Week 15 Target Report (Fantasy Football)
Week 15 saw some of the most notable target performances of the entire season. We saw studs come through in big ways, recently-struggling stars bounce back, and a few normally trustworthy receivers practically disappear. As we approach the crescendo of the fantasy football season, let’s take a moment to look back at some of the performances that may have carried, or buried, fantasy teams in the semifinals.
Julio Jones: 20 targets, 13 rec
We’ve seen Julio put up monster target games like this before, but he’s only logged 20 one other time in his career way back in Week 3 of 2015. Julio’s Week 15 target explosion is the first 20-target game in the NFL since Week 3 of 2018 when Alvin Kamara saw 20 out of the backfield. No wide receiver has seen 20 since Odell Beckham in Week 16 of 2016.
George Kittle: 17 targets, 13 rec
While Julio was getting targeted more than any other player this season on the other side of the ball, Kittle set the high water mark for targets seen in any game by a tight end this season. Jimmy Garoppolo was locked into his stud tight end, targeting him on 50% of his pass attempts.
Anthony Miller: 15 targets, 9 rec
Allen Robinson: 14 targets, 7 rec
The Bears duo put up a combined 29 targets in Green Bay Sunday, matching the season-high for targets by two teammates set by Austin Ekeler and Mike Williams in Week 5 and Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in Week 6. Robinson has been rock solid all season and currently sits at sixth on the target leaderboard for the season. Miller on the other hand only averaged 3.3 targets per game through the first nine games of the season but has seen that number spike to 10.4 over the last five.
A.J. Brown: 13 targets, 8 rec
The rookie wideout has made his fair share of explosive plays this season, but he had only averaged 4.7 targets per game in the Titans first 13 games of the season. That changed in a big way on Sunday when Brown was targeted 13 times, four more than any other Titan has seen in a single game this season. He’s averaged over 26 fantasy points in his the first two rounds of the fantasy playoffs, and if he can go full NBA Jam in the third he’ll likely be part of quite a few #FootClanTitle rosters.
Steven Sims: 11 targets, 5 rec
An undrafted rookie, Sims has quietly been Washington’s most targeted receiver over the last two weeks. It would take a pretty unlikely scenario to consider starting Sims with a fantasy championship on the line, but he’s a name to monitor as the season comes to an end and remember next season.
Tyler Lockett: 9 targets, 8 rec
Hot Lockett had been ice cold over the past four games, failing to reach double-digit fantasy points in any game over that stretch. That changed in a major way when he saw nine targets this week, the most he’s seen in a single game since Week 9. His 33% target share in the victory is an encouraging sign as he heads into a juicy matchup with the Cardinals in Week 16.
O.J. Howard: 8 targets, 4 rec
It’s been a disastrous season for Howard, but he’s quietly put up a few respectable tight end performances over the past three weeks. His eight targets were his season-high, as was his 19% target share to lead all Buccaneers. With both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin likely sidelined for Tampa Bay’s game on Saturday, the table could be set for Howard’s fantasy redemption in championship week.
Julian Edelman: 5 targets, 2 rec
In what may have been the most surprising letdown of the semifinals, Julian Edelman’s eight-game double-digit target streak came to a crashing halt. The five targets were the fewest thrown his way since Week 2, the lone Antonio Brown game of the season. He could very likely return to his usual double-digit target ways in Week 16, but it may not matter for the fantasy owners that were banking on him in Week 15.
Adam Thielen – 3 targets, 3 rec
The targets obviously don’t jump off the page, but it should be noted that he only played on 33 offensive snaps in his first full game back from his nagging hamstring injury. It also came in a game that saw the Vikings run the ball 37 times compared to just 25 pass attempts. All things considered, Thielen owners can be optimistic headed into Week 16 if they’ve survived this deep into the fantasy playoffs.
Other notable target counts in Week 15:
Odell Beckham – 13
Travis Kelce – 13
Davante Adams – 13
Danny Amendola – 13
Michael Thomas – 12
D.J. Moore – 12
James Washington – 11
Jamison Crowder – 11
Sterling Shepard – 11
Keenan Allen – 10
Courtland Sutton – 10
Tarik Cohen – 10
Christian McCaffrey – 10
Zach Ertz – 10
Darren Waller – 10
John Brown – 10
Greg Ward – 9
Leonard Fournette – 7