Target Practice: Week Nine in the NFL

It’s always tough to find the right receivers each week for your fantasy matchup. One of the keys is not just what a player has done, but in a lot of cases you have to consider the potential of a player when you look their matchup. Another factor that needs to be included into this equation is which players are getting their number called most.

Look Who’s Hot….

If you are a fan of, and more importantly a participant in, a PPR league than you have to love what you are seeing from wide receiver Devin Hester. In the last three weeks he’s averaged nine targets per game and with so many chances he’s delivered. Hester has 21 receptions for 265 yards and is looking more and more like a go to receiver in Chicago. He can only get better and if you drafted him as your number three, you’ve got yourself what looks to be a great steal in the second half.

It’s not taking much effort, but the Eagle’s second year receiver DeSean Jackson is quickly emerging as an elite player in this league. He’s only needed ten targets in his last two games and three touches in each to find the end zone three times. With two receptions and one scintillating 67-yard end around in week seven Jackson scored twice. Last Sunday he only needed three catches to work his magic and find pay-dirt. The explosive receiver is averaging a little more than four touches per game and around 20 yards per touch. Now that’s explosive!

Who’s worried….
If you drafted Michael Crabtree back in August and have had the patience to wait all this time, relax because not only are you the most patient ever, but the pay-off could be coming soon. In his first two games as an NFL receiver Crabtree has had plenty of chances with 15 targets, but more importantly he’s already starting to produce with 11 receptions for 137 yards (projected over 16 games; 88 receptions, 1,096-yards)

For some fantasy owners, it might be time to worry when your number one receiver has only 125 yards combined in his last two games and has not scored a touchdown in his last three starts. Add to the facts that he was just injured a week ago and questionable for most of the week and it might make sense for panic to set in, but when that receiver is Andre Johnson you really haven’t much to worry about. This little dip in production is a mere bump in the road. Johnson was back on the field Sunday, he’s still one of the most targeted receivers in the game with (80) and a tremendous receiving talent.

Keep your Eye on these gems…
The Jets tight end Dustin Keller has been on a bit of a circus string with his numbers fluctuating from week to week. In the two previous weeks Keller has seen his target numbers go from 10 in week six down to just four in week seven. Week eight treated the Jet’s second year tight end much better with 13 targets and his production improved greatly with eight grabs for 76 yards and a touchdown. As the rookie Mark Sanchez continues to mature under center, we’d expect to see him lean more on his tight end going forward.

A couple of players that fantasy owners should continue to monitor are a pair of Indy receivers. With Reggie Wayne drawing a lot of attention and well deserved with 20 targets in week eight, Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon continue to warrant some discussion. Over the past two weeks both receivers have seen plenty of action in the Colts passing game with 14 and 16 targets respectively. As long as number 18 is under center, these two will at least merit WR3 considerations moving ahead. Also, the real missing stat here is Manning’s 26 completions per game!

Here is the breakdown for fantasy pass catchers (targets) this season;

Through Eight weeks:

Top-10 Targeted Pass-catchers

Player                                                   Targt    Recpt    FPTS

Johnson, Andre WR HOU      80     44     92

Smith, Steve WR NYG         78     53     87

Wayne, Reggie WR IND        77     51     102

Fitzgerald, Larry WR ARI      73     47     78

Burleson, Nate WR SEA        66     38     59

Moss, Randy WR NE             66     43     77

White, Roddy WR ATL                 66     37     88

Smith, Steve WR CAR         65     30     47

Ochocinco, Chad WR CIN      64     39     82

Welker, Wes WR NE            62     46     70

[points based on traditional scoring]

We are always in search of knowledge and more importantly that all important commodity information. If you are planning on setting a winning fantasy football lineup for week 5, then you better be in the know and certain which players are going to perform this week.

Now that we are a quarter of the way into the season, we can start to discuss trends, note tendencies, but more notably recognize that numbers don’t lie. This week’s focus for the fantasy fanatics is more target practice. If you are looking for much needed help heading into week 5, you’ve targeted the right place and we’ve got your fix.

Who’s worried….

The numbers are down somewhat at the moment, but fantasy owners should not panic when it comes to the Falcon’s wide receiver Roddy White. In his first three games this season he has been targeted 26 times, indicating it’s just a matter of time before he’s back on track. Taking into account White’s late arrival to camp, he’s sure to have shaken the rust by now, so owners can expect to see better production from him soon.

His first two games were quiet, just 61 yards receiving, but over the past two weeks it appears the Bronco’s playmaking receiver Brandon Marshall is starting to come to life. In the past two weekends Marshall has grabbed nine balls for 158 yards and scored two touchdowns. For the season Marshall has been targeted consistently (28 times) and it finally looks like he’s starting to heat up. Fantasy owners can now look forward to seeing more great things from “Baby T.O.”

One of the newer additions to the Titan’s passing game this season is former Steeler’s receiver Nate Washington. He was brought in to give quarterback Kerry Collins and the Titan’s a legitimate deep threat in the aerial attack and while things haven’t quite panned out as planned fantasy owners shouldn’t get too nervous. While Washington does only have 14 receptions for 135 yards, he’s had plenty of opportunity with 31 targets this season indicating the prospect of a much better second quarter of the season.

Another pass catcher off to a disappointing start that should not be overlooked is the Bear’s tight end Greg Olsen. With just 10 receptions and only 94 yards, it becomes very easy for owners to give up on the former Miami Hurricane; mistake. In the team’s first four games, Olsen has been consistently targeted and has seen a total of 25 balls thrown his direction. The numbers aren’t there yet, but give it time he and his quarterback will soon be on the same page.

Keep your Eye on these gems…

If you caught the matchup between the Bengals and Browns this past Sunday, sure it was a marathon of a lot of nothing, but after taking a closer look it’s hard to avoid the emergence of rookie receiver Mohamed Massaquoi. The kid snagged eight balls for about a buck and a half, but the more compelling factor were the 13 balls thrown his way. With Derek Anderson now in the huddle, Massaquoi looks like he’ll be the favorite by far.

After seeing only one pass in his direction in week one, the Jaguars receiver Mike Sims-Walker is quickly regaining some of the notoriety he earned in small stints a year ago. In his past three starts Walker has seen a total of 30 balls thrown his way and he has delivered with fantasy-like production; 19 receptions, 278 yards, 3 touchdowns.

Here is the breakdown for fantasy pass catchers (targets) this season;

Through four weeks:

Top-30 Targeted Pass-catchers

Player         Targt

Smith, Steve-WR, NYG                   45

Moss, Randy-WR, NE                     44

Burleson, Nate-WR, SEA                41

Johnson, Calvin-WR, DET              40

Wayne, Reggie-WR, IND                40

Houshmandzadeh, T.J.-WR, SEA  38

Johnson, Andre-WR, HOU             38

Ochocinco, Chad-WR, CIN             36

Smith, Steve-WR, CAR                   36

Gates, Antonio-TE, SD                              35

Holmes, Santonio-WR, PIT            35

Cotchery, Jerricho-WR, NYJ                   34

Clark, Dallas-TE, IND                     33

Mason, Derrick-WR, BAL               33

Ward, Hines-WR, PIT                     33

Carlson, John-TE, SEA                             32

Cooley, Chris-TE, WAS                            32

Manningham, Mario-WR, NYG     32

Sims-Walker, Mike-WR, JAC         31

Washington, Nate-WR, TEN                    31

Gage, Justin-WR, TEN                    30

Ginn Jr., Ted-WR, MIA                   30

Murphy, Louis-WR, OAK               30

Winslow, Kellen-TE, TB                  30

Clayton, Mark-WR, BAL                 29

Driver, Donald-WR, GB                   29

Fitzgerald, Larry-WR, ARI              29

Jackson, Vincent-WR, SD               29

Moss, Santana-WR, WAS               29

Daniels, Owen-TE, HOU                 28

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