Targets and Touches Report
Each week of the NFL season, we will be highlighting some players who have seen an increase in targets and/or touches. We will be diving deep to find players whose offensive roles are trending upward in order to find high floor and high upside plays for your DFS lineups each week.
Contents
Wide Receivers
Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
AVG Targets/Game: 6.5
AVG Receptions/Game: 4.2
Catch%: 63.9
Targets in Week 10: 11
Catches in Week 10: 8
DraftKings Salary: $6,400
FanDuel Salary: $6,300
In the Rams’ first game since the injury to Robert Woods, Kupp was tremendous, hauling in eight of 11 targets for 116 yards against a Saints defense that has been among the best against the pass this season. Granted, they were banged-up in the secondary, but Kupp does most of his damage underneath (and in the red zone, more on that in a second).
Week 12 marked the second time this season that Kupp had reached double-digit targets, and the most appealing thing about him (aside from the volume) is his presence in the Red Zone. Kupp has been targeted inside the 20 a whopping 17 times this season, tied with…wait for it…Antonio Brown and Dez Bryant, trailing only Davante Adams (19) and Jimmy Graham (23).
With Woods still on the shelf, both Kupp (61) and Sammy Watkins (64) saw increases in playing time, and although Watkins found the end zone, he hauled in just four of nine passes, and profiles more as a GPP option, while Kupp makes for a viable play in any format due to his volume and potential RZ upside.
This week, the Rams face the Cardinals, who have allowed nearly 26 PPG over their last three. The Rams are coming off of an enormous win against the Saints on their home turf, and will now travel to the offense-friendly dome at University of Phoenix Stadium. Keep rolling with Kupp, especially while Woods is out.
Robby Anderson, New York Jets
AVG Targets/Game: 6.7
AVG Receptions/Game: 3.7
Catch%: 55.4
Targets in Week 10: 10
Catches in Week 10: 6
DraftKings Salary: $6,300
FanDuel Salary: $7,200
Although it seems to be too late to jump aboard the Anderson bandwagon at a discount, it isn’t too late to take notice of what he has been doing in a relatively stagnant Jets offense. Anderson has scored six touchdowns in his last five games (including two last week), and has reached the 100-yard mark twice in that span.
Despite all of his success, “Mr. Anderson” has seen more than eight targets just twice (10 Week 12 vs. CAR, 12 Week 6 vs. New England). The Jets throw the ball on 58.07% of their offensive plays, which is right around league average, but he draws a juicy matchup this week against the Chiefs.
Kansas City ranks 20th against the pass, per Football Outsiders, and even better, they are 28th against #1 WR, and Anderson has clearly established himself as the class of the Gang Green receivers.
Among all WR in the NFL, Anderson’s seven touchdowns on the season are tied for fourth, and his 16 plays of 20+ yards are good for a third place tie with the likes of Julio Jones and Adam Thielen.
While the entire Jets offense has been inefficient (20.7 PPG), they have been marginally better over their last three (23.7), and have remained competitive, despite a 4-7 record on the season. Look for Anderson to continue his success this week against the Chiefs, but be cautious the following two weeks against the Broncos and Saints.
Zay Jones, Buffalo Bills
AVG Targets/Game: 6.1
AVG Receptions/Game: 2.3
Catch%: 37.7
Targets in Week 10: 10
Catches in Week 10: 3
DraftKings Salary: $4,600
FanDuel Salary: $4,500
Looking at the numbers for Isaiah “Zay” Jones doesn’t paint a pretty picture, as his catch rate (37.7%) and target/catch ratio (61/23) are both complete eyesores, we can’t attribute 100% of his lack of success to his own play.
The Buffalo QB play has been inconsistent at times this season, and whether you’re a Tyrod Taylor truther or not (no comment), his efficiency hasn’t been the best. With that said, Jones is a player who is trending upward as we close out the season, and the Bills are (somehow) right in the thick of the AFC Playoff race.
Jones has improved his return over the last three weeks, hauling in 13 of 24 targets (the efficiency, I know) for 154 yards and two scores. With Kelvin Benjamin (who just might be the biggest fantasy bust of 2017) still Questionable for this weekend, Jones should once again have a chance to showcase himself against a Patriots defense, that although improved of late, still ranks 25th against the pass this season.
Call me crazy, but the potential return of Benjamin doesn’t concern me for Jones’ prospects quite as much as the run-heavy approach from this Bills offense, whose 52.84% passing rate this season is the fourth-lowest in the NFL. However, that number has risen to a much more manageable 57.71% over the last three weeks, and should continue to trend that way as the Bill battle for playoff positioning.
One thing that doesn’t look good for the Bills and their playoff chances is that they play the Patriots twice between now and the end of the season, but if Jones can find some sort of rhythm this weekend, he could be in line for a solid finish to 2017 with matchups against the Dolphins (twice) and the Colts to finish out the season.
Check out a full list of WR targets here, WR Targets
Tight Ends
Ricky Seals-Jones, Arizona Cardinals
AVG Targets/Game: 5.5
AVG Receptions/Game: 3.5
Catch%: 58.3
Targets in Week 10: 6
Catches in Week 10: 4
DraftKings Salary: $3,200
FanDuel Salary: $5,600
The biggest breakout star of the last two weeks, Seals-Jones has burst onto the scene with a total of seven catches for 128 yards and THREE scores over his first two career games. His first two victims, Houston and Jacksonville, actually rank 4th and 12th against TE, respectively, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say that it feels great to not watch Jermaine Gresham pretend to be a viable TE anymore.
The former Texas A&M Aggie, Seals-Jones did have 123 catches and 10 touchdowns across 34 games in college before joining the Cardinals as an UDFA in 2017. While we certainly can’t expect him to continue this torrid pace, his 12 targets over the last two weeks ranks ahead of the likes of Rob Gronkowski (11), Jared Cook (10), and Kyle Rudolph (11).
The Cardinals draw yet another tough matchup this week against the Rams, who rank 5th against the TE, per FO. Another encouraging sign is that the Cardinals are throwing the ball at a 63.57% clip, 3rd-highest in the NFL.
While Arizona QBs have targeted a TE on just 15.2% of attempts this season, that number was nearly 29% last week against the Jaguars, with RSJ seeing six targets, with Jermaine Gresham (3) and Troy Niklas (2) getting involved as well.
Temper your ceiling expectations with RSJ moving forward, but the volume seems to be secure, especially with a QB like Blaine Gabbert under center, as RSJ should continue to be used as a safe option in the short passing game moving forward.
Check out the full list of TE targets here, TE Targets
Running Backs
Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers
AVG Targets/Game: 6.6
AVG Receptions/Game: 4.5
Catch%: 67.1
Targets in Week 10: 13
Catches in Week 10: 7
DraftKings Salary: $5,900
FanDuel Salary: $7,000
Hyde is coming off a game where he posted a nearly unprecedented line of 13 targets, seven catches…and 21 receiving yards (putting it into perspective, Le’Veon Bell had 14 targets and finished with a 12-88 line). His 1.61 yards per target in that contest is nearly impossibly bad, but there is some reason for optimism here. First, that game came against the Seahawks, who rank 3rd in the NFL against receiving backs, per FO, allowing just 30.3 yards per contest.
Second, this isn’t the first time that Hyde has seen elite volume as a passing target out of the backfield, as he saw 9 and 11 targets Week 8 and 9, respectively. Quick, which team leads the NFL in percentage of passing plays in 2017 with 64.54%? Ok, so I kind of gave that one away…but it’s the 49ers, which is bad news for Hyde as a ball-carrier, but great news for him as a pass-catcher (and that’s what we are here for anyway, right?).
The best (active) Ohio State running back in the NFL (sorry, Zeke, you can have your title back in a few weeks), Hyde has massive upside as a heavily-targeted back for the 49ers moving forward. While he hasn’t been particularly efficient with his targets, Hyde still ranks 3rd among all RB this season with 73 targets.
Another good sign for Hyde’s potential moving forward is that the 49ers (as I’m assuming you know) are one of the worst teams in the NFL, and if it weren’t for the ineptitude of the Browns, they would be the front-runner for the #1 pick in 2018.
With newly-acquired (and perceived savior) Jimmy Garoppolo set to make his first start for the scarlet and gold, Hyde should see plenty of work as a safety net for the young gunslinger, and if the hype is real (it better be) with the former heir-apparent to Tom Brady, then this 49er offense should take a turn for the better sooner rather than later. Throw in the fact that this team is lacking a true #1 WR, and the volume for Hyde should continue to be secure throughout 2017.
Check out the full list of RB touches here, RB Touches