Fantasy Football on Target - Week 8

October 27, 2009 @ 20:11:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Cory J. Bonini

Opportunity in the NFL world can translate into success in the fantasy football world. This is where targets come into play. While a wide receiver may have caught only four passes in a given week, his target total might have been double or triple that. Those targets may not have translated into catches one week, but they may in the future.

The following players gained attention because of the number of targets they received this past week. Are these numbers a trend in the making or simply an aberration?

Fantasy Football on Target

Catching on

The negatives still outweighed the positives for the Cleveland Browns wideouts. Mohamed Massaquoi was targeted eight times; he caught only one pass. Can we blame it all on the rook? Well, he only dropped one of Derek Anderson's passes. He was tripped in the end zone and missed a pass. His opponent, the Green Bay Packers, have a tandem of standout corners. Cleveland was overmatched. Still, Anderson, who head coach Eric Mangini is sticking behind, says he still trusts his lead guys (Massaquoi, Brian Robiskie). The Browns should be playing from behind in at least their next two games.

Michael Crabtree took the field for his first game in a San Francisco 49ers uniform last weekend. He finished with five receptions for 56 yards and played more snaps than any other SF receiver. His targets (six) were split evenly between starter Shaun Hill and replacement Alex D. Smith; he might have a bit more chemistry with the latter as both were working together on the second team during the bye week. Also, not counted among those stats was a 17-yard gain that was wiped out by a penalty on Josh Morgan. Before you get to giddy with fantasy potential; this is still a conservative, run-first offense and the Niners were playing from a 21-0 deficit.

One reason Crabtree was able to make an impact so soon: the Niners run a player-friendly digit system for play calling. For those strategy buffs, Matt Maiocco, of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, has more on it here.

Crabtree's draft day nemesis, Darrius Heyward-Bey, doubled his receptions (two to four); he now has more catches than names. The big gainer in the Oakland Raiders' 38-0 shellacking was Louis Murphy, though. He was looked at 10 times. Nine of those targets came in around 2 1/2 quarters with Bruce Gradkowski behind center; starter JaMarcus Russell looked at him just once in little over a quarter. The former will return to starting this week. Murphy's one-week of "brilliance" might be over quickly. In fairness, he was the recipient of nine targets from Russell in Week 1 against the San Diego Chargers.

Over the last four weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Wallace is averaging five targets per game; last week he received six looks. He has caught more than three passes just once in a game (Week 2: 7-102-0), but his 17.5 yards-per-reception average makes him one of the most efficient receivers out there. He has averaged at least 23.5 yards per reception in each of the last four weeks. Wallace is the fourth target in the Steelers' aerial attack, but we've seen No. 3 wideouts in Pittsburgh have some decent fantasy value. We pegged him as a sleeper last week, too.

Count Danny Amendola as one of the positives among the St. Louis Rams offense; he believes they can score on any drive. They actually might have a good shot this week against the Detroit Lions. Amendola was looked at five times and caught all five targets for 39 yards. He has been around St. Louis for only five weeks, but his size and skills are a good fit for the Rams' offense. He is someone you should look to acquire, especially in point-per-reception setups.

Last week, the Chicago Bears' Earl Bennett received seven targets - two of them ended up being intercepted. Over the last two weeks, though, he has four receptions in each game and 105 yards combined. Those aren't great numbers, but in a point-per-reception league, they're serviceable if you're trying to fill bye weeks. Don't forget about Bennett, who has the best relationship of the Chicago receivers with quarterback Jay Cutler. Up next: The Cleveland Browns.

Garbage time targets

Greg Camarillo was targeted for the first time at the beginning of the second quarter of the Miami Dolphins 46-34 loss last Sunday. His next target didn't come until there was less than three minutes left in the fourth. Quarterback Chad Henne then looked at him six times in the next two drives as they were trying to come back. He finished with five receptions for 55 yards. Camarillo, a decent intermediate threat, likely benefited from more room as the Saints were trying to defend the big play and their 12-point lead. There could be more room to work, though, if teams keep stacking up the box to defend the run.

The Kansas City Chiefs had Lance Long active for a game for the first time this year; he finished with two receptions for 12 yards and was looked at five times in just over a half (left due to injury). Long isn't a big guy (5-foot-11, 186 pounds) and works mainly in the slot. One reason to like him: head coach Todd Haley does. We've seen Haley isn't afraid to bench a guy that he feels isn't working hard; Long has an ever-present work ethic. In the end, though, he'll likely be strictly a point-per-reception league option.

Laveranues Coles looks more comfortable in the Cincinnati Bengals offense. Coles was thrown at five times last week; he finished with 2-37-1. Even as Coles settles into his role in the offense, there are still too many weapons to think he'll make a huge impact, though. Andre Caldwell, Chad Ochocinco and Chris Henry will all garner looks; Cincy loves to pound the ball, too.

The Minnesota Vikings are taking a page from the New England Patriots' book. When asked on Bernard Berrian's status, head coach Brad Childress said: "He's alive and well." Berrian is uncertain for this week after suffering another hamstring injury; there could be more targets to go around if Berrian's 6.67 targets are available. Sidney Rice led the Vikes wideouts with 13 looks last week.

With Jerricho Cotchery (hamstring) out, David Clowney stepped up and finished with four receptions for 79 yards and a score. He was looked at six times, two more times than the other WRs combined. It appears Braylon Edwards came with down with Nnamdi Asomugha-itis. Even when Cotchery returns, Clowney is a deep threat; he might lose some looks, but he's someone they need in that offense.

The San Francisco 49ers' Vernon Davis led the tight ends in targets this week (11). Of the top 12 in looks, only a couple of names warrant mentioning:

• Donald Lee, of the Green Bay Packers, was looked at five times. The Packers are shifting to a short passing attack to help jumpstart their rushing attack. Lee should benefit, especially with Jermichael Finley (knee) a long shot to play this week. Also, the Minnesota Vikings, who have been burned by this position, are the Pack's Week 8 opponent.
• Gary Barnidge, of the Carolina Panthers, was looked at six times. He finished with three receptions for 77 yards. His targets were his first all season; not that we should have to tell you, but don't expect fantasy gold here.

The Dallas Cowboys' Jason Witten: seven targets but zero looks in the red zone last week. For the season, he is tied for ninth in targets (41) and 40th in red zone looks (one). His lone score came from outside the red zone, too.

Must have been the hair

Chris Cooley, of the Washington Redskins, is out indefinitely because of a broken right ankle. Fred Davis was Cooley's replacement for the majority of the Monday night affair. The sophomore caught eight passes for 78 yards and one TD. He was targeted 10 times. Washington is on a bye for the coming week, making Davis' addition not a priority this week. However, he was a second-round pick that is a talented pass catcher; his poor blocking and Cooley were what kept Davis from seeing the field. Now he has his opportunity, and it appears he's making the most of it. He'll remain in Virginia through the bye week to get in more reps instead of taking a planned trip to L.A. He's not a great blocker, so Washington might choose to use him as an outlet receiver to ease pressure on Jason Campbell.

Remember: Opportunity can lead to success. Find out which of these players we recommend adding in this week's Fantasy Football Waiver Wire.

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Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.

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