Fantasy Football Target Report for Week 16
We did it Foot Clan, we made it through Week 16! I hope this article series was helpful for your season, I hope you took home a #FootClanTitle, and more than anything, I hope you were able to enjoy the entirety of the 2020 fantasy season that we weren’t even sure we’d have a few months ago. Remember, even though your fantasy season is (hopefully) over after Week 16, there’s still plenty of NFL football to be played and useful information we can gather for next season. Sometime next week I’ll put out the 2020 Target Report Recap to cover everything target-related from a season-long perspective but for now, here are the most noteworthy target performances of Week 16.
Jerry Jeudy – 15 targets, 6 rec
Jeudy entered the season as arguably the most exciting prospect of the celebrated 2020 wide receiver class, but his rookie campaign has been underwhelming. He set a career-high with the 15 targets he saw Sunday but it was the first time since Week 9 that he saw double-digit targets. The future at quarterback is a big question for the Broncos and hopefully, for Jeudy’s sake, they get some more responsible play from the position next season.
Austin Hooper – 15 targets, 7 rec
Ja’Marcus Bradley – 11 targets, 5 rec
What do you get when your receiving corps is decimated by COVID protocol the night before game day? Career-high target performances from your tight end and undrafted rookie wideout. Entering Sunday Hooper had only seen double-digit targets one time, while Bradley hadn’t been targeted at all in the two previous games he was active. Rookie tight end Harrison Bryant also set a new personal best with seven targets.
Diontae Johnson – 14 targets, 8 rec
JuJu Smith-Schuster – 13 targets, 9 rec
Johnson has been a target hog all season and may very well be leading the league if he hadn’t missed the better part of three games due to injury, not to mention the half he was benched for dropping passes. That Week 14 game against Buffalo is the only time he didn’t see double-digit targets over the last eight weeks, though he still saw seven on just 49% of the offensive snaps in that game.
JuJu has 20 fewer targets than Diontae on the season, but he has six more receptions and one more touchdown. It’s been an inconsistent season for Smith-Schuster but he currently sits at WR18 on the season.
Sterling Shepard – 12 targets, 9 rec
Shepard has provided a safe target floor in recent years, averaging 7.8 targets/game over the past three seasons. This past Sunday, however, was the first time since Week 15 of 2017 that he saw at least 12 targets. He probably won’t ever be a top-24 fantasy wideout but he should continue providing a safe floor for seasons to come.
Logan Thomas – 12 targets, 7 rec
Thomas was featured in last week’s target report when he smashed his career-high with 16 targets. Adding in the 12 targets from this week gives him 28 targets over the past two games, as many as he saw all of last season. He’s now one of only four tight ends to see at least 100 targets so far in 2020.
Irv Smith – 9 targets, 6 rec
Alvin Kamara and his six touchdowns stole the show, but Irv Smith quietly had a breakout game of his own on Christmas Day. He turned his career-high nine targets into the TE2 performance of the week. He also played on a career-high 88% of Minnesota’s offensive snaps. The second-year tight end will be a breakout candidate at the position heading into 2021 as he looks to overtake Kyle Rudolph as the Vikings’ top tight end.
Marvin Jones – 3 targets, 3 rec
Jones had been one of the hottest wideouts in fantasy football but he cooled off quickly when Matthew Stafford exited the game early against Tampa Bay Saturday. The combination of Chase Daniel and David Blough was only able to supply him with three targets throughout the game, effectively tanking any fantasy managers that were counting on him for their championship matchup.
Brandon Aiyuk – 2 targets, 1 rec
From Week 7 to Week 15 Aiyuk trailed only Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams in fantasy points/game. Over that span, he was averaging 11.7 targets/game. It may have been C.J. Beatheard at quarterback, it may have been the return of George Kittle, or it may have been the high ankle sprain he suffered at some point, but one way or another it was a disappointing way for Aiyuk to end his fantasy season.
Other notable target counts from Week 16:
Allen Robinson – 13
Travis Kelce – 13
DeAndre Hopkins – 12
Davante Adams – 12
Mike Evans – 12
Stefon Diggs – 11
Mark Andrews – 11
Justin Jefferson – 10
Brandin Cooks – 10
Robby Anderson – 10
D.J. Moore – 10
Mike Williams – 10
Christian Kirk – 10
Josh Reynolds – 10
Evan Engram – 10
J.D. McKissic – 10
Adam Thielen – 9
Calvin Ridley – 9
Chris Godwin – 9
Robert Woods – 9
Cooper Kupp – 9
Tee Higgins – 9
Jamison Crowder – 9
DaeSean Hamilton – 9
Cam Sims – 9
Noah Fant – 9
Amari Cooper – 8
DK Metcalf – 8
A.J. Brown – 8
Darius Slayton – 8
Larry Fitzgerald – 8
Giovani Bernard – 8
A.J. Green – 7
T.Y. Hilton – 7
Darnell Mooney – 7
Jalen Reagor – 7
Mike Gesicki – 7
Eric Ebron – 7
Jonnu Smith – 7
Zach Ertz – 7
Harrison Bryant – 7
Darren Waller – 6
T.J. Hockenson – 6
Tyler Higbee – 6
Cole Kmet – 6
Miles Sanders – 6
George Kittle – 5
Alvin Kamara – 5
Corey Davis – 2