On Target: The Wright Choice

Written by

Updated on December 19, 2013 1:39AM EST

Considering most leagues cut things off after Week 16 due to players sitting out the final week of the season, this is probably championship week for most of you. Should your league go one week more, well, we'll just have to cover that next week because there's likely to be a lot of lineup shuffling going on. But for now, every NFL team still seems to have something to play for, so everyone who is healthy should be a full-go. There is a remote possibility that a team who plays a late game could have their situation change, but hopefully you have enough depth to cover yourself.

Of course, if you have enough depth then you also have a few decisions to make about who to start in this all-important week. Matchups, targets, red zone looks, injuries and several other factors come into play, so make sure you've looked into every possibility that could affect your receivers' performances. And the best place to start is obviously here as we hit most of that for you. So let's start by looking at some of last week's top targets.

Week 15 Target Leaders

(Click column headings to sort.)

PLAYER	POS	YARDS	TD	PASS ATT	TARGETS	REC	RZ TRGT	RZ TRG%	CATCH%	TARGET%
Kendall Wright, TEN	WR	150	0	58	20	12	1	10.0	60.0	36.4
Julian Edelman, NE	WR	139	1	55	19	13	3	27.3	68.4	35.2
A.J. Green, CIN	WR	93	0	44	18	9	3	37.5

PLAYER	POS	YARDS	TD	PASS ATT	TARGETS	REC	RZ TRGT	RZ TRG%	CATCH%	TARGET%
Kendall Wright, TEN	WR	150	0	58	20	12	1	10.0	60.0	36.4
Julian Edelman, NE	WR	139	1	55	19	13	3	27.3	68.4	35.2
A.J. Green, CIN	WR	93	0	44	18	9	3	37.5	50.0	40.9
Dez Bryant, DAL	WR	153	1	48	17	11	3	42.9	64.7	35.4
DeSean Jackson, PHI	WR	195	1	48	16	10	0	0.0	62.5	33.3
Calvin Johnson, DET	WR	98	0	34	14	6	0	0.0	42.9	41.3
Danny Amendola, NE	WR	131	0	55	14	10	2	18.2	71.4	25.9
Brandon Marshall, CHI	WR	95	1	31	13	6	2	40.0	46.2	41.9
Greg Jennings, MIN	WR	163	1	35	13	11	1	11.1	84.6	37.1
Marques Colston, NO	WR	92	1	56	13	8	5	45.5	61.5	23.6
Torrey Smith, BAL	WR	69	0	38	12	4	1	20.0	33.3	31.6
T.Y. Hilton, IND	WR	78	0	32	12	8	1	25.0	66.7	37.5
Delanie Walker, TEN	TE	53	1	58	11	8	3	30.0	72.7	20.0
Josh Gordon, CLE	WR	67	1	39	10	3	0	0.0	30.0	26.3
Andre Caldwell, DEN	WR	59	2	41	10	6	2	66.7	60.0	24.4
Andre Johnson, HOU	WR	18	0	34	10	4	0	0.0	40.0	29.4
Darren Sproles, NO	RB	38	0	56	10	8	2	18.2	80.0	18.2
Pierre Garcon, WAS	WR	129	1	45	10	7	1	20.0	70.0	22.7
Larry Fitzgerald, ARI	WR	49	0	30	9	6	3	42.9	66.7	30.0
Jacoby Jones, BAL	WR	80	0	38	9	6	1	20.0	66.7	23.7
Marvin Jones, CIN	WR	48	1	44	9	5	2	25.0	55.6	20.5
Jordy Nelson, GB	WR	61	1	39	9	5	3	33.3	55.6	24.3
Mike Wallace, MIA	WR	105	1	37	9	6	0	0.0	66.7	24.3
Rishard Matthews, MIA	WR	64	0	37	9	5	0	0.0	55.6	24.3
Rod Streater, OAK	WR	59	0	41	9	4	0	0.0	44.4	24.3
Zach Ertz, PHI	TE	57	1	48	9	6	1	50.0	66.7	18.8
Timothy Wright, TB	TE	82	1	34	9	7	0	0.0	77.8	28.1
Nate Washington, TEN	WR	92	0	58	9	7	1	10.0	77.8	16.4
Santana Moss , WAS	WR	64	1	45	9	8	1	20.0	88.9	20.5

Kendall Wright, WR TEN - It's not just about the 20 targets or the 12 receptions in Week 15, it's actually a whole lot more. Over the last four games, Wright has two 100-yard performances, one touchdown and has seen an average of more than 10 targets per game. He is blossoming late in the season and with matchups against Jacksonville and then Houston, there seems to be plenty more to come. The best way to equate his late-season surge is to remember what Antonio Brown did last year. After spending most of the year as strictly a possession receiver with almost no red-zone work, Brown flourished in the final four games, scoring a touchdown in each and averaging 57.5 yards. Wright's late-season surge seems similar, and with such soft matchups coming, he too should find the end zone at least once more.

Julian Edelman, WR NE - Once again, with Rob Gronkowski out, Tom Brady turns to the diminutive wideout as his saving grace. Brady also has Danny Amendola running around out there, but he's leaned on Edelman for much of the year, and as we've all seen, Brady likes to stick with what's familiar. While it's not exactly set in stone, it looks like both Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins could miss this Sunday's game against the Ravens, which probably puts New England with a similar gameplan of a shorter passing routes to expose the holes between the linebackers and the secondary. Edelman stands a very good chance at repeating his Week 15 totals, which would make him virtually a must-start in any league.

Andre Caldwell, WR DEN - With Wes Welker still missing practice and yet to complete any of the steps of the NFL concussion protocol, Caldwell looks like he is in line for another strong set of targets this week. He'll line up in the slot for the most part, and as we've seen, the slot receiver sees a lot of work inside the red zone from Peyton Manning. The matchup with Houston is actually a favorable one for Manning. Although the Texans don't normally give up a lot of yardage, they have given up 25 passing touchdowns this season. Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker should see a lot of work, but Caldwell will also grab his fair share.

Rod Streater, WR OAK - One of the more highly underrated receivers, in my opinion, and someone who should definitely be on your radar if you're looking to fill the gaps either at your third wide receiver slot or flex. He's now seen double-digit targets in each of the Raiders' last two games and is becoming a go-to option for Matt McGloin lately. With a matchup against the Chargers, a team that ranks 31st in the league against opposing No. 2 receivers, Streater could come up with one of those games that helps push you over the top and escorts you right into the championship circle.

Overall Targets Leaderboard

(Click column headings to sort.)

PLAYER	POS	YARDS	TD	PASS ATT	TARGETS	REC	RZ TRGT	RZ TRG	CATCH	TARGET
Andre Johnson, HOU	WR	1295	5	562	159	99	13	22.4	62.3	28.9
A.J. Green, CIN	WR	1268	8	509	156	87	18	31.0	55.8	31.0
Pierre Garcon, WAS	WR	1146	4	527	154	96	18	30.0	62.3	29.8
Calvin Johnson, DET	WR	1449	12	559	152	81	26	34.7	53.3	25.6
Brandon Marshall, CHI	WR	1185	10	517	145	90	19	24.4	62.1	28.7
Antonio Brown, PIT	WR	1307	8	527	139	95	17	21.5	68.3	27.0
Vincent Jackson, TB	WR	1091	7	456	137	69	17	34.0	50.4	31.8
Dez Bryant, DAL	WR	1061	11	513	135	81	18	28.1	60.0	26.5
Josh Gordon, CLE	WR	1467	9	591	133	74	12	17.9	55.6	22.2
Alshon Jeffery, CHI	WR	1265	7	517	132	80	19	24.4	60.6	26.1
Julian Edelman, NE	WR	914	6	578	129	89	21	28.4	69.0	22.7
Kendall Wright, TEN	WR	1007	2	483	125	85	10	19.2	68.0	26.4
Jimmy Graham, NO	TE	1071	14	575	123	76	22	28.6	61.8	21.7
Cecil Shorts, JAC	WR	777	3	484	123	66	16	20.8	53.7	23.3
Victor Cruz, NYG	WR	998	4	493	122	73	12	24.0	59.8	26.1
Torrey Smith, BAL	WR	1032	4	527	122	59	16	23.9	48.4	23.4
Demaryius Thomas, DEN	WR	1194	11	579	122	78	18	17.8	63.9	21.1
Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ	WR	823	10	500	119	73	22	37.9	61.3	24.9
Brian Hartline, MIA	WR	925	4	531	118	72	11	17.2	61.0	22.6
Mike Wallace, MIA	WR	867	4	531	118	64	10	15.6	54.2	22.6
DeSean Jackson, PHI	WR	1275	9	455	117	75	10	19.6	64.1	26.2
T.Y. Hilton, IND	WR	876	5	506	116	66	10	14.3	56.9	20.6
Eric Decker, DEN	WR	1130	8	579	114	73	18	17.8	64.0	19.7
Harry Douglas, ATL	WR	963	2	571	114	73	11	13.9	64.0	20.4
Jordan Cameron, CLE	TE	848	7	591	111	75	19	28.4	67.6	18.5
Anquan Boldin, SF	WR	958	5	361	111	70	12	26.7	63.1	33.9
Wes Welker, DEN	WR	778	10	579	111	73	24	23.8	65.8	19.2
Steve Smith, CAR	WR	701	4	424	108	63	16	30.8	58.3	26.0
Tony Gonzalez, ATL	TE	740	7	571	106	71	23	29.1	67.0	18.9
Jordy Nelson, GB	WR	1107	8	492	106	72	19	26.4	67.9	22.3
Emmanuel Sanders, PIT	WR	707	5	527	106	63	15	19.0	59.4	20.6
Antonio Gates, SD	TE	799	3	507	105	70	13	16.3	66.7	22.2
Steve Johnson, BUF	WR	597	3	468	101	52	12	32.4	51.5	22.1
Jamaal Charles, KC	RB	655	7	488	98	65	18	23.1	66.3	18.5
Greg Olsen, CAR	TE	739	5	424	96	63	17	32.7	65.6	23.1
Marques Colston, NO	WR	813	5	575	94	64	16	20.8	68.1	16.6
Greg Jennings, MIN	WR	733	4	486	94	59	12	20.7	62.8	19.7
Michael Floyd, ARZ	WR	919	4	500	94	58	11	19.0	61.7	19.7
Jason Witten, DAL	TE	703	8	513	93	59	16	25.0	63.4	18.2
Dwayne Bowe, KC	WR	627	5	488	93	52	13	16.7	55.9	17.5
Greg Little, CLE	WR	452	2	591	91	39	11	16.4	42.9	15.2
Nate Washington, TEN	WR	763	2	483	91	50	5	9.6	54.9	19.2
Hakeem Nicks, NYG	WR	794	0	493	90	50	10	20.0	55.6	19.2
Garrett Graham, HOU	TE	545	5	562	89	49	13	22.4	55.1	16.2
Charles Clay, MIA	TE	684	6	531	89	61	14	21.9	68.5	17.0
Keenan Allen, SD	WR	931	7	507	89	63	16	20.0	70.8	18.8
Jerome Simpson, MIN	WR	689	1	486	88	44	7	12.1	50.0	18.5
Golden Tate, SEA	WR	735	4	410	86	54	8	18.2	62.8	23.8
Davone Bess, CLE	WR	362	2	591	86	42	8	11.9	48.8	14.3
Martellus Bennett, CHI	TE	659	5	517	85	59	16	20.5	69.4	16.8
Rod Streater, OAK	WR	846	3	445	85	54	8	18.6	63.5	19.8
Matt Forte, CHI	RB	522	2	517	85	66	11	14.1	77.6	16.8
DeAndre Hopkins, HOU	WR	759	2	562	82	47	10	17.2	57.3	14.9
Coby Fleener, IND	TE	575	4	506	80	49	13	18.6	61.3	14.2
Darren Sproles, NO	RB	556	2	575	80	66	8	10.4	82.5	14.1
Brandon LaFell, CAR	WR	614	5	424	78	48	8	15.4	61.5	18.8
Pierre Thomas, NO	RB	503	3	575	78	71	11	14.3	91.0	13.8
Danny Woodhead, SD	RB	547	6	507	77	66	21	26.3	85.7	16.2
Riley Cooper, PHI	WR	743	7	455	77	41	10	19.6	53.2	17.3
Julius Thomas, DEN	TE	674	11	579	77	54	16	15.8	70.1	13.3
Jared Cook, STL	TE	614	4	456	77	44	9	13.2	57.1	17.0
Danny Amendola, NE	WR	579	2	578	77	51	6	8.1	66.2	13.6

Target Percentage

T.Y. Hilton, WR IND - While his target percentage has taken a slight dip over these last three weeks, he's still, as evidenced by this past week's performance, a solid play in nearly every league. He may not see as many targets as he did when Reggie Wayne first got hurt, but he'll continue to get plenty of work despite the Colts' desire to get some of these younger, less-experienced wideouts extra work. The fact is, Darrius Heyward-Bey does not have the skills to be a legitimate threat opposite Hilton, so these youngsters need to audition for the increase in snaps. But that doesn't take away from Hilton as the No. 1 guy in Indy. The Chiefs pass defense is a tough matchup this week, but if Luck has to air it out somewhere, he's still looking at Hilton first.

Charles Clay, TE MIA - This past week was an awful game for Clay owners as he saw just two targets in what was supposed to be a favorable matchup with the Patriots. What's worse is that he was just coming off back-to-back 10-target games and totaled 177 yards and two touchdowns. This week, though, he should get back on track. While the Bills rank sixth in the league against the tight end, they ranked second just three weeks ago. Tight ends aren't pouring on the yards against them, but they are seeing plenty of work inside the red zone. Look for Clay to get back on track this week.

Marques Colston, WR NO - Although the increase in targets percentage for Colston is small (15.9 to 16.6), his last two games should tell you all you need to know. He saw 13 targets in each game and totaled 217 yards with three touchdowns. With a healthy ankle, the trust of his quarterback and sub-standard receivers surrounding him, Colston should continue to see plenty of looks from Drew Brees the next two weeks. Sure, the matchup with Carolina this week isn't ideal and sure, Jimmy Graham gets a ton of looks as well, but Colston is still ready to deliver at just the right time.

Red Zone Target Percentage

Greg Jennings, WR MIN - Although he had an unexpected yet explosive game in Week 15, Jennings saw his red-zone target percentage drop from 22.4 to just 20.7 percent. The bulk of his work is coming in between the 20s, and while technically that's fine, the lack of looks inside the red zone (just one last week) does tend to be an issue, especially if he's facing a stronger pass defense than he was against the Eagles. Like Cincinnati, you mean? Why, yes. Yes, I do.

Golden Tate, WR SEA - Even with Percy Harvin's comeback pushed to the playoffs, Tate has seen his red-zone target percentage drop steadily and is now sitting at 18.2 percent, which is almost the lowest it's been all season. With a strong ground game and both Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse getting the red-zone attention, Tate is really nothing more than a possession receiver on a team that really doesn't throw all that often. He'll work fine for PPR leagues, but in standard play this is a big hit for fantasy owners.

Potential Risers

James Jones
Rueben Randle
Denarius Moore
Ace Sanders
Delanie Walker

Potential Fallers

Victor Cruz
Hakeem Nicks
DeAndre Hopkins
Jerome Simpson
Jared Cook

Week 16 Matchup to Watch: Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles - While the Bears have been fairly strong against the pass this season, they certainly showed their vulnerability in Week 15 when they let Cleveland get back into the game and Jason Campbell pass for 273 yards. A more-talented Nick Foles with more weapons in DeSean Jackson, Riley Cooper and, yes, tight end Zach Ertz will air it out in the second half after LeSean McCoy opens up play-action with a strong first half. Meanwhile, the Eagles pass defense is still pretty awful, which means Jay Cutler should, now that he's shaken the rust off, have an easy time hitting Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery downfield on a regular basis. And don't forget Martellus Bennett. The Eagles rank 21st in the league against the tight end, and Bennett should have a strong game to show why.