Fantasy Football: Week 15 Target Report
If you’re in your fantasy football Championship game, congratulations. Not ALL of us can be so lucky! Regardless if you’ve made the championship or not, you may still have incentives to put in your best lineups in Week 16. It’s that time to reflect on target shares from Week 15 that could provide you some viable information as to who you should be sitting or starting in Championship week!
Tyrell Williams: 12 targets, 6 rec
With Keenan Allen sidelined, Tyrell Williams racked up 6 receptions on 12 targets for 71 yards, however, it was Mike Williams was the star of the show. Mike caught 7 of his 9 targets for 76 yards and 2 TDs. He even had a rushing TD. Regardless, if Allen misses Week 16, both Williamses are decent options regardless of a tough matchup versus the Ravens given how well Philip Rivers has played this season.
Josh Reynolds: 12 targets, 5 rec
This was Josh Reynolds’ first double-digit target game. He was only able to bring in 42% of his targets for 70 yards. The Rams offense have not looked like themselves in weeks, but a matchup against the Cardinals can turn things around. Reynolds has shown flashes this season but is not someone you want to bank on in your championship week matchups.
Daesean Hamilton: 12 targets, 7 rec
Similar situation to the Williams WRs in Los Angeles, Daesean Hamilton out targeted Tim Patrick but Patrick had better results. Hamilton, although targeted 12 times, closed out the game with just 46 receiving yards. Tim Patrick, on the other hand, had 5 receptions on 8 targets for 65 yards. Both should be safe floor options for Week 16.
Sterling Shepard: 9 targets, 2 rec
Surprise, surprise. Sterling Shepard had a high target day without OBJ in the lineup. Unfortunately, he was limited to just 2 catches for 37 yards. This offense is broken. Even if OBJ is out Week 16, you can’t trust Shepard against the Colts who rank as the 5th best defense vs the WR position this year.
Alshon Jeffery: 8 targets, 8 rec
This may be the hardest player to decide on in Week 16. Alshon Jeffery caught all 8 of his targets for a whopping 160 yards. Nick Foles clearly favored Jeffery and we only have one week of Foles in 2018 to base a decision on whether or not to start Alshon Jefferey again in championship week. You may want to pump the brakes a bit if you have other viable options since Jeffery hasn’t had more than 50 yards receiving in the 6 games previous to last week. He has also only scored just once in the last 7 games. Houston has given up the 9th fewest points to WRs and this game could be a low scoring affair.
Dante Pettis: 5 targets, 5 rec
Dante Pettis has been a consistent option down the stretch. In his last 4 games, he has 26 targets, 338 receiving yards, and 4 TDs. He has scored in 3 of his last 4 games and had 83 yards this past week in his only scoreless game in that stretch. At first, his matchup against the almighty Chicago Bears may cause you to want to pivot. Don’t. The Bears do not give up much production to offenses but if they have a soft spot, it’s to opposing WRs. Pettis is a safe floor play so keep him in your lineups.
Saquon Barkley: 10 targets, 4 rec
Barkley had himself a rare tough week last week. He had just 25 rec yards and 15 carries for just 31 yards. To give you some hope for Week 16, the Colts defense is middle of the road against the RB position. As noted above, they have been very tough against WRs which should spell a heavy workload day for Barkley in Week 16.
Jalen Richard: 6 targets, 5 rec
You may be tempted to start Jalen Richard, especially in PPR leagues but he’s hard to trust. Richard has now lost a fumble in 2 of his last 3 weeks and is tied for 6th worst among RBs in the butterfingers department. His volume is wildly inconsistent and he’s on an awful offense. Richard finds himself this week against the Denver Broncos who have given up the 12th fewest points to RBs. Avoid the Raiders backfield if you can help it.
Evan Engram: 12 targets, 8 rec
Engram had an unbelievable week from a TE production perspective. He gathered up 75 yards on 8 receptions. He was targeted 12 times in this game. Remember, OBJ was on the sidelines which opened up some opportunity for Engram. He has eclipsed 70 yards in his past two games but hasn’t been much of a factor outside of that. If you don’t have better options, and chances are you don’t, you may want to start Engram in Week 16. Although the Colts are great at defending WRs, they have given up the 11th most points to TEs this season.
Zach Ertz: 7 targets, 3 rec
Zach Ertz had one of his worst games of the season. Thanks, Nick Foles. Just 22 yards on 3 receptions. With that said, Ertz has had success with Foles in the past so you will have to leave last week in the past. You are obviously not going to bench the second best tight end in the league in your championship matchups.
I want to close out the Target Report series with a thank you to all that have read this series on a weekly basis and have interacted with me on Twitter every time I tweeted it out. I hope these articles were helpful to you and your fantasy seasons. Good luck to all in your Week 16 matchups and Happy Holidays!