Advertisement

Week 12 Target Watch: NFC

Chet Gresham takes a look at the NFC targets and touches for Week 12

Welcome to the NFC targets and touches for Week 12 of the NFL season. The AFC portion will be up tomorrow night.

I have all the targets for each player since Week 7, and then in parentheses is the total and then average targets per game played for that player. Then below that I have the Red Zone targets and touches for each player, now sorted for rushing attempts and passing targets from Week 7 on. Targets, runs and analysis oh my! It’s as easy as following me on Twitter.

Arizona Cardinals

Michael Floyd: 10-4-BYE-2-11 (27) (6.8), Larry Fitzgerald: 5-7-BYE-6-9 (27) (6.8), Andre Roberts: 8-2-BYE-8-4 (22) (5.5), Rob Housler: 7-1-BYE-5-9 (22) (5.5), Andre Ellington: 5-2-BYE-4-2 (13) (3.2), Jim Dray: 2-0-BYE-2-2 (6) (1.5), Rashard Mendenhall: 0-dnp-BYE-1-3 (4) (1.3), Jaron Brown: 2-0-BYE-2-0 (4) (1), Alfonso Smith: 4-0-BYE-0-0 (4) (1), Jake Ballard: dnp-dnp-BYE-1-1 (2) (1)

Carson Palmer’s season has been horrid for the most part. He’s no longer a quarterback who can put up good games against good defenses and this season the Cardinals have faced their share of good pass defenses like the Saints, Panthers, 49ers, Seahawks and Texans. In Week 11 he faced the Jaguars and finally was able to break out with a big game completing 30-of-42 passes for 419 yards and two touchdowns.

The target leaders were Michael Floyd with 11, Larry Fitzgerald 9 and Rob Housler 9. Thankfully the Jaguars scored twice in the first quarter which kept the Cardinals in pass mode and Palmer finished with those 42 attempts. Floyd’s 11 targets were his most on the season and his 193 yards were the most in his career. He caught a 91 yard touchdown and made three people miss on his way for the touchdown. His previous high in yardage this season was 87 yards, but he has now caught a touchdown in three of his last five games. With an easier schedule on the way he could have some value.

Rob Housler is becoming a more trusted part of the Cardinals’ pass catchers and he had his most targets on the season and most yards with 70. To get Larry Fitzgerald, Floyd and Housler enough targets and production in any given game will be tough, but with the dearth of fantasy tight ends this season Housler is someone whose arrow is pointing up.

Red Zone Targets+Touches: Larry Fitzgerald: Run 0/Tar 6, Rob Housler: Run 0/Tar 3, Jim Dray: Run 0/Tar 3, Andre Roberts: Run 0/Tar 3, Andre Ellington: Run 3/Tar 3, Michael Floyd: Run 0/Tar 3, Jaron Brown: Run 0/Tar 1, Carson Palmer: Run 0/Tar 0, Stepfan Taylor: Run 3/Tar 0, Rashard Mendenhall: Run 4/Tar 0

Editor's Note: Rotoworld's partner FanDuel is hosting a one-week $300,000 Fantasy Football league for Week 12. It's $25 to join and first prize is $25,000. Starts Sunday at 1pm ET. Here's the link.

Atlanta Falcons

Harry Douglas: 7-18-5-8-9 (47) (9.4), Tony Gonzalez: 4-8-7-5-8 (32) (6.4), Jacquizz Rodgers: 9-5-6-7-2 (29) (5.8), Darius Johnson: 3-9-2-2-7 (23) (4.6), Steven Jackson: dnp-5-4-5-2 (16) (4), Roddy White: dnp-0-dnp-4-9 (13) (4.3), Drew Davis: 1-7-2-1-0 (11) (2.2), Levine Toilolo: 0-3-0-0-2 (5) (1), Jason Snelling: 0-dnp-0-4-dnp (4) (1.3), Patrick DiMarco: dnp-2-1-0-1 (4) (1), Chase Coffman: dnp-2-0-0-0 (2) (0.5), Josh Vaughan: dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp-2 (2) (2), Antone Smith: 0-0-0-0-1 (1) (0.2)

Roddy White was bottled up by Darrelle Revis, which left Harry Douglas some room to roam on an 80 yard touchdown reception that came late in the third quarter with the team already down 32 points. Douglas’ day was the best for fantasy, but on the whole it was yet another notch in the Falcons’ lost season. Before the Falcons got down by so much they hadn’t done anything positive except for a glimmer of hope from Steven Jackson.

Pro Football Focus graded Jackson’s game as one of his best. On just 13 touches on offense he managed to force seven missed tackles. Of course the Falcons got behind so fast that he ended up with just those 13 touches, but it’s a good sign, especially with the way he has played since returning from his hamstring injury.

Red Zone Targets+Touches: Jacquizz Rodgers: Run 4/Tar 4, Roddy White: Run 0/Tar 3, Darius Johnson: Run 0/Tar 3, Levine Toilolo: Run 0/Tar 2, Tony Gonzalez: Run 0/Tar 2, Harry Douglas: Run 0/Tar 2, Steven Jackson: Run 4/Tar 2, Brian Robiskie: Run 0/Tar 1, Drew Davis: Run 0/Tar 1, Jason Snelling: Run 3/Tar 0

Carolina Panthers

Steve Smith: 6-7-10-11-6 (40) (8), Brandon LaFell: 4-5-9-8-8 (34) (6.8), Greg Olsen: 4-4-5-3-8 (24) (4.8), Ted Ginn: 2-6-3-4-3 (18) (3.6), DeAngelo Williams: 1-3-2-2-3 (11) (2.2), Mike Tolbert: 0-4-4-3-0 (11) (2.2), Jonathan Stewart: dnp-dnp-3-0-0 (3) (1), Domenik Hixon: 0-1-0-1-0 (2) (0.4), Kenjon Barner: dnp-1-dnp-0-dnp (1) (0.5), Richie Brockel: 0-1-0-0-0 (1) (0.2)

The Monday night thrill ride was one of the best games of the season and Cam Newton was the catalyst for his team’s win. He’s probably never going to be as accurate as some of the top quarterbacks, but he often makes up for it with his running ability. Against the Patriots he completed 19-of-28 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns while also running seven times for 62 yards. Greg Olsen and Brandon LaFell led the way with eight targets apiece and both found the end zone. Olsen now has a touchdown in three of his last four games.

The running game is a mess for fantasy and against the depleted Patriots they were a mess in reality as well. Cam Newton outgained all three of their running backs with his 62 yards rushing.

Red Zone Targets+Touches: Greg Olsen: Run 0/Tar 6, Steve Smith: Run 0/Tar 3, Brandon LaFell: Run 0/Tar 1, Mike Tolbert: Run 7/Tar 1, Richie Brockel: Run 0/Tar 1, Ted Ginn: Run 0/Tar 1, DeAngelo Williams: Run 11/Tar 0, Kenjon Barner: Run 1/Tar 0, Cam Newton: Run 5/Tar 0

Chicago Bears

Brandon Marshall: 10-BYE-13-12-10 (45) (11.2), Alshon Jeffery: 7-BYE-9-18-11 (45) (11.2), Matt Forte: 3-BYE-8-7-6 (24) (6), Martellus Bennett: 3-BYE-8-6-2 (19) (4.8), Earl Bennett: 4-BYE-0-3-1 (8) (2), Dante Rosario: 0-BYE-0-2-0 (2) (0.5), Marquess Wilson: 1-BYE-1-0-0 (2) (0.5), Tony Fiammetta: 0-BYE-0-1-1 (2) (0.5), Michael Bush: dnp-BYE-1-0-0 (1) (0.3)

This game was marred by poor weather, but Josh McCown played admirably and kept from turning the ball over and made enough plays against a good Ravens defense to win the game. His 216 yards and one touchdown aren’t winning you many fantasy games, but it’s a good sign for him in easier conditions.

Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall are tied with 45 targets over the last four games and both have been able to put up good fantasy numbers. The Bears are averaging 37 pass attempts a game and it looks like both their top receivers can get around 10 targets a game.

Matt Forte was able to put up a nice game in the wind and slop rushing 18 times for 83 yards and catching five of six targets for 42 yards and a touchdown. I have never seen a Bears offense this good. Marc Trestman is seriously a miracle worker.

Red Zone Targets+Touches: Alshon Jeffery: Run 0/Tar 7, Brandon Marshall: Run 0/Tar 6, Martellus Bennett: Run 0/Tar 4, Matt Forte: Run 12/Tar 3, Tony Fiammetta: Run 0/Tar 1, Dante Rosario: Run 0/Tar 1, Josh McCown: Run 1/Tar 0, Michael Bush: Run 3/Tar 0

Dallas Cowboys

Dez Bryant: 16-6-11-2-BYE (35) (8.8), Terrance Williams: 7-10-7-5-BYE (29) (7.2), Jason Witten: 6-2-10-6-BYE (24) (6), Cole Beasley: 7-3-9-4-BYE (23) (5.8), DeMarco Murray: dnp-dnp-7-2-BYE (9) (4.5), Joseph Randle: 4-4-0-0-BYE (8) (2), James Hanna: 0-2-1-3-BYE (6) (1.5), Dwayne Harris: 0-2-2-1-BYE (5) (1.2), Phillip Tanner: 2-1-0-0-BYE (3) (0.8), Miles Austin: 3-dnp-dnp-dnp-BYE (3) (3), Lance Dunbar: dnp-0-3-0-BYE (3) (1), Gavin Escobar: 1-0-0-0-BYE (1) (0.2)

If Dez Bryant gets just two targets and wasn’t injured for three or more quarters, you know something went terribly wrong. There weren’t a ton of targets to go around since the Cowboys couldn’t sustain any drives, but when your best receiver is fifth on the target list you have problems. Rob Ryan and company did a great job of bracketing Bryant while the Cowboys did a lousy job of finding ways to get him the ball.

Romo completed just ten of 24 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. This was his worst yardage game since Week 2 of 2009 and his worst completion percentage game since week 14 of 2007. I think Rob Ryan might have wanted a little revenge.

Red Zone Targets+Touches: Dez Bryant: Run 0/Tar 3, Terrance Williams: Run 0/Tar 3, Cole Beasley: Run 0/Tar 3, Jason Witten: Run 0/Tar 1, DeMarco Murray: Run 4/Tar 1, Dwayne Harris: Run 0/Tar 1, Phillip Tanner: Run 1/Tar 0, Joseph Randle: Run 1/Tar 0

Detroit Lions

Calvin Johnson: 15-16-BYE-17-13 (61) (15.2), Reggie Bush: 5-9-BYE-6-5 (25) (6.2), Kris Durham: 8-6-BYE-1-9 (24) (6), Brandon Pettigrew: 7-6-BYE-5-5 (23) (5.8), Joique Bell: 4-1-BYE-1-4 (10) (2.5), Jeremy Ross: 0-3-BYE-3-3 (9) (2.2), Joseph Fauria: 4-0-BYE-2-2 (8) (2), Ryan Broyles: 4-2-BYE-dnp-dnp (6) (3), Kevin Ogletree: 2-0-BYE-0-3 (5) (1.2), Theo Riddick: dnp-1-BYE-0-1 (2) (0.7)

This game was a tale of two halves. Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson put up huge numbers in the first half, well, all of Johnson’s six receptions, 179 yards and two touchdowns came in the first half. Stafford didn’t complete one pass in the fourth quarter, but two passes were dropped. It looks like Nate Burleson’s return could be a nice boost to their offense.

Kris Durham saw nine targets (after having only one last week) but he only caught three for 42 yards. Reggie Bush was benched after he slipped a few times in the mud, which of course makes no sense, but it happened. Joique Bell played well in relief, but hurt his ankle and we saw some Theo Riddick. Bush is still the guy, so there’s no need to worry at the moment.

Red Zone Targets+Touches: Calvin Johnson: Run 0/Tar 11, Kris Durham: Run 0/Tar 5, Brandon Pettigrew: Run 0/Tar 4, Joseph Fauria: Run 0/Tar 4, Jeremy Ross: Run 0/Tar 2, Ryan Broyles: Run 0/Tar 1, Reggie Bush: Run 11/Tar 1, Matthew Stafford: Run 2/Tar 0, Joique Bell: Run 3/Tar 0

Green Bay Packers

Jordy Nelson: 6-8-9-10-9 (42) (8.4), Jarrett Boykin: 10-6-1-13-8 (38) (7.6), Andrew Quarless: 1-2-7-4-3 (17) (3.4), James Jones: dnp-dnp-3-7-6 (16) (5.3), Eddie Lacy: 7-4-0-2-2 (15) (3), John Kuhn: 1-2-0-2-3 (8) (1.6), Jermichael Finley: 5-dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp (5) (5), Brandon Bostick: 0-0-0-3-1 (4) (0.8), James Starks: dnp-0-0-1-0 (1) (0.2), Ryan Taylor: dnp-dnp-0-1-0 (1) (0.3), Johnathan Franklin: 1-0-0-0-0 (1) (0.2)

The good news is that Scott Tolzien is good enough to get Jordy Nelson and Jarrett Boykin the ball. On passes over 20 yards he was 4-of-4 for 151 yards. The bad news is that he threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. For the most part he showed he can make all the throws he needs to, but just not 100% of the time. I don’t think there’s any reason to downgrade the Packers’ receivers too much, especially with the Vikings, Lions and Falcons on the horizon.

Red Zone Targets+Touches: Jordy Nelson: Run 0/Tar 7, Jarrett Boykin: Run 0/Tar 6, James Jones: Run 0/Tar 3, John Kuhn: Run 0/Tar 3, Eddie Lacy: Run 16/Tar 2, Jermichael Finley: Run 0/Tar 1, Andrew Quarless: Run 0/Tar 1, Myles White: Run 0/Tar 1, Myles White: Run 0/Tar 1, Seneca Wallace: Run 0/Tar 0, Johnathan Franklin: Run 2/Tar 0, Scott Tolzien: Run 0/Tar 0, Aaron Rodgers: Run 1/Tar 0, James Starks: Run 3/Tar 0

Minnesota Vikings

Greg Jennings: 10-3-9-4-dnp (26) (6.5), Cordarrelle Patterson: 6-3-4-4-9 (26) (5.2), Jerome Simpson: 9-3-5-6-2 (25) (5), John Carlson: 2-2-6-7-7 (24) (4.8), Jarius Wright: 5-0-5-3-4 (17) (3.4), Adrian Peterson: 4-3-3-2-3 (15) (3), Kyle Rudolph: 9-4-2-dnp-dnp (15) (5), Toby Gerhart: 3-2-1-0-3 (9) (1.8), Jerome Felton: 2-0-1-0-2 (5) (1), Joe Webb: 1-0-0-0-3 (4) (0.8)

Cordarrelle Patterson led the team with nine targets, but Christian Ponder’s inaccuracy coupled with Patterson’s raw route running don’t make for efficiency as Patterson caught just three for 28 yards.

The Vikings never had a chance in this one, especially with Adrian Peterson not 100% healthy. Jarius Wright managed to catch his first two touchdowns of the season, one from Ponder and one from Matt Cassel after Ponder was pulled for ineptitude. I’ve always liked Wright’s potential, but without a competent quarterback I wouldn’t own any Viking wide receivers at this point.

Red Zone Targets+Touches: Greg Jennings: Run 0/Tar 4, Jerome Simpson: Run 0/Tar 4, Cordarrelle Patterson: Run 0/Tar 3, Adrian Peterson: Run 12/Tar 3, Jarius Wright: Run 0/Tar 1, Toby Gerhart: Run 2/Tar 1, Christian Ponder: Run 5/Tar 0

New Orleans Saints

Jimmy Graham: BYE-3-12-5-11 (31) (7.8), Pierre Thomas: BYE-3-10-7-5 (25) (6.2), Marques Colston: BYE-6-dnp-8-8 (22) (7.3), Lance Moore: BYE-4-10-2-4 (20) (5), Darren Sproles: BYE-4-1-7-4 (16) (4), Kenny Stills: BYE-4-5-4-2 (15) (3.8), Robert Meachem: BYE-3-5-1-2 (11) (2.8), Ben Watson: BYE-3-1-3-dnp (7) (2.3), Mark Ingram: BYE-dnp-1-3-2 (6) (2), Josh Hill: BYE-2-1-0-2 (5) (1.2), Nick Toon: BYE-0-4-0-1 (5) (1.2), Jed Collins: BYE-1-1-0-1 (3) (0.8)

Drew Brees completed 30-of-43 passes to 11 different players. That is the most he’s distributed the ball this season and really is amazing. When you think of many teams in the league it’s nearly impossible to think of 11 players capable of catching a ball in a NFL game. This of course is always the run when trying to predict who will do well for the Saints, but with their high-powered offense you have a decent shot of getting lucky.

Marques Colston has turned things around with 12 receptions, 187 yards and a touchdown over the last two games. It does seem like his past injuries have been catching up with him this year and it’s not a given that he’s turned the corner, but it’s still good to see him getting the work again.

Red Zone Targets+Touches: Jimmy Graham: Run 0/Tar 6, Pierre Thomas: Run 10/Tar 3, Lance Moore: Run 0/Tar 2, Ben Watson: Run 0/Tar 2, Marques Colston: Run 0/Tar 1, Darren Sproles: Run 2/Tar 1, Josh Hill: Run 0/Tar 1, Jed Collins: Run 2/Tar 0, Mark Ingram: Run 6/Tar 0

New York Giants

Victor Cruz: 7-10-BYE-10-11 (38) (9.5), Hakeem Nicks: 10-12-BYE-4-5 (31) (7.8), Peyton Hillis: 6-5-BYE-2-dnp (13) (4.3), Brandon Myers: 3-4-BYE-0-4 (11) (2.8), Rueben Randle: 3-1-BYE-3-3 (10) (2.5), John Conner: 5-1-BYE-0-3 (9) (2.2), Andre Brown: dnp-dnp-BYE-3-5 (8) (4), Jerrel Jernigan: 0-4-BYE-0-2 (6) (1.5), Bear Pascoe: 2-0-BYE-0-1 (3) (0.8), Michael Cox: 2-1-BYE-0-0 (3) (0.8), Louis Murphy: 0-0-BYE-0-1 (1) (0.2)

Victor Cruz was the best player for the Giants on Sunday catching eight of 11 targets for 110 yards. He started the season with three 100+ yard games out of four, but hadn’t hit 100 again until this game. Unfortunately those first four games where Cruz went off, Eli Manning threw nine interceptions, was sacked 14 times and fumbled twice, oh, and the lost all of those games. They had to scale back the offense so Manning would stop killing them and in turn Cruz’s numbers suffered. Manning wasn’t horrible in this game, but he wasn’t at the top of his game either. I think it’s too early to say he’s turned things around, but getting the ball to Cruz is a good start.

Manning has thrown six touchdowns over his last six games and each one has gone to Rueben Randle. Of course he’s only averaging three targets a game over the last five games, so those touchdowns are going to be hard to count on.

Red Zone Targets+Touches: Hakeem Nicks: Run 0/Tar 6, Victor Cruz: Run 0/Tar 5, Rueben Randle: Run 0/Tar 3, Brandon Myers: Run 0/Tar 2, Peyton Hillis: Run 4/Tar 1, Louis Murphy: Run 0/Tar 1, John Conner: Run 0/Tar 1, Jerrel Jernigan: Run 0/Tar 1, Larry Donnell: Run 0/Tar 1, Andre Brown: Run 9/Tar 1, Brandon Jacobs: Run 1/Tar 0, Michael Cox: Run 1/Tar 0

Philadelphia Eagles

DeSean Jackson: 8-11-6-5-4 (34) (6.8), Riley Cooper: 7-5-6-5-7 (30) (6), Jason Avant: 12-4-1-4-3 (24) (4.8), LeSean McCoy: 7-5-4-1-4 (21) (4.2), Zach Ertz: 5-4-6-0-3 (18) (3.6), Brent Celek: 4-3-4-1-1 (13) (2.6), Jeff Maehl: 4-0-1-0-1 (6) (1.2), Bryce Brown: 1-1-1-0-2 (5) (1), James Casey: 0-1-1-2-0 (4) (0.8), Damaris Johnson: 0-1-0-0-dnp (1) (0.2)

Nick Foles continues to play very well. This week he completed 17-of-26 passes for 298 yards and ran nine times for 47 yards and a touchdown. LeSean McCoy ran in two touchdowns as well, one after Nick Foles was stopped a hair from a receiving touchdown, which would have helped a slow day for Cooper compared to what he’s been doing, but he did lead the team with seven targets.

Foles’ efficiency is perfect for this offense. DeSean Jackson only had four targets, but caught all four for 82 yards. After getting beat to death by the fast pace and run game, defenses are susceptible to big pass plays. As long as Foles continues to throw an accurate deep ball, which he has, he’s going to keep this team in the fantasy points.

Red Zone Targets+Touches: Jason Avant: Run 0/Tar 4, Riley Cooper: Run 0/Tar 4, Brent Celek: Run 0/Tar 3, Zach Ertz: Run 0/Tar 2, LeSean McCoy: Run 11/Tar 2, James Casey: Run 0/Tar 1, DeSean Jackson: Run 0/Tar 1, Nick Foles: Run 5/Tar 0

San Francisco 49ers

Anquan Boldin: 6-6-BYE-5-9 (26) (6.5), Vernon Davis: 8-4-BYE-2-5 (19) (4.8), Mario Manningham: dnp-dnp-BYE-6-4 (10) (5), Frank Gore: 3-1-BYE-2-3 (9) (2.2), Bruce Miller: 1-3-BYE-2-2 (8) (2), Vance McDonald: 2-0-BYE-2-2 (6) (1.5), Jon Baldwin: 0-dnp-BYE-0-3 (3) (1), Kendall Hunter: 0-0-BYE-1-0 (1) (0.2), LaMichael James: dnp-dnp-BYE-0-1 (1) (0.5)

Anquan Boldin led the way in this one with six receptions on nine targets for 56 yards and a touchdown. This was his first touchdown since Week 4. Vernon Davis on the other hand has been much more consistent in the touchdown department. He caught one in this game and now has eight in eight games (one he didn’t play and another he suffered a concussion early). He remains the only truly viable receiving option on the 49ers for fantasy purposes.

Red Zone Targets+Touches: Vernon Davis: Run 0/Tar 5, Anquan Boldin: Run 0/Tar 2, Kyle Williams: Run 0/Tar 1, Jon Baldwin: Run 0/Tar 1, Kendall Hunter: Run 2/Tar 0, Frank Gore: Run 12/Tar 0, Bruce Miller: Run 1/Tar 0, Colin Kaepernick: Run 3/Tar 0

Seattle Seahawks

Golden Tate: 7-7-3-7-4 (28) (5.6), Doug Baldwin: 1-1-10-8-2 (22) (4.4), Zach Miller: 7-3-5-0-5 (20) (4), Marshawn Lynch: 3-1-5-3-2 (14) (2.8), Jermaine Kearse: 3-2-2-4-1 (12) (2.4), Sidney Rice: 4-3-dnp-dnp-dnp (7) (3.5), Luke Willson: 2-0-0-2-1 (5) (1), Robert Turbin: 0-1-0-1-2 (4) (0.8), Ricardo Lockette: dnp-dnp-1-1-1 (3) (1), Kellen Davis: 1-0-0-0-0 (1) (0.2), Derrick Coleman: 1-dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp (1) (1), Percy Harvin: dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp-1 (1) (1), Michael Robinson: dnp-0-0-0-1 (1) (0.2)

Russell Wilson has proven so far this season that he is the best quarterback from the great rookie class of 2012. In his last three games he has completed an amazing 73% of his passes and thrown two touchdowns per game. Wilson has the fourth most fantasy points for quarterbacks this season and is averaging just 25 pass attempts per game! He’s not going to throw for 400 yards a game, but he’s going to give you some rushing yards, won’t throw many interceptions and will get the ball in the end zone one way or the other.

Percy Harvin had a couple nice plays in this one as they eased him back, but it’s going to be difficult to make him enough of a centerpiece in this offense with Marshawn Lynch and not many targets to go around. Golden Tate who had been rolling of late had four targets of which he caught one for 26 yards. Zach Miller led the way this week in targets, receptions and yards with 5, 4 and 69. Those 69 yards were 20 more than he had had on any game this season.

Red Zone Targets+Touches: Golden Tate: Run 0/Tar 5, Doug Baldwin: Run 0/Tar 4, Jermaine Kearse: Run 0/Tar 3, Sidney Rice: Run 0/Tar 1, Zach Miller: Run 0/Tar 1, Kellen Davis: Run 0/Tar 1, Marshawn Lynch: Run 16/Tar 1, Christine Michael: Run 1/Tar 0, Russell Wilson: Run 7/Tar 0, Robert Turbin: Run 2/Tar 0

St. Louis Rams

Jared Cook: 7-6-6-2-BYE (21) (5.2), Chris Givens: 2-5-8-4-BYE (19) (4.8), Zac Stacy: 4-3-7-3-BYE (17) (4.2), Tavon Austin: 5-3-2-3-BYE (13) (3.2), Lance Kendricks: 3-5-4-dnp-BYE (12) (4), Austin Pettis: 4-4-4-0-BYE (12) (3), Brian Quick: 6-3-2-0-BYE (11) (2.8), Cory Harkey: 2-1-0-3-BYE (6) (1.5), Daryl Richardson: 1-1-dnp-dnp-BYE (2) (1), Benny Cunningham: dnp-dnp-0-1-BYE (1) (0.5), Stedman Bailey: 0-0-1-0-BYE (1) (0.2)

This was the Tavon Austin Show and the Colts were forced to watch. Austin had a 98 yard punt return touchdown, a 57 yard touchdown reception another 81 yard touchdown reception.

Kellen Clemens completed just nine passes, but thanks to Austin two of those passes went for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Zac Stacy didn’t have a great game, but he did get in for a touchdown and remains the guy who sets up whatever passing game they can muster.

Red Zone Targets+Touches: Jared Cook: Run 0/Tar 5, Austin Pettis: Run 0/Tar 2, Chris Givens: Run 0/Tar 2, Lance Kendricks: Run 0/Tar 2, Brian Quick: Run 0/Tar 2, Zac Stacy: Run 15/Tar 2, Stedman Bailey: Run 0/Tar 1, Benny Cunningham: Run 3/Tar 0, Daryl Richardson: Run 3/Tar 0

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Vincent Jackson: 22-13-4-8-12 (59) (11.8), Brian Leonard: 2-7-4-3-5 (21) (4.2), Tim Wright: 3-8-4-1-2 (18) (3.6), Tiquan Underwood: 1-4-3-5-1 (14) (2.8), Mike Williams: 5-6-dnp-dnp-dnp (11) (5.5), Mike James: 3-5-2-0-dnp (10) (2.5), Erik Lorig: 0-1-3-0-2 (6) (1.2), Tom Crabtree: 2-2-1-0-1 (6) (1.2), Eric Page: 0-3-0-0-0 (3) (0.6), Bobby Rainey: dnp-0-0-1-2 (3) (0.8), Chris Owusu: 3-dnp-dnp-dnp-0 (3) (1.5), Skye Dawson: dnp-1-0-2-0 (3) (0.8)

After a couple of down games target-wise for Vincent Jackson he saw double digits once again and it paid off with 10 receptions for 165 yards and a touchdown. Coach Greg Schiano had made it a priority during the week that he wanted Jackson to get more targets even if he was covered and it worked like a charm.

Of course the big story of this game was Bobby Rainey. He rushed 30 times for 163 yards and two touchdowns while also catching another touchdown to total three on the day. Pro Football Focus graded it as the best individual running back performance they’ve seen, ever.

Red Zone Targets+Touches: Vincent Jackson: Run 0/Tar 12, Tim Wright: Run 0/Tar 3, Eric Page: Run 0/Tar 2, Tiquan Underwood: Run 0/Tar 2, Mike Williams: Run 0/Tar 2, Doug Martin: Run 0/Tar 2, Brian Leonard: Run 3/Tar 2, Tom Crabtree: Run 0/Tar 1, Erik Lorig: Run 0/Tar 1, Bobby Rainey: Run 8/Tar 1, Mike James: Run 9/Tar 0

Washington Redskins

Pierre Garcon: 8-11-11-10-10 (50) (10), Jordan Reed: 9-14-5-9-1 (38) (7.6), Leonard Hankerson: 5-3-6-5-1 (20) (4), Santana Moss: 2-5-2-3-7 (19) (3.8), Roy Helu: 2-1-1-4-4 (12) (2.4), Logan Paulsen: 1-1-3-3-3 (11) (2.2), Aldrick Robinson: 2-2-1-0-3 (8) (1.6), Josh Morgan: 0-2-1-1-dnp (4) (1), Darrel Young: 0-0-0-1-2 (3) (0.6), Niles Paul: 0-0-2-0-0 (2) (0.4)

Over the last two games it looked like Robert Griffin was ready to turn the corner on a disappointing season, but he once again was largely off his target against the Eagles completing just 17 of 35 attempts. On 16 throws over 10 yards he only completed four. He wasn’t helped by the loss of Jordan Reed and Leonard Hankerson in the game, but he was just having difficulty making the throws. He led a late charge to almost tie up the game, but made an errant throw and was intercepted to end their chances.

Pierre Garcon had 10 targets and Alfred Morris ran the ball 22 times, so the playmakers are getting their looks at least, but unless Griffin is steering the ship in the right direction they will continue to languish.

Red Zone Targets+Touches: Jordan Reed: Run 0/Tar 6, Pierre Garcon: Run 0/Tar 6, Logan Paulsen: Run 0/Tar 4, Santana Moss: Run 0/Tar 3, Leonard Hankerson: Run 0/Tar 3, Darrel Young: Run 4/Tar 1, Niles Paul: Run 0/Tar 1, Roy Helu: Run 5/Tar 0, Robert Griffin III: Run 4/Tar 0, Alfred Morris: Run 14/Tar 0

Snap count data comes from our friends at Pro Football Focus.