On Target: Jackson Cashes In

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Updated on October 23, 2013 6:53PM EST

Now that the Week 7 dust has settled and you're done licking your wounds from what was probably one of the more brutal weeks in the NFL in a long while, it's time to get back to business. The week is over. Put it past you. No more lamenting over lost players. There may be crying in fantasy football, but it's done in private, far away from the derisive glare of your fellow owners. They're making fun of you and your team enough already. There's no reason to give them more fodder.

With all the quarterbacks and running backs who have been lost this season, your need to start strong wide receivers and tight ends is even greater than before, especially if you're sitting on the bubble of your playoff picture and need to find a way in. And if you're already inside that bubble, you need to do whatever it takes to maintain your position inside. Targets, targets, targets. Big targets, a lot of yards, touchdowns and, of course, red zone looks - that's what it's all about. But you know this already, which is why you're reading this article. So let's stop wasting time and get to the meat of it all.

Week 7 Target Leaders

(Click column headings to sort.)

PLAYER	POS	YARDS	TD	PASS ATT	TARGETS	REC	RZ TRGT	RZ TRG%	CATCH%	TARGET%
Vincent Jackson, TB	WR	138	2	44	22	10	9	50.0	45.5	50.0
Rob Gronkowski, NE	TE	114	0	46	17

PLAYER	POS	YARDS	TD	PASS ATT	TARGETS	REC	RZ TRGT	RZ TRG%	CATCH%	TARGET%
Vincent Jackson, TB	WR	138	2	44	22	10	9	50.0	45.5	50.0
Rob Gronkowski, NE	TE	114	0	46	17	8	0	0.0	47.1	37.0
Dez Bryant, DAL	WR	110	0	47	16	8	3	20.0	50.0	34.0
Calvin Johnson, DET	WR	155	2	51	15	9	3	14.3	60.0	29.4
Steve Johnson, BUF	WR	61	0	32	13	6	4	50.0	46.2	40.6
Cecil Shorts, JAC	WR	80	0	36	13	8	4	37.5	61.5	36.1
Eric Decker, DEN	WR	150	1	49	13	8	5	33.3	61.5	26.5
Kendall Wright, TEN	WR	98	0	41	12	9	0	0.0	75.0	29.3
Wes Welker, DEN	WR	96	0	49	12	7	5	33.3	58.3	24.5
Jason Avant, PHI	WR	32	0	49	12	3	2	66.7	25.0	24.5
Brian Hartline, MIA	WR	69	0	37	11	6	2	28.6	54.5	29.7
T.Y. Hilton, IND	WR	27	0	38	11	2	0	0.0	18.2	28.9
Brandon Marshall, CHI	WR	75	0	28	10	6	1	33.3	60.0	35.7
Jeremy Kerley, NYJ	WR	97	1	33	10	8	2	28.6	80.0	30.3
Jarrett Boykin, GB	WR	103	1	36	10	8	2	50.0	80.0	27.8
Mike Wallace, MIA	WR	76	0	37	10	5	0	0.0	50.0	27.0
Hakeem Nicks, NYG	WR	28	0	39	10	2	2	40.0	20.0	25.6
Nate Washington, TEN	WR	62	0	41	10	3	1	33.3	30.0	24.4
Michael Floyd, ARI	WR	71	0	45	10	6	1	14.3	60.0	22.2
Greg Jennings, MIN	WR	41	0	53	10	4	1	25.0	40.0	18.9

Vincent Jackson, WR TB - This was quite the week for Jackson, who topped the weekly leaderboard with a whopping 22 targets. The 45.5-percent catch rate leaves little to be desired, but there's as much of that on Mike Glennon for his throws as there is for Jackson and any missed catches. The important thing, though, is the number of opportunities Jackson sees each week. He's seen fewer than 11 targets just once this season and just these last two weeks he's seen 36 targets and has turned them into 19 catches for 250 yards and four touchdowns. It may not be so bountiful for Jackson each and every week, but Glennon's options are basically limited to him and Mike Williams, so you can probably count on a significant number of targets the rest of the way.

Rob Gronkowski, TE NE - Well, that certainly didn't take long at all, did it? In his first game back Gronkowski saw a whopping 17 targets, and that's probably just the tip of the iceberg. Tom Brady has been so heavily reliant on Julian Edelman that some new blood was definitely a necessity for New England. Gronk will continue to see a high number of looks each and every week and becomes an immediate must-start now that he's ready for game action.

Steve Johnson, WR BUF - The normally reliable and PPR-friendly Johnson is sure having his difficulties this season what with the tenuous quarterback situation in Buffalo. The 13 targets he saw this week were the most he's seen since Week 3, but the yards gained are leaving little to be desired. Obviously, stability at the quarterback position is key, but really ... is Thaddeus Lewis really the answer? Probably not. But with EJ Manuel still a few weeks away, Johnson's owners may just have to sit patiently on the veteran wideout and patiently wait until he has someone with a more reliable arm throwing him the ball. He could be a serious asset come fantasy playoff time when a better quarterback is getting him the ball, so dropping him for some flavor of the week might not be the best course of action.

Jason Avant, WR PHI - Avant makes a rare appearance on the target leaderboard this week, but before you go picking him up to replace your injured Reggie Wayne, keep in mind that it's highly unlikely you'll see him here again this season unless the Eagles are forced to go with Matt Barkley under center again, and even then, he's a risky play. The two have worked together often in practice, so it's to be expected that the quarterback will favor whomever he's more comfortable with on the field, but with Michael Vick likely to return in Week 8, the tilt in targets will head back DeSean Jackson's way again soon.

Jarrett Boykin, WR GB - Finally, a waiver pickup who doesn't disappoint and one who will actually last more than just one week. While the return of James Jones likely will cut into Boykin's future targets, the second-year receiver is still going to be an active part of the passing game, especially if he proves that he's consistently reliable. Replacing Randall Cobb means a lot of possession work, so Boykin will probably be a few ticks better in a PPR league, but should he continue to see a decent percentage of red-zone looks, then he'll prove his worth in standard scoring leagues as well.

Seeing a bunch of new faces on the weekly leaderboard is fine for the short-run, but year-long consistency is the key. That is, unless you like taking big chances each week playing the matchups, which few people really feel comfortable doing. So with that, let's turn our attention to the overall targets leaderboard and see if we can't find a few names worthy of targeting for our lineups on a regular basis.

Overall Targets Leaderboard

(Click column headings to sort.)

PLAYER	POS	YARDS	TD	PASS ATT	TARGETS	REC	RZ TRGT	RZ TRG%	CATCH%	TARGET%
Vincent Jackson, TB	WR	544	4	222	77	36	14	41.2	46.8	34.7
A.J. Green, CIN	WR	619	5	245	77	43	17	39.1	55.8	31.4
Cecil Shorts, JAC	WR	491	1	246	77	39	20	24.4	50.6	31.3
Andre Johnson, HOU	WR	584	0	280	71	48	4	10.0	67.6	25.4
Dez Bryant, DAL	WR	569	6	265	70	42	22	25.0	60.0	26.4
Brandon Marshall, CHI	WR	540	5	246	68	46	17	24.3	67.6	27.6
Julian Edelman, NE	WR	455	2	285	68	46	14	29.0	67.6	23.9
Pierre Garcon, WAS	WR	466	2	238	67	40	18	39.3	59.7	28.2
Victor Cruz, NYG	WR	591	4	272	67	40	9	31.8	59.7	24.6
DeSean Jackson, PHI	WR	610	5	242	63	37	9	27.6	58.7	26.0
Jordan Cameron, CLE	TE	515	6	287	63	45	25	39.5	71.4	22.0
Eric Decker, DEN	WR	627	3	288	63	42	21	21.1	66.7	21.9
Calvin Johnson, DET	WR	492	6	290	63	33	23	36.8	52.4	21.7
Wes Welker, DEN	WR	474	8	288	62	44	30	32.7	71.0	21.5
Torrey Smith, BAL	WR	629	1	269	61	31	5	14.3	50.8	22.7
Antonio Brown, PIT	WR	548	2	217	60	47	9	29.2	78.3	27.6
Jimmy Graham, NO	TE	593	6	237	59	37	10	21.9	62.7	24.9
Julio Jones, ATL	WR	580	2	245	59	41	17	17.6	69.5	24.1
Reggie Wayne, IND	WR	503	2	229	58	38	12	26.9	65.5	25.3
Kendall Wright, TEN	WR	433	1	230	58	40	8	21.7	69.0	25.2
Demaryius Thomas, DEN	WR	610	5	288	58	41	9	11.5	70.7	20.1
Alshon Jeffery, CHI	WR	561	2	246	57	33	16	24.3	57.9	23.2
Jamaal Charles, KC	RB	337	2	250	57	36	17	25.7	63.2	22.8
Larry Fitzgerald, ARI	WR	422	4	267	57	32	12	27.3	56.1	21.3
Anquan Boldin, SF	WR	495	2	182	56	34	7	30.0	60.7	30.8
Hakeem Nicks, NYG	WR	470	0	272	55	27	6	22.7	49.1	20.2
Antonio Gates, SD	TE	497	2	274	55	42	13	16.7	76.4	20.1
Kenbrell Thompkins, NE	WR	334	4	285	55	23	18	32.3	41.8	19.3
Mike Wallace, MIA	WR	357	1	229	54	27	7	21.7	50.0	23.6
T.Y. Hilton, IND	WR	412	2	229	54	27	1	3.8	50.0	23.6
Jason Witten, DAL	TE	388	3	265	54	35	12	22.2	64.8	20.4
Nate Washington, TEN	WR	439	2	230	52	26	5	13.0	50.0	22.6
Michael Floyd, ARI	WR	416	1	267	52	32	7	27.3	61.5	19.5
Steve Johnson, BUF	WR	315	2	234	51	26	14	38.9	51.0	21.8
Tony Gonzalez, ATL	TE	369	3	245	51	35	20	27.5	68.6	20.8
Greg Little, CLE	WR	210	1	287	51	20	12	18.4	39.2	17.8
Brian Hartline, MIA	WR	401	2	229	50	31	4	17.4	62.0	21.8
Steve Smith, CAR	WR	293	3	170	49	28	18	47.6	57.1	28.8
Robert Woods, BUF	WR	298	2	234	49	21	6	22.2	42.9	20.9
Josh Gordon, CLE	WR	450	2	287	49	27	7	10.5	55.1	17.1
Julius Thomas, DEN	TE	422	8	288	49	36	20	25.0	73.5	17.0
Jerome Simpson, MIN	WR	404	0	222	48	26	2	9.1	54.2	21.6
Davone Bess, CLE	WR	234	0	287	48	25	7	13.2	52.1	16.7
Golden Tate, SEA	WR	346	1	195	47	27	5	25.0	57.4	24.1
Jason Avant, PHI	WR	232	1	242	47	22	8	24.1	46.8	19.4
Martellus Bennett, CHI	TE	356	4	246	47	32	20	32.4	68.1	19.1
Emmanuel Sanders, PIT	WR	308	1	217	46	24	6	20.8	52.2	21.2
Jordy Nelson, GB	WR	526	5	220	46	32	11	25.0	69.6	20.9
Tavon Austin, STL	WR	198	2	267	46	29	12	17.5	63.0	17.2
Randall Cobb, GB	WR	378	2	220	45	29	15	28.1	64.4	20.5
Danny Woodhead, SD	RB	314	3	274	45	40	14	22.9	88.9	16.4

One note before we continue - after this week, we'll pull off the names of those who won't be playing again for the duration of the season. There's no need to keep looking at Julio Jones' name and stats, as it's probably just bumming out his owners; or ex-owners as the case may be. That should make some room for a few extra names at which we should probably be looking.

Target Percentage Leaders

Once again, we've got the same four guys - Vincent Jackson, A.J. Green, Cecil Shorts and Anquan Boldin - sitting atop the target percentage leaderboard. But while all four are must-own guys, not all are must-starts. Green and Jackson absolute must-starts and, for the most part, as long as Shorts is healthy, you'll want him in there as Jacksonville likely will be playing from behind each week and airing it out heavily in the second half. But Boldin remains a tough play on a regular basis thanks to the double-teams he sees each week. Until the 49ers land themselves another viable option at receiver, Boldin remains a very risky play. He hasn't picked up more than 90 yards in any game over the last six weeks and he has just one touchdown in that span. He may be seeing the most targets on his team, but he's been unable to do much with them.

Red-Zone Target Leaders

Wes Welker, WR DEN (30) - With another five red-zone targets Sunday, Welker continues to lead the pack. His target percentage remains comparable to both Eric Decker's and that of Demaryius Thomas, but it's the red-zone looks that have made Welker the most valuable receiver on that team, despite having more than 100 fewer yards than each of the other two.

Jordan Cameron, TE CLE (25) - The increased time spent working with Brandon Weeden finally payed off as Cameron grabbed his first touchdown Sunday in three weeks. Couple that with the presence of Josh Gordon spreading the field and drawing coverage, and suddenly you have the Cameron we saw in the first four weeks of the season. Unfortunately though, the Browns are going with Jason Campbell this week, and while he could rely on the second-year tight end as well, there is an air of uncertainty that has surrounded Campbell for years now. That certainly won't help Cameron's overall stock. In addition to the change in quarterback, another issue working against Cameron is the additional coverage he is starting to see. With Gordon being the only receiver drawing coverage his way and a lack of a ground attack for Cleveland, Cameron is being targeted by the defense and he is starting to see his routes cut off. That probably won't affect him when the Browns are deep in the red zone, but his overall yardage totals may start to suffer even more.

Calvin Johnson, WR DET (23) - Is there anything that really needs to be said about this guy? Far too many were losing faith in him which is astounding, but thanks to a 155-yard, two-touchdown performance Sunday, the opportunity to buy low has long since passed. If he's on a team in your league that lacks depth, then putting together a package for him is a must. You may not land him, but wouldn't you be bummed if someone else did before you even made the effort?

Potential Risers (those who failed to make the overall leaderboard):

Denarius Moore
Rueben Randle
Greg Jennings
Vernon Davis
Darren Sproles

Potential Fallers:

Jason Avant
Tavon Austin
Robert Woods
Davone Bess
Kenbrell Thompkins

Week 8 Matchup to Watch

Washington Redskins at Denver Broncos - While it's blatantly obvious that all Denver receivers are a must-start each and every week, this week's matchup with the Redskins is particularly tasty. The Skins defense is giving up an average of 263 passing yards per game and has allowed 11 touchdowns through the air this year. While you could say they've held their own against some potent offenses like Philly and Dallas, there's a familiarity there as division rivals that they don't have with Peyton Manning, who will be looking for obvious retribution after last week's loss. On the other side, come on. The Skins put up 45 points on a much sturdier Bears defense, and RG3 looks like a man on a mission now. New favorite target Jordan Reed and wide receiver Pierre Garcon are must-starts this week and should be lighting up the scoreboard for fantasy owners everywhere.