Week 5 NFC Targets and Touches

In case you missed it, the AFC Targets and Touches column can be found here.

Note: if a player has an asterisk next to a number in their data set that indicates the player was injured during the game. Also, this data will stick to fantasy relevant players meaning that running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends that see a limited amount of targets or touches per-game will not be included.

Arizona Cardinals

Targets: Larry Fitzgerald (8, 9, 11, 9), John Brown (7, 5, 5, 10), Chris Johnson (1, 1, 2, 3), David Johnson (2, 2, 3, 10), Michael Floyd (1, 1, 5, 7)

RB Touches: Chris Johnson (10, 20, 23, 19) and David Johnson (1, 7, 10, 7)

Red zone Targets: John Brown (1, 0, 0, 1), Larry Fitzgerald (0, 2, 3, 1), Michael Floyd (0, 0, 2, 0), David Johnson (0, 0, 0, 1)

Red zone Carries: Chris Johnson (0, 6, 4, 4), David Johnson (0, 1, 1, 1)

CBs Thrown At: Jerraud Powers 12, 6, 3, 4 (7-111, 4-83-1, 1-14, 3-36-2), Tyrann Mathieu 5, 6, 3, 5 (3-31-1, 6-38, 1-2, 4-56-1), Patrick Peterson 5, 3, 1, 2 (1-30, 1-8, 0-0, 1-(-1))

Analysis: Andre Ellington (PCL) is due back for Week 5, leaving the Cardinals backfield as a running back by committee for the foreseeable future. Chris and David Johnson will both have roles in the offense and it’s unlikely Ellington will immediately come back and procure workhorse-like touches. Beyond their running backs, Arizona’s offense is chugging along like a dream. They’re second in points per-game (37), fourth in yards per-game (405), and are currently fifth in Football Outsiders’ Offense DVOA.

Atlanta Falcons

Targets: Julio Jones (11, 15, 20, 6), Roddy White (8, 1, 0, 4), Leonard Hankerson (4, 11, 6, 8), Devonta Freeman (4, 8, 5, 6), Tevin Coleman (2, 1*, 0, 0), Jacob Tamme (3, 6, 1, 0)

RB Touches: Devonta Freeman (13, 16, 35, 19) and Tevin Coleman (20, 9*, 0, 0)

Red zone Targets: Julio Jones (1, 1, 6, 0), Roddy White (1, 0, 0, 0), Devonta Freeman (1, 0, 2, 0), Leonard Hankerson (0, 2, 1, 1), Tevin Coleman (0, 1*, 0, 0)

Red zone Carries: Devonta Freeman (3, 4, 8, 2) and Tevin Coleman (1, 2*, 0, 0)

CBs Thrown At: Desmond Trufant 4, 0, 3, 8 (2-40, 0-0, 1-20, 3-47), Phillip Adams 5, 5, 2, 7 (3-30, 4-45, 2-14, 5-101), Robert Alford 3, 12, 0, 6 (2-31, 7-128-2, 0-0, 2-21)

Analysis: We saw something I’m not sure was going to be possible. Julio Jones saw less than double-digit targets in Week 4. Joking aside, his low target number was simply due to the fact the Falcons blew out the Texans (48-21) at home. Even Terron Ward had 19 carries in mop-up duty. Tevin Coleman (ribs) seems likely to come back this week, but Devonta Freeman has earned the Falcons starting job with his absolutely dominant 44-209-6 rushing and 10-133 receiving lines over the past two weeks. Freeman is a RB1 for fantasy purposes, but I’m certainly interested to see how Atlanta divvies up its running back pie with Coleman healthy.

Carolina Panthers

Targets: Greg Olsen (3, 14, 11, 6), Jonathan Stewart (4, 1, 1, 0), Ted Ginn (7, 9, 6, 3), Devin Funchess (2, 4, 4, 2)

RB Touches: Jonathan Stewart (22, 18, 14, 10) and Cameron Artis-Payne (0, 0, 3, 8)

Red zone Targets: Greg Olsen (1, 1, 5, 2), Ted Ginn (1, 0, 0, 2), Devin Funchess (0, 0, 1, 1)

Red zone Carries: Jonathan Stewart (4, 1, 2, 1), Cam Newton (2, 2, 3, 2), Mike Tolbert (0, 1, 4, 2), Cameron Artis-Payne (0, 0, 0, 3)

CBs Thrown At: Josh Norman 9, 12, 6, 8 (3-15-1, 6-40, 4-43, 2-31), Bene Benwikere 12, 10, 8, 5 (8-47, 6-52, 6-50, 4-39), Charles Tillman 3, 7, 9, 3 (1-27, 4-61, 8-77, 2-15)

Analysis: Through four games, Cam Newton has averaged 10.8 rushes per-game and is subsequently third in quarterback fantasy scoring in large part due to his rushing floor. Through three weeks, Newton has already scored 18-plus fantasy points three times after he only put up 18-plus points five times in 2014. He is the Panthers offense. Newton has accounted for 36.9% of Carolina’s rushing yards and has been a part of all nine of the Panthers offensive touchdowns (seven passing, two rushing touchdowns).

Chicago Bears

Targets: Alshon Jeffery (11, 0, 0, 0), Matt Forte (8, 5, 3, 4), Martellus Bennett (7, 6, 5, 13), Eddie Royal (5, 8, 3, 10), Marquess Wilson (2, 5, 2, 9)

RB Touches: Matt Forte (29, 19, 20, 29)

Red zone Targets: Matt Forte (4, 1, 0, 0), Alshon Jeffery (3, 0, 0, 0), Eddie Royal (2, 1, 0, 2), Martellus Bennett (0, 0, 0, 2)

Red zone Carries: Matt Forte (4, 1, 0, 3)

CBs Thrown At: Alan Ball 5, 4, 8, 0* (4-51-2, 3-35, 6-101, 0-0), Kyle Fuller 4, 4, 2, 2 (2-46, 3-60-2, 1-4, 1-17), Sherrick McManis 3, 2, 3, 7 (3-19-1, 2-12-1, 3-15, 4-60-1)

Analysis: The Bears are reportedly optimistic that Alshon Jeffery (hamstring) will be available in Week 5 against the Chiefs. Stay tuned to practice reports for more details, but when Jeffery is deemed 100% he’s going to walk right back into his 9-12 targets per-game role.

Dallas Cowboys

Targets: Jason Witten (9, 8, 8, 6), Terrance Williams (8, 7, 2, 10), Cole Beasley (6, 5, 4, 6), Joseph Randle (3, 1, 2, 0), Gavin Escobar (2, 3, 0, 1), Darren McFadden (1, 2, 0, 0)

RB Touches: Joseph Randle (19, 19, 16, 11) and Darren McFadden (7, 12, 6, 10)

Red zone Targets: Jason Witten (3, 1, 0, 0), Cole Beasley (2, 1, 0, 1), Terrance Williams (2, 1, 0, 5), Gavin Escobar (1, 2, 0, 0)

Red zone Carries: Joseph Randle (1, 2, 2, 2) and Darren McFadden (1, 0, 3, 0)

CBs Thrown At: Brandon Carr 6, 4, 7, 8 (3-13, 2-24-1, 5-54-1, 8-57-1) and Morris Claiborne 5, 6, 11, 11 (3-33, 5-28, 6-77, 7-67)

Analysis: Lance Dunbar (ACL) is now out for the season, bending Dallas’ offense further into injury-related disarray. Joseph Randle would likely stand to have the biggest bump with Dunbar’s absence but the team’s usage of Randle indicates it is unlikely they trust him enough for a work-horse level role. Randle has not played more than 42.6% of snaps in any of the Cowboys’ first four games. This goes without mentioning Randle’s inconsistent performance thus far, as well. He’s averaged less than 3 yards per carry in two games but has averaged above 4 yards per carry twice. Randle is still a low-end RB2, but at least we know when he’s on the field he’s bound to see touches.

Detroit Lions

Targets: Calvin Johnson (4, 17, 13, 11), Golden Tate (8, 10, 7, 4), Eric Ebron (5, 10, 5, 3*), Ameer Abdullah (4, 1, 5, 5), Theo Riddick (2, 6, 10, 5), Joique Bell (2, 2, 1, 0)

RB Touches: Ameer Abdullah (11, 7, 10, 15), Joique Bell (8, 6, 11, 0), Theo Riddick (2, 6, 8, 6), Zach Zenner (2, 0, 0, 3)

Red zone Targets: Calvin Johnson (0, 2, 3, 1), Ameer Abdullah (0, 1, 1, 0), Golden Tate (0, 1, 1, 0), Eric Ebron (1, 0, 0, 0), Theo Riddick (0, 0, 3, 0)

Red zone Carries: Joique Bell (0, 0, 2, 0), Ameer Abdullah (0, 0, 1, 0), Zach Zenner (0, 0, 0, 2)

CBs Thrown At: Rashean Mathis 11, 4, 11, 2 (9-85, 4-22, 8-43, 2-84) and Darius Slay 4, 2, 6, 5 (3-50, 2-9-1, 5-123-1, 3-26),

Analysis: The Lions offense is simply not very good this year. Their offensive line is subpar, Matthew Stafford isn’t throwing deep often enough (just 5.5% of his attempts have gone 20-plus yards downfield; 10.5% of attempts traveled 20-plus yards in 2014), and Detroit has become extremely one dimensional without a solid run-game. As mentioned last week, the schedule really opens up for Calvin Johnson to burn opposing secondaries in the next eight weeks but we still may need to dial back expectations slightly for Megatron just based on the offense’s ineffectiveness.

Green Bay Packers

Targets: Randall Cobb (5, 11, 12, 8), Davante Adams (8, 5, 2*, 0), Eddie Lacy (3, 0*, 3, 3), James Jones (4, 3, 8, 6), Richard Rodgers (3, 4, 4, 6), James Starks (0, 4, 1, 2), Ty Montgomery (0, 4, 2, 6)

RB Touches: Eddie Lacy (21, 3*, 13, 19) and James Starks (2, 24, 18, 11)

Red zone Targets: Randall Cobb (1, 1, 4, 3), James Jones, (2, 1, 0, 0), Davante Adams (2, 0, 0*, 0), Eddie Lacy (1, 0*, 0, 1), Ty Montgomery (0, 2, 1, 0), Richard Rodgers (0, 2, 0, 1)

Red zone Carries: Eddie Lacy (4, 0*, 1, 2) and James Starks (0, 2, 1, 1)

CBs Thrown At: Sam Shields 9, 1, 5, 4 (7-105, 1-0, 4-61, 1-7), Casey Hayward 3, 5, 8, 2 (1-5, 4-69-1, 7-67-1, 1-1), Damarious Randall 6, 1, 8, 8 (1-24-1, 0-0, 3-77, 4-70)

Analysis: The Packers top-3 weapons are easy to dissect. Randall Cobb is Aaron Rodgers’ number one option, Eddie Lacy is locked in for at least 16 touches per-game, and James Jones has re-asserted himself as the Packers number two receiving option. Beyond those three, the ball is simply spread all over the place leaving Davante Adams on the outside looking in for the foreseeable future as he nurses his ankle sprain. He’ll still have a role in the Green Bay attack when he’s healthy, but Adams no longer has the high-upside WR2 fantasy appeal after Jordy Nelson’s ACL-tear.

Minnesota Vikings

Targets: Mike Wallace (7, 3, 4, 10), Kyle Rudolph (7, 7, 5, 4), Charles Johnson (3, 3, 4, 0), Jarius Wright (4, 2, 4, 0), Adrian Peterson (3, 2, 0, 6), Jerick McKinnon (2, 0, 1, 0), Stefon Diggs (0, 0, 0, 9)

RB Touches: Adrian Peterson (13, 31, 20, 16) and Jerick McKinnon (5, 3, 6, 1)

Red zone Targets: Kyle Rudolph (0, 3, 1, 1), Adrian Peterson (0, 1, 0, 0), Jarius Wright (0, 1, 0, 0), Mike Wallace (0, 0, 0, 2), Stefon Diggs (0, 0, 0, 2)

Red zone Carries: Adrian Peterson (0, 12, 6, 0) and Jerick McKinnon (0, 2, 0, 0) – No Red zone rushes in Week 4

CBs Thrown At: Xavier Rhodes 6, 13, 5*, 5 (4-38, 7-62-1, 3-79-1, 4-72), Terence Newman 4, 5, 8, 7 (3-20, 2-17, 6-42, 4-63), Captain Munnerlyn 0, 9, 2, 5 (0-0, 6-45, 2-45, 4-36)

Analysis: With Charles Johnson hurt (ribs) and unable to make a big splash in the Vikings offense in his three healthy games, rookie Stefon Diggs may be worth a deep flier in 14- and 16- team leagues. Minnesota is on a bye this week, but Diggs is worth a wait-and-see stash coming off his nine targets, 6-87 receiving performance in Denver.

New Orleans Saints

Targets: Brandin Cooks (8, 7, 8, 8), Mark Ingram (9, 3, 5, 7), Marques Colston (7, 5, 6, 5), Brandon Coleman (7, 6, 3, 1), C.J. Spiller (0, 1, 2, 5), Khiry Robinson (6, 1, 2, 4), Ben Watson (5, 4, 4, 3), Willie Snead (3, 6, 7, 6), Josh Hill (0, 4, 1, 2)

RB Touches: Mark Ingram (17, 19, 19, 23), C.J. Spiller (0, 4, 3, 7), Khiry Robinson (13, 6, 9, 8)

Red zone Targets: Brandin Cooks (1, 0, 0, 1), Mark Ingram (2, 0, 0, 1), Brandon Coleman (1, 0, 0, 0), Khiry Robinson (0, 1, 0, 0), Willie Snead (0, 1, 2, 0), Josh Hill (0, 0, 0, 1), Marques Colston (0, 0, 0, 1)

Red zone Carries: Mark Ingram (2, 4, 3, 4), Khiry Robinson (0, 0, 1, 1), C.J. Spiller (0, 1, 0, 0)

CBs Thrown At: Brandon Browner 6, 4, 5, 5 (3-65, 2-25, 4-139, 3-78) and Delvin Breaux 4, 3, 2, 9 (3-26, 1-54, 0-0, 2-41-1)

Analysis: Mark Ingram is a very under-rated fantasy running back. Through four games, he’s seen no less than 17 touches and two red zone carries in a single game and he’s finished as a top-16 back or better in all four weeks. He’s a borderline stud at the position and should be considered every week in cash game (H2H and 50/50) lineups on daily sites.

New York Giants

Targets: Odell Beckham (8, 12, 9, 12), Shane Vereen (5, 8, 3, 0), Rueben Randle (5, 2, 7, 6), Larry Donnell (4, 6, 6, 7), Rashad Jennings (1, 2, 3, 2), Andre Williams (0, 0, 0, 1) Dwayne Harris (0, 0, 1, 6)

RB Touches: Rashad Jennings (13, 11, 14, 9), Shane Vereen (7, 14, 6, 5), Andre Williams (6, 6, 14, 11)

Red zone Targets: Odell Beckham (2, 0, 1, 1), Larry Donnell (1, 2, 2, 1), Rueben Randle (0, 0, 1, 2), Shane Vereen (0, 0, 1, 0), Dwayne Harris (0, 0, 0, 1)

Red zone Carries: Rashad Jennings (4, 0, 1, 2) and Andre Williams (2, 1, 2, 0)

CBs Thrown At: Prince Amukamara 10, 4, 8, 9 (7-52, 3-49, 4-54, 4-58), Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie 6, 2, 0*, 1 (5-75, 1-2, 0-0*, 0-0), Trumaine McBride 5, 5, 8, 5 (3-35, 3-23-1, 6-51, 5-39)

Analysis: In back-to-back games, Shane Vereen has played on just 32% of the Giants’ snaps and has failed to record a reception. I wrote last week that Vereen’s role is impervious to game-flow and while that may remain true, he’s simply not seeing enough work to constitute a start on fantasy rosters, just like the other Giants’ backs. Vereen, Rashad Jennings, and Andre Williams will cut into each other weekly disallowing any bankable production in New York’s backfield.

Philadelphia Eagles

Targets: Jordan Matthews (13, 9, 8, 8), Zach Ertz (8, 7, 2, 3), Darren Sproles (9, 4, 6, 3), DeMarco Murray (5, 5, 0, 2), Nelson Agholor (2, 6, 4, 4), Ryan Mathews (4, 0, 4, 0)

RB Touches: DeMarco Murray (12, 17, 0, 10), Darren Sproles (12, 5, 15, 4), Ryan Mathews (6, 1, 27, 5)

Red zone Targets: Jordan Matthews (2, 2, 1, 0), DeMarco Murray (2, 1, 0, 0), Zach Ertz (1, 1, 0, 1), Nelson Agholor (0, 1, 0, 0), Darren Sproles (0, 0, 1, 1)

Red zone Carries: DeMarco Murray (3, 3, 0, 1), Ryan Mathews (1, 0, 3, 0), Darren Sproles (0, 0, 3, 0)

CBs Thrown At: Byron Maxwell 10, 9, 6, 0* (9-154-1, 6-86-1, 6-75 0-0), Nolan Carroll 4, 5, 9, 9 (3-48, 4-26, 5-49, 6-79), Eric Rowe 0, 0, 3, 8 (0-0, 0-0, 1-12, 4-41)

Analysis: After attempting a deep pass (20-plus yards downfield) on just 5.9% of his attempts through three games, Sam Bradford uncorked eight deep balls in Week 4 accounting for 28.6% of his attempts. If Bradford becomes more comfortable and threatens to throw deep more often, that could theoretically really open up this Eagles passing attack. I'm still very bullish on Bradford, Jordan Matthews, and even Nelson Agholor as the Eagles schedule opens up considerably for the remainder of the season.

As for the run-game, I think you have to be patient with DeMarco Murray for one more week. Yes, the Eagles offensive line is ranked last in Football Outsiders’ Adjusted Offensive Line Yards metric and 33% of Philly’s runs have been stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage. That matters, but Week 5 is set up perfectly for production as Murray sees the average Saints run defense at home.

San Francisco 49ers

Targets: Vernon Davis (6, 7, 2, 0), Anquan Boldin (5, 10, 4, 7), Torrey Smith (3, 7, 2, 5), Carlos Hyde (2, 4, 1, 1), Quinton Patton (1, 4, 3, 2), Mike Davis (0, 4, 3, 0), Reggie Bush (1, 0, 0, 3)

RB Touches: Carlos Hyde (28, 19, 16, 9), Reggie Bush (2, 0, 0, 2), Mike Davis (0, 9, 8)

Red zone Targets: Vernon Davis (1, 1, 0, 0), Anquan Boldin (1, 3, 1, 1), Carlos Hyde (1, 0, 0, 0), Torrey Smith (1, 2, 0, 1), Reggie Bush (1, 0, 0, 1), Mike Davis (0, 3, 0, 0)

Red zone Carries: Carlos Hyde (5, 1, 1, 1), Mike Davis (0, 5, 0, 0), Colin Kaepernick (0, 1, 1, 1)

CBs Thrown At: Tramaine Brock 6, 4, 8, 4 (5-39, 4-76, 4-65-1, 3-15) and Kenneth Acker 4, 7, 6, 7 (3-24, 6-120, 3-38, 5-98)

Analysis: I’m tempted to leave the analysis section here blank. No one on this offense is a weekly fantasy starter and Carlos Hyde will continue to struggle to dominant touches when his team is playing from behind so often.

Seattle Seahawks

Targets: Jimmy Graham (8, 2, 8, 5), Doug Baldwin (9, 8, 3, 4), Marshawn Lynch (7, 6, 1*, 0), Tyler Lockett (4, 2, 1, 5), Fred Jackson (1, 2, 2, 4*), Luke Willson (1, 4, 0, 3), Chris Matthews (1, 2, 1, 1), Jermaine Kearse (10, 2, 6, 2), Thomas Rawls (0, 0, 1, 1)

RB Touches: Marshawn Lynch (23, 18, 6*, 0), Fred Jackson (4, 2, 4, 5), Thomas Rawls (2, 0, 16, 18)

Red zone Targets: Jimmy Graham (4, 0, 1, 0), Marshawn Lynch (2, 1, 0, 0), Fred Jackson (0, 1, 0, 0), Doug Baldwin (0, 1, 0, 0), Jermaine Kearse (3, 0, 1, 0), Chris Matthews (0, 0, 1, 0)

Red zone Carries: Marshawn Lynch (1, 1, 0*), Fred Jackson (1, 0, 0), Russell Wilson (0, 1, 0), Thomas Rawls (0, 0, 1) – No red zone rushes in Week 4

CBs Thrown At: Richard Sherman 4, 1, 3, 3 (2-29, 1-13, 1-9, 2-21) and Cary Williams 3, 2, 0, 8 (3-36, 1-5-1, 0-0, 4-28)

Analysis: Before we get to Jimmy Graham, I just want to note how good Richard Sherman is. He’s been on the field for 99.2% of the Seahawks defensive snaps and has been thrown at 11 times in four games. Just eleven times (2.8 times per-game). Teams genuinely do not even look to his side of the field for excellent reason.

Jimmy Graham’s snap percentage per week: 91.6%, 83.3%, 80.6%, and 74.6%. Graham’s target per route run percentage through four games: 16.7%, 6.3%, 25.8%, and 16.7%. For what it’s worth, Graham played on 68% of the Saints’ snaps and had a 22% target per route run share in New Orleans in 2014. Before we get bogged down in the narrative of the “Seahawks don’t use Graham enough” consider the fact he’s playing a higher percentage of the snaps in Seattle (although decreasing by week) than he did the year before in New Orleans. The real detriment is in the target department. Graham is on pace for 92 targets in 2015. He had 142 and 125 in his last two years in New Orleans. I’m still hopeful that Graham’s target total increases as Russell Wilson has thrown 26 or more passes in four straight games – Wilson had 26-plus attempts just nine times in 2014 – but Graham’s ceiling and floor is clearly limited in Seattle.

St. Louis Rams

Targets: Todd Gurley (0, 0, 1, 2), Tavon Austin (5, 3, 5, 7), Jared Cook (6, 7, 3, 6), Kenny Britt (3, 4, 10, 1), Tre Mason (0, 5, 1, 0), Benny Cunningham (7, 6, 2, 2), Stedman Bailey (4, 4, 1, 3), Lance Kendricks (2, 2, 5, 2)

RB Touches: Todd Gurley (0, 0, 7, 21), Tre Mason (0, 9, 10, 2), Benny Cunningham (20, 5, 3, 2), Tavon Austin (4, 4, 0, 2)

Red zone Targets: Tavon Austin (1, 0, 0, 2), Jared Cook (0, 0, 1, 2), Stedman Bailey (0, 0, 0, 1), Todd Gurley (0, 0, 0, 1)

Red zone Carries: Todd Gurley (0, 0, 0, 3), Tre Mason (0, 0, 1, 0), Benny Cunningham (2, 0, 0, 0), Tavon Austin (1, 0, 0, 0)

CBs Thrown At: Trumaine Johnson 2, 2, 5, 9 (1-8, 1-3, 4-41, 7-84), Janoris Jenkins 7, 9, 9, 9 (5-38, 7-72-1, 8-77, 6-62), Lamarcus Joyner 4, 5, 3, 6 (4-49, 5-30, 2-11, 5-63)

Analysis: If I could, I would just drop a YouTube video of Todd Gurley's runs in Week 4 in this section and not give any analysis. He shredded a solid run defense (Arizona) on the road in Week 4 for 146 yards on 19 carries (7.68 yards per carry) and ripped off four runs of 20 or more yards. Gurley is a top-8 running back for the rest of the season provided the Rams stay committed to shoveling him touches.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Targets: Mike Evans (0, 0, 17, 8), Vincent Jackson (11, 5, 4, 15), Austin Seferian-Jenkins (7, 3, 0*, 0), Charles Sims (5, 3, 2, 5), Louis Murphy (3, 4, 6, 4), Doug Martin (1, 2, 0, 5), Brandon Myers (0, 0, 4, 3)

RB Touches: Doug Martin (12, 23, 14, 25) and Charles Sims (7, 11, 8, 9)

Red zone Targets: Mike Evans (0, 0, 2, 1), Vincent Jackson (4, 2, 0, 3), Austin Seferian-Jenkins (1, 0, 0, 0), Charles Sims (0, 0, 0, 1)

Red zone Carries: Doug Martin (1, 4, 0, 2) and Charles Sims (0, 1, 1, 1)

CBs Thrown At: Tim Jennings 0, 4, 10, 0 (0-0, 2-21, 6-33-1, 0-0), Alterraun Verner 3, 5, 3, 0 (2-29, 2-24-1, 1-11, 0-0), Mike Jenkings 0, 0, 9, 5 (0-0, 0-0, 4-69, 3-29-2)

Analysis: After seeing 50% of Jameis Winston’s looks in Week 3, Mike Evans’ target share was trimmed down to a more modest total in Week 4 (8). Vincent Jackson was the target hog (15 targets). I genuinely don’t have a great feel for Evans’ outlook for the rest of the season, but I do want to note that his production will likely come in inconsistent spurts just due to the fact he’s playing with a rookie quarterback. I’m willing to be patient with Evans for one more week however, as he’ll see below-average coverage in Week 5 at home to Jacksonville.

Washington

Targets: Jordan Reed (11, 6, 9, 8), Pierre Garcon (8, 7, 12, 8), Matt Jones (0, 3, 0, 0), Alfred Morris (0, 2, 0, 3), Ryan Grant (2, 6, 5, 7), Jamison Crowder (1, 1, 6, 12), Chris Thompson (1, 1, 11, 3), Derek Carrier (2, 0, 1, 2)

RB Touches: Alfred Morris (25, 20, 6, 19), Matt Jones (6, 22, 11, 7), Chris Thompson (3, 1, 10, 8)

Red zone Targets: Jordan Reed (2, 0, 1, 2), Pierre Garcon (0, 1, 0, 3), Ryan Grant (0, 1, 1), Chris Thompson (0, 0, 2, 1), Jamison Crowder (0, 0, 0, 3), Derek Carrier (0, 0, 0, 1), Alfred Morris (0, 0, 0, 1)

Red zone Carries: Alfred Morris (2, 4, 0, 2) and Matt Jones (0, 4, 2, 3)

CBs Thrown At: Chris Culliver 3, 0*, 4, 4 (2-3, 0-0*, 3-22, 2-84-1) and Bashaud Breeland 0*, 3, 10, 2 (0-0*, 1-9, 8-125-2, 1-9)

Analysis: If you play in a fantasy league that awards a full-point per reception, I’d strongly consider Chris Thompson this week if you need a running back bye-week replacement. Atlanta is hemorrhaging receptions to enemy backs, as they’ve allowed 42(!) catches on 49 targets to RBs in the first month of the season.

With Jordan Reed (concussion, ankle, knee) likely out Week 5, Derek Carrier will likely start at TE for Washington. He’s definitely stream-worthy and worth a long look in daily fantasy just because Washington loves to feature their tight ends in the passing game. Reed (8.5 targets per-game) has soaked up 22.2% of Kirk Cousins’ looks in 2015 plus Reed and Niles Paul saw a combined 117 targets in 2014 (7.31 per-game).