Fantasy Football: Week 5 Target Report
It was another wild ride in Week 5 of the fantasy football season, especially when it came to pass-catchers. We saw a running back notch the most targets in a single game thus far in 2019, not to mention four of the top eight fantasy wide receiver performances of the season. As we look back at the most notable target performances of Week 5, remember that target volume is a great indicator of success in fantasy football.
Cooper Kupp: 17 targets, 9 rec
Not only was Kupp the most targeted player of Week 5, but the 17 balls thrown his way were also enough to give him a commanding lead in targets on the season. His average of 12.6 targets per game is a healthy 1.6 targets more than current runner-up Michael Thomas. Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks are still useful fantasy assets, but Kupp is the Rams’ number one option.
Austin Ekeler: 16 targets, 15 rec
Only 16 running backs have ever recorded 16 or more targets in a single game, and Ekeler’s 15 catches ties the record for most in a game from the running back position. It certainly appears that Ekeler will be retaining a role in the Chargers offense even with the return of Melvin Gordon. Ekeler still saw the field on 66% of the offensive snaps in Week 5, while Gordon played on just 46%. Those numbers may end up flipping, but Ekeler is sure to retain fantasy value, especially in any type of PPR format.
Will Fuller: 16 targets, 14 rec
Fuller entered Week 5 averaging just 5.75 targets per game, despite playing on 96% of the Texans offensive snaps. It was only a matter of time before the breakout was coming, but few could’ve predicted that he’d be hyper-targeted with 48% of Deshaun Watson’s pass attempts. Those targets weren’t wasted either, as he turned them into the ninth-best PPR fantasy performance of all-time.
Amari Cooper: 14 targets, 11 rec
Michael Gallup: 14 targets, 7 rec
Cooper had a better overall game against Green Bay in Week 5, but Gallup was no slouch either. They each saw the same amount of targets, but Cooper turned his into a career-high 226 yards, his third career 200+ receiving yard game. Meanwhile, the 14 targets were a career-high for Gallup, who looked every bit as good as he did before missing the previous two games after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery.
Tyler Boyd: 14 targets, 10 rec
After a relative down week by his standards, Boyd bounced back in Week 5. He’s now notched double-digit targets in 4-of-5 games this season, joining Cooper Kupp as the only players in the league that can make that claim. The Bengals will be hard-pressed to win any games in 2019 and have thrown the ball 70% of the time this season. John Ross is on IR and A.J. Green is in no hurry to get back. It all adds up to Boyd likely being one of the top-targeted wideouts each week.
Michael Thomas: 13 targets, 11 rec
If there was ever any apprehension regarding Thomas’ production without Drew Bress, it was soundly put to rest in Week 5. He’s logged 13 targets in 3-of-5 games this season and turned them into the second-highest yardage output of his career against the Buccaneers. Carry on and continue to slot Thomas in as a WR1 every week.
Geral Everett: 11 targets, 7 rec
We may very well be witnessing the Gerald Everett breakout that some thought would never happen. He’s now set career-high target marks in consecutive weeks with eight in Week 4 before his 11-target performance in Week 5. The former second-round draft pick also crushed his career-high receiving yardage by 41 yards and is finally living up to his potential. He needs to be owned in all leagues given the current wasteland that is the tight end position in fantasy football.
D.J, Chark: 11 targets, 8 rec
Chark has clearly solidified his role as the top receiving option in Jacksonville. While teammate Dede Westbrook checks in with the exact same amount of targets on the season (37), Chark’s average of 13.1 yards per target is more than twice as much as Westbrook’s 6.1. Chark has also already found the endzone five times so far, tied for second among all wideouts through five weeks.
Leonard Fournette: 7 targets, 4 rec
Fournette hadn’t been known as a receiving weapon during his first two years in the NFL, but he seems to be changing that narrative in 2019. After seeing seven targets in Week 5 he now has the seventh-most among running backs with 30 on the season. That puts him with the likes of known pass-catchers James White (30) and Alvin Kamara (31). He’s on pace for 96 targets this season after seeing just 74 targets in 21 games during his first two seasons. Injury may be the only thing that could prevent him from finishing as an RB1 this season.
Emmanuel Sanders: 1 target, 1 rec
Sanders was limited to just one target in Week 5 after averaging a respectable 8.5 targets per game through the first four weeks. Sunday marked his lowest target log since December of 2012, the last time that he played a full game and finished with just one target. Despite his early-season success, this week’s performance will make it tough for fantasy owners to trust him against the Titans in Weeks 6.