Welcome to the Target Trends article for Week 9! Let’s start, as usual, by looking at the season-long target leaders to this point.
Ja’Marr Chase is one target short of 100. His 99 targets lead the league, and he’s now on pace for an NFL record 210 targets this season. If we zoom into the three-game pace with Joe Flacco under center, that target total jumps to an insane 306. Chris Olave checks in next, a full 16 targets behind.
At RB, we continue to see Christian McCaffrey lead the way. Even with just six targets this week, his 74 targets are still 24 more than the current runner-up, De’Von Achane. Bijan Robinson currently ranks third with 42 targets.
Trey McBride leads all TEs with 66 targets. Despite just one target and a goose egg for fantasy, Jake Ferguson is still in second with 59 targets. Juwan Johnson (52), Harold Fannin (51, and Tyler Warren (50) are the only other TEs wth at least 50 targets so far.
I’ll continue to lead off this article with season-long target leaders each week, but for now, let’s check out this week’s target trends heading into Week 9.
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Ja’Marr Chase: 19 targets, 12 rec
Tee Higgins – 2 targets, 1 rec
Don’t look now, but since Joe Flacco has taken over at QB, Chase is on a 17-game pace for 306 targets. For reference, that would break the NFL record by nearly 100 targets. That’s unlikely to maintain, but it’s probably safe to say that Flacco will continue to hyper-target Chase for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, that may not be the case for Higgins. He combined for 18 targets in Flacco’s first two starts, but the two targets in Week 8 were a letdown. Thankfully, he turned one of them into a 44-yard TD, saving his day for fantasy managers.
Rashid Shaheed – 12 targets, 9 rec
Chris Olave – 12 targets, 8 rec
The Saints have a QB controversy on their hands, but at least they know which WRs to target. Olave has seen double-digit targets in six of eight games so far this season, while Shaheed saw double-digit targets for the first time this season. While the Saints’ QB may be in question, it’s clear that Olave is their WR1.
Justin Jefferson – 11 targets, 7 rec
I probably don’t need to put Jefferson in this article; he is one of the most heavily targeted players in the league. His 29.9% target share ranks ninth in the entire NFL, and it may climb higher now that J.J. McCarthy is poised to resume his role as the starting QB for Minnesota.
CeeDee Lamb – 10 targets, 7 rec
George Pickens – 9 targets, 7 rec
Jake Ferguson – 1 target, 0 rec
Dak Prescott has the second-most pass attempts in the NFL, so it makes sense that his top two pass catchers are heavily targeted on a weekly basis. CeeDee Lamb has seen 18 targets over his first two games back from injury, but it hasn’t exactly hurt Pickens’ target share. George is averaging a healthy 7.9 targets/game and a 21.4% target share on the season. Jake Ferguson seemed to take the biggest hit, as he was targeted just one time in Week 8.
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Ladd McConkey – 10 targets, 6 rec
Justin Herbert is the only QB with more pass attempts than Dak Prescott this season. Ladd led the way in Week 8, though it’s Keenan Allen who leads the team with 70 targets this season, two more than McConkey. Quentin Johnston is a distant third with 46 targets, while rookie TE Oronde Gadsden checks in with 33.
Tetairoa McMillan – 10 targets, 7 rec
McMillan saw a season high of ten targets, as many as his last two weeks combined, with Andy Dalton filling in for the injured Bryce Young. McMillan is now tied with Emeka Egbuka with 63 targets this season, the most among rookies.
Rome Odunze – 10 targets, 7 rec
It’s becoming clear that Odunze is now the WR1 in Chicago. He has 56 targets so far this season, which translates to a 25.5% target share. That’s well above teammates DJ Moore and Olamide Zaccheus, who each have 38 targets. Rookies Colston Loveland (18) and Luther Burden (15) are even further behind.
Kyle Pitts – 9 targets, 9 rec
In the absence of Drake London, it was Pitts leading the Atlanta pass catchers as they got surprisingly beaten up by the Dolphins in Week 8. The athletic TE has now seen 19 targets over the last two weeks and is on pace for 114 this season. That would top the career high of 110 that he set as a rookie in 2021.
Tucker Kraft – 9 targets, 7 rec
Green Bay’s WR rotation may be tough to figure out, but it’s clear that Kraft is their TE1. His 41 targets this season are just one fewer than Romeo Doubs‘ for the team lead. However, he has turned them into a team high 469 receiving yards and six TDs.
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Troy Franklin – 8 targets, 6 rec
Franklin exploded to finish as the WR1 in Week 8. The two TDs certainly helped, but it’s worth noting that Franklin has now seen 18 targets and a 24% target share over the past two weeks. That volume could continue as Marvin Mims is now in the concussion protocol.
Mason Taylor – 8 targets, 5 rec
Taylor operated as the Jets’ top receiving option against Cincinnati in Week 8 with Garret Wilson sidelined. The next most targeted Jets on Sunday were Isaiah Davis, who saw a season-high five targets, and Tyler Johnson, who had ten targets on the season heading into Week 8.
Deebo Samuel – 6 targets, 3 rec
Terry McLaurin – 4 targets, 3 rec
It was a rough night for Marcus Mariota and the Commanders on Monday. McLaurin made the most of his four targets, turning two of them into highlight reel catches and finishing as the WR15 on the week. It was worse for Deebo, who only mustered 11 total yards on his six targets.
Jerry Jeudy – 2 targets, 0 rec
Jeudy’s bust season hit a new low in Week 8 as he saw just two targets and failed to reel either of them in. He has run the third most routes in the entire NFL, but has only turned them into 257 scoreless receiving yards. He is currently the WR70 on the season.
from Fantasy Footballers Podcast https://ift.tt/oYwZey4
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