X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Bull Rush - Wide Receivers With Target Share Increases

Antonio Losada looks at wide receivers set to see an increase in targets and target share due to changes of team or situation ahead of the 2020 NFL season. These WR could be undervalued fantasy football draft targets.

What is a wide receiver without a target? A warm body on a gridiron, that's it. Each and every summer we face the same question because most NFL franchises and also some players themselves decide to go try and test new assets and places. Every time a contract runs out, the possibility of finding a new team arrives for every wide receiver part of the NFL community, and with those changes of teams come changes in usage patterns. Some dud can turn into a stud only because he goes from being a role player to become a much more important part of a slim offense that uses him as the go-to guy.

This is the most used cliché ever, and the most widely known advice and phrase to keep in mind, but opportunity trumps everything in fantasy football. With no chances to rack up points, well, points won't ever come. It doesn't matter if your favorite receiver logs 100% of the offensive snaps of his team if all he does is look at his quarterback throw the football away from him or hand it off. The more targets a player is likely to see, the more receptions, yards, and subsequently fantasy points he will accrue.

With that deep knowledge in place, it's time to assess the market of fantasy receivers to come up with some of them poised for an increase in targets due to different circumstances. Let's get to it.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

One of the biggest moves of the offseason was also one of the most expected to happen. The relationship between Diggs and the Vikings for the past few months--and years, if you push it--had not been the best one and it ended with Minnesota getting rid of its best wideout. Could Diggs have landed in a better team and situation than Buffalo? Probably. Are the Bills a bad team for him to thrive in 2020? Far from it.

Buffalo features a gunslinger at the quarterback position in third-year man Josh Allen. While Allen topped at 461 pass attempts last season (21st-most), his options were really limited with only John Brown and Cole Beasley worth throwing to. Diggs is now part of that unit and he's also the most talented receiver featured in it, so Allen will have 1) more weapons to throw a larger amount of passes to, and 2) every reason to pick Diggs as his first read and no. 1 option.

Stefon Diggs already comes from a low-volume passing offense (Kirk Cousins attempted 444 passes in 2019), was targeted 94 times while sharing half of the year with another great receiver in Adam Thielen, and everything should point to an increase in both targets and production once the season kicks off in Buffalo. And the Bills would benefit from it: Diggs averaged 2.26 FP per target last season, the sixth-highest mark among WR targeted at least 40 times.

 

Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings

Speaking of Diggs, it's worth covering all the bases he has left open in Minny which, undoubtedly, will go Thielen's way in 2020. What was a one-two punch until this offseason has turned into a one-man offense for the Vikings. Finding themselves in such a situation, the Vikings drafted Justin Jefferson with the 21st pick of this year's draft and will thrust him into a heavy role from day one. Even with that, Thielen (assuming a healthy season) should trump the rookie in every statistical category.

In 10 games last season, Thielen logged a paltry 48 targets that would have translated to just 77 over a full 16-game schedule. Take away Diggs' 94 targets and the fact that it will be very hard for Jefferson to beat Thielen in targets, and all of a sudden you're looking at the very least at Thielen logging 90-plus targets in 2020. The best news for Adam Thielen's truthers: if you read Diggs' blurb above you know he was one of the most efficient per-target fantasy players; Thielen was even better averaging 2.38 FP/target in 2019, third-best among wideouts with 40-plus targets.

With Jefferson's addition as the only impact-move made at the receiving positions in Minnesota, Thielen should be in for a great season. Remember, after he missed time last year he had played every game since he entered the league in 2014 while logging 142 and 153 targets in 2017 and 2018 respectively. No reason to think he won't get back to those numbers in 2020.

 

A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans

How would you define Brown's rookie year for the Titans? It seemed like the freshman came out of nowhere, took the league by storm, and absolutely destroyed defenses while riding the wave Tennessee was able to generate late in the year with the ascension of Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry. Brown finished the year with a massive 1,051 yards, 52 receptions, and eight touchdowns... on just 84 targets. That is what I call efficiency: his average of 2.58 FP/target was the best for WR with at least 80 targets.

Brown proved to be the clear best receiver of that Titans team, but Tennesse "wasted" more than 40 targets on each Adam Humphries, Corey Davis, and Jonnu Smith and the most they could do was getting to 86.5, 115.1, and 104.7 PPR points respectively. Brown lapped them finishing the season with 217.1 fantasy points himself and averaging 13.6 PPG, making him the 21st-best wideout of 2019 and a clear-cut fantasy WR2 as a rookie.

The 2020 Titans are a re-do of the 2019 version. No changes at the quarterback nor running back positions, no additions to the wide receiver corps, and no differences when it comes to tight ends. While you could reasonably expect no variation, I see a clear bump in Brown's usage going forward. There is no WR in Tennessee that has looked better than Brown during the 2019 season and with a year of experience under his belt, it is not hard to picture Brown breaking the 100-target barrier next year with his teammates surrendering some of those targets in his favor.

 

Allen Lazard, Green Bay Packers

All hail Green Bay, saviors of Lazards! Every Packer (fans and players) should be pissed off at the team mind-bending decisions during this past draft except their already-in-place wideouts, starting by Allen Lazard. If there was something Green Bay should have done this offseason, that was fixing/improving/bulking its wide receiver corps. Davante Adams (127 targets) was the only wide receiver targeted more than 56 times by the Packers last season, with RB Aaron Jones (68) and TE Jimmy Graham (60) ranking second and third. What did Green Bay do? Losing Graham and signing WR Devin Funchess, if that counts...

With no real-threat at the tight end position (Marcedes Lewis pencils as the potential starter) and none other than Adams as a true weapon as a wideout, Lazard should become Rodger's no. 2 weapon on offense. Sure, Lazar was the less targeted wide receiver last season (52) but he was also the most productive of all receivers in Green Bay's offense on a per-target basis. Lazard averaged 1.98 FP per target, a way better mark than those of MVS (1.50) and Geronimo Allison (1.37), and also superior to Funchess' 2018 mark of 1.56 (his last healthy season).

Even while on low-volume and barely used in 2019, Lazard was able to average 9.3 PPG during the last 12 weeks of the season and his 102.8 PPR points over the full season ranked third among WR targeted fewer than 55 times (only behind Mecole Hardman and Adam Thielen). Lazard has proven to be good enough to give him a bigger chunk of the offensive opportunities and it is not like Green Bay has many more options to throw the ball too, so the bump in targets must be coming his way.

 

Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons

You can read Ridley's case as a Lazard's powered-up, 2.0-case-on-steroids. The same as Lazard's might find himself as the no. 2 receiver in Green Bay playing behind a clear leader (Davante Adams), Ridley is without a doubt the no. 2 wideout on Atlanta's offense behind go-to beast Julio Jones. That isn't going to change for a few years still, but the Falcons better be turning their attention to the third-year man out of Alabama. Jones is entering his 31-year-old season in 2020 and although his production is far from declining, that should start happening sooner rather than later.

Jones' 2019 season saw him targeted a monster 157 times, second only to Michael Thomas. Even playing next to such a pass-magnet, Ridley still got 93 targets himself and racked up all of 866 yards while averaging 2.12 FP per target. That mark was the sixth-highest among wide receivers targeted at least 90 times, making him one of the most efficient WRs in the league and putting him way above Jones' 1.75 average. Ridley, by the way, missed three games entirely in 2019 and his 93 targets would have translated to at least 115 had he played 16 games.

The torch will be passed from Jones to Ridley at some point down the line, and we might have started to see the transition at the end of last year. During the final part of last season, Ridley already out-performed Jones by averaging almost three more PPG and getting into 2020 he projects as a 120-target, 1,000-yard potential WR1 for the first time in his career (he finished as WR22 and WR27 in his rookie and sophomore seasons).

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sterling Shepard's Stock Rising for Buccaneers
Cam Talbot

Collects Third Straight Win
Connor Bedard

Shines With Three Assists
CFB

Jermod McCoy Officially Out for Alabama Matchup
Zach Benson

Records Four Assists In Season Debut
CFB

Jam Miller Questionable to Face Tennessee
Cam York

on Track to Make Season Debut Thursday
John Klingberg

Deemed Day-to-Day
Will Borgen

Battling Lower-Body Issue
Hampus Lindholm

Still Day-to-Day
Jaden Ivey

Considered Day-to-Day
Josh Hart

Making Progress
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Busy in Preseason Debut
Keegan Murray

Lands Five-Year, $140 Million Extension
Domantas Sabonis

Sustains Hamstring Injury Wednesday
Jaylen Brown

"Fine" Following Wednesday's Early Exit
CFB

Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt Probable For Saturday
Jake Walman

to Remain Out Thursday
Dmitry Kulikov

to Miss Five Months Following Surgery
Darcy Kuemper

Day-to-Day With Lower-Body Injury
Anze Kopitar

Listed as Day-to-Day
Jacob Markstrom

Out for "Couple of Weeks"
Kevon Looney

Slated to be Sidelined With Knee Injury
Nick Foligno

Out on Wednesday
Lucas Raymond

Misses Wednesday's Game
New York Knicks

Malcolm Brogdon Calling it a Career After Nine NBA Seasons
Russell Westbrook

Inks Deal With Kings
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Open 21-Day Practice Window for Khalik Mack
Quentin Johnston

Will Practice Wednesday
Travis Hunter

Jaguars Plan to Expand Travis Hunter's Role on Offense
Anthony Volpe

Undergoes Left-Shoulder Surgery
Deshaun Watson

"a Good Month Away" From Practicing
CFB

Jayden Gibson No Longer with Oklahoma Program
David Njoku

Not Practicing Wednesday
Rashee Rice

Chiefs "Allocating a Heavy Workload" for Rashee Rice Right Away
Puka Nacua

a "Long Shot" to Play in Week 7
Emeka Egbuka

is Expected to Miss Week 7
Jalen Suggs

Participates in Contact Drills
Mark Williams

Progresses to Five-on-Five Work
Gary Harris

to Miss 1-2 Weeks
De'Andre Hunter

Sustains Knee Contusion Tuesday
Karlo Matković

Karlo Matkovic Hurts Elbow in Loss to Houston
Jalen Duren

Returns to Action Against Cavaliers
Stuart Skinner

Records Eighth Career Shutout
Matthew Knies

Dishes Out Three Assists in Tuesday's Win
Maxwell Crozier

Likely Out on Friday
Brett Howden

Dealing With Lower-Body Injury
Adin Hill

Sustains Lower-Body Injury Versus Flames
Matt Duchene

Injured in Tuesday's Win
Emmanuel Clase

to be Banished for Life After Gambling Allegations?
Alex Bregman

Plans to Opt Out of Contract With Red Sox
Jalen Green

Reinjures Hamstring, Will be Reevaluated in 10 Days
Trey Murphy III

Set to Suit Up Tuesday
Joel Embiid

Could Play in Friday's Preseason Finale
Alexey Toropchenko

to Remain Out Wednesday
Paul George

Participates in Team Activities During Practice on Tuesday
CeeDee Lamb

"Looking Good" for Week 7
Kevin Huerter

Could Be an Option Thursday
D'Andre Swift

Breaks Out for 175 Total Yards and Touchdown in Win
Drake London

Explodes for 158 Yards and Touchdown in Win Over Bills
Bijan Robinson

Erupts for 238 Total Yards and Touchdown Against Bills
Christopher Bell

Sits Third in Points After Quiet Third-Place Finish
Chase Briscoe

Passes Denny Hamlin at the Start, but Hamlin Gets Him in the End
Joey Logano

Falling Out of Playoff Picture Despite Other Contenders' Crashes
Ryan Blaney

Stage 1 Crash Puts Ryan Blaney in Severe Playoff Trouble
Denny Hamlin

Wins at Las Vegas and Will Compete for the 2025 Cup Series Title
Kyle Larson

Dominates at Las Vegas but Ends Up Second
Chase Elliott

Struggles to Gain A Solid Finish at Las Vegas After Pit-Road Penalty
William Byron

Strong Run Ends In A Wreck at Las Vegas
Garrett Wilson

Expected to Miss "a Couple of Weeks" With Hyperextended Knee
Dalton Kincaid

Ruled Out for Monday Night
CFB

Sam Leavitt Viewed as Day-to-Day with Undisclosed Injury
Anthony Santander

Scratched From Game 2 of ALCS With Back Tightness
Deebo Samuel Sr.

Expected to Play on Monday Night
Brock Bowers

Could Sit for the "Long Haul"
CeeDee Lamb

has a Chance to Play in Week 7
San Diego Padres

Mike Shildt Retires as a Manager
Tennessee Titans

Titans Fire Head Coach Brian Callahan
Mateusz Gamrot

Suffers Second-Round Submission Loss
Charles Oliveira

Gets Back In The Win Column
Montel Jackson

Drops Decision
Deiveson Figueiredo

Gets Split-Decision Victory
Vicente Luque

Outclassed
Vicente Luque

Joel Alvarez Outclasses Vicente Luque
Jhonata Diniz

Suffers Second-Round TKO Loss
Mario Pinto

Remains Undefeated
CFB

Matt Rhule Denying Interest in Penn State Head Coaching Job
CFB

Le'Veon Moss Not Believed to Have Suffered Season-Ending Injury
Ricardo Ramos

Suffers First-Round Submission Loss
Chris Godwin

Not Expected to Return in Week 7
Bucky Irving

Not Expected to Return in Week 7
Puka Nacua

Rams Think Puka Nacua has Avoided a Long-Term Injury
Kaan Ofli

Scores Comeback Win
CFB

Bill Belichick Says he's Committed to North Carolina
Tiger Woods

Undergoes Back Surgery
CFB

UAB Fires Head Coach Trent Dilfer After 2.5 Seasons In Birmingham
CFB

Penn State Fires Head Coach James Franklin After 10.5 Seasons
CFB

Penn State QB Drew Allar Will Miss The Rest Of 2025 Season With Ankle Injury
Brandon Woodruff

Will Not be on NLCS Roster
Max Scherzer

Added to ALCS Roster
Bryan Woo

Makes ALCS Roster
Bo Bichette

Won't Make ALCS Roster
Christopher Bell

the Favorite to Win at Las Vegas
Denny Hamlin

on the Pole at Las Vegas
Joey Logano

Can Joey Logano Get Lucky in Las Vegas Again?
William Byron

has the Fastest Car in Practice at Las Vegas
Ty Gibbs

Speed of Ty Gibbs a Good Sign for Toyota at Las Vegas
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Should Contend at Las Vegas
Ross Chastain

Scrapes Wall in Practice But Qualifies 15th at Las Vegas
Chris Buescher

Looking for Improvement at Las Vegas
Austin Cindric

It Has Been Hit or Miss for Austin Cindric at Las Vegas
Chase Elliott

Should Run Well at Las Vegas
Kyle Larson

Conservatism May Keep him from Replicating Previous Las Vegas Drive
Josh Berry

After Josh Berry's Las Vegas Win, Ryan Blaney Should be a Top Contender
Chase Briscoe

has Definitely Improved on Intermediate Tracks
Gleyber Torres

Will Undergo Surgery to Repair Sports Hernia
Bryan Woo

Expected to be on Mariners' ALCS Roster
CFB

CJ Baxter to Miss Saturday's Game Against No. 6 Oklahoma
CFB

Syracuse QB Steve Angeli Will Miss Significant Time
Cody Bellinger

Plans to Opt Out of Contract
MLB

Munetaka Murakami Will be Posted This Winter
Nathan Eovaldi

has Hernia Surgery, Should be Ready for Spring Training
Mateusz Gamrot

Set For UFC Rio Main Event
Charles Oliveira

Returns At UFC Rio
Montel Jackson

Set For UFC Rio Co-Main Event
Deiveson Figueiredo

Returns At UFC Rio
Joel Álvarez

Joel Alvarez Set for his Welterweight Debut
Vicente Luque

A Huge Underdog
Mario Pinto

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Jhonata Diniz

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kaan Ofli

Looks To Secure His First Octagon Win
Ricardo Ramos

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Michael Aswell

Looks For His First UFC Win

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP