Fantasy Football Target Report for Week 15
Week 15 is in the books and, hopefully, you’ve advanced to your league’s championship round. Whether or not you won this week, there’s still always something to be learned from checking in on the target trends.
Despite only being targeted three times Thursday night, Keenan Allen still leads the NFL with 147 targets, though Stefon Diggs has caught up and is now tied atop the target leader board. DeAndre Hopkins is currently third on the season with 138 targets. Travis Kelce continues to lead tight ends with 132 targets, just three more than Darren Waller but 37 more than third-place Evan Engram. Alvin Kamara continues to lead running backs and became the first at the position to top 100 targets on the season.
Now on to the most intriguing target outings of Week 15.
Logan Thomas – 15 targets, 13 rec
In his first NFL game back in 2014, Thomas threw an 81-yard touchdown pass. Since then he’s changed positions from quarterback to tight end and been rostered by six different NFL teams. Now in the midst of a breakout season, the 15 targets he saw in Week 15 were easily a career-high. He’s accumulated 31 targets over his last three games, more than he saw the entire season with Detroit in 2019.
Calvin Ridley – 14 targets, 10 rec
Ridley has lived up to the offseason hype and currently sits as WR6 on the season. Despite missing one game to injury, he’s currently the tenth-most targeted player in the NFL. Since returning in Week 11 he’s averaged 10.8 targets/game and has also seen his targets increase in four consecutive games.
Stefon Diggs – 13 targets, 11 rec
Diggs has been a model of consistency since arriving in Buffalo. He’s seen at least nine targets in eight consecutive games and as mentioned earlier he’s the NFL co-leader with 147 targets. He’s been incredibly efficient with the targets; his notable 75.5% cate rate has turned them into a league-high 111 receptions.
Brandon Aiyuk – 13 targets, 9 rec
Aiyuk could be winning some people #FootClanTitles this year. He’s been a target magnet when on the field, averaging an impressive 12.4 targets/game since Week 8. He missed Week 12 with a positive COVID test, then came back even stronger. In the three games since his targets/game has climbed to 12.7, or a staggering 16-game pace of 203 targets.
Marvin Jones Jr – 12 targets, 10 rec
For some reason, I’ve neglected to feature Jones in any recent target reports, but he’s now seen 12 targets in three of his last four games. This week they turned into his career-best ten receptions and season-high 22.2 fantasy points. With the talk of Detroit considering shutting down Kenny Golladay for the season, Marvin Jones deserves a spot in fantasy championship lineups.
Noah Fant – 11 targets, 8 rec
Between injury, illness, and irresponsible quarterback play, Fant’s sophomore campaign has been less than stellar. Any fantasy managers that stuck with Fant in Week 15 were handsomely rewarded with his career-best target outing and his first top-three fantasy finish since Week 1. If he got you through to the championship game I don’t see any scenario where you bench him next week against the Chargers.
David Johnson – 11 targets, 11 rec
Johnson was once best known for his pass-catching chops, but Sunday marked the first time seeing double-digit targets since Week 4 of the 2019 season. He had previously been averaging just 3.0 targets/game on the season, a far cry from the 7.5 targets/game he garnered back in 2016.
Jakobi Meyers – 10 targets, 7 rec
Meyers was a mid-season fantasy darling, but this week marked his first double-digit target outing since Week 9. The second-year wideout has proven that he belongs on an NFL field but the future of his fantasy value will rely heavily on what New England decides to do to address their quarterback situation this offseason.
Tony Pollard – 9 targets, 6 rec
Pollard got the surprise start after Ezekiel Elliot was ruled out Sunday morning and anybody that slotted him into their lineups was rewarded. It makes sense that Pollard was utilized through the air; he spent much of his college career at Memphis as a wide receiver. It will be fascinating to see how Dallas manages their backfield moving forward after paying Zeke big money now that we’ve all seen what Pollard can do.
Amari Cooper – 3 targets, 2 rec
Cooper is the 13th most targeted player in the league, but you wouldn’t guess it after checking the stat sheet this week. The three targets he saw against San Fransisco are the fewest he’s seen since Week 1 of the 2018 season when he was still a member of the Oakland Raiders. He could bounce back next week against the Eagles, but that may be too late for his fantasy managers.
Other notable target counts from Week 15:
Diontae Johnson – 13
Terry McLaurin – 12
Travis Kelce – 12
Darren Waller – 12
DeAndre Hopkins – 11
Justin Jefferson – 11
Davante Adams -10
Tyreek Hill – 10
Cole Beasley – 10
Russell Gage – 10
J.D. McKissic – 10
Curtis Samuel – 9
Mecole Hardman – 9
Darius Slayton – 9
D.J. Moore – 8
Jalen Reagor – 8
Nelson Agholor – 8
Jamison Crowder – 8
Robert Woods – 8
Jarvis Landry – 8
Chase Claypool – 8
Cam Sims – 8
Dallas Goedert – 8
Mike Evans – 7
Antonio Brown – 7
Marquise Brown – 7
Tyler Lockett – 7
Brandin Cooks – 7
Keke Coutee– 7
Sterling Shepard – 7
Richie James – 7
Lynn Bowden – 7
Zach Ertz – 7
Hunter Henry – 7
Rob Gronkowski – 7
Evan Engram – 7
DK Metcalf – 6
A.J. Brown – 6
Corey Davis – 6
T.Y. Hilton – 6
Zach Pascal – 6
Austin Hooper – 6
Jordan Akins – 6
Alvin Kamara – 6
Adam Thielen – 3