Hidden Stat Line: Targets, Routes & Snaps from Week 9

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 9 Sortable 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.

Packers (34) at 49ers (17)

Packers

• Malik Taylor played 39 percent of snaps, and Darrius Shepherd got 35 percent. Neither has seen more than three targets in any game this year, and they'll likely lose playing time once Allen Lazard (core muscle) returns from IR. Lazard was able to practice last week, so he could be back for Week 10 against Jacksonville.
• RBs Aaron Jones and Tyler Ervin got five targets apiece, tying for second most on the team.
• Adams is now averaging 8.8 catches for 112.5 yards and 1.25 TDs on 11.5 targets per game. And that includes the Week 2 game where an injury limited him to 52 percent snap share.
• Tonyan had 11 targets and four TDs between the two games Adams missed, but the tight end has seen just 17 targets and scored one TD in the six games Adams has played.
• While he finally connected with Aaron Rodgers for some big plays, MVS still has meager averages during Lazard's absence... 2.0 catches for 29.8 yards and 0.4 TDs on 4.4 targets per game.

49ers

• The Niners played this game without eight of their starters on offense. The list: QB Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle), RB Raheem Mostert (ankle), WR Deebo Samuel (hamstring), WR Kendrick Bourne (reserve/COVID/19), WR Brandon Aiyuk (reserve/COVID/19), TE George Kittle (foot), LT Trent Williams (reserve/COVID/19) and C Ben Garland (calf). The 49ers should have Bourne, Aiyuk and Williams back for Week 10 at New Orleans, but the others fall somewhere between questionable and definitely out.
• James accounted for 63 percent of the 49ers' receiving yards and 53 percent of their scrimmage yards. Prior to Thursday, he had zero targets on 33 offensive snaps this year, mostly serving as a return specialist when he's been healthy.
• Jordan Reed returned from IR but played only 12 snaps (23 percent), catching one of two targets for three yards. He should have a bigger role in his second game back from the knee injury.
• Cracraft was promoted from the practice squad for Thursday's game. So was Kevin White, who played only seven snaps.

Broncos (27) at Falcons (34)

Broncos

• DaeSean Hamilton was the odd man out at wide receiver, playing 37 percent of snaps and catching two passes for 12 yards on two targets.
• Fant re-injured his ankle injury early in the game, but he returned in short order and ultimately handled a full workload in terms of snaps and routes. However, the three targets were a season low, his first time all year with fewer than five.
• Backup TE Albert Okwuegbunam put up 114 yards and a TD on 14 targets over the previous three games entering Sunday, but his rookie surge came to an unfortunate end with a torn ACL in the third quarter.
• The Broncos ran 63 of their 73 plays (86 percent) in 11 personnel, with each of Jeudy, Patrick, Fant and Hamler playing at least three-quarters of those snaps. Prior to Sunday's game, Denver had run 65 percent of its offensive plays in 11 personnel.
• Jeudy played only 10 of his 61 snaps in the slot, after five of 58 the previous week. Prior to Week 8, he'd taken 196 of his 287 snaps (68 percent) in the slot, per PFF. The past two games have been Jeudy's two best in terms of snap share (89, 84 percent), targets (10, 14) and receiving yards (73, 125). The first-round pick could be in for a huge second half of the season, starting with a friendly matchup Week 10 at Las Vegas.
• Jeudy's 237 air yards led the league in Week 9, and he also has the most over the past two weeks combined (396). Tyreek Hill (363) was the only other player with 300-plus air yards between Weeks 8 and 9.
• The other rookie receiver, Hamler, also had career highs for targets and yards, though his snap share was down a tiny bit from 80 percent the previous week in a game Patrick missed with a hamstring injury. Hamler played 90 of his 107 snaps from the slot the past two weeks, per PFF, shifting inside while Jeudy thrives on the perimeter.

Falcons

• Christian Blake served as the Calvin Ridley (foot) replacement in the previous game, but it was Zaccheaus who got the nod Sunday, and he immediately made his coaches look good with a 51-yard TD in the first quarter. Blake also played well in limited action, catching each of his three targets for 31 yards on 17 percent snap share.
• Hurst is now up to three straight games with seven or more targets and four in a row with double-digit PPR points. Despite a slow start to the season, he's on pace for 66-731-5, low-end TE1 numbers.
• In four games since he returned from a hamstring injury, Jones is averaging 7.0 catches for 106.3 yards and 0.75 TDs on 9.0 targets.
• Gage had 21 targets over the first two weeks of the season, but he's averaging only 4.4 (and 31.3 yards) over the past seven games.

Seahawks (34) at Bills (44)

Seahawks

• Will Dissly had been creeping on Greg Olsen in recent weeks, but it was actually Hollister who led the team's tight ends in snaps, targets, catches and yards during Sunday's loss.
• Olsen caught two of three targets for 13 yards, playing a season-low 40 percent of snaps. Dissly caught his lone target for 26 yards, with 32 percent snap share being about half of what he saw the previous week (63 percent). Olsen led the group with 21 routes run, five more than Hollister, while Dissly (eight) was last by a mile.
• TE snap breakdown in 11 personnel (49 plays): Hollister - 23, Olsen - 19, Dissly - 7
• TE snap breakdown in 12 personnel (14 plays): Dissly - 14, Hollister - 8, Olsen - 6
• Moore and Freddie Swain (34 percent snap share, two targets, no catches) still shared the No. 3 WR role, but it swung further in Moore's direction this week, following five straight games in which he played no more than 43 percent of snaps and saw no more than four targets. Passes to Moore have been highly effective this year, netting a 20-316-4 receiving line on only 26 targets. It's not really clear why the Seahawks rotate him out for Swain so often.
• Lockett still has two more targets and 10 more catches than Metcalf for the season, but the second-year pro has an 8-7 advantage in TDs and a 788-615 edge for receiving yards.
• Metcalf has seen more short and intermediate usage in recent weeks, with his aDOT at only 11.1 over the past three games (Lockett's is actually at 12.2 in the same period).

Bills

• Tight end was a full-on committee, with Tyler Kroft playing 40 percent of snaps, Dawson Knox at 37 percent and Reggie Gilliam at 21 percent. Kroft accounted for the lone target, a one-yard TD.
• Brown broke out of a prolonged slump, following four straight games with no more than five targets and 42 yards. He's been bothered by a knee injury for most of the year, but it's possible he turned a corner last week.
• Diggs has double-digit PPR points in every game as a Bill. He leads the NFL in targets (91) and receiving yards (813), and the big game Sunday — combined with an off week for DeAndre Hopkins — moved Diggs up to No. 3 in target share (29 percent). It helps that Diggs has played 91 percent of Buffalo's snaps, rarely missing out on an opportunity to run a route.
• The 47 percent snap share for Davis was actually his smallest since Week 2, but the 17 PPR points were a personal best. His role as the No. 4 WR has been fairly significant in an offense that leads the league in usage of four-wide formations, but the rookie could linger below 50 percent snap share if Brown's knee holds up.
• Beasley's 11-112-0 performance in Week 7 has been followed by his two worst games of the year in terms of targets (2, 3) and PPR points (4.4, 6.9). A few weeks ago, I pointed out that he was on pace for a 1,000-yard season. Now he's only on pace for 78-948-4 on 96 targets.

Ravens (24) at Colts (10)

Ravens

• Devin Duvernay didn't get any targets, but he played 41 percent of snaps, down only a tick from his season-high 45 percent the previous week.
• Willie Snead played a season-low 53 percent of snaps but had a decent game (by his standards) with four catches for 37 yards on four targets.
• Nick Boyle played 78 percent of snaps and actually ran two more routes than Andrews, catching each of his four targets for a team-high 46 yards.
• Boyle played 18 of 27 snaps in 11 personnel, with Andrews getting only nine (33 percent). That's a massive problem for Andrews' already-lagging fantasy value if it continues, as he'd previously played 59 percent of snaps in 11 personnel this year. FWIW, it's only a one-week thing so far (Andrews played 57 percent of snaps in 11 personnel against Pittsburgh the week before.
• Brown is on pace for 60-834-4 on 98 targets, and he hasn't hit 100 yards since Week 1. On the bright side, Lamar Jackson seemed to rediscover his mojo in the second half of Sunday's game.

Colts

• The TE spot remained a timeshare, but Jack Doyle suffered a concussion and now figures to miss Thursday's game against the Titans. He finished Sunday with 32 percent snap share and two targets, making it six straight games with no more than three targets.
• Johnson and Pittman both played 14 of the 15 snaps in 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR), while Pascal got only two. For the tight ends, it was Alie-Cox with 13, Doyle with 10, Burton with 7.
• Snap breakdowns for 11 personnel (48 plays): Johnson - 43, Pittman - 42, Pascal - 37, Alie-Cox - 20, Burton - 17, DeMichael Harris - 14, Doyle - 11, Daurice Fountain - 8.
• Pascal played 39 of his 41 snaps in the slot, per PFF. He took 36 of 58 from the slot the previous week.
• The snap share was a season high for Johnson, who is averaging 3.0 catches for 53.5 yards on 5.5 targets over the past four games. However, T.Y. Hilton appears on track to return from his groin injury for Thursday's game, so both Johnson and Pittman are in danger of seeing big reductions in playing time.

Giants (23) at Washington Football Team (20)

Giants

• Mack replaced Golden Tate as the No. 3 receiver, after Tate clashed with the coaching staff last week.
• Daniel Jones averaged 2.26 seconds from snap to throw (per PFF), fourth-quickest among starting QBs in Week 9. That partially explains why Slayton had only one target, with the Giants seemingly making more of an effort to rely on quick throws. Prior to Sunday, Jones ranked 25th out of 33 QBs (100-db min.) with an average of 2.67 seconds from snap to throw, per PFF.
• Shepard has now played four full games, averaging 6.5 catches for 54.8 yards and 0.25 TDs on 8.0 targets. Danny Amendola must be proud.
• Shepard took 40 of his 60 snaps (67 percent) in the slot. He's lined up in the slot 69 percent of the time in the two games he's played with Tate absent this year, compared to only 19 percent in the three games where both Shepard and Tate were active.
• The extra slot work for Shepard isn't necessarily a good thing. He's been targeted on only 10 of 63 slot routes (16 percent), compared to 25 of 87 non-slot routes (29 percent), per PFF. Shepard has produced 0.89 yards per route run from the slot, compared to 2.20 YPRR when he's not in the slot. That said, he put up 1.89 YPRR and a 23 percent target rate from the slot last year, so this is probably more of a TBD/mystery than a situation where we can confidently assert that it's good or bad for him to get more inside snaps.
• Target shares in Shepard's four full games (Weeks 1, 7-9): Engram (36 - 25%), Shepard (32 - 23%), Slayton (23 - 16%). And just in case you were wondering, Tate played two of those games and saw only five total targets between them.

WFTs

• Steven Sims returned from a four-game absence and played only 30 percent of snaps. Isaiah Wright also got only 30 percent, even with Dontrelle Inman (hamstring) inactive. J.D. McKissic played 15 slot snaps, so it was essentially he, Sims and Wright in a timeshare for the No. 3 receiver spot.
• Halfway through the season, McLaurin is on pace for 100-1,384-6 on 154 targets. He has seven or more targets in every game, with double-digit PPR points in all but one.
• The six targets for Thomas ended his four-game streak with exactly four. He's averaging 2.8 catches for 33.5 yards and 0.5 TDs on 4.5 targets since Dwayne Haskins was benched, compared to 3.3 catches for 25.5 yards and 0.25 TDs on 7.0 targets with Haskins as the starter (volume isn't everything, right?)
• McLaurin is averaging 6.0 catches for 76.3 yards and 0.5 TDs on 9.5 targets since the Haskins demotion.
• Alex Smith has thrown 49 passes this year, with McKissic getting 18 targets, followed by McLaurin (10) and Thomas (8). Nobody else on the team has seen more than four passes from Smith.

Texans (27) at Jaguars (25)

Texans

• Jordan Akins returned from a three-game absence, catching two of four targets for 19 yards on 34 percent of snaps. As a result, Darren Fells dropped to 52 percent snap share, down from 86, 87 and 78 percent the previous three weeks.
• Cooks is up to four straight games with at least nine targets, 60 yards and 13 PPR points, including three games in a row with exactly nine targets. He's now at 22 percent target share for the season, ahead of both Fuller (20 percent) and Cobb (16 percent).
• The increased workload for Cooks has entailed a lot of short and intermediate targets. His aDOT over the past four games has been just 10.4, significantly shallower than Fuller's 12.8.
• Over the past four games, Cook has a 6-5 advantage over Fuller in targets 20-plus yards downfield. Both have caught three of those passes, but Cooks' deep receptions have gone for 95 scoreless yards, while Fuller's have gone for 154 and two TDs.
• Fuller now has a six-game TD streak, despite landing in the 5-8 target range in five of those games. Only three of his six scores have come in the red zone, and only one has come from inside the 10-yard line. Cobb and Fuller are tied fro the team lead with four targets inside the 10-yard line, which is only a 19 percent share of the team total. In other words, the team doesn't necessarily have a go-to guy near the goal line.
• Fuller has caught 69 percent of his targets for 16.4 yards per reception, good for 11.3 YPT, and putting him on pace for 1,180 yards and 12 TDs on only 104 targets.

Jaguars

• Laviska Shenault aggravated his hamstring injury and left the game after 10 snaps.
• Two games have accounted for three of Chark's four TDs and 55 percent of his yards. He does have a nice upward trend in usage, with seven or more targets in three straight games and 31 percent target share over that stretch.
• Meanwhile, Cole has seen only four targets in two games since his 143-yard explosion Week 6 against Detroit. His snap and route shares have hovered in the same range all year, but all of a sudden he isn't getting the ball. You might remember that he had five or more targets and 8.3 or more PPR points in each of Jacksonville's first six games. The TD regression may have been inevitable after he scored three times in the first five weeks, but it's a little surprising to see his other numbers dropping off so drastically.
• Conley was a direct beneficiary of the Viska injury, jumping up to 71 percent snap share after four straight games below 35 percent. Conley has 7, 8 and 8 targets in the three games this season where he's played at least one-third of the offensive snaps.
• Eifert has six, seven and five targets in his last three healthy games, averaging three catches for only 28.7 yards. He's streamable, at least in deeper leagues.

Panthers (31) at Chiefs (33)

Panthers

• Ian Thomas played 71 percent of snaps and caught one of two targets for eight yards. Very on brand.
• Anderson getting 12 targets at an aDOT of 5.9? Sure, why not. Moore getting four targets in a game where Teddy Bridgewater threw 49 passes? Hell yeah! Whatever the Panthers did, it worked, as they almost pulled off an upset in KC.
• Samuel played seven snaps in the backfield and took three carries for 13 yards. He'd been getting some backup RB work while Christian McCaffrey was out, and it continued in Week 9 even with both McCaffrey and Mike Davis playing. And now McCaffrey is out again...
• Samuel also has four straight games with five or more targets and 53 or more total yards, scoring two rushing TDs and two receiving TDs in that stretch. He's now on pace for 942 total yards and eight TDs this season, getting a nice boost from the rushing stats (22-104-2).
• Moore had six or fewer targets in six of his past seven games, including each of the last three. Big plays were keeping his head above water for fantasy purposes, but that didn't pan out Sunday.
• Moore's target share over the past three games is only 16 percent, far below Anderson (29 percent) and even Samuel (21 percent).

Chiefs

• Sammy Watkins (hamstring) missed another game but could be back for Week 10.
• Over the past two weeks, Patrick Mahomes threw for 788 yards and nine TDs on 87 attempts, while Chiefs running backs combined to take 28 carries for 72 yards.
• This was only Hill's third game out of nine this season with double-digit targets, but the huge number pushed his average up to 8.0 per game. He's on pace for a 78-1,156-16 receiving line, plus 18-107-2 on the ground. And he's scored at least one TD in eight of nine games.
• Kelce is within striking distance of Stefon Diggs for the receiving title, now on pace for 1,367 yards and 142 targets. That would leave him 10 yards shy of George Kittle's TE record of 1,377 yards (2018).

Lions (20) at Vikings (34)

Lions

• Kenny Golladay (hip) was inactive. Hall got the start and most of the playing time, but Quintez Cephus also had a role, catching two passes for 31 yards on 41 percent snap share.
• Hockenson has three straight games with six or more targets and double-digit PPR points, seeing team-high 21 percent target share in that stretch. He's also tied for second in the league with eight targets from inside the 10-yard line, accounting for 35 percent of the team total (t-8th). He's on pace for 68-720-10 on 98 targets.
• Jones has three TDs the past two weeks but still hasn't seen more than eight targets in any game this year.
• Target distribution in the three games Golladay has missed (Weeks 1-2, 9): Amendola (24 - 21%), Jones (18 - 16%), Hockenson (16 - 14%), Cephus (15 - 13%), Hall (8 - 7%). Amendola even leads the team with 197 air yards in those three games, catching 14 passes for 179 yards.

Vikings

• Kyle Rudolph played 72 percent of snaps and caught three of four targets for 40 yards. He's played at least 62 percent of snaps every week this season, yet still hasn't seen more than four targets in any one game.
• Smith had TD catches from nine and one yards out, but his 38 percent snap share was by far a season low, and way down from 79 percent in both of the previous two games.
• Smith played 12 of 22 snaps in the first half, but only 10 of 36 after the break.
• No. 3 TE Tyler Conklin (43 percent) and FB C.J. Ham (59 percent) both handled season-high snap shares, as the Vikings used more of those guys and less of Smith in a game where they jumped out to an early lead and attempted only 20 passes.
• Jefferson has been a starter since Week 3, averaging 4.8 catches for 92.8 yards and 0.5 TDs on 6.3 targets.
• Targets in Jefferson's six starts: Thielen (42 - 28%), Jefferson (38 - 25%), Smith (16 - 11%), Rudolph (16 - 11%).

Bears (17) at Titans (24)

Bears

• Cole Kmet played 47 percent of snaps but wasn't targeted.
• Mooney has seen five or more targets in six straight games, with 24 over the past three weeks. The efficiency numbers — 57.4 percent catch rate, 11.2 YPR, 6.4 YPT — remain poor, as he's caught only three of 16 targets traveling 20-plus yards downfield, per PFF. On the bright side, only three players have seen more deep targets this year, and their names are Reek, Ridley & DK. Mooney hasn't dropped any deep balls; the problem is that only three of 16 have even hit his hands.
• Miller got 19 targets the past two weeks, accounting for team-high 21 percent share. Robinson and Mooney aren't too far behind with 19 percent apiece, and Graham has 15 percent. Apart from RB/WR Cordarrelle Patterson, the Bears' backups at WRs and TE have combined for only four total targets the past three games. A narrow distribution could allow either Mooney or Miller to join Graham and Robinson as viable fantasy starters from this offense, even though Foles stinks and the coaching is subpar.
• Robinson hasn't seen double-digit targets since Week 5, but he's been highly efficient with the reduced workloads, averaging 5.5 catches for 72.8 yards and 0.25 TDs on 7.3 targets the past four games. Robinson's target share is only 18 percent for the past four games, down from 28 percent over the first five weeks of the season. 
• Graham played only 29 of 50 snaps in 11 personnel, with Kmet sniping 18. Graham played only 58 percent of snaps in 11 personnel the past two games, compared to 78 percent over the first seven weeks of the season. It might not be obvious in the box score, but Graham is losing more playing time to Kmet, so we'll likely see a 'floor' game soon enough.

Titans

• With Adam Humphries (concussion) inactive, Kalif Raymond got 25 percent of snaps and Cameron Batson took 24 percent. They combined for only one target, while Anthony Firkser caught three of six targets for 19 yards on only 15 routes and 49 percent of snaps. Firkser and Smith both got some extra playing time with Humphries out of the lineup and backup TE MyCole Pruitt (knee sprain) exiting early.
• So much for last week's theory that Davis could keep up with Brown. Davis saw 10 targets in back-to-back weeks after returning from a two-game absence, but he finished Sunday's win with only three targets and a goose egg.
• Target distribution the past three games: Brown (24 - 30%), Davis (22 - 28%), Firkser (11 - 14%), Smith (8 - 10%).

Steelers (24) at Cowboys (19)

Steelers

• James Washington scored a TD, but he actually played fewer snaps (19 percent) than Ray-Ray McLoud (41 percent), largely because the Steelers use McLoud as the fourth WR alongside JuJu/Johnson/Claypool when they go four-wide.
• Speaking of which... the Steelers responded to a poor first half the same way they had the previous week, breaking out their four-wide offense and leaving James Conner on the sideline. They've used 01 (0 RB, 1 TE, 4 WRs) personnel for 39 plays the past two weeks, after using it only six times total through the first six games of the season. Taking Conner off the field in favor of McLoud is beneficial for all of JuJu, Johnson, Claypool and Ebron, as it essentially means every play is a pass, and McLoud isn't likely to see many of the targets (three on 50 snaps the past two weeks).
• The Steelers have played three games (Weeks 7-9) with both Johnson and Claypool in full-time roles. Here's the target distribution: Smith-Schuster (30 - 24%), Johnson (27 - 21%), Claypool (23 - 18%), Ebron (19 - 15%).

Cowboys

• This is what we call target-distribution communism! Now, it would really be the devil's work if they all had six targets instead of seven.
• Target distribution in four games without Dak Prescott playing: Cooper (28 - 19%), Gallup (28 - 19%), Lamb (28 - 19%), Schultz (23 - 16%). 
• The sans-Dak production has been more slanted toward Cooper, who is averaging 5.0 catches for 57.8 yards and 0.25 TDs. Lamb is the only other one of the bunch with a TD post-Prescott, and he also has the second-most yards (which is only 40.5 per game).

Raiders (31) at Chargers (26)

Raiders

• The Cowboys showed us the utopian vision of communism in a target distribution. This is the dystopian version, where Darren Waller takes it all for himself and leaves everyone else with an equally pitiful pile of crumbs. Of course, there's no system of governance that can stand between Nelson Agholor and the end zone these days.
• Agholor has four touchdowns on 20 targets the past five games. he's been a starter each week and played at least 78 percent of snaps in every contest.
• We now have a four-game sample (Weeks 5, 7-9) with Waller, Ruggs, Agholor and Renfrow all healthy and handling full workloads. Target distribution: Waller (32 - 29%), Agholor (16 - 14%), Renfrow (15 - 14%), Ruggs (13 - 12%). In other words, Waller is still the only reliable fantasy starter.
• Ruggs has 3-5 targets in each of his six games, with 54 percent of his yardage and his only TD coming in the Week 5 win over KC.

Bolts

• Henry's lack of production remains baffling. He has a great track record for pass-catching efficiency, and he's averaging 6.4 targets per game from Justin Herbert, who is setting the world on fire. Somehow, Henry is averaging only four catches for 40.6 yards with Herbert as the starter, netting one TD and 6.3 YPT in seven games. Positive regression feels all but inevitable, especially after Henry played 97 and 99 percent of snaps the past two weeks. Then again, I've been leaning on that "positive regression" expectation for a month now, and it's only costing me more and more money every week. (End of rant.)
• The Chargers have played four games (Weeks 2, 7-9) with Herbert as the starting QB and each of Allen, Williams, Henry and Guyton making it through the game healthy. Target distribution in those games: Allen (46 - 29%), Henry (26 - 17%), Williams (22 - 14%), Guyton (11 - 7%). Allen's aDOT in those games has been only 7.9, compared to 18.7 for Guyton and 14.6 for Williams (and 7.2 for Henry).
• Allen has seen double-digit targets in each of his six full games with Herbert at QB.

Dolphins (34) at Cardinals (31)

Phins

• Williams left the game with a foot injury in the second quarter and didn't return. He was dominant before that, putting up 4-60-1 on only eight routes.
• Parker had played only 59 percent of snaps the previous week, while Williams got 90 percent (and also had a 5-2 target advantage). Between that and what we saw in the early part of Sunday's game, it's no longer clear Parker is the team's No. 1 receiver.
• Malcolm Perry played 38 percent of snaps and ran 15 routes, but he finished without a catch on one target. Mack Hollins got 28 percent snap share and six routes, with his one reception being an 11-yard TD to tie the game in the fourth quarter.

Cards

• TE Maxx Williams made his first appearance since Week 1 and caught his lone target for a four-yard TD, playing 49 percent of snaps. His return to the lineup pushed Darrell Daniels down to 42 percent snap share and Darn Arnold to 26 percent.
• Hopkins got fewer than eight targets for the first time this season, but he's still averaging 9.5 per game.
• Kirk has five TDs over the past three games, with eight targets in back-to-back weeks. Still, Hopkins has a 23-19 target advantage in that three-game stretch.

Saints (38) at Buccaneers (3)

Saints

• Adam Trautman played 40 percent of snaps and caught three of three targets for 39 yards and a TD. Josh Hill also scored a TD, posting a 2-14-1 receiving line on two targets and 61 percent of snaps. None of that sounds ideal for Cook, who played 20 of 40 snaps in the first half but only six of 33 after halftime.
• If we ignore the fourth quarter of this blowout, Smith played 69 percent of snaps and Thomas got 64 percent. The Saints definitely cut back on Thomas' workload in his first game back from a prolonged absence, but he was on the field for the majority of pass plays, leading the team with 28 routes run (on 37 QB dropbacks).
• Sanders played from the first time since Week 5, returning after a bout with COVID-19. It's possible the absence/illness impacted Sanders' playing time (30% snap share), but it's also possible the Saints just want Smith on the field more. TBD.

Bucs

• Godwin, Evans, Brown and Tom Brady all were kept in the game through the end of this blowout, but Gronk played only nine of 16 snaps in the third quarter and none at all in the fourth. He got 69 percent (nice) before halftime, not too far from his 76 and 71 percent snap shares the previous to weeks.
• The Bucs used 10 personnel (1 RB, 0 TE, 4 WRs) on 14 of 50 snaps, with seven in each half. Prior to the fourth quarter, Gronk played 21 of the team's 22 snaps in 11 personnel.
• Prior to Sunday, the Bucs had used 10 personnel for only 33 plays, which is 4.1 per game.
• While he didn't do anything with his chances, Gronk did see six targets, his fifth time in the past six games reaching that number.
• Brown's large role wasn't just a product of game script. He played 81 percent of snaps in the first half, while Scott Miller and Tyler Johnson played only 46 percent combined.
• Tampa ran only 46 plays, with New Orleans holding the ball for 40 minutes, 4 seconds of game time. The Bucs didn't pick up a first down until their fifth drive, and Brady then threw a pick on the very next play.

Patriots (30) at Jets (27)

Patriots

• Ryan Izzo played 94 percent of snaps but wasn't targeted. He and Ian Thomas both have shown an incredible knack for piling up snaps and routes without any catches or yards.
• Gunner Olszewski was the No. 3 receiver with percent of snaps, but he actually got more carries (three) than targets (one).
• Meyers, Byrd and James White were the only Patriots with more than three targets, even though Cam Newton threw 35 passes.
• The Patriots ran 76 plays, while the Jets had only 44.
• Meyers has played 79, 98 and 99 percent of snaps the past three weeks, averaging 7.3 catches for 95.7 yards on 10.0 targets. Meyers has 38 percent target share in that stretch, well ahead of second-place Byrd (20%). 

High-Flying Flaccos

• Confession: there was a point in my life where I truly believed Flacco-to-Perriman would be a prolific QB/WR connection.
• Chris Herndon played 65 percent of snaps without seeing a target. Ryan Griffin got 48 percent and caught both of his targets for 28 yards.
• Crowder's previous season lows were 75 percent snap share and 10 targets, so it appears his workload may have been affected by the groin injury that held him out for the previous two games. Of course, he also had a little more target competition, playing with both Perriman and Mims for the first time.
• Perriman has made it through four games healthy this season (Weeks 1, 6-7, 9), averaging 5.5 targets and 51.8 yards.
• Mims has 25 percent target share in his three games, averaging 3.3 catches for 48.7 yards on 6.0 targets.

Top Waiver/FAAB Targets (WR/TE)

(Limited to players rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues.)

1. WR Jakobi Meyers
2. WR Michael Pittman
3. WR Denzel Mims
4. WR Preston Williams
5. WR Curtis Samuel
6. WR Darnell Mooney
7. WR Breshad Perriman
8. WR KJ Hamler
9. TE Logan Thomas
10. TE Irv Smith
11. TE Tyler Eifert