On Target: Time for Owners to Retire Smith

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Updated on October 30, 2013 10:05AM EST

While we're starting to see a lot of the same names appear on the weekly targets leaderboard, these larger-than-normal bye weeks are allowing us to get a glimpse of some names we may have normally bypassed. That's because, with six teams on a bye, the player pool for the week thins out immensely, and you're really left with some tough decisions. Most of the time you end up starting players you may not have ever started before. This week, we're looking at the same issue as another six teams are off, and your choices for that third wide receiver or that flex position look more and more difficult. Let's start with the Week 8 targets leaderboard and highlight a few receivers to illustrate what we're talking about.

Week 8 Target Leaders

(Click column headings to sort.)

PLAYER	POS	YARDS	TD	PASS ATT	TARGETS	REC	RZ TRGT	RZ TRG%	CATCH%	TARGET%
Harry Douglas, ATL	WR	121	0	61	18	12	3	33.3	66.7	29.5
Calvin Johnson, DET	WR	329	1	48	16	14	5	50.0	87.5	33.3
Jordan Reed, WAS	TE	90	0	39	14	8	1	25.0	57.1	35.9
Antonio Brown, PIT	WR	82	0	45	13	9	1	14.3	69.2	28.9
Vincent Jackson, TB	WR	79	0	51	13	5	3	50.0	38.5	25.5
David Nelson, NYJ	WR	80	0	37	12	8	0	0.0	66.7	32.4
Hakeem Nicks, NYG	WR	51	0	39	12	7	2	33.3	58.3	30.8
DeSean Jackson

PLAYER	POS	YARDS	TD	PASS ATT	TARGETS	REC	RZ TRGT	RZ TRG%	CATCH%	TARGET%
Harry Douglas, ATL	WR	121	0	61	18	12	3	33.3	66.7	29.5
Calvin Johnson, DET	WR	329	1	48	16	14	5	50.0	87.5	33.3
Jordan Reed, WAS	TE	90	0	39	14	8	1	25.0	57.1	35.9
Antonio Brown, PIT	WR	82	0	45	13	9	1	14.3	69.2	28.9
Vincent Jackson, TB	WR	79	0	51	13	5	3	50.0	38.5	25.5
David Nelson, NYJ	WR	80	0	37	12	8	0	0.0	66.7	32.4
Hakeem Nicks, NYG	WR	51	0	39	12	7	2	33.3	58.3	30.8
DeSean Jackson, PHI	WR	63	0	34	11	8	0	0.0	72.7	32.4
Steve Johnson, BUF	WR	72	1	39	11	7	1	33.3	63.6	28.2
Scott Chandler, BUF	TE	72	0	39	11	7	1	33.3	63.6	28.2
Pierre Garcon, WAS	WR	46	0	39	11	7	1	25.0	63.6	28.2
Demaryius Thomas, DEN	WR	75	1	44	11	7	6	40.0	63.6	25.0
Emmanuel Sanders, PIT	WR	88	1	45	11	7	2	14.3	63.6	24.4
Terrance Williams, DAL	WR	64	1	30	10	2	0	0.0	20.0	33.3
Cecil Shorts, JAC	WR	74	0	35	10	7	4	20.0	70.0	28.6
Justin Blackmon, JAC	WR	31	0	35	10	4	2	0.0	40.0	28.6
Josh Gordon, CLE	WR	132	1	36	10	5	0	0.0	50.0	27.8
Dexter McCluster, KC	WR	67	1	36	10	7	0	0.0	70.0	27.8
Victor Cruz, NYG	WR	86	0	39	10	7	0	0.0	70.0	25.6
Mike Wallace, MIA	WR	41	0	42	10	3	4	33.3	30.0	23.8
Wes Welker, DEN	WR	81	1	44	10	6	5	20.0	60.0	22.7

Leaderboard First-Timers

David Nelson, WR NYJ - Dealing with an array of injuries at wide receiver, the Jets ended up signing the former Bills role player hoping he would help sustain drives with his ability to make some of the short-yardage, clutch grabs that made him such an integral part of the Bills passing game before he got hurt last season. It took him two games to get acclimated, but he's been fairly consistent the last two weeks. The 12 targets he saw Sunday are definitely a little high for what he's likely to see on a regular basis, but given the score of the game and the Jets' need to air it out and move downfield quickly, you can see why he received so much attention. With another six teams on bye this week and the Jets facing the high-octane Saints offense, we could see more of the same, which would make Nelson another solid choice as a bye-week replacement. Long-term, there are probably a lot more options you'd like to have in there, but for these weeks where the player pool is thin, Nelson could be a nice help.

Scott Chandler, TE BUF - Every now and then you see Chandler start to garner a little more attention, and when that coincides with one of these bye weeks, he stands out even more. Similarly to Nelson and the receivers, Chandler isn't one of the more popular choices at tight end until you realize that there are so few quality ones available in a bye week. With some of the more high-profile names like Antonio Gates, Martellus Bennett and Coby Fleener off in Week 8, Chandler looked like a solid play. This week, with tight ends like Julius Thomas and Vernon Davis off, Chandler again becomes a solid play.

Emmanuel Sanders, WR PIT - OK, so Sanders isn't exactly a first-timer, but the 11 targets he saw in Week 8 marked his highest total since Week 1 when he saw 12 balls thrown his way. After the Steelers bye in Week 5, Sanders fell off the map a bit as he saw just eight targets in two games. With a strong matchup against the Patriots in Week 9 (they rank 31st against WR2) and then even softer matchups against Buffalo and Detroit, Sanders could be a decent play even beyond these big bye weeks.

Dexter McCluster, WR KC -Sunday was McCluster's best showing of the year with a season-high 10 targets and a much-needed trip into the endzone. With a banged up Dwayne Bowe blanketed by Joe Haden, McCluster found himself open a little more often downfield and Alex Smith took full advantage. With the player pool thinned out for another week and the Chiefs matching up with Buffalo, McCluster should be on your radar again if you're weak at wide receiver.

Other Notes:

Harry Douglas, WR KC - It's been two weeks since the Falcons lost Julio Jones and in that span, Douglas has averaged 135 yards per game and found the endzone once. With the seven targets he saw in Week 7 and now the 18 in Week 8. it's safe to assume that he's the new No. 1 stud in Atlanta. He not only has the ability to turn out great performances, but he's also got the trust of Matt Ryan. That should go a long way this season.

Josh Gordon, WR CLE - What better way to transition to the overall targets leaderboard than to throw a little love Gordon's way? While many will prefer the marquee names like Brandon Marshall and Larry Fitzgerald, make sure you know what you're bypassing when you choose them over him. He just racked up his third 100-plus yard game and scored his third touchdown of the season. He has 582 yards on the season, and that's even after missing the first two games. It might be a little nerve wracking that Jason Campbell is now his quarterback, but hey ... Marshall has Josh McCown throwing to him and Fitz' situation continues to look awful. If someone's talking trade with you, don't dismiss Gordon so quickly in favor of a "bigger" name.

Now let's look at the rest of the overall.

Overall Targets Leaderboard

(Click column headings to sort.)

PLAYER	POS	YARDS	TD	PASS ATT	TARGETS	REC	RZ TRGT	RZ TRG%	CATCH%	TARGET%
Vincent Jackson, TB	WR	623	4	273	90	41	17	41.7%	45.6%	33.0%
Cecil Shorts, JAC	WR	565	1	281	87	46	24	23.5%	52.9%	31.0%
A.J. Green, CIN	WR	734	5	275	84	46	19	29.4%	54.8%	30.5%
Calvin Johnson, DET	WR	821	7	338	79	47	28	37.8%	59.5%	23.4%
Pierre Garcon, WAS	WR	512	2	277	78	47	19	37.5%	60.3%	28.2%
Victor Cruz, NYG	WR	677	4	311	77	47	9	25.0%	61.0%	24.8%
Dez Bryant, DAL	WR	641	8	295	76	45	26	28.9%	59.2%	25.8%
DeSean Jackson, PHI	WR	673	5	276	74	45	9	25.8%	60.8%	26.8%
Antonio Brown, PIT	WR	630	2	262	73	56	10	25.8%	76.7%	27.9%
Wes Welker, DEN	WR	555	9	332	72	50	35	30.6%	69.4%	21.7%
Andre Johnson, HOU	WR	584	0	280	71	48	4	10.0%	67.6%	25.4%
Julian Edelman, NE	WR	462	2	307	70	48	14	27.3%	68.6%	22.8%
Eric Decker, DEN	WR	669	3	332	70	46	24	19.4%	65.7%	21.1%
Demaryius Thomas, DEN	WR	685	6	332	69	48	15	16.1%	69.6%	20.8%
Brandon Marshall, CHI	WR	540	5	246	68	46	17	24.3%	67.6%	27.6%
Hakeem Nicks, NYG	WR	521	0	311	67	34	8	25.0%	50.7%	21.5%
Jordan Cameron, CLE	TE	596	6	323	67	49	25	37.5%	73.1%	20.7%
Mike Wallace, MIA	WR	398	1	271	64	30	11	24.1%	46.9%	23.6%
Larry Fitzgerald, ARI	WR	470	5	285	64	36	15	32.0%	56.3%	22.5%
Jamaal Charles, KC	RB	383	2	286	64	41	17	24.3%	64.1%	22.4%
Anquan Boldin, SF	WR	551	2	198	62	38	8	29.2%	61.3%	31.3%
Jimmy Graham, NO	TE	630	8	271	62	40	13	27.8%	64.5%	22.9%
Steve Johnson, BUF	WR	387	3	273	62	33	15	38.1%	53.2%	22.7%
Torrey Smith, BAL	WR	629	1	269	61	31	5	14.3%	50.8%	22.7%
Tony Gonzalez, ATL	TE	395	3	306	59	38	21	26.3%	64.4%	19.3%
Josh Gordon, CLE	WR	582	3	323	59	32	7	10.0%	54.2%	18.3%
Kendall Wright, TEN	WR	433	1	230	58	40	8	21.7%	69.0%	25.2%
Alshon Jeffery, CHI	WR	561	2	246	57	33	16	24.3%	57.9%	23.2%
Emmanuel Sanders, PIT	WR	396	2	262	57	31	8	19.4%	54.4%	21.8%
Steve Smith, CAR	WR	335	3	202	56	32	18	38.5%	57.1%	27.7%
Brian Hartline, MIA	WR	438	2	271	56	35	4	13.8%	62.5%	20.7%
Jason Witten, DAL	TE	403	3	295	56	37	12	21.1%	66.1%	19.0%
Kenbrell Thompkins, NE	WR	334	4	307	56	23	18	30.3%	41.1%	18.2%
Davone Bess, CLE	WR	261	0	323	56	28	7	12.5%	50.0%	17.3%
Antonio Gates, SD	TE	497	2	274	55	42	13	16.7%	76.4%	20.1%
Michael Floyd, ARI	WR	433	2	285	55	34	8	28.0%	61.8%	19.3%
Golden Tate, SEA	WR	439	3	213	54	32	8	27.3%	59.3%	25.4%
T.Y. Hilton, IND	WR	412	2	229	54	27	1	3.8%	50.0%	23.6%
Jordy Nelson, GB	WR	649	7	249	54	39	15	27.0%	72.2%	21.7%
Greg Little, CLE	WR	218	1	323	54	21	12	17.5%	38.9%	16.7%
Nate Washington, TEN	WR	439	2	230	52	26	5	13.0%	50.0%	22.6%
Robert Woods, BUF	WR	305	2	273	52	22	6	19.0%	42.3%	19.0%
Harry Douglas, ATL	WR	489	1	306	52	35	14	15.8%	67.3%	17.0%
Julius Thomas, DEN	TE	451	8	332	52	39	20	21.0%	75.0%	15.7%
Jerome Simpson, MIN	WR	422	0	243	51	27	3	12.5%	52.9%	21.0%
Jason Avant, PHI	WR	286	1	276	51	25	9	25.8%	49.0%	18.5%
Jared Cook, STL	TE	375	2	298	50	29	15	14.9%	58.0%	16.8%
Tavon Austin, STL	WR	207	2	298	49	31	12	14.9%	63.3%	16.4%
Aaron Dobson, NE	WR	324	2	307	49	26	13	21.2%	53.1%	16.0%
Denarius Moore, OAK	WR	431	4	192	48	27	15	35.0%	56.3%	25.0%
Justin Blackmon, JAC	WR	415	1	281	48	29	16	19.6%	60.4%	17.1%

While normally we would talk about the target and target-percentage leaders, you'll see if you sort the table by each column that we'd be discussing the same players once again. Obviously, they're worth looking at for your starting lineup, but we just don't need to beat that dead horse again, do we? Instead, let's talk about the receivers who while appearing on the leaderboard aren't really providing owners with a strong value. They may see targets and get some attention by appearing on this leaderboard, but when push comes to shove, you're probably better off looking for someone else.

Steve Smith, WR CAR - So many fantasy owners are still clinging to Smith, but is he really worth it anymore? Is he even worthy of your third receiver spot? In a PPR league, maybe. He's making roughly five catches per game, which always helps. But the fact that he hasn't tallied more than 70 yards in a game this year and has just three touchdowns shows you just how much value he's lost over the years. There's always a chance he and Cam Newton connect for a big game, but at 34 and obviously having lost more than just a step, Smith has less upside than the many lesser-known names out there you might rather have the rest of the way.

Jason Avant, WR PHI - He doesn't really have the speed he once had, and his reliability is coming into question nowadays with that weak 49-percent catch rate. He's seeing plenty of targets, but that probably has more to do with the fact that the only other legitimate receiver on the Eagles is DeSean Jackson, rather than his actual talent level. He averages roughly three catches per game and has just two with 50 yards or more. This is definitely one of those cases where it's not always just about seeing the targets.

Davone Bess/Greg Little, WR CLE - Here's another pair of receivers appearing here because of a lack of options on the rest of the team. Josh Gordon dominates the looks in Cleveland while Little and Bess fight for scraps. Bess might be able to make some key third-down grabs, but overall, neither has value in the fantasy world despite seeing enough targets to keep them in the top 50. If you're even considering using one, you better be in a 20-team league with absolutely no one else left on your waiver wire.

Red Zone Targets Leaders

While Wes Welker, Calvin Johnson and Jordan Cameron continue to dominate the red-zone targets, there are a few names creeping up the ladder in Dez Bryant, Cecil Shorts and Eric Decker. Bryant is really a no-brainer, as he and Tony Romo are so in sync that former favorites Jason Witten and Miles Austin have completely fallen out of favor in Dallas. Shorts, provided he is healthy, has become just as important to Chad Henne as Justin Blackmon is and is well deserving of the extra looks he sees each week. Decker is an interesting one. Although he's up there with 24 red-zone targets, you'll notice that his red-zone target percentage actually sits below 20 percent, which is unusually low for someone this high up on the list. He's obviously on the field for the majority of red-zone plays, but with so many other targets available to Peyton Manning, he's simply not drawing all the looks he could be drawing. A bit of a decoy perhaps? I'd really like to hear from Peyton as to why Welker consistently sees so much more work in the red zone. His catch rate isn't that much better than Decker's, is it?

Potential Risers (those who failed to crack the leaderboard this week)

Kris Durham
Greg Jennings
Rueben Randle
Vernon Davis
Jordan Reed

Potential Fallers:

Aaron Dobson
Tavon Austin
Robert Woods
Kenbrell Thompkins
Jared Cook

Week 9 Matchup to Watch:

San Diego Chargers at Washington Redskins - While no one likes seeing a west coast team travel across country, the Chargers are coming off a bye week, so they're plenty rested and definitely ready for this one. Neither pass defense is particularly strong as both rank 25th or lower in total passing yards allowed and each one has given up a rash of touchdowns through the air. Neither team's ground game is especially great either, though each has shown flashes, so you have to assume that the quarterbacks will takr over - especially because opposing quarterbacks have a 102.1 rating against the Chargers and a 100.7 rating against the Redskins. Look for Philip Rivers to hit Keenan Allen and Antonio Gates early and often while Robert Griffin III finds his own tandem of Pierre Garcon and Jordan Reed. With the defensive matchups here, if I were a gambling man, I'd be taking the over on the line (51).