Week 4 Fantasy Football Target Report
As we put a bow on Week 4 in the NFL, we’re officially a quarter of the way through the fantasy football season. As usual, there were plenty of surprises this week. One thing that remains constant…volume is king. Targets are one of the best indicators of volume and with that being said, here are the most notable target performances of Week 4.
Davante Adams: 15 targets, 10 rec
Regular listeners of The Fantasy Footballers Podcast knew that Adams was a favorite buy-low candidate headed into Week 4. If you were able to secure him before kickoff you were likely doing victory laps most of Thursday night as Adams exploded for 180 yards on 15 targets. It wasn’t all glory, however, as Adams failed to find the end zone and was unavailable during Green Bay’s critical last drive after limping off with a toe injury.
Robert Woods: 15 targets, 13 rec
Cooper Kupp: 15 targets, 9 rec
When your quarterback is slinging 68 pass attempts there are a lot of targets to go around. Woods had a higher catch rate, while Kupp was able to find paydirt. Even Todd Gurley saw an impressive 11 targets and Brandin Cooks checked in with a respectable nine. All of the Rams receivers are legitimate fantasy options, but don’t expect this kind of volume every week; Jared Goff was only the fifth quarterback ever to throw 68 or more passes in a game and the first since 2001.
Chris Godwin: 14 targets, 12 rec
With Godwin’s health in question and a late afternoon kickoff, plenty of fantasy owners are bemoaning the fact that they played it safe and left him on the bench. Not only did he play, but he racked up a career-high 14 targets. Those targets turned into 12 catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns, also career highs. Through the first four games, Godwin has 34 targets, which trails teammate Mike Evans by just one. However, Godwin is slightly outpacing his teammate with eight more receptions, 18 more yards, and 5.8 more fantasy points. They both sit near the top as WR2 and WR4 respectively on the season in Ballers Preferred scoring.
Cole Beasley: 13 targets, 7 rec
The 13 targets that went Beasley’s way Sunday tied his career-high. He’s the top-targeted player on the Bills, seeing a healthy 27.5% of the team’s targets. This didn’t seem to change much after Josh Allen was knocked out of the game, as he was targeted on 4-of-16 attempts from backup Matt Barkley. He may even see an increase in target share as the safety valve check down if Barkley has to start in place of Josh Allen, which makes him startable in any PPR format.
Austin Hooper: 11 targets, 9 rec
Anybody looking at the Falcons box score this week might have to do a double-take. Hooper saw 11 targets, which was actually one behind Mohamed Sanu for the team lead. Meanwhile, Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley combined for just 13 targets. Nevertheless, Hooper is currently the fourth most targeted tight end in the NFL with 33 targets on the season, making him one of the more reliable options in the wasteland that is fantasy football tight ends.
Phillip Dorsett: 9 targets, 2 rec
Dorsett may have only caught two passes for ten yards this week, but his nine targets were just one shy of running back James White for the team lead on the day. While they didn’t turn into much production, it’s the highest target total he’s seen since arriving in New England and a sign that he’ll continue to be involved in the offense moving forward. That’s always a good thing when you play for the Tom Brady led Patriots.
Dalvin Cook: 8 targets, 6 rec
We’ve seen Cook succeed on the ground this season, churning out an impressive 410 rushing yards through four games. He’s also seen increased targets in four consecutive weeks. That kind of involvement though the air kept him relevant even as the run game was effectively shut down by the Bears in Chicago, and it also makes him worthy of elite-level status in fantasy football.
Paris Campbell: 8 targets, 5 rec
T.Y. Hilton had 25 targets and was the WR5 through the first three weeks of the season, but missed Week 4 with a quad injury. Rookie Parris Campbell took the target lead (along with Jack Doyle) in his stead for Week 4. The speedster out of Ohio State may end up being Hilton’s eventual replacement, and he’ll continue to get his chances this season if Hilton remains out. He only averaged five yards per catch Sunday, but his 4.31 40-time makes him a threat to score anytime he gets the ball in his hands.
Ezekiel Elliot: 7 targets, 6 rec
Zeke leveled-up in 2018 when he averaged nearly six targets per game, but we hadn’t seen that air-game involvement in 2019 until this week. His seven targets were easily the most he’s seen through the first quarter of the season, and it was a relief to his fantasy owners to see that rookie Tony Pollard’s usage didn’t see any type of increase while Zeke was less than effective on the ground.
Corey Davis: 6 targets, 5 rec
The six targets may not seem like much, but they did lead the team and doubled the next most targeted wide receiver for the Titans. The fantasy football community has been waiting with bated breath for a Corey Davis breakout, and while this doesn’t necessarily qualify, it’s at least a step in the right direction. The former first-round pick has been dropped in plenty of leagues and could be worth a speculative add if Marcus Mariota can continue playing as well as he did against the Falcons.
Many of the players mentioned in this week’s Target Report are affected by injuries. Make sure to follow Matthew Betz for the most updated injury analysis.