Targets continue to reign supreme as the ultimate indicator of which pass-catcher are being put in the best position to have the opportunity to produce fantasy points. Analyzing those weekly passing target numbers is a great way to keep up with which players are consistently producing, and others that might be about to emerge.

Keeping in mind that target and drop numbers can vary from source to source, here are the Week 7 NFL passing target statistics via Pro Football Focus, and what it means for Week 7 and beyond.

Check out target data for the entire season

Arizona Cardinals

 
This is the fourth consecutive week that Christian Kirk has led Arizona’s receiving corps in yards. Granted, Larry Fitzgerald has been battling a hamstring injury, but Kirk has been Josh Rosen’s favorite target and is the team’s leading receiver this season.

David Johnson’s snap share has risen each week to the point where he’s back, commanding his feature role but the elite fantasy numbers aren’t likely to be there with an offense that is lacking talent and is led by a rookie signal-caller. You can’t bench Johnson but those expecting his stellar top-5 RB numbers are likely to be disappointed.

Kendall Wright was a healthy scratch this week but he should eventually emerge as the team’s No. 3 receiver. Incumbent Chad Williams has been one of the worst starting wideouts in football and it’s only a matter of time before he begins to lose playing time.

Atlanta Falcons

 
Julio Jones has a history of tormenting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ secondary. In his last five home games versus the Bucs, Jones has 60 targets, 47 receptions, 785 yards, and six touchdown grabs.

Austin Hooper has been on quite a nice run in the past two weeks, where he’s caught 18-of-22 targets for 148 yards and a touchdown. Hooper enters Week 7 as the No. 6 ranked fantasy tight end but has a tough matchup against a Giants defense that ranks in the top-10 defending tight ends.

Calvin Ridley got off to a fast start but ended up leaving the game early and not returning with what was later diagnosed as a bone bruise. Typically, players miss little or no time with these types of injuries but with the Falcons on bye in Week 8, Ridley could be held out. If that happens, Mohamed Sanu and Justin Hardy would be candidates to absorb extra targets in the passing game.

Baltimore Ravens

If you need a waiver wire add, Willie Snead should be at or near the top of your list. Snead has hauled in 18 grabs over the past three games and has three-plus catches in all six of Baltimore’s contests. Even better, the Ravens travel to New Orleans in Week 7 to take on a Saints squad that has surrendered the most fantasy points to opposing wideouts. It also happens to be Snead’s first game back in New Orleans, so Joe Flacco might send a few extra balls his way for #revengegame.

The Titans did a solid job covering John Brown, leading to a mere two-catch, 28-yard outing. This was Brown’s worst showing of the 2018 season, but he’s in a prime rebound spot against a Saints defense that cedes over 51 points-per-game to receivers.

Alex Collins rushed 19 times for just 54 yards but punched in a pair of touchdowns. Interestingly, Javorius Allen only got one carry in Tennesee. Undrafted free agent Gus Edwards from called up from the practice squad and averaged 4.2 yards-per-carry on 10 totes.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills rank dead last in the NFL averaging only 123 passing yards-per-game and are 31st in overall offense through six weeks. If Josh Allen (elbow) is unable to suit up for the this week’s game in Indianapolis, the Bills would be in even worse shape with Nathan Peterman filling in.

Week 6 marked the second time in three games that Zay Jones has led Buffalo in targets, but Jones has topped 40 receiving yards only once all season. Jones has two-plus grabs in five of the Bills’ six games but has a very limited ceiling in this moribund offense.

Carolina Panthers

 
Devin Funchess had a solid game, which was a welcomed surprise after the return of tight end Greg Olsen, who played all but one of Carolina’s snaps. Funchess had a history of disappearing from the offense when Olsen was active. Funchess tied running back Christian McCaffrey for a team-high eight targets in Washington.

Olsen’s first action since Week 1 resulted in a solid four-catch, 48-yard effort. Olsen’s high snap-rate and role in Carolina’s offense should result in top-10 numbers down the stretch and be a big boost for a tight end position that has been hit hard by injuries.

Chicago Bears

 
Mitchell Trubisky surpassed 300 passing yards for the second consecutive game. Trubisky has averaged 335 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in those two games while throwing nine touchdowns. Up next the Bears host a New England secondary that has allowed 15 passing scores through six weeks, third-most in the league.

After tallying just seven receptions through Chicago’s first three games, Tarik Cohen has led the Bears in targets in each of the past two games while catching seven balls in each contest. Cohen has also scored in back-to-back games and appears to be emerging as a legitimate PPR threat in a surging offense.

Taylor Gabriel has four-plus grabs in all five of Chicago’s games and has surpassed triple-digit receiving yards in the Bears’ past two games. Before that, Gabriel had failed to exceed 35 yards while catching mostly innocuous short passes. He’s not a consistent threat to keep producing a ton of receiving yards but Gabriel is a solid source of PPR production.

Cincinnati Bengals

 
Tyler Boyd has scored a touchdown and/or exceeded 100 receiving yards in four out of Cincinnati’s past five contests. Running over two-thirds of his routes out of the slot, Boyd should have another solid outing in Week 7 paired up with struggling Kansas City slot corner Kendall Fuller.

A.J. Green had an uncharacteristic pair of drops against Pittsburgh, which were his first miscues since Week 1. Green still had a solid showing against Pittsburgh’s ailing secondary and will be a locked-in top-10 fantasy option in Week 10 facing a Kansas City unit that has been worse.

It isn’t known how long TE Tyler Kroft (foot) will be sidelined. While Kroft is out, C.J. Uzomah will be a full-time option at a tight end position that is dangerously thin. Uzomah is widely available on waiver wires and has superb upcoming matchups this week against Kansas City and in Week 9 against Tampa Bay.

Cleveland Browns

 
Before Week 6, David Njoku was supposed to become a bigger part of Cleveland’s offense and that certainly came to fruition as the sophomore tight end led the Browns in targets one week after tying Jarvis Landry for the team lead.

Speaking of Landry, he’s been struggling since catching eight balls for 103 yards in Week 3, which mostly came in one half of action with Baker Mayfield under center. Perhaps Week 7 will be a bounce-back spot for Landry as the Browns travel to Tampa to take on a Bucs secondary that has yielded the second-most fantasy points to wide receivers so far in 2018.

Hue Jackson finally got Duke Johnson involved as a pass-catcher. Johnson entered Week 6 averaging just 18.2 receiving yards-per-game but caught a season-high four balls for 73 yards. Up next, Jackson has been promising to get Nick Chubb more involved. Don’t hold your breath.

Dallas Cowboys

 
This was easily the best offensive showing of the season for the beleaguered Cowboys, which came as a surprise against a talented Jacksonville defense. Dak Prescott only threw for 183 yards but ran for a season-high 82 and produced three total touchdowns.

Other than Cole Beasley, who caught nine-of-10 targets for 101 yards and a pair of scores, it was another awful showing for the Cowboys’ receiving corps. Allen Hurns, Michael Gallup, Deonte Thompson, and Tavon Austin combined to catch three out of eight passes for only 33 yards.

Other than Beasley, who can be a solid PPR flex option, there’s just no fantasy value whatsoever with the Cowboys’ wide receivers.

Denver Broncos

 
Emmanuel Sanders has topped Denver in targets in five out of the first six games. After another 100-yard effort against the Rams, Sanders is now a top-10 fantasy wideout for the 2018 season and is on pace to finish with 1,336 receiving yards, which would be the second-best finish of his career.

Royce Freeman continues to play no role in the passing game. While Devontae Booker and Phillip Lindsay combined to catch 80% of their 10 looks, Freeman was not targeted in the passing game. In four of Denver’s six games, Freeman has not recorded a catch.

Green Bay Packers

 
The Packers had three players, Davante Adams, Jimmy Graham, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, surpass 100 receiving yards as Aaron Rodgers topped 400 passing yards in back-to-back games. Other than a slight drop in completion percentage, Rodgers isn’t showing ill effects from his early-season knee injury.

Green Bay is on bye this week which will give Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison, who have both been sidelined with hamstring injuries, and extra week to heal. Expect both wideouts back in the lineup when the Packers travel to Los Angeles to take on the Rams in Week 8.

The weekly touches for Green Bay’s backfield: Aaron Jones had eight carries for 41 yards. Jamaal Williams touched the ball seven times for 39 yards, and Ty Montgomery had six touches for 22 yards and a touchdown.

Houston Texans

 
Another dawdling performance out of Houston’s offense, as the squad only mustered 13 points before the Texans’ defense bailed Bill O’Brien out with a game-winning pick-six in the waning minutes of the game. Deshaun Watson was limited to 177 passing yards and tossed a pair of interceptions and Houston’s red-zone offense continued to struggled to get the ball into the end zone.

Tight end Ryan Griffin ranks 14th in the NFL with nine red zone targets, which is only one less look than DeAndre Hopkins has managed to command inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Griffin has only caught one of those nine targets for 13 yards.

Houston also struggled on the ground, running 24 times for just 74 yards– an average of 3.1 yards-per-carry. Things aren’t likely to get any easier for the Texans as they travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars in Week 7.

Indianapolis Colts

 
An ailing shoulder has been no detriment for Andrew Luck, who leads the NFL in passing attempts. Luck is also second to Patrick Mahomes with 16 touchdown passes and enters Week 7 as the No. 3 fantasy signal-caller.

Chester Rogers has led Indy’s receiving corps in targets in each of the past three games. His numbers will decline when T.Y. Hilton returns to the lineup, but Rogers has established himself as a solid WR2 for a Colts offense that is going to finish with excellent passing volume numbers–unless he keeps committing so many drops.

Jacksonville Jaguars

 
Another awful outing for QB Blake Bortles, who was unable to get much of anything going against a Dallas secondary that has actually been playing quite well. Bad Bort was held to a season-worst 149 passing yards and 22 rushing yards and wound up with the second-worst fantasy showing of the 2018 season. The Jaguars face the Texans at home in Week 7.

Leonard Fournette isn’t expected to play in Week 7, so expect another week of T.J. Yeldon and newly-signed Jamaal Charles, who got six touches in his first action of the season.

A week after leading the entire NFL with 14 targets, Donte Moncrief was victimized by Blake Bortles’ subpar outing and ended up getting shut out on a mere three targets. As solid as those 14 targets were last week, keep in mind that Moncrief is mostly a deep threat that has the tendency to need solid quarterback play to be fantasy relevant. That happens far too infrequently for Moncrief to be a reliable WR3.

Kansas City Chiefs

 
Tyreek Hill might not like beer being thrown in his face, but he likes scoring touchdowns. Hill had a huge 12/7/142/3 outing after a slow run of games where opponents had done a solid job of limiting his downfield ability. Bill Belichick, instead, chose to focus on Travis Kelce and Hill made them pay with his best fantasy outing to date.

Kareem Hunt entered New England with only five receptions on the year but doubled his output by nabbing five-of-six passes and recorded his first career game with 100-plus receiving yards.

Outside of KC’s Big Three of Hill, Hunt, and Kelce, no other Cheif hit 20 receiving yards, despite a 352-yard effort from Mahomes.

Los Angeles Chargers

 
Keenan Allen hasn’t scored or hit the 100 receiving yard mark in five straight games. The last time Allen failed to hit triple digits for five games was Weeks 5-10 of 2017. Allen then reeled off three straight games with 10-plus catches and four consecutive outings with triple-digit yardage.

Melvin Gordon has scored at least one touchdown in the last five games and is now the No. 2 running back in fantasy football. Gordon is fourth among all running backs with 42 targets and is tied for second with three TD receptions.

Don’t over-react to the huge outing from Tyrell Williams. Williams has two or three catches in all six of the Chargers’ games but tends to be very boom-or-bust. If he doesn’t bust a long touchdown this week in London, Williams is unlikely to do enough to warrant anything other than a WR4/flex start in deep leagues.

Los Angeles Rams

 
Cooper Kupp cleared the league’s concussion protocol but ended up suffering a sprained MCL, which is typically a multiple-week injury. The Rams aren’t on bye until Week 12, so Kupp won’t be afforded an extra week to heal. For now, expect him to miss at least one game.

With Kupp out, Robert Woods was the main cog in the Rams’ passing attack. Woods reeled in seven grabs for 109 yards. Woods has exceeded 90 receiving yards in the past four games and gets a choice Week 7 matchup with San Francisco.

Jard Goff had rather muted Week 6 numbers as Todd Gurley ran 28 times for 208 yards in Denver. Goff should get back on track against the 49ers, who are in the bottom-10 against opposing fantasy quarterbacks.

Miami Dolphins

 
Albert Wilson has caught four or more balls in each of the past three games and set a career-high with 155 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Bears. Wilson has now accounted for five total touchdowns this season and is becoming increasingly fantasy-relevant despite the inconsistent early usage.

The bulk of Wilson’s recent playing time has come at the expense of DeVante Parker, who made no impact in Week 6 and has only secured two grabs all season. Parker hasn’t been healthy but Adam Gase doesn’t seem inclined to go out of his way to feature the fourth-year wideout, either. Parker can be dropped in 12-team leagues.

Minnesota Vikings

 
Adam Thielen continues to thrive with Kirk Cousins under center. With 11 more receptions, Thielen now leads the NFL in targets (81), catches (58), and receiving yards (712). He’s on pace to catch 155 passes for 1,899 yards.

When Stefon Diggs lined up outside against the Cardinals, he was shadowed by Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson, who held Diggs to two catches for 26 yards. Diggs should rebound in Week 7 against the Jets, who have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season.

New England Patriots

 
If Josh Gordon is going to emerge, it might this week at Chicago. Gordon played over 80% of the Patriots’ snaps and led the team in targets while ranking first in the receiving corps with five receptions–one more than Julian Edelman.

Speaking of Edelman, ESPN put out an interesting nugget that said that when Tom Brady and Julian Edelman are both in New England’s starting lineup, the Patriots are something like 37-0 at home.

Rob Gronkowski had his best yardage output since Week 1. Things should only continue to get better for Gronk with Edelman back, Sony Michel’s presence allowing James White to pose a threat as a receiver, and the increasing threat of Josh Gordon on the outside. The window to acquire Gronkowski for a bargain is closing.

New York Giants

 
There are differing opinions on the Giants’ choice to use the No. 2 overall pick on running back Saquon Barkley, but the rookie running back has indeed looked like a generational, game-changing talent. Barkley leads all NFL running backs in targets, receiving yards, and catches.

Another lousy showing for Odell Beckham, who is starting to grow more impatient and discontent with the offense that is failing to generate points or produce targets for the All-Pro receiver. Beckham’s 44 receiving yards was the lowest output he’s had in a game since Week 1 of the 2017 season.

Three, and only three wideouts have caught a pass in five out of New York’s six games. Even without tight end Evan Engram, Eli Manning has been unable to spread the ball around or mount much of a downfield passing attack.

New York Jets

 
Quincy Enunwa left the club’s Week 6 early with what is now being called a high-ankle sprain, which will keep him out two-to-four weeks. The Jets have a Week 11 bye, so it’s possible that Enunwa won’t return until Week 12, at the latest.

Jermaine Kearse was the main benefactor of Enunwa’s absence. Kearse corralled all nine of his targets for 94 yards, which both were his best outputs of the year. New York’s schedule is rough over the next month but Kearse is worth a waiver wire look on target volume alone.

Oakland Raiders

 
Week 6 was the second-straight week that RB Jalen Richard led the Raiders in targets. Richard had one reception for 21 yards but his other six grabs went for a harmless average of 4.5 yards-per-reception.

Derek Carr threw for a season-low 142 yards on a pathetic 4.58 yards-per-attempt as the Raiders were unable to mount any type of credible offense in London. Carr enters the team’s Week 7 bye with only seven touchdowns and an NFL-high eight interceptions.

Amari Cooper took a vicious hit from Seattle safety Bradley McDougald and left the game with a concussion. Cooper finished Week 7 without a reception after dropping his only target in the first quarter. Reportedly, Cooper is on the trade block but it’s hard to see the Raiders’ price being met due to Cooper’s struggles with drops and overall erratic performance.

Philadelphia Eagles

 
Alshon Jeffery got a season-high dozen looks and caught a pair of touchdowns against a solid New York Giants secondary. Jeffery and QB Carson Wentz have been getting healthy at the same time and could very well lead to a nice run for the defending Super Bowl champions.

Wendell Smallwood played 44-of-71 snaps (62%), while Corey Clement was on the field for 26 plays, or 37% of Philadelphia’s snaps. Smallwood also had more opportunities, with 19 touches to Clement’s 14.

Doug Pederson rotated his WR3 snaps rather liberally, as Jordan Matthews (26), Kamar Aiken (14), Shelton Gibson (2), and DeAndre Carter (1) all saw playing time but made minimal impact.

Pittsburgh Steelers

 
Week 6 was the third time in six games that Ben Roethlisberger has produced a pair of 100-yard receivers but, surprisingly, was the first time it was Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster together. Smith-Schuster has surpassed the century mark three times, while Brown has topped triple-digits twice.

Jesse James and Vance McDonald combined to reel in 12 out of 15 targets but didn’t make many plays downfield. James played a season-high 51 snaps and McDonald’s 51 were the most he’s played since Week 1.

Entering the bye, the Steelers have a top-5 fantasy quarterback, running back, a pair of WR1s, and a TE1 in Vance McDonald.

San Francisco 49ers

 
C.J. Beathard has looked much better in his second season. He’s throwing too many interceptions, but Beathard is completing 64% of his passes and boasts a solid 7.8 yards-per-attempt average, which is just a tad lower than Jimmy Garoppolo’s 8.1.

The 49ers only had five players catch passes against Green Bay. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk was the only runner to even get a look out of the backfield. Alfred Morris played only one snap and did not get a touch. Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert combined to run 26 times for 148 yards and a touchdown.

Marquise Goodwin got loose for 30- and 67-yard touchdowns against the Packers, who have allowed 10 touchdowns to wide receivers in 2018, second-most in football. Up next the 49ers host a Rams secondary that has also allowed 10 touchdowns to opposing wideouts.

Seattle Seahawks

 
Doug Baldwin looks healthy. Not only has he played 79.4% of Seattle’s snaps since missing a pair of games, Baldwin saw a season-best eight targets and caught six passes for 91 yards. Seattle’s Week 7 bye could be a good spot to try to trade for Baldwin as the Seahawks have a pair of appealing matchups against the Lions and Chargers coming out of the off week.

Brandon Marshall was out-snapped by David Moore for the third-consecutive game. Moore has also scored three touchdowns in the past two games, while Marshall has only recorded one TD grab all season, which came back in Week 1.

Seattle running backs snap and touch numbers: Chris Carson 27 (42%)/14, Mike Davis 23 (36%)/7, Rashaad Penny 13 (20%)/11.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

 
Chris Godwin played his most snaps (37) since Week 1, while Adam Humphries (51) was in on his second-most plays of the season. Meanwhile, DeSean Jackson only played 34 snaps, which was the second-fewest of the season for the deep threat.

So much for Ronald Jones emerging from Tampa’s Week 5 bye as a potential threat out of the backfield. Jones only played 12 snaps and touched the ball four times. Peyton Barber was in on 62% of the Bucs’ snaps and touched the ball 17 times.

Expect Tampa to move forward with a lot of ’12’ sets with both O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate staying involved. Brate has always been a favorite of QB Jameis Winston, especially in the red zone.

Tennessee Titans

 
An absolutely abysmal performance from Tennessee’s offense as the Titans generated 106 yards of offense. Marcus Mariota threw for only 117 yards but took 11 sacks which lost 66 yards. The Titans also ran 14 times for 55 yards, but 21 of those came on a Mariota scramble. Dion Lewis and Derrick Henry combined to run 12 times for just 30 yards.

Taywan Taylor was in on a season-best 75% of snaps and Tajae Sharpe played 35 out of 44, which was his best showing since the season opener.

Washington

 
With Jamison Crowder inactive, Washington used Maurice Harris out of the slot and ran a season-high percentage of ’12’ sets with Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis. Washington’s tight ends combined to catch eight-of-12 targets for 84 yards and a touchdown.

Harris has played 71% of Washington’s snaps over the past two weeks but that was because Josh Doctson sat out Week 4 and Crowder missed the Carolina game. Once Crowder returns, Harris will be relegated to a handful of weekly snaps as the fourth receiver.

Import your team to My Playbook for instant Lineup & Trade advice

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS

Jody Smith is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jody, check out his archive and follow him @JodySmithNFL.