Fantasy Football Target Trends for Week 3
Welcome to the Target Trends article for Week 3! Does two weeks make a trend? That’s debatable, but the important thing is that we have more information than we did one week ago. Now that we are multiple weeks in, we can start looking at the season-long target leaders to kick off the article each week and follow the trends as they change throughout the season.
Target Trends
Cooper Kupp leads the NFL with 27 targets, which won’t last long as he’s set to be sidelined for multiple weeks. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Malik Nabers check in tied for second at 25 apiece after huge target performances in Week 2. Zay Flowers (21) and Jameson Williams (20) are the only other players to hit the 20 target mark through two weeks.
Rookie Brock Bowers leads all tight ends with 17 targets, the most ever by a rookie tight end through the first two weeks. Trey McBride, Isaiah Likely, and Hunter Henry check in at a three-way tie for second at the position with 15 targets each. Mike Gesicki (13), George Kittle (13), and Greg Dulcich (11) are the only other tight ends with double-digit targets.
Breece Hall and De’Von Achane lead the way at running back with 14 targets. Jahmyr Gibbs isn’t far behind with 13 targets. Justice Hill (10) and Tony Pollard (10) are the only other backs to see double-digit targets so far.
I’ll continue to lead off this article with season-long target leaders, and now let’s check out this week’s target trends heading into Week 3
Amon-Ra St. Brown – 19 targets, 11 rec
Jameson Williams – 11 targets, 5 rec
Sam LaPorta – 3 targets, 2 rec
There were plenty of targets to go around in Detroit as Jared Goff attempted 55(!) passes in Week 2. It should come as no surprise that ARSB bounced back in a big way after just six targets in Week 1. The 11 targets for Jameson Williams were slightly less expected. He set a new career-high, breaking his previous record of nine targets that he set just last week. Williams’ emergence seems to be impacting Sam LaPorta the most so far through the first two weeks, as last year’s TE1 has just eight targets on the young season.
Malik Nabers – 18 targets, 10 rec
Nabers exploded for a career-high 18 targets, more than he ever saw in a game during his three collegiate seasons at LSU. What’s more impressive, those 18 targets accounted for a whopping 67% target share.
Malik Nabers saw two-thirds of New York’s targets in Week 2. Target data can vary depending on source, but, looking at my data since 2011, only Sammy Watkins in Week 9 of 2015 was able to match that. He saw 8 of a possible 12 targets for the Bills. Nabers saw 18 of a possible 27.
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) September 16, 2024
Odell Beckham Jr. and Jeremy Shockey are the only players in the Giants to ever see more targets in a game.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba – 16 targets, 12 rec
D.K. Metcalf – 14 targets, 14 rec
It was a career day for Smith-Njigba, whose 12 receptions were more than the most targets (11) that he had previously seen in a single game. His 117 receiving yards nearly double his high of 63 yards from his rookie season. JSN and Metcalf now lead the Seahawks with 18 targets each, while Tyler Lockett is a distant third with nine targets through two weeks.
Davante Adams – 12 targets, 9 rec
Brock Bowers – 9 targets, 9 rec
It’s never surprising to see Adams featured in this article. He’s had 12+ targets in 14 of 36 games since joining the Raiders in 2022. Bowers making the cut in back-to-back weeks to start his career was less expected. As mentioned in the introduction, the 17 targets for Bowers is the most ever by a rookie over the first two weeks. Through two weeks he’s on pace for 145 targets, which would easily top the current rookie record of 128 set by Jeremy Shockey in 2002.
Hunter Henry – 12 targets, 8 rec
It’s rare for a player to set a single-game target record in their ninth season, but that’s exactly what Henry did in Week 2. His 15 targets lead New England and are nearly twice as many as Rhamondre Stevenson and K.J. Osborn, who each check in with eight. The tight ends are leading the way in New England, as Henry and Austin Hooper have combined for a 43% target share and 163 of New England’s 270 receiving yards over the first two games.
Zay Flowers – 11 targets, 7 rec
Isaiah Likely – 3 targets, 2 rec
Flowers has been a consistent target earner in Baltimore, at least through the first two weeks. He’s the only player in the NFL to see at least 10 targets in both games so far this season. As for Likely, he came back down to Earth after his Week 1 explosion. Likely and Mark Andrews are sure to have big games throughout the season, but Flowers appears to be the most trustworthy Ravens pass catcher.
Nico Collins – 10 targets, 8 rec
Tank Dell – 4 targets, 1 rec
Collins has been the alpha wideout in Houston with a 28% target share through two weeks. He’s also turned that target share into enough fantasy production to be the WR1 so far. Stefon Diggs (18%) is just ahead of Tank Dell (17%) in team target share after a second disappointing game from Dell ended in just one catch for -3 yards. There should be better days ahead for Dell, but they will be difficult to predict with Collins and Diggs around.
Mike Gesicki – 9 targets, 7 rec
Gesicki appears to have found new life in Cincinnati. His nine targets in Week 2 were the most he’s seen since 2021 and he never surpassed more than six with New England in 2023. Even more surprising, he leads the Bengals with 13 targets through two games, which is two more than their usual target hog, Ja’Marr Chase.
Jalen Tolbert – 9 targets, 6 rec
It was a career game in a losing effort for Tolbert against the Saints. His nine targets easily topped his previous career high of five. He only saw two targets, however, in Week 1 when Brandin Cooks was targeted seven times. CeeDee Lamb is the clear top option in Dallas and the second pass catcher will likely be unpredictable from week to week.
Breece Hall – 8 targets, 7 rec
Hall is leading all running backs in targets so far this season, just like he did in 2023. Through two games he’s pacing for 119 targets, which would smash the 95 that he saw to lead the position last season. That may be a tough pace to maintain but it appears Aaron Rodgers has no problem checking it down to his running backs. When you add in Braelon Allen’s five targets, Rodgers leads the NFL with 33% of his targets going to running backs.
Greg Dulcich – 8 targets, 3 rec
Dulcich saw eight or more targets four times in 10 games played during his rookie season. Unfortunately, he only played in two games the following year. He’s remained healthy through two weeks and saw a strong 24% target share against the Steelers. That target share only amounted to 16 receiving yards from Bo Nix, however, so while the volume is encouraging, Dulcich can’t be trusted in a fantasy lineup unless the Denver offense starts clicking.
De’Von Achane – 7 targets, 7 rec
Achane’s insane usage with Raheem Mostert sidelined included seven targets for the second consecutive week to start the season. Miami’s offense takes a hit with Tua Tagovailoa set to miss time but Achane remains a must-start fantasy option. Four of his seven targets in Week 2 came from Skylar Thompson, who looks to be Miami’s quarterback for now.
Christian Kirk – 3 targets, 1 rec
Kirk may be the most disappointing fantasy pick of 2024. He’s seen his target share in Jacksonville drop from 22% over his first two seasons with the team to 15% to start the season. What’s worse, that target share has amounted to just two receptions for 29 yards through two weeks, even with Evan Engram surprisingly sitting out in Week 2. Kirk can certainly bounce back, but he shouldn’t be trusted in fantasy lineups until he shows some signs of life.