High-end fantasy football performances and weekly finishes are fueled by routes run and high-value targets and touches. The majority of top scorers from last week saw healthy doses of end-zone targets, air yards, routes run, deep targets and goal-line carries.
Diontae Johnson, Elijah Moore and D.J. Moore were all overdue to score based on their previous opportunity volume inside the red zone. Each hit paydirt in Week 11. Tyler Lockett, Stefon Diggs and Justin Jefferson topped the ranks in air yards in Week 10 — all finished as top-24 fantasy WRs.
Trust the process.
To find Week 12’s version of Moore or Jefferson in the fantasy football rankings or as a waiver wire pickup, fantasy managers can leverage PFF’s fantasy stats tool to identify the players who saw the most high-value opportunities but failed to cash in.
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These guys are the perfect “buy-low” candidates and will soon exceed fantasy expectations for weekly fantasy matchups, large-field DFS contests or player props.
END-ZONE TARGETS
Most end-zone targets | Week 11
Player | End-zone targets | End-zone touchdowns |
Stefon Diggs | 3 | 2 |
Diontae Johnson | 3 | 1 |
Chase Claypool | 3 | 0 |
Zach Ertz | 2 | 1 |
Davante Adams | 2 | 2 |
DeAndre Carter | 2 | 1 |
Michael Gallup | 2 | 0 |
Lil'Jordan Humphrey | 2 | 1 |
Dez Fitzpatrick | 2 | 1 |
Terry McLaurin | 2 | 1 |
Ja'Marr Chase | 2 | 1 |
Michael Gallup has played three games this season and has seen five targets inside the 5-yard line, none of which he has converted into a touchdown. The Cowboys leaders in end-zone targets are CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper, both of whom are out for Thursday’s game.
Look for Gallup to hit paydirt after being targeted 10 times on a 94% snap share in Week 11.
If you can still make trades in season-long leagues, go get Chase Claypool. The Steelers second-year wideout made his return to the lineup after a one-week absence and was heavily involved in the offensive game plan. He caught five of nine targets for 93 yards and ran a route on 92% of Ben Roethlisberger’s dropbacks.
The big-bodied wideout could have had an even bigger outing if he came down with any of his three end-zone targets.
Claypool has commanded a total of 10 targets inside the 5-yard line this season but caught just one for a score. Eventually, he will find the end zone.
Other wide receivers/tight ends who should experience positive touchdown regression based on their target volume inside the 5-yard line include Tyler Lockett, Darren Waller, Courtland Sutton, Tee Higgins, Allen Robinson, Chris Godwin, A.J. Brown and Brandin Cooks.
DEEP TARGETS AND AIR YARDS