Thanksgiving Day brought us three high scoring football games for the first time in a while, with plenty of high scoring fantasy players. In addition, there were nine receivers who were targeted ten times or more, led by Detroit Lions stud receiver Calvin Johnson and Houston Texans surging receiver Andre Johnson.
Fantasy Football PPR Target Report, Week 12: Wide Receivers
Thanksgiving Day brought fantasy owners a plethora of double-digit target receivers, led by Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson, in several high scoring games.
Gregory Shamus
Let’s take a look at the wide receivers who saw the most targets in Week 12:
Player | Targets | Rec | Yd | Avg | TD |
Johnson, Calvin WR DET | 17 | 8 | 140 | 17.5 | 1 |
Marshall, Brandon WR CHI | 17 | 12 | 92 | 7.7 | 0 |
Johnson, Steve WR BUF | 15 | 6 | 106 | 17.7 | 0 |
Johnson, Andre WR HOU | 15 | 9 | 188 | 20.9 | 0 |
Wayne, Reggie WR IND | 14 | 8 | 102 | 12.8 | 0 |
Nicks, Hakeem WR NYG | 13 | 5 | 77 | 15.4 | 1 |
Roberts, Andre WR ARI | 13 | 9 | 92 | 10.2 | 0 |
Beasley, Cole WR DAL | 13 | 7 | 68 | 9.7 | 0 |
Smith, Torrey WR BAL | 13 | 7 | 144 | 20.6 | 0 |
Fitzgerald, Larry WR ARI | 12 | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 0 |
Bowe, Dwayne WR KC | 12 | 4 | 41 | 10.2 | 0 |
Broyles, Ryan WR DET | 12 | 6 | 126 | 21 | 0 |
Bryant, Dez WR DAL | 11 | 8 | 145 | 18.1 | 2 |
Kerley, Jeremy WR NYJ | 10 | 7 | 86 | 12.3 | 0 |
Welker, Wes WR NE | 10 | 7 | 71 | 10.1 | 1 |
Wright, Jarius WR MIN | 10 | 7 | 49 | 7 | 0 |
Sanu, Mohamed WR CIN | 9 | 5 | 29 | 5.8 | 2 |
Jones, Julio WR ATL | 9 | 6 | 147 | 24.5 | 1 |
Underwood, Tiquan WR TB | 9 | 5 | 77 | 15.4 | 0 |
Washington, Nate WR TEN | 9 | 4 | 54 | 13.5 | 0 |
Green, A.J. WR CIN | 9 | 3 | 111 | 37 | 0 |
Hitting the Bullseye
Calvin Johnson, DET
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford targeted Johnson 17 times on Thursday, with Johnson catching eight of his passes for 140 yards and a touchdown in the Lions' overtime loss to the Texans. Johnson has now caught a touchdown in three straight games, and has received double digit targets in eight of his twelve games this season. In addition, he has seven games of 100+ receiving yards, and is now leading the league with 1,257 receiving yards. It is quite possible he could go over 2,000 yards receiving with five games to go.
Andre Johnson, HOU
I traded Johnson for Mikel LeShoure a few weeks ago as I needed a running back with MJD and Darren McFadden down, and, of course, Johnson has now reeled off 100+ yard receiving in three of his last four games. He was targeted 15 times on Thursday, catching nine passes for 188 yards but no score. He now has 69 receptions for 1,058 yards and three touchdowns this season. He appears to be getting stronger as the season goes along.
Dez Bryant, DAL
Speaking of getting stronger, Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant is putting himself into Top 5 wide receiver talk with his performances of late. He caught eight of his 11 targets from quarterback Tony Romo on Thursday, for 145 yards and two scores against the Washington Redskins. After not scoring a touchdown in the first four games of the season, Bryant has caught four touchdown passes over the last three games, and six in his last seven games. He is starting to fulfill the potential the Cowboys saw when they drafted him.
Brandon Marshall, CHI
Marshall was targeted 17 times on Sunday, catching 12 balls for 92 yards. Though he didn’t score, Marshall continues to receive double digit targets. He has received 10 or more targets in nine of his twelve games this season, and he has put up 100+ yards receiving in five of those game. He will be a top 5 wide receiver heading into 2013 drafts.
Cecil Shorts, JAC
If Shorts isn't rostered in your league, make sure you grab him off the waiver wire this week. Shorts has become the favorite receiver in the Jacksonville Jaguars offense in recent weeks, and he is producing. Shorts caught four of his seven targets for 105 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, and has now scored in three straight games. For the season, he has caught caught 36 of his 72 targets for 747 yards and six touchdowns.
Missing the Mark
Brian Hartline, MIA
Hartline was targeted just five times on Sunday, catching just two balls for 17 yards and no touchdowns. Actually, he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 4 when he went all Mark Duper on us, catching 12 of his 18 targets for 253 yards and a score. Teammate Davone Bess saw the most targets from quarterback Ryan Tannehill on Sunday.
Mike Wallace, PIT
Wallace saw seven targets from quarterback Charlie Batch, but caught just one pass for nine yards in Sunday's loss to the Cleveland Browns. Although he has caught six TD passes thus far in 2012, Wallace has gone over the 100 yard mark just one time this season, a sign that the Pittsburgh Steelers are not utilizing his talents (read: speed) as much as they should.
