
Hello Fantasy friends and foes. Welcome to the SCFE Weekly Target Watch.
Targets are an opportunity indicator, it refers to the number of times a receiver is thrown the ball by the quarterback. The higher the targets, the more valuable the receiver is to the quarterback.
Let’s take a look at who had the most opportunities in Week 1 of the 2018 season. Above all, let’s see what it means for Fantasy owners.
Week 1 Target Watch
I will be reviewing and analyzing the targets weekly, looking for trends on who is rising and which players are falling.
Week 1 Target Watch – Double-Digit Targets
Player | Team | Position | Targets |
---|---|---|---|
Julio Jones | Atlanta Falcons | WR | 19 |
Michael Thomas | New Orleans Saints | WR | 17 |
A.J. Green | Cincinnati Bengals | WR | 17 |
Michael Crabtree | Baltimore Ravens | WR | 16 |
Antonio Brown | Pittsburgh Steelers | WR | 16 |
Golden Tate | Detroit Lions | WR | 15 |
Odell Beckham Jr. | New York Giants | WR | 15 |
Jarvis Landry | Cleveland Browns | WR | 15 |
Willis Snead iV | Baltimore Ravens | WR | 14 |
John Brown | Baltimore Ravens | WR | 14 |
Tyler Boyd | Cincinnati Bengals | WR | 14 |
Melvin Gordon | Los Angeles Chargers | RB | 13 |
Javorious Allen | Baltimore Ravens | RB | 13 |
Corey Davis | Tennessee Titans | WR | 13 |
Alvin Kamara | New Orleans Saints | RB | 12 |
Kenny Golladay | Detroit Lions | WR | 12 |
Adam Thielen | Minnesota Vikings | WR | 12 |
Jared Cook | Oakland Raiders | TE | 12 |
DeAndre Hopkins | Houston Texans | WR | 11 |
Emmanuel Sanders | Denver Broncos | WR | 11 |
T.Y. Hilton | Indianapolis Colts | WR | 11 |
Jalen Richard | Oakland Raiders | RB | 11 |
Keenan Allen | Los Angeles Chargers | WR | 11 |
Randall Cobb | Green Bay Packers | WR | 10 |
Nick Boyle | Baltimore Ravens | TE | 10 |
Jack Doyle | Indianapolis Colts | TE | 10 |
Nelson Agholor | Philadelphia Eagles | WR | 10 |
Quincy Enunwa | New York Jets | WR | 10 |
Zach Ertz | Philadelphia Eagles | TE | 10 |
Demaryius Thomas | Denver Broncos | WR | 10 |
Larry Fitzgerald | Arizona Cardinals | WR | 10 |
Thankfully, the NFL is back! Obviously, the wide receivers led the way in targets with 23 wideouts in double-figures. We actually saw four Ravens players in double-digit targets with Michael Crabtree (16) with John Brown and Willie Snead each collecting 14 targets. Additionally, tight end Nick Boyle garnered 10 targets.I certainly doubt we will ever see anything close to those numbers again.
The surprises in Week 1 were that Randall Cobb (10) led the Packers in targets, most of that, of course, was due to the amazing comeback victory by Aaron Rodgers. We finally saw Andrew Luck show that he might be back with his performance in Week 1. He peppered newcomer WR Ryan Grant with nine targets.
Fantasy owners can’t be satisfied with the following players who were targeted less than five times in Week 1. Amari Cooper(3) was shut down by the Rams defense on Monday and will have to face the stout Broncos defense in Week 2. Josh Gordon was a hot Fantasy topic in the preseason. Gordon has boatloads of talent but how long will he be on the field? He only had three targets in Week 1 but he made one count with a great TD catch that helped the Browns tie the Steelers.
Top Wide Receiver Targets in Week 1
Player | Team | Targets |
---|---|---|
Julio Jones | Atlanta Falcons | 19 |
Michael Thomas | New Orleans Saints | 17 |
Antonio Brown | Pittsburgh Steelers | 16 |
Golden Tate | Detroit Lions | 15 |
Odell Beckham | New York Giants | 15 |
Jarvis Landry | Cleveland Browns | 15 |
Corey Davis | Tennessee Titans | 13 |
Adam Thielen | Minnesota Vikings | 12 |
Kenny Golladay | Detroit Lions | 12 |
Emmanuel Sanders | Denver Broncos | 11 |
T.Y. Hilton | Indianapolis Colts | 11 |
Keenan Allen | Los Angeles Chargers | 11 |
DeAndre Hopkins | Houston Texans | 11 |
Larry Fitzgerald | Arizona Cardinals | 10 |
Demaryius Thomas | Denver Broncos | 10 |
Randall Cobb | Green Bay Packers | 10 |
Quincy Enunwa | New York Jets | 10 |
Nelson Agholor | Philadelphia Eagles | 10 |
Julio Jones was a monster in the first game of the season with 19 targets against the Eagles. It’s a shame that he can’t score touchdowns. Jarvis Landry made us all believers that he has a nice rapport with his new QB Tyrod Taylor with his 15 targets. The Broncos duo of Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders showed they that will be a force this season. They combined for 21 targets with new QB Casey Keenum. It was also great to see the return of the Jets Quincy Enunwa. He had 10 targets from rookie QB Sam Darnold in his return after missing all of last season with a neck injury.
Top Tight End Targets in Week 1
Player | Team | Targets |
---|---|---|
Jared Cook | Oakland Raiders | 12 |
Zach Ertz | Philadelphia Eagles | 10 |
Jack Doyle | Indianapolis Colts | 10 |
George Kittle | San Francisco 49ers | 9 |
Rob Gronkowski | New England Patriots | 8 |
David Njoku | Cleveland Browns | 7 |
Travis Kelce | Kansas City Chiefs | 6 |
Trey Burton | Chicago Bears | 6 |
Nick Boyle | Baltimore Ravens | 6 |
Ricky Seals-Jones | Arizona Cardinals | 6 |
A tight end that I never thought I would see on top of any positive leaderboard. The Raiders’ Jared Cook has always been known to have loads of potential but has never exhibited consistently. Cook showed what he can do in Week 1 with an impressive performance. He racked up 12 targets, 9 catches, and 180 receiving yards. Cook is owned in approximately half of all Fantasy leagues. That number will shoot up significantly after this performance.
Fantasy owners have to be pleased regarding sleeper tight ends George Kittle and Trey Burton getting targets to start off the season. It looks like each player will play a big role in their respective offenses. Andrew Luck has brought the two tight end approach back to the NFL with peppering Jack Doyle and newcomer Eric Ebron with a combined 15 targets. Surprise! Surprise! Jordan Reed contributed with five targets and more importantly, he didn’t get hurt.
Top Running Back Targets in Week 1
Player | Team | Targets |
---|---|---|
Melvin Gordon | Los Angeles Chargers | 13 |
Alvin Kamara | New Orleans Saints | 12 |
Jalen Richard | Oakland Raiders | 11 |
James White | New England Patriots | 9 |
David Johnson | Arizona Cardinals | 9 |
Christian McCaffrey | Carolina Panthers | 9 |
Nyheim Hines | Indianapolis Colts | 9 |
Dion Lewis | Tennessee Titan | 8 |
First-round running backs Melvin Gordon (13) and Alvin Kamara (12) showcased their dual-threat prowess by leading all running backs with targets. Both backs are in elite offenses and are fantasy gold. Furthermore, there were two surprise entries in Raiders running back Jalen Richard and Colts running back Nyheim Hines. Richard had a whopping 11 targets which were mostly the result of a negative game script. Also, Marshawn Lunch fell ill during the blowout loss. Hines of the Colts caught the eye of Andrew Luck nine times in Week 1. Furthermore, Hines might be a very sneaky pickup in PPR leagues.
Take a look which of the most targeted players are recommended by Jack Delaney to add to your rosters in his Week 2 Waiver Wire: Top Picks Include T.J. Yeldon and Austin Ekeler.
- Week 3 Target Watch: Kamara Leads The Way - September 29, 2018
- Week 1 Target Watch: Receivers Lead The Way - September 15, 2018
- Week 21 Rookie Report: Still Going Strong - August 22, 2018
