This article is part of our On Target series.
In his column on the Players Tribune, Denver Broncos corner Chris Harris included Hilton on his list of the top five hardest WRs to cover. It has taken me a long time to come around and recognize how great T.Y. is for fantasy, but he leads the NFL in targets and gets those high-value, down-the-field looks that turn into big-time fantasy points. It's sometimes hard to properly evaluate guys like Hilton, whose fantasy points can all come on a single play, but with the high volume he's getting I think he's firmly entrenched himself as a WR1 this season, which is not something that I had projected coming into the year. There is probably not a reasonable way to trade for Hilton at this time because he's been so hot, but floating some 2-for-1's if the owner is desperate at RB is not a bad idea.
I know that this is "On Target" and we're supposed to talk about tight ends and wide receivers but… guys. Johnson is putting together a season that we haven't seen since Jamaal Charles in 2013. He leads all RBs in targets and also has the second-most rushing yards as the position. It only took him seven games to get over 1000 yards from scrimmage while also being his teams primary goal line threat. If you're in a dynasty league I normally don't suggest buying RBs, but I would pay the absolute tax to get DJ on my teams and
In his column on the Players Tribune, Denver Broncos corner Chris Harris included Hilton on his list of the top five hardest WRs to cover. It has taken me a long time to come around and recognize how great T.Y. is for fantasy, but he leads the NFL in targets and gets those high-value, down-the-field looks that turn into big-time fantasy points. It's sometimes hard to properly evaluate guys like Hilton, whose fantasy points can all come on a single play, but with the high volume he's getting I think he's firmly entrenched himself as a WR1 this season, which is not something that I had projected coming into the year. There is probably not a reasonable way to trade for Hilton at this time because he's been so hot, but floating some 2-for-1's if the owner is desperate at RB is not a bad idea.
I know that this is "On Target" and we're supposed to talk about tight ends and wide receivers but… guys. Johnson is putting together a season that we haven't seen since Jamaal Charles in 2013. He leads all RBs in targets and also has the second-most rushing yards as the position. It only took him seven games to get over 1000 yards from scrimmage while also being his teams primary goal line threat. If you're in a dynasty league I normally don't suggest buying RBs, but I would pay the absolute tax to get DJ on my teams and if you have him in seasonal, enjoy your championship.
Davante Adams / Ty Montgomery / Randall Cobb
Jordy Nelson doesn't look like full Jordy (and I'm not sure he ever will be again) so while Eddie Lacy remains sidelined, I think the target distribution between these three players will be fascinating. Cobb has 37 targets over the last three weeks and, for the first time since college, Adams looks alive. Montgomery should retain his current role as third down back/goal line offensive weapon for as long as Lacy stays sidelined, and he is actually the one I would buy. I consider Cobb a replacement-level NFL player and in any given game he can just be phased out of the offense, so the week to week projecting of the Packers offense is really tough. Selling Adams also seems like the prudent move, as we have a much larger sample of him being terrible than we do of him being good, but I could see that being a move we regret later on. I have zero Adams shares to trade in either case.
For the purposes of this column Allen Hurns is functionally dead, as Blake Bortles can't seem to find his number and he struggles through injury. Lee is very interesting because he was a really talented college player with a young breakout age who has basically not been healthy in five years. He saw double-digit targets last week for the first time, and the Jags are so unbelievably terrible that they are 'dogs to pretty much any team in the league, which should put him in a positive game script quite often. I am not saying to buy on any Jag, because Bortles has regressed beyond recognition, but I see a path to Lee being a weekly startable WR3 just based on volume, whereas I see almost no path to Robinson returning his draft day value in any format. It's really interesting in dynasty for Robinson, especially. His value is tied to Bortles for the forseeable future because the Jags are fairly committed to him and there are no real stud QBs lurking in wait in the college ranks to be drafted, so even if ARob is an incredible talent, it doesn't particularly matter.
I am issuing an official BUY on Thomas. He looks to be the Saints WR1 right now as he is playing a hybrid of the old Marques Colston role while slotting into what Lance Moore used to do in the red zone ,which has unfortunately meant that Brandin Cook is a little bit Devery Henderson-ish. Thomas had 10 catches for 130 yards last week in what projected to be a real let-down spot for him. He's very underpriced on FanDuel this week at $5,700 and think he's a cash game option there, while he's also a player I'm sending trade offers for in seasonal leagues. I was not a believer in the preseason, but it's clear he has a role in the Saints offense that is very viable.
