NFL Week 8 Target Report, 2022 Fantasy Football

Week 8 in the NFL was rather telling in a number of ways: (1) The Eagles are completely and utterly legit at 7-0; (2) The Bills and Vikings are as good as their records; (3) The Jets and Giants had previously been playing above their heads and (4) Maybe the Packers, Bucs and Rams are just bad.

Amidst all the juicy storylines, as always, some pass catchers stood tall above the rest. Let’s take a look at this week’s target distribution…

Jakobi’s jets are too explosive for Jets

My Jets have had one of the best defenses in the NFL in recent weeks – and perhaps even for the entirety of the season – so it makes you scratch your head when they allow a No. 1 receiver to beat them. Despite the presence of both “Sauce” Gardner and D.J. Reed, two of the better corners in the game, the Jets allowed Jakobi Meyers to lead the Patriots in targets, receptions and touchdowns in a heated division rivalry game. Meyers turned his 12 targets – third-most in the league this week – into nine receptions for 60 yards and New England’s only touchdown of the game.

Furthermore, Rhamondre Stevenson, whom I would argue is either the Pats’ best or second-best offensive player, was allowed to finish second in targets (7) while leading the team with 72 pivotal receiving yards. You have to wonder, what was the defensive game plan for Robert Saleh’s Jets? Let the opposing team’s best players beat us?

Finally some more from Moore

It’s been a rough season for talented wide receiver D.J. Moore – and maybe, who could blame him given the Panthers’ QB situation? – but he busted out in a major way in a devastating division loss to the always-pesky Atlanta Falcons. In a dramatic 37-34 loss, Moore popped off for 11 targets, six receptions, 152 yards and a touchdown which was arguably the play of the year.

And let me say this about the Panthers’ QB situation: Carolina, P.J. Walker was sitting right there in front of you all along. Not that he’s a world-beater or franchise savior, but I could have told you from day one that he’s better and more resourceful than both Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. Sometimes organizations get locked into “name” players and that’s a one-way ticket to disaster (just ask this year’s Lakers over in the NBA). Sure, Walker doesn’t have the marquee name or the pedigree, but he has moxie and guts a la Taylor Heinicke of the Commanders. Teammates can rally around these guys. Walker dropped 317 passing yards on the Falcons’ D this week, as well.

The weekly “usual suspects”

It’s everybody’s favorite segment – the I told you this guy was a lock section of the column. These are the guys we expect to see, including Tyreek Hill (14 targets), DeAndre Hopkins (13), Cooper Kupp (12), A.J. Brown (11), Mike Evans (11), Chris Godwin (11) and DK Metcalf (10) this week.

The primary takeaway for me, here? Despite all those targets from Tom Brady, neither Evans nor Godwin struck paydirt. Evans has just three receiving touchdowns on the season – that compared to 14 last season and 13 the year before – while Godwin has zero. Yup… nada, nuttin’, nil. Yes, Todd Bowles is an obvious problem. Yes, Brady’s off-the-field stuff is an obvious distraction; but on the field? Point to not finding ways to get your best players in the endzone. OC Byron Leftwich has to be better schematically and Brady’s redzone release needs to be better timed if Tampa is to bounce back.

The tight end trash pile

I know, I know… those are harsh words! But from a fantasy football perspective, that’s just the truth this season, ain’t it? Tight end has been an abysmal abyss, but at least these guys were busy this week: Tyler Conklin (10 targets), Kyle Pitts (9), Foster Moreau (9), Isaiah Likely (7), Dalton Schultz (7) and Pat Freiermuth (7).

The obvious HALLELUJAH! here is Pitts, who finally broke out to the tune of nine targets for five receptions, 80 yards and a well-timed touchdown. Head coach Arthur Smith took the shackles off Marcus Mariota, with mixed results of 253 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Still, we don’t care about Mariota’s picks when it comes to Pitts’ fantasy production. In fact, those picks probably help, right? The turnovers create back-and-forth, tit-for-tat games where Atlanta will have to sling the rock around more. Pitts needs more game scripts like this, but most importantly, he needs a head coach who treats him like the highest-drafted tight end in NFL history that he is.

I’ll see ya right back here next week.

John Frascella is a published sports author who has been covering the NFL for 18 years. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7 as we get into the pressure-packed second half of the NFL season.