Hidden Stat Line: Targets, Routes & Snaps from Week 7

Hidden Stat Line: Targets, Routes & Snaps from Week 7

This article is part of our Hidden Stat Line series.

If you haven't already, check out the twin brother to this article, Hidden Stat Line: Week 7 Backfield Usage, complete with sortable stat leaderboards, team-by-team recaps and waiver-wire recommendations for the upcoming week. Now, let's look at wide receivers and tight ends...

Week 7 Sortable Stat Leaderboards

Tight Ends

(Bold indicates Top 5 for the week)

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir Yards
1Evan Engram83%280.82931%46
2George Kittle91%250.93728%41
3Darren Waller91%310.76925%49
4Rob Gronkowski76%300.67820%104
5Richard Rodgers85%310.65820%70
6T.J. Hockenson73%290.76619%54
7Logan Thomas78%190.68419%38
8Noah Fant70%260.59718%67
9Harrison Bryant77%170.61518%47
10Hunter Henry77%350.73717%47
11Hayden Hurst74%360.82717%49
12Gerald Everett76%200.57516%19
13Jimmy Graham76%300.68616%25
14Eric Ebron84%420.84816%64
15Dalton Schultz80%230.72314%13
16Drew Sample97%440.85613%22
17Jonnu Smith70%140.42413%18
18Travis Kelce78%240.83312%-1
19James O'Shaughnessy70%180.5312%25
20David Njoku60%120.43311%43
21Jared Cook49%

If you haven't already, check out the twin brother to this article, Hidden Stat Line: Week 7 Backfield Usage, complete with sortable stat leaderboards, team-by-team recaps and waiver-wire recommendations for the upcoming week. Now, let's look at wide receivers and tight ends...

Week 7 Sortable Stat Leaderboards

Tight Ends

(Bold indicates Top 5 for the week)

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir Yards
1Evan Engram83%280.82931%46
2George Kittle91%250.93728%41
3Darren Waller91%310.76925%49
4Rob Gronkowski76%300.67820%104
5Richard Rodgers85%310.65820%70
6T.J. Hockenson73%290.76619%54
7Logan Thomas78%190.68419%38
8Noah Fant70%260.59718%67
9Harrison Bryant77%170.61518%47
10Hunter Henry77%350.73717%47
11Hayden Hurst74%360.82717%49
12Gerald Everett76%200.57516%19
13Jimmy Graham76%300.68616%25
14Eric Ebron84%420.84816%64
15Dalton Schultz80%230.72314%13
16Drew Sample97%440.85613%22
17Jonnu Smith70%140.42413%18
18Travis Kelce78%240.83312%-1
19James O'Shaughnessy70%180.5312%25
20David Njoku60%120.43311%43
21Jared Cook49%210.55411%30
22Tyler Kroft78%410.85410%39
23Robert Tonyan50%200.5926%27
24Darren Fells78%350.7300%0

  

Wide Receivers

(Bold indicates Top 15 for the week)

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir Yards
1Terry McLaurin84%270.961152%109
2Davante Adams92%330.971648%136
3Tyler Lockett93%540.952043%233
4Tyreek Hill73%240.831042%103
5Corey Davis91%320.971033%94
6Amari Cooper75%240.75733%59
7Braxton Berrios84%260.9732%50
8Denzel Mims79%230.79732%53
9Keenan Allen85%420.881331%116
10Robby Anderson87%290.94831%106
11JuJu Smith-Schuster82%470.941531%120
12DJ Chark87%330.92729%118
13Stefon Diggs97%4811229%124
14Cole Beasley82%440.921229%69
15Marquez Callaway73%360.951029%75
16Diontae Johnson75%430.861429%95
17Brandon Aiyuk76%220.81728%108
18Sterling Shepard77%260.76828%57
19A.J. Green87%460.881328%183
20Tyler Boyd80%470.91328%72
21Travis Fulgham96%470.981127%128
22A.J. Brown93%310.94827%94
23Jakobi Meyers79%260.87626%114
24Randall Cobb72%360.751026%85
25Josh Reynolds74%310.89825%139
26DeAndre Hopkins95%510.981125%160
27Nelson Agholor78%340.83925%134
28Brandin Cooks81%410.85924%61
29CeeDee Lamb55%200.63524%43
30Curtis Samuel48%170.52623%?
31Cooper Kupp86%320.91722%26
32Chris Godwin82%390.87922%57
33Scotty Miller60%320.71922%143
34Kenny Golladay84%350.9722%123
35Julio Jones79%420.95922%75
36Rashard Higgins85%281621%101
37Jarvis Landry77%250.89621%22
38Deebo Samuel62%190.7520%-12
39Marvin Jones90%370.95619%73
40DJ Moore91%300.97519%68
41Darnell Mooney81%390.89718%153
42Christian Kirk79%480.92818%70
43Larry Fitzgerald79%450.87818%38
44Hunter Renfrow54%240.59617%29
45Calvin Ridley77%400.91717%95
46Robert Woods90%300.86516%44
47Will Fuller99%470.98616%53
48Greg Ward95%440.92615%47
49Darius Slayton92%330.97414%37
50Breshad Perriman95%270.93314%31
51Michael Gallup91%300.94314%35
52Anthony Miller59%310.7513%61
53Damiere Byrd92%280.93313%33
54Julian Edelman60%180.6313%17
55Tee Higgins84%420.81613%107
56Laviska Shenault75%270.75312%13
57DeSean Jackson48%300.63512%45
58Danny Amendola53%260.67412%42
59Allen Robinson79%320.73411%65
60Tim Patrick66%300.68411%46
61Jerry Jeudy75%360.82411%57
62Donovan Peoples-Jones69%200.71311%51
63Tre'Quan Smith81%381411%40
64Adam Humphries54%240.73310%43
65DK Metcalf96%540.9549%59
66Marquez Valdes-Scantling82%300.8839%29
67Keelan Cole76%310.8628%18
68Henry Ruggs75%320.7838%44
69Mike Williams75%400.8337%42
70Jalen Guyton67%360.7537%54
71Gabriel Davis95%470.9837%43
72Mike Evans86%430.9625%31
73Cam Sims88%250.8915%18
74Chase Claypool65%330.6612%-4

     

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.

Giants (21) at Eagles (22)

Giants

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Darius Slayton 92%  33 .974 14%37 2-23-0
Evan Engram 83%  28 .82 9 31%46 6-46-0
Sterling Shepard 77%  26  .768 28%57 6-59-1
Golden Tate 47%  21 .622 7%281-39-1 
  • Shepard returned from a toe injury, playing for the first time since Week 2 when he was forced out after 15 snaps. Thursday was the first time all year with Slayton, Shepard and Tate all making it through a full game (Tate was out Week 1).
  • Shepard is averaging 6.0 catches for 53 yards and 0.5 TDs on 7.0 targets in his two full games, with 21 percent target share. Engram actually leads the team with 24 percent target share between those two games, while Slayton (19 percent) is only third but has the advantage in terms of both receiving yards (125) and air yards (140, 35 percent market share).
  • Tate scored his first TD of the year but still hasn't topped seven targets, five catches or 47 yards through six games. He's a clear No. 4. The question is how things will break down moving forward between the Top 3 (Engram/Slayton/Shepard).

  

Eagles

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Travis Fulgham  96% 47 .98 11 27%128 5-73-0
Greg Ward 95% 44 .92 6 15%47 5-42-1
Richard Rodgers  85% 31 .65 8 20%70 6-85-0
DeSean Jackson48%  30 .63 5 12%45 3-34-0
  • Jackson returned from a three-game absence, only to suffer an ankle fracture while fielding a punt in the fourth quarter. Prior to the new injury, he split snaps with John Hightower, who caught one of two targets for 59 yards.
  • It was Hightower's second straight week with a 50-yard gain, but those two long plays account for 66 percent of his receiving yards for the year. Eleven of his 21 targets have come 20-plus yards downfield, yielding two receptions and nine incompletions (including two drops). In other words, Hightower may be fast, but he's still a big downgrade from a healthy D-Jax.
  • The snap share was a season high for Ward, though it was his fifth straight game at 69 percent or higher. He leads the team with 187 routes over the past five games, with 0.82 routes/dropback in that span, and averaging 4.6 catches for 39.4 yards and 0.6 TDs on 6.4 targets.
  • Fulgham made his fourth straight start and saw double-digit targets for a third consecutive game. He's up to 25 percent target share and 31 percent air-yard share in his four appearances, way ahead of Ward (15 percent TS, 10 percent AYS) and Hightower (9 percent TS, 30 percent AYS).
  • With Zach Ertz (foot) and Dallas Goedert (ankle) both out, Rodgers handled a three-down role. The Eagles don't expect Ertz any earlier than late November, and Goedert isn't likely to play before Week 10. The team has a bye in Week 9, but Rodgers should have the three-down role for at least one more game, a Week 8 home matchup with the pathetic Dallas defense.
  • Rodgers did have 10 pass-black snaps, tying Darren Waller and Josh Hill for the Week 7 lead among tight ends. Of course, Hill played only 11 pass snaps overall, while Waller and Rodgers got 41 apiece, per PFF.

  

Lions (23) at Falcons (22)

Lions

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Marvin Jones 90%  37 .95 6 19% 73 5-80-0
Kenny Golladay 84%  35 .90 7 22% 123 6-114-0
T.J. Hockenson 73%  29 .76 6 19% 54 5-59-0
Danny Amendola 53%  26 .67  4 12% 42 3-62-0
  • Jones had a season high for yards but still hasn't seen more than six targets since Week 1, despite playing 80-plus percent of snaps each week.
  • Excluding the two games Golladay missed, here's how target shares break down for the Lions:  Golladay (22%), Hockenson (18%), Amendola (10%).
  • Golladay's 35 percent air-yard share in his active games is 11th-largest in the NFL (three-game min.).

  

Falcons

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Julio Jones 79%  42  .95 9 22% 75 8-97-0
Calvin Ridley 77%  40 .91 7 17% 95 5-69-1
Hayden Hurst 74%  36 .82 7 17% 49 6-68-0
  • No. 3 WR Russell Gage missed a big chunk of the first half with a knee injury but returned to the game after halftime. He ended up playing 32 percent of snaps and catching six of seven targets for 54 yards. Four of his catches came within a span of five snaps late in the fourth quarter, helping set up Todd Gurley's game-losing touchdown.
  • Ridley has back-to-back games with "only" seven targets, but he still has 21 percent target share in the four full games with Jones in the lineup. Jones also has 21 percent share in those games, while Gage is at 17 percent and Hurst is at 15 percent. In terms of fantasy scoring average, all of them have been better with Jones healthy.
  • Ridley still leads the league in air yards (931), well ahead of A.J. Green (842) and DK Metcalf (776).

  

Browns (37) at Bengals (34)

Browns

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Rashard Higgins 85%  28 1.0 6 21% 101 6-110-0
Jarvis Landry 77%  25 .89 6 21% 22 5-48-0
Harrison Bryant 77%  17 .61 5 18% 47 4-56-2
Donovan Peoples-Jones69%  20 .71 3 11% 51 3-56-1
David Njoku60% 12.43 3 11% 432-20-1
  • Odell Beckham suffered a torn ACL on Cleveland's second snap. Austin Hooper (appendicitis) missed the game and probably won't be back for Week 8.
  • Bryant had almost exclusively been playing in 12 personnel before Sunday, with Njoku getting the snaps on the rare occasions when Austin Hooper was taken off the field in 11 personnel. I extrapolated that info to recommend Njoku over Bryant for Week 7, but the Browns had a much different approach with Hooper unavailable. Bryant played 21 of the 30 snaps (70 percent) in 11 personnel, while Njoku got only eight. Naturally, those 21 snaps for Bryant included both of his touchdowns. I couldn't possibly have been more wrong!
  • Peoples-Jones played 30 of 30 snaps in 11 personnel, but only six snaps otherwise. Landry and Higgins also played every snap in 11 personnel, plus most of the snaps in heavier formations.
  • It looks like Higgins is the No. 2 receiver now, but KhaDarel Hodge (hamstring) actually was ahead of Higgins on the depth chart to start the season. Hodge is expected back from IR for Week 8 against the Raiders.
  • Landry and Higgins both have plenty of experience playing both slot and outside receiver, so the Browns should be able to play their three best guys without worrying too much about how they fit together. It just isn't 100 percent clear who they believe are the three best guys (Landry is definitely one. Higgins is probably another, or at least he should be.)

  

Bengals

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Drew Sample97%44.85 613%225-52-0
A.J. Green 87% 46.88 13 28%183 7-82-0
Tee Higgins 84% 42.81  6 13%107  5-71-1
Tyler Boyd 80% 47.90  13 28% 72 11-101-1
  • No. 4 WR Mike Thomas played only 21 percent of snaps, with Auden Tate chipping in 8 percent. The Bengals rotated their receivers a bunch early in the year, but lately they've tightened things up to really focus on Green/Higgins/Boyd.
  • Higgins barely played Week 1 but has seen six-to-nine targets in each subsequent game. The rookie's target share for Weeks 2-7 is 17 percent, solidly behind both Boyd (22 percent) and Green (20 percent). Of course, Higgins has three touchdowns and 9.5 YPT, so he's been outproducing Green with less volume.
  • Sample also became a regular in Week 2, and his target share over the six-game stretch is only 10 percent, even after Sunday's season-high 52 yards. He's played 85 percent or more of snaps in four of the past five games, including a career-high 97 percent in Sunday's loss to the Browns.
  • WRs have accounted for 68.2 percent of Cincinnati targets, the fourth-largest share in the league. The team's TE share (13.6 percent) is 28th, and the RB share (18.2 percent) is 19th). Given those breakdowns — plus the pass-heavy nature of the offense — it isn't out of the question for each of Boyd, Higgins and Green to be startable in 12-team fantasy leagues for the rest of the year.
  • The Bengals also were No. 4 in WR target share (66.0 percent) last season, so this isn't just a one-year deal. Plus they have better WRs and a better QB this year...

  

Bills (18) at Jets (10)

Bills

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Stefon Diggs 97%  48 1.0 12 29% 124 6-48-0
Gabriel Davis 95%  47 .98 3 7% 43 1-11-0
Cole Beasley 82%  44 .92 12  29% 69 11-112-0
Tyler Kroft 78%  41 .85 4 10% 39 4-64-0
  • John Brown (knee) was inactive, as were tight ends Dawson Knox, Lee Smith and Tommy Sweeney (reserve/COVID-19 list).
  • For the season, Diggs now ranks eighth in the NFL in target share (27%) and ninth in air-yard share (37%). He has double-digit PPR points in every game, but he's also put up back-to-back weeks below 50 yards, sinking to No. 4 on the overall receiving leaderboard (603 yards) and 12th in yards per game (86.1).
  • Beasley also has double-digit PPR points every week this year, with the exception of Week 1 when he had 9.8. Sunday's game was his first of the season with more than seven targets, but Beasley is now on pace for 89-1,074-5 on 112 targets.
  • In the two games Brown has missed, Diggs has 32 percent target share, followed by Beasley at 21 percent and Davis at 14 percent.
  • Davis finished with an ugly stat line, but he did have a 22-yard TD called back on an illegal formation penalty, and he also had another target wiped out by a penalty. He played darn near every snap with Brown absent, same as in Week 5 (100 percent snap share, nine targets).
  • The Bills have sent only 10.6 percent of their targets to tight ends, tied for the third-lowest rate in the league. Their WR target share (72.5 percent) is a league high.

  

Jets

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Breshad Perriman 95%  27 .93 3 14% 31 2-27-0
Braxton Berrios 84%  26 .90 7 32% 50 4-35-0
Denzel Mims 79%  23 .79 7  32% 53 4-42-0
  • Mims made his NFL debut and instantly replaced Jeff Smith on the perimeter. Meanwhile, Berrios handled slot work with Jamison Crowder (groin) unable to play.
  • Chris Herndon played 54 percent of snaps and got one target. Ryan Griffin played 47 percent and finished without a target. Week 3 was the last time either TE saw more than three targets in a game.

  

Panthers (24) at Saints (27)

Panthers

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
DJ Moore 91%  30 .97 5 19% 68 4-93-2
Robby Anderson 87%  29 .94 8 31% 106 6-74-0
Curtis Samuel 48%  17 .52 6 23% ? 6-48-0
  • TE Ian Thomas played 70 percent of snaps and ran 23 routes but saw exactly one target for a third straight week. He has 12 targets on 193 routes this year, producing 0.26 yards per route. Denver's DaeSean Hamilton is the only other player with double-digit targets and less than 0.5 YPRR, and even he is solidly ahead of Thomas at 0.47.
  • Samuel added a five-yard TD run on a play where he lined up as a halfback. It was one of just two snaps he took in the backfield, down from seven in his previous game. He took 14 of his 22 snaps from the slot, per PFF.
  • Anderson bumped his 2020 target share up to 26 percent, 12th best in the NFL. Moore ranks 18th at 23 percent, but he actually has a slight advantage in air yards (627 to 609).

  

Saints

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Tre'Quan Smith 81%  38 1.0 4 11% 40 4-54-0
Marquez Callaway 73%  36 .95 10 29% 75 8-75-0
Jared Cook 49%  21 .55 4 11% 30 4-46-1
  • No. 3 WR Deonte Harris played 29 percent of snaps, with backup TEs Josh Hill (43 percent) and Adam Trautman (40 percent) also having significant roles. Harris was the only one of the three with multiple targets, catching four of five for 46 yards and a TD.
  • Michael Thomas (hamstring) and Emmanuel Sanders (reserve/COVID-19) both were inactive.
  • Callaway is an undrafted rookie who caught four of six targets for 34 yards the previous week. He's looked good in his limited action, but he did suffer an ankle sprain Sunday afternoon.
  • Sanders won't be eligible for Week 8, but he could be back Week 9 if he makes a quick recovery. Thomas also is in danger of missing another week, so it could be the Tre'Quan show in Chicago (or just Kamara, Kamara and more Kamara).

  

Packers (35) at Texans (20)

Packers

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Davante Adams 92%  33 .97 16 48%136  13-196-2
Marquez Valdes-Scantling 82%  30 .88 3 9%29 
Robert Tonyan50%  20 .59 2 6% 27 2-32-0
  • No. 3 WR Darrius Shepherd played 47 percent of snaps and finished without a catch on one target. Backup TE Jace Sternberger played 32 percent and caught his lone target for a three-yard TD. No. 4 WR Malik Taylor also had a short TD catch, one of his two targets.
  • The snap share for Tonyan was a season low, down from 67 and 59 percent the previous two games. There was also a small drop off in routes/db, after 0.71 and 0.63 the previous two games. Granted, that's within the normal range of variation, and he was also at 0.59 routes/db in Week 3 when he put up 5-50-1 against the Saints.
  • Adams leads the league with 34 percent target share in his active games, even though he made an early exit from one of those games. He has 33 catches for 413 yards and four TDs in his three full games.
  • Looking at the past two games with Adams healthy and Allen Lazard (core muscle) out, Adams has seen 41 percent target share, miles ahead of MVS (12 percent) and Tonyan (9 percent).

  

Texans

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Will Fuller 99%  47 .98 6 16% 53 3-35-1
Brandin Cooks 81%  41 .85 9 24% 61 7-60-0
Darren Fells 78%  35 .73 0 0% 0 0
Randall Cobb 72%  36 .75 1026% 85 8-95-0 
  • TE Jordan Akins (ankle, concussion) missed another game, but Feels somehow finished without a target, following 2-57-1 and 6-85-1 receiving lines in the two previous games Akins had missed.
  • Cooks was limited by an injury Week 1, and Fuller was limited by an injury Week 2. Since Week 2, Fuller leads the team with 38 targets (23 percent), slightly ahead of Cooks (37, 22 percent) and then Cobb (29, 17 percent).
  • Cooks now has three straight games with at least nine targets, seven catches and 60 yards. But he's seeing more short/quick passes as the year progresses, with Fuller holding a 13.4 to 9.2 aDOT advantage the past five weeks. (That gap narrows to 13.5 and 10.6 if we include Weeks 1-2.)
  • Fuller has a five-game TD streak, but he's accounted for only 22.6 percent of the Houston red-zone targets (seven, three TDs) and 19.0 percent of the inside-the-10 targets (four, one TD).

  

Steelers (27) at Titans (24)

Steelers

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Eric Ebron 84%  42 .84 8 16% 64 6-50-0
JuJu Smith-Schuster 82%  47 .94 15 31%1209-85-0 
Diontae Johnson 75%  43 .86 14 29% 95 9-80-2 
Chase Claypool 65%  33 .66 1 2% -41--1-0 
  • James Washington played 23 percent of snaps and saw one target on 12 routes. No. 2 TE Vance McDonald played 44 percent and got two targets on 14 routes.
  • JuJu played 57 of the 57 snaps from 11 personnel. Johnson played 51, followed by Ebron (44), Claypool (39), Washington (18) and Ray-Ray McLoud (6).
  • In other words, Washington stole about 32 percent of the valuable snaps away from Claypool, who found targets much hared to come by with Johnson back in the lineup.
  • JuJu and Johnson both played eight of 10 snaps in 12 personnel, while Claypool got only two.
  • However, Claypool was the lone WR in 22 personnel for all seven snaps in that grouping (that's been the case all year). Of course, those snaps aren't super valuable, as Ben Roethlisberger has only three dropbacks on 31 snaps in 22 personnel this year.
  • Johnson left in the fourth quarter with a minor ankle injury.

  

Titans

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
A.J. Brown 93%  31 .94 8 27% 94 6-153-1
Corey Davis 91%  32 .97 10 33% 94 6-35-1
Jonnu Smith 70%  14 .42 4 13% 18 1-9-0
Adam Humphries 54%  24 .73 3 10% 43 1-19-0
  • Week 6 hero Anthony Firkser played only 26 percent of snaps with Smith returning healthy. Firkser ran 14 routes and caught two passes for seven yards on two targets.
  • Despite the huge gap in playing time, Smith actually ran the same number of routes as Firkser. It was the same problem as ever for Jonnu, with Firkser stealing some of his passing-down snaps and the Titans asking him to block on four others.
  • Brown has seven-to-nine targets in each of his four games this year, averaging 5.8 catches for 83.0 yards and 1.0 TD.
  • Weeks 1 and 7 are the only times both Davis and Brown have played this year. Here's the target share breakdown between those two games: Davis (27 percent - 19), Brown (23 percent - 16), Smith (15 percent - 11), Humphries (14 percent - 10). Surprised to see Davis ahead of Brown? (Hint: it won't last!)

  

Cowboys (3) at Football Team (25)

Cowboys

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Michael Gallup 91%  30 .94314%350
Dalton Schultz 80%  23 .72314%13 2-22-0
Amari Cooper 75%  24 .7533% 59 7-80-0 
CeeDee Lamb 55%  20 .635 24%43 0
  • Cedrick Wilson played 36 percent of snaps, and Noah Brown took 25 percent. Meanwhile, Lamb played less than 70 percent of snaps for a third straight week. The rookie could afford to lose some playing time when Dak Prescott was the quarterback, but it's a problem now that Andy Dalton (concussion) and Ben DiNucci are the options.
  • As a team, the Cowboys had only 151 air yards on 22 pass attempts, good for a 6.9 aDOT. There was no real effort/ability to push the ball downfield.
  • Cooper had more receiving yards (80) than the Cowboys had net passing yards (59). They lost 55 yards on six sacks.
  • Gallup has topped six targets just once this year, Week 3 at Seattle. He's droppable in 10-team leagues, and arguably in 12-teamers as well. Cooper is the only Dallas pass catcher who can be confidently started in the current conditions, and even that may prove tenuous if Dalton misses time.

  

WFTs

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Cam Sims 88%  25 .89 1 5% 18 1-22-0
Terry McLaurin 84%  27  .96 11 52% 109 7-90-1
Logan Thomas 78%  19 .68 4 19% 38 4-60-1
  • Dontrelle Inman (29 percent of snaps) was demoted, despite the team being without both Isaiah Wright (shoulder) and Antonio Gandy-Golden (hamstring). Cam Sims was promoted to a top-two spot alongside McLaurin at WR, while RB J.D. McKissic spent more time working the slot in formations where Antonio Gibson was in the backfield. Also, Washington used multi-TE formations a lot, especially after jumping out to a comfortable lead.
  • McLaurin is now up to 29 percent target share, fifth best in the league. His 44 percent air-yard share is second best, behind only Ravens WR Marquise Brown (45 percent).
  • Target shares in three games since Dwayne Haskins was benched: McLaurin (33 percent - 29),  McKissic (19 percent - 17), Thomas (13 percent - 12), Gibson (12 percent - 11). Nobody else has seen more than six targets in the three games.

Buccaneers (45) at Raiders (20)

Bucs

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Mike Evans 86%  43 .96 2 5% 31 2-37-0
Chris Godwin 82%  39 .87 9 22% 57 9-88-1
Rob Gronkowski 76%  30 .67 8 20% 104  5-62-1
Scott Miller 60%  32 .71 9 22% 143 6-109-1
  • Cameron Brate played only 17 percent of snaps and caught his lone target for an eight-yard gain. No. 4 WR Tyler Johnson (40 percent) actually saw more playing time than Brate, catching two of two targets for four yards and a TD.
  • Target shares in Godwin's four games (Weeks 1, 3, 6, 7)...  Godwin (21 percent), Gronk (19 percent), Miller (16 percent), Evans (9 percent).
  • Target shares in three games Godwin missed... Evans (21 percent), RoJo (13 percent), Gronk (9 percent), Miller (8 percent).
  • Last time Godwin missed a game was Week 5 at Chicago. Johnson caught four of six targets for 61 yards, playing 79 percent of snaps. Evans caught five of nine for 41 yards and a TD, playing 85 percent of snaps. Miller didn't see a single target despite playing 63 percent of snaps. Justin Watson also missed that game, and he's since played 19 and 17 percent of snaps without seeing a target in two subsequent weeks.  

  

Raiders

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Darren Waller 91%  31 .76 9 25% 49 6-50-1
Nelson Agholor 78%  34 .83 9 25% 134 5-107-1
Henry Ruggs 75%  32 .78 3 8% 44 2-35-0
Hunter Renfrow 54%  24 .59 6 17% 29 4-42-0
  • Bryan Edwards (ankle/foot) missed a third straight game.
  • The Raiders have played four games with Ruggs in the lineup (Weeks 1, 2, 5, 7). Target shares from those games...  Waller (31 percent), Josh Jacobs (12 percent), Ruggs (11 percent), Agholor (10 percent), Renfrow (10 percent).
  • Agholor has a three-game touchdowns streak, and he's produced 14.6 YPT and four TDs on 20 targets this year. However, this was his first game with more than four targets, despite playing at least 78 percent of snaps in each of the past four.
  • Ruggs is averaging 3.5 targets and 53 yards per game, with three of his eight catches gaining 45 or more yards. He also has three carries for 21 yards, and he leads the team with 28 percent air-yard share (277 AY) in his four games, sporting a 19.8 aDOT.
  • Ruggs' 19.8 aDOT is third-deepest among all players with double-digit targets, trailing only Jalen Guyton (22.7 on 13 targets) and John Hightower (22.2 on 21 targets).
  • Waller's 27 percent target share is 10th among all players and second among tight ends.

  

Jaguars (29) at Chargers (39)

Jags

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
DJ Chark 87%  33 .927 29% 1181-26-0
Keelan Cole 76%  31 .86 8% 181-12-0 
Laviska Shenault 75%  27 .75 12% 133-44-0
James O'Shaughnessy 70%  18 .503 12% 253-32-0
  • Tyler Eifert (neck) was inactive, leaving O'Shaughnessy as the top tight end.
  • Target share from the six games Chark has played: Chark (19 percent - 41), Cole (16 percent - 34), Shenault (15 percent - 32), James Robinson (12 percent - 26).
  • One week after his best game of the year, Cole had season lows in every major receiving category. He previously had five or more targets and 8.3 or more PPR points in every game this year.
  • Gardner Minshew had only 27 pass attempts, his first time below 40 since Week 1. The Chargers dominated possession, James Robinson had 22 carries, and Minshew took five sacks.

  

Bolts

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Keenan Allen 85%  42 .88 13 31% 116 10-125-0
Hunter Henry 77%  35 .73 7 17% 47 3-23-0
Mike Williams 75%  40 .83 3 7% 42 1-4-0
Jalen Guyton67%  36 .75 3 7% 54 2-84-1
  • Justin Herbert threw TD passes to backup TEs Virgil Green and Donald Parham, but the two combined for only one other target.
  • Guyton has TDs in three of the past five games, and he's now averaging 32.3 yards on eight receptions. He's the very definition of a low-volume deep threat, and he's done a nice job in the role.
  • Henry has seen either seven or eight targets in five of his six games, including Sunday's win. But he hasn't topped 50 yards since Week 2, somehow putting up subpar numbers even as Herbert sets the world on fire.
  • Allen's 30 percent target share is No. 4 in the league. His aDOT is only 8.5, but that gets the job done when you average 10.6 targets per game and catch 70 percent of your targets.
  • Target shares in Herbert's five starts: Allen (31 percent - 55), Henry (19 percent - 33), Williams (11 percent - 16), Guyton (7 percent - 12)

  

Chiefs (43) at Broncos (16)

Chiefs

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Travis Kelce 78%  24 .83312% -1 3-31-0
Tyreek Hill 73%  24 .831042%  103 6-55-1
Demarcus Robinson 67%  21 .72 4% 4 1-4-0
  • Mecole Hardman played 43 percent of snaps and caught two passes for 57 yards on two targets, plus one carry for 13 yards. Byron Pringle was the No. 3 receiver in terms of snap share (61 percent), but he didn't have any targets or carries, instead making an impact with a kick return TD.
  • Pringle ran 18 routes to Hardman's 11.
  • All the usage stats here were distorted by a blowout. Chad Henne replaced Mahomes at the end of the game for 10 snaps, including three dropbacks. Mahomes had 26 dropbacks before he was pulled.
  • The Chiefs ran only 51 plays on offense, missing out on two possessions on account of the kick return TD and a pick-six, both in the second quarter. They also had their second drive end after one snap when backup TE Nick Keizer lost a fumble. In other words, every possible factor worked against the fantasy-relevant Chiefs players getting volume.

  

Broncos

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Jerry Jeudy 75%  36 .82 4 11% 57 2-20-0
Noah Fant 70%  26 .59 7 18% 67 3-38-0
Tim Patrick 66%  30 .68 4 11% 46 3-44-0
  • KJ Hamler (39 percent snap share) returned from a hamstring injury and split playing time with DaeSean Hamilton (35 percent). The rookie caught two of three targets for 23 yards and added a 10-yard carry, while the veteran caught two of three targets for 24 yards.
  • Patrick left the game with a hamstring injury. He was coming off back-to-back 110-yard games, with 6-113-1 on seven targets and 4-101-0 on eight targets.
  • Backup TE Albert Okwuegbunam caught seven of seven targets for 60 yards, running 18 routes and playing 40 percent of offensive snaps. He had 2-45-0 on six targets and 38 percent of snaps the previous week in his NFL debut, and his role stayed the same Sunday even with Fant returning from an ankle injury.
  • Jeudy is now at three straight games with either four or five targets, after seeing 7-to-9 each of the first three weeks of the season. His snap/route shares have been steady, but his target share has dropped off nonetheless.

  

49ers (33) at Patriots (6)

49ers

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
George Kittle 91%  25 .93 7 28% 41 5-55-0
Brandon Aiyuk 76%  22 .81 7 28% 108 6-115-0
Deebo Samuel 62%  19 .70 5 20% -12 5-65-0
Kendrick Bourne 45%  15 .56 1 4%  4 0
  • Samuel left in the second half with a hamstring injury and isn't expected to play Week 8 against Green Bay.
  • Depth receiver Richie James played 24 percent of offensive snaps, but he didn't draw a target and suffered an ankle injury along the way. Trent Taylor, who played only 5 percent of snaps Sunday, could have a role in three-wide sets Week 8, likely manning the slot while Aiyuk and Bourne take most of the perimeter work.
  • Aiyuk accounted for 73 percent of the 49ers' air yards, while Samuel actually had negative air yards for a second straight week.
  • The 49ers haven't yet played a game with Kittle and Aiyuk in the lineup but no Samuel. Aiyuk missed Week 1, while Kittle missed Weeks 2 and 3.

  

Pats

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Damiere Byrd 92%  28 .93 3 13% 33 1-16-0
Jakobi Meyers 79%  26 .87 6 26% 114 4-60-0
Julian Edelman 60%  18 .60 3 13% 17 1-13-0
  • N'Keal Harry suffered a head injury, finishing with one catch for six yards on two targets, playing 21 percent of snaps. Meyers then filled in at wide receiver.
  • TE Dalton Keene made his NFL debut and played 46 percent of snaps, catching his lone target for an eight-yard gain. He ran 15 routes on 30 QB dropbacks, fourth most on the team (fellow TE Ryan Izzo ran 10 routes and played 40 percent of snaps).
  • Meyers accounted for 64 percent of the air yards and led the team in receiving and targets, despite opening the game as only the No. 4 WR.
  • This was Edelman's first game with fewer than six targets, but it was his fourth in a row with three or fewer catches and no more than 35 yards. He still leads the team with 22 percent target share, but it's 22 percent of a doo-doo sandwich.
  • Harry is at 18 percent target share, and Byrd at 17 percent.

  

Seahawks (34) at Cardinals (37) — OT

Seahawks

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
DK Metcalf 96%  54 .95 4 9% 59 2-23-0 
Tyler Lockett 93%  54 .95 2043% 233 15-200-3 
Greg Olsen 52%  36 .63 36% 38  2-18-0
  • David Moore played 35 percent of snaps and caught each of his three targets for 54 yards. Freddie Swain played 27 percent and finished without a catch on one target.
  • Will Dissly had season highs for snap share (58 percent) and routes (29), running only seven fewer routes than Olsen. Dissly caught two of four targets for 38 yards.
  • Lockett is good at football. And now he's seventh in the NFL with 28 percent target share, jumping way ahead of Metcalf (22 percent, what a loser).

  

Cardinals

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
DeAndre Hopkins 95%  51 .98 11 25%160  10-103-1
Christian Kirk 79%  48 .92 8 18% 70 5-37-2
Larry Fitzgerald 79%  45 .87 8 18%38  8-62-0
  • Darrell Daniels led the TEs with 50 percent snap share, but he finished without a catch on one target. Dan Arnold caught two of three targets for 57 yards, making the most of 25 percent snap share. Daniels ran 13 routes to Arnold's nine.
  • Hopkins actually saw his target share for the season drop a little, but 31 percent is still good for third best in the league, behind Davante Adams (33 percent) and Jamison Crowder (32 percent).
  • Kirk's two largest snap share of the season have come the past two weeks, and he's score four TDs on 11 targets in that stretch.
  • Kirk is averaging 4.0 catches for 67.0 yards and 1.3 TDs on 6.0 targets the past three weeks, with 17 percent target share and an 11.8 aDOT. Hopkins has 26 percent target share and a 13.0 aDOT over that same stretch, compared to 34 percent and a 6.9 aDOT over the first four weeks of the season. Kirk had 14 percent share and 17.7 aDOT over those first four games. Long story short... Kirk has been chipping into Hopkins' short/intermediate work, but Hopkins is making up for it by seeing a few more downfield shots. The recent balance seems to be a nice one for the Arizona offense.
  • Fitzgerald has just consistently seen short stuff. He's at 15 percent target share and a 5.1 aDOT, catching 29 of 36 targets (81 percent).

  

Bears (10) at Los Angeles Rams (24)

Bears

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Darnell Mooney 81%  39 .89 7 18% 153 3-40-0
Allen Robinson 79%  32 .73 4 11% 65 4-70-0
Jimmy Graham 76%  30 .68 6 16% 25 5-31-0
Anthony Miller 59%  31 .70 5 13% 61 3-20-0
  • Talking about Mooney's unfulfilled air yards might be the No. 1 recurring feature of Hidden Stat Line this year. He is very fast, and he plays a lot of snaps. Unfortunately, Nick Foles is also on the field for those snaps, and it's Robinson who gets most of the throws Foles is actually capable of completing.
  • Foles went 0-for-3 on throws 20-plus yards downfield to Mooney on Monday. The rookie now stands at 1-for-11 on deep throws this year, without any drops. Robinson, meanwhile, is 5-for-13 for 140 yards, per PFF.
  • Mooney has now been a regular in the offense for six games, averaging 3.0 catches for 33 yards on 5.7 targets, with one TD.
  • Speaking of the devil... Robinson got fewer than nine targets for the first time all year, despite making the most of his limited opportunities. A-Rob left in the fourth quarter after taking a big hit, so we'll need to check the Chicago injury report this week.
  • Graham is up to four straight games in the range of 31-34 receiving yards. He has five or more targets in each of his last five, averaging 4.6 catches for 38.2 yards and 0.6 TDs on 6.8 targets in that stretch. He's a suitable starter at TE in nearly any fantasy format, but not someone you're excited about by any means.

  

Rams

 SnapsRoutesRoutes/DropbackTargetsTarget ShareAir YardsReceiving Line
Robert Woods 90%  30 .86 5 16% 44 3-22-0
Cooper Kupp 86%  32 .91 7 22% 26 6-43-0
Gerald Everett 76%  20 .57 5 16% 19 4-28-1
Josh Reynolds 74%  31 .89 8 25% 139 4-52-1
  • Tyler Higbee (hand) was inactive, freeing up more playing time for both Everett and Johnny Mundt (64 percent of snaps). Mundt caught each of his three targets for 47 yards, running 14 routes on Jared Goff's 35 dropbacks.
  • Following his season-high 10 targets the previous week, Woods dropped back down to five Monday night, matching a season low. He added four carries for 23 yards, but a lost fumble wiped out any positive impact from that rushing production.
  • Woods is averaging 2.0 carries for 14.1 yards per game, plus 4.3 catches for 50.1 yards on 6.6 targets.
  • Reynolds split snaps with Van Jefferson the first two weeks of the season but has handled the No. 3 WR role on his own each of the past five games, quietly averaging 3.0 catches for 45.6 yards and 0.4 TDs on 5.2 targets. Reynolds has 16 percent target share in those five games, not too far behind Kupp (25 percent - 40) and Woods (21 percent - 33).
  • Reynolds also leads the team with 371 air yards over the past five games, accounting for 30 percent market share. His 14.8 aDOT is much deeper than both Woods' (9.5) and Kupp's (7.5) over the five-game stretch.
  • Remember that the Rams have a highly difficult schedule over the second half of the season. They've been able to go 5-2 with Jared Goff averaging only 31.9 passes per game, but he may need to pass more often out of necessity over the second half of the season. The schedule still holds two matchups against Seattle and two against Arizona, which should be favorable in terms of both passing volume and efficiency.

  

Top Waiver/FAAB Targets (WR/TE)

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

There are a bunch of good choices for waivers this week, whether you're in need of short-term help (think Beasley/Shepard) or just looking for some long-term upside with a bench stash (think Mims/Reynolds). Brandon Aiyuk offers a little of both, so he gets the top spot on the list.

  1. WR Brandon Aiyuk
  2. WR Cole Beasley
  3. WR Denzel Mims
  4. WR Sterling Shepard
  5. WR Rashard Higgins
  6. WR Scotty Miller
  7. TE Eric Ebron
  8. WR Josh Reynolds
  9. WR Greg Ward
  10. TE Richard Rodgers
  11. TE Harrison Bryant
  12. WR Russell Gage

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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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