Mohamed Massaquoi: in addition to having the majority of all vowels in his name (except for that elusive “Y”) Massaquoi also gets the majority of targets. This past week he was targeted 9 times (4 more than Robiskie, the next closest receiver) and had two targets inside the five yard line. By now it’s clear that Massaquoi is the stud of the Brown’s offense though unfortunately that’s like being the toughest guy in France or having the best looking goiter in the nursing home. Either way, Massaquoi’s production potential makes him a must snag off the waiver wire or you could try to sneak him in with a multi-player trade. Through this point in the season, Massaquoi has accounted for 11% of his offensive targets, this despite being nearly invisible until his monster week 4 performance against Cincinnati.
Greg Jennings: for now Donald’s still in the driver’s seat with 5 more targets than Jennings to date. However, despite having a fairly quiet game this past Sunday (5 catches for 52 yards) Jennings was actually targeted 9 times (six more than Driver) including a pass inside the five yard line. Though Jennings continues to get looks, he is an increasingly problematic start considering the fact that the Packers have gone to a shorter passing game in an effort to keep Rodger’s on his feet. This, coupled with the fact that it is going to get pretty damn cold in Green Bay, leads me to believe that short route Driver will continue to be the more logical start. Though many experts will tell you to have patience with Jennings, it may not be a bad idea to trade him as he still commands 2nd to 3rd round value (but won’t for long).
Cardinal’s receivers: Though Whisenhunt will tell you that the Cardinal’s offense is play not player oriented, it is clear who the favorite is. Though Fitzgerald has yet to break out, he has accounted for 17% of the Cardinal’s offensive targets this year, including 25% of the red zone looks. This past week, Fitz had thirteen targets to Boldin’s seven and Breaston’s meager two. If there is an impatient owner in your league, GET FITZ; It is only a matter of time before he puts up thirty on a weekly basis. Boldin is a beast. We all know that, but he makes his money trucking over ankle biters in the secondary, not in red zone. To date, Boldin’s only been targeted six times in the RZ (Fitz has 12 targets and Breaston has 3). Breaston’s inconsistency has put him neck and neck with Jerheme Urban in terms of targets this season. Though being the third receiver on the Cardinal’s is like being the 2nd or first receiver anywhere else (i.e. Cleveland Browns) Breaston is far from a safe bet week to week and should be handled with caution.
Austin Collie: there’s no telling what will happen when Anthony Gonzalez comes back, but for now Collie has collared the majority of red zone looks. This past week, Collie was targeted 9 times (the same as Wayne) but more importantly he was targeted three times in the red zone and hauled in one touchdown. He now has four touchdowns in the last three games despite splitting time with Garcon. Though choosing between Collie and Garcon is like choosing between a Toyota Corolla and a Hyundai Elantra, Collie seems to be the safer fantasy pick due his targets and production in the red zone.
Bobby Wade: Those who thought that Bobby blew his Wad-e in Minnesota were clearly mistaken. Well maybe that’s a stretch, but Wade did have as many targets as his counterpart Dwayne Bowe. The good news is that Cassel looked to Wade when they were down though he didn’t get any looks in the red zone (mainly because the Chiefs couldn’t get there). But with byes chewing all of up and forcing us to start guys like Keenan Burton and Jacoby Jones, Wade seems to be a logical plug and play against the beleaguered Jaguars secondary. And though the Chefs aren’t cooking up much for offensive production, Wade is only 8 total targets behind Bowe, with 6 red zone targets (Bowe has 9) and two targets inside the five yard line to Bowe’s one.
David Clowney: There was no clowning around this week as Clowney amassed 79 yards on four catches and a touchdown. Clowney is available in most leagues and seems to be a good plug and play option against the Dolphins as long as Cotchery is still injured. Yesterday against the hapless Raiders, Clowney had six targets, tops among Jets receivers and four more than Braylon Edwards. With teams looking to take away Edwards’ big play presence; look for Clowney to get 4-6 receptions for 60-80 yards and a possible touchdown.
Mike Wallace: right now Wallace seems like a crunchy pickle on a Roethlis-burger. He provides some snap, he’s kind of surprising, and he is becoming more and more dependable. Wallace had six targets Sunday (Holmes had eight, Ward had three) on route to a solid fantasy performance as he ran for 19 yards and had 72 receiving yards and a touchdown. The only problem with Wallace is that Big Ben likes to spread it around so much that you’re never quite sure who is going to get it. For now Wallace is a must grab off of waivers and a possible play against Denver in week 9 as the Broncos will surely try to take away playmakers Holmes and Ward. Holmes leads the Steelers with 59 total targets including three in the red zone.
Michael Crabtree: Crabtree was second to Isaac Bruce this week with six targets (Bruce had seven) and he hauled in five catches for 56 yards. The fact that Singletary started Crabtree is enough to tell me that he has playmaker potential. My guess is that Crabtree will get the most receiver targets from here on out and he would be a good person to snag before the trade deadline, possibly as an add-on in multi-player trades. It should be obvious that if he is available on waivers in shallow leagues, you should snag him like crab apples off a tree.
