Hidden Stat Line: Targets, Routes & Snaps from Week 14

If you haven't already, check out the twin brother to this article, Hidden Stat Line: Backfield Breakdown, complete with sortable stat leaderboards, team-by-team usage recaps and waiver-wire recommendations for the upcoming week. Now, let's look at wide receivers and tight ends...

Week 14 Stat Leaderboards

Tight Ends

(Bold indicates Top 5 for the week)

Wide Receivers

(Bold indicates Top 15 for the week)

Game-by-Game Usage Breakdowns

(Snap shares come from pro-football-reference.com. Data on dropbacks and routes run comes from Pro Football Focus. Targets, targets share and air yards come from airyards.com.

 Patriots (3) at Rams (24)

Patriots

• TE Ryan Izzo (neck) was placed on IR on Thursday. He played more than 60 percent of offensive snap in each of the team's first 12 games, yet caught only 13 passes for 199 yards on 20 targets. His absence Thursday left the rookies in a timeshare, with Keene getting more snaps on passing downs.
• This was Meyers' fifth straight game below 60 receiving yards.

Rams

• The Rams used 12 personnel for 44 of 63 (70%) offensive snaps. Woods played 71% of those snaps, followed by Reynolds (52%), Kupp (48%) and Van Jefferson (30%). Only 12 of the 44 snaps were Jared Goff dropbacks, as the Rams largely relied on Cam Akers.
• The 44 snaps in 12 personnel were a season high, barely topping 42 from the week before. The difference this week was a run-heavy approach in the two-TE formations, whereas the previous week Goff dropped back to pass on 24 of those 42 snaps.
• Kupp and Woods both played 18 of 18 snaps in 11 personnel, while Reynolds got 12 and Jefferson six. At tight end, Higbee had a 10-8 advantage over Everett.
• Woods took a carry for a loss of one yard. He's seen only two carries the past three weeks, after averaging 1.9 over his first 10 games of the year.
• Kupp has seen only 19 targets in three games since his 11-145-0 outburst against the Bucs in Week 11. The recent change to use more two-TE looks hasn't cost him a ton in terms of routes per dropback, but it definitely isn't helping. Woods was at 0.81 r/db both of the past two weeks, while Kupp got 0.67 and now 0.78.

Broncos (32) at Panthers (27)

Broncos

• Noah Fant was removed from the game in the first quarter and never returned. He reportedly felt ill, with coach Vic Fangio suggesting it could've been food poisoning. Anyway, Vannett and Fumagalli split TE work after Fant's early departure.
• Hamler got two of the team's three targets 20-plus yards downfield, with both going for touchdowns. His snap share was in the 60s for a third straight week, and he's seen only eight targets in that stretch. Hamler ran 70% of his routes from the slot, per PFF, though one of his TDs came when he was lined up outside.
• Patrick played 16 of 22 snaps in 12 personnel, followed by Jeudy (14), DaeSean Hamilton (10) and Hamler (four).
• Hamler played each of the 33 snaps in 11 personnel, with Jeudy (31) and Patrick (30) not far behind.

Panthers

• DJ Moore (ankle/COVID) missed a game for the first time this year. Cooper filled in as a starter and did well with his three targets, but Brandon Zylstra also had a role — 44% snap share, 14 routes, two targets.
• Thomas saw more than three targets for just the second time all year. His three catches matched a season high from Week 8.

Texans (7) at Bears (36)

Texans

• Brandin Cooks (foot) missed his first game of the season, leaving the Texans without each of their top four WRs from the beginning of the year.
• Fells played 18 of 38 snaps (47%) in 11 personnel, with Akins getting 13 (34%) and Kahale Warring taking seven (18%). The rotation means none of them can be relied on, even with the team's WR group hounded by injuries.
• Akins should've had a 4-23-1 receiving line; he dropped a pass wide-open in the end zone, appearing to lose it in the sun.
• Coutee played only 10 of 24 snaps (42%) in 12 personnel. Mitchell played 22 (92%), and Hansen took 14 (58%). Each of the three played at least 95% in 11 personnel.
• Hansen caught three passes for 28 yards on the final drive, finishing with a decent stat line after a mostly quiet game.
• Prior to Sunday, Mitchell had caught two passes in six NFL appearances. He'll likely be the one sent back to the bench once Cooks is healthy.
• The Texans expect Cooks to return for Week 15, per Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle.

Bears

• Kmet got seven targets for a second straight week, and his snap share got another bump after sitting at 70%, 79% and 78% in the previous three games. He's averaging 2.8 catches for 23.2 yards and 0.25 TDs on 5.0 targets since the Bears started giving him more snaps than Graham.
• Graham and Kmet both played three of six snaps on third-and-medium/long.
• Kmet played 29 of 37 snaps (78%) in 11 personnel, while Graham logged only eight (22%). Kmet played 14 of 14 in 12 personnel, with Graham getting 13. Reserve tight ends J.P. Holtz and Demetrius Harris combined for only three snaps through the first three quarters of the game.
• Mitchell Trubisky has now started six games this year, Weeks 1-3 and 12-14. Robinson has handled 28% target share in Mitch's starts, averaging 6.8 catches for 83.7 yards and 0.67 TDs on 10.5 targets. Nobody else on the team has seen more than 13% of targets (Mooney) in the Trubisky starts.
• In the seven games Nick Foles started, Robinson averaged 6.4 catches for 75.0 yards and 0.29 TDs on 9.1 targets. Not a huge difference in terms of volume, but the production has been much better with Trubisky.
• This was the fifth consecutive game where Miller saw fewer targets than he had in the previous game. He got 11 in Week 8, but since then has seen eight, seven, six, five and two.
• Trubisky didn't throw more than 20 yards downfield on any of his 33 pass attempts Sunday, per PFF.

Cowboys (30) at Bengals (7)

Cowboys

• This was the third straight week with Gallup either leading the team in targets or tying for the lead, though Cooper remains the only consistent producer post-Dak.
• Lamb continues to lose a chunk of snaps and routes to Noah Brown and Cedrick Wilson. The rookie hasn't done any better than 16.6 PPR points in a game since the Prescott injury.
• It was the fourth game in a row with Andy Dalton healthy and taking all the snaps. Here's the usage breakdown from those four games:

Bengals

• Green rebounded from back-to-back goose eggs, yet still ranks bottom 10 among qualified pass catchers in catch rate (46.6%) and YPT (4.8).
• Here's the distribution from Brandon Allen's four starts, keeping in mind that Boyd was ejected before halftime in Week 13:

Titans (31) at Jaguars (10)

Titans

• Anthony Firkser played only 24% of snaps, seeing one target on seven routes.
• Brown played only six of 33 snaps (18%) in the second half, catching three passes for 39 yards on three routes. Davis played 42% of snaps after the break, and Jonnu Smith got 49%. Brown was thoroughly dominant, but the early hook suggests his ankle and/or knee still require some maintenance.
• Brown played 94% of snaps in the first half, with Davis at 85% and Smith at 76%.

Jaguars

• Johnson and O'Shaughnessy had been contributing more in recent weeks, but neither got much playing time in Sunday's loss.
• Chark got four of the Jags' eight targets that went 20-plus yards downfield, but all four fell incomplete.
• Cole got three of the remaining four deep targets, catching one for 22 yards, per PFF.
• Shenault's 11 targets were a career high, and it was his first time seeing more than four since Week 6.
• The Jags never rested starters. Chark, Cole, Shenault and Eifert each played at least 70% of snaps in the fourth quarter after Gardner Minshew had replaced Mike Glennon.
• No one player has accounted for more than 16.3% of the targets from Minshew this year. Cole and Chark are tied for the lead with 46 apiece, closely followed by Shenault (42) and James Robinson (35).

Chiefs (33) at Dolphins (27)

Chiefs

• With Watkins back in the lineup the past two weeks, Robinson has seen just three targets and Hardman six. Kelce and Hill, however, mostly seem unaffected.
• Hill scored a 32-yard touchdown on an end-around, his second rushing score of the year. He then hit paydirt on a 44-yard pass, his 14th receiving TD.
• Hardman scored on a kick return.
• Following 8-136-1 receiving lines in back-to-back weeks, Kelce is on pace for 1,538 yards. He leads the league in receiving, and could break George Kittle's TE record (1,377) as soon as Week 15.

Dolphins

• Parker (leg), Grant (hamstring) and Gesicki (shoulder) all were removed from the game with injuries. Parker left in the first half, while Gesicki and Grant left in the second half.
• Parker played 88% of snaps in the first quarter, rarely leaving the field until he got hurt.
• The Dolphins are preparing for Gesicki to miss some time, per The Miami Herald.
• Bowden played 75% of snaps after halftime, slightly ahead of Hollins (72%) and Malcolm Perry (70%), while Antonio Callaway logged just 30%. Hollins led the way with seven second-half targets, followed by Bowden (six), Gesicki (three) and Smythe (two).

Cardinals (26) at Giants (7)

Cardinals

• Fitzgerald returned to his usual role after missing two games on the COVID list. Andy Isabella was a healthy scratch, after playing 55% and 84% of snaps the previous two weeks.
• Hopkins played 93% of snaps through three quarters. His workload wasn't scaled back until garbage time.
• Arnold has four TDs over the past four weeks, but he still hasn't seen more than four targets in a game this year, typically hovering around 30-40 percent route share. Touchdown, or bust.

Giants

• Slayton's volume rebounded after he got just three targets total over the previous two games, but the Giants still couldn't throw the ball.
• Slayton got more snaps than Shepard for a second straight week. Both are full-time in three-wide sets, but Shepard took only 11 of 21 snaps (52%) when the Giants had multiple tight ends on the field. Slayton got 19 of those snaps, and Engram took 16, while Tate played exactly zero.

Vikings (14) at Buccaneers (26)

Vikings

• This was Thielen's second game of 2020 with only four targets, but the other happened when Kirk Cousins threw 14 passes in a win over Green Bay.
• Kyle Rudolph (foot) was inactive, while Smith returned from a groin injury after missing three of the past four games. The playing time suggests Smith wasn't 100 percent healthy, yet he was easily the most productive pass catcher for the Vikings. Smith should see his snap and route share go up if Rudolph misses any more time.
• The Vikings ran just four plays from 12 personnel, a season low. Fullback CJ Ham played 51% of snaps, even though Minnesota trailed by multiple scores for the entire second half.

Buccaneers

• Scotty Miller played only 10% of snaps but caught one of his two targets for a 48-yard touchdown.
• Tom Brady had just 23 dropbacks, as the Vikings controlled 39:03 of possession even while losing by 12 points. Minnesota ran 76 plays to Tampa's 49.
• The Bucs have now played five games with Brown, Weeks 9-14. Here's the receiving breakdown:

Colts (44) at Raiders (17)

Colts

• The TE timeshare shifted more toward Doyle and away from Alie-Cox. Burton's snap share was right in the usual range, yet he finished with only 10 routes and no targets, blocking on three-fifths of his snaps.
• The snap share was Doyle's largest since Week 1, and the three targets were his most since Week 8.
• Hilton apparently isn't washed up, or at least he still has enough left to beat up on bad defenses. This was his third straight game with 80-plus yards and a touchdown.
• In his first nine games this year, Hilton caught just two of eight targets traveling 20-plus yards downfield. Over the past three weeks, he's caught three of four for 112 yards and a touchdowns.
• Hilton played 81% of the offensive snaps through three quarters Sunday. He then played only 21% of snaps in the final quarter, though he did add two catches for 21 yards.
• This was Pittman's sixth consecutive game playing at least 80 percent of snaps. In that time, he's averaged 3.8 catches for 56.5 yards on 6.2 targets, scoring just one touchdown.

Raiders

• Bryan Edwards played 29% of snaps and ran 13 routes. Zay Jones got 24% of snaps and ran 11 routes. Neither saw a target.
• Agholor has seen six or more targets in four straight games, averaging 5.0 catches for 70 yard and 0.5 TDs on 8.8 targets in that stretch. Ruggs has averaged only 2.5 catches for 40.8 yards and 0.25 TDs on 3.3 targets during the same period, doing little of note apart from the last-second, game-winning touchdown at the Jets in Week 13.

Jets (3) at Seahawks (40)

Jets

• Smith replaced Denzel Mims (undisclosed) in terms of snaps and routes, though Berrios got more targets despite seeing very little of the field.

Seahawks

• Seattle rested key players in the second half, distorting snap and route shares.
• Prior to halftime, Lockett played 88% of snaps, followed by Metcalf (85%), Swain (59%), Hollister (53%), Dissly (53%) and Moore (35%).
• Moore got a bunch of playing time in the second half, but Swain had a 12-6 route advantage heading into halftime, with both guys getting two targets. Moore had been working ahead of Swain pretty consistently the past two months.
• Hollister and Dissly continued to split work, with Greg Olsen (foot) out for a third straight game. Hollister has caught six of 10 targets for 51 yards the past three weeks, while Dissly has brought in six of seven for 51 yards and the one TD.

Packers (31) at Lions (24)

Packers

• Big Bob Tonyan is up to four straight games with exactly five targets and one touchdown. He's caught 19 of the 20 targets for 186 yards, boosting his catch rate to 88.5% for the season. Jonathan Taylor (96.9%) is the only qualified pass catcher ahead of Tonyan, who is 3.8 percentage points clear of Curtis Samuel for first place among non-RBs.
• This was Lazard's fourth game since returning from IR. He's averaging 2.8 catches for 27.5 yards and 0.25 TDs on 4.3 targets, which is pretty similar to what MVS has done in the same stretch (2.3 catches for 35.0 yards and 0.25 TDs on 3.5 targets).
• Lazard played only five of 18 snaps (28%) in 11 personnel, while MVS got 10 (56%). Looking at the past four weeks combined, Valdes-Scantling has a 60% to 35% advantage.
• Adams is a machine.

Lions

• Sanu and Cephus split snaps again. They've both made some nice plays recently, but they've also combined for just 10 targets the past two weeks.
• This was Hockenson's fourth straight game with more targets than the previous week, going from four to seven to eight to nine to 11. Hock has put up double-digit PPR points in four straight games, averaging 5.5 catches for 71 yards and 0.25 TDs on 8.8 targets in that span.
• The 11 targets and 84% snap share both were career highs for Hockenson.

Falcons (17) at Chargers (20)

Falcons

• With Julio Jones (hamstring) and Olamide Zaccheaus (IR - toe) both unavailable, Powell shared snaps with Christian Blake (23%) and Laquon Treadwell (14%). Blake finished without any targets, while Treadwell scored a four-yard TD on his lone chance.
• Gage played only nine of his 41 snaps in the slot, the first time all season he's taken less than half his snaps inside, per PFF. Rather than using Blake or Treadwell as a regular on the perimeter, Atlanta mostly put Powell in the slot while pushing Gage outside. Gage caught three of four targets for 43 yards when he was lined up wide, adding two for 39 on his three slot targets. He ran only seven of his 27 routes in the slot, per PFF.
• Ridley saw a league-high five targets 20-plus yards downfield, resulting in two catches for 71 yards and a touchdown, plus one drop (per PFF). He's seen 11 of those deep passes in the four games Jones has missed, catching six for 210 yards and the aforementioned TD.
• Hurst's three smallest snap shares of the season came in the past three games. He's played only 57% of snaps in 11 personnel during that stretch, with both Luke Stocker (23%) and Jaeden Graham (20%) stealing some work.
• In four games since a Week 10 bye, Hurst has caught six of of 17 targets for 64 scoreless yards. He's back-end TE streamer unless we see better performance and/or a return to the October workloads.

Chargers

• Mike Williams left with a back injury after playing just two snaps. His absence opened up a regular spot for Johnson, who led the team in air yards and caught more than two passes in a game for the first time.
• Austin Ekeler got nine targets, bringing him to 34 in three games since returning from IR. Allen has seen 32 in the same time, but 21.8% share is a big drop from the 30.2% he handled Weeks 7-11.
• Henry's snap share rebounded from 57% in the Week 13 blowout loss to New England, but he continues to post poor efficiency stats with Justin Herbert playing QB. Henry has 13.6% target share since Ekeler returned, catching 14 of 20 passes for 113 scoreless yards.

Saints (21) at Eagles (24)

Saints

• Cook returned to his early season role, while Adam Trautman dropped to 24% of snaps and six routes. Game script was part of that equation, but not all of it. Cook played five of 10 snaps in the first quarter, and 10 of 17 in the second. This was Cook's first time playing more than 37% of snaps since Week 8.
• Smith had six targets and three catches for a second straight week, showing chemistry with Taysom Hill again.
• Alvin Kamara saw a team-high 10 targets, after seeing just six in Hill's first four starts.

Eagles

• Jalen Hurts sparked the Philly rushing attack, but he completed only 56.7% of his passes for 5.6 YPA, and the Eagles didn't have any one pass catcher running a route on more than two-thirds of dropbacks. Hurts and Miles Sanders could be the only useful Eagles for fantasy purposes over the final three weeks, though Goedert is also fighting to stay relevant.
• Jeffery is still alive, and he scored a touchdown.

Football Team (23) at 49ers (15)

Football Team

• McLaurin was shut down by a good defense for a second straight week, following six games in a row with five or more catches for 74 or more yards. He'll face Seattle, Carolina and Philadelphia over the next three weeks, potentially catching passes from Dwayne Haskins after Alex Smith injured his calf in Sunday's win.
• McLaurin has seen 41 of the 155 targets (26.5%) from Haskins this year. Logan Thomas has 30 (19.4%), and nobody else has more than 21 (Dontrelle Inman, who doesn't really play anymore).
• Sims had two drops, failing to solidify himself as the No. 3 receiver. Isaiah Wright got one target and eight routes on 27% of snaps, finishing with one catch for nine yards. Robert Foster played 8% of snaps, while Inman was a healthy scratch.
• Cam Sims dropped back down to two targets, after going 5-92-0 on nine passes the previous week. He's averaging just 3.3 targets in seven games as a starter.

49ers

• Deebo Samuel left after one snap with a hamstring injury. He's expected to miss the rest of the regular season.
• Aiyuk has scored 17.5 or more PPR points each of the last five times he's been able to play, averaging 7.2 catches for 99 yards and 0.6 TDs on 11.2 targets. With Samuel joining George Kittle (foot) on the sideline again, Aiyuk should continue to see a ton of volume.
• Reed still isn't getting much playing time outside of clear passing situations, but he's nonetheless seen 4-to-6 targets each of the past four games. However, he's averaging just 3.0 catches for 31.3 yards and 0.25 TDs in that stretch.

Steelers (15) at Bills (26)

Steelers

• In Week 13, it was Claypool who gave up playing time to accommodate Washington's 54% snap share. In Week 14, both Claypool and Johnson spent time on the bench to allow Washington to get more work.
• Johnson played only seven of 36 snaps (19%) in the first half, but then got 20 of 20 in the second half. He was benched for part of the first quarter and all of the second quarter, following a pair of early drops.
• In the second half, Johnson and Smith-Schuster both played all the snaps, while Washington took 17 and Claypool only three. There was no report of Claypool suffering an injury, so it appears the team simply preferred having Washington on the field.
• Johnson has a league-high seven drops the past three weeks. But he did avoid any additional drops in the second half of Sunday night's game, catching each of his three targets after the break.
• JuJu is the only one who hasn't lost snaps to Washington in recent weeks. The slot role may not produce a ton of yards, but Smith-Schuster has still been consistent in terms of snaps, routes, targets and catches.

Bills

• The Bills had only three targets that didn't go to one of the guys listed above. Zack Moss, Devin Singletary and Isaiah McKenze each got one.
• Knox briefly left the game after suffering a stinger, but he wasn't out for long. He finished with season highs for snap share and targets, plus he caught four passes for a second straight week. He also lost his second fumble of the year, and this one was caught on tape. It also could've been ruled an interception, but the point is that he should've held on to the ball and didn't.
• Knox dropped 10 of his 50 targets last year, and he's added three more drops (plus the two lost fumbles) on 28 targets this year. He's big, strong and fast, and he's suddenly getting a bunch of chances in the Buffalo offense. Unfortunately, Knox is still a work in progress, not exactly making the best case to see more targets. Anyway, Tyler Kroft hasn't played since Week 9, first due to the COVID list and now just a healthy scratch.

Ravens (47) at Browns (42)

Ravens

• Brown had two clear drops and a third that was pretty close, but he bounced back with a 44-yard, go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter. He didn't actually do much on the play, as he was left wide open when two Cleveland defenders responded to Lamar Jackson threatening to scramble.
• Andrews got his first target with 52 seconds remaining in the first half. He caught four passes for 71 yards inside the two-minute warnings... one for 39 at the end of the second quarter, then three for 32 on the game-winning drive.

Browns

• With Austin Hooper (neck) inactive, Bryant and Njoku had a near-even split of snaps and routes. The rookie got two more targets, while the vet did more with his chances.
• Landry finally handled a typical starter's workload, after playing less than 70 percent of snaps in each of the previous four games. He didn't produce much this time, but it was his third straight game with nine or more targets. Landry has averaged 8.0 targets in six games since Odell Beckham's season-ending injury, accounting for 29.1% of the team total.
• Higgins is averaging 5.4 targets post-OBJ, good for 19.4% share. Kareem Hunt (20 targets - 12.1%) is the only guy besides Landry and Higgins who has seen more than 11 targets over the past six games.
• Higgins had two fumbles early in the game, with one going out of bounds and the other recovered by Cleveland. He was fortunate not to be responsible for a turnover, but he did play a solid game thereafter.

WR/TE Waiver Targets

(Only includes players below 50 percent rostered on Yahoo.)

1. Nelson Agholor
2. Laviska Shenault
3. Rashard Higgins
4. Michael Gallup
5. Russell Gage
6. James Washington
7. Cole Kmet
8. Irv Smith