Fantasy Football Target Trends for Week 12
Welcome to the Target Trends article for Week 12! We are getting closer and closer to the fantasy playoffs, so let’s focus on some target trends to help us down the home stretch. As usual, let’s begin this article by looking at the overall target leaders so far this season.
Target Trends
Garrett Wilson continues to lead the league with 107 targets on the season but CeeDee Lamb is right behind with 106. Ja’Marr Chase checks in third as the only other player with at least 100 targets this season. Malik Nabers is fourth overall but his 11.8 targets/game is the highest per game rate in the league.
At tight end, it’s Brock Bowers leading the way after his huge performance in Week 11 (more on that below). He now has 89 targets this season, while Travis Kelce comes in next with 80. Despite being on bye, Cade Otton is still in third with 70 targets this season.
Alvin Kamara still has a healthy lead in running back targets. He has 73 while current runner-up Breece Hall sits at 61. That’s still 10 more than De’Von Achane, who sits in third place.
I’ll continue to lead off this article with season-long target leaders each week, but for now, let’s check out the weekly target trends heading into Week 12.
Brock Bowers – 16 targets, 13 rec
Bowers is the TE1 and target share is a big reason why. He is currently on pace for 151 targets. That would demolish the rookie record (Jeremy Shockey in 2002) and check in fifth all-time behind legends like Zach Ertz, Tony Gonzalez, and Mark Andrews.
Tee Higgins – 13 targets, 9 rec
Ja’Marr Chase – 13 targets, 7 rec
The Bengals were playing from behind most of Sunday night and Joe Burrow did not discriminate between his two top-tier wideouts. Chase has now seen double-digit targets in four consecutive weeks. Meanwhile, Higgins was just one short of his season-high after missing the previous three weeks.
CeeDee Lamb – 12 targets, 8 rec
Luke Schoonmaker – 10 targets, 6 rec
It probably shouldn’t be surprising that Cooper Rush hyper-targeted CeeDee Lamb, though it is somewhat surprising that he attempted 55(!) passes. While Lamb was the primary beneficiary of the passing volume, it’s worth noting that “Skoon-Man” saw 10 targets after Jake Ferguson left the game with a concussion.
George Pickens – 12 targets, 8 rec
Pickens is the de facto alpha in Pittsburg’s offense. He’s pushing a 30% target rate on the season and saw a new high of 12 targets in Week 11. With this kind of volume and Russell Wilson at quarterback, Pickens will continue to be in play as a WR1 going forward.
Khalil Shakir – 12 targets, 8 rec
Dalton Kincaid is hurt. So is Amari Cooper. The Bills need a WR1 and Shakir is stepping up. He’s seen at least seven targets in five consecutive games, including a season-high 12 targets against the Chiefs. He appears to be Josh Allen’s most trusted pass-catcher at the moment.
Amon-Ra St. Brown – 11 targets, 11 rec
The Lions demolished Jacksonville last week. Everybody on Detroit paid off but it’s worth noting that ARSB led the way in targets. It was the first time he’s seen double-digit targets since Week 2 when the Lions suffered their only loss of the season against Tampa Bay.
Jauan Jennings – 11 targets, 10 rec
Who needs Brandon Aiyuk when you have Jauan Jennings? I have to imagine that is San Francisco’s sentiment after targeting Jennings a team-high 11 times. He now leads the team with 58 targets on the season. Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle should always be in fantasy lineups when healthy, but so should Jauan Jennings.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba – 11 targets, 10 rec
DK Metcalf returned to play for Seattle, and while he saw nine targets, it didn’t stop JSN from being the most targeted player for the Seahawks. He’s now seen double-digit targets in back-to-back weeks and has produced over 100 receiving yards in both games. It’s hard to ignore him in this offense moving forward.
Cleveland Browns Pass Catchers
Jerry Jeudy led the way with 11 targets and a massive 142 yards receiving for the Browns in Week 11, but with Jameis Winston chucking it 46 times there were plenty of targets to go around. David Njoku saw a respectable nine targets, while Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman saw eight a piece. If Jameis and the Browns keep airing it out, there will be plenty of targets to go around.
Taysom Hill – 10 targets, 8 rec
What happens when all of the offensive weapons in New Orleans are hurt? You get 10 targets (and seven rushing attempts) from Tayson Hill. It’s unconventional but Hill is a must-start fantasy asset moving forward, though he takes a slight ding if/when Chris Olave returns.
Rome Odunze – 10 targets, 6 rec
Caleb Williams and the Bears may have lost to Green Bay in Week 11, but they played one of their best games of the season. Odunze logged his highest target count since Week 3, and while Chicago lost, they showed enough on offense to give fantasy managers some hope moving forward, especially in dynasty formats.
Green Bay Packers Pass Catchers
It’s tough to judge an offense when they only attempt 17 passes, but it’s hard not to be concerned about Green Bay’s pass-catchers. Running back Josh Jacobs led the team with five targets. Christian Watson made the most of his four targets, turning them into 150 yards. Nobody else on the Packers saw more than two targets in the game.
Kayshon Boutte – 6 targets, 4 rec
There is not a lot of analysis here, but Bouttle has seen exactly six targets in four consecutive weeks. He has been on the field for over 95% of New England’s offensive snaps for three straight weeks. He is a viable fantasy option.
Mark Andrews – 3 targets, 2 rec
Isaiah Likely returned in Week 11 and Andrews was back to a diminished role with just three targets on 61% of the snaps. He’s always in play to catch a touchdown, but the target volume probably won’t be there when Baltimore’s offense is at full strength.
Terry McLaurin – 2 targets, 1 rec
McLaurin has lived off efficiency more than volume this season. He’s only seen double-digit targets one time, back in Week 4. It was a new low for him in Week 11 with just two targets. You aren’t playing “Scary Terry” for the volume, you just have to hope that he connects with Jayden Daniels for a touchdown or two.