Wide Receiver Sleepers, Risers, Breakouts for Fantasy Football - Targets, Air Yards, Snaps Trends for Week 12

You are already aware that wide receivers will play a critical role in the success of your teams. The undeniable volatility that exists with the running back position has also presented an increasing rationale for prioritizing wide receivers when you build your rosters – both at the onset of your drafts and as you manage your teams throughout the entire season.

The numbers that are generated by all wide receivers provide the foundation for this weekly statistical breakdown of the position, which I will be constructing for a sixth consecutive season. This will be the 11th installment that will examine game-specific data, including updated totals for targets, air yards, targets per route run, yards per route run, red-zone targets, and snap counts. The information that is contained in this weekly report will analyze how various receivers are being utilized, and how effectively they are capitalizing on their opportunities.

As the season progresses noteworthy changes in usage and production will be blended into the equation. Statistics from our player pages at RotoBaller were included during the compilation of data, while Pro Football Reference, PFF, Rotowire, Fantasy Points Data, NextGenStats, and Rotoviz were also used as resources in the creation of this report.

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• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

Targets

Keenan Allen has emerged as the new league leader in targets while accumulating 113 from Weeks 1-11. That includes the league-high 16 that Allen garnered in Week 11. He has also captured 9+ during six consecutive outings while averaging 11.5 per game during that span.

DAVANTE. ADAMS.#LVvsMIA | 📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/7avWnIHEaG

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 19, 2023

Davante Adams is now second overall with 111 targets, after accruing 26 during his last two games. He has now secured a double-digit target total in five different contests this season while collecting 13+ targets in four different games.

Stefon Diggs has now accumulated 110 targets, even though he has failed to reach double digits since week eight. Diggs had averaged a league-high 12.8 targets per game from Weeks 5 -8, but that average has declined to 6.7 per game since Week 9.

Tyreek Hill is next with 108 targets after he secured a double-digit total for the seventh time in Week 11. Hill's 10.8 target per game average from Weeks 1-11 places him second overall while he is also averaging 11.8 per game since Week 6.

Ja'Marr Chase WASN'T LEAVING WITHOUT ONE 🫡pic.twitter.com/osPOh8MJKz

— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) November 17, 2023

Ja'Marr Chase has now accumulated 106 targets as the Bengals progress through their remaining matchups without Joe Burrow. Chase has now averaged 7.0 per game during his last three outings, after averaging a league-best 14.7 per game from Weeks 5-8. Chase is also averaging 10.6 per game from Weeks 1-11.

Garrett Wilson has been targeted 103 times this season. He had also captured 12+ during four consecutive matchups from Weeks 6-10 before he was targeted eight times in Week 11. Wilson had also vaulted to second overall with 40 targets from Weeks 8-10 while averaging 13.3 per game during that span.

Puka Nacua has also accrued 103 targets after he was targeted seven times for a third consecutive game. Nacua has reached a double-digit target total five times this season, although all of those matchups occurred between Weeks 1-7.

Michael Pittman Jr. will return from the Colts’ bye week with a season total of 98 targets, which has been constructed largely by eclipsing 11+ targets in six different games this season. Pittman is also averaging 9.8 per game entering Week 12.

Is there anyone more consistent in fantasy than the Sun God? 19 of his last 20 games, Amon-Ra St. Brown has seen at least 7+ targets. That’s bonkers. pic.twitter.com/7hiRkZF7KX

— Kyle Lindemann (@LuckIsMadeFF) November 20, 2023

Amon-Ra St. Brown has now accumulated 97 targets after he reached a double-digit total for the fourth time this season in Week 11. St. Brown has also been targeted 9+ times in five of his last six matchups and is second overall with an average of 11.7 per game during that sequence (Weeks 3-11).

Adam Thielen has also captured 97 targets after securing 11 during Carolina’s Week 11 matchup with Dallas. Thielen has now eclipsed 10+ in six different games after he only accomplished it four times in 2021 and 2022 combined.

A.J. Brown has been targeted 96 times,  even though he was limited to a season-low four during Philadelphia’s Week 11 matchup with Kansas City. Brown had eclipsed 8+ targets in seven consecutive matchups from Weeks 3-9.  

CeeDee Lamb has collected 95 targets this season including 9+ during each of his last four games. Lamb had stockpiled a league-high 44 targets from Weeks 8-10 while accumulating  14+ in all three games during that span.

Chris Olave has accrued 94 targets, including 8+ during each of his last five contests. Olave’s numbers and his prospects during upcoming matchups will be examined in the Five Things I Noticed section.

Terry McLaurin has now accused 86 targets even though the seven that he collected in Week 11 represented his lowest weekly total since Week 5. McLaurin had been averaging 9.6 per game from Weeks 6-10.

Marquise Brown has also accrued 86 targets. However, he has only averaged 4.5 per game in Weeks 10 and 11 with his former college teammate Kyler Murray spearheading Arizona’s aerial attack. Brown had been averaging 9.4 per game from Weeks 4-8 and had risen to sixth overall with 47 targets during that span.

Baker got 'em with the pump fake to Mike Evans ✅

📺: #TBvsSF on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/jckqnJwdb2 pic.twitter.com/xqGtYHRA3M

— NFL (@NFL) November 19, 2023

Mike Evans has collected 82 targets while eclipsing 10+ during five different contests this season. That includes the 12 that he secured during Tampa Bay’s Week 10 matchup with San Francisco. Evans is also averaging 11.0 per game since Week 10.

Nine different wide receivers are averaging at least 10.0 targets per game entering Week 12 - Keenan Allen (11.3), Amon-Ra St. Brown (10.8), Tyreek Hill (10.8), Ja’Marr Chase (10.6), Justin Jefferson (10.6), Garrett Wilson (10.3), Puka Nacua (10.3), Davante Adams (10.1), and Stefon Diggs, who is averaging 10.0 targets per game.

Target Risers And Fallers

LFG

📺 | @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/NkHwHSQlwa

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) November 19, 2023

Nine different wide receivers secured double-digit target totals during their matchups in Week 11. That includes the league-high 16 targets that were collected by Keenan Allen, which was the 11-year veteran's highest total since he stockpiled 20 in Week 3. Allen has also attained a double-digit target total during four of his last six matchups.

Davante Adams captured 13 targets for a second consecutive week after he had failed to exceed seven during four of his five matchups from Weeks 5-9. Adams is also operating with a 32.4% target share from Weeks 1-11, which is tied for the league lead.

The 12 targets that were collected by Mike Evans in Week 11 established a new season high. It was the fifth time this season that Evans has eclipsed 10+ while he has also accomplished it during each of his last two outings. Evans had also averaged 5.5 per game in Weeks 8-9 prior to his two-game surge.

THERE GOES HILL 🐆💨

📺: #LVvsMIA on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/4pb8elcynQ

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) November 19, 2023

Five different wide receivers were targeted 11 times during their matchups in Week 11. That includes Tyreek Hill, who has now captured 9+ targets during nine of his 10 matchups this season.

Adam Thielen has also been targeted 10+ times during each of his last two games after he accumulated 11 during Carolina’s Week 11 matchup with Dallas. Thielen is seventh overall with 64 targets since Week 5 while averaging 10.7 per game during that span.

Amon-Ra St. Brown also accumulated 11 targets when Detroit hosted NFC North, rival Chicago in Week 11. That was his highest total since Week 7, even though he is second among all wide receivers with 63 targets (12.6 per game) since Week 6.

Nico Collins was targeted 11 during Houston’s season opener but had failed to attain a double-digit total from Weeks 2-10. He also averaged 6.0 per game during that eight-week span. However, he tied his season high when he was targeted 11 times by C.J. Stroud in Week 11.

Justin Watson established a season high when he captured 11 targets in Week 11.  It was the second double-digit target total of his career and the first since Week 16 of 2019.

Tank Dell has now eclipsed double digits in three consecutive outings after he was targeted 10 times in Week 11. The promising rookie is now tied for third overall with 35 targets during that three-game span while averaging 11.7 per game. He had failed to exceed four targets from Weeks 4-8 before his recent three-game surge.

D.J. Moore averaged 5.5 per game in Weeks 8-9. However, he has now been targeted nine times during each of his last two contests, which has increased his season total to 80. Moore has also captured 9+ in five of his last eight games.

CeeDee Lamb failed to extend his streak of three consecutive games with 14+ targets. However, the nine targets that he garnered in Week 11 improved his total to a league-high 53 since Week 8. He is also averaging 13.3 per game during that span.

D.K. Metcalf has now captured at least nine targets during four of his last five outings after he was targeted nine times in Week 11. Metcalf had been averaging 5.8 per game from Weeks 1-4 but is averaging 9.6 per game since Week 6.

Trevor Lawrence 🎯 Calvin Ridley x2
pic.twitter.com/GPE9WbMT7E

— PFF (@PFF) November 19, 2023

Calvin Ridley was targeted nine times by Trevor Lawrence in Week 11 which was just the third time that he has eclipsed 9+ this season. He had attained double-digit target totals in Weeks 1 and 8 but had also failed to exceed four targets during three other matchups this season.

Ridley had also been limited to just three targets in Week 10 which was his second lowest total of the season. However, the nine targets that Ridley collected in Week 11 also fueled a week-to-week rise of +6.

Rondale Moore had collected a season-high eight targets in Week 10. However, he was relegated to just one target despite operating with a 72% snap share in Week 11. That launched his week-to-week decline of -7.

Garrett Wilson entered Week 11 having accumulated 12+ targets in four consecutive games. That includes the 14 that he collected in Week 10. He was targeted eight times in Week 11, which resulted in a decline of -6.

Courtland Sutton WOW pic.twitter.com/Ow95fnSEk7

— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) November 20, 2023

Courtland Sutton secured his first double-digit target total of the season in Week 10 when he was targeted 11 times. He was limited to just five targets in Week 11, which launched a weekly decline of -6. Fortunately, for fantasy managers, his game-winning touchdown offset the decline in usage.

Tyler Boyd had also secured his first double-digit target total of the season when he accumulated 12 in Week 10 He was targeted six times in Week 11, which resulted in his week-to-week decrease of -6.

Brandin Cooks was tied for the lead among weekly risers in Week 10 when his season-high 10 targets launched a weekly rise of +8. However, he was only targeted four times in Week 11, which fueled his week-to-week drop of -6.

Air Yards

New Orleans' Week 11 bye did not prevent Chris Olave from retaining the league lead in air yards (1,260). Davante Adams is second overall (1,219), followed by Tyreek Hill (1,161), A.J. Brown (1,159), Amari Cooper (1,158), Mike Evans (1,156), DeAndre Hopkins (1,146), Garrett Wilson (1,129), Stefon Diggs (1,109), and Keenan Allen (1,076) completing the list of 10 receivers who eclipsed 1,000 air yards entering Week 12.

Brandon Aiyuk leads all wide receivers with a 46.6% air yards share. A.J. Brown is second overall (47.5%), followed by Garrett Wilson (46.5%), Davante Adams (44.6%), and two receivers who have attained air yards shares of 44.2% - Tyreek Hill, and Amari Cooper. D.J. Moore is next (44%), followed by D.K. Metcalf (42%) George Pickens (42%), DeAndre Hopkins (41.9%), and Diontae Johnson (41.4%) who has secured an air yards share of 41.4%.

Mike Evans led all wide receivers with 178 air yards in Week 11. Tank Dell was next (162), followed by Davante Adams (161), D.K. Metcalf (155), Odell Beckham (149), Keenan Allen (146), D.J. Moore (136), and Tre Tucker who accrued 135 air yards when Las Vegas visited Miami. Tyreek Hill was next (126), followed by Jaxon Smith-Njigba (116), Calvin Ridley (107), and Garrett Wilson who accumulated 101 air yards in Week 11.

Wilson led all wide receivers with a 57.7% air yards share in Week 11. Diontae Johnson was next (56.3%) followed by Odell Beckham (55.2%), D.J. Moore (53.5%) Ja’Marr Chase (46.1%), Adam Thielen (46%), Brandon Aiyuk (45.9%), Mike Evans (44.9%), D.K. Metcalf (43.9%) and Tank Dell, who attained an air yards share of 43.5%.

Routes

Stefon Diggs leads all wide receivers with 467 routes run from Weeks 1-11. Ja’Marr Chase and Terry McLaurin are tied for second with  (458), followed by Jahan Dotson (457), Adam Thielen (433), Keenan Allen with (409), and two receivers who have accumulated 398 routes - Michael Pittman, and Garrett Wilson. D.J. Moore is next (394), followed by Tyler Boyd (390), Marquise Brown (387), Chris Olave (384), and Zay Flowers who has run 383 routes entering Week 12.

Terry McLaurin led all wide receivers with 45 routes run during the matchups of Week 11. Three receivers were tied with 44 routes (Keenan Allen/Jahan Dotson/Quentin Johnston), while three receivers also ran 43 routes - Davante Adams, Stefon Diggs, and Ja’Marr Chase. Amari Cooper was next (42), followed by Tampa Bay teammates Chris Godwin, and Trey Palmer with 41. K.J. Osborn ran 39 routes, while seven different receivers accumulated 38 routes in Week 11 (Amon-Ra St. Brown/Adam Thielen/Elijah Moore/Zay Flowers/Mike Evans/Tyler Boyd/Garrett Wilson).

Targets Per Route Run

Tyreek Hill has been targeted on 37.6% of his routes from Weeks 1-11, which leads all wide receivers. Davante Adams is second (31.6%), followed by Puka Nacua (30.1%), Amon-Ra St. Brown (29.8%), A.J. Brown (20.1%), DeAndre Hopkins (28.2%), and Jaylen Waddle (28%). Brandon Aiyuk is next (27.7%), followed by Keenan Allen (27.6%), CeeDee Lamb (26.2%), Garrett Wilson (25.9%), Mike Evans (25.8%), Nico Collins (25.7%), Tank Dell (25.2%) and two receivers who have been targeted on 24.6% of their routes - Michael Pittman, and Rashee Rice.

Odell Beckham Jr. was targeted on 46.7% of his routes in Week 11, which led all wide receivers. Tyreek Hill was second (40.7%), followed by Tre Tucker (38.9%), Nico Collins (36.7%), Keenan Allen (36.4%), Dontayvion Wicks (35.7%), Calvin Ridley (32.1%), Mike Evans (31,6%), DeAndre Hopkins (31.3%), and Davante Adams, who was targeted on 30.2% of his routes. Michael Gallup was next (29.4%), followed by Amon-Ra St. Brown (28.9%), Adam Thielen (28.9%), Tank Dell (28.6%), Greg Dortch (26.7%), and D.K. Metcalf, who was targeted on 26.5% of his routes.

Yards Per Route Run 

Tyreek Hill leads all wide receivers with an average of 4.26 yards per route run from Weeks 1-11. Brandon Aiyuk is second overall (3.78), followed by A.J. Brown (3.07), Noah Brown (3.05), CeeDee Lamb (2.8), Nico Collins (2.80), Amon-Ra St. Brown (2.76), Puka Nacua (2.62), and Tank Dell, who is averaging 2.48 yards per route run entering Week 12. Keenan Allen is next (2.47), followed by Mike Evans (2.45), Jaylen Waddle (2.41), Cooper Kupp (2.40), and DeAndre Hopkins, who is averaging 2.35 yards per route run from Weeks 1-11.

Odell Beckham Jr. averaged 7.73 yards per route run in Week 11 which led all wide receivers. Dontayvion Wicks was second (6.50), followed by Tyreek Hill (5.41), Brandon Aiyuk (5.38), Tank Dell (4.26), Khalil Shakir (3.71), DeAndre Hopkins (3.69), Calvin Ridley (3.68), Darius Slayton (3.57), D.K. Metcalf (2.76), and D.J. Moore (2.67). Keenan Allen was next (2.64), followed by Puka Nacua (2.59), Hunter Renfrow (2.21), Nico Collins (2.17), and Deebo Samuel (2.10).

Red Zone Targets  

Davante Adams was targeted once in the red zone during the Raiders’ Week 11 matchup in Miami. That expanded his league-high total to 18 from Weeks 1-11.
Michael Pittman and Ja’Marr Chase are tied for second with 16 targets, while four receivers have been targeted 15 times - Tyreek Hill, CeeDee Lamb, Jordan Addison, and D.K. Metcalf. Courtland Sutton, Stefon Diggs, and Romeo Doubs have all collected 14 targets.

Keenan Allen leads all wide receivers with 11 targets inside the 10-yard line, while Tyreek Hill and CeeDee Lamb have been targeted 10 times. Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers have collected nine targets, while Ja’Marr Chase, Chris Godwin, and Romeo Doubs have accumulated eight targets inside the 10. Tyreek Hill, CeeDee Lamb, and Ja’Marr Chase are tied for the league lead with six targets inside the 5-yard line, while Jaylen Waddle has been targeted five times.

Nico Collins led all wide receivers with five red zone targets in Week 11. Keenan Allen and Amon-Ra St. Brown were targeted four times inside the 20 while Calvin Ridley, Puka Nacua, and Mike Evans, were targeted three times. Keenan Allen accrued a league-high four targets inside the 10-yard line, while Amon-Ra St. Brown was targeted three times.

Snaps

D.J. Moore leads all wide receivers with 660 offensive snaps from Weeks 1-11. Michael Pittman is next (630), followed by Marquise Brown (618), Terry McLaurin (611), Gabe Davis (606), Alec Pierce (606), Adam Thielen (601), and DeVonta Smith (599). Jahan Dotson is next  (596), followed by Stefon Diggs (593), Davante Adams (588), Zay Flowers (588), Amari Cooper (582), and Ja’Marr Chase (573).

Michael Pittman leads all wide receivers with a 97.2% snap share. DeVonta Smith is second overall (97.1%), followed by Alec Pierce (93.5%), D.J. Moore (93.2%), Ja’Marr Chase (93.0%), and A.J. Brown (92.5%). Marquise Brown is next (91.4%), followed by three receivers who have attained a snap share of 91.3%)- Adam Thielen, Davante Adams, and Garrett Wilson. Amon-Ra St. Brown (559) is next, followed by George Pickens (535), Puka Nacua (89.7%), and Jakobi Meyers (89.6%).

D.J. Moore also led all wide receivers with 70 offensive snaps in Week 11. K.J. Osborn was next (66), followed by three receivers who accumulated 65 snaps -Jordan Addison, Cedric Tillman, and Amari Cooper. Terry McLaurin was next (64), followed by Gabe Davis (62), Jahan Dotson (61), Zay Flowers (59), and three receivers who played on 58 snaps - Ja’Marr Chase, Keenan Allen, and Davante Adams.

D.J. Moore also led all wide receivers with a 98.6% snap share in Week 11. Zay Flowers was second (98.3%), followed by Ja’Marr Chase (98.3%), Davante Adams (98.3), Trenton Irwin (94.9%), Amon-Ra St. Brown (94.9%),  Jonathan Mingo (94.9%), Marquise Brown (94.8%), and Keenan Allen (93.6%).

Five Things I Noticed

1. Brandon Aiyuk’s outlook for the 2023 regular season became a popular topic during the offseason. This included his prospects of delivering the most prolific season of his career, which became a frequent source of debate. He entered his fourth year in possession of exceptional talent and would be running routes in a Kyle Shanahan offense that would position him to operate on space.

Aiyuk had also established career highs in a collection of categories during 2022 – including targets (114/6.7 per game), red zone targets (15), and receptions (78/4.6 per game). Aiyuk also surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career (1,015/59.7 per game), while surpassing his previous career bests in routes run (398), air yards (1,105), yards before catch (627), and touchdowns (eight), and finishing 11th in both receptions of 20+, and targets per route run (28.6%).

All optimism surrounding those factors was offset by concerns that competition for touches with other members of San Francisco’s dynamic difference-makers would place sizable constraints on his ability to deliver highly productive outings on a consistent basis. It was also unclear how Brock Purdy would distribute targets to his weaponry, as conjecture emerged that Deebo Samuel’s four-game absence in 2022 had fueled Aiyuk’s statistical rise.

Brock Purdy drops it in to Brandon Aiyuk for the 76-yard touchdown. #49erspic.twitter.com/VScJeDznSG

— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) November 19, 2023

However, Aiyuk has progressed through San Francisco’s first 10 matchups with impressive numbers despite the presence of  Samuel, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey. Targeting from Purdy has hardly been an issue, as Aiyuk leads the 49ers with a 26.4% share. Aiyuk also leads San Francisco in nearly every major receiving category including targets, targets per route run, aDOT, receiving yards, air yards, yards per route run, and yards per reception.

That's a dime 😮‍💨@THE2ERA#TBvsSF on FOX
NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4oaLh#FTTB pic.twitter.com/YsJKVZDsFE

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 19, 2023

Samuel has contended with injuries once again this season (rib/knee/shoulder) which limited him to four targets, three receptions, and 55 yards from Weeks 4-6, while sidelining him in Weeks 7-8. He is averaging career-lows in targets per game (5.0), and receptions per game (3.4), while his average of 49.4 yards per game is 38.4 yards below his career-high of 87.7 during 2021. Samuel’s 18.9% target share trails Aiyuk, along with Kittle (21.1%), and McCaffrey (19.6%).

The Brock Purdy to Brandon Aiyuk connection was ridiculous yesterday:

• 6 targets
• 5 catches
• 156 yards receiving
• 1 touchdown
• all 5 catches resulted in either a first down or a touchdown pic.twitter.com/wZ6CHHSsFJ

— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) November 20, 2023

Aiyuk also leads the league in yards before catch per reception (14.2), is second only to Tyreek Hill in yards per route run (3.78), fifth in yards before catch (609), sixth with 17 receptions of 20+ yards, and ninth in targets per route run (27.7%).

He is also 10th in receiving yards (831/92.3 per game), which includes four games in which he has eclipsed 100+. Aiyuk has also established new career highs in aDOT (15.0), yards per target (13.6), yards per reception (19.3), yards per game (92.3 per game), and catch rate (70.5%). Aiyuk has displayed his ability to build upon the career-best numbers that he constructed in 2022 and his proficiency in operating as San Francisco's WR1. That should eviscerate any remaining doubts surrounding his viability as a high-end WR2, who is approaching WR1 status for fantasy managers.

2. The offseason transition from Greg Roman to Todd Monken as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator led to expectations that the Ravens would expand their reliance on the team’s aerial attack. Baltimore now enters Week 12 ranked 32nd in pass play percentage (48.7%), after finishing 30th, 49.8% during 2022. Baltimore is also 31st in attempts per game (28.2), after finishing 28th last season with 28.7 per game.

The offseason transition from Greg Roman to Todd Monken as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator led to expectations that the Ravens would expand their reliance on the team’s aerial attack. Baltimore now enters Week 12 ranked 32nd in pass play percentage (48.7%), after finishing 30th in 2022 (49.8%). Baltimore is also 31st in attempts per game (28.2), after finishing 28th last season (28.7 per game).

Lamar Jackson has completed 210 of his 302 attempts while attaining a career-highs in completion percentage (69.5%), and yards per attempt (8.1). Jackson’s average of 221.9 yards per game is also the second-highest of his career.

Jackson has also distributed 59.8% of his targets to the Ravens’ wide receivers which ranks 18th overall. Baltimore is also seventh in the allocation of targets to tight ends (24.9%) although that percentage will be altered following the season-ending injury to Mark Andrews (fibula/ankle).

Didn't count but it was awesome 🤷‍♂️@ZayFlowers | Next up 11/26 SNF on NBC! pic.twitter.com/7TC1KzvCOI

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 17, 2023

Zay Flowers leads Baltimore in routes run (383), and targets (72/6.5 per game/23.95% share). The promising rookie captured 10+ targets in three of his first five games, which propelled him to 15th overall with 61 (7.6 per game/27.4% share) from Weeks 1-8.

Zay Flowers goes for 33 yards 💐 pic.twitter.com/XEIzgjNIK5

— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) November 17, 2023

However, Flowers’ share has plunged to 14.1% since Week 9, while his average has dropped to 3.7 per game. He has also averaged 3.0 receptions, and 42.3 yards during that three-game span, which includes the season lows that he attained in Week 9 - one target/one reception/11 yards.

Flowers is still pacing the Ravens in multiple receiving categories since Week 1 including receptions (53/4.8 per game), receptions of 40+ yards (three), receiving yards (588/53.5 per game), air yards (602), air yards share (26.2%). Flowers has also been targeted on 18.8% of his routes and is averaging 1.54 yards per route run.

ODELL BECKHAM JR 40-YARD TOUCHDOWN pic.twitter.com/BHNiS52wyc

— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) November 12, 2023

Odell Beckham Jr. has confiscated the team lead from Weeks 9-11 (16/5.3 per game/20.5% share), even though 51 routes place him third behind Flowers (95), and Rashod Bateman (77). Beckham has been targeted on a team-high 31.4% of his routes and has collected seven targets in two of those three contests.

Odell Beckham Jr’s first 100-yard game since January 30th, 2022.

OBJ is back AF. #RavensFlock

pic.twitter.com/1znexsg9j5

— PlayerProfiler (@rotounderworld) November 17, 2023

Beckham has also secured team-highs in receptions (10/3.3 per game), and receiving yards (212/70.7 per game) during that sequence, which includes the season-high 116 yards that he accrued in Week 11. Beckham is also pacing the Ravens in yards after catch (101) and yards per route run (4.16) since Week 9.

Andrews had secured 61 targets prior to his unfortunate injury. Now, Flowers, Beckham, and tight end Isaiah Likely should become the primary recipients of targets that are re-distributed. This will sustain Beckham as a WR3, while Flowers has an opportunity to surge into high-end WR3/WR2 territory.

3. Several wide receivers entered the regular season with rising anticipation but have failed to deliver numbers that matched the most optimistic projections. This includes Chris Olave, although any disappointment with his numbers is largely a  byproduct of excessive expectations. That included an ADP that placed him in Round 2 during draft season (ADP24/WR12).

Otherwise, his results entering New Orleans’ bye week cannot be characterized as problematic. Olave is currently 21st with an average of 14 points per game, although his WR2 scoring might not be fully embraced by some managers who drafted him as a low-end WR1.

The surging optimism was fueled by Olave’s encouraging numbers that he assembled during his 2020 rookie season. Olave had vaulted to 10th in targets (92/8.4 per game) and receiving yards (822/74.7 per game) during his first 12, games last season, and was second in air yards (1,338) while rising to 15th in receptions (56/5.1 per game).

Olave sustained a hamstring injury that halted his statistical surge. However, he had also generated those results while operating with Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton under center. It was reasonable to believe that Olave’s production would rise if the Saints would make an upgrade at quarterback during the offseason.

That appeared to occur when Derek Carr was signed to a four-year contract. Unfortunately, the transition to Carr spearheading the New Orleans aerial attack has been underwhelming, with Carr’s questionable ability to launch deep connections to Olave residing among the primary sources of concern.

3rd and 6, Derek Carr checks it down. Chris Olave is wide open for a TD in the slot. These are the type of passes where teammates lose confidence in their QB. pic.twitter.com/NiFAEdq9to

— The Football Scout (@NFLTrenchBattle) October 20, 2023

Carr has completed 220 of his 334 passes (65.9%) while constructing a 10:4 touchdown to interception ratio. He is also 20th among all signal callers with an average of 223.1 yards per game, and his 6.7 yards per attempt is the lowest since his 2014 rookie season.

Carr is also contending with multiple issues (shoulder/concussion) and his status for New Orleans' Week 12 matchup at Atlanta is unclear. Jameis Winston would be elevated into the starting role if Carr is unavailable. If that transpires, managers can hope that Winston will sustain the propensity for targeting Olave that he demonstrated in Week 10.

Chris Olave with Derek Carr: 1 target for 1/15/0 in 37 minutes

Chris Olave with Jameis Winston: 9 targets for 7/79/1 in 20 minutes (plus a 24-yarder called back to penalty)

— Adam Harstad (@AdamHarstad) November 12, 2023

Olave had been relegated to just one target from Carr that was registered in the third quarter before Winston distributed eight targets to Olave after Carr was sidelined. Olave’s exceptional talent remains unquestioned. However, his dependence on Carr to locate him with frequency is a source of frustration if Carr is unwilling to launch the ball in his direction on contested throws. Carr is currently 33rd in NextGen Stats’ aggressiveness percentage  (11.1%), and 22nd in completed air yards per attempt (3.5).

Michael Thomas sustained a knee injury in Week 10 and has now been placed on injured reserve. He had been operating with a 17.5% target share and was second on the Saints in multiple categories including targets (64/6.4 per game) receptions (39/3.9 per game), and receiving yards (448/44.8 per game).  The absence of Thomas will position Olave to garner a higher target share, which will be embraced by fantasy managers.

THIS CATCH BY CHRIS OLAVE 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Dj1bq0X3gn

— PFF (@PFF) November 12, 2023

Olave remains capable of capitalizing on the rise in opportunities that should transpire while Thomas is unavailable and after the eight-year veteran has resurfaced. That could propel Olave to production that approaches WR1 territory.

4. The list of teams that have been impacted by injuries to their starting quarterbacks continues to grow on a weekly basis. These teams are now progressing through their schedule without the signal callers that were originally expected to spearhead their offenses, and the collective transition under center also has affected an expanding number of wide receivers.

That includes Cleveland’s transition at quarterback, as Amari Cooper operated with rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson under center in Week 11. It was the second time this season that the Browns' fifth-round selection was elevated into the starting role.

Deshaun Watson is done for the season pic.twitter.com/pNwA41M0hM

— FantasyPros (@FantasyPros) November 15, 2023

This was the result of Deshaun Watson’s season-ending shoulder surgery. Watson had completed 105 of his 171 attempts from Weeks 1-10 while finishing the year with a 61.4% completion percentage, which is the second lowest of his career. Watson has now averaged 184.8 yards per game during his 12 games in 2022-2023  after averaging 269.2 yards per game during his four seasons with the Texans.

Deshaun Watson 🎯 Amari Cooper
pic.twitter.com/POXBmr2o3d

— PFF (@PFF) November 5, 2023

Watson had also been sidelined in Weeks 4/6/8 with shoulder issues, while Thompson-Robinson and P. J. Walker guided the Browns’ offense during Watson’s absence. Cleveland’s trio of quarterbacks also distributed 59% of their targets to wide receivers from Weeks 1-10, which was 18th overall in that category. A team-high 24.7% of those targets were allocated to Cooper, who was 17th overall with 72 targets (8.0 per game) entering Week 11. Cooper had also attained a double-digit target total during two different matchups while collecting 8+ six times.

Cooper was also 11th with 715 receiving yards (79.4 per game), including five contests in which he had eclipsed 90+. Cooper was also third among all the wide receivers in air yards (1,098), and fifth with an air yards share of 44.3%. He had also been targeted on 23.6% of his routes and was 13th overall with an average of 2.34 yards per route run.

Cooper operated with an 89% snap share in Week 11 and was able to eclipse 8+ targets for the seventh time this season. His eight targets (19.5% share). from Thompson-Robinson also led Cleveland’s wide receivers. That total was also second behind the career-high 15 that were stockpiled by tight end David Njoku.

Amari Cooper’s streak of nine-straight games with 100+ air yards ended today.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson only produced 146 air yards on 43 pass attempts.

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) November 19, 2023

However, other numbers that were a team by Cooper in Week 11 were disappointing. He finished with four receptions, which was the fifth time this season that he has failed to reach five catches during his 10 matchups. Cooper was also limited to 34 yards, which was the third-lowest total of the year.

Cooper’s season lows in receptions (one) and receiving yards (16) both occurred when Cleveland hosted Baltimore in Week 4 - which was also Thompson-Robinson’s previous start this season. Cooper’s 4.25 yards per target was his lowest since Week 7, while his 8.5 yards per reception established a season-low.

Cooper has now averaged 7.0 targets/2.5 receptions/25 yards per game during Thompson-Robinson’s two starts. He has also accumulated just 2.6/ 7.4 points during those matchups. The Browns signed Joe Flacco to their practice squad, but Thompson-Robinson will spearhead the offense once again when Cleveland visits Denver on Sunday. It is premature to sit Cooper, although that likelihood could emerge if he continues to produce underwhelming numbers with Thompson-Robinson under center.

5. A number of wide receivers that have been mentioned in this week’s article have recently assembled encouraging results. Unfortunately, several other receivers have delivered disappointing numbers that should deter you from trusting them in your lineups.

Jakobi Meyers was operating with a 26.3% target share from Weeks 1-7. He was also targeted 10+ times in four of his first six matchups, including a season-high 13 in Week 7. He rose to 13th overall with 56 targets (9.3 per game) during that sequence, was 15th in receptions (37/6.2 per game), and was 26th in receiving yards (385/64.2 per game).

Meyers was also tied for third with 11 red zone targets, and was tied with teammate Davante Adams for the league lead with nine targets inside the 10-yard line. Meyers’ five touchdowns tied him for third overall, while he was also 12th in targets per route run (27.2%), and 19th in air yards (566).

However, Meyers was limited to just one target in Week 8 despite operating with a 98% snap share and leading the Raiders in routes run (27). Meyers also established season lows in receptions (one), and receiving yards (19 ) during that matchup against the Lions. Las Vegas owner Mark Davis made a coaching change following that game and interim head coach Antonio Pierce benched Jimmy Garoppolo in favor of rookie Aidan O’Connell.

In three games with O’Connell spearheading the Raiders’ aerial attack, Meyers has averaged 4.0 targets, 2.7 receptions, and 36 yards per game. Since Week 8, Meyers’ target share has plummeted to 13.6%. He is also averaging 4.0 targets, 2.3 receptions, and 31.8 yards per game, while his air yards share has dropped to 15.5%.

He has also failed to register a red zone target during each of his last four games. It is unlikely that Meyers’ diminished involvement will change during the Raiders’ upcoming matchups, and he should not be deployed as a starter in your lineups.

Marquise Brown’s statistical downturn is not as protracted as the four-game decline that has been experienced by Meyers. However, Brown’s usage and output during Arizona’s last two matchups is concerning.

Brown was operating with a 30.2% target share from Weeks 2-6 and had been targeted 10+ times in four of his five matchups during that span. That propelled him to ninth overall with 48 targets (9.6 per game), while he soared to second in air yards (628), was eighth in air yards share (44.2%), and was 15th in targets per route run (26.4%). Brown also accumulated 306 receiving yards (61.2 per game) and collected 26 receptions (5.2 per game).

Brown’s per-game averages had already diminished in targets (8.0), receptions (4.3), and receiving yards (35.3) from Weeks 7-9. However, Brown’s target share has plunged to 14.6% since Week 10. while he has only averaged 4.5 targets, 1.5 receptions, and 22 yards per game.

This decline has coincided with the transition to Kyler Murray under center. This is surprising, as Brown had accumulated 75 receptions, 1,318 yards, and 10 touchdowns when Murray was his quarterback at Oklahoma in 2018.

However, Brown’s previous history with Murray provides the rationale for avoiding an overreaction to the results of a two-game sequence. It is reasonable to believe that Brown‘s opportunities will rise. However, he should not be included among your starters until there is evidence of a statistical rebound.