Fantasy Football Target Trends for Week 2 (Fantasy Football)
Welcome to the first edition of the 2026 Target Trends article. There are plenty of advanced receiving stats out there (target share, targets/route run, route participation, etc.), and I will mention many of them throughout this article series, but it is tough to beat pure target totals. They truly represent the number of opportunities a player gets to score fantasy points in the receiving game.
However, this article series will not just be a simple list of numbers ranking the most-targeted players of the week. Of course, the most targeted player each week will always be mentioned, but so will the surprisingly low-targeted players. To take it a step further, I aim to provide context for the target totals, in an effort to inform you as much as possible as you navigate the weekly routine of waivers, trades, and lineup decisions. That is my goal here, and I hope you find it beneficial enough to incorporate this article into your weekly routine.
It is tough to spot trends after just one week of data, but we need to consider what we saw on the field and in the box scores during the 2026 debut. Let’s dive into the target trends as we strap in and turn the page to Week 2.
Amon-Ra St. Brown – 14 targets, 10 rec
St. Brown saw a career-high 172 targets last season, the second-most in the league. He picked up right where he left off, leading all players with 14 targets in Week 1, though it took overtime to get there. His consistent volume was the main reason he was a first-round pick in fantasy drafts, and it looks to be paying off.
Chris Olave – 13 targets, 10 rec
Devaughn Vele – 9 targets, 7 rec
Travis Etienne Jr. – 9 targets, 7 rec
The Saints fell to Detroit in that overtime game, but it was not for lack of trying, especially from Tyler Shough, who attempted 56 passes. With that many passes going around, it is not surprising to see a trio of Saints with at least nine targets. Olave averaged 9.8 targets/game last season, while Vele tied his career-high with the nine targets. As for Etienne, his nine targets in Week 1 set a new career-high for the former Jaguar.
Trey McBride – 13 targets, 9 rec
McBride shattered the NFL record for targets to a TE with 169 last season, so it is no shock to see him lead the position in Week 1 of 2026. Perhaps a bit more surprising, Kendrick Bourne was the second-most targeted Cardinal with eight, while Marvin Harrison Jr. saw just three.
Matthew Golden – 12 targets, 6 rec
Christian Watson – 8 targets, 6 rec
Jayden Reed – 7 targets, 3 rec
Christian Watson and his two TDs stole the show, but Golden’s team-high 12 targets need to be noted. Last year’s first-round pick saw just 44 targets as a rookie, and never more than six in a single game. It is also worth mentioning slot WR Jayden Reed, whose seven targets were more than he saw in any game during his injury-plagued 2025 season. We may be seeing the condensed target shares that fantasy managers were hoping for in Green Bay.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Jaxon Smith-Njigba – 11 targets, 8 rec
Another familiar name on the list, JSN’s 11 targets equated to a massive 46% target share. He led the NFL with a 36% target share last season, which may not be as unsustainable as it seems. Those targets, however, may be coming from Drew Lock for the next few games.
Bijan Robinson – 10 targets, 8 rec
Robinson led all RBs with ten targets in Week 1, racking up double-digit targets in a game for the fifth time in his career. His pass-catching prowess is one of the reasons he was drafted so highly in fantasy leagues, and he did not disappoint in the season opener, even with Cooper Rush under center. Atlanta’s QB may be in question all year, but it shouldn’t matter much if Robinson continues to rack up targets.
Nico Collins – 10 targets, 7 rec
Collins is the unquestioned alpha WR in Houston. He set a new career-high with 120 targets last season, and he has yet to play a full 17-game season. If he can stay healthy, he will likely be a target leader all season long.
DK Metcalf – 10 targets, 4 rec
Last season, Metcalf’s first in Pittsburgh, was the first time he failed to see triple-digit targets. He was only one short, but it was still a relative disappointment for the former Seahawk. His ten targets in Week 1 didn’t amount to much, but it is encouraging that new coach Mike McCarthy attempted to feature him.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Jalen Coker – 9 targets, 8 rec
Tetairoa McMillan – 8 targets, 5 rec
Jalen Coker finished as the WR1 in Week 1, just like we all expected. The last time we saw Coker, he was targeted 12 times against the Rams in the NFL playoffs. McMillan was drafted to be an alpha WR and will likely still lead the Panthers in targets, but Coker could make it closer than expected and needs to be considered for fantasy rosters.
Kalif Raymond – 9 targets, 8 rec
Colston Loveland – 2 targets, 0 rec
Another of Week 1’s big surprises was Raymond leading the Bears with nine targets. Luther Burden (5) and Rome Odunze (3) certainly weren’t target hogs, but they did see more than the two targets that went to Loveland. Chicago’s offense looks poised to put up points after they scored 59 in Week 1, but the fantasy production may be frustrating to project on a week-to-week basis.
Stefon Diggs – 9 targets, 4 rec
Terry McLaurin – 4 targets, 2 rec
Diggs has been one of the most consistent target earners in the league over the last decade, and that continued with his new team in Week 1. His nine targets translated to a 31% target share and more than doubled the four that went McLaurin’s way. There is a chance he leads the Commanders in targets this season, even as he approaches 33 years old.
Malik Nabers – 9 targets, 6 rec
Isaiah Likely – 8 targets, 8 rec
Nabers’ status was in question all the way up until kickoff Sunday night. Of course, he did suit up against the Cowboys, and even though he played just 52% of the offensive snaps, he still led the way with nine targets for the Giants. Likely stole the show, however, finishing as the TE1 for Week 1 after scoring two TDs on his eight targets.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Puka Nacua – 9 targets, 5 rec
Nacua seeing nine targets…what else is new? He has averaged 9.8 targets/game over his career, so this is just par for the course for him. He remains one of the best target earners in the game when he takes the field.
Christian McCaffrey – 8 targets, 5 rec
McCaffrey has hit triple-digit targets in five different seasons. He’s arguably the best pass-catching RB in NFL history. If CMC is healthy, he is in your lineup, but it is nice to see that he is still very involved in the passing game.
Bucky Irving – 7 targets, 7 rec
Bucky is looking to bounce back this season, and he took a good step in that direction in his season debut. The seven targets matched his career high, which he set as a rookie in Week 8 of 2024. He’s only averaged 3.4 targets/game over his career, so he has untapped potential if this usage sticks.
Parker Washington – 6 targets, 5 rec
Brian Thomas Jr. – 3 targets, 3 rec
The Jacksonville WR room was a talking point in fantasy football circles all summer long, and after the first game, Washington appears to be the WR1. He didn’t run away with the role, however, as Trevor Lawrence spread the ball around to ten different players who each saw at least one target. As for BTJ, his three targets came on just 35% of the offensive snaps as he battled a shoulder injury.
Kenneth Walker – 6 targets, 3 rec
Rashee Rice – 2 targets, 2 rec
Walker did most of his work on the ground while dominating Monday Night Football, but do not overlook his work through the air. He only saw six or more targets five times in his 62 career games as a Seahawk. That kind of work in the passing game will be useful for fantasy if things aren’t going so well on the ground. As for Rice, his two targets are far below his career average of 7.5 targets/game, though he did reward fantasy managers by scoring a TD on one of them.
Ja’Marr Chase – 4 targets, 2 rec
Chase was arguably the biggest fantasy disappointment of Week 1. His four targets were the lowest he has seen since Week 15 of the 2023 season. He has opened the season slowly in recent years, with just six targets to open the 2024 season and five targets in Week 1 of 2025. If these trends continue, we may need to discuss benching him in Week 1 next season. Regardless, don’t panic over Chase’s Week 1 performance.
Harold Fannin Jr. – 3 targets, 2 rec
The Browns, led by Deshaun Watson, were an offensive mess in Week 1. Nobody on the team saw more than five targets. Fannin became just the eighth rookie TE to record over 100 targets last season, but he may need a QB change to repeat that feat this season.
Kyle Pitts – 1 target, 0 rec
It is a shockingly low target total for Pitts. Apparently, Cooper Rush had no interest in targeting the talented TE. There should be better days ahead for Pitts with either Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr., or even Jack Strand eventually throwing passes for the Falcons.