	33.3%
1	Kellen Winslow, TB	4	12	33.3%
5	Mike Williams , TB	6	11	54.5%
5	Calvin Johnson , DET	5	11	45.5%
5	Darius Heyward-Bey, OAK	5	11	45.5%
8	Greg Jennings , GB	7	10	70.0%
8	Dezmon Briscoe , TB	6	10	60.0%
8	Dwayne Bowe , KC	6	10	60.0%
8	Roddy White , ATL	5	10	50.0%
8	Larry Fitzgerald , ARI	4	10	40.0%
8	Demaryius Thomas , DEN	3	10	30.0%
14	Antonio Brown , PIT	7	9	77.8%
14	Steve Smith , CAR	7	9	77.8%
14	Brandon Marshall , MIA	6	9	66.7%
14	Steve Breaston , KC	5	9	55.6%
14	Devin Hester , CHI	4	9	44.4%
19	Fred Davis, WAS	6	8	75.0%
19	Dez Bryant , DAL	5	8	62.5%
19	Tony Gonzalez, ATL	5	8	62.5%
19	Jabar Gaffney , WAS	4	8	50.0%
19	Jason Hill , JAX	4	8	50.0%
19	Plaxico Burress, NYJ	4	8	50.0%
19	Dustin Keller, NYJ	4	8	50.0%
19	Visanthe Shiancoe, MIN	4	8	50.0%
19	Michael Jenkins, MIN	3	8	37.5%
19	Vincent Jackson , SD	1	8	12.5%
29	Marques Colston , NO	7	7	100.0%
29	Jimmy Graham, NO	6	7	85.7%
29	Emmanuel Sanders , PIT	5	7	71.4%
29	Greg Little, CLE	5	7	71.4%
29	Antonio Gates, SD	5	7	71.4%
29	Harry Douglas , ATL	4	7	57.1%
29	Jeremy Kerley, NYJ	4	7	57.1%
29	Lavelle Hawkins , TEN	3	7	42.9%
29	Mike Wallace , PIT	3	7	42.9%
38	Jason Witten, DAL	5	6	83.3%
38	Pierre Garcon , IND	4	6	66.7%
38	Preston Parker , TB	4	6	66.7%
38	Brandon Pettigrew, DET	4	6	66.7%
38	Johnny Knox , CHI	3	6	50.0%
38	Terrence Austin , WAS	3	6	50.0%
38	Danario Alexander , STL	2	6	33.3%
38	Robert Housler, ARI	2	6	33.3%
38	Josh Cribbs , CLE	1	6	16.7%
47	Early Doucet , ARI	5	5	100.0%
47	Roy Williams , CHI	4	5	80.0%
47	Ed Dickson, BAL	4	5	80.0%
47	Evan Moore, CLE	4	5	80.0%
47	Owen Daniels, HOU	4	5	80.0%
47	Torrey Smith, BAL	3	5	60.0%
47	Austin Collie , IND	2	5	40.0%
47	Jacoby Ford, OAK	2	5	40.0%
47	Miles Austin , DAL	2	5	40.0%
47	Sidney Rice , SEA	2	5	40.0%
47	Andre Roberts , ARI	1	5	20.0%
47	Denarious Moore, OAK	1	5	20.0%
47	Devin Aromashodu , MIN	1	5	20.0%
47	Jon Baldwin, KC	1	5	20.0%
61	James Jones , GB	4	4	100.0%
61	Jordy Nelson , GB	4	4	100.0%
61	Heath Miller, PIT	4	4	100.0%
61	Jeremy Shockey, CAR	4	4	100.0%
61	Hines Ward , PIT	3	4	75.0%
61	Kevin Walter , HOU	3	4	75.0%
61	Lance Moore , NO	3	4	75.0%
61	Reggie Wayne , IND	3	4	75.0%
61	Eddie Royal , DEN	2	4	50.0%
61	Jacoby Jones, HOU	2	4	50.0%
61	Malcom Floyd , SD	2	4	50.0%
61	Anthony McCoy, SEA	2	4	50.0%
61	Daniel Fells, DEN	2	4	50.0%
61	Tony Scheffler, DET	2	4	50.0%
61	Anthony Armstrong , WAS	1	4	25.0%
61	Damian Williams , TEN	1	4	25.0%
61	Mike Williams , SEA	1	4	25.0%
61	Benjamin Watson, CLE	1	4	25.0%
61	Louis Murphy , OAK	0	4	0.0%
80	Legedu Naanee , CAR	3	3	100.0%
80	Dennis Pitta, BAL	3	3	100.0%
80	Michael Hoomanawanui, STL	3	3	100.0%
80	Randy McMichael, SD	3	3	100.0%
80	Brandon LaFell , CAR	2	3	66.7%
80	Dane Sanzenbacher, CHI	2	3	66.7%
80	Eric Decker , DEN	2	3	66.7%
80	Greg Camarillo , MIN	2	3	66.7%
80	Laurent Robinson, DAL	2	3	66.7%
80	Percy Harvin , MIN	2	3	66.7%
80	Santonio Holmes , NYJ	2	3	66.7%
80	Brody Eldridge, IND	2	3	66.7%
80	Cameron Morrah, SEA	2	3	66.7%
80	Luke Stocker, TB	2	3	66.7%
80	Nate Burleson , DET	1	3	33.3%
80	Nate Washington , TEN	1	3	33.3%
80	Greg Olsen, CAR	1	3	33.3%
80	Marcedes Lewis, JAX	1	3	33.3%
80	Donnie Avery, STL	0	3	0.0%
80	Doug Baldwin, SEA	0	3	0.0%
80	Titus Young, DET	0	3	0.0%
101	Brian Hartline , MIA	2	2	100.0%
101	DeMarco Sampson, ARI	2	2	100.0%
101	Greg Salas, STL	2	2	100.0%
101	Robert Meachem , NO	2	2	100.0%
101	Santana Moss , WAS	2	2	100.0%
101	Niles Paul, WAS	2	2	100.0%
101	Anthony Fasano, MIA	2	2	100.0%
101	Billy Bajema, STL	2	2	100.0%
101	Jared Cook, TEN	2	2	100.0%
101	Jermichael Finley, GB	2	2	100.0%
101	Joel Dreessen, HOU	2	2	100.0%
101	Logan Paulsen, WAS	2	2	100.0%
101	Devery Henderson , NO	1	2	50.0%
101	Matt Willis , DEN	1	2	50.0%
101	Mike Sims-Walker , JAX	1	2	50.0%
101	Mohamed Massaquoi , CLE	1	2	50.0%
101	Randall Cobb, GB	1	2	50.0%
101	Alex Smith, CLE	1	2	50.0%
101	Will Heller, DET	1	2	50.0%
101	Ben Obomanu, SEA	0	2	0.0%
101	Brian Robiskie, CLE	0	2	0.0%
101	Cecil Shorts III, JAX	0	2	0.0%
101	Laquan Williams, BAL	0	2	0.0%
101	Kellen Davis, CHI	0	2	0.0%
125	Bryant Johnson , DET	1	1	100.0%
125	Derrick Mason , HOU	1	1	100.0%
125	Donald Driver , GB	1	1	100.0%
125	Golden Tate , SEA	1	1	100.0%
125	Mike Thomas , JAX	1	1	100.0%
125	Patrick Crayton, SD	1	1	100.0%
125	Andrew Quarless, GB	1	1	100.0%
125	Brandon Myers, OAK	1	1	100.0%
125	Craig Stevens, TEN	1	1	100.0%
125	Jake O'Connell, KC	1	1	100.0%
125	Jeff King, ARI	1	1	100.0%
125	Kevin Boss, OAK	1	1	100.0%
125	Michael Palmer, ATL	1	1	100.0%
125	Arrelious Benn , TB	0	1	0.0%
125	David Reed , BAL	0	1	0.0%
125	Derek Hagan , OAK	0	1	0.0%
125	Jerricho Cotchery , PIT	0	1	0.0%
125	Leonard Hankerson, WAS	0	1	0.0%
125	Vincent Brown, SD	0	1	0.0%
125	Kerry Meier, ATL	0	1	0.0%
125	Daniel Graham, DEN	0	1	0.0%
125	Dante Rosario, DEN	0	1	0.0%
125	Kyle Rudolph, MIN	0	1	0.0%
125	Lance Kendricks, STL	0	1	0.0%
125	Leonard Pope, KC	0	1	0.0%
125	Matthew Mulligan, NYJ	0	1	0.0%
125	Weslye Saunders, PIT	0	1	0.0%