Week 7 Target Watch: NFC
Welcome to the Week 7 NFC Target Watch. Below I have all the targets for each player for each week and then their total number in parentheses and then below that I have the red zone targets and touches for each player for the season to date. The AFC version is right here if you are so inclined.
Arizona Cardinals
Larry Fitzgerald: 4-10-7-BYE-7-6- 5 (39), Michael Floyd: 7-6-9-BYE-7-7- 3 (39), Andre Ellington: 5-3-4-BYE-7-9- 9 (37), John Brown: 5-4-6-BYE-7-6- 5 (33), John Carlson: 1-3-3-BYE-3-6- 4 (20), Ted Ginn: 3-0-3-BYE-2-1- 1 (10), Rob Housler: 3-0-dnp-BYE-1-3- 1 (8), Stepfan Taylor: 3-0-0-BYE-0-2- 2 (7), Robert Hughes: 1-1-0-BYE-0-1- 0 (3), Jonathan Dwyer: 3-0-dnp-BYE-dnp-dnp- dnp (3), Jaron Brown: dnp-0-1-BYE-0-1- 1 (3), Troy Niklas: 0-1-0-BYE-0-dnp- dnp (1), Darren Fells: dnp-dnp-1-BYE-dnp-0- 0 (1)
Andre Ellington was the all-purpose yardage king in this game as he rushed 24 times for 88 yards and caught six of nine targets for 72 yards. He unfortunately is being taken out of goal line situations as Stepfan Taylor had three rushing attempts inside the opponent’s five-yard line and one target. And there probably isn’t going to be much change there since Taylor caught a touchdown pass and also ran in a touchdown.
After Taylor and Ellington there weren’t a bunch of fantasy points to go around with Michael Floyd only seeing three targets and Larry Fitzgerald five. Thankfully for Floyd he scored his second touchdown of the season, also his second of the last two weeks. So even on days with limited targets, the receivers have a much better shot at scoring with Palmer in the game rather than one of the backups.
Red Zone Targets+Touches: Larry Fitzgerald: Run 0/ Tar 7, Andre Ellington: Run 8/ Tar 4, Stepfan Taylor: Run 3/ Tar 3, Michael Floyd: Run 0/ Tar 3, John Brown: Run 0/ Tar 3, Rob Housler: Run 0/ Tar 2, Ted Ginn: Run 0/ Tar 2, John Carlson: Run 0/ Tar 1, Jaron Brown: Run 0/ Tar 1, Robert Hughes: Run 0/ Tar 1, Carson Palmer: Run 0/ Tar 0, Drew Stanton: Run 3/ Tar 0
Taylor dominated goal line, but Ellington was still the main man in the red zone with three rushing attempts and a reception.
Atlanta Falcons
Julio Jones: 9-13-11-8-16-12- 8 (77), Roddy White: 7-8-dnp-14-4-6- 15 (54), Levine Toilolo: 6-3-2-2-2-6- 5 (26), Devin Hester: 6-1-1-7-4-1- 5 (25), Devonta Freeman: 2-4-1-2-6-3- 5 (23), Harry Douglas: 7-8-2-dnp-dnp-dnp- dnp (17), Steven Jackson: 3-1-0-2-6-2- 1 (15), Antone Smith: 1-4-0-0-3-4- 2 (14), Jacquizz Rodgers: 1-1-1-4-2-1- 1 (11), Eric Weems: dnp-0-5-0-0-1- 1 (7), Patrick DiMarco: 0-0-3-1-0-0- 0 (4), Courtney Roby: 0-dnp-2-0-0-dnp- dnp (2)
Roddy White had his best fantasy day of the season and a nice bounce back from two down games in a row, but it did take 15 targets of which he caught nine for 100 yards and a touchdown. Julio Jones on the other hand caught five of eight targets for 56 yards. The Falcons most likely want those numbers switched around.
The running game continues to be a fantasy wasteland due to a depleted offensive line and a four-headed committee. Four running backs shared 24 looks for 82 yards with not one seeing double digit looks.
Red Zone Targets+Touches: Roddy White: Run 0/ Tar 4, Julio Jones: Run 0/ Tar 4, Devonta Freeman: Run 0/ Tar 3, Levine Toilolo: Run 0/ Tar 2, Antone Smith: Run 2/ Tar 1, Patrick DiMarco: Run 0/ Tar 1, Jacquizz Rodgers: Run 4/ Tar 1, Harry Douglas: Run 0/ Tar 1, Steven Jackson: Run 9/ Tar 1, Devin Hester: Run 1/ Tar 1
The Falcons only ran two plays in the red zone and one was a touchdown pass to White.
Carolina Panthers
Kelvin Benjamin: 8-8-11-9-11-8- 6 (61), Greg Olsen: 11-8-7-5-9-11- 8 (59), Jerricho Cotchery: 4-4-dnp-7-4-10- 8 (37), Jason Avant: 1-7-6-3-4-7- 5 (33), Philly Brown: 0-0-9-4-1-1- 0 (15), Brenton Bersin: dnp-1-1-1-1-3- 5 (12), Mike Tolbert: 4-4-3-dnp-dnp-dnp- dnp (11), Jonathan Stewart: 3-1-3-dnp-dnp-dnp- 2 (9), Darrin Reaves: dnp-dnp-1-5-1-1- 0 (8), Brandon Williams: dnp-0-0-dnp-2-1- 3 (6), Ed Dickson: 0-1-0-0-2-1- 1 (5), Fozzy Whittaker: 0-0-dnp-dnp-dnp-2- dnp (2), DeAngelo Williams: 1-dnp-dnp-0-dnp-dnp- dnp (1), Chris Ogbonnaya: dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp-0-0- 1 (1)
For all the deserved Kelvin Benjamin hype, the best fantasy player on the Panthers right now is Greg Olsen. His consistency has helped teams this season and even while getting his team was pummeled by the Packers, he was able to catch all eight of his targets for 105 yards.
Benjamin caught three of his six targets for 61 yards, but also found the end zone. And Jerricho Cotchery continues to see targets, with 29 in the last four games, but only has 15 receptions and no touchdowns. With Olsen and Benjamin around, Cotchery has very little touchdown upside, which is a must for him.
Red Zone Targets+Touches: Greg Olsen: Run 0/ Tar 9, Kelvin Benjamin: Run 0/ Tar 5, Jason Avant: Run 0/ Tar 4, Brenton Bersin: Run 0/ Tar 2, Philly Brown: Run 0/ Tar 1, Darrin Reaves: Run 8/ Tar 1, Jerricho Cotchery: Run 0/ Tar 1, Brandon Williams: Run 0/ Tar 1, DeAngelo Williams: Run 5/ Tar 0, Fozzy Whittaker: Run 2/ Tar 0, Cam Newton: Run 4/ Tar 0, Derek Anderson: Run 1/ Tar 0, Mike Tolbert: Run 4/ Tar 0, Chris Ogbonnaya: Run 2/ Tar 0, Jonathan Stewart: Run 4/ Tar 0
Olsen remains the red zone leader and is out targeting Benjamin, who has more mid-range to deep threat appeal so far. There really don’t seem to be many reasons Olsen can’t continue his strong play.
Chicago Bears
Matt Forte: 9-8-7-6-12-13- 7 (62), Martellus Bennett: 10-8-8-11-5-8- 8 (58), Brandon Marshall: 12-8-6-6-5-9- 10 (56), Alshon Jeffery: 6-6-13-7-7-7- 7 (53), Santonio Holmes: 5-2-3-0-3-0- 0 (13), Dante Rosario: 1-1-1-1-4-0- 2 (10), Josh Morgan: 3-dnp-0-4-0-1- 0 (8), Micheal Spurlock: 3-dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp- dnp (3), Josh Bellamy: dnp-1-dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp- dnp (1)
This loss by the Bears has caused plenty of upheaval, but also was a nice reminder of just how good Matt Forte is, even when the rest of his team is tanking. The Bears ran 51 plays for 224 total yards and two touchdowns and Matt Forte had 20 looks for 109 yards and two touchdowns. So there were 31 non-Forte involved plays that went for 115 yards and no touchdowns.
So after Forte there wasn’t much production with Jay Cutler having his worst game of the season by far. This feels like a game that should help refocus the Bears and spur a bounce back game in Foxboro, but we will have to wait to see.
Red Zone Targets+Touches: Martellus Bennett: Run 0/ Tar 14, Brandon Marshall: Run 0/ Tar 13, Matt Forte: Run 17/ Tar 10, Alshon Jeffery: Run 0/ Tar 6, Josh Morgan: Run 0/ Tar 2, Santonio Holmes: Run 0/ Tar 1, KaDeem Carey: Run 1/ Tar 0, Jay Cutler: Run 1/ Tar 0
Twenty-seven red zone looks for Matt Forte have helped him get back into touchdown land even though they aren’t running much near the goal line. He ranks third in the league with 3.86 red zone looks per game.
Dallas Cowboys
Dez Bryant: 6-14-7-6-14-10- 12 (69), Jason Witten: 6-7-5-5-5-5- 2 (35), Terrance Williams: 7-4-3-7-6-2- 3 (32), DeMarco Murray: 4-2-4-1-8-6- 1 (26), Cole Beasley: 5-1-2-2-4-2- 0 (16), Lance Dunbar: 3-0-1-3-0-4- 0 (11), Gavin Escobar: 1-1-1-1-0-2- 3 (9), Dwayne Harris: 2-0-0-2-3-0- 0 (7), Devin Street: 3-0-0-1-0-0- 0 (4), James Hanna: 0-0-0-1-0-0- 0 (1), Joseph Randle: 0-0-0-0-0-0- 1 (1), Tyler Clutts: 0-0-0-0-0-1- 0 (1)
Dez Bryant led all Cowboys with 13 targets, 10 more than any other player on the team. He caught nine for 151 yards, but was outscored in standard fantasy leagues by the #2 tight end Gavin Escobar, who caught all three of his targets for 65 yards and two touchdowns.
Escobar has seen his snap percentage rise of late and last week he hit his season high at 41%, while Terrance Williams’ percentage dropped to a season low of 67%. Williams has dipped into the 60s the last two games and has seen a total of five targets, the same number as Escobar. I don’t know if this will continue, but it is something Williams’ owners should watch because Escobar isn’t taking Jason Witten’s snaps as he has hit 100% in every single game.
Red Zone Targets+Touches: Terrance Williams: Run 0/ Tar 9, Dez Bryant: Run 0/ Tar 5, Gavin Escobar: Run 0/ Tar 4, Jason Witten: Run 0/ Tar 3, Cole Beasley: Run 0/ Tar 2, DeMarco Murray: Run 23/ Tar 2, Dwayne Harris: Run 0/ Tar 1, Devin Street: Run 0/ Tar 1, Lance Dunbar: Run 1/ Tar 1, Tony Romo: Run 0/ Tar 0, Joseph Randle: Run 1/ Tar 0
DeMarco Murray had yet another 100+ yard game, including a goal line attempt and touchdown this week. Even with fewer snaps, Williams had both his targets come in the red zone this week and he caught yet another touchdown, his only reception of the day. Escobar now has three red zone targets in the last two games and two touchdowns from those.
Detroit Lions
Golden Tate: 6-8-7-10-9-12- 13 (65), Calvin Johnson: 11-13-10-2-1-dnp- dnp (37), Reggie Bush: 6-3-8-6-5-dnp- 6 (34), Joique Bell: 1-11-0-4-dnp-3- 5 (24), Eric Ebron: 2-5-1-4-4-4- dnp (20), Corey Fuller: 0-1-2-1-4-5- 5 (18), Jeremy Ross: 0-3-3-2-2-3- 4 (17), Brandon Pettigrew: 1-1-1-2-3-0- 6 (14), Theo Riddick: 0-0-0-0-dnp-6- dnp (6), Joseph Fauria: 3-1-2-dnp-dnp-dnp- dnp (6), Ryan Broyles: dnp-dnp-dnp-2-1-0- 0 (3), Jed Collins: 0-2-0-0-0-0- 0 (2), George Winn: dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp-2-0- 0 (2)
Golden Tate was your hero of this game as he hauled in ten of 13 targets for 154 yards and a touchdown. His 73-yard catch and run touchdown with 3:38 left in the game was the offensive play of the day to be sure. The defense had an angle on him and he just blew by them and down the sideline for the score.
With Calvin Johnson out most of the targets were funneled toward Tate and no other player saw more than six targets. Corey Fuller had the game winning touchdowns and appears to be Stafford’s favorite between Jeremy Ross and him, but there really aren’t enough targets to make him a safe play even with Calvin out.
Red Zone Targets+Touches: Calvin Johnson: Run 0/ Tar 5, Reggie Bush: Run 6/ Tar 5, Golden Tate: Run 0/ Tar 5, Eric Ebron: Run 0/ Tar 3, Joseph Fauria: Run 0/ Tar 2, Corey Fuller: Run 0/ Tar 2, Joique Bell: Run 18/ Tar 2, Brandon Pettigrew: Run 0/ Tar 2, Jordan Thompson: Run 0/ Tar 1, Theo Riddick: Run 1/ Tar 1, Jed Collins: Run 1/ Tar 1, George Winn: Run 1/ Tar 0, Matthew Stafford: Run 2/ Tar 0
Joique Bell had trouble in pass protection, which is a little worrisome, but he’s the no doubt early down and goal line back and is fourth in the league with 2.86 looks in the red zone per game.
Green Bay Packers
Jordy Nelson: 14-16-7-12-3-16- 5 (73), Randall Cobb: 9-6-6-9-4-7- 7 (48), Davante Adams: 0-7-3-3-4-8- 1 (26), Andrew Quarless: 4-2-5-0-2-5- 1 (19), Eddie Lacy: 3-3-1-2-3-0- 3 (15), James Starks: 3-0-1-0-2-5- 1 (12), Jarrett Boykin: 0-3-4-dnp-dnp-dnp- 0 (7), Richard Rodgers: 0-1-0-2-1-0- 2 (6), John Kuhn: 0-1-0-0-1-0- 0 (2), Brandon Bostick: dnp-0-0-0-0-0- 2 (2), DuJuan Harris: 0-2-0-0-0-0- 0 (2), Kevin Dorsey: dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp-0- 2 (2), Jeff Janis: dnp-dnp-dnp-0-2-0- dnp (2)
The Packers have outscored their opponents 145-68 over the last four games and that’s helped skew some of the target numbers as they let off the gas, but when the pedal is down, they are scoring and scoring big.
With Jordy Nelson hogging many of the targets Randall Cobb’s eight touchdowns are pretty impressive. The Packers have two of the top four fantasy receivers in the league with those two and they don’t look like they’ll be slowing down soon.
Eddie Lacy and James Starks have been in a very close committee, nearly splitting snaps in half Weeks 5 and 6, but last week Starks hurt his ankle and Lacy saw the majority, while John Kuhn and DuJuan Harris came in for garbage work.
Red Zone Targets+Touches: Jordy Nelson: Run 0/ Tar 16, Randall Cobb: Run 0/ Tar 13, Davante Adams: Run 0/ Tar 6, Andrew Quarless: Run 0/ Tar 5, Eddie Lacy: Run 16/ Tar 3, Jarrett Boykin: Run 0/ Tar 2, Richard Rodgers: Run 0/ Tar 1, Brandon Bostick: Run 0/ Tar 1, John Kuhn: Run 3/ Tar 0, Aaron Rodgers: Run 4/ Tar 0, James Starks: Run 5/ Tar 0
Nelson and Cobb are the red zone kings for the Packers with Nelson leading all receivers with 2.29 red zone targets per game.
Minnesota Vikings
Greg Jennings: 7-4-7-4-6-6- 7 (41), Cordarrelle Patterson: 5-7-5-4-4-8- 4 (37), Jarius Wright: 3-3-0-10-8-6- 4 (34), Jerick McKinnon: 0-3-5-3-5-6- 4 (26), Matt Asiata: 1-7-6-4-3-2- 2 (25), Kyle Rudolph: 4-8-5-dnp-dnp-dnp- dnp (17), Chase Ford: dnp-dnp-dnp-4-4-5- 3 (16), Rhett Ellison: 1-1-2-1-2-1- 1 (9), Adam Thielen: 0-3-0-0-5-0- 1 (9), Charles Johnson: dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp-3-3- dnp (6), Adrian Peterson: 3-dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp- dnp (3), Joe Banyard: dnp-0-0-0-2-0- 0 (2), MarQueis Gray: dnp-0-0-0-2-0- 0 (2)
Teddy Bridgewater showed his rookieness in this one as he completed 15 of 26 passes for 157 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Greg Jennings did have his best game since Week 1 by catching six of seven targets for 77 yards, but that’s not going to win you many fantasy leagues there. And if that’s the best we can expect from him, blugh.
Probably the best news from this game for the Vikings and fantasy players was Jerick McKinnon’s usage. We did see more of Matt Asiata like Mike Zimmer said, but McKinnon was still the lead back with 19 carries for 103 yards and four targets while Asiata ran the ball six times for 24 yards and had two targets. And a nice addition is that McKinnon graded out positively in pass blocking at Pro Football Focus unlike last week.
Red Zone Targets+Touches: Greg Jennings: Run 0/ Tar 6, Jarius Wright: Run 0/ Tar 4, Matt Asiata: Run 10/ Tar 3, Cordarrelle Patterson: Run 0/ Tar 3, Joe Banyard: Run 0/ Tar 2, Chase Ford: Run 0/ Tar 2, Adam Thielen: Run 0/ Tar 1, Jerick McKinnon: Run 4/ Tar 1, Adrian Peterson: Run 1/ Tar 1, Kyle Rudolph: Run 0/ Tar 1, Christian Ponder: Run 2/ Tar 0, Teddy Bridgewater: Run 5/ Tar 0, Matt Cassel: Run 1/ Tar 0
The Vikings only ran two plays in the red zone, with one being a four-yard touchdown catch for Cordarrelle Patterson to go along with his 12 total yards.
New Orleans Saints
Jimmy Graham: 10-13-8-11-5-BYE- 2 (49), Brandin Cooks: 8-6-10-6-11-BYE- 3 (44), Marques Colston: 8-0-5-10-6-BYE- 10 (39), Pierre Thomas: 7-3-3-2-10-BYE- 4 (29), Travaris Cadet: 1-0-0-6-5-BYE- 9 (21), Kenny Stills: dnp-4-5-3-3-BYE- 5 (20), Robert Meachem: 2-5-1-1-4-BYE- 3 (16), Ben Watson: 1-2-1-1-7-BYE- 3 (15), Josh Hill: 0-2-2-1-3-BYE- 1 (9), Mark Ingram: 1-4-dnp-dnp-dnp-BYE- 3 (8), Khiry Robinson: 1-0-0-3-2-BYE- 0 (6), Joe Morgan: 3-dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp-BYE- dnp (3)
Except for a poor decision that led to an interception that cost them the game, Drew Brees was really good! And for fantasy, you know wins and losses and even interceptions aren’t a big deal, so finishing as the 8th best fantasy quarterback against the tough Lions defense feels like a win.
Both Marques Colston and Kenny Stills topped 100 yards receiving with Stills easily having his best game of the season. His targets remained low at five, but he made them count this game. There really wasn’t any injury or change here, so he should remain a boom or bust player.
Tavaris Cadet has now seen 6, 5, and 9 targets over his last three games and the jump to nine against the Lions had a lot to do with Pierre Thomas hurting his shoulder, which will keep him out 2-3 weeks. That leaves a PPR door open for Cadet.
Mark Ingram wasn’t able to do much against the Lions defense, but he did take the lead back role back from Khiry Robinson who fumbled and also inured his arm.
Red Zone Targets+Touches: Jimmy Graham: Run 0/ Tar 8, Brandin Cooks: Run 1/ Tar 6, Travaris Cadet: Run 1/ Tar 4, Marques Colston: Run 0/ Tar 4, Pierre Thomas: Run 6/ Tar 3, Josh Hill: Run 0/ Tar 2, Robert Meachem: Run 0/ Tar 2, Ben Watson: Run 0/ Tar 1, Kenny Stills: Run 0/ Tar 1, Drew Brees: Run 3/ Tar 0, Khiry Robinson: Run 9/ Tar 0, Mark Ingram: Run 7/ Tar 0
The Saints only had three plays in the red zone, which is almost unheard of from them. On those three plays they gained one yard.
New York Giants
Rueben Randle: 3-7-10-10-10-9- 9 (58), Larry Donnell: 8-9-6-8-1-2- 7 (41), Victor Cruz: 6-10-6-10-6-3- dnp (41), Preston Parker: 0-2-4-5-3-1- 3 (18), Odell Beckham Jr: dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp-5-4- 6 (15), Rashad Jennings: 5-4-0-2-2-dnp- dnp (13), Andre Williams: 1-4-0-1-2-0- 3 (11), Daniel Fells: 1-1-2-2-0-2- 1 (9), Jerrel Jernigan: 7-2-dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp- dnp (9), Peyton Hillis: 0-0-0-0-0-5- 3 (8), Adrien Robinson: 0-0-0-1-1-2- 0 (4)
Eli Manning put together a nice game completing 21 of 33 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns, two of those to rookie Odell Beckham Jr. who now has three in his short career.
Rueben Randle led the way with nine targets, which is right in line with the last five weeks, even when Victor Cruz was playing. He caught six for 74 yards, but it’s hard not to believe bigger days are on the way.
Larry Donnell saw the biggest uptick in targets with seven, after seeing three in the previous two games, and he did well to secure all seven for 90 yards, but not so well at continuing to secure them as he lost two fumbles.
Andre Williams hasn’t played up to expectations with Rashad Jennings out. For the season he is now averaging just 3.1 yards per carry
Red Zone Targets+Touches: Rueben Randle: Run 0/ Tar 13, Larry Donnell: Run 0/ Tar 11, Odell Beckham Jr: Run 0/ Tar 6, Victor Cruz: Run 0/ Tar 4, Daniel Fells: Run 0/ Tar 3, Rashad Jennings: Run 17/ Tar 2, Corey Washington: Run 0/ Tar 1, Peyton Hillis: Run 1/ Tar 1, Andre Williams: Run 18/ Tar 1, Preston Parker: Run 0/ Tar 1, Eli Manning: Run 2/ Tar 0, Henry Hynoski: Run 1/ Tar 0
Beckham Jr. saw four red zone targets and caught two for touchdowns and another for a first down. He will have competition in the red zone from Randle and Donnell and I would be surprised to see another four target RZ day.
Philadelphia Eagles
Jeremy Maclin: 10-11-10-16-11-3- BYE (61), Jordan Matthews: 4-4-9-7-7-6- BYE (37), Riley Cooper: 7-3-7-8-5-7- BYE (37), Zach Ertz: 5-6-3-6-6-5- BYE (31), Darren Sproles: 6-7-4-4-0-4- BYE (25), LeSean McCoy: 6-5-3-0-4-2- BYE (20), Brent Celek: 4-1-4-2-3-5- BYE (19), Jeff Maehl: 1-0-1-0-dnp-0- BYE (2), James Casey: 0-0-1-0-0-1- BYE (2), Josh Huff: dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp-1-1- BYE (2)
Nick Foles wasn’t at the top of his game once again, but the defense and LeSean McCoy both showed up, which hasn’t been the case much this season. McCoy had his best game of the year with 22 carries for 149 yards and had five runs over 15 yards breaking five tackles according to Pro Football Focus. The offensive line gave him plenty of space to run this week and then it was all on him.
It was a disappointing game for the target hound Jeremy Maclin. He had been the only receiver this season with 10 or more targets in every game and he ended up with just three in this one. We’ll mark this game down as an anomaly for now.
Red Zone Targets+Touches: Jeremy Maclin: Run 0/ Tar 8, Riley Cooper: Run 0/ Tar 5, Brent Celek: Run 0/ Tar 5, Jordan Matthews: Run 0/ Tar 5, Zach Ertz: Run 0/ Tar 4, Darren Sproles: Run 4/ Tar 4, LeSean McCoy: Run 18/ Tar 3
McCoy had three attempts and one target inside the red zone and if he can get back on track we know he is the main Eagles’ threat to score each week. He currently ranks fifth in red zone looks per game with 3.5.
San Francisco 49ers
Anquan Boldin: 9-6-6-7-8-9- 10 (55), Michael Crabtree: 4-9-11-8-4-8- 7 (51), Steve Johnson: 2-4-9-2-2-6- 7 (32), Vernon Davis: 6-3-dnp-3-dnp-6- 5 (23), Brandon Lloyd: 1-dnp-4-5-5-1- 6 (22), Derek Carrier: dnp-4-2-2-2-0- 3 (13), Carlos Hyde: 0-2-2-1-1-1- 2 (9), Frank Gore: 0-2-0-2-1-1- 1 (7), Bruce Ellington: 0-1-1-0-1-0- 4 (7), Vance McDonald: 0-2-dnp-dnp-2-2- 0 (6), Bruce Miller: 1-0-0-0-1-1- 0 (3), Kassim Osgood: dnp-0-0-0-0-0- 1 (1)
The 49ers ran into the buzz saw that is Peyton Manning in a record-breaking game. This one was over before it started.
Michael Crabtree just missed a touchdown in this one, but it’s becoming extremely difficult to predict what 49er receiver will produce from game to game. This week their best fantasy receiver was the #4 receiver Stevie Johnson who caught five of seven targets for 79 yards and a touchdown. Anquan Boldin led the team with 10 targets, but has mostly lost his big yards after catch ability at this point and is only useful in PPR leagues. For now I think it’s safest to knock all 49ers other than Colin Kaepernick down due to their tendency to spread it out.
Red Zone Targets+Touches: Michael Crabtree: Run 0/ Tar 8, Anquan Boldin: Run 0/ Tar 7, Steve Johnson: Run 0/ Tar 6, Carlos Hyde: Run 15/ Tar 4, Brandon Lloyd: Run 0/ Tar 1, Vernon Davis: Run 0/ Tar 1, Derek Carrier: Run 0/ Tar 1, Bruce Ellington: Run 0/ Tar 1, Vance McDonald: Run 0/ Tar 1, Colin Kaepernick: Run 12/ Tar 0, Frank Gore: Run 12/ Tar 0,
The spread it out mentality is best illustrated by their red zone targets for Week 7 in which they ran eight plays and eight players received looks.
Seattle Seahawks
Doug Baldwin: 5-6-5-BYE-5-3- 11 (35), Jermaine Kearse: 3-5-2-BYE-2-7- 7 (26), Percy Harvin: 7-1-9-BYE-5-4- dnp (26), Marshawn Lynch: 1-4-5-BYE-6-2- 2 (20), Luke Willson: 1-0-0-BYE-4-6- dnp (11), Bryan Walters: 0-2-5-BYE-0-3- 0 (10), Cooper Helfet: dnp-dnp-dnp-BYE-2-1- 6 (9), Zach Miller: 4-1-2-BYE-dnp-dnp- dnp (7), Robert Turbin: 0-2-1-BYE-0-0- 4 (7), Paul Richardson: 0-0-1-BYE-0-dnp- 5 (6), Ricardo Lockette: 3-1-1-BYE-0-1- 0 (6), Derrick Coleman: 1-0-1-BYE-0-0- dnp (2), Kevin Norwood: dnp-dnp-dnp-BYE-dnp-dnp- 1 (1)
The Seahawks were the last team to give one of their players double-digit targets this season and it paid off for Doug Baldwin who caught seven of 10 targets for 123 yards and a touchdown. If we can expect anything near 10 targets a game for Baldwin his fantasy arrow is rocketing up, but for a run first team it will be tough to find those targets each week. We shall see.
While that was happening Russell Wilson was becoming the first quarterback to ever throw for 300 yards and rush for 100. They lost the game, but that is a fantasy player’s dream right there. It’s hard to know if Wilson will continue running the ball this much, but take it while you can get it.
Red Zone Targets+Touches: Jermaine Kearse: Run 0/ Tar 4, Doug Baldwin: Run 0/ Tar 4, Marshawn Lynch: Run 22/ Tar 4, Percy Harvin: Run 2/ Tar 4, Cooper Helfet: Run 0/ Tar 2, Derrick Coleman: Run 0/ Tar 1, Robert Turbin: Run 2/ Tar 1, Paul Richardson: Run 0/ Tar 1, Russell Wilson: Run 8/ Tar 0
St. Louis Rams
Jared Cook: 8-4-9-BYE-10-11- 3 (45), Brian Quick: 9-9-4-BYE-9-4- 2 (37), Kenny Britt: 3-1-7-BYE-6-6- 3 (26), Lance Kendricks: 3-4-7-BYE-1-2- 3 (20), Benny Cunningham: 4-2-2-BYE-4-2- 5 (19), Austin Pettis: 0-4-4-BYE-6-4- dnp (18), Zac Stacy: 2-0-6-BYE-5-3- 0 (16), Tavon Austin: 3-1-dnp-BYE-2-5- 4 (15), Chris Givens: 3-2-3-BYE-dnp-dnp- 1 (9), Stedman Bailey: dnp-dnp-0-BYE-3-2- 0 (5), Cory Harkey: 1-2-0-BYE-0-0- 1 (4), Trey Watts: dnp-dnp-0-BYE-2-0- 0 (2), Tre Mason: dnp-dnp-dnp-BYE-dnp-1- 0 (1)
Austin Davis and company played this one safe after getting an early lead, Davis was an incredible 18 for 21, but for just 155 yards and his leading receiver was running back Benny Cunningham who caught all five of his team high five targets for 46 yards and a touchdown.
Tre Mason was probably the offensive player of the game as he rushed 18 times for 85 yards and a touchdown against a tough run defense that knew the Rams were going to run the ball. He saw no targets and would most likely need a lead to see 18 carries again, so be careful if you are looking for consistency as Cunningham would see a lot of work if they were to be in comeback mode.
Red Zone Targets+Touches: Jared Cook: Run 0/ Tar 5, Austin Pettis: Run 0/ Tar 4, Brian Quick: Run 0/ Tar 3, Lance Kendricks: Run 0/ Tar 3, Benny Cunningham: Run 5/ Tar 3, Trey Watts: Run 1/ Tar 2, Tre Mason: Run 6/ Tar 1, Cory Harkey: Run 0/ Tar 1, Stedman Bailey: Run 0/ Tar 1, Kenny Britt: Run 0/ Tar 1, Zac Stacy: Run 10/ Tar 1, Tavon Austin: Run 2/ Tar 0
Mason saw six of his rushing attempts inside the red zone and converted three first downs and a touchdown. He is their best runner, but until he is trusted in pass protection and as a receiving target, his upside is capped.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Vincent Jackson: 9-7-9-10-12-13- BYE (60), Mike Evans: 9-4-7-7-dnp-8- BYE (35), Louis Murphy: dnp-dnp-dnp-11-7-9- BYE (27), Bobby Rainey: 2-3-8-2-4-3- BYE (22), Brandon Myers: 8-2-5-1-0-2- BYE (18), Austin Seferian-Jenkins: 2-dnp-dnp-7-3-5- BYE (17), Doug Martin: 2-dnp-dnp-2-5-2- BYE (11), Robert Herron: 0-3-3-dnp-1-2- BYE (9), Luke Stocker: 1-0-2-0-0-0- BYE (3), Russell Shepard: 0-0-0-2-0-0- BYE (2), Chris Owusu: 2-0-0-dnp-dnp-dnp- BYE (2), Jorvorskie Lane: 0-1-0-0-0-0- BYE (1), Mike James: 0-0-1-dnp-0-0- BYE (1)
Tampa was down 38-0 at half time, so what happened after that needs to be seen through that lens.
With the huge deficit Mike Glennon was in pass mode much of the game, so the receiving numbers don’t look horrible as he topped 300 yards and threw two touchdowns.
Vincent Jackson led in targets with 13, but caught only four passes for 66 yards. Louis Murphy edged Mike Evans out in this one with nine targets for seven receptions, 72 yards and a touchdown, while Evans also found the end zone for his second touchdown of the year. Murphy’s usage was actually higher than Evans with 85% of the snaps to Evans’ 78%, but I’m going to chalk that up to the blowout.
Red Zone Targets+Touches: Vincent Jackson: Run 0/ Tar 8, Louis Murphy: Run 0/ Tar 5, Mike Evans: Run 0/ Tar 4, Austin Seferian-Jenkins: Run 0/ Tar 3, Bobby Rainey: Run 12/ Tar 2, Brandon Myers: Run 0/ Tar 1, Chris Owusu: Run 0/ Tar 1, Robert Herron: Run 0/ Tar 1, Jorvorskie Lane: Run 0/ Tar 1, Mike James: Run 3/ Tar 0, Josh McCown: Run 2/ Tar 0, Doug Martin: Run 4/ Tar 0,
Murphy had the lone red zone target and converted from three yards out.
Washington
Pierre Garcon: 12-4-16-6-3-6- 6 (53), DeSean Jackson: 9-2-11-4-11-5- 5 (47), Andre Roberts: 3-5-6-5-9-9- 4 (41), Niles Paul: 4-11-9-4-2-2- 2 (34), Roy Helu: 3-2-1-5-7-2- 3 (23), Jordan Reed: 1-dnp-dnp-dnp-dnp-11- 6 (18), Logan Paulsen: 2-0-2-3-3-0- 1 (11), Ryan Grant: 0-8-1-1-0-0- 0 (10), Alfred Morris: 0-0-0-3-1-3- 0 (7), Darrel Young: 1-2-2-1-0-0- 1 (7), Aldrick Robinson: 0-2-0-1-0-dnp- dnp (3)
Kirk Cousins was relieved of his starting job in the middle of this game and Colt McCoy game managed his way to a win with the bulk of his yardage coming on a pass to Pierre Garcon that Garcon took 70 yards down the sideline. Garcon showed some true speed as he beat the defense and is not dead weight. I repeat, not dead weight.
Alfred Morris was given 18 carries, but only was able to average 3.1 yards per carry. He’s currently only averaging 3.8 yards per carry on the season with three touchdowns. Of course, even on those mediocre numbers, he ranks as the 12th best fantasy running back in standard leagues. That shows you just how hard it is to find a healthy, consistent running back this year.
Red Zone Targets+Touches: Andre Roberts: Run 0/ Tar 6, DeSean Jackson: Run 0/ Tar 5, Niles Paul: Run 0/ Tar 4, Darrel Young: Run 1/ Tar 3, Ryan Grant: Run 0/ Tar 2, Pierre Garcon: Run 0/ Tar 2, Jordan Reed: Run 0/ Tar 2, Logan Paulsen: Run 0/ Tar 1, Roy Helu: Run 3/ Tar 1, Alfred Morris: Run 21/ Tar 0, Kirk Cousins: Run 1/ Tar 0, Robert Griffin III: Run 0/ Tar 0, Colt McCoy: Run 2/ Tar 0,Silas Redd: Run 5/ Tar 0
