So you’ve got another week to your fantasy football season, huh? No problem. While many will pour out some diatribe as to why you shouldn’t be playing in Week 17, I’m going to keep my mouth shut about it. The argument is irrelevant to you anyway because no matter what I say, the fact remains that you still have a game to play and you’re coming here to look at target numbers and expectations for the final week of the regular season, not some soapbox rant. I’ll save it for later in the summer when you’re setting up your league.

Let’s just get to it then, shall we?

Week 16 Target Leaders

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zach Ertz, TE PHI – Is it finally time for us to say that the over-hyped third-year tight end has finally arrived? The first 12 weeks of the season were as boring an unproductive as ever, but he’s now seen 30 targets in the last two games and has 28 catches on 41 targets for 307 yards and two touchdowns over his last four. Look for him to finish the season on an even higher note as the Eagles close out the year against the Giants who rank 24th in the league against the tight end and allow an average of 73.9 yards per game to them.

Dontrelle Inman, WR SD –It should come as no surprise that the three games this season where Inman has seen the most targets, he’s also found the end zone. Now the question is whether the Chargers can keep it going. He saw a season-high 13 targets in Week 16 but may not be able to close out the year on a similar note. The Denver secondary can be quite unforgiving.

Harry Douglas, WR TEN – With Kendall Wright out, it was Douglas who saw the bulk of the targets in Week 16 and not Dorial Green-Beckham. If they run him out of the slot this week, he could be in line for a similar week, but the Indianapolis corners are more than capable of containing him on the outside.

Keshawn Martin, WR NE – We all know that Rob Gronkowski will always be Tom Brady’s favorite, but with no Julian Edelman and no Danny Amendola, it was Martin who finally moved into the spotlight. It wasn’t the most spectacular day – just 68 yards and no touchdown – but if neither Edelman nor Amendola return this week, Martin could prove to be a solid low-cost play in DFS as the Patriots close out the season with the defensively-challenged Dolphins.

Terrance Williams, WR DAL – While Kellen Moore isn’t the be-all, end-all of quarterbacks, he’s going to need a receiver to lean on. Dez Bryant is done for the year and Cole Beasley is a very limited player. Williams should continue to see decent targets and with a match-up against a Redskins team that will be resting most of its starters by the middle of the second quarter, he could be in for a big game.

 

Overall Targets Leaderboard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Target Percentage Leaders

Marvin Jones, WR CIN – If you haven’t noticed, Jones’ target percentage has slowly increased since A.J. McCarron took over under center. The increase isn’t massive, by any means, but just enough to make Jones a more interesting, low-cost option. It could just be because the Bengals are throwing less, but with the Bengals closing out the season against the Ravens, he could see some nice target numbers while Jimmy Smith focuses on A.J. Green.

Darren Sproles, RB PHI – He matched his season-high in targets this past week and slowly but surely, Sproles has seen more and more work in the Eagles passing game. His target rate has risen since the “benching” of DeMarco Murray and if the team maintains the same game plan this week against the Giants, the diminutive running back should do well.

Red Zone Target Leaders

John Brown, WR ARI – While the re-emergence of Michael Floyd has eaten into the target distribution for the Cardinals, Brown continues to be a force inside the red zone. Larry Fitzgerald’s workload has decreased while he deals with an ankle issue and a role change and Floyd seems to be seen as more of a deep threat. Brown’s red zone target percentage continues to rise and it’s very possible he even surpasses Fitz on the red zone target leaderboard for the Cardinals.

Michael Crabtree, WR OAK – While Amari Cooper grabs the attention, it’s still Crabtree who keeps the passing game moving and grooving in Oakland. He leads the Raiders in target rate, red zone targets and, obviously, red zone target percentage. Look for a strong finish to the season as the Raiders face a Chiefs team likely to rest its starters this week.

 

Week 17 Match-Up to Watch

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Well duh! The Saints pass defense ranks 29th while the Falcons ranks 19th. Neither team has anything to play for so you can expect a very reckless, high-scoring affair. After all, the over/under is 52.5, the highest for the week. Julio Jones should abuse the Saints corners all day while Jacob Tamme and even Roddy White get into the action. Look for Devonta Freeman to also maybe take a pass to the house (cue the Matt Ryan DFS hype). On the other side, Brandin Cooks has three 100-yard games and three touchdowns over the last four weeks and the last time Benjamin Watson saw the Falcons, he torched them for 127 yards and a touchdown on 10 catches. It’s games like this where the term “barnburner” is most appropriate.