There are some misconceptions about fantasy football. And one of the biggest ones comes from the “WR3” label. In our minds, sometimes we think WR3 on a good NFL offense means WR3 in fantasy football. But there are only 36 players that can be WR1/WR2/WR3s in fantasy football, when the top three wide receivers from every NFL team would give you 96 guys. And there certainly aren’t 96 fantasy-relevant wideouts – the WR36 last year was Romeo Doubs.

 

 

 

In fact, let’s for a second take all the wide receivers and tight ends and put them in one bucket. Then let’s look at the guys who finished the season third on their team in targets. Here are top finishes in PPR in fantasy:

The top healthy players were Brandin Cooks and Gabe Davis. And neither finished as a WR3. The reality of fantasy football is that we want FOCAL POINTS of these offenses, which means top two targets on the team. That’s especially true for tight end where every TE1 in PPR last season finished as either the first or second in targets on the team. And to give ourselves the best chance of acquiring these guys, we’ve created the Fantasy Football Target Totem Pole.

Essentially, what we do is take each position player from every team. We then rank them based on our best estimate for the target pecking order and include their projected role in the offense. From there, we color code them based on our confidence level in obtaining either an elite or fantasy-relevant share of targets. Here is the color-coding system followed by our grid and some notes on this year’s players.

NFL Targets: Fantasy Football Target Chart 2024

*LAST UPDATED: 10/9/24

COLOR KEY
Lock for 120+ targetsLikely 100+Possible 100+Unlikely 100+Lock for under 100
POSITION ABBREVIATIONS
SESplit End
FLFlanker
SLSlot
FSField Stretcher
TETight End
RBRunning Back
 One Two Three Four Five 100+ pace
Arizona CardinalsMarvin Harrison JrFLTrey McBrideTEMichael WilsonSEGreg DortchSLJames ConnerRB2
Atlanta FalconsDrake LondonSEDarnell MooneyFLKyle PittsTEBijan RobinsonRBRay-Ray McLoudSL2
Baltimore RavensZay FlowersFlIsaiah LikelyTERashod BatemanSEMark AndrewsTEJustice HillRB1
Buffalo BillsKhalil ShakirFLDalton KincaidTEKeon ColemanSECurtis SamuelSLJames CookRB0
Carolina PanthersDiontae JohnsonFLXavier LegetteSEJonathan MingoTEAdam ThielenSEJa'Tavion SandersTE1
Chicago BearsDJ MooreSERome OdunzeFLKeenan AllenSLCole KmetTED'Andre SwiftRB1
Cincinnati BengalsJa'Marr ChaseSL/FLTee HigginsSEAndrei IosivasFLMike GesickiTE/SLZach MoosRB2
Cleveland BrownsAmari CooperSEJerry JeudySL/FLElijah MooreFLDavid NjokuTEJerome FordRB2
Dallas CowboysCeeDee LambSL/FLJake FergusonTEJalen TolbertSEBrandin CooksFLEzekiel ElliottRB2
Denver BroncosCourtland SuttonSEJosh ReynoldsFL/FSLil'Jordan HumphreyFSJavonte WilliamsRBTroy FranklinFL1
Detroit LionsAmon-Ra St. BrownSL/FLJameson WilliamsFLSam LaPortaTEJahmyr GibbsRBDavid MontgomeryRB2
Green Bay PackersJayden ReedSLRomeo DoubsFLChristian WatsonSETucker KraftTEDontayvion WicksWR0
Houston TexansNico CollinsSEStefon DiggsSL/FLTank DellFLDalton SchultzTEJoe MixonRB2
Indianapolis ColtsMichael Pittman JrSEJosh DownsSLAlec PierceSLAdonai MitchellFLJonathan TayorRB2
Jacksonville JaguarsBrian Thomas JrSEChristian KirkSLEvan EngramTEGabe DavisFLTravis EtienneRB2
Kansas City ChiefsTravis KelceTEXavier WorthyFSKareem HuntRBJuJu Smith-SchusterWRNoah GrayTE1
Las Vegas RaidersBrock BowersTEJakobi MeyersSL/FLDavante AdamsSL/FLTre TuckerFLMichael MayerTE2
Los Angeles ChargersLadd McConkeySL/FLQuentin JohnstonSEJosh PalmerFLHayden HurstTEJK DobbinsRB1
Los Angeles RamsCooper KuppSEDemarcus RobinsonSEPuka NacuaFLColby ParkinsonTETutu AtwellFL2
Miami DolphinsTyreek HillSEJaylen WaddleSL/FLDe'Von AchaneRBJonnu SmithTERaheem MostertRB1
Minnesota VikingsJustin JeffersonSEJordan AddisonFLTJ HockensonTEAaron JonesRBJalen NailorRB1
New England PatriotsHunter HenryTEJa'Lynn PolkWRDemario DouglasSLKJ OsbornFLRhamondre StevensonRB0
New Orleans SaintsRashid ShaheedSL/FLChris OlaveFLAlvin KamaraRBJuwan JohnsonTEFoster MoreauTE1
New York GiantsMalik NabersFLWan'Dale RobinsonSLDarius SlaytonSETheo JohnsonTEDevin SingletaryRB2
New York JetsGarrett WilsonSL/FLAllen LazardSEBreece HallRBMike WilliamsSETyler ConklinTE2
Philadelphia EaglesDeVonta SmithFLAJ BrownSEDallas GoedertTESaquon BarkleyRBJahan DotsonSL2
Pittsburgh SteelersGeorge PickensSEPat FreiermuthTEVan JeffersonFLNajee HarrisRBCalvin AustinSL1
San Francisco 49ersBrandon AiyukSEDeebo SamuelFLGeorge KIttleTEJauan JenningsSLChristian McCaffreyRB4
Seattle SeahawksDK MetcalfSEJaxon Smith-NjigbaSLTyler LockettFLNoah FantTEKenneth WalkerRB3
Tampa Bay BuccaneersChris GodwinSL/FLMike EvansSECade OttonTEJalen McMillanFLRashaad WhiteRB2
Tennessee TitansCalvin RidleyFLTyler BoydSLDeAndre HopkinsSETony PollardRBTyjae SpearsRB0
Washington CommandersTerry McLaurinSEZach ErtzTEAustin EkelerRBNoah BrownFLBrian RobinsonRB1

Notes, Help & Advice: 2024 Fantasy Football Targets

  • Last season, no team had three players get 100+ targets, per Pro Football Focus. Here is how the target distribution shook out:

Players With 100+ Targets

Number Of Teams

TEAMS

0

4

DEN, GB, NE, NYG

1

18

ARI, ATL, BAL, BUF, CAR, CHI, CIN, DAL, HOU, IND, LAR, LAC, NO, NYJ, PIT, SF, TEN, WAS

2

10

CLE, DET, JAX, KC, LV, MIA, MIN, PHI, SEA, TB

3

0

 
  • Over the last three years, per Pro Football Focus, there has only been one team to have three players ALL get over 100 NFL targets (the 2022 Vikings). And T.J. Hockenson was acquired via trade mid-season, so there is a bit of an asterisk. From the Hockenson trade on, Adam Thielen was not on a 100+ target pace.
     
  • Last season, every WR1 in PPR got 120+ targets except for Nico Collins, who finished as the WR12 with 109.
     
  • The only WR to finish inside the top 24 with fewer than 100 targets was Deebo Samuel (who added 37 carries). For four straight years, every top 24 WR in PPR has had over 100 NFL targets + carries.
     
  • Highly consolidated targets for teams like the Dolphins, Rams, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Falcons, Ravens, Lions and Eagles make the top players fairly safe bets.
     
  • We can find upside in uncertainty in the later rounds – teams like the Broncos, Chargers, Patriots, Packers, Giants, Chiefs, Colts and Bills have fairly uncertain target pecking orders.
     
  • There are only four tight ends we project to lead their team in targets, though there are at least 17 that have a potential path to being a top two target on their team.
     
  • As usual, there are very few running backs with a shot at 100+ targets. Last year, no running back did it and the only one who was on pace was Alvin Kamara (had 86 NFL targets in 13 games, which is on pace for 112).

2024 Fantasy Football: Related Draft Guide Articles

Heighten your understanding of 2024 fantasy football by checking out some other draft guide articles, packed with additional tips and guidance for the upcoming season: