Hidden Stat Line: Targets, Routes & Snaps from Week 16

Written by

Jerry Donabedian

Published on December 29, 2020

Click HERE for the Week 16 Backfield Breakdown. Now let's look at WRs and TEs....

Week 16 Stat Leaderboards

Tight Ends

Bold indicates Top 5 for the week.

		Snaps	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes per Dropback
1	Mark Andrews	66%	11	45.8%	113	20	0.69
2	Travis Kelce	84%	13	31.0%	109	36	0.77
3	Austin Hooper	73%	15	30.0%	126	41	0.72
4	Jonnu Smith	73%	7	28.0%	45	20	0.67
5	Logan Thomas	100%	12	25.5%	104	50	0.94
6	Evan Engram	78%	10	24.4%	84	37	0.77
7	George Kittle	50%	5	23.8%	47	15	0.60
8	Irv Smith	89%	9	23.7%	53	32	0.74
9	Noah Fant	83%	9	20.9%	80	38	0.75
10	Jacob Hollister	52%	6	20.7%	41	12	0.31
11	Mike Gesicki	71%	7	20.6%	76	27	0.71
12	Zach Ertz	85%	7	20.6%	38	30	0.63
13	T.J. Hockenson	87%	6	20.0%	31	30	0.83
14	Darren Waller	98%	6	20.0%	102	30	0.81
15	Stephen Anderson	46%	6	18.2%	23	11	0.29
16	Jack Doyle	55%	6	17.1%	62	20	0.50
17	Jason Witten	34%	5	16.7%	36	11	0.30
18	Cole Kmet	90%	6	16.7%	78	25	0.64
19	Tyler Conklin	86%	6	15.8%	14	31	0.72
20	Hayden Hurst	65%	5	15.2%	37	31	0.79
21	Tyler Higbee	69%	6	14.6%	55	24	0.46
22	Jared Cook	53%	4	14.3%	58	17	0.61
23	Christopher Herndon	87%	4	14.3%	31	27	0.71
24	Eric Ebron	81%

Click HERE for the Week 16 Backfield Breakdown. Now let's look at WRs and TEs....

Week 16 Stat Leaderboards

Tight Ends

Bold indicates Top 5 for the week.

		Snaps	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes per Dropback
1	Mark Andrews	66%	11	45.8%	113	20	0.69
2	Travis Kelce	84%	13	31.0%	109	36	0.77
3	Austin Hooper	73%	15	30.0%	126	41	0.72
4	Jonnu Smith	73%	7	28.0%	45	20	0.67
5	Logan Thomas	100%	12	25.5%	104	50	0.94
6	Evan Engram	78%	10	24.4%	84	37	0.77
7	George Kittle	50%	5	23.8%	47	15	0.60
8	Irv Smith	89%	9	23.7%	53	32	0.74
9	Noah Fant	83%	9	20.9%	80	38	0.75
10	Jacob Hollister	52%	6	20.7%	41	12	0.31
11	Mike Gesicki	71%	7	20.6%	76	27	0.71
12	Zach Ertz	85%	7	20.6%	38	30	0.63
13	T.J. Hockenson	87%	6	20.0%	31	30	0.83
14	Darren Waller	98%	6	20.0%	102	30	0.81
15	Stephen Anderson	46%	6	18.2%	23	11	0.29
16	Jack Doyle	55%	6	17.1%	62	20	0.50
17	Jason Witten	34%	5	16.7%	36	11	0.30
18	Cole Kmet	90%	6	16.7%	78	25	0.64
19	Tyler Conklin	86%	6	15.8%	14	31	0.72
20	Hayden Hurst	65%	5	15.2%	37	31	0.79
21	Tyler Higbee	69%	6	14.6%	55	24	0.46
22	Jared Cook	53%	4	14.3%	58	17	0.61
23	Christopher Herndon	87%	4	14.3%	31	27	0.71
24	Eric Ebron	81%	7	14.3%	42	35	0.70
25	Harrison Bryant	83%	7	14.0%	87	49	0.86
26	Jimmy Graham	46%	5	13.9%	72	15	0.38
27	Tyler Eifert	51%	5	13.9%	38	22	0.58
28	Dalton Schultz	93%	4	13.3%	20	27	0.82
29	Jordan Akins	33%	4	12.1%	19	15	0.41
30	Trey Burton	49%	4	11.4%	23	20	0.50
31	Dan Arnold	44%	5	10.9%	83	28	0.53
32	Dawson Knox	64%	4	10.50%	54	22	0.55
33	Donald Parham	81%	3	9.1%	45	24	0.63
34	Dallas Goedert	56%	3	8.80%	22	14	0.29
35	Robert Tonyan	59%	2	8.30%	19	15	0.54
36	Rob Gronkowski	43%	2	4.9%	48	14	0.32
37	Drew Sample	87%	1	2.6%	1	14	0.37

Wide Receivers

Bold indicates Top 15 for the week.

		Snaps	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes per Dropback
1	Davante Adams	71%	12	50.0%	105	25	0.89
2	Allen Robinson	68%	13	36.1%	91	29	0.74
3	D.J. Moore	82%	10	35.7%	124	32	0.94
4	Robby Anderson	78%	10	35.7%	59	29	0.85
5	Jerry Jeudy	79%	15	34.9%	180	41	0.80
6	Jakobi Meyers	100%	6	33.3%	52	24	0.92
7	Jamison Crowder	91%	9	32.1%	66	35	0.92
8	A.J. Brown	76%	8	32.0%	83	23	0.77
9	Brandin Cooks	96%	10	30.3%	173	31	0.84
10	Mike Williams	84%	10	30.3%	92	31	0.82
11	Mike Evans	81%	12	29.3%	185	38	0.86
12	Sterling Shepard	95%	12	29.3%	82	47	0.98
13	Stefon Diggs	78%	11	29.0%	113	35	0.88
14	Diontae Johnson	82%	14	28.6%	145	41	0.82
15	DK Metcalf	97%	8	27.6%	90	35	0.90
16	Calvin Ridley	79%	9	27.3%	135	34	0.87
17	Michael Gallup	83%	8	26.7%	90	30	0.91
18	JuJu Smith-Schuster	93%	13	26.5%	89	49	0.98
19	Justin Jefferson	91%	10	26.3%	66	35	0.81
20	DeAndre Hopkins	91%	12	26.1%	75	49	0.92
21	Josh Reynolds	64%	10	24.4%	57	36	0.69
22	Adam Thielen	87%	9	23.7%	50	32	0.74
23	Tee Higgins	84%	9	23.7%	139	35	0.92
24	Danny Amendola	59%	7	23.3%	51	22	0.61
25	Chris Godwin	66%	9	22.0%	144	29	0.66
26	Ja'Marcus Bradley	95%	11	22.0%	126	53	0.93
27	Robert Woods	91%	9	22.0%	90	45	0.87
28	Cooper Kupp	80%	9	22.0%	51	42	0.81
29	Christian Kirk	83%	10	21.7%	113	48	0.91
30	Breshad Perriman	100%	6	21.4%	107	35	0.92
31	DaeSean Hamilton	79%	9	20.9%	144	40	0.78
32	Jalen Reagor	59%	7	20.6%	50	23	0.48
33	Nelson Agholor	77%	6	20.0%	118	27	0.73
34	T.Y. Hilton	68%	7	20.0%	132	32	0.80
35	Amari Cooper	73%	6	20.0%	57	26	0.79
36	Darius Slayton	86%	8	19.5%	109	43	0.90
37	Darnell Mooney	74%	7	19.4%	37	32	0.82
38	Laviska Shenault	87%	7	19.4%	34	33	0.87
39	D.J. Chark	75%	7	19.4%	127	29	0.76
40	Cam Sims	100%	9	19.2%	168	50	0.94
41	A.J. Green	74%	7	18.4%	116	31	0.82
42	Emmanuel Sanders	51%	5	17.9%	60	18	0.64
43	Curtis Samuel	57%	5	17.9%	75	23	0.68
44	Jakeem Grant	30%	6	17.7%	24	14	0.37
45	Larry Fitzgerald	86%	8	17.4%	40	45	0.85
46	Tyler Lockett	94%	5	17.2%	98	36	0.92
47	Zach Pascal	88%	6	17.1%	72	38	0.95
48	Hunter Renfrow	61%	5	16.7%	4	23	0.62
49	Marquise Brown	63%	4	16.7%	20	22	0.76
50	CeeDee Lamb	51%	5	16.7%	54	24	0.73
51	Damiere Byrd	100%	3	16.7%	32	24	0.92
52	Alex Erickson	82%	6	15.8%	54	30	0.79
53	Keke Coutee	64%	5	15.2%	36	22	0.59
54	Russell Gage	91%	5	15%	7	35	0.90
55	Jalen Guyton	91%	5	15.2%	27	33	0.87
56	Isaiah Ford	52%	5	14.7%	45	24	0.63
57	Antonio Brown	60%	6	14.6%	27	29	0.66
58	Marquez Callaway	56%	4	14.3%	55	17	0.61
59	Tyreek Hill	64%	6	14.3%	80	33	0.70
60	Mecole Hardman	61%	6	14.3%	50	25	0.53
61	Michael Pittman	73%	5	14.3%	91	28	0.70
62	Gabriel Davis	100%	5	13.2%	125	38	0.95
63	Cole Beasley	49%	5	13.2%	35	28	0.70
64	Steven Sims	65%	6	12.8%	77	34	0.64
65	Chase Claypool	79%	6	12.2%	49	41	0.82
66	Mack Hollins	78%	4	11.8%	56	29	0.76
67	Keelan Cole	73%	4	11.1%	27	33	0.87
68	Marvin Jones	94%	3	10.0%	13	36	1.0
69	Brandon Aiyuk	93%	2	9.5%	26	23	0.92
70	Sammy Watkins	76%	4	9.5%	16	35	0.74
71	Tim Patrick	90%	4	9.3%	35	46	0.90
72	Chad Hansen	96%	3	9.1%	47	32	0.86
73	Lynn Bowden	92%	3	8.8%	7	35	0.92
74	Greg Ward	90%	3	8.8%	29	38	0.79
75	Corey Davis	82%	2	8.0%	21	22	0.73
76	Denzel Mims	91%	2	7.1%	37	32	0.84
77	Henry Ruggs	69%	2	6.7%	56	26	0.70
78	Richie James	91%	1	4.8%	4	23	0.92
79	Marvin Hall	91%	2	4.0%	31	54	0.95

Game-by-Game Breakdowns

Vikings (33) at Saints (52)

Vikings

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Justin Jefferson	91%	10	26.3%	66	35	0.81	6-85-0
Irv Smith	89%	9	23.7%	53	32	0.74	6-53-2
Adam Thielen	87%	9	23.7%	50	32	0.74	8-97-1
Tyler Conklin	86%	6	15.8%	14	31	0.72	4-31-0
Chad Beebe	37%	0	0.0%	0	17	0.40	0-0-0

Olabisi got 16% of snaps and ran six routes, catching his one target for 13 yards. The Vikings continued to lean on two-TE formations, rather than using Johnson or Beebe extensively. And with FB C.J. Ham (quad) inactive, Minnesota ran only six plays from 21 personnel, down from 32, 22 and 20 snaps in that grouping over the previous three weeks. Backup fullback Jake Bargas played just seven snaps, a huge difference from Ham's 26.6 per game. The limited use of a fullback and third receiver allowed the Vikes to have two WRs and two TEs above 85 percent snap share.
Jefferson and Thielen both padded their stat lines in garbage time after a Taysom Hill touchdown gave New Orleans an 18-point lead with four minutes remaining. Thielen caught three passes for 30 yards and a touchdown after the game-clinching score, with Jefferson adding three receptions for 44 yards. The rookie got half his targets in the final four minutes of the game.

Marshon Lattimore aligned across from Justin Jefferson on 35 of his 41 routes (85% shadow rate), limiting Jefferson to 3 receptions, 44 yards on 7 targets as nearest defender.
Lattimore aligned in press coverage on Jefferson on 69% of routes.#MINvsNO | #Saints pic.twitter.com/ADKOjfR5x9
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 26, 2020

Conklin has five, four and six targets the past three weeks, going for 5-40-0, 3-57-1 and 4-31-0. However, he saw just three targets between Weeks 12 and 13, despite playing 66% and 65% of snaps. Conklin has produced just 0.81 yards per route for the season, well below Kyle Rudolph (1.35) and Smith (1.33), per PFF.
Smith has seen four, four and nine targets since he returned from back and groin injuries, taking advantage of Rudolph's absence with receiving lines of 4-63-1, 3-37-0 and now 6-53-2.
With Smith and Conklin both contributing, the Vikings are more likely to trade or release Rudolph in the offseason. The team would take a $4.35 million dead cap charge , but that would still be more than $5 million coming off the books (compared to Rudolph's scheduled $9.45 million cap hit). The extension he signed in June 2019 technically runs through 2023, but it doesn't have any guarantees remaining after 2020.
Here's the breakdown between Jefferson and Thielen since the rookie became a starter Week 3. Thielen did miss one game with an injury.

Saints

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Adam Trautman	69%	2	7.1%	14	13	0.46	2-45-0
Marquez Callaway	56%	4	14.3%	55	17	0.61	3-26-0
Jared Cook	53%	4	14.3%	58	17	0.61	3-82-0
Emmanuel Sanders	51%	5	17.9%	60	18	0.64	4-83-0
Taysom Hill	32%	1	3.6%	19	6	0.21	1-19-0

The Saints didn't have a single skill-position player reach 70 percent share for snaps or routes, even with Michael Thomas (ankle), Tre'Quan Smith (ankle) and Deonte Harris (neck) all on injured reserve.
Blocking tight end Josh Hill left with a hand injury after just one snap. That's part of why Trautman got so much playing time, though Hill had played just 29% and 13% of snaps the past two weeks in Saints losses.
Cook is up to four straight games with either four or five targets, averaging 2.75 catches for 44 yards and 0.5 TDs in that stretch.
Sanders averaged 7.8 targets in four games with Thomas sidelined Weeks 2-5, but he's seen just five in back-to-back weeks with Thomas out. He's done well with the limited chances in going for 4-76-0 and 4-83-0, though the lone incomplete target Friday was a dropped pass in the flats that bounced right into the hands of Vikings LB Hardy Nickerson.
Callaway got the start at WR alongside Sanders, returning from injured reserve after missing the past three games with an ankle injury. The undrafted rookie has played more than one-fourth of snaps three times this season, going for 4-34-0, 8-75-0 and now 3-26-0 in those games.
Ty Montgomery played 16 snaps on offense, all in the slot, per PFF. He finished without a catch on one target, while Juwan Johnson played 31% of snaps and caught his lone target for 19 yards. Austin Carr logged 28%, Lil'Jordan Humphrey also got 21% of snaps, but he wasn't targeted. All in all, the Saints split WR snaps between six different players, though Johnson, Carr, Humphrey and Montgomery combined for only 15 routes and three targets. Sanders and Callaway both single-handedly topped those numbers.

Buccaneers (47) at Lions (7)

Bucs

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Mike Evans	81%	12	29.3%	185	38	0.86	10-181-2
Chris Godwin	66%	9	22.0%	144	29	0.66	5-84-1
Antonio Brown	60%	6	14.6%	27	29	0.66	4-35-1
Rob Gronkowski	43%	2	4.9%	48	14	0.32	2-58-2

Blaine Gabbert played the entire second half, after Tom Brady threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns in the first half.

Lions

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Marvin Jones	94%	3	10.0%	13	36	1.00	3-19-0
T.J. Hockenson	87%	6	20.0%	31	30	0.83	4-23-0
Mohamed Sanu	72%	4	13.3%	35	28	0.78	2-22-0
Danny Amendola	59%	7	23.3%	51	22	0.61	5-37-0
Quintez Cephus	38%	2	6.7%	9	13	0.36	1-9-0

Matthew Stafford made it through one drive before an ankle injury knocked him out of the game. He was already playing through rib and finger injuries, so the Lions might hold him out Week 17 against Minnesota even if the ankle sprain isn't too bad.

49ers (20) at Cardinals (12)

49ers

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Brandon Aiyuk	93%	2	9.5%	26	23	0.92	1-15-0
Richie James	91%	1	4.8%	4	23	0.92	0-0-0
George Kittle	50%	5	23.8%	47	15	0.60	4-92-0
Ross Dwelley	46%	0	0.0%	0	6	0.24	0-0-0
Kendrick Bourne	34%	1	4.8%	13	12	0.48	1-16-0

Running backs Jeff Wilson, Jerick McKinnon, Tevin Coleman and Kyle Juszczyk combined for 10 of the 21 targets and all three of San Francisco's touchdowns. CJ Beathard completed 13 of 22 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns, also taking three sacks and losing a fumble along the way.
Jordan Reed finished with zero catches and two targets on six routes, barely playing with Kittle back in action for the first time since Week 8.
Kittle played half the snaps rather than his usual every-down role. He looked healthy, picking up 48 yards after catch on his four receptions.

Cardinals

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
DeAndre Hopkins	91%	12	26.1%	75	49	0.92	8-48-0
Larry Fitzgerald	86%	8	17.4%	40	45	0.85	6-28-0
Christian Kirk	83%	10	21.7%	113	48	0.91	7-76-0
Dan Arnold	44%	5	10.9%	83	28	0.53	3-25-0

With TE Maxx Williams (ankle) inactive, Darrell Daniels played 37% of snaps and Seth DeValve got 24%.

Dolphins (26) at Raiders (25)

Dolphins

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Lynn Bowden	92%	3	8.8%	7	35	0.92	2-8-0
Mack Hollins	78%	4	11.8%	56	29	0.76	2-42-0
Mike Gesicki	71%	7	20.6%	76	27	0.71	4-54-0
Isaiah Ford	52%	5	14.7%	45	24	0.63	4-37-0
Jakeem Grant	30%	6	17.7%	24	14	0.37	5-43-0

DeVante Parker (hamstring) was inactive again, while Gesicki and Grant returned from one-week absences. Grant suffered another injury in Saturday's win:

#Dolphins WR and returner Jakeem Grant suffered a high-ankle sprain in the team's dramatic win over the #Raiders, source said, and he's out for Sunday's must-win game vs. the #Bills. An injured reserve possiblity.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 28, 2020

Raiders

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Darren Waller	98%	6	20.0%	102	30	0.81	5-112-0
Nelson Agholor	77%	6	20.0%	118	27	0.73	5-155-1
Henry Ruggs	69%	2	6.7%	56	26	0.70	0-0-0
Hunter Renfrow	61%	5	16.7%	4	23	0.62	5-34-0
Jason Witten	34%	5	16.7%	36	11	0.30	2-12-0

Agholor has seen six or more targets in six consecutive weeks, averaging 4.8 catches for 80.7 yards and 0.5 TDs on 8.2 targets per game. He does have eight drops this season (according to PFF's charting), but he's made up for it with superb efficiency on throws 20 yards or deeper downfield, catching 10 of 21 targets for 387 yards and six touchdowns. Agholor had a huge fourth quarter Saturday, scoring an 85-yard touchdown and drawing a 49-yard PI penalty.
Waller was even better than the stat line shows. He made contested catches for 29, 33 and 22 yards, repeatedly schooling Dolphins safety Eric Rowe.

Browns (16) at Jets (23)

Browns

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Ja'Marcus Bradley	95%	11	22.0%	126	53	0.93	5-60-0
Marvin Hall	91%	2	4.0%	31	54	0.95	1-12-0
Harrison Bryant	83%	7	14.0%	87	49	0.86	3-37-0
Austin Hooper	73%	15	30.0%	126	41	0.72	7-71-0
David Njoku	38%	4	8.0%	16	16	0.28	4-26-0

Each of Cleveland's top four wide receivers — Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, KhaDarel Hodge and Donovona Peoples-Jones — was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday. The team also had LT Jedrick Wills and RG Wyatt Teller (ankle) unavailable, so it was a tough set up for Baker Mayfield, even after accounting for the 1-13 opponent (now 2-13).
The Browns ran 57 of their 75 plays (76%) out of 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TEs, 2 WRs). They went three-wide just twice all game, despite playing from behind.
Hooper committed two drops, doubling his total for the season, per PFF.

Jets

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Breshad Perriman	100%	6	21.4%	107	35	0.92	0-0-0
Jamison Crowder	91%	9	32.1%	66	35	0.92	7-92-1
Denzel Mims	91%	2	7.1%	37	32	0.84	0-0-0
Christopher Herndon	87%	4	14.3%	31	27	0.71	4-34-1

In addition to dominating the team's receiving production, Crowder threw a 43-yard TD pass to fellow slot receiver Braxton Berrios.
Crowder is averaging 4.6 catches for 48.6 yards and 0.6 TDs on 6.6 targets since Darnold returned from injury for Week 12. The Jets haven't thrown a lot of passes in the five-game stretch, so Crowder's 37 targets work out to 24.2% of the team total, ahead of Perriman (19.6%) and Mims (24 - 15.7%, but missed one of the five games).
Even after Sunday's performance, Herndon has seen just 12 targets the past five games, one fewer than Berrios. Herndon has run 118 routes in that time, while Berrios has run just 23. Yup, Berrios has been targeted on more than half his targets the past five weeks... and it's actually been working.

Giants (13) at Ravens (27)

Giants

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Sterling Shepard	95%	12	29.3%	82	47	0.98	9-77-1
Darius Slayton	86%	8	19.5%	109	43	0.90	2-26-0
Evan Engram	78%	10	24.4%	84	37	0.77	7-65-0
Dante Pettis	45%	3	7.3%	38	24	0.50	2-33-0

With Golden Tate (calf) inactive for the first time since Week 9, the Giants split the No. 3 receive job between Pettis and Austin Mack (31% snaps, 14 routes, three targets). Plus, C.J. Board chipped in with 14% snap share and one catch for 16 yards on two targets.
Shepard played 48%, 80% and 78% of snaps the previous three games, drawing 5-7 targets and finishing with double-digit PPR points. Tate's absence gave Shepard a bit more playing time, and he took advantage with season highs for targets (12), yards (77) and fantasy points (22.7 PPR).
Shepard played just 19 of his 61 snaps in the slot, per PFF. Pettis took 16 of his 29 in the slot.

Ravens

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Mark Andrews	66%	11	45.8%	113	20	0.69	6-76-0
Marquise Brown	63%	4	16.7%	20	22	0.76	4-25-1
Miles Boykin	62%	2	8.3%	20	14	0.48	1-13-0

Andrews saw two catchable passes in the end zone. I'm not sure I'd call either a drop, but you'd expect him to make at least one of the two plays. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, he couldn't come up with either, and he also had a long catch wiped out by an illegal touching penalty. Andrews was a couple breaks away from an 8-110-1 receiving line.
The Ravens rotated wide receivers, with Devin Duvernay (34% snaps, one target) and Dez Bryant (28%, one target, one TD) surprisingly getting more playing time than Willie Snead (18%, two targets).
Snead played at least 53% of snaps in each of his other 12 appearances this season, so Sunday's lack of playing time likely was related to an injury.

Here are #Ravens snap counts from yesterday. Dobbins and Edwards had nearly identical playing time totals. Just 12 snaps for Willie Snead after sustaining what looked like an ankle injury.
Still a light workload for Calais Campbell. Tramon Williams, 37, out-snapped his age (55). pic.twitter.com/WrdRO7DN4p
— Aaron Kasinitz (@AaronKazreports) December 28, 2020

Bengals (37) at Texans (31)

Bengals

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Drew Sample	87%	1	2.6%	1	14	0.37	1-8-1
Tee Higgins	84%	9	23.7%	139	35	0.92	6-99-1
Alex Erickson	82%	6	15.8%	54	30	0.79	6-88-0
A.J. Green	74%	7	18.4%	116	31	0.82	4-64-0

Sample logged 15 snaps as a pass blocker, six more than any other TE in Week 16, per PFF. The second-year pro has blocked on 17.9% of his pass snaps this season, and he's been targeted on just 50 of 369 routes (13.6%).
With Tyler Boyd (concussion) inactive, Erickson put up season highs across the board. For all their other issues, the Bengals had each of Boyd, Green and Higgins on track to play a full 16-game slate before the former suffered a concussion Week 15.
Erickson played 45 of his 62 offensive snaps in the slot, per PFF.
In five games since the Joe Burrow injury, Higgins has averaged 4.8 catches for 55.8 yards and 0.4 TDs on 7.2 targets. (He averaged 5.0 catches for 75.4 yards and 0.5 TDs on 7.6 targets in his eight full games (Weeks 2-10) with Burrow playing QB.)

Texans

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Brandin Cooks	96%	10	30.3%	173	31	0.84	7-141-1
Chad Hansen	96%	3	9.1%	47	32	0.86	1-8-0
Keke Coutee	64%	5	15.2%	36	22	0.59	5-54-0
Pharaoh Brown	52%	1	3.0%	8	15	0.41	1-29-0
Darren Fells	39%	2	6.1%	25	8	0.22	1-22-1
Jordan Akins	33%	4	12.1%	19	15	0.41	4-39-0

Hansen worked ahead of Coutee in two-wide formations, but the latter saw two more targets and had a far more productive afternoon. That's back-to-back games with only three targets for Hansen since Cooks returned from a one-week absence.
This was Cooks' first big game in three tries since Will Fuller was suspended. Cooks did have 5-65-0 on eight targets and 6-59-0 on seven targets in the other two games, and he's scored 9.9 or more PPR points in every appearance since Week 4.
Cooks is 16 yards away from his fifth 1,000-yard season in seven years as a pro.
Akins lost more playing time to Brown and Fells, after logging 70%, 55% and 59% of snaps the previous three games.

Bears (41) at Jaguars (17)

Bears

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Cole Kmet	90%	6	16.7%	78	25	0.64	2-18-0
Darnell Mooney	74%	7	19.4%	37	32	0.82	4-39-0
Allen Robinson	68%	13	36.1%	91	29	0.74	10-103-0
Javon Wims	50%	0	0.0%	0	15	0.38	0-0-0
Jimmy Graham	46%	5	13.9%	72	15	0.38	4-69-2
Anthony Miller	42%	3	8.3%	23	20	0.51	2-10-0

From a pass-catching standpoint, Kmet still hasn't taken advantage of his extensive playing time, averaging just 2.5 catches for 20.5 yards over the past six games despite logging at least 70% of offensive snaps in each contest. But his role expansion has coincided with the rebirth of the Bears' running game, last seen in December 2018. Kmet ranks only 39th out of 72 qualified tight ends in PFF run-blocking grade (59.5), but he's at least been better than Graham (51.9 - 63rd).

Jaguars

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Laviska Shenault	87%	7	19.4%	34	33	0.87	5-48-1
D.J. Chark	75%	7	19.4%	127	29	0.76	4-62-1
Keelan Cole	73%	4	11.1%	27	33	0.87	3-26-0
Tyler Eifert	51%	5	13.9%	38	22	0.58	2-17-0
Chris Conley	49%	3	8.3%	19	19	0.50	3-27-0
James O'Shaughnessy	47%	3	8.3%	13	12	0.32	2-18-0

The snap share for Shenault was a season high, up from 75% and 74% the previous two games. He has six or more targets and five or more catches in three straight games, but the yardage totals (49, 43, 48) have been less than stellar, and he's added just three rushing yards on three carries in that time.
Shenault has a 6.0 aDOT the past three weeks, and a 6.2 aDOT for the year. Chark's aDOT is 14.2, and Cole's is 11.0. Even Eifert (8.2) is well ahead of Shenault in that regard.

Falcons (14) at Chiefs (17)

Falcons

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Russell Gage	91%	5	15.2%	7	35	0.90	4-23-0
Calvin Ridley	79%	9	27.3%	135	34	0.87	5-130-0
Hayden Hurst	65%	5	15.2%	37	31	0.79	5-47-1

Blocking TE Luke Stocker was the only other pass catcher with more than 31% snap share. Christian Blake (31%), Brandon Powell (19%) and Laquon Treadwell (16%) all shared WR reps behind Gage and Ridley. The trio combined for just four targets, but Treadwell did score a touchdown.
Ridley is up to four straight games with 100 yards and six in a row with nine or more targets.

Chiefs

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Travis Kelce	84%	13	31.0%	109	36	0.77	7-98-1
Sammy Watkins	76%	4	9.5%	16	35	0.74	2-14-0
Tyreek Hill	64%	6	14.3%	80	33	0.70	4-65-0
Mecole Hardman	61%	6	14.3%	50	25	0.53	3-24-0
Demarcus Robinson	61%	2	4.8%	29	33	0.70	2-29-1

The Chiefs used 11 personnel on 53 of 66 snaps (80%). They're at 72% for the season, with 12 personnel (19%) easily being their second-favorite look.
Hill didn't quite handle his full workload, and Watkins left the game in the second half with a calf injury. That allowed both Hardman and Robinson to play well over half the snaps on offense.
Kelce broke George Kittle's TE yardage record. Kelce probably won't get to pad his lead Week 17, as the Chiefs already clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC. This is why 80 percent of fantasy leagues (maybe more?) end after Week 16.

Colts (24) at Steelers (28)

Colts

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Zach Pascal	88%	6	17.1%	72	38	0.95	3-64-1
Michael Pittman	73%	5	14.3%	91	28	0.70	3-38-0
T.Y. Hilton	68%	7	20.0%	132	32	0.80	3-60-0
Jack Doyle	55%	6	17.1%	62	20	0.50	4-50-0
Trey Burton	49%	4	11.4%	23	20	0.50	3-18-0

Pascal topped 85% snap share for a second straight week, after lingering in the 60s or 70s through most of November and December. He's caught eight of 12 targets for 143 yards and three TDs the past two weeks, hitting paydirt from 11, 5 and 42 yards out.
A month and a half ago, it appeared Pittman was taking over as the No. 1 receiver. Then he slumped and Hilton surged, while Pascal was dead silent. Now it's Pascal leading the way, albeit over a two-game sample.
Mo Alie-Cox played 33% of snaps and caught his one target for a 20-yard gain. He ran only 13 routes, which was fewer than No. 4 receiver DeMichael Harris (12). Doyle had a nice game, but he's otherwise done nothing while sharing work with Burton and Alie-Cox the past couple months.

Steelers

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
JuJu Smith-Schuster	93%	13	26.5%	89	49	0.98	9-96-1
Diontae Johnson	82%	14	28.6%	145	41	0.82	8-75-1
Eric Ebron	81%	7	14.3%	42	35	0.70	5-47-1
Chase Claypool	79%	6	12.2%	49	41	0.82	4-54-0
James Washington	27%	3	6.1%	22	14	0.28	2-20-0

Claypool got a few more snaps than usual, up from 67% and 66% the previous two weeks.
Washington's snap share was back down to the pre-December range, after going up to 54%, 81% and 42% the past three weeks.
The Steelers will rest Ben Roethlisberger in Week 17. They'll likely play some of their starters, but we can't count on full workloads.

Roethlisberger will not play against the Browns
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) December 29, 2020

Broncos (16) at Chargers (19)

Broncos

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Tim Patrick	90%	4	9.3%	35	46	0.90	3-39-0
Noah Fant	83%	9	20.9%	80	38	0.75	6-65-0
Jerry Jeudy	79%	15	34.9%	180	41	0.80	6-61-0
DaeSean Hamilton	79%	9	20.9%	144	40	0.78	5-77-0

PFF charted Jeudy with five drops, giving him eight over the past three weeks and 12 for the season.
KJ Hamler got the start, but he played just eight snaps before exiting with a concussion. Hamilton filled in as the No. 3 receiver and ran 79% of his routes from the slot (per PFF).

Jerry Jeudy had a brutal day (5 drops including a TD and a crucial potential GWD play), but certainly didn't hide from it post-game.
In his zoom presser owned up and was accountable.
Source currently with team tells me Jeudy is "personally devastated" by his performance today.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) December 28, 2020

Chargers

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Jalen Guyton	91%	5	15.2%	27	33	0.87	3-43-0
Mike Williams	84%	10	30.3%	92	31	0.82	4-54-0
Donald Parham	81%	3	9.1%	45	24	0.63	2-47-0
Tyron Johnson	77%	3	9.1%	20	25	0.66	3-26-0
Stephen Anderson	46%	6	18.2%	23	11	0.29	4-48-0

Williams got the expected target share bump with Keenan Allen (hamstring) and Hunter Henry (COVID list) both out, but the production was spread around pretty evenly among six players (Austin Ekeler had the lone receiving TD).
Parham more or less took on Henry's usual role in terms of snaps and routes. However, Anderson was targeted on six of his 11 routes.

Panthers (20) at Washington Football Team (13)

Panthers

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
D.J. Moore	82%	10	35.7%	124	32	0.94	5-37-0
Robby Anderson	78%	10	35.7%	59	29	0.85	7-39-1
Ian Thomas	60%	0	0.0%	0	22	0.65	0-0-0
Curtis Samuel	57%	5	17.9%	75	23	0.68	5-106-0

The snap share for Samuel was his smallest since Week 7, but he was mostly on the field for pass plays, and he also had season highs for rushing (seven carries for 52 yards).

Football Team

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Cam Sims	100%	9	19.2%	168	50	0.94	3-63-0
Logan Thomas	100%	12	25.5%	104	50	0.94	7-63-0
Antonio Gandy-Golden	83%	3	6.4%	50	45	0.85	0-0-0
Steven Sims	65%	6	12.8%	77	34	0.64	4-52-0

Gandy-Golden made his first appearance since Week 6. He's caught just one of seven targets for three yards in six games.
Thomas reached triple-digit targets for the season. He's seen 44 over the past four weeks, including 16 and 12 the past two games.
It sounds like Terry McLaurin (ankle) could miss Week 17, or at least he won't be at full strength if he plays.

Ron Rivera said Terry McLaurin has a high ankle sprain. He wasn't along the bench area because they don't want him on his feet, so he watched from the booth. He's wearing a walking boot and doing as much treatment as he can to get ready.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) December 28, 2020

Los Angeles Rams (9) at Seahawks (20)

Rams

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Robert Woods	91%	9	22.0%	90	45	0.87	4-48-0
Cooper Kupp	80%	9	22.0%	51	42	0.81	8-66-0
Tyler Higbee	69%	6	14.6%	55	24	0.46	3-34-0
Gerald Everett	69%	3	7.3%	20	23	0.44	2-13-0
Josh Reynolds	64%	10	24.4%	57	36	0.69	6-65-0

Reynolds also got a team-high 10 targets in the first matchup (Week 10) with Seattle. He'd seen just five targets combined over the previous three weeks.
Jared Goff (thumb), Cam Akers (ankle) and Darrell Henderson (ankle) all figure to miss the Week 17 contest. The Rams can still miss the playoffs if they lose to the Cardinals and the Bears beat the Packers.

The #Rams backup QB — and likely starter next week — is John Wolford. The former AAF passing TD leader with the Arizona Hotshots is a talent who has teammates intrigued. https://t.co/clzapuNE9J
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 28, 2020

More #Rams news: The team placed WR Cooper Kupp on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 29, 2020

Seahawks

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
DK Metcalf	97%	8	27.6%	90	35	0.90	6-59-0
Tyler Lockett	94%	5	17.2%	98	36	0.92	3-44-0
Will Dissly	56%	3	10.3%	10	14	0.36	3-17-0
Jacob Hollister	52%	6	20.7%	41	12	0.31	2-17-1
David Moore	40%	1	3.5%	45	14	0.36	1-45-0
Freddie Swain	37%	0	0.0%	0	16	0.41	0-0-0
Greg Olsen	19%	2	6.9%	17	11	0.28	1-15-0

The TE spot remains a timeshare, with three guys lingering around one route for every three dropbacks. Hollister got six targets and a touchdown, but he ran only 12 routes.
Lockett is down to WR14 for both standard scoring and PPR. It's taken quite a slump to get him out of the Top 10 after he put up 40/542/7 over the first six games of the season. He's averaging 4.8 catches for 46.9 yards on 6.7 targets since his 200-yard explosion Week 7 at Arizona.

Eagles (17) at Cowboys (37)

Eagles

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Greg Ward	90%	3	8.8%	29	38	0.79	2-27-0
Zach Ertz	85%	7	20.6%	38	30	0.63	3-33-0
Jalen Reagor	59%	7	20.6%	50	23	0.48	3-30-0
Dallas Goedert	56%	3	8.8%	22	14	0.29	3-38-0
Alshon Jeffery	36%	1	2.9%	19	19	0.40	1-22-0
Travis Fulgham	30%	3	8.8%	42	16	0.33	2-27-0
DeSean Jackson	27%	1	2.9%	41	12	0.25	1-81-1
Quez Watkins	16%	3	%8.8	82	8	0.17	2-57-0

Goedert left the game in the fourth quarter with a calf injury. He played 85% of snaps through three quarters, running routes on 14 of Jalen Hurts' 26 dropbacks.
Ertz got 77% of snaps and 13 routes prior to the fourth quarter. He then played every snap in the final frame, which accounted for six of his seven targets and all three of his catches.
Jackson made an impact in his first appearance since Week 7, taking his lone target to the house. He was part of a deep rotation at wide receiver, with only slot man Ward getting consistent work. Everyone else rotated, though Reagor did play more than the others.

Cowboys

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Dalton Schultz	93%	4	13.3%	20	27	0.82	3-21-0
Michael Gallup	83%	8	26.7%	90	30	0.91	6-121-2
Amari Cooper	73%	6	20.0%	57	26	0.79	4-121-0
CeeDee Lamb	51%	5	16.7%	54	24	0.73	3-65-1

This looks like a throwback to the Dak Prescott portion of the season. Each of the team's top-three WRs reached 15 PPR points, with Lamb adding a 19-yard rushing TD on top of his 52-yard receiving score.
Cooper still has the most targets (56) from Dalton this year, but his lead over Lamb (55) and Gallup (52) is negligible.
Dalton has now started and finished six straight games. Here's what the distribution looks like for that six-week stretch:

Titans (14) at Packers (40)

Titans

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Corey Davis	82%	2	8.0%	21	22	0.73	0-0-0
A.J. Brown	76%	8	32.0%	83	23	0.77	4-43-0
Jonnu Smith	73%	7	28.0%	45	20	0.67	3-30-1

QB Logan Woodside took three snaps, but Tennessee played its starters until the final drive.
The seven targets tied for Smith's second most this season. He's seen five and seven the past two weeks, going for 5-52-0 and 3-30-1.

Jaire Alexander is pitching a shutout against Corey Davis and Davis getting a punchy after the incompletion
— Wes Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) December 28, 2020

Packers

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Davante Adams	71%	12	50.0%	105	25	0.89	11-142-3
Marquez Valdes-Scantling	62%	0	0.0%	0	16	0.57	0-0-0
Allen Lazard	62%	2	8.3%	8	13	0.46	2-14-0
Robert Tonyan	59%	2	8.3%	19	15	0.54	1-17-0

Adams was the only Packer to run a route on more than 57% of Aaron Rodgers' dropbacks. Adams was also the only Packer with more than three targets, somehow going for 11-142-3 in a game where his team threw only 25 passes.
Tonyan lost his five-game TD streak. All good things most come to an end, eventually.

Bills (38) at Patriots (9)

Bills

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Gabriel Davis	100%	5	13.2%	125	38	0.95	3-33-0
Stefon Diggs	78%	11	29.0%	113	35	0.88	9-145-3
Dawson Knox	64%	4	10.5%	54	22	0.55	3-51-0
Cole Beasley	49%	5	13.2%	35	28	0.70	3-17-0
Isaiah McKenzie	44%	4	10.5%	2	15	0.38	4-26-0
Lee Smith	33%	2	5.3%	13	5	0.13	2-31-1

John Brown (ankle) missed another game. He was activated from IR on Monday, but then placed on the COVID-19 list.
Matt Barkley and other backups got a bunch of playing time in the fourth quarter of Monday's blowout win. Prior to the fourth quarter, Diggs played 98% of snaps, with Beasley at 57% and McKenzie at 50%.
Even if we exclude the fourth quarter, Beasley's snap share would've been lower than 60% for the first time since Week 4 and just the second time all season. Prior to Monday, he'd seen double-digit targets in four of his past five games, averaging seven catches for 83.4 yards and 0.4 TDs.
Diggs enters Week 17 with the NFL lead for receptions (120) and receiving yards (1,459). However, DeAndre Hopkins (111 for 1,372) and Davante Adams (109 for 1,328) both are within striking distance, especially if Diggs is held out or limited. It remains to be seen if the Bills treat Week 17 like a normal game or not, as the only team they can slip behind in the playoff seeding (Pittsburgh) already announced plans to rest its starting QB.

Patriots

	Snap Share	Targets	Target Share	Air Yards	Routes	Routes/dropback	Receiving Line
Jakobi Meyers	100%	6	33.3%	52	24	0.92	4-45-0
Damiere Byrd	100%	3	16.7%	32	24	0.92	1-7-0
Devin Asiasi	94%	2	11.1%	11	17	0.65	0-0-0
N'Keal Harry	60%	4	22.2%	61	19	0.73	1-3-0

Dalton Keene played just three snaps, after getting 23, 31 and 29 the previous three weeks. He's caught two of three targets for 10 yards in five appearances, while Asiasi has seen four targets and is still searching for his first NFL reception.
Meyers continues to see huge target shares, but 30 percent of nothing is still nothing.

The Patriots' complete and utter lack of production out of their rookie tight ends is pretty remarkable at this point. You keep thinking at some point the damn is going to break, but it never does. It doesn't even drip. Devin Asiasi had two drops and allowed a sack tonight.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) December 29, 2020

Bill Belichick was asked on @OMFonWEEI if Cam Newton would start Sunday against the Jets: "Yeah, I would imagine. We're going through that now. We'll see."
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) December 29, 2020

WR/TE Waiver Targets for Week 17

List is limited to players on less than 60 percent of Yahoo rosters.

WR Nelson Agholor
WR Sterling Shepard
WR Michael Gallup
WR Mecole Hardman
WR Jakobi Meyers
TE Zach Ertz
TE Irv Smith
WR Zach Pascal
WR Laviska Shenault
WR Jerry Jeudy