Best Catches to Targets from Week Nine

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Mike Wallace
Wallace finally had a game where his catches to targets were a decent rate. Tannehill and Wallace have struggled all season at utilizing Wallace’s big play abilities. The story surrounding Miami’s offensive line has a lot to do with that. Tannehill has been planted on his back and not given enough time to get the football down the field. Maybe that will change. Thursday Wallace finished with six catches on eight targets.

Jason Witten
It’s about time we had a Jason Witten sighting. The tight end was the difference on a day that Dez Bryant was held in check. Witten looked in old form as he was able to get over the middle and even was able to get some yards after the catch. He had eight catches on ten targets.

Keenan Allen
Going into the season many Chargers fans and fantasy owners were worried at who Brees would target game to game. Antonio Gates has been steady, but it’s been the rookie Keenan Allen who has blown past expectations. He had one of the strongest months in October and has carried it over to the first game of November. He finished with eight catches on eleven targets.

Tony Gonazlez
Gonzalez was on his way to another career type of game against the Carolina Panthers. In the first half Matt Ryan was targeting Gonzalez nearly every pass play. I would have as well as the Carolina Panthers chose to play Gonzalez with just a linebacker. It was a mismatch every time and resulted in a close game at half at just 14-10. Ron Rivera and the Panthers did the smart thing and rethought their coverages on Gonzalez. The game flipped from there and Gonzalez only ended up with six catches on nine targets, mostly from the first half.

Brandon LaFell
LaFell almost ended up in the fantasy doghouse. He finished with six catches on nine targets but should have had eight catches on nine targets. On two deep ball throws in the second half Cam Newton placed the ball in good spots for LaFell. He just couldn’t find the ball and make the catch. His involvement with the offense was a good sign, but LaFell needs to get his hands on more balls.

Doug Baldwin
Baldwin is one of the unheralded Seahawks that has helped them get two wins, one against Houston and the comeback against Tampa Bay. The connection is just there and the Seahawks are going to need Baldwin on the field more until the offensive line gets better. Baldwin finished with six catches on ten targets.

Jerricho Cotchery
Cotchery had a game that may be his last big game of his career. Every athlete has one. Cotchery has been the third receiver on the Steelers for a few years now after a solid stint with the Jets. Sunday he made fantastic catches and scored three touchdowns. I would not recommend picking up Cotchery off the waiver wire.

Others: AJ Green 11 catches/19 targets, Dwayne Bowe 7 catches/12 targets, Lance Moore 6 catches/10 targets, Greg Jennings 6 catches/9 targets, Pierre Garcon 7 catches/11 targets, Rod Streater 5 catches/6 targets, Torrey Smith 5 catches/8 targets, Rob Gronkowski 9 catches/10 targets, TY Hilton 7 catches/11 targets, Brandon Marshall 7 catches/13 targets

Stretching the Field Post Week Nine

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Andre Johnson
The play calling for the Texans nose dived without head coach Gary Kubiak. For now though the Texans appear to have their new quarterback settled in Case Keenum. He revived Andre Johnson who had been held without a touchdown for a long time. He finished Sunday with two touchdowns on nine catches for over 220 yards.

Jimmy Graham
You have to think the rest of the season may get tougher for Graham. Marques Colston has been hobbled and Brees is having a tough time finding a main receiver to target frequently. For the first nine games of the season you’d can argue that Graham’s name deserves to be in the running for offensive MVP. He has been virtually unstoppable every game. He tacked on two more touchdowns Sunday.

Robert Meachem
Meachem didn’t get in the end zone but he did make four big catches. If Meachem can have half the impact that he did as a New Orleans Saint his first time around he can be of fantasy significance. With Colston nursing a knee injury, there is going to be an opportunity for Meachem to re-arise in the Saints offense.

Pierre Garcon
It was Garcon who talked about RG3 in the media about his knee brace. Since then the days of our lives media soap opera with RG3 has not been as near an issue. He has calmed down quite a bit and the sound bites have filtered down. Garcon has risen RG3’s game, when a year ago it was the opposite. Garcon is making phenomenal catches and finished with seven for over 170 yards.

Harry Douglas
Douglas continues to put up great stats as a number one receiver in spot duty over Julio Jones and Roddy White. Douglas had three catches for over eighty yards. He seemed to be having success for a couple of drives against Carolina before it all came to a halt. The ceiling for Douglas may have been reached, but the positive is that Roddy White should be back soon.

Riley Cooper and DeSean Jackson
Oakland’s secondary and defense obviously was not prepared to take on the Eagles assault. Once it started it was beginning of a marathon of nightmarish highlights for the Raiders. Now the Eagles get the spotlight again after the offense hadn’t clicked like that since week one. Cooper and Jackson will look to continue their show with Nick Foles at quarterback.

Greg Little
I wouldn’t rush to the waiver wire for Little, as he has been non-existent for much of the season. Sunday though the Ravens were the first defense to ensure Josh Gordon doesn’t beat them for big play after big play. They held him in check to just three catches for over forty yards. It was the other side that they struggled which led Little to a stellar game.

Aaron Dobson, Danny Amendola, and Rob Gronkowski
A game that was 24-all looked like it was on course to be a great finish. In a span of minutes the Patriots extended the lead with quick strike after quick strike. When the Steelers weren’t allowing big plays to Dobson, Amendola, and Gronk it came via pass interferences. We will see if the show can continue with all now healthy.

TY Hilton
Andrew Luck’s second half comeback heroics were similar to an NBA marksmen. Luck targeted TY Hilton and saw that the Texans couldn’t stop him once they got going. Hilton finished with seven catches for over 120 yards. Still, the Colts will have to find another receiver to step up in absence of Reggie Wayne.

Potential Fourth Quarter Killers For Week Nine

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Strap up your fantasy football seatbelts. It’s the accelerated part of the season. In all likelihood you have a few owners that have waved the white flag. There seasons were over after week four. It’s dwindled down to yourself and a handful of other league mates. Can you make that surge to get bragging rights? Here are some potential fourth quarter fantasy football players for week nine.

Alex Smith
I’ve been a brutal basher of Alex Smith every week. But when a matchup presents itself you have to take it for what it’s worth. The Bills for the most part have stayed strong mentally through constant injuries on both sides of the football. This week though presents a dubious task against the undefeated Chiefs. Mental confidence will take a strong hit by the Bills if Thad Lewis is unable to play. Smith just finds a way to do just enough. This week though he should flourish against an over performing Bills defense that surrenders chunks of yardage.

Marshawn Lynch
Seattle’s offense has been far less productive than teams with Super Bowl aspirations require. In order to get it fired back up the offense needs to get Lynch more involved. During the telecast of Monday Night football, Jon Gruden brought up a good point. Defenses are loading the box and daring the Seahawks to try to beat them with man coverage. Now with Percy Harvin set to return it should give Lynch clearance to run between the tackles better.

Dez Bryant
Dallas is just one of those teams that a win or loss is up in the air when it comes time for the fourth quarter. This is almost a must win scenario for the Cowboys against the Vikings. It’s going to be crucial that they rise to the occasion. Will the let down a week ago ultimately be impactful in a positive way or negative way? One thing that’s for certain is that Tony Romo will get Dez Bryant more involved against a Vikings secondary that loves to give up big plays.

Greg Jennings
Minnesota has been a head scratcher for fantasy football owners this year. AP has had two great runs on the year, while performing mediocre with almost all the rest of his carries. Poor quarterback play has led to the receiver and tight end position to be sapped of possible fantasy football value. Sometimes talent can supersede issues on given weeks. This should be one, as the Cowboys continue to get torched week to week by nearly every team via the passing game. Expect Jennings to finally have a decent game this week and produce in the fourth quarter.

Marques Colston
I’m going to call the reappearance of Marques Colston back to life. It is Halloween week after all. Those ready to bench Colston for good are going to be torn and twisted after Sunday. Drew Brees just hasn’t targeted Colston like he has in years past. Part of that has had to do with Brees’s sharp rise in targets to Jimmy Graham. A player in the Saints offense can only be relegated for so long. I’d expect Colston to make a sharp turn to regain a few notches on his season averages over the course of the next month.

Others: DeAngelo Williams, Terrelle Pryor, Saints Defense, Joe Flacco, Eddie Lacy, and Donald Brown

Best Ratios of Catches to Targets Week Eight

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Ted Ginn Jr
Ginn Jr has had sprinkled results of success during the Panthers recent rise over the last four games. He adds the dimension of speed that is the perfect neutralizer to keep defenses on their heels against a Panthers effective run game. Ginn caught five of six targets week eight.

Calvin Johnson
Johnson ripped apart the Cowboys fans’ hearts with a day for the ages. His stats alone were out of the ordinary. What made his day even more remarkable is that Dallas could not halt Johnson’s catches to targets a tad. He had fourteen catches on sixteen targets.

Dexter McCluster
Five to ten years ago safety valve targets for a quarterback came via tight ends and preferred slot receivers. Nowadays teams have primary check down backs to get in the open field. McCluster has made a niche on the Chiefs roster as an open field threat to go long distances. Sunday he caught seven of ten targets.

Stevie Johnson
The best attribute to Johnson this season has been his maturity. He was starting to live up to the new age diva NFL receivers that were accustomed to showboating. He has toned that down and also kept quiet to the media. Sunday he finished with seven catches on eleven targets.

DeSean Jackson
Throughout the quarterback carousel in Philadelphia, DeSean Jackson has remained a fantasy football haven at wide receiver. Each week he is providing a different element. In years past you just couldn’t depend on Jackson from a consistency standpoint. This past week he bypassed double digits in fantasy points by catching eight of eleven passes.

Cecil Shorts III
Even though the Jaguars haven’t done enough to get a win this year, they’ve been a different ball club offensively with Chad Henne at quarterback over Blaine Gabbert. Part of that had to do with Justin Blackmon’s return from suspension, but mostly it’s the attributes Henne has over Gabbert. Shorts caught seven of ten targets Sunday.

David Nelson
Geno Smith’s weeks at quarterback are as unpredictable as your drunk buddy playing darts. Each game (round) may be different because with sporadic play. Smith clearly does not even have a number one target to throw to which is hurting his development. Any game the Jets are down double figures the Jets chances for a comeback are gone out the window. Nelson was the latest receiver to join Smith’s target list catching eight of twelve throws Sunday.

Others: Reggie Bush 8 catches/9 targets, Jordan Cameron 4 catches/4 targets, Scott Chandler 7 catches/11 targets, Victor Cruz 7 catches/10 targets, Emmanuel Sanders 7 catches/11 targets, Antonio Brown 9 catches/13 targets, Jordan Reed 8 catches/14 targets, Demaryius Thomas 7 catches/11 targets, Wes Welker 6 catches/10 targets, Harry Douglas 12 catches/18 targets, Jarrett Boykin 5 catches/6 targets,

Poor Results: Vincent Jackson 5 catches/13 targets, Terrance Williams 3 catches/10 targets, Mike Wallace 3 catches/10 targets, Justin Blackmon 4 catches/10 targets, AJ Green 3 catches/7 targets

Stretching the Field Post Week Eight

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Marvin Jones
A day such as Jones had Sunday, I haven’t seen in quite awhile. Az Hakim’s old days as a Ram are equivalent performances that come to mind. Jones has learned the role the Bengals have been searching for. He is able to play off of AJ Green on the opposite side while providing a boost to the offense. Jones caught all eight targets his way with a career day in four touchdowns as well.

Golden Tate
Many fantasy analysts had Tate pegged for a big Monday night fantasy performance. The performance did happen but it was based mainly on one big play. That big play netted Tate as a top ten fantasy receiver for the week. With Percy Harvin set to return, it’ll be interesting to see if the struggling Seahawks pass offense will climb up or hit more bumps as the team adjusts to Harvin.

Jordy Nelson
It can’t be restated enough. The Aaron Rodgers to Jordy Nelson combination might not top everyone’s quarterback to receiver combo list, but it sure is the number one cerebral connection. The two just know where each other’s minds are thinking for each route and ball placement. There is enough phenomenal throws and catches in the first half of this season alone to create a highlight reel most teams couldn’t match. Nelson had over 17 yards a catch Sunday against Minnesota.

Kenny Stills
For the amount of throws that the Saints have each week, it’s remarkable that the receiving group as a whole has not been fantasy friendly. That should change with Lance Moore back and Kenny Stills emerging. Do not discount veteran Marques Colston for a second half resurgence either. Stills likely won’t be a high volume receiver but will be the home run threat a couple of times in every game. He had three catches for over 120 yards with two touchdowns against Buffalo Sunday.

Calvin Johnson
Sometimes coaches can let game film do the talking instead of consistently pointing out the obvious with speeches. Sunday, Johnson’s enormous day of over 320 yards receiving is the type of incredible day that deserves review rather than lengthy analysis. It was something special for a receiver surpassing all-time greats for what he is doing at his age.

Josh Gordon
The season for Gordon can’t propel much higher. He is becoming a top five fantasy wide receiver very quickly. Not many wide receivers can continue to have success by playing with his third quarterback in as many weeks. That goes to show that Gordon’s skillset is in the top tier of the NFL. He had an average of over twenty six yards a catch while finishing with over 100 yards receiving once again.

Stretching the Field Post Week Seven

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Eric Decker
The Colts employed a different tactic to keep Manning from ripping apart their secondary. They decided to blitz and apply pressure frequently to minimize Manning’s pocket. It was a great move as Manning looked uncomfortable. On several plays he had to roll out or step up in the pocket just to get a pass off. All of Manning’s receivers still had great games and Decker was the top dog with eight catches for over 150 yards.

Vincent Jackson
Many wanted to exclude Jackson from their fantasy rosters two to three weeks ago. He had been nearly non-existent since week one. Things were looking even bleaker with Mark Glennon at quarterback. Yet he has sprung back to life with two great back to back weeks. Sunday was his best game of the year, hauling in ten catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns.

Harry Douglas
Douglas was already on a lot of fantasy teams due to the injury woes the Falcons have suffered. Tampa Bay though winless has been a decent team defensively. Douglas though excelled Sunday and was the biggest shining fantasy stud that people wouldn’t have thought to do as well. Douglas finished with an average of over twenty one yards a catch with seven in total.

AJ Green
You can say that AJ Green and Calvin Johnson both wanted to prove that they were the best individual wideout in football. Sunday they both finished with identical yardage with 155 yards receiving. Green catapulted his team to a road victory and bestowed confidence in his quarterback, Andy Dalton. Not even Johnson could match Green’s 25 yards a catch average.

Alshon Jeffrey
It looks like Jeffrey’s is here to stay as a top 20 fantasy wide receiver. After a couple of solid games he was still ranked right outside the top twenty. Now there is no reason that he can be left out of your starting lineups. The Bears are one of the higher scoring teams in football. With the way their defense is playing, it looks like they’ll have to run a high pass volume offense all season.