Week 8 Wide Receiver & Tight End Targets: McDaniels Rescues Lloyd

RB Targets | WR/TE Targets

 

For the second week in a row, Antonio Brown had a big game in Hines Ward’s absence.  At this point, the talented 23-year old pass catcher is worth a look as a weekly play, especially in PPR formats.  Tied for the most targets (15) with Pierre Garcon this week, Brown has only had 2 weeks where he saw less than 6 targets.  Even better news when Ward does return is the fact that Emmanuel Sanders has occupied Ward’s normal slot position, with Brown lined up out wide.  Brown could flirt with WR2 status going forward.

Here’s a look at the big winners and losers in the target hunt from week 8.

 

Heroes

• For the 5^th consecutive week, Pierre Garcon led all Colts pass catchers in targets.  It hasn’t resulted in off the chart production, unfortunately, but Garcon is easily the most trusted Colts receiver.
• One thing we can be fairly certain about—Tarvaris Jackson loves to throw to Sidney Rice.  After Rice saw only 5 targets with Charlie Whitehurst in week 7, he drew a season high 14 targets in week 8.  Owners should take note of a fairly difficult schedule coming up (@DAL, BAL).  Rice’s production will be pretty hit and miss with the Seachickens.
• For the second week in a row, Brandon Lloyd finds himself high on this list.  There’s no question that he’s the most talented receiver on a Rams’ roster crowded by mediocrity.  He’s an every week start going forward, as Josh McDaniels will find ways to get him the ball.
• Anquan Boldin saw 12 targets for the second straight week, and it resulted in his highest yardage total since week 11 of 2008.  With the Ravens playing from behind for most of the game, Boldin beat up on a young Cardinals’ secondary.  You’re selling high if anyone is foolish enough to bye.
• A surprise add to this list, Eric Decker drew a team-high 12 targets.  After only 3 in week 7, it’s difficult to see where this is going, especially with the "best" worst quarterback throwing him the ball. 
• After being held off of the stat sheet last week, Dallas Clark drew 10 targets.  This has been far from the norm, but owners in deep leagues can cling to this performance as reason to plug him into their lineups.
• Fred Davis quietly put up a productive score, despite the Redskins getting shutout.  For the second week in a row the breakout tight end led the Redskins in receiving and is easily a TE1 going forward.
• Lance Moore saw a team high 9 targets, but this won’t be a constant going forward.  In comeback mode for most of the game, Moore will be a liability most weeks.  Ditto for Meachem and Henderson, as all 3 are reaches behind Colston and Graham.
• One of the most difficult situations to project, Mario Manningham and Victor Cruz both drew 9 targets.  Cruz turned in a score, giving him the more productive fantasy day.  Against a Miami defense that hasn’t been able to stop anyone through the air this year, this shouldn’t be too surprising.  The stubbornness in me trusts Manningham more going forward, but Cruz is capable of maintaining WR3 status.
• Jon Baldwin’s 8 targets were out of the blue, and the physical wide receiver displayed his talents when he reeled in a touchdown pass in traffic.  He dropped a similar pass along the sideline later in the game, but did see action in two wide receiver sets across from Bowe.  He’s worth a look as a bye-week fill-in against a Miami team that is allergic to stopping wide receivers.

Zeroes

• Reggie Wayne saw a season high of 14 targets, but it only resulted in 5 catches for 61 yards.  Clearly not on the same page with Curtis Painter while also not the same receiver he once was, Wayne should only be in your starting roster in very deep leagues.  There are young receivers out there with much more upside that are worth gambling on.  Wayne has been pretty high-risk low-reward to this point.
• Greg Little’s 11 targets look good on paper, but resulted in a paltry 4 catches for 28 yards in the Browns’ anemic offense.  After a decent week 6, Little has drawn 18 targets over the last two weeks, only managing a measly 9 catches for 59 yards. 
• Vincent Jackson has turned in more than 3 catches only twice in 7 games, and is becoming a huge liability for fantasy owners.   With Philip Rivers clearly not all there this year, I wouldn’t be so quick to label Jackson a buy low.
• There is no reason you should be playing (insert Jacksonville WR/TE here).  Calvin Johnson’s receiving yards have exceeded Blaine Gabbert’s passing yards in each of the last 3 weeks.  No Jacksonville WR/TE is worth a roster spot at this point.
• Over the last two weeks Miles Austin has 5 catches on 8 targets for a pedestrian 43 yards.  Laurent Robinson benefitted from Austin and Bryant being blanketed by Philly’s top corner duo of Asomugha and Samuel.  If Austin can’t get it going against Seattle, owners can feel free to panic.
• I’ve predicted Aaron Hernandez to have big weeks before, expecting Gronkowski to stay in to help block against better pass rushes like the Steelers.  This prediction has never held true from what I remember.  Hernandez salvaged a day to forget by catching a touchdown pass, but it’s hard to imagine him seeing only 4 targets against lesser teams going forward.
• Anthony Armstrong, Mike Sims-Walker, and Andre Roberts all had 3 or more chances to catch a pass, but couldn’t.
• If you haven’t already, please give up on Lance Kendricks.  With one catch in the last two weeks, it’s apparent he’s not a big part of Josh McDaniels’ offense.
• Those who saw Naaman Roosevelt’s fantasy point total from week 6 should also realize that it came on one big catch.  Roosevelt saw only 2 targets in week 8, once again turning in only a single catch.

 

Rank	Player	REC	TGTS	CT%
1	Antonio Brown , PIT	9	15	60.0%
1	Pierre Garcon , IND	7	15	46.7%
3	Sidney Rice , SEA	7	14	50.0%
3	Reggie Wayne , IND	5	14	35.7%
5	Brandon Lloyd , STL	6	13	46.2%
5	Eddie Royal , DEN	6	13	46.2%
7	Anquan Boldin , BAL	7	12	58.3%
7	Eric Decker , DEN	6	12	50.0%
7	Jason Witten, DAL	4	12	33.3%
10	Dwayne Bowe , KC	4	11	36.4%
10	Greg Little, CLE	4	11	36.4%
12	Hakeem Nicks , NYG	6	10	60.0%
12	Dallas Clark, IND	6	10	60.0%
12	AJ Green, CIN	4	10	40.0%
15	Fred Davis, WAS	8	9	88.9%
15	Lance Moore , NO	7	9	77.8%
15	Steve Smith , CAR	7	9	77.8%
15	Victor Cruz, NYG	7	9	77.8%
15	Brent Celek, PHI	7	9	77.8%
15	Heath Miller, PIT	7	9	77.8%
15	Rob Gronkowski, NE	7	9	77.8%
15	Mario Manningham , NYG	6	9	66.7%
15	Stevie Johnson , BUF	6	9	66.7%
15	Ed Dickson, BAL	6	9	66.7%
15	Kevin Walter , HOU	5	9	55.6%
15	Michael Crabtree , SF	5	9	55.6%
15	Marcedes Lewis, JAX	4	9	44.4%
15	Torrey Smith, BAL	3	9	33.3%
29	Wes Welker , NE	6	8	75.0%
29	Dennis Pitta, BAL	6	8	75.0%
29	Doug Baldwin, SEA	5	8	62.5%
29	Emmanuel Sanders , PIT	5	8	62.5%
29	Jon Baldwin, KC	5	8	62.5%
29	Laurent Robinson, DAL	5	8	62.5%
29	Jimmy Graham, NO	4	8	50.0%
29	Vincent Jackson , SD	3	8	37.5%
37	Mike Wallace , PIT	7	7	100.0%
37	Calvin Johnson , DET	6	7	85.7%
37	Austin Collie , IND	5	7	71.4%
37	Legedu Naanee , CAR	5	7	71.4%
37	Malcom Floyd , SD	5	7	71.4%
37	Braylon Edwards , SF	4	7	57.1%
37	Deion Branch , NE	4	7	57.1%
37	Nate Burleson , DET	4	7	57.1%
37	Antonio Gates, SD	4	7	57.1%
37	Greg Olsen, CAR	4	7	57.1%
37	Jake Ballard, NYG	4	7	57.1%
48	Greg Salas, STL	5	6	83.3%
48	Jordan Norwood, CLE	5	6	83.3%
48	Andre Caldwell , CIN	4	6	66.7%
48	Brandon Marshall , MIA	4	6	66.7%
48	Nate Washington , TEN	4	6	66.7%
48	Owen Daniels, HOU	4	6	66.7%
48	DeSean Jackson , PHI	3	6	50.0%
48	Marques Colston , NO	3	6	50.0%
48	Brandon Gibson , STL	2	6	33.3%
48	Devin Aromashodu , MIN	2	6	33.3%
48	Early Doucet , ARI	2	6	33.3%
59	Jason Avant , PHI	5	5	100.0%
59	Damian Williams , TEN	4	5	80.0%
59	David Nelson , BUF	4	5	80.0%
59	Jabar Gaffney , WAS	4	5	80.0%
59	Percy Harvin , MIN	4	5	80.0%
59	Titus Young, DET	4	5	80.0%
59	Davone Bess , MIA	3	5	60.0%
59	Dez Bryant , DAL	3	5	60.0%
59	Jacoby Jones, HOU	3	5	60.0%
59	Larry Fitzgerald , ARI	3	5	60.0%
59	Lavelle Hawkins , TEN	3	5	60.0%
59	Zach Miller, SEA	3	5	60.0%
59	Cameron Morrah, SEA	2	5	40.0%
59	Kyle Rudolph, MIN	2	5	40.0%
59	Jason Hill , JAX	1	5	20.0%
74	Ben Obomanu, SEA	4	4	100.0%
74	Mike Thomas , JAX	3	4	75.0%
74	Patrick Crayton, SD	3	4	75.0%
74	Steve Breaston , KC	3	4	75.0%
74	Brandon Pettigrew, DET	3	4	75.0%
74	Visanthe Shiancoe, MIN	3	4	75.0%
74	Golden Tate , SEA	2	4	50.0%
74	Aaron Hernandez, NE	2	4	50.0%
74	Devery Henderson , NO	1	4	25.0%
74	Leonard Hankerson, WAS	1	4	25.0%
74	Anthony Armstrong , WAS	0	4	0.0%
74	Mike Sims-Walker , JAX	0	4	0.0%
86	Brad Smith , BUF	3	3	100.0%
86	Jeremy Maclin , PHI	3	3	100.0%
86	Miles Austin , DAL	3	3	100.0%
86	Benjamin Watson, CLE	3	3	100.0%
86	Donald Lee, GB	3	3	100.0%
86	Jeff King, ARI	3	3	100.0%
86	Tony Scheffler, DET	3	3	100.0%
86	Vernon Davis, SF	3	3	100.0%
86	Josh Cribbs , CLE	2	3	66.7%
86	Robert Meachem , NO	2	3	66.7%
86	Terrence Austin , WAS	2	3	66.7%
86	Randy McMichael, SD	2	3	66.7%
86	Demaryius Thomas , DEN	1	3	33.3%
86	Jarett Dillard, JAX	1	3	33.3%
86	Matt Willis , DEN	1	3	33.3%
86	Jeremy Shockey, CAR	1	3	33.3%
86	Lance Kendricks, STL	1	3	33.3%
86	Andre Roberts , ARI	0	3	0.0%
104	Michael Jenkins, MIN	2	2	100.0%
104	Evan Moore, CLE	2	2	100.0%
104	Jared Cook, TEN	2	2	100.0%
104	Joel Dreessen, HOU	2	2	100.0%
104	Scott Chandler, BUF	2	2	100.0%
104	Brandon LaFell , CAR	1	2	50.0%
104	Derrick Mason , HOU	1	2	50.0%
104	Jerome Simpson , CIN	1	2	50.0%
104	Naaman Roosevelt , BUF	1	2	50.0%
104	Billy Bajema, STL	1	2	50.0%
104	Robert Housler, ARI	1	2	50.0%
104	Brian Hartline , MIA	0	2	0.0%
104	Donte' Stallworth , WAS	0	2	0.0%
104	Maurice Stovall , DET	0	2	0.0%
118	Austin Pettis, STL	1	1	100.0%
118	Jerricho Cotchery , PIT	1	1	100.0%
118	Keary Colbert, KC	1	1	100.0%
118	Alex Smith, CLE	1	1	100.0%
118	Bear Pascoe, NYG	1	1	100.0%
118	Clay Harbor, PHI	1	1	100.0%
118	Daniel Fells, DEN	1	1	100.0%
118	Dante Rosario, DEN	1	1	100.0%
118	David Johnson, PIT	1	1	100.0%
118	Justin Peelle, SF	1	1	100.0%
118	Leonard Pope, KC	1	1	100.0%
118	Chad Ochocinco , NE	0	1	0.0%
118	Kris Durham, SEA	0	1	0.0%
118	Laquan Williams, BAL	0	1	0.0%
118	Marc Mariani , TEN	0	1	0.0%
118	Richard Goodman , SD	0	1	0.0%
118	Taylor Price , NE	0	1	0.0%
118	Ted Ginn , SF	0	1	0.0%
118	Anthony Fasano, MIA	0	1	0.0%
118	Anthony McCoy, SEA	0	1	0.0%
118	Daniel Graham, DEN	0	1	0.0%
118	Julius Thomas, DEN	0	1	0.0%
118	Martellus Bennett, DAL	0	1	0.0%
118	Martin Rucker, DAL	0	1	0.0%
118	Michael Hoomanawanui, STL	0	1	0.0%
118	Weslye Saunders, PIT	0	1	0.0%