Target Breakdown: WR & TE Usage Report + Week 16 Waivers Preview

Box Score Breakdown

Backfield Breakdown

Target Breakdown ⬇️   

Weekly Injury Report 🚑

New Injuries

• WR Jaylen Waddle (knee / week-to-week)
• WR Quentin Johnston (ankle / day-to-day)
• WR Alec Pierce (concussion / day-to-day)
• WR Curtis Samuel (shoulder / day-to-day
• TE Zach Ertz (concussion / day-to-day)

Waddle reportedly doesn't have a long-term injury that will require surgery, but he's definitely in danger of missing a week or three, which means we may not see him again until next season. The others listed above have better chances to play this week, especially Johnston, who handled his normal workload in Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay but is now listed on the injury report ahead of a Thursday matchup with Denver.

Missed Week 15

• WR George Pickens (hamstring / week-to-week)
• WR Cedric Tillman (concussion / day-to-day)
• WR Treylon Burks (IR - knee / eligible since Week 11)
• WR Roman Wilson (IR - hamstring / eligible sinceWeek 13)
•   WR Bub Means (IR - ankle / eligible since Week 14)
• WR Simi Fehoko (IR - elbow  / eligible since Week 14) 
• WR Chris Olave (IR - concussion / eligible Week 15)
• WR Hollywood Brown (IR - shoulder / possible return Week 16-18)

• TE David Njoku (hamstring / day-to-day)
• TE Will Dissly (shoulder / week-to-week)
• TE Tyler Higbee (knee / day-to-day)
• TE Luke Musgrave (ankle - IR / eligible to return since Week 11)
• TE Dallas Goedert (knee / IR - eligible to return Week 18)
• TE Evan Engram (shoulder / IR - out for season)

Stock Report 📊

I'm focusing on role/usage more so than results/performance here, although there are certainly cases where the two are related or poor per-target efficiency can't just be written off as a small-sample or matchup problem. Unless otherwise specified, statistics shown below are from Week 15.  'SZN' is used to denote full-year stats.

• TPRR = Targets per Route Run
• YPRR = Yards per Route Run
• AY = Air Yards

Trending Up 📈

Wide Receivers 📈

Brian Thomas - 3 straight games with 10+ tgts, 76+ yards  /  NFL-high 408 AY past 3 weeks

Davante Adams - 12 tgts, 139 AY (9-198-2)  /  30% TPRR, 2.4 YPRR with Jets

Mike Evans - 11 tgts, 127 AY (9-159-2)  /  8.5 tgts, 103.5 ypg since hammy injury (4 games)

Jaxon Smith-Njigba - 12 tgts, 57 AY (10-83-)  /  seven straight games with 69+ yards

Calvin Austin - 80% snaps, 96% routes, 5 tgts, 46 AY (5-65-0)

Jalen McMillan - 86% routes, 6 tgts, 71 AY (5-75-1)  /  11-159-3 on 16 tgts past 3 games

Jalen Coker - 86% snaps, 85% routes, 6 tgts, 70 AY (4-110-1)  /  SZN: 19% TPRR, 2.2 YPRR

Malik Washington - 61% snaps, 72% routes, 6 tgts (5-52-0) but only 14 AY

Tim Patrick - 15 tgts, three TDs past two weeks

Brandin Cooks - 63% snaps, team-high 90% routes, 5 tgts, 56 AY (3-34-0)

Dyami Brown - 78% snaps, 85% routes, 4 tgts (3-30-0) but only 6 AY

Tight Ends 📈

Brenton Strange - 81% snaps, 81% routes, 12 tgts (11-73-0)  /  SZN: 22% TPRR, 1.7 YPRR

Stone Smartt - 67% snaps, 59% routes, 6 tgts, 53 AY (5-50-0)

Trending Down 📉

Wide Receivers 📉

Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman & Elijah Moore - Winston benching

Cooper Kupp - 3 tgts on 22 routes (zero catches)

DeAndre Hopkins - 45% snaps, 48% routes  /  Mahomes injury

Deebo Samuel - five straight games with 6.1 PPR points or less

Amari Cooper - 44% snaps, 38% routes, 0 tgts

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine - 5 tgts, 28 yards, no TD over past two games

Kayshon Boutte - eight straight games with <9 PPR points, <5 catches, <7 tgts

Jalen Tolbert - 49% snaps, 47% routes, 2 tgts (1-11-1)

John Metchie - 43% snaps, 57% routes, 4 tgts (2-17-0)

Tight Ends 📉

Travis Kelce - five straight games with no TD, <70 yards  /  Mahomes injury

Ja'Tavion Sanders - 48% snaps, 53% routes, 1 tgt  /  SZN: 16% TPRR

Darnell Washington - 2 tgts over past three games

Waivers Look-Ahead ±

*Only includes players rostered in 60 percent or less of Yahoo Leagues

Wide Receivers

Potential Starters

1. Romeo Doubs - 38%  
2. Jalen Coker - 2%
3. Rashod Bateman - 25%
4. Quentin Johnston - 41% (ankle) 
5. Jalen McMillan - 8%
6. Christian Watson - 52%
7. Calvin Austin - 8%
8. Tim Patrick - 3% 
9. Demarcus Robinson - 18% 
10. Wan'Dale Robinson - 33%
11. Marquez Valdes-Scantling - 33%
12. DeMario Douglas - 22%
13. Adonai Mitchell - 5%
14. Devaughn Vele - 15%
15. Parker Washington - 3% 
16. Brandin Cooks - 16%
17. David Moore - 3%

Tight Ends

Recommended Adds

1. Brenton Strange - 2%
2. Hunter Henry - 49%
3. Dalton Schultz - 58% 
4. Stone Smartt - 6%
5. Cole Kmet - 48%
6. Noah Gray - 19%
7. Zach Ertz - 55% (concussion)
8. Noah Fant - 18%
9. Juwan Johnson - 13%
10. Grant Calcaterra - 6%
11. Jordan Akins - 1%
12. Ben Sinnott - 2%
13. Austin Hooper - 1%