This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Football series.
Welcome to the weekly FanDuel strategy column. Over the season, it will cover a variety of topics - from tournament strategy to player ownership and, of course, matchups to exploit each week. The goal will be to prepare you with an array of tools to help build optimal lineups. This week we break down targets and analyze which players are having the ball thrown their way, which will help us project receiving volume in Week 8 and beyond.
Targets Analysis
Targets are important in measuring receiving volume and projecting receptions for wide receivers and tight ends. The more targets a player receives, the more catches he will likely accumulate, and thus more receiving yards. With receptions counting as 0.5 points on FanDuel, it is important to look for players who will be expected to receive a high volume of targets each week. Let's look at the league leaders in targets by position and see which players are getting the most attention from their respective quarterbacks.
Target Leaders: Wide Receivers
1. DeAndre Hopkins - 102
2. Keenan Allen - 84
3. Demaryius Thomas - 75
4. T.Y. Hilton - 74
5. Allen Robinson - 71
6. Antonio Brown - 67
T7. Steve Smith - 66
T7. Julian Edelman - 66
9. Emmanuel Sanders - 65
10. Brandon Marshall - 61
NFC Target Leaders: Wide Receivers
1. Julio Jones - 90
2. Calvin Johnson - 70
3. Odell Beckham - 66
4. Jordan Matthews - 63
5. Golden Tate - 61
6. Larry Fitzgerald - 59
7. Brandin Cooks - 58
8. Pierre Garcon - 57
9. Anquan Boldin - 53
10. John Brown - 51
AFC Target Leaders: Tight Ends
1. Rob Gronkowski - 54
2. Charles Clay - 50
3. Gary Barnidge - 46
4. Travis Kelce - 45
5. Tyler Eifert - 40
6. Delanie Walker - 38
7. Jordan Cameron - 37
8. Ladarius Green - 36
9. Coby Fleener - 34
10. Owen Daniels - 29
NFC Target Leaders: Tight Ends
1. Martellus Bennett - 53
2. Greg Olsen - 50
3. Jordan Reed - 47
4. Jason Witten - 45
5. Jimmy Graham - 44
6. Zach Ertz - 42
7. Larry Donnell - 40
8. Ben Watson - 38
9. Jacob Tamme - 32
10. Jared Cook - 31
Targets Breakdown:
There is a strong correlation between target leaders and receiving yards leaders, showing that targets is a good indicator of receptions and receiving yards. There are some young players that are receiving the bulk of their teams' targets, such as Allen Robinson and Jordan Matthews, so keep an eye on them in upcoming weeks as their FanDuel salaries are still very affordable. After Rob Gronkowski, the tight end position is fairly wide open, so analyzing who is getting a large number of targets, in combination with their upcoming matchup, is a great way of narrowing down which tight ends to select each week. Finally, when there is a significant injury, projecting where that injured players' targets will go is a great way of finding some value plays, as someone will have to soak up those available targets.
Thursday Night Football Preview
The suddenly surging Dolphins travel to New England to take on the undefeated Patriots in what could be a very high scoring and entertaining game. Ryan Tannehill, Lamar Miller and Jarvis Landry have found their grooves on offense since their Week 5 bye, helping the Dolphins pile up 82 points in their last two games. Tom Brady, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski lead the charge for the Patriots' precision passing game, so this game could easily turn into a shootout if both quarterbacks are comfortable in the pocket. Vegas expects a high-scoring affair (51 O/U) so don't be afraid to choose players from both teams in Thursday FanDuel leagues, as both teams will likely pass the ball early and often.
