Fantasy Football Target Report for Week 4
Week 4 of the NFL season is in the rearview mirror, which means teams are officially a quarter of the way through the season (except for Tennessee and Pittsburgh). It’s a great time to take a look at some leading target trends as we enter the second quarter of the season.
Amari Cooper leads all players with 51 targets through four games. That equates to 12.8 targets per game, which would total 204 if the pace can be held for a full 16 game season. That would tie Calvin Johnson’s 2012 season for fourth-most all time.
At tight end, Darren Waller leads the way with 40 targets, seven ahead of Travis Kelce. If Waller can keep up the pace all season, he’ll set a new tight end record with 160 targets, topping the 156 target performance from Zach Ertz in 2018.
In the backfield, it shouldn’t shock anybody that Alvin Kamara leads all running backs with 35 targets. At that rate, he’d finish with 140 through 16 games. It would be an impressive total but fall two shy of Christian McCaffrey’s 142 targets from last season.
But enough about the first four weeks in total, let’s look specifically at the most fantasy-relevant target performances from the past week.
Amari Cooper – 16 targets, 12 rec
As mentioned in the opening, Cooper leads the NFL with 51 targets so far this season, but this was the first time this season that he led for an individual week. He’s been famously inconsistent and hasn’t totaled over 120 targets since 2016, but he’s well on his way this year as the clear top target in the most pass-heavy offense in the league.
George Kittle – 15 targets, 15 rec
Kittle returned to the field for the first time since Week 1 and immediately reminded fantasy managers why they spent a high pick on him back in the draft. He fell just short of his career-high of 17 targets from Week 15 of last season but did set an individual record by catching all 15 balls thrown his way.
Terry McLaurin – 14 targets, 10 rec
McLaurin has had an exceptional start to his young career and it just keeps getting more impressive. On Sunday he set personal records in both targets and catches. With Dwayne Haskins at quarterback. Against the Baltimore Ravens. As a fantasy football community, we collectively can only hope that his situation improves sooner than later in his career.
Keenan Allen – 12 targets, 8 rec
Allen had a modest eight targets from Tyrod Taylor in Week 1 but has averaged 13.7 per game in the three games started by rookie Justin Herbert; a blistering 16-game pace of 219 targets. That pace is unsustainable regardless of the quarterback throwing him the ball, but it’s apparent that Herbert gives Allen the best chance at racking up targets. Allen has been targeted on a ridiculous 38% of Herberts passes and no other Charger had more than three targets in Week 4.
Robby Anderson – 11 targets, 8 rec
Through the first quarter of the season, it’s clear who the number one receiver is in Carolina, and it’s not who most thought it would be. In fact, it appears the Panthers are using Robby Anderson in the role most projected for D.J. Moore and vice versa. Anderson has more targets, receptions, yards, yards after the catch, and touchdowns, while Moore has significantly more air yards and a higher average depth of target. There’s still enough season left for things to change but as of now, Anderson should be the Panther wideout you want in your fantasy lineup.
Allen Robinson – 10 targets, 7 rec
Darnell Mooney – 9 targets, 5 rec
It’s no surprise that Robinson, the fourth-most targeted player in the NFL, led the Bears yet again in Week 4. It does, however, raise some eyebrows to see fifth-round rookie pick Darnell Mooney just one target behind him. Mooney has been running more routes each week and has seen his targets increase with Nick Foles at quarterback. He may have leapfrogged Anthony Miller on Chicago’s target progression and is extremely interesting as an asset in dynasty leagues.
Ronald Jones – 9 targets, 6 rec
The good news for Jones: He saw a career-high in targets Sunday. The bad news: He only turned them into six catches for 17 receiving yards, while suffering some brutal drops in the process. The worst news: Rookie teammate Ke’Shawn Vaughn turned his three targets into two catches for 22 yards and a touchdown. Jones will still dominate carries if Leonard Fournette misses more time, but he didn’t do anything to earn Tom Brady or Bruce Arian’s trust in the passing game.
Chase Edmonds – 6 targets, 5 rec
Kenyan Drake – 0 targets, 0 rec
Chase Edmonds appears to be more than just a backup running back in Arizona. The fact that he’s on pace for 68 targets on the season and already has two receiving touchdowns should tell us he’s a viable flex option.
Drake, on the other hand, has only seen five targets all season. What’s even more confusing is that he was on a 16-game pace of 70 targets through the eight games he played after joining the Cardinals via trade last season. You can’t deny Drake’s volume on the ground but it’s not looking good for him through the air.
Zach Ertz – 5 targets, 4 rec
Last season Ertz averaged 10.1 targets per game over the last seven games of the season as the Eagles struggled to keep their pass-catchers healthy. A similar narrative was set for this week, but Ertz didn’t even come close to delivering a usable fantasy performance. It was the first time since Week 8 of last season that he registered less than six targets.
Other notable target counts in Week 4:
DeVante Parker – 12
Darren Waller – 12
Adam Thielen – 10
Evan Engram – 10
Isaiah Ford – 10
Jamison Crowder – 10
Damiere Byrd – 10
DeAndre Hopkins – 9
D.J. Chark – 9
Emmanuel Sanders – 9
Jeff Smith – 9
Chris Hogan – 8
Kenny Golladay – 8
Odell Beckham Jr. – 8
Mike Evans – 8
Tyler Boyd – 8
Hollywood Brown – 8
Hunter Renfrow – 8
Zach Pascal – 8
Ezekiel Elliot – 8
J.D. Mckissic – 8
Jerick McKinnon – 8
James White – 8
Austin Hooper – 7
Greg Olsen – 7
DK Metcalf – 6
Calvin Ridley – 5
Tyler Lockett – 4
Mike Gesicki – 3
Rob Gronkowski – 3
Mark Andrews – 3