Fantasy Football: Week 1 Target Report
It’s finally here! Week 1 of the fantasy football season is in the books and it’s time to overreact (insert eye roll emoji). This season, I will bring you a target report of some players that stand out to me every week. Some may stand out in a good sense, while others may be targeted at a lower rate than expected. Either way, targets are a good gauge as to how often a player is utilized in an offense, regardless of the final stat line. Time to examine some Week 1 players and their target counts.
Julio Jones: 19 targets, 10 rec
Julio Jones wasted no time on Thursday Night Football gobbling up the most targets of any player in Week 1. Unfortunately, until Matt Ryan can show some consistency in his passes, Julio Jones will have to rely on the volume to have productive games. He was targeted on the final play of the game in the end zone but was out of bounds. So, in true fashion, Jones did not score in Week 1.
Michael Thomas: 17 targets, 16 rec
Two WRs to start off this article that shouldn’t surprise anyone with the volume but at this rate, it is pretty insane. What made Thomas’ night more impressive than Jones’ is the fact that he caught 94% of his 17 targets and scored a touchdown. With Mark Ingram out for the first 4 weeks, Drew Brees will have to revert back to doing something he is very comfortable with, throwing the ball. Michael Thomas is an elite option at WR so don’t expect him to slow down any time soon.
Jarvis Landry: 15 targets, 7 rec
Far and away the most targeted player for Tyrod Taylor and the Cleveland Browns right out of the gate. Landry is a trusty slot receiver that was top-3 in the league for targets last season so he is used to the workload. He did crack 100 receiving yards in Week 1, something he was unable to do in any game last year. It’s worth noting that Josh Gordon was targeted just 3 times in Week 1. Gordon did start the game and he played 78% of the Browns’ offensive snaps. Just something to keep an eye on moving forward. Landry could very well be the WR1 in this offense.
Adam Thielen: 12 targets, 6 rec
Adam Thielen is a workhorse wide receiver. He had double-digit targets in 7 games last year and he just picked up where he left off in Week 1 with 12. If you were worried Kirk Cousins was going to favor Stefon Diggs a bit more than Case Keenum did, you had nothing to worry about in this game. Diggs finished with exactly half of the targets and receptions Thielen totaled. It is very possible we see Theilen and Diggs see-saw target shares all season but you can check Thielen’s box for Week 1.
Quincy Enunwa: 10 targets, 6 rec
A big surprise as far as target count goes for the first week of the season and surely many of us overlooked in fantasy drafts, Quincy Enunwa clicked early and often with rookie QB, Sam Darnold. In fact, Enunwa accounted for nearly half of Darnold’s attempts on Sunday. Robby Anderson was only targeted 1 time which happened to result in a 41-yard TD. Regardless, Enunwa is the WR to own on the Jets until proven otherwise.
Jared Cook: 12 targets, 9 rec
This performance surprised a lot of people. Who am I kidding? 9 catches for 180 yards surprised everyone. If I’m being honest, Jared Cook is a player I loved drafting at the end of my draft this year. He finished the 2017 season with the 7th most receiving yards for a tight end. His dismal, 2 touchdowns are what kept him out of many “Top TE” conversations. Now, he didn’t score a TD in this game, but he did rack up 26% of his 2017 yardage total. That should give Cook a decent head start into a top 12 finish at the position for 2018. Given the troubles the Raiders have at the WR position, Cook should be in for a big workload this year as possibly Derek Car’s first option.
George Kittle: 9 targets, 5 rec
Another late-round option at tight-end paid off for fantasy owners Week 1. George Kittle was Jimmy Garoppolo‘s go-to target last week as Kittle totaled the 3rd most targets for a tight end. Marquise Goodwin left the game in the 2nd quarter with a quad injury. He eventually returned just to be taken out again later in the game. Goodwin was not practicing as of Wednesday and his Week 2 status is questionable. Look for George Kittle to compete for the target lead in this offense on a weekly basis, not just Week 2.