2015 Fantasy Football: Week 8 Targets
The target list is comprised of players making the standard rule of seven or more targets each week. You will notice TTL and AVG, which represents how many total targets (TTL) and the average number of targets (AVG) a player receives each week. I also put a summary on how each player on this target list is performing.
Week 8 brought us one newcomer to this list in the name of Jerome Simpson. Kenbrell Thompkins got an opportunity due to suspension. Others made another week happen as they have all season. You don’t have to go far to see DeAndre Hopkins as a primary example of that situation. Hopkins is far above almost anyone in targets this season. Julio Jones is second, and he is ten behind Hopkins. Demaryius Thomas is third. Players such as Stefon Diggs and Martavis Bryant are starting to impress, and some are just flat out inconsistent. Welcome back to the list Jacob Tamme, Heath Miller, and Rishard Matthews. Congrats to those that haven’t left the list this season: Brandon Marshall, Demaryius Thomas, and T.Y. Hilton and DeAndre Hopkins. All numbers are brought to you by FantasyPros.
| Player | Pos | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Summary | TTL | AVG |
| Brandon Marshall | WR | NYJ | 9 | 10 | 14 | 11 | bye | 9 | 7 | 18 | Brandon Marshall has made the list each week and is currently fourth in targets. | 78 | 11.1 |
| A.J. Green | WR | CIN | 8 | 4 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 7 | bye | 17 | Has only missed the target list once and had his biggest week all season. | 67 | 9.6 |
| Alshon Jeffery | WR | CHI | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | bye | 15 | His zeroes are representative of his injuries. He is a legitimate number one receiver. | 37 | 12.3 |
| Heath Miller | TE | PIT | 11 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | Ben Roethlisberger is back and so are his targets, hmmm, coincidence? I think not. | 37 | 4.6 |
| Julio Jones | WR | ATL | 11 | 15 | 20 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 17 | 13 | Number two in targets Julio Jones had his way last week catching his second most targets. | 102 | 12.8 |
| Greg Olsen | TE | CAR | 3 | 14 | 11 | 6 | bye | 11 | 5 | 12 | Olsen came up huge against the Colts and had his second most targets on the season | 62 | 8.9 |
| Jacob Tamme | TE | ATL | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 12 | Tamme had his largest target number all season and made his return. | 43 | 6.1 |
| Michael Crabtree | WR | OAK | 8 | 16 | 9 | 6 | 9 | bye | 8 | 12 | Had his second best outing on the season and has only missed once to make the list. | 68 | 9.7 |
| Rishard Matthews | WR | MIA | 6 | 7 | 10 | 3 | bye | 6 | 3 | 12 | After three dismal weeks Matthews makes his return. | 47 | 6.7 |
| Stefon Diggs | WR | MIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | bye | 9 | 9 | 12 | Diggs hasn’t missed once on the season and had his biggest output to date. | 40 | 10 |
| Gary Barnidge | TE | CLE | 5 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 11 | Hasn’t missed making the list since week four and is turning into a number one receiver. | 59 | 7.4 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | WR | ARI | 8 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 11 | Fitzgerald returned to make magic happen for the Cardinals. He has missed just once all season to make the list. | 70 | 8.8 |
| Demaryius Thomas | WR | DEN | 11 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 17 | bye | 11 | Continues to thrive in the Broncos offensive system. He has not missed the list all season. | 86 | 12.3 |
| Antonio Brown | WR | PIT | 11 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 11 | Even though he didn’t put up the big numbers without Roethlisberger, he still maintained consistency. | 77 | 9.6 |
| Coby Fleener | TE | IND | 1 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 11 | Coby Fleener returns after a three-week layoff. How will Chudzinski use him? | 44 | 6.3 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | WR | HOU | 13 | 11 | 14 | 22 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 11 | Has not missed a week on the list all season that is just one of the reasons he is the number one targeted WR. | 112 | 14 |
| Benjamin Watson | TE | NO | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 10 | Maybe Drew Brees is targeting him more than I had originally thought? | 48 | 6 |
| Brian Hartline | WR | CLE | 5 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 | Second time all season Hartline has made this list, A possible three timer by the end of the season? | 35 | 4.4 |
| Calvin Johnson | WR | DET | 4 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 10 | Only week one kept him from making this list. Biggest output in three weeks. | 78 | 9.8 |
| Jerome Simpson | WR | SF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | First-Timer. | 10 | 10 |
| Ted Ginn | WR | CAR | 7 | 9 | 6 | 3 | bye | 4 | 8 | 10 | Solid games against the Colts, until he straight out dropped the game winning pass. | 47 | 6.7 |
| Jimmy Graham | TE | SEA | 8 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 10 | His 55 targets is not what Seahawks brought him in for. But two of three weeks with nice numbers. | 55 | 6.9 |
| Julian Edelman | WR | NE | 12 | 19 | 11 | bye | 5 | 10 | 9 | 9 | Edelman has shown no signs of injury for the second straight week, and his nine targets show why he is Brady’s #2 guy. | 75 | 10.7 |
| Marques Colston | WR | NO | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 9 | Welcome back Marques it’s been awhile. | 40 | 5.7 |
| Rob Gronkowski | TE | NE | 8 | 13 | 7 | bye | 5 | 5 | 16 | 9 | Two weeks in a row now he has put up solid numbers. | 63 | 9 |
| Shane Vereen | RB | NYG | 5 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 9 | Vereen has had his numbers bounce up and down all season. | 40 | 5 |
| Randall Cobb | WR | GB | 5 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 5 | bye | 9 | His biggest week since the third week of the season. | 56 | 8 |
| Dion Lewis | RB | NE | 5 | 9 | 5 | bye | 11 | 6 | 0 | 9 | Dion Lewis adds value to a team as the third-down back only. | 45 | 7.5 |
| Rueben Randle | WR | NYG | 5 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 9 | Second time this season Reuben Randle has made the target list has been close many times. | 46 | 5.8 |
| Mike Evans | WR | TB | 0 | 3 | 17 | 8 | 5 | bye | 12 | 9 | Mike Evans has the target list four of the last five games and seems to be connecting with Jameis Winston. | 54 | 9 |
| Odell Beckham Jr. | WR | NYG | 8 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 9 | Only one time has ODB miss the target list, and he makes his return this week. | 75 | 9.4 |
| Martavis Bryant | WR | PIT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 9 | Bryant has made the list all three times since returning from suspension. | 25 | 8.3 |
| Amari Cooper | WR | OAK | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 4 | bye | 6 | 9 | Cooper returned to the target list after missing the last two weeks. | 59 | 8.4 |
| Andre Johnson | WR | IND | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 8 | Johnson has made the target list four times this season; he returns after a two-week layoff. | 45 | 5.6 |
| Darren McFadden | RB | DAL | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | bye | 2 | 8 | Two of the last three weeks have been special for the often injured Darren McFadden. | 23 | 3.3 |
| Vernon Davis | TE | DEN | 6 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 8 | Davis returns after a long layoff then gets traded to Denver. We will see if anything changes as it should. | 30 | 5 |
| Michael Floyd | WR | ARI | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 8 | Has not been consistent but has had two good weeks after the last three. | 37 | 4.6 |
| Travis Kelce | TE | KC | 6 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 | Kelce has put up some nice target numbers for a tight end and has made the target list four times. | 55 | 6.9 |
| Tyler Eifert | TE | CIN | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 4 | bye | 8 | Eifert either explodes or implodes. He had his second highest total in targets this week. | 48 | 6.9 |
| Devonta Freeman | RB | ATL | 4 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 8 | Freeman is always a contender to make the target list and has done so three of four weeks. | 52 | 6.5 |
| Brandin Cooks | WR | NO | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 13 | 8 | Cooks seems to get eight targets every week, only three times this season he didn’t hit exactly eight. | 66 | 8.3 |
| Jarvis Landry | WR | MIA | 12 | 10 | 13 | 12 | bye | 4 | 5 | 8 | Landry has bounced back slowly since his low point of four targets. He still not hitting the 10-12 targets as he was early in the season. | 64 | 9.1 |
| Willie Snead | WR | NO | 3 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 8 | Snead has made the target list two weeks in a row now, and three of the last four. | 53 | 6.6 |
| Steve Smith | WR | BAL | 7 | 16 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 9 | 7 | Wish this future hall of famer the best in recovery. Maybe he will return next season. | 73 | 10.4 |
| Golden Tate | WR | DET | 8 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 18 | 9 | 6 | 7 | Has had a mixed bag of targets all season but has made the target list three of the last four weeks. | 69 | 8.6 |
| Brandon LaFell | WR | NE | 0 | 0 | 0 | bye | 0 | 0 | 8 | 7 | Two weeks in a row now for Brandon LaFell, who is coming off injury. | 15 | 7.5 |
| Eric Decker | WR | NYJ | 3 | 11 | 0 | 5 | bye | 7 | 12 | 7 | Eric Decker earning consistency numbers the past three weeks. Can he continue the streak? | 45 | 7.5 |
| Dwayne Harris | WR | NYG | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 7 | Second time for Dwayne Harris on the target list and has made it two of the last four weeks. | 28 | 3.5 |
| Kendall Wright | WR | TEN | 4 | 4 | 12 | bye | 6 | 5 | 8 | 7 | Kendall Wright enjoying his last two weeks of consistency. | 46 | 6.6 |
| T.Y. Hilton | WR | IND | 14 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 7 | A bad game for him against Carolina, but still maintains his stay in all eight weeks. | 81 | 10.1 |
| Kenny Stills | WR | MIA | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 | bye | 2 | 0 | 7 | Second timer. | 25 | 4.2 |
| Tavon Austin | WR | STL | 5 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 5 | bye | 7 | 7 | Two weeks in a row and third time out of the last four weeks Austin has made the target list. | 39 | 5.6 |
| Theo Riddick | RB | DET | 2 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 7 | Being a running back doesn’t help his targets, but he is one of the most heavily targeted running backs. | 53 | 6.6 |
| Kenbrell Thompkins | WR | NYJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | bye | 0 | 0 | 7 | Thompkins on due to suspension. | 7 | 7 |
| Donte Moncrief | WR | IND | 11 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 11 | 6 | 7 | Moncrief has slowed down since the beginning of the season, perhaps because Andre Johnson has picked up. | 62 | 7.8 |
The Author
