Targets and TDs Fantasy Football

Targets and TDs Fantasy Football

2021 Targets – Regular Season Recap

5 min read
Targets 2020 Targets and TDs Fantasy Football

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Rams on their victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20! Now what? Wait until the next NFL season? I am not one to sit around and wait for the next Fantasy Football Season because I enjoy learning! Super Bowl LVI is in the past and we are making our offseason improvements to win championships again next year in fantasy football!

Why don’t we look back at the past to help prepare for the future and the upcoming 2022 Fantasy Football Season. Initially, I would like to look back at the regular season stats that I utilize the most. True to the site name, my Targets and Touchdowns pages for the 2021 Regular Season. Statistics that in my view can be most beneficial in constructing a winning fantasy football team (and used throughout the fantasy football season to find your next pickups for your teams) each season as they speak to the specific opportunity players see through the year. This week I start with Targets from the 2021 Regular Season!

Feel free to reference the Targets and Touchdowns pages to see who has gotten the looks and end-zone appearances through the regular season. Targets are a great stat to keep track of to help find opportunities and the next players ready to score points in fantasy football!

Targets – Top 50

With Targets the majority of the players we will come across are going to be Wide Receivers since they are your primary pass catchers. Other positions do mix in and as the NFL becomes more and more friendly to throwing passes, the more I value those pass catchers (especially if they aren’t at the Wide Receiver by position) on the other end of those passes.

PlayerTeamReceptionsYardsTotal TDsTargetsGames PlayedTargets/Game
Cooper KuppLA1451,947161911711.24
Davante AdamsGB1231,553111691610.56
Diontae JohnsonPIT1071,16181691610.56
Justin JeffersonMIN1081,61610167179.82
Stefon DiggsBUF1031,22510164179.65
D.J. MooreCAR931,1574163179.59
Tyreek HillKC1111,2399159179.35
Keenan AllenLAC1061,1386157169.81
Mark AndrewsBAL1071,3619154179.06
Marquise BrownBAL911,0086145169.06
Darnell MooneyCHI811,0554140178.24
Jaylen WaddleMIA1041,0156140168.75
Brandin CooksHOU901,0376134168.38
Travis KelceKC921,1259134168.38
Terry McLaurinWAS771,0535130177.65
D.K. MetcalfSEA7596712129177.59
Michael PittmanIND881,0826129177.59
Mike WilliamsLAC761,1469129168.06
Ja'Marr ChaseCIN811,45513128177.53
Hunter RenfrowLV1031,0389128177.53
Chris GodwinTB981,1035127149.07
Jakobi MeyersNE838662126177.41
Deebo SamuelSF771,4056121167.56
Marvin JonesJAX738324120177.06
CeeDee LambDAL791,1026120167.50
Amon-Ra St. BrownDET909125119177.00
Mike EvansTB741,03514114167.13
Cole BeasleyBUF826931112167.00
Zach ErtzPHI/ARI747635112176.59
Mike GesickiMIA737802112176.59
Robby AndersonCAR535195110176.47
Tee HigginsCIN741,0916110147.86
Kyle PittsATL681,0261110176.47
Tyler LockettSEA731,1758107166.69
A.J. BrownTEN638695105138.08
Chase ClaypoolPIT598602105157.00
Amari CooperDAL688658104156.93
Dalton SchultzDAL788088104176.12
DeVonta SmithPHI649165104176.12
Christian KirkARI779825103176.06
Laviska ShenaultJAX636190100166.25
Courtland SuttonDEN58776298175.76
Adam ThielenMIN677261095137.31
Tyler BoydCIN67828594165.88
Austin EkelerLAC70647894165.88
Russell GageATL66770494146.71
Najee HarrisPIT74467394175.53
George KittleSF71910694146.71
Cole KmetCHI60612093175.47
Darren WallerLV55665293118.45

Of the Top 50 targeted players from the 2021 Regular Season the list includes: 2 Running Backs, 9 Tight Ends and 39 Wide Receivers. The scarcity in which you find those 11 Non-Wide Receivers is an opportunity to get Wide Receiver production at another position. I would imagine many of those 11 were on playoff and probably championship fantasy football teams in 2021 because they were so highly targeted. They were players that consistently saw Targets for their teams, and you can’t have receptions without Targets! The 11 Non-Wide Receivers on the list are highlighted below and it may be wise to keep these names at the ready if you think they will find themselves with similar opportunities in the 2022 Fantasy Football Season.

Targets – Running Backs

  • Austin Ekeler 2
  • Najee Harris

Targets – Tight Ends

  • Mark Andrews 2
  • Travis Kelce 1
  • Zach Ertz 2
  • Mike Gesicki 2
  • Kyle Pitts
  • Dalton Schultz 2
  • George Kittle 2
  • Cole Kmet
  • Darren Waller 1

1. Top 50 in Targets in 2020!

2. Top 100 in Targets in 2020!

Targets – Top 100

Going further down the list and out of curiosity I looked at the players that fell in the 51-100 rankings of Targets in the 2021 Regular Season. Again, most of these players will be Wide Receivers but the scarcity in which you find those Non-Wide Receivers is an opportunity to get Wide Receiver production at another position. This list of players could be ready to crack the Top 50 in Targets in the upcoming 2022 Fantasy Football Season.

PlayerTeamReceptionsYardsTotal TDsTargetsGames PlayedTargets/Game
A.J. GreenARI54848392165.75
Noah FantDEN68670490165.63
Rob GronkowskiTB55802689127.42
Van JeffersonLA50802689175.24
Tyler ConklinMIN61593387175.12
Jarvis LandryCLE52570287127.25
Tyler HigbeeLA61560585155.67
Tim PatrickDEN53734585165.31
Brandon AiyukSF56826584174.94
Marquez CallawayNO46698684174.94
Leonard FournetteTB69454284146.00
T.J. HockensonDET61583484127.00
Jared CookLAC48564483165.19
Mecole HardmanKC59693283174.88
Odell Beckham Jr.CLE/LA44537582145.86
K.J. OsbornMIN50655782174.82
Pat FreiermuthPIT60497779164.94
D'Andre SwiftDET62452278136.00
Elijah MooreNYJ43538577117.00
Dallas GoedertPHI56830476155.07
Kenny GolladayNYG37521076145.43
Hunter HenryNE50603975174.41
Evan EngramNYG46408373154.87
DeVante ParkerMIA40515273107.30
Emmanuel SandersBUF42626472145.14
Jamison CrowderNYJ51447271125.92
Dawson KnoxBUF49587971154.73
Kalif RaymondDET48576471164.44
Kendrick BourneNE55800570174.12
Zay JonesLV47546170174.12
Zach PascalIND38384369164.31
Cordarrelle PattersonATL52548569164.31
Robert WoodsLA4555646997.67
Rashod BatemanBAL46515167125.58
Alvin KamaraNO47439567135.15
Ray Ray McCloudPIT39277066164.13
Allen RobinsonCHI38410166125.50
Braxton BerriosNYJ46431265164.06
Ezekiel ElliottDAL47287265173.82
Aaron JonesGB52391665154.33
Nelson AgholorNE37473364154.27
DeAndre HopkinsARI42572864106.40
Josh JacobsLV54348064154.27
Rondale MooreARI54435164144.57
Gabriel DavisBUF35549663163.94
Gerald EverettSEA48478463154.20
Myles GaskinMIA49234463173.71
C.J. UzomahCIN49493563163.94
Antonio BrownTB4254546278.86
Michael GallupDAL3544526296.89

This section of the list includes: 7 Running Backs, 13 Tight Ends and 30 Wide Receivers. Again, a majority of the players were Wide Receivers but 20 of them are Non-Wide Receivers that were in the Top 100 of Targets 2021 Regular Season. The 20 Non-Wide Receivers on the list are highlighted below. It may be wise to keep these names at the ready come the 2021 Fantasy Football Season if they find themselves with similar opportunities in the 2022 Fantasy Football Season.

Targets – Running Backs

  • Leonard Fournette
  • D’Andre Swift
  • Alvin Kamara 1
  • Ezekiel Elliott 2
  • Aaron Jones 2
  • Josh Jacobs
  • Myles Gaskin

Targets – Tight Ends

  • Noah Fant 1
  • Rob Gronkowski 2
  • Tyler Conklin
  • Tyler Higbee
  • T.J. Hockenson 1
  • Jared Cook
  • Pat Freiermuth
  • Dallas Goedert 2
  • Hunter Henry 1
  • Evan Engram 1
  • Dawson Knox
  • Gerald Everett 2
  • C.J. Uzomah

1. Top 50 in Targets in 2020!

2. Top 100 in Targets in 2020!

2021 Targets – Regular Season Recap – Final Word

Always interesting how the Targets shake out each season. It seems like more Running Backs and Tight Ends are cracking the Top 100 Targets over recent years. Cole Kmet and Ezekiel Elliot were a couple of names that I wasn’t sure I would see on these lists, but here they are. I would imagine some of these players in the Top 100 could be knocking on the Top 50 list come 2022! Just some names to keep in mind as you do your offseason review, ramp up for drafting your 2022 Fantasy Football Season team or for trades to make now as you prepare for next year!

Do you pick all these highlighted players in the first few rounds of your 2022 drafts? Probably not. Although when you compare them to others around their average draft position, I would tend to lean towards the player that is getting more Targets than those players that are not.

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Targets and TDs Fantasy Football

Find players that will have: Ability – Availability – Opportunity – Consistency – Advantage/Upside – Matchup

If your players are on an offensive team that can get many Targets and Touchdowns, you know I would be interested in them! Statistics courtesy of The Football Database , a great resource for your NFL players statistics. If you enjoyed the article please share it with others (via the social media links Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest).

Missed any recent posts?!, check them out below as you get your mind focused on fantasy football opportunities!

I hope everyone continues to stay safe and healthy! Enjoy the journey throughout the 2021 – 2022 Fantasy Football Season!

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