Target Breakdown: WR & TE Usage Report + Week 14 Waivers Preview

Box Score Breakdown

Backfield Breakdown

Target Breakdown ⬇️   

Weekly Injury Report 🚑

New Injuries

• WR CeeDee Lamb (shoulder)
• WR Ladd McConkey (knee)
• WR Noah Brown (ribs)
• WR Rashod Bateman (knee) 
• WR Demarcus Robinson (hand)
• WR DJ Turner (knee)
• WR Calvin Austin (concussion)
• TE Dallas Goedert (knee / week to-week)
• TE Taysom Hill (ACL / out for season)
• TE Theo Johnson (foot / out for season)

Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb seemingly aggravated his AC joint sprain from Week 8, or else suffered a similar injury. He left in the third quarter of Thursday's win and didn't play at all in the fourth, but Jerry Jones was optimistic Friday that the wideout would be ready for Week 14 with the benefit of extra rest between games.

Chargers WR Ladd McConkey also stands a chance to avoid missed time, with coach Jim Harbaugh saying Monday that the rookie is "working through a couple things" after his fourth-quarter exit due to a knee injury in Sunday's 17-13 win over Atlanta. McConkey went over 100 yards before halftime amidst an otherwise subpar effort from the Chargers offense.

Early reports sound worse for Eagles TE Dallas Goedert, who is week-to-week after suffering a knee injury during the fourth quarter of Sunday's win at Baltimore. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes Goedert is a candidate for injured reserve but would be expected back for the real-life playoffs (not the fantasy ones).

Missed Week 13

• WR Keon Coleman (wrist / week-to-week)
• WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring / week-to-week)
• WR Jalen Coker (quad / week-to-week)
• WR Josh Downs (shoulder / week-to-week)
• WR Cedric Tillman (concussion / day-to-day)
• WR Romeo Doubs (concussion / week-to-week)
• WR Josh Reynolds (IR - finger / eligible since Week 10)
• WR Treylon Burks (IR - knee / eligible since Week 11)
• WR Roman Wilson (IR - hamstring / eligible Week 13)
•   WR Bub Means (IR - ankle / eligible Week 14)
• WR Allen Lazard (IR - chest / eligible Week 14) 
• WR Simi Fehoko (IR  / eligible Week 14) 
• WR Chris Olave (concussion / eligible Week 15)

• TE Jake Ferguson (concussion / day-to-day)
• TE Dalton Kincaid (knee / week-to-week)
• TE Ja'Tavion Sanders (neck / week-to-week)
• TE Josh Oliver (ankle / week-to-week)
• TE Tyler Higbee (knee / week-to-week)
• TE Luke Musgrave (ankle - IR / week-to-week)

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 13.  'SZN' is used to denote full-year stats.

• TPRR = Targets per Route Run
• YPRR = Yards per Route Run
• TS = Target Share
• AYS = Air Yardage Share

Trending Up 📈

Wide Receivers 📈

Ladd McConkey - 89% routes, 12 tgts, 103 AY( 9-117-0)  /  SZN: 26% TPRR, 2.6 YPRR

DeAndre Hopkins - 57% snaps, 67% routes, 9 tgts, 124 AY (4-90-0)

Keenan Allen - 8 tgts, 105 AY (5-73-2)  /  31 tgts, 289 AY, 18-200-3 over last three weeks

DJ Moore - 16 tgts, 160 AY (8-97-1)  /  30 tgts, 187 AY, 22-265-2 over last three weeks

Jerry Jeudy - 462 yards, 30 tgts in three games since Week 10 bye

Mike Evans - 89% routes, 12 tgts, 139 AY (8-118-1)

Adam Thielen - 79% routes, team-high 10 tgts, 106 AY (8-99-1)  /  SZN: 20% TPRR, 2.0 YPRR

Deebo Samuel - McCaffrey/Mason injuries

David Moore - 89% routes, 9 tgts, 115 AY (5-40-0)  /  19 tgts, 121 yards past two games

Parker Washington - 90% routes, team-high 12 tgts, 146 AY (6-103-1)

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine - 100% snaps/routes, team-high 8 tgts, 99 AY (3-61-2)

Kendrick Bourne - 74% routes, 3 tgts, 29 AY (3-39-0 plus 1-6-0 rushing)

 Tutu Atwell - 38% routes, 2 tgts, 40 AY (2-39-0)  /  Demarcus Robinson injury

Dyami Brown - 50% routes, 5 tgts, 34 AY (4-35-0 plus 1-4-0 rushing)

Tight Ends 📈

Jonnu Smith - 72% snaps, 80% routes, 11 tgts (10-113-0)  /  SZN: 26% TPRR, 2.3 YPRR

Trey McBride - 89% routes, 12 tgts, 43 AY (12-96-0)  /  SZN: 30% TPRR, 2.5 YPRR

Pat Freiermuth - 68% routes, team-high 7 tgts, 45 AY (6-68-1)

 Juwan Johnson - 71% snaps, 86% routes, 7 tgts, 61 AY (5-36-0)  /  Taysom Hill injury

 Grant Calcaterra - Dallas Goedert injury

Daniel Bellinger - Theo Johnson out for season

Trending Down 📉

Wide Receivers 📉

Tank Dell - 4 tgts on 31 routes  /  SZN: 19% TPRR, 1.5 YPRR

Wan'Dale Robinson - 2 tgts on 33 routes  /  SZN: 24% TPRR, 1.2 YPRR, 4.3 aDOT

Jalen Tolbert - 71% snaps, 75% routes, 4 tgts, 57 AY (2-41-0)

Quentin Johnston - 75% routes, 4 tgts, 28 AY (2-12-0)

Adonai Mitchell - 59% snaps, 58% routes, 2 tgts, 35 AY (no catches)

 Curtis Samuel - 36% snaps, 33% routes, 0 tgts, 1 carry

Xavier Gipson - 27% snaps, 32% routes, 1 tgt

Tight Ends 📉

Kyle Pitts - 39% snaps, 65% routes, 2 tgts, 18 AY (no catches)  /  SZN: 17% TPRR, 1.5 YPRR

Davis Allen - 33% snaps, 19% routes, 0 tgts

Waivers Look-Ahead ±

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

Wide Receivers

Potential Starters

1. Adam Thielen - 31%
2. Cedric Tillman - 43% (concussion) 
3. Elijah Moore - 10%
4. DeMario Douglas - 29%
5. Xavier Legette - 27%
6. Christian Watson - 52%
7. Romeo Doubs - 45% (concussion) 
8. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine - 17%
9. Marquez Valdes-Scantling - 31%
10. Devaughn Vele - 27%
11. Alec Pierce - 19%
12. David Moore - 5%
13. Kayshon Boutte - 5%
14. Joshua Palmer - 15%
15. Tre Tucker - 4%

Anyone catching passes from Jameis Winston is fantasy-relevant, and Elijah Moore will be the No. 2 waiver add in a lot of fantasy leagues this week (behind 49ers RB Isaac Guerendo) after putting up 8-111-0 on 14 targets in Monday's loss at Denver. The catch is that Cedric Tillman (also available in some leagues) may return from concussion protocol this week, ahead of a difficult matchup at Pittsburgh on Sunday. Panthers WR Adam Thielen should be prioritized ahead of Tillman and Moore, when available, having previously put up big numbers with a worse version of Bryce Young (during the first half of 223). Another similar run of production at the end of this season is possible, although perhaps not likely. For now, Thielen can be treated as a fantasy WR3/4 for Week 14, making him a worthy addition as either a fill-in starter or a bench stash.

Bench Stashes

1. Keon Coleman - 43% (Elbow)
2. Adonai Mitchell - 7%
3. Dontayvion Wicks - 15%
4. Marvin Mims - 2%
5. Ricky Pearsall - 24%
6. Jalen Coker - 3%
7. Jordan Whittington - 2%

Potential Drops

1. Diontae Johnson - 50%
2. Tyler Lockett - 52%
3. Wan'Dale Robinson - 43%
4. Quentin Johnston - 43%
5. Jalen Tolbert - 11%
6. Darius Slayton - 9%

Tight Ends

Recommended Adds

1. Tucker Kraft - 59%
2. Will Dissly - 42%
3. Cole Kmet - 46%
4. Pat Freiermuth - 51%
5. Hunter Henry - 47% (bye)
6. Zach Ertz - 49% (bye)
7. Juwan Johnson - 3%
8. Dawson Knox - 8%
9. Noah Gray - 11%
10. Noah Fant - 18%
11. Isaiah Likely - 26%
12. Mike Gesicki - 16%
13. Grant Calcaterra - 0%
14. Austin Hooper - 1%
15. Daniel Bellinger - 0%

There are plenty of similarly good TE options available in a lot of shallow leagues, while Johnson, Knox and Fant are decent choices for deeper formats. Knox's value depends on Dalton Kincaid's health, of course, and it's hard to know if Johnson will thrive in a larger pass-catching role after Taysom Hill's ACL tear leaves yet another big gap in the Saints offense.

Potential Drops

1. Kyle Pitts (shallow leagues) - 87%
2. Luke Musgrave - 17%
3. Tyler Conklin - 12%
4. Luke Schoonmaker - 10%
5. Colby Parkinson - 6%