NFL Target Analysis Week 6

Now is the part of the season where the byes start to make the target leaderboard interesting. The first 13 players have all played six games, so be sure to keep an eye on the games played column when assessing this list. Someone like Evan Engram who has 33 receptions on 48 targets looks even more impressive when you realize he’s played one game fewer than the three tight ends ahead of him on the list. We have a lot of good receivers on bye this week, so looking at the games played will be even more important moving forward.

Target Breakdown

• Zach Ertz had nine targets Sunday but only caught four for 54 yards. It marked Ertz’s sixth straight game with at least seven targets and at least 54 receiving yards. In fact, Ertz leads all tight ends with 44 targets, but he is fourth in receptions, third in yards and tied with 20 other tight ends for 13th with one touchdown. You might be able to buy somewhat low on Ertz, at least until he has two touchdowns against Dallas in Week 7.
• Dallas Goedert was tied with Zach Ertz in targets in Week 6, but had one extra catch. His snap and target counts will probably take a hit once DeSean Jackson returns, but Goedert has clearly replaced Nelson Agholor as the number 3 receiver in Philly. If you lost Will Dissly or are streaming tight ends, Goedert is as good a pickup as anyone.
• Ertz and Goedert languished behind Alshon Jeffery in targets. Jeffery caught 10 of 12 targets for just 76 yards, but I actually thought his performance was quite encouraging considering he was shadowed by Xavier Rhodes for most of the night.
• Odell Beckham Jr. tied his season-high with 11 targets Sunday, catching six for 101 yards and zero touchdowns. You can probably still buy low, but it’s fair to question if you should want to. After their Week 7 bye, the Browns are at New England, at Denver and home against Buffalo. Beckham is certainly better than his season-long numbers indicate, but it may get worse before it gets better.
• Keenan Allen was targeted just five times Sunday while Mike Williams caught five of 10 targets and Hunter Henry caught eight of nine for 100 yards and two touchdowns. It’s nice to have another usable tight end in the fantasy landscape, especially with Will Dissly out, but it’s confounding that Allen was such an afterthought in the passing game. Allen will always have a safety on his side of the field, but the Chargers have to do a better job of targeting Allen. He has 17 targets over his last three games after getting 17 targets in Week 3 alone. This would normally be when I tell you to try to buy low on Allen, but with Tennessee, Chicago and Green Bay on the schedule the next three weeks, it may not get much better anytime soon.
• Auden Tate had 12 targets Sunday, and while it would be understandable to dismiss the number two wide receiver on a struggling Bengals offense, it would also be a mistake. Tate has 30 targets over the last four weeks, the same as Odell Beckham Jr. and D.J. Chark Jr. , and seven behind teammate Tyler Boyd . Tate looked awfully good on tape last week, but this may be his peak for a while. It sounds like A.J. Green has a solid chance to return after the Week 9 bye, and I won’t be excited to start Tate against Jacksonville and at the Rams the next two weeks. That being said, I think Tate is legit good, and I will try to acquire him in my dynasty league.
• Mike Evans caught nine of 16 targets for 96 yards, and while I’m no longer stubborn enough to like Chris Godwin better, it still feels like Evans is a bit underrated. I wonder if you can convince someone to part with him since 45 percent of his fantasy production came against the Giants. It’s worth a shot.
• I’m seeing Calvin Ridley touted as an every-week start in some places, and that seems insane to me. He scored a touchdown for the fourth time this season, which saved his week, but I’m disappointed with four catches for 48 yards on six targets against the Cardinals. Ridley has topped six targets just twice this season, and Matt Ryan just does not seem particularly motivated to get him the ball. Ridley is tied for 41st on our target list, and I’m not sure there is much of a difference between him and Emmanuel Sanders , who also has 25 catches on 37 targets with one touchdown. If anything, Sanders has the excuse of being banged up for multiple weeks. I think Ridley is a good player, but it might take a new offensive coordinator or even a change of scenery to reach his potential.
• Will Fuller is up to 14th in targets this season after catching four of nine last week. Fuller always has the potential to make your week with a big play or two, but I wouldn’t want to buy until I see how he does with Kenny Stills back in the fold. Twenty-five of Fuller’s 48 targets this season have come with Stills out the last two weeks.