If you happened to miss the Week 10 AFC Targets Report published earlier today, check it out right here. For those unfamiliar with the formatting, five players will be examined from a fantasy standpoint with the end goal being to explain what recent production and targets mean for future fantasy value. The targets and percentage of targets caught are listed in parentheses to the right of each player. Additionally, the week-by-week target data is also included. Without further ado, the Week 10 NFC Targets Report is live.

Kelvin Benjamin – (85 targets/50.6 percent targets caught) 8-8-11-9-11-8-6-7-10-7

The curious case of Benjamin continued in Week 10 as many owners likely lost all hope of a nice fantasy outing when Benji came into the fourth quarter with one reception for nine yards. When garbage time arrived though, lo and behold, the rookie delivered a 21-yard touchdown followed by a 40-yard score. Benjamin finished with a 3-70-2 line and going from 1.9 to 22 PPR points in one quarter was quite the gift for owners. The 23-year-old Florida State alum has been a pleasant surprise this year as he’s currently the WR11 overall in PPR leagues and even though he’s been somewhat inconsistent, that’s to be expected from a rookie wideout. His hands are a work in progress as his six dropped passes are second most in the NFL, trailing only Deymarius Thomas.

For the season, Benjamin owns a 43-659-7 line. His seven touchdowns are third-most in the NFL as only Randall Cobb, Antonio Brown, Dez Bryant, Jeremy Maclin, and Jordy Nelson have more scores than him. This is especially impressive considering Benji is a rook. Thanks to his imposing 6’5 frame coupled with the fact he is the favorite target of Cam Newton in the red zone, he has an excellent chance to score 10-12 touchdowns this year. Averaging 8.5 targets per week, fire up Benjamin as a high-end WR2 with WR1 upside against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11.

Jimmy Graham – (75/74.7%) 10-13-8-11-5-BYE-2-6-7-13

With his shoulder injury in the rearview mirror, Graham has finally been producing monster numbers like owners expected him too. Graham had his second best game of the season against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday as he went off to the tune of 10 receptions for 76 yards and two touchdowns. If not for a highly questionable offensive pass interference call on a would be 47-yard touchdown by Graham, he would have ended up with 41.3 PPR points compared to 29.6. The 27-year-old Miami product tied a season-high with 13 targets and with four of the Saints next six games at home, owners are likely to reap the rewards. While he likely won’t be catching 16 touchdowns like he did last year, he already has seven scores in eight games (missed one to injury). Even though he played a game and failed to record a catch, Jimmy is still on a ridiculous 100-1,056-12 pace. It appears Graham and Rob Gronkowski will battle it out down the stretch to see who will end up as the TE1 overall. The Saints are at home against the Bengals in Week 11 and look for Graham to lead the team in targets once again.

Golden Tate – (93/71%) 6-8-7-10-9-12-13-15-BYE-13

While the return of Calvin Johnson has received all the headlines and understandably so, we all know he’s the best wideout in the game when healthy as there’s really nothing to take away from his fine performance (7-113-1). Ho-hum. On the flip side, many expected Megatron’s return to limit the upside of Tate after he took off in the four weeks without Mega but that wasn’t the case in Week 10. Tate tied his second-highest targets mark of the season (13) and dusted a stout Miami Dolphins secondary for 11-109. With seven weeks to go, Tate is on pace for a sensational 117-1,616-5 line. Over his last six games, Tate has caught at least seven balls in each outing. While many predicted Tate would enjoy a breakout season with the pass-happy Detroit Lions after being strapped down by the run-first Seattle Seahawks, no one could have predicted the numbers he’s currently on pace for.

Two traits that really stand out for Tate is him being a superb route runner in addition to being amazing in yards after contact. His 467 YAC lead all wide receivers in the NFL. After recording only three 100-yard games in his first four seasons with the Seahawks, Tate has already racked up five 100-yard games this year. Perhaps more impressively, Tate is averaging a career-high 101 receiving yards a game after failing to average more than 56.1 YPG in his career. Folks, the 26-year-old Notre Dame alum is real, and he’s spectacular. Coming in as the WR7 overall in PPR formats, Tate is a bonafide WR1 and he’s here to stay. Start him with confidence against the Arizona Cardinals this weekend.

Anquan Boldin – (77/66.2%) 9-6-6-7-8-9-10-BYE-7-15

After a mediocre start to his 2014 campaign, Boldin has righted the ship for owners. Over the last four weeks, Boldin is averaging 6.5 receptions, 83 yards, and 19.2 PPR points. During this time, Boldin has cleared 90+ receiving yards three times. Against the Saints last Sunday, Boldin saw a season-high 15 targets and turned them into a 6-95-1 line. Left for dead for fantasy purposes in many drafts before the season, the 34-year-old continues to produce with a never say die attitude. The Florida State alum is on 91-1,129-5 receiving line this year, nearly identical to the stats he posted in 2013. Owners who were able to snag him late are reaping the benefits now as Boldin currently is the 18th-ranked WR in PPR formats.

With Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis looking like shells of their former selves this year, Colin Kaepernick has had to lean on his favorite target more than lately and it’s translated into nice fantasy production. At this point, we know ‘Quan has more reliable value in PPR formats so keep that in mind when making lineup decisions. While Boldin is posting WR2 value at the moment, he’s best served as a WR3 against the New York Giants in Week 11.

Jordan Matthews – (62/63.9%) 4-4-10-7-7-6-BYE-11-4-9

Considering his recent streak of five consecutive so-so efforts, it was almost impossible to predict the career-best game Matthews had against the Carolina Panthers in Week 10. It’s likely not a coincidence posted a 7-138-2 line on nine targets with Mark Sanchez as the Eagles quarterback considering the duo worked extensively with the second-team offense in the preseason. It’s clear they formed some great chemistry together and the insertion of the Sanchize at QB should do wonders for his fantasy value. For the season, Matthews has 39 receptions for 451 yards and five touchdowns. This leaves him on a 70-802-9 pace, more than acceptable numbers from a rookie wideout. Even with the up-and-down first half, Matthews is still the WR27 overall in PPR formats.

Due to his 6’3/212 frame, Matthews remains a big mismatch for opposing linebackers trying to cover him out of the slot position. With the Eagles lacking an effective No.2 WR and struggling to get much production out of tight end Zach Ertz, don’t be surprised to see the team unleash Matthews a bit more as they make a playoff push. Jeremy Maclin is still the top wideout on the team though and as long as that’s the case Matthews will likely struggle for week-to-week consistency on a team with a plethora of offensive weapons. With that being said, if the cards fall into place the 22-year-old rookie from Vanderbilt has a chance to provide WR2 value, although he’s best left served as a WR3. Fire him up as a high-upside play in what should be a shootout against the Green Bay Packers in Week 11.

Thanks for reading and be sure to comment below with any questions or remarks you may have concerning the article. You can follow me on Twitter @MattMoczy and I’m more than willing to answer any questions.
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