Target Share Trends After Week 5

Quick summary

• Puka Nacua had 24 targets (44%) and caught 17 for 138 yards and a TD in the overtime loss to Buffalo. Only Brandon Marshall has had more targets in a game since 2006.
• Malik Nabers had a career-high 20 targets (38%) and 245 air yards, and caught 11 for 121 and the game-tying TD in a 27-27 tie at Washington.
• Mike Evans's target share has risen three straight weeks (23% → 28% → 37%). He caught 7 for 113 and a TD in the 32-29 win at Seattle.
• George Pickens bounced back to 13 targets (31%) and 130 yards while CeeDee Lamb (quad bruise) had 5 targets and 2 catches, a week after Lamb's 21-target game.
• Justin Jefferson returned with 24% of targets and a TD. Jordan Addison (hamstring) was inactive, and T.J. Hockenson left with a head injury after 1 target.
• With DeVonta Smith (hamstring) out two straight games, Dallas Goedert (9 targets) and Dontayvion Wicks (8) led the Eagles, and Darius Cooper scored on a 62-yard catch.
• Marvin Harrison Jr. was a healthy inactive as trade rumors swirl, and Michael Wilson's share fell to 15% after 34% and 37% the previous two weeks.
• Buffalo threw only 18 targets without DJ Moore (shoulder), and the Chargers threw 21 without Ladd McConkey (foot) and Quentin Johnston (chest).
• Germie Bernard led Pittsburgh with 9 targets (30%) while Roman Wilson had 1 target on 33% of snaps.

Rams: Puka's historic night

Puka Nacua had 44% of the Rams' targets in his second game back from a hip/groin injury. Davante Adams still scored twice, on just 7 targets.

• Nacua caught 17 of 24 for 138 yards and a TD, with 184 air yards and 3 red-zone targets. DraftSharks says the game raised his season share to 37%, the best among WRs. (WaivrWire's season number, which counts the two games he missed, is 21%.)
• Adams's share has fallen two weeks in a row (27% → 18% → 13%), but he caught 5 for 51 and 2 TDs, and he still leads the team with 37% of the air yards and 7 red-zone targets.
• Kyren Williams had 13 targets in Week 4 and 8 in Week 5, nearly all of them at or behind the line (1 air yard in Week 5).
• The Rams have thrown 49, 50 and 54 targets the last three weeks, so there's enough volume for two WR1s.
• Verdict: Nacua is a WR1 with overall-WR1 weeks. Adams is a WR2 who leans on touchdowns while Puka is healthy. Higbee goes back to bench-only.

Giants: Nabers answered the questions

After Week 3, Nabers's routes had turned short and the shoulder was a worry. In Week 5 he played 90% of snaps and was the whole downfield passing game.

• Nabers caught 11 of 20 for 121 yards and the 17-yard TD that tied it with 1:43 left. His 245 air yards were 49% of the team's, after 5 total air yards in Week 3.
• John Harbaugh said Nabers (knee) would be ready, and he played without a designation.
• Isaiah Likely caught 11 of 13 for 94 and 2 TDs. He has 29% of targets and 8 red-zone targets on the season, still the best share of any TE.
• The Giants threw 52 times while erasing a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit, so expect the volume to come down.
• Verdict: Nabers is a WR1 again. Likely is a TE1. Darnell Mooney (115 air yards on 7 targets) is a deep-league flex at best.

49ers: Evans is the No. 1 read

Mike Evans's share has climbed three straight weeks. With Ricky Pearsall out for the year and Deebo Samuel leaving Week 5 with a hamstring issue, Kyle Shanahan is building drives around him.

• Evans caught 7 for 113 and a TD on 10 targets, with 157 air yards and 2 red-zone targets. He also caught the 2-point conversion (tries aren't counted as targets here) and had four catches on the go-ahead drive, while playing through rib pain from Week 3.
• He has 43% of the team's air yards and 6 red-zone targets on the season. Evans: "I do feel like I'm one of the best receivers in the game."
• Samuel left midway through with the hamstring after 3 targets on 43% of snaps. Brandin Cooks (40% of snaps) caught a TD.
• McCaffrey's targets have dropped to 3, his fewest of the season.
• Verdict: Evans is a WR2 with WR1 weeks. Kittle stays a TE1. Watch Samuel's hamstring; if he sits, Cooks is a deep flex.

Cowboys: Lamb and Pickens trade spikes

CeeDee Lamb had 21 targets (49%) in Week 4 at Houston, then left the Thursday loss to Tampa Bay early with a quad bruise. Pickens took over.

• Lamb caught 17 for 189 and a TD in Week 4, then had 2 catches for 9 yards on 57% of snaps in Week 5. Ian Rapoport called the quad bruise "not considered to be serious," and Brian Schottenheimer said it was "pretty painful."
• Pickens caught 9 for 130 and a TD, with 127 air yards. He and Lamb are at 22% and 27% of targets on the season, and each has more than a third of the air yards.
• Ryan Flournoy caught 3 for 90 and has 5 red-zone targets, tied with Pickens for the most of any Cowboy except Lamb (6).
• Dallas has thrown 40–43 targets three weeks in a row.
• Verdict: Lamb is a WR1 if he's practicing fully; the Week 5 dip was the injury, not a role change. Pickens is a WR2 every week in this volume.

Vikings: Jefferson back, Addison and Hockenson down

Justin Jefferson returned from his ankle injury in a 23-13 win at New Orleans. Jordan Addison (hamstring) was inactive, and T.J. Hockenson was evaluated for a concussion after his only catch.

• Jefferson caught 6 of 7 for 79 and a TD. His share was lower than in Weeks 1–2, but he played the whole game after a week off.
• Hockenson had 13 targets (39%) in Week 4, then hit his head on the turf on a 7-yard catch in Week 5 and played 3% of snaps. Rookie TE Gavin Bartholomew caught 5 of 6 for 33 in his place.
• Addison missed Wednesday practice with the hamstring before being ruled inactive. Minnesota is on bye in Week 6, so his next chance to play is Week 7 vs. the Colts on Oct. 25.
• Minnesota is still a low-volume passing team: 19 to 33 targets a game.
• Verdict: Jefferson is a WR1. Hockenson is a TE1 if he clears the concussion protocol; Bartholomew is a deep streamer only if he doesn't. Addison is a WR3 when healthy.

Eagles: life without DeVonta Smith

Smith (hamstring/toe) has missed two games and didn't practice Wednesday. No one has taken over his role; four players split the work.

• Goedert returned from his MCL injury and led the team with 9 targets, but they were short (38 yards, 36 air yards).
• Dontayvion Wicks has 20% of targets and 32% of the air yards on the season, the steadiest role on the team.
• Darius Cooper played 85–90% of snaps the last two weeks. He has 3 TDs in those games, including a 62-yarder in London, but 3 targets in Week 5.
• Philadelphia has thrown 25, 25 and 37 targets the last three weeks, so no one but Smith has enough volume to trust.
• Verdict: Smith is a WR2 when he's back. Until then, Wicks is a flex, Goedert is a TE2, and Cooper is a touchdown-dependent dart, not a must-add.

Cardinals: Harrison benched, Wilson's share drops

Marvin Harrison Jr. was inactive against Detroit as trade rumors swirl, per AP. Michael Wilson's share fell by more than half in the 45-21 loss.

• AP reported Harrison would be inactive without an official reason. He had 5 catches for 85 yards and a TD in four games.
• Wilson caught 4 for 30 on 101 air yards. He's still at 26% of targets and 37% of air yards on the season, with 9 red-zone targets.
• Trey McBride caught 9 for 66 and a TD. He has 11 red-zone targets, tied for second-most in the league behind Amon-Ra St. Brown's 16.
• Kendrick Bourne had 8 targets in Harrison's place.
• Verdict: Wilson is a WR2 despite the dip. McBride is a TE1. Harrison is droppable unless a trade puts him in a better offense.

Steelers: Bernard steps up, Roman Wilson fades

Germie Bernard led Pittsburgh in targets in the 34-22 win over Indianapolis. Roman Wilson, the most-dropped WR on the homepage, had 1 target.

• Bernard caught 6 of 9 for 80 yards. Pat Freiermuth caught 5 for 44 and 2 TDs.
• Wilson's snap share has fallen from 79% in Week 2 to 31–33% the last two weeks.
• DK Metcalf had 4 targets and 12 yards, his quietest game. He's still at 21% of targets and 35% of air yards on the season.
• Jaylen Warren had 87 receiving yards on 6 targets, all on throws behind the line.
• Verdict: Metcalf is still the WR2 here; one bad week doesn't change his season role. Bernard is a deep-league add, and Wilson can be dropped.

Bills: no Moore, no volume

DJ Moore (shoulder) was inactive Monday night, and Buffalo threw only 18 targets while running James Cook 25 times in a 37-34 overtime win.

• Moore has hurt the shoulder more than once this season. He played 39% of snaps in Week 4 and missed practice before Week 5.
• Rookie Skyler Bell made his NFL debut and played 61% of snaps. Joshua Palmer was also out.
• Khalil Shakir caught 3 for 80. Keon Coleman scored, on his only catch.
• Buffalo's passing game is spread thin: no Bill has more than 20% of targets on the season.
• Verdict: Moore is a WR3 when healthy, but the shoulder makes him hard to trust. No other Bill is a weekly starter; Shakir is a PPR flex.

Chargers: two starters out, 21 targets

Ladd McConkey (foot) and Quentin Johnston (chest) both sat in the 23-17 loss to Denver, and the Chargers threw just 21 targets.

• McConkey aggravated the foot in the third quarter at Seattle and hadn't done on-field work since. Johnston was limited all week with the chest injury. Brenen Thompson was also out.
• Tre Harris played only 45% of snaps and caught 2 for 16. He wasn't on the injury report, and no reason for the drop has been reported.
• TE Oronde Gadsden II had 8 targets in Week 4 and 1 in Week 5.
• RB Keaton Mitchell has 10 targets the last two weeks.
• Verdict: No Charger is a reliable starter until McConkey or Johnston returns. Harris is a WR3 only if he's healthy and the receiver room is thin.

Other pass-catchers who moved

Bengals: Chase and Higgins swap weeks

Ja'Marr Chase had 3 targets in Week 4 and 10 (32%) in Week 5, and Tee Higgins went the other way.

• Chase caught 6 for 77 and a TD in the 31-24 win at Miami, with 124 air yards.
• Higgins had 16 targets in Week 4 and 4 in Week 5. He still leads Cincinnati with 42% of the air yards on the season.

Commanders: Diggs out, Okonkwo up

Stefon Diggs (hamstring) missed the 27-27 tie, and Terry McLaurin returned.

• McLaurin had 4 targets (17%) and 62 yards.
• TE Chig Okonkwo had a team-high 6 targets (26%) and 60 yards.

Browns: Concepcion concussed, Jeudy's best week

KC Concepcion was ruled out with a concussion after 1 target.

• Concepcion took an illegal hit from Minkah Fitzpatrick in the first quarter.
• Jerry Jeudy played 81% of snaps and had 7 targets (22%), his most of the season, and Denzel Boston also had 7.

Colts: Treadwell keeps climbing

Laquon Treadwell had 6 and 8 targets the last two weeks (21%, 19%).

• He had 125 air yards in Week 5. Keenan Allen returned with 9 targets, and Josh Downs is down to 14% two weeks running.

Titans: Spears in, Tate quiet

Tyjae Spears caught 9 of 9, all behind the line.

• Carnell Tate had 113 air yards on 5 targets but caught just 1, a week after 12 targets (43%).

Falcons: London is the offense

Drake London has had 43%, 30% and 32% of targets the last three weeks.

• He caught 7 for 118 in Week 5, after 16% in Week 2.
• Kyle Pitts had a season-high 6 targets and a TD, and Bijan Robinson's targets came back up to 7.

Jaguars: Washington rebounds, Strange is steady

Parker Washington caught 6 for 124 and 2 TDs after a 13% Week 4.

• TE Brenton Strange has 8 targets in each of the last two games.
• Brian Thomas Jr. had 3 targets and no catches.

Bears: Odunze's share keeps rising

Rome Odunze has gone 12% → 13% → 18% → 23% → 22%, with 101 air yards in Week 5.

• Luther Burden III has 8 red-zone targets, the team lead.

Raiders: Mayer's spike disappeared

Michael Mayer had 10 targets in Week 4 and 1 in Week 5.

• Brock Bowers had 10 (28%), 110 yards and a TD.

Chiefs: Rice's hamstring

Kansas City was on bye. Rashee Rice pulled up with a non-contact hamstring injury in Week 4 at Las Vegas.

• Andy Reid on the timeline: "It could be a week, it could be two."
• Tyquan Thornton had 8 targets (30%) and 2 TDs in Week 4 with Rice out.

Panthers: McMillan's big Week 4

Carolina was on bye. Tetairoa McMillan had 16 targets (41%) in the 32-26 win over Detroit, so Week 3's bracket game looks like the outlier.

• Jalen Coker missed Week 4.

Patriots: Hollins to IR

Mack Hollins (calf) went on injured reserve.

• Demario Douglas caught 4 for 65 and 2 TDs, and Romeo Doubs has 27% of the air yards on the season.

Stable target hogs, quick hits

These roles held in Week 5. Sorted by season target share.