Target Breakdown: Week 4 WR/TE Recap & Week 5 Sleepers

Target Breakdown: Week 4 WR/TE Recap & Week 5 Sleepers

This article is part of our Target Breakdown series.

Dalvin Cook and Christian McCaffrey aside, wideouts seem to be getting the worst of it from an injury standpoint this year. D.J. Chark unfortunately just became the first top-50 wideout to suffer a season-ending injury, but a slew of his position mates have missed time with lesser problems, namely hamstrings and concussions.

The former have been especially bad this year, including two teams — the Giants and Titans — that had multiple starting wideouts miss Week 4 with hamstring injuries. Not that it's anything new for Sterling Shepard or Julio Jones to be banged up, but RotoWire injury expert Jeff Stotts did mention a month ago that other sports leagues (MLB and NBA) had seen increases in soft-tissue injuries in the first year after their pandemic-impacted seasons. 

NFL players, of course, had a full regular-season schedule last year, but nearly everything else (practice, OTAs, preseason) was truncated. In any case, it's probably interesting more so than useful, as one would think any effect might hit other positions (RB?) just as hard. Maybe that's coming, or maybe we're just stuck on a strange season where RBs have better injury luck than WRs.

Either way, I've got you covered with everything you need to analyze Week 4 and prepare for Week 5 and beyond. I'll emphasize year-to-date stats a little more in the team-by team breakdowns now, usually only discussing specifics from Week 4 if there was some kind of role change or injury concern. Fewer blurbs allowed me to spend more time on year-to-date leaderboard this week, filtering out target and air-yard shares to only show relevant games for players who have missed part of the season. Check out that, and much more, below...

(Also check out Backfield Breakdown, which is basically the same thing but for RBs instead of WRs and TEs.)

Week 4 Sortable Leaderboards

Wide Receivers

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Calvin Ridley97.2%411332.5%19349.0%31.7%1.950
2Cooper Kupp95.3%401331.7%10529.6%32.5%1.600
3Diontae Johnson91.4%401333.3%13148.5%32.5%2.300
4Terry McLaurin96.8%331339.4%22874.0%39.4%3.733
5DJ Moore85.3%391230.8%11434.2%30.8%2.901
6Tyreek Hill82.5%251240.0%14169.3%48.0%7.440
7Jakobi Meyers94.4%431228.6%6830.9%27.9%1.630
8Deebo Samuel88.9%401230.8%11531.2%30.0%3.900
9Mike Evans87.8%421227.9%12827.2%28.6%1.790
10Robby Anderson85.3%401128.2%14042.2%27.5%1.150
11Tyler Boyd61.8%281134.4%8735.1%39.3%4.210
12Davante Adams87.5%381131.4%7825.2%28.9%1.680
13Keenan Allen87.8%381129.7%7827.6%28.9%0.950
14Antonio Brown50.0%281125.6%12727.0%39.3%2.252
15DeVonta Smith91.4%461022.7%15845.0%21.7%2.651
16Stefon Diggs73.2%25931.0%8838.0%36.0%3.080
17Ja'Marr Chase80.0%32928.1%9739.3%28.1%2.410
18DeVante Parker89.8%32930.0%12753.9%28.1%2.412
19Kadarius Toney76.7%33925.0%7324.5%27.3%2.360
20Jamison Crowder63.3%27926.5%5316.1%33.3%2.261
21Josh Reynolds77.4%48918.4%13736.1%18.8%1.231
22Courtland Sutton94.9%42821.6%15846.7%19.0%1.121
23Amon-Ra St. Brown71.6%31821.6%7122.1%25.8%2.260
24Michael Pittman85.1%31825.0%8630.4%25.8%1.901
25Hunter Renfrow66.1%31825.0%4014.3%25.8%1.451
26Adam Thielen98.4%39822.2%12142.4%20.5%1.180
27Deonte Harris50.8%19833.3%6933.4%42.1%2.740
28JuJu Smith-Schuster94.8%40820.5%9836.2%20.0%0.280
29DK Metcalf81.5%24836.4%8467.0%33.3%2.710
30Nick Westbrook-Ikhine81.7%48816.3%9224.2%16.7%0.601
31DeAndre Hopkins96.0%35724.1%8648.6%20.0%1.910
32Sammy Watkins74.3%29720.0%9523.3%24.1%1.690
33Darnell Mooney70.2%15741.2%11953.0%46.7%8.330
34Odell Beckham79.7%31722.6%15347.8%22.6%0.872
35Rashard Higgins51.4%23722.6%9128.6%30.4%2.740
36Brandin Cooks85.7%23735.0%8451.2%30.4%2.040
37Laviska Shenault76.4%18731.8%9046.4%38.9%5.500
38Justin Jefferson87.3%39719.4%9232.1%17.9%2.151
39K.J. Osborn61.9%30719.4%7124.7%23.3%0.870
40Kenny Golladay91.7%37719.4%9431.6%18.9%3.140
41Corey Davis81.7%29720.6%13541.0%24.1%3.830
42Quez Watkins58.6%30715.9%6418.2%23.3%1.101
43A.J. Green85.3%33620.7%4726.6%18.2%2.030
44Devin Duvernay42.9%16617.1%7718.9%37.5%1.941
45James Proche32.9%17617.1%4310.6%35.3%4.350
46Emmanuel Sanders70.4%24620.7%8436.2%25.0%3.081
47Tim Patrick93.2%38616.2%7321.4%15.8%1.030
48Kalif Raymond74.6%32616.2%8727.3%18.8%1.440
49Randall Cobb45.8%24617.1%6621.4%25.0%2.881
50Robert Woods95.3%39614.6%6418.2%15.4%1.232
51Van Jefferson67.2%31614.6%7621.5%19.4%2.901
52Henry Ruggs80.4%32618.8%13447.5%18.8%1.880
53Chester Rogers65.6%45612.2%5514.5%13.3%1.400
54Marquise Brown62.9%29514.3%9824.1%17.2%3.141
55CeeDee Lamb78.6%21522.7%6538.3%23.8%0.620
56Quintez Cephus86.6%33513.5%5918.4%15.2%2.520
57Anthony Miller73.8%21525.0%4426.8%23.8%0.140
58Zach Pascal80.6%30515.6%269.4%16.7%1.470
59Nelson Agholor72.2%36511.9%6329.0%13.9%1.530
60Kendrick Bourne59.3%30511.9%4620.9%16.7%1.930
61James Washington82.8%37512.8%4516.5%13.5%1.860
62Tyler Lockett85.2%25522.7%3124.8%20.0%0.960
63Mohamed Sanu48.6%26512.8%4712.8%19.2%1.350
64Chris Godwin93.2%42511.6%7716.4%11.9%1.311
65Mike Williams85.1%36410.8%7526.6%11.1%0.310
66Bryan Edwards89.3%33412.5%3612.6%12.1%0.120
67Jaylen Waddle79.6%28413.3%187.7%14.3%1.180
68John Ross46.7%21411.1%7224.3%19.0%3.670
69Keelan Cole58.3%24411.8%9428.6%16.7%3.830
70Freddie Swain42.6%12418.2%1612.7%33.3%1.671
71Curtis Samuel35.5%12412.1%-6-2.0%33.3%1.580
72Rondale Moore42.7%14310.3%-4-2.2%21.4%2.000
73Olamide Zaccheaus78.9%3337.5%4511.5%9.1%0.451
74Terrace Marshall72.1%3437.7%216.2%8.8%0.060
75Allen Robinson68.4%16317.6%5222.9%18.8%3.940
76Amari Cooper46.4%16313.6%5130.1%18.8%4.310
77Marvin Jones92.7%24313.6%1910.0%12.5%1.000
78Tavon Austin72.7%20313.6%2512.7%15.0%0.400
79Mecole Hardman54.0%18310.0%115.3%16.7%0.891
80Brandon Aiyuk68.1%2937.7%4411.9%10.3%0.520
81Cole Beasley49.3%2026.9%31.2%10.0%0.800

    

Tight Ends

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1George Kittle91.7%351128.2%9726.4%31.4%1.140
2Noah Fant93.2%361027.0%4513.2%27.8%1.281
3Kyle Pitts73.2%33922.5%8722.1%27.3%1.521
4Mark Andrews61.4%33822.9%7719.0%24.2%2.030
5Dawson Knox80.3%22827.6%3716.0%36.4%1.681
6Dalton Schultz78.6%18836.4%169.6%44.4%3.220
7T.J. Hockenson80.6%39821.6%6319.6%20.5%1.080
8Zach Ertz50.0%29818.2%6317.9%27.6%2.072
9Robert Tonyan77.8%26720.0%8026.1%26.9%0.311
10Jared Cook52.7%30718.9%6523.2%23.3%2.331
11Darren Waller92.9%37721.9%7325.9%18.9%1.351
12C.J. Uzomah81.8%25618.8%3714.9%24.0%3.800
13Travis Kelce87.3%27620.0%2110.3%22.2%0.850
14Tyler Higbee79.7%30614.6%4713.2%20.0%1.202
15Mike Gesicki67.3%24620.0%5221.9%25.0%2.380
16Tyler Conklin85.7%32616.7%51.6%18.8%0.560
17Evan Engram66.7%25616.7%206.6%24.0%1.080
18Cameron Brate63.5%29614.0%8417.8%20.7%1.001
19Maxx Williams57.3%18517.2%2111.7%27.8%3.671
20Austin Hooper74.3%18516.1%165.0%27.8%0.611
21Mo Alie-Cox68.7%16515.6%7024.9%31.3%2.633
22Hunter Henry68.5%26511.9%2913.2%19.2%1.230
23Jonnu Smith48.1%18511.9%167.4%27.8%0.782
24Dallas Goedert74.3%34511.4%339.3%14.7%1.651
25Anthony Firkser49.5%36510.2%369.3%13.9%0.640
26Hayden Hurst64.8%23410.0%133.4%17.4%1.260
27Ryan Griffin56.7%13411.8%3711.3%30.8%0.621
28Ricky Seals-Jones91.9%26412.1%299.3%15.4%0.730
29Ian Thomas64.7%2337.7%-1-0.2%13.0%0.650
30Cole Kmet98.2%14317.6%5825.7%21.4%0.431
31Blake Jarwin55.4%6313.6%2212.8%50.0%3.000
32Donald Parham52.7%1138.1%165.7%27.3%1.551

    

Links to RotoWire's Red Zone Stats

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

Rushing Stats

   

Year-to-Date Sortable Leaderboards

Wide Receivers

I manually adjusted target share and air-yard shares to only count the following games for the following players, removing games they missed most or all of:

 TgtTgt ShareAir YdsAY ShareaDOTRoutesYds/RtTgt/RtEnd Zone Tgt
1Cooper Kupp4634.3%37432.2%8.11333.2434.6%4
2Davante Adams4536.0%46439.0%10.31243.0136.3%0
3Keenan Allen4427.8%35931.2%8.21531.9228.8%3
4DJ Moore4330.7%43138.7%10.01442.7629.9%2
5Calvin Ridley4226.8%44948.1%10.71601.5926.3%2
6Deebo Samuel4232.3%32136.0%7.71303.7732.3%0
7Jakobi Meyers4125.8%35229.2%8.61651.4924.8%0
8Stefon Diggs4127.3%50436.2%12.31431.8728.7%2
9Brandin Cooks3937.1%50055.7%12.81143.2434.2%0
10Terry McLaurin3831.4%44246.8%11.61262.8130.2%5
11Tyreek Hill3828.6%48344.1%12.71283.5429.7%1
12Justin Jefferson3724.2%41541.6%11.21572.1523.6%3
13Mike Evans3720.9%47231.4%12.81701.6521.8%3
14Michael Pittman3626.3%38839.9%10.81471.9024.5%2
15Diontae Johnson3530.6%29930.9%8.61092.1432.1%2
16Mike Williams3522.2%36731.9%10.51432.1424.5%5
17Adam Thielen3422.2%30630.6%9.01591.4321.4%2
18DK Metcalf3332.4%40145.2%12.11122.5429.5%2
19CeeDee Lamb3224.4%34036.7%10.61242.1325.8%3
20Cole Beasley3221.3%15711.2%4.91331.5824.1%1
21DeVante Parker3221.9%44742.5%14.01441.6822.2%3
22Chris Godwin3117.5%27718.4%8.91841.6116.8%3
23DeVonta Smith3122.6%47044.5%15.21421.6721.8%2
24Jaylen Waddle3121.2%12111.5%3.91411.4222.0%1
25Marvin Jones3122.6%37128.7%12.01391.5722.3%4
26Hunter Renfrow3018.6%21614.8%7.21192.0925.2%2
27Tyler Boyd3028.6%23126.7%7.71052.4728.6%0
28Chase Claypool2919.4%36444.5%12.61141.8525.4%0
29Corey Davis2921.3%40132.6%13.81262.0423.0%2
30Sammy Watkins2925.0%38327.4%13.21142.2525.4%1
31Amari Cooper2821.4%26929.0%9.61292.0021.7%3
32Courtland Sutton2821.5%48440.8%17.31291.9921.7%2
33Laviska Shenault2820.4%20115.5%7.21141.7024.6%0
34Marquise Brown2824.1%45132.2%16.11043.1326.9%4
35JuJu Smith-Schuster2716.0%17014.9%6.31340.9620.1%0
36Darnell Mooney2626.0%27640.1%10.61112.0423.4%2
37Emmanuel Sanders2617.3%42630.6%16.41411.9018.4%4
38Kenny Golladay2618.7%36230.2%13.91292.1920.2%2
39DeAndre Hopkins2519.4%27427.7%11.01371.6418.2%2
40Henry Ruggs2515.5%41528.4%16.61212.4520.7%0
41Ja'Marr Chase2523.8%36041.7%14.41102.7022.7%1
42Robert Woods2518.7%24921.4%9.91201.4320.8%6
43Tyler Lockett2524.5%32336.4%12.91132.9522.1%2
44A.J. Green2418.6%26126.4%10.91261.9719.0%2
45Allen Robinson2424.0%20830.2%8.71041.4323.1%1
46K.J. Osborn2415.7%20520.5%8.51301.6818.5%0
47Nelson Agholor2314.5%34928.9%15.21511.0915.2%1
48Zach Pascal2316.8%19720.2%8.61441.0816.0%6
49Braxton Berrios2216.2%14511.8%6.6941.6023.4%0
50DJ Chark2216.1%35627.5%16.21051.4721.0%1
51Kalif Raymond2214.1%25123.8%11.41251.4617.6%0
52Robby Anderson2215.7%34330.8%15.61381.0815.9%1
53Sterling Shepard2227.9%19026.1%8.6842.6526.2%0
54Antonio Brown2111.9%30720.4%14.6852.3624.7%2
55Jalen Reagor2014.6%17516.6%8.81141.0217.5%0
56Quintez Cephus2012.8%25323.9%12.61121.4817.9%2
57A.J. Brown1923.0%29139.0%15.3801.1523.8%3
58Chester Rogers1912.8%18115.0%9.51171.3116.2%1
59Kendrick Bourne1911.9%22118.3%11.61221.4815.6%0
60Tim Patrick1914.6%20817.5%10.91141.8716.7%0
61Amon-Ra St. Brown1811.5%17016.1%9.41121.0116.1%0
62Christian Kirk1814.0%26626.9%14.81052.3217.1%2
63Elijah Moore1813.2%23319.0%13.0840.7921.4%0
64Julio Jones1818.9%23327.5%13.0862.3720.9%2
65Mecole Hardman1813.5%12911.8%7.21031.1917.5%1
66Rondale Moore1814.0%383.8%2.1633.3528.6%1
67Van Jefferson1813.4%24821.3%13.81132.0015.9%1
68Bryan Edwards1710.6%22915.7%13.41391.5412.2%0
69Terrace Marshall1712.1%998.9%5.81060.8816.0%1
70Marquez Valdes-Scantling1612.8%32627.4%20.4691.1023.2%3
71Odell Beckham1626.7%29749.2%18.6601.7326.7%2
72Deonte Harris1517.6%20626.8%13.7612.6924.6%0
73Tee Higgins1527.3%14831.7%9.8562.1126.8%2
74Darius Slayton1419.1%20329.9%14.5562.2725.0%0
75Marquez Callaway1315.3%17723.0%13.6751.8317.3%2

   

Tight Ends

 TgtsTgt ShareAir YdsAY ShareaDOTRoutesYds/RtTgt/RtEnd Zone Tgt
1Darren Waller4024.8%40127.5%10.01631.6824.5%3
2Travis Kelce3224.1%24021.9%7.51212.5826.4%0
3George Kittle2922.3%18721.0%6.51092.0826.6%0
4T.J. Hockenson2918.6%21420.3%7.41471.4619.7%1
5Noah Fant2720.8%14612.3%5.41011.5426.7%1
6Kyle Pitts2616.6%22023.5%8.41341.4119.4%2
7Mike Gesicki2617.8%22721.5%8.71091.6923.9%0
8Mark Andrews2521.6%27219.4%10.91112.2822.5%1
9Dalton Schultz2317.6%9910.7%4.3822.4528.0%0
10Jared Cook2314.6%18816.4%8.21151.5720.0%2
11Tyler Conklin2214.4%757.6%3.41041.3821.2%0
12Jonnu Smith2113.2%816.7%3.9631.4033.3%2
13Dawson Knox2013.3%1188.5%5.91031.4019.4%3
14Rob Gronkowski2014.9%17416.9%8.7832.2224.1%2
15Zach Ertz1913.9%15815.0%8.3871.7621.8%3
16Hunter Henry1811.3%13511.2%7.51111.2716.2%0
17Tyler Higbee1813.4%877.5%4.81071.4216.8%3
18Austin Hooper1614.8%686.9%4.2651.4924.6%2
19Dallas Goedert1611.7%1049.8%6.5932.0217.2%2
20Maxx Williams1612.4%929.3%5.8812.2119.8%1
21Cole Kmet1515.0%10915.9%7.3840.7017.9%1
22Jack Doyle1510.9%9910.2%6.6771.5519.5%0
23Robert Tonyan1512.0%927.8%6.2810.9118.5%1
24Logan Thomas1411.6%12413.1%8.8871.3416.1%2
25Blake Jarwin139.9%859.2%6.6651.3720.0%1
26Ryan Griffin139.6%756.1%5.7590.7622.0%1
27Evan Engram1216.9%5810.7%4.8490.9824.5%0
28C.J. Uzomah1110.5%556.4%5.0831.6113.3%0
29Dan Arnold117.9%988.8%8.9581.4519.0%0
30Mo Alie-Cox118.0%9910.1%9.0571.3019.3%3
31Pat Freiermuth116.5%958.3%8.6721.2915.3%1
32Albert Okwuegbunam107.7%474.0%4.7501.1420.0%0
33David Njoku109.3%12212.4%12.2591.8816.9%0
34Harrison Bryant109.3%11011.2%11.0391.7725.6%0
35Juwan Johnson1011.8%10814.1%10.8361.7827.8%2
36Anthony Firkser96.0%534.4%5.9610.6914.8%0
37Eric Ebron95.3%746.5%8.2900.3010.0%2
38Gerald Everett911.3%334.3%3.6661.1713.6%0

   

Injury Report

Didn't Play

WR Tee Higgins (shoulder)

WRs Julio Jones & A.J. Brown (hamstrings)

WR Chase Claypool (hamstring)

WRs Sterling Shepard & Darius Slayton (hamstrings)

WR Russell Gage (ankle)

WR Elijah Moore (concussion)

WR Dee Eskridge (concussion)

TE Rob Gronkowski (ribs)

TE Gerald Everett (reserve/COVID-19)

WR Rashod Bateman (IR - groin) - was eligible to return Week 4 but didn't.

WR T.Y. Hilton (IR - neck) - was eligible to return Week 4 but didn't.

WR Michael Gallup (IR - calf) - eligible to return Week 5.

WR Tyrell Williams (IR - concussion) - eligible to return Week 5.

WR Jarvis Landry (IR - knee) - eligible to return Week 6.

WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (IR - hamstring) - eligible to return Week 7

    

In-Game Injuries

WR D.J. Chark (ankle) - out for season

WR Amari Cooper (hamstring) - returned to game

WR Will Fuller (broken finger) - out for Week 5

WRs Dyami Brown (knee) & Cam Sims (hamstring) - missed end of game

WR Diontae Spencer (chest) - ruled out for rest of game

TE Logan Thomas (hamstring) - left in first quarter, missed rest of game

          

Waivers & Sleepers for Week 5

Limited to players rostered in 50 percent or less of Yahoo leagues.

Wide Receivers

Waivers, Pt. 1 — Potential Week 5 Starters/Streamers

  1. DeVante Parker
  2. A.J. Green
  3. Nelson Agholor
  4. Hunter Renfrow
  5. Sammy Watkins
  6. Jamison Crowder
  7. Darnell Mooney
  8. Zach Pascal
  9. Van Jefferson
  10. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
  11. Allen Lazard

Waivers, Pt. 2 — Bench Stashes & Sleepers

  1. Curtis Samuel
  2. Kadarius Toney
  3. Elijah Moore
  4. Gabriel Davis
  5. Terrace Marshall
  6. Josh Gordon
  7. Amon-Ra St. Brown
  8. Rashod Bateman

   

Tight Ends

Waivers, Pt. 1 — Potential Week 5 Starters/Streamers

  1. Jared Cook
  2. Dalton Schultz
  3. Dawson Knox
  4. Cameron Brate
  5. Evan Engram
  6. Ricky Seals-Jones
  7. Tyler Conklin

Waivers, Pt. 2 — Bench Stashes & Sleepers

  1. Zach Ertz
  2. Dan Arnold
  3. Pat Freiermuth
  4. C.J. Uzomah
  5. Kylen Granson

     

Drops & Benchings

Drop'Em

WR K.J. Osborn

TE Austin Hooper

TE Blake Jarwin

         

Bench'Em

WR Brandon Aiyuk

WR JuJu Smith-Schuster

WR Mecole Hardman

WR Christian Kirk

TE Dallas Goedert

        

Game-by-Game Breakdowns

Jaguars (21) at Bengals (24) 

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Marvin Jones92.7%24313.6%1910.0%12.5%1.000
2Laviska Shenault76.4%18731.8%9046.4%38.9%5.500
3Tavon Austin72.7%20313.6%2512.7%15.0%0.400
4Chris Manhertz41.8%514.5%52.4%20.0%1.400
5Dan Arnold30.9%1029.1%0-0.2%20.0%2.900
  • DJ Chark fractured his ankle in the first quarter and will miss the rest of the season.
  • Jacksonville led for most of the game, and never trailed until Cincy's game-winning field goal on the final snap. Trevor Lawrence finished with only 24 pass attempts, down from 51, 33 and 34 over the first three weeks of the season.
  • Arnold got only 10 routes and two targets in his first game post-trade, catching two passes for 29 yards just three days after the Panthers sent him to the Jaguars. He made his case for more work once he actually knows the playbook.
  • Shenault has played 81.5% of his snaps in the slot this season, including 78.6% in Thursday's loss. Maybe the Chark injury frees up perimeter snaps moving forward, but it didn't happen Thursday night, with Shenault taking only six of 15 snaps in 12 personnel (two TEs).
    • Austin actually played more snaps (53.3%) in 12 personnel.
    • That said, Shenault caught six passes for 99 yards and led the team in every major receiving category. Between that and the Chark injury, his value obviously rose.
  • Jones was quiet, but the Chark injury means good health should be all that's needed to top last year's career-high 115 targets.

     

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1C.J. Uzomah81.8%25618.8%3714.9%24.0%3.800
2Ja'Marr Chase80.0%32928.1%9739.3%28.1%2.410
3Tyler Boyd61.8%281134.4%8735.1%39.3%4.210
4Auden Tate32.7%613.1%93.8%16.7%3.000
5Mike Thomas30.9%1013.1%00.0%10.0%0.000
6Trenton Irwin29.1%1313.1%239.4%7.7%1.920
  • Tee Higgins (back) missed a second straight game, but ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported last week that the Bengals expect him to return for Week 5.
    • Tate, Thomas and Irwin split snaps in the No. 3 role, after Tate handled most of it (57%) in Week 3. They can all be ignored even if Higgins misses another game.
  • There's nothing better than a mediocre tight end whose name is fun for fans to shout every time he catches a pass....Ooooze!
    • Uzomah went for 5-95-2 and led the skill players in snaps, but only after going 2-35-0, 2-4-0 and 0-0-0 over the first three weeks (while playing 74%, 73% and 70% of snaps).
    • Uzomah is averaging 20.8 routes per game, 20th among tight ends, but he's been targeted on only 11 of 83 routes (13.3%) even after the big TNF performance.
  • In two games without Higgins, Chase has seen 28.0% of targets and Boyd 34.0%.
    • Compare that to Weeks 1-2, when Chase got 20.0% and Boyd had 23.6% (while Higgins led the team at 27.3%).
  • Thirty teams have attempted more passes than the Bengals' 107 (26.8 per game). It's a loss of 9.5 attempts per game compared to last year, though an easy early schedule has been a factor.

         

Lions (14) at Bears (24) 

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Quintez Cephus86.6%33513.5%5918.4%15.2%2.520
2T.J. Hockenson80.6%39821.6%6319.6%20.5%1.080
3Kalif Raymond74.6%32616.2%8727.3%18.8%1.440
4Amon-Ra St. Brown71.6%31821.6%7122.1%25.8%2.260
5Trinity Benson29.9%1238.1%247.5%25.0%1.001
  • D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams were quiet in this one, but Jared Goff has still thrown 28.0% of his targets to RBs on the season, third-highest rate in the league (Matt Ryan - 28.9%, Tua Tagovailoa - 29.0%).
  • St. Brown played 47 of 51 snaps (92.2%) in three-wide sets, and just four of 20 snaps (20.0%) otherwise.
    • Cephus played 90.0% in three-wide, plus 14 of 18 (77.8%) in 12/21 personnel.
    • Raymond was at 76.5% and 72.2%, respectively.
  • Cephus, St. Brown and Raymond are all between 4.5 and 5.5 targets per game (18-22 total) for the year.

     

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Cole Kmet98.2%14317.6%5825.7%21.4%0.431
2Darnell Mooney70.2%15741.2%11953.0%46.7%8.330
3Allen Robinson68.4%16317.6%5222.9%18.8%3.940
4Marquise Goodwin50.9%11211.8%73.0%18.2% 0
  • Mooney went wild in the first quarter, with gains of 4, 4, 21 and then 64 yards. He later had a 10-yard carry and a 32-yard reception to set up a Damien Williams TD in the third quarter.
  • Justin Fields attempted only 17 passes.
  • So many tough breaks for Allen Robinson this year. Not sure if he's a "buy low" or "sell while you still can". In dynasty, at least, it's probably the former. He'll get his QB eventually, right?

         

Titans (24) at Jets (27) - OT 

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Nick Westbrook-Ikhine81.7%48816.3%9224.2%16.7%0.601
2Josh Reynolds77.4%48918.4%13736.1%18.8%1.231
3Chester Rogers65.6%45612.2%5514.5%13.3%1.400
4Anthony Firkser49.5%36510.2%369.3%13.9%0.640
5Cameron Batson24.7%1348.2%7419.4%30.8%0.152
  • Julio Jones and A.J. Brown both missed the game with hamstring injuries.
    • Westbrok-Ikhine was a flop, despite seeing eight targets. And keep in mind that eight targets was only 16.3% of the team total; RB Jeremy McNichols actually led the team with 12 targets in this one.
    • Reynolds, a healthy scratch the week before, saw nine targets on 48 routes and 77.4% of snaps.
  • Confession: I panicked and spent $4 on Firkser in an auction where Tyler Higbee later went for $5 and Jared Cook for $3. I've done much stupider things, and I'm actually doing well in the league anyway thanks to Deebo Samuel, but for some reason that stupid Firkser decision bothers me nearly every time I look at my roster.
    • The 36 routes hint at some short-term potential, mayyybe, but the low target rate all but confirms Firkser will be useless if Brown and Jones ever stay healthy. TBD if he can take advantage of their absences, which may or may not extend beyond Week 4.
  • Rogers put up 5-63-0, but his role didn't change too much in terms of snap/target share. (He also played 60-some percent of snaps in negative game script Week 1.)
    • He played 65 of 73 snaps (89.0%) in 11 personnel, and zero of 15 in 12 personnel.
    • Reynolds got 87.7% in 11 personnel. NWI was at 83.6%, and Firkser at 60.3%.

     

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Corey Davis81.7%29720.6%13541.0%24.1%3.830
2Tyler Kroft76.7%2412.9%237.1%4.2%00
3Jamison Crowder63.3%27926.5%5316.1%33.3%2.261
4Keelan Cole58.3%24411.8%9428.6%16.7%3.830
5Ryan Griffin56.7%13411.8%3711.3%30.8%0.621
  • Crowder made his first appearance of the season, leading the team with nine targets while immediately displacing fellow slot man Braxton Berrios, who finished with one target on 15% of snaps.
  • Davis had gains of 13 and 30 on consecutive plays in the third quarter, then made a tough catch in coverage for a 53-yard TD in the fourth.
    • Davis ranks 36th among WRs in target share (21.3%) and 22nd in AY share (32.6%). His 401 air yards are tied with DK Metcalf for 16th most.

         

Browns (14) at Vikings (7) 

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Odell Beckham79.7%31722.6%15347.8%22.6%0.872
2Austin Hooper74.3%18516.1%165.0%27.8%0.611
3David Njoku64.9%1626.5%-1-0.3%12.5%1.060
4Donovan Peoples-Jones58.1%2200.0%00.0%0.0%0.000
5Rashard Higgins51.4%23722.6%9128.6%30.4%2.740
6Harrison Bryant37.8%826.5%206.1%25.0%0.380
  • Beckham took on a full workload after playing 64% of snaps in his first game back. He also got a carry for the second straight week, adding four yards to his ugly 2-27-0 receiving line
    • Beckham's 26.7% target share (in two games) places 16th among WRs, while his 49.2% AY share is second. With 297 air yards on 16 targets, Beckham has an 18.6 aDOT (it was 13.6 in 2020, 13.0 in 2019).
  • Higgins put up 4-63-0 while tying OBJ for the team target lead, but Higgins' role was mostly the same. He played only seven of 19 snaps (36.8%) in 12 personnel, and only one of 16 snaps in 13 personnel.
    • Beckham played 24 of the 35 snaps (68.6%) in those multi-TE formations, including seven of the 10 pass snaps. Overall, he ran 31 routes on 37 Baker Mayfield dropbacks (0.84 r/db).

     

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Adam Thielen98.4%39822.2%12142.4%20.5%1.180
2Justin Jefferson87.3%39719.4%9232.1%17.9%2.151
3Tyler Conklin85.7%32616.7%51.6%18.8%0.560
4K.J. Osborn61.9%30719.4%7124.7%23.3%0.870
  • An oddly even target distribution, with playing time right in the usual range for everyone.
  • Jefferson is only 23rd among WRs with 24.2% target share, but there isn't much difference between, say, 15th and 30th, at this point. That's close enough to expectations, and slightly ahead of Adam Thielen (22.2%).
    • Jefferson's aDOT is 11.2, Thielen's 9.0. Jefferson also has one more EZ target (3-2), though Thielen has a 4-3 TD lead.
  • Conklin is 11th among TEs in targets (22) and 15th in target share (14.4%). He's lost six routes per game to pass blocking, but he's been targeted on a surprisingly high percentage of his routes (21.2, 16th among TEs) for a career backup who is sharing the field with Thielen and Jefferson.
    • (I think some of Conklin's early targets will go toward Thielen/Jefferson as the year progresses... but also, Thielen and Jefferson can't possibly score 89% of the receiving TDs, right?)

         

Panthers (28) at Cowboys (36) 

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Robby Anderson85.3%401128.2%14042.2%27.5%1.150
2DJ Moore85.3%391230.8%11434.2%30.8%2.901
3Terrace Marshall72.1%3437.7%216.2%8.8%0.060
4Ian Thomas64.7%2337.7%-1-0.2%13.0%0.650
5Tommy Tremble36.8%1712.6%3410.3%5.9% 00
  • Thomas and Tremble worked in a timeshare in the first game without Dan Arnold, who was traded to Jacksonville last week.
    • They combined for four targets on 40 routes, and neither ran a route on more than half of Sam Darnold's 46 dropbacks.
  • Anderson finally got volume but finished with only 5-46-0.
  • Marshall actually played the most snaps in 11 personnel, 46 of 50 (92.0%). Anderson got 90.0%, Moore 84.0%, Thomas 52.0% and Tremble 42.0%.
    • Thomas played the most snaps (17 of 19 - 89.5%) in 12 and 21 personnel, followed by Moore (84.2%) and Anderson (73.7%). Marshall (21.1%) still really only plays in three-wide sets.
  • Moore ranks seventh among WRs in target share (30.7%) and 17th in AY share (38.7%). His 10.0 aDOT is down from 13.2 last season, but it's working perfectly so far, with Moore catching 69.8% of his 43 targets.

     

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Dalton Schultz78.6%18836.4%169.6%44.4%3.220
2CeeDee Lamb78.6%21522.7%6538.3%23.8%0.620
3Cedrick Wilson57.1%1729.1%126.8%11.8%1.760
4Blake Jarwin55.4%6313.6%2212.8%50.0%3.000
5Amari Cooper46.4%16313.6%5130.1%18.8%4.310
  • Cooper hurt his hamstring and returned, but it obviously impacted his workload.
  • Coming off 6-80-2 on 68% of snaps the previous week, Schultz logged season-high 79% snap share en route to 6-58-1 on eight targets.
    • Schultz even ran 18 routes on 24 Dak Prescott dropbacks (75.0%), while Jarwin was at a meager 25.0% route share despite playing 55.4% of snaps.
  • Schultz took 19 of the 27 snaps (70.4%) in 11 personnel, up from 50.0% in Week 3, 61.9% in Week 2, 54.5% in Week 1.
    • The Cowboys are using more two-TE formations than most expected, but that could change when Michael Gallup (calf) returns, or if the team starts to struggle and plays from behind more often. Schultz, however, may be protected, now that he's taking more of the three-wide snaps away from Jarwin.
  • Lamb and Cooper both have at least 21.4% target share and 29.0% AY share, but the Cowboys are just 22nd in pass attempts (33.3).

         

Texans (0) at Bills (40) 

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Brandin Cooks85.7%23735.0%8451.2%30.4%2.040
2Chris Conley85.7%2315.0%1911.9%4.3% 00
3Pharaoh Brown73.8%16210.0%74.3%12.5%0.380
4Anthony Miller73.8%21525.0%4426.8%23.8%0.140
5Jordan Akins38.1%715.0%52.8%14.3%0.570
  • Cooks was held to 5-47-0, which is actually good given how poorly the rest of his team played. He's your league leader in target share and air-yard share, also ranking top 10 in air yards, yards per route, targets per route... basically everything we track besides number of routes, end-zone targets and touchdowns.
    • I did warn last week that the efficiency is far from sustainable. But the usage shouldn't slow down, as nothing else the Texans do works nearly as well.

     

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Dawson Knox80.3%22827.6%3716.0%36.4%1.681
2Stefon Diggs73.2%25931.0%8838.0%36.0%3.080
3Emmanuel Sanders70.4%24620.7%8436.2%25.0%3.081
4Cole Beasley49.3%2026.9%31.2%10.0%0.800
5Gabriel Davis43.7%913.4%167.0%11.1% 0.001
  • Knox has blocked on just eight of 130 pass snaps (6.2%), per PFF. Last year it was 16.0%.
    • He dropped 12 passes his first two seasons, but has just one drop and 15 receptions this year.
  • Knox is 18th among TEs in TS (13.3%), but he's one of five with three end-zone targets on the year. He and Gronk are the only TEs with four touchdowns.
  • Beasley's snap share was way down, but he still got 77.5% in 11 personnel, including 91.7% in the first half.
  • Prior to halftime, Diggs and Knox played 89.2% of snaps, Sanders 75.7%, Beasley 64.9% and Davis only 32.4%.

         

Giants (27) at Saints (21) - OT 

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Kenny Golladay91.7%37719.4%9431.6%18.9%3.140
2Kadarius Toney76.7%33925.0%7324.5%27.3%2.360
3Evan Engram66.7%25616.7%206.6%24.0%1.080
4Kyle Rudolph60.0%1738.3%237.8%17.6%1.411
5John Ross46.7%21411.1%7224.3%19.0%3.670
  • Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard both missed the game with hamstring injuries.
  • Toney didn't score, but he led the team in targets and played 78% of snaps, running only four fewer routes than Golladay (who finally had a big game of his own... 6-116-0).
    • Toney took 58.7% of his routes in the slot, down a bit from 69.0% in Week 2 (when he managed only 2-16-0 on 66% of snaps).
    • Toney played 36 of 38 snaps (95%) in 11 personnel, and 12 of 18 snaps (67%) in 12 personnel.
  • The Giants have the eighth-highest pass rate (62%) in neutral game script.

     

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Marquez Callaway81.5%2128.3%6430.9%9.5%3.520
2Adam Trautman56.9%714.2%10.7%14.3%0.430
3Ty Montgomery52.3%16312.5%3014.3%18.8%2.630
4Deonte Harris50.8%19833.3%6933.4%42.1%2.740
5Kenny Stills23.1%614.2%41.9%16.7% 0
6Juwan Johnson20.0%9312.5%2110.1%33.3%2.220
  • Harris put up 5-52-0 on a team-high eight targets but still played only 49% of snaps.
  • Johnson scored his third TD, but he still hasn't topped 18 snaps in a game, and has just 10 targets for the year.
  • The Saints are t-27th in play volume (57.5 per game) and dead last in pass attempts (22.5).
    • Their 54.0% run rate in neutral game script is a league high. Other teams at 50 percent or higher are Chicago (52%), Cleveland (52%), Jacksonville (50%), Baltimore (50%), Detroit (50%) and Tennessee (50%)
      • 'neutral game script' = excludes 2-minute warning of the first half + all of Q4 + all plays run with a score differential of more than 7.

         

Chiefs (42) at Eagles (30) 

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Travis Kelce87.3%27620.0%2110.3%22.2%0.850
2Tyreek Hill82.5%251240.0%14169.3%48.0%7.440
3Demarcus Robinson66.7%2100.0%00.0%0.0%0.000
4Mecole Hardman54.0%18310.0%115.3%16.7%0.891
  • Hardman played 85.3% of snaps in 11 personnel, but the Chiefs used more multi-TE sets while playing with a decent lead for the first time all year.
  • The Chiefs are only 15th in neutral game script pass rate (57%). In 2019, they were No. 1 (67%). In 2020, they were No. 3 (63%). In other words, Andy Reid is making a bit more effort to run the ball on early downs this year. Or at least he has so far.
  • I don't really but into Josh Gordon mattering at this point, but I understand the argument for stashing him. Upside! (or what remains of it.)

     

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1DeVonta Smith91.4%461022.7%15845.0%21.7%2.651
2Dallas Goedert74.3%34511.4%339.3%14.7%1.651
3Jalen Reagor71.4%3612.3%-1-0.2%2.8%0.250
4Quez Watkins58.6%30715.9%6418.2%23.3%1.101
5Zach Ertz50.0%29818.2%6317.9%27.6%2.072
6Greg Ward30.0%1624.5%195.4%12.5%0.941
  • Reagor and Watkins split snaps in 12 personnel, while Watkins and Ward rotated in 11 personnel. Ward only poached two targets (including a TD), but that's enough to matter for guys like Reagor and Watkins that are already fringe.
    • And Reagor was looking pretty good after last week, too. He did run 36 routes in this one, and he played 79.2% of snaps in the fourth quarter. So it's not like he was benched; he just lost a few more snaps... and saw just one target on 36 routes.
  • Smith ranks 28th among WRs in TS (22.6%) but 6th in AYS (44.5%). His 15.2 aDOT is tied with Nelson Agholor for 10th deepest, helping explain the 56.3% catch rate.
    • The rookie had a 34-yard TD taken off the board because he stepped out of bounds before catching the ball. Reagor had the same thing happen earlier this year...
  • Goedert rebounded for 5-56-1, but he still lost too many snaps to Ertz, getting only 64.6% of the playing time in 11 personnel. That was at least better than Week 3, when Goedert had only a 51-47 advantage over Ertz there.
  • Ertz put up 6-60-0 on eight targets, with both incompletions coming in the red/end zone. And he had a TD wiped out by a Quez Watkins OPI penalty. So, Ertz was busy, but he ran only the fifth most routes on the team. Hard to count on either him or Goedert right now.

         

Colts (27) at Dolphins (17) 

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Michael Pittman85.1%31825.0%8630.4%25.8%1.901
2Zach Pascal80.6%30515.6%269.4%16.7%1.470
3Mo Alie-Cox68.7%16515.6%7024.9%31.3%2.633
4Parris Campbell46.3%2439.4%5118.1%12.5%0.920
5Kylen Granson41.8%1726.3%41.4%11.8%0.180
6Jack Doyle29.9%513.1%238.2%20.0%4.800
  • Doyle was limited in practice last week with a back injury. That likely explains his reduced playing time and Alie-Cox's increased playing time, though the latter still ran a route on less than half of Carson Wentz's dropbacks (16 of 34).
    • I know some of you have already learned a lesson about chasing Alie-Cox's touchdowns.
  • Alie-Cox and Granson each played 42.4% of snaps in 11 personnel.

     

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
DeVante Parker89.8%32930.0%12753.9%28.1%2.412
Jaylen Waddle79.6%28413.3%187.7%14.3%1.180
Mike Gesicki67.3%24620.0%5221.9%25.0%2.380
Albert Wilson49.0%1926.7%229.5%10.5%0.580
Durham Smythe40.8%926.7%-2-0.7%22.2%0.670
Adam Shaheen38.8%713.3%93.8%14.3%00
Will Fuller26.5%826.7%114.7%25.0%0.750
  • Fuller left in the first half, allowing Wilson to jump back in as the No. 3 receiver. Fuller will be out for at least one game with a broken finger.
  • Waddle took 66.7% of his snaps in the slot. Wilson took 20.8% of his there. Same as at the beginning of the season, Miami mostly wants the rookie playing inside even if there's another supposed slot guy on the field.
  • I'm sure Matthew Berry would give you some fun statistic like 'DeVante Parker is one of three players with seven or more targets in every game this season'
    • I made up the statistic — at least the second part — and would rather have Waddle r-o-s.

         

Washington Football Team (34) at Falcons (30) 

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Terry McLaurin96.8%331339.4%22874.0%39.4%3.733
2Ricky Seals-Jones91.9%26412.1%299.3%15.4%0.730
3Adam Humphries67.7%2613.0%123.7%3.8%0.730
4Dyami Brown45.2%1426.1%3611.7%14.3%1.361
5Curtis Samuel35.5%12412.1%-6-2.0%33.3%1.580
  • Samuel returned from IR with a part-time role in his first appearance for Washington, sharing snaps with Dyami Brown while Adam Humphries maintained his familiar role as the slot/third receiver.
  • Brown played two-thirds of snaps through three quarters, but then left with a knee injury. Samuel played only 28.3% of snaps before the fourth quarter, then got 50.0% in the fourth.
    • Samuel should see more work in his next game, assuming no setbacks, especially after Brown and No. 5 receiver Cam Sims (hamstring) were unable to finish out Sunday's win. Plus....
  • Logan Thomas exited after five snaps with a hamstring injury, leaving Seals-Jones to take over his every-down role. RSJ finished with only 2-19-0 on four targets, but he tied for second on the team in routes (26) and also saw an unofficial, uncatchable target on a two-point conversion attempt late in the game.
  • McLaurin lit up the stat sheet in every way possible with A+ usage and production. Just look how pretty it was ^^^
    • Seven of his 13 targets travelled 20-plus yards downfield, and he caught four of them for 94 yards and two TDs, per PFF.
  • Star RG Brandon Scherff suffered an MCL sprain and is expected to miss 2-3 weeks.
    • Washington really took a beating. In addition to Thomas, Scherff, Brown and Sims, the team lost starting LB Jon Bostic to a pectoral tear (likely season-ending) and backup CB Torry McTyer to an ACL tear (definitely season-ending).

     

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Calvin Ridley97.2%411332.5%19349.0%31.7%1.950
2Olamide Zaccheaus78.9%3337.5%4511.5%9.1%0.451
3Kyle Pitts73.2%33922.5%8722.1%27.3%1.521
4Hayden Hurst64.8%23410.0%133.4%17.4%1.260
5Tajae Sharpe26.8%1425.0%112.9%14.3%1.070
  • Russell Gage (ankle) was out again.
  • Zaccheaus and Hurst played all 27 snaps in 12 personnel. Ridley took 26, and Pitts got 23.
  • In 11 personnel, Zaccheaus played 21 of 21 snaps, with Sharpe and Ridley each getting 20. Hurst got 11, and Pitts took 10. But only five of Hurst's were pass snaps, and all 10 of Pitts' were.
  • Zaccheaus really only came off the field for one-wide sets; the Falcons just use those more than most teams.
  • For the year, Pitts has played 63.7% of snaps in 11 personnel. You'd like to see a little more, but he's getting plenty of routes and targets.
  • The Falcons ran 23 plays in 13 personnel with Pitts, Hurst and Lee Smith all on the field at TE. Ridley was the lone WR for 21 of those plays, of which 10 were passes.
  • Ridley finally saw deep work, going 1-for-4 on targets 20-plus yards downfield. He's now 1-for-7 on the year, with two drops.
    • This bumped his aDOT up to 10.7, far closer to what we expected. Last week we discussed the lack of downfield work and surprising sub-10 aDOT.
  • Ridley is tied for fifth in inside-the-10 targets (four) and fourth in red-zone targets (seven).

         

Seahawks (28) at 49ers (21) 

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Tyler Lockett85.2%25522.7%3124.8%20.0%0.960
2Will Dissly81.5%1629.1%-6-4.8%12.5%0.310
3DK Metcalf81.5%24836.4%8467.0%33.3%2.710
4Colby Parkinson70.4%1500.0%00.0%0.0%0.000
5Freddie Swain42.6%12418.2%1612.7%33.3%1.671
  • Gerald Everett (reserve/COVID-19) didn't play. But he did test negative Monday, and can now return for Thursday's game against the Rams with another negative Tuesday.
    • Dissly and Parkinson both played a lot, but it was Dissly who got 72.7% of the snaps in 11 personnel (i.e., when they only had one TE on the field).
    • Dissly blocked on only three of 22 pass snaps (13.6%). Last year, he blocked on 28%. So maybe there's a hint of upside if Everett misses more time.
  • The Seahawks haven't passed or scored as much as Metcalf drafters hoped for, but he does now rank fourth in TS (32.4%) and fifth in AYS (45.2%).

     

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1George Kittle91.7%351128.2%9726.4%31.4%1.140
2Deebo Samuel88.9%401230.8%11531.2%30.0%3.900
3Brandon Aiyuk68.1%2937.7%4411.9%10.3%0.520
4Mohamed Sanu48.6%26512.8%4712.8%19.2%1.350
5Trent Sherfield27.8%1325.1%246.5%15.4%-0
  • Aiyuk lost snaps to Sherfield again, after returning to a full-time role with 86% of snaps in the Week 3 loss to Green Bay. Serves me right for actually trusting him/Shanahan.
  • Kittle took on a massive workload despite playing through a calf injury.

         

Cardinals (37) at Rams (20) 

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1DeAndre Hopkins96.0%35724.1%8648.6%20.0%1.910
2A.J. Green85.3%33620.7%4726.6%18.2%2.030
3Christian Kirk72.0%3013.4%42.0%3.3%0.170
4Maxx Williams57.3%18517.2%2111.7%27.8%3.671
5Rondale Moore42.7%14310.3%-4-2.2%21.4%2.000
  • Little change in terms of playing time; Moore still the fourth WR, poaching snaps mostly from Kirk. I'd take Green over both r-o-s, as he's looked pretty good and has a comfortable edge in targets (24-18-18). Then again, he's definitely not his old self, and Moore makes more sense as a lottery ticket in shallower formats where stable mediocrity means nothing.
    • Green has six targets in every game.
  • I worry about Hopkins more than I worry about other top receivers who are off to slow starts. Not that he'll have a bad year, but that he just won't see enough targets to live up to ADP even if he starts to ball out. He's always been on teams that needed to throw him the ball. Now he's on a team that can throw to other players, run effectively and even play a bit of defense. Not to say I'm all-in on AZ, but the Cards are certainly a good team even if it's too early to call them a great one.

     

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Robert Woods95.3%39614.6%6418.2%15.4%1.232
2Cooper Kupp95.3%401331.7%10529.6%32.5%1.600
3Tyler Higbee79.7%30614.6%4713.2%20.0%1.202
4Van Jefferson67.2%31614.6%7621.5%19.4%2.901
5DeSean Jackson32.8%1037.3%6217.4%30.0%0.600
  • Woods got a pair of EZ targets and finished with 4-48-1, but he still saw less than half as many looks as Kupp overall.
    • Woods is down to 18.7% TS and 21.4% AYS, roughly the same neighborhood as Laviska Shenault and Chris Godwin (an odd trio, come to think of it). And all disappointing, but not necessarily busts just yet.
  • Jefferson got six targets for a second straight game, even with Jackson taking about one-third of his snaps. And Jefferson put up 6-90-1, scoring for the second time this year.
    • Jefferson has been targeted on only 15.9% of his routes, however. No surprise given his teammates.

         

Steelers (17) at Packers (27) 

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1JuJu Smith-Schuster94.8%40820.5%9836.2%20.0%0.280
2Diontae Johnson91.4%401333.3%13148.5%32.5%2.300
3James Washington82.8%37512.8%4516.5%13.5%1.860
4Pat Freiermuth53.4%1812.6%103.5%5.6%0.610
5Eric Ebron48.3%2125.1%51.7%9.5%0.380
  • Chase Claypool (hamstring) didn't play, but coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that he'd return to practice this week.
    • Washington filled in and caught four of five targets for 69 yards. He'd played 80% of snaps filling in for Johnson the previous week, with 3-20-0 on five targets. That's only 10.3% target share on 82% of snaps over the past two games.
  • Freiermuth v. Ebron remains close to 50/50. Any perceived movement in favor of one guy's playing time has then reversed the following week.
  • Smith-Schuster plays a ton of snaps but still has just 16.0% TS and 14.9% AYS. Hard to see much upside for redraft.

     

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Davante Adams87.5%381131.4%7825.2%28.9%1.680
2Allen Lazard79.2%3538.6%299.5%8.6%0.941
3Robert Tonyan77.8%26720.0%8026.1%26.9%0.311
4Marcedes Lewis48.6%925.7%278.9%22.2%0.780
5Randall Cobb45.8%24617.1%6621.4%25.0%2.881
  • With Marquez Valdes-Scantling (hamstring) out for the first of at least three games, Lazard saw a slight bump from his previous snap shares (68%, 65%, 67%)
  • Cobb, however, was the clear winner, though 45.8% snap share and 60.0% route share aren't exactly great numbers. The bet would need to be that his solid performance leads to more playing time, but even that might just be temporary (or not... Rodgers does love him).

         

Ravens (23) at Broncos (7) 

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Sammy Watkins74.3%29720.0%9523.3%24.1%1.690
2Marquise Brown62.9%29514.3%9824.1%17.2%3.141
3Mark Andrews61.4%33822.9%7719.0%24.2%2.030
4Devin Duvernay42.9%16617.1%7718.9%37.5%1.941
5James Proche32.9%17617.1%4310.6%35.3%4.350
  • Brown atoned for his infamous Week 3 drops with a ridiculous diving TD grab.
  • Watkins is 20th among WRs with 25.0% target share. He's seen seven or eight targets in each game, and has caught exactly four passes for 44 or more yards in each contest. Watkins still hasn't scored a touchdown, but his per-game averages for catches (4.0), targets (7.3) and yards (64.3) would all be the best numbers he's posted since 2015.
  • Andrews had a 30-yard TD called back for an O-line penalty. He finished with 5-67-0 on a season-high eight targets.

     

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Courtland Sutton94.9%42821.6%15846.7%19.0%1.121
2Noah Fant93.2%361027.0%4513.2%27.8%1.281
3Tim Patrick93.2%38616.2%7321.4%15.8%1.030
4Kendall Hinton40.7%1838.1%247.2%16.7%0.720
5David Moore32.2%1200.0%00.0%0.0%0.000
6Albert Okwuegbunam25.4%825.4%3811.1%25.0%1.380
  • Diontae Spencer replaced KJ Hamler (torn ACL) as the No. 3 receiver but then left the game with a chest injury. Moore and HInton filled in, while Sutton, Fant and Patrick predictably dominated targets on a brutal day for the Denver offense.
  • Teddy Bridgewater suffered a concussion in the second quarter, and Drew Lock was a disaster in the second half.
    • Fant saw the most target (six) from Lock, followed by Sutton (five) and then Patrick (three) and Javonte Williams (three).

         

Buccaneers (19) at Patriots (17)

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Chris Godwin93.2%42511.6%7716.4%11.9%1.311
2Mike Evans87.8%421227.9%12827.2%28.6%1.790
3O.J. Howard67.6%1412.3%40.8%7.1%0
4Cameron Brate63.5%29614.0%8417.8%20.7%1.001
5Antonio Brown50.0%281125.6%12727.0%39.3%2.252
6Tyler Johnson21.6%1024.7%449.4%20.0% 01
  • Godwin saw 14 targets Week 1 but has received just five, seven and five in three subsequent games.
  • With Gronk out, Howard and Brate split snaps. Brate drawing more targets was no fluke, as he ran more than twice as many routes as Howard. But Brate still ran fewer routes than a healthy Gronk would've, plus he's not likely to produce at quite the same rate per-route or per-target.
    • Brate finished with 2-29-0 on six targets, including an end-zone target. The Bucs do throw a lot...

     

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Jakobi Meyers94.4%431228.6%6830.9%27.9%1.630
2Nelson Agholor72.2%36511.9%6329.0%13.9%1.530
3Hunter Henry68.5%26511.9%2913.2%19.2%1.230
4Kendrick Bourne59.3%30511.9%4620.9%16.7%1.930
5Jonnu Smith48.1%18511.9%167.4%27.8%0.782
6N'Keal Harry25.9%1012.4%114.8%10.0%1.000
  • Smith saw two EZ targets and finished with 3-14-1, scoring his first TD for the Pats.
  • Henry has 18 targets, t-16th, with a 7.5 aDOT. He has the edge in terms of snaps, routes and yards, but not with dominant shares in any of those categories. Looks like both are more TE2 than TE1, though it's hard to tell the difference at some point.
  • Meyers is t-7th in targets (41) and 19th in target share (25.8%). And his 8.6 aDOT isn't all that shallow.

         

Raiders (14) at Chargers (28) 

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Darren Waller92.9%37721.9%7325.9%18.9%1.351
2Bryan Edwards89.3%33412.5%3612.6%12.1%0.120
3Henry Ruggs80.4%32618.8%13447.5%18.8%1.880
4Hunter Renfrow66.1%31825.0%4014.3%25.8%1.451
  • Edwards and Ruggs picked up some extra snaps with the Raiders playing from behind all night. They normally lose a few more plays to Zay Jones and Willie Snead / to the backup tight ends.
  • Renfrow is 46th among WRs with 18.6% target share, ahead of both Ruggs (15.5%) and Edwards (10.6%).
    • But Ruggs has the 16.6 aDOT, and he's caught four of eight deep throws for 172 yards and a TD this year. While that level of efficiency isn't likely to continue, he and Derek Carr do seem to have a good thing cooking.... and Carr in general has been excellent throwing deep the past couple seasons.

     

 Snap %RoutesTgtTgt Sh.AYAY %Tgt/RtYds/RtEZ Tgts
1Keenan Allen87.8%381129.7%7827.6%28.9%0.950
2Mike Williams85.1%36410.8%7526.6%11.1%0.310
3Jalen Guyton55.4%2925.4%258.9%6.9%0.310
4Jared Cook52.7%30718.9%6523.2%23.3%2.331
5Donald Parham52.7%1138.1%165.7%27.3%1.551
  • Williams finally had a dud, but his season stats remain awesome.
  • Cook finally had the game we've been promising.
    • Cook has run the fifth most routes (115) among TEs, drawing a target on 20.0% of those routes (17th). He's t-9th in total targets (23) and 7th in air yards (188). He should be one of the better bad tight ends, if not the best of them!

         

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jerry Donabedian
Jerry was a 2018 finalist for the FSWA's Player Notes Writer of the Year and DFS Writer of the Year awards. A Baltimore native, Jerry roots for the Ravens and watches "The Wire" in his spare time.
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