X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Wide Receiver Target Share Risers for 2022: Fantasy Football Bull Rush for Allen Lazard, Gabe Davis, Rashod Bateman

Allen Lazard - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Vacated targets are a great stat to look at when attempting to pinpoint what wide receivers could be getting a massive increase in target share for the upcoming season. However, just because targets become vacated does not mean they all go to the wide receiver position or even the specific player you want.

It's better to target players who will see their snaps increase or one who will replace another who has departed from a prominent role to be confident in their target share truly increasing.

Today, I will list three players whose market share of targets is bound to increase and explain why it will happen.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:

 

Allen Lazard - Green Bay Packers

With Davante Adams now in Las Vegas, the role of quarterback Aaron Rodgers' top target has become available. Enter Allen Lazard. The fifth-year wide receiver has been showered with praise by Rodgers this offseason and is the clear front runner to be the new number one target in Green Bay.

Not only did the departure of Adams vacate 169 targets, but there were 248 vacated in total. The passing volume of the Green Bay offense is bound to come down a bit, but Rodgers has a habit of hyper-targeting his top receiver over the years, and this year, that player will be Lazard. After receiving only 60 targets in 2021, Lazard will look to double that total in 2022 and could easily end up with more than double.

There has been some hype surrounding rookie wide receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, but rookie receivers do not have the best track record when Rodgers throws them the ball for fantasy purposes. It took two years for Adams to become fantasy-relevant, and Jordy Nelson did not break out until year four.

Lazard is the clear top receiving threat for the Packers. The slew of veterans and rookies will fight for the scraps behind him, and history has shown that if Rodgers favors you over the rest of your teammates, you will be rewarded with a massive target share. Lazard will not be as valuable a fantasy asset as Adams was in Green Bay, but he will be a solid fantasy contributor.

 

Rashod Bateman - Baltimore Ravens

While the Baltimore Ravens offense is run-centric, there were 267 targets vacated over this past offseason. More importantly, Marquise Brown was traded to the Arizona Cardinals this past April, leaving the top wide receiver role open for Rashod Bateman to occupy.

Brown saw 146 targets in 2021, finishing with the second most on the team behind only tight end Mark Andrews. Bateman will now inherit the high target share, improving on the 68 he had last season during his 12-game run by a high amount.

The passing volume in Baltimore was increased last season due to a slew of injuries at the running back position and the loss of quarterback Lamar Jackson for five games. However, there are so many vacated targets that Bateman should easily double his total from last season as the leading receiver for the Ravens.

Baltimore favors heavily targeting the tight end position and their top wide receiver. With the top competition for Bateman being Devin Duvernay and James Proche II, there is little reason to worry that he will have trouble clearing 125 targets in 2022. Even in a low pass-volume offense, Bateman is poised to see a massive increase in both targets and fantasy value.

 

Gabe Davis - Buffalo Bills

Gabe Davis may not be inheriting the role as the top receiver for his team like Lazard or Bateman, but he is stepping into a role where his target share will increase exponentially. Emmanuel Sanders did not resign with Buffalo this offseason, and the coaching staff has said they are comfortable with Davis as the starter opposite Stefon Diggs.

A total of 199 targets have been vacated in Buffalo. However, the departure of Cole Beasley accounts for 112 of those targets, meaning a good chunk will be distributed to the slot. That said, the starting wideout opposite Diggs has averaged 119.5 targets over the past two seasons. That number combines the targets John Brown and Davis saw in 2020 and the targets Sanders and Davis saw last season.

Davis will not have to share nearly as many snaps with another receiver as Brown and Sanders did. The depth chart behind him consists of rookie Khalil Shakir, Marquez Stevenson, and Jake Kumerow. The Bills know they have an ascending talent in Davis and are prepared to make him the second read for quarterback Josh Allen.

After a record-breaking playoff performance against the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this year, Davis is primed to see his career-high 63 targets in 2021 nearly double in 2022. Since he is in one of the league's premier passing offenses, it will equate to massive fantasy success, even if he is not the top wide receiver for Buffalo.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Wendell Carter Jr.11 mins ago

Out Against Lakers
Anthony Davis29 mins ago

Available Versus Magic On Thursday
Rui Hachimura43 mins ago

Unavailable Thursday
Carlos Ulberg1 hour ago

Looking To Cement Himself As A Title Contender At UFC Macau
Volkan Oezdemir1 hour ago

Eyes Another Knockout At UFC Macau
Gabriella Fernandes1 hour ago

A Big Underdog At UFC Macau
MMA1 hour ago

Cong Wang Puts Undefeated Record On The Line At UFC Macau
Deiveson Figueiredo1 hour ago

Looks To Extend Win Streak At UFC Macau
Petr Yan1 hour ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Yves Missi2 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
CJ McCollum2 hours ago

Not Likely To Play Friday
Alexander Mattison2 hours ago

Zamir White Miss Practice Again
Brandon Ingram2 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Shohei Ohtani2 hours ago

Named National League MVP In 2024
Aaron Judge3 hours ago

Wins American League MVP Award
Ja'Kobe Walter3 hours ago

Ready To Go Thursday
Donte DiVincenzo3 hours ago

Available Thursday
Mike Conley3 hours ago

Will Not Play Thursday
Jordan Clarkson3 hours ago

Sits Out Thursday's Game
Ausar Thompson3 hours ago

Won't Play On Thursday
Zach Collins3 hours ago

Cleared To Play Thursday
Domantas Sabonis3 hours ago

Gets Through Full Practice
Chris Paul3 hours ago

Good To Go Thursday
Brock Purdy3 hours ago

Limited Again On Thursday
Malik Monk3 hours ago

Making Progress
George Kittle3 hours ago

Limited Again On Thursday
Tre Mann4 hours ago

Good To Go On Thursday
Miles Bridges4 hours ago

Won't Play On Thursday
Vince Williams Jr.4 hours ago

Out At Least A Month
Scottie Barnes4 hours ago

Returning On Thursday
Alex Ovechkin4 hours ago

To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Fractured Fibula
Paul George4 hours ago

Out At Least Two Games
Aaron Gordon4 hours ago

Availability In Question For Friday
Zach Hyman4 hours ago

Expected To Miss 4-7 Days
Kent Johnson4 hours ago

Back For Blue Jackets Thursday
Yaroslav Askarov4 hours ago

Makes Sharks Debut Thursday
Jalen Hurts4 hours ago

Practices In Full On Thursday
Mikael Granlund5 hours ago

Good To Go Thursday
Alexandar Georgiev5 hours ago

Returns To Action Versus Capitals
TB5 hours ago

Nicholas Paul Will Miss Thursday's Game
Frederik Andersen5 hours ago

To Miss 8-12 Weeks
Jake Ferguson5 hours ago

Still Not Practicing
Sam LaPorta5 hours ago

Looking Good For A Week 12 Return
Sam Darnold5 hours ago

Upgrades To Full Participation, On Track To Play
Isiah Pacheco5 hours ago

Remains Limited On Thursday
D'Andre Swift5 hours ago

Upgrades To Limited Participant On Thursday
CeeDee Lamb6 hours ago

Sidelined During Thursday's Practice
Ladd McConkey6 hours ago

Does Not Practice On Thursday
Mike Evans6 hours ago

Logs Full Practice On Thursday
DeVonta Smith7 hours ago

Misses Another Practice
Cody Bellinger8 hours ago

Cubs Looking To Trade Cody Bellinger?
Brandin Cooks8 hours ago

Preparing To Play In Week 12
CeeDee Lamb8 hours ago

Not Seen At Thursday's Practice
8 hours ago

Blake Snell Has Met With Red Sox, Dodgers
Aaron Rodgers9 hours ago

Jets Owner Suggested Benching Aaron Rodgers
Mike Evans10 hours ago

Practicing Again On Thursday
Chandler Stephenson11 hours ago

Registers Three Assists Versus Predators
Jason Robertson11 hours ago

Totals Three Points In Wednesday's Win
Nils Lundkvist11 hours ago

Exits Early With A Lower-Body Injury
Matthew Knies12 hours ago

Sustains An Upper-Body Injury
Mikael Granlund12 hours ago

Exits Late With Injury Wednesday
Patrik Laine12 hours ago

Returns To Practice
Chris Sale23 hours ago

Wins National League Cy Young Award
Tarik Skubal23 hours ago

Wins 2024 American League Cy Young Award
Austin Eckroat1 day ago

Heads To The RSM Classic After Win
Harris English1 day ago

Finding Form Heading To The RSM Classic
Ben Griffin1 day ago

Continues Playing Well Heading To The RSM Classic
Denny McCarthy1 day ago

Returns to The RSM Classic
Josh Jacobs1 day ago

Limited With Multiple Injuries
DeVonta Smith1 day ago

Misses Practice On Wednesday
Seth Jones1 day ago

Expected To Miss Four Weeks
Sam Darnold1 day ago

Limited With Foot Injury
Max Domi1 day ago

Placed On Injured Reserve
Jalen Hurts1 day ago

Limited On Wednesday
Connor Ingram1 day ago

Out Day-To-Day With An Upper-Body Injury
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen1 day ago

Returns To Action Versus Kings
Alex Tuch1 day ago

Available Wednesday
Tage Thompson1 day ago

Remains Out On Wednesday
Jordan Eberle1 day ago

To Remain Out On Wednesday
Ludvig Aberg1 day ago

Looks To Defend RSM Classic Title
Si Woo Kim1 day ago

An Intriguing Option At RSM Classic
Maverick McNealy1 day ago

In Solid Form Ahead Of RSM Classic
Eric Cole1 day ago

Chasing First Tour Victory At RSM Classic
2 days ago

Guardians' Stephen Vogt Named AL Manager Of The Year
Milwaukee Brewers2 days ago

Pat Murphy Named NL Manager Of The Year
2 days ago

Nick Pivetta Declines Boston's Qualifying Offer
Jose Siri2 days ago

Mets Acquire Jose Siri From The Rays
2 days ago

Phillies To Meet With Juan Soto
2 days ago

Luis Severino Rejects Qualifying Offer From Mets
2 days ago

Willy Adames Declines Brewers Qualifying Offer
2 days ago

Teoscar Hernandez Declines Qualifying Offer From Dodgers
2 days ago

Juan Soto Declines Yankees' Qualifying Offer
Luis Gil3 days ago

Wins AL Rookie Of The Year Award
Paul Skenes3 days ago

Named 2024 NL Rookie Of The Year
Brady Singer3 days ago

Reds, Royals Discussing Jonathan India, Brady Singer
3 days ago

Sean Manaea To Reject Mets' Qualifying Offer
3 days ago

Braves Have Interest In Walker Buehler
3 days ago

Astros Interested In Willy Adames
Charles Oliveira3 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Michael Chandler3 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 309
Karine Silva3 days ago

Suffers Her First UFC Loss
Viviane Araujo3 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Mauricio Ruffy3 days ago

Extends His Win Streak To Six
James Llontop4 days ago

Loses Clear-Cut Decision In Thrilling Fight At UFC 309
Paul Craig4 days ago

Loses Decision At UFC 309
Bo Nickal4 days ago

Remains Undefeated With Lackluster Performance At UFC 309
Stipe Miocic4 days ago

Retires After UFC 309 Loss
Jon Jones4 days ago

Gets TKO Win At UFC 309 To Defend Heavyweight Title

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP