Elite fantasy football performances and weekly finishes are fueled by high-value targets and touches. The majority of the top scorers from Week 4 saw healthy doses of end-zone targets, air yards, deep targets and goal-line carries. Terry McLaurin saw a whopping seven targets of 20-plus air yards, so no surprise he scored over 30 fantasy points.
To find Week 5's version of McLaurin, D.J. Moore, Kenny Golladay or Jonathan Taylor in the fantasy football rankings or off the waiver wire, 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.
These guys are the perfect “buy-low” candidates and will soon exceed fantasy expectations for weekly fantasy matchups or large-field DFS contests.
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END-ZONE TARGETS
Most end-zone targets | Week 4
| Player | End-zone targets | Touchdowns |
| Mo Alie-Cox | 3 | 2 |
| Terry McLaurin | 3 | 2 |
| Antonio Brown | 2 | 0 |
| Zach Ertz | 2 | 0 |
| Robert Woods | 2 | 1 |
| Odell Beckham Jr. | 2 | 0 |
| DeVante Parker | 2 | 1 |
| Tyler Higbee | 2 | 0 |
| Ricky Seals-Jones | 2 | 0 |
| Greg Ward | 2 | 1 |
| Olamide Zaccheaus | 2 | 0 |
| Cameron Batson | 2 | 1 |
| D.J. Moore | 2 | 2 |
Odell Beckham Jr. saw two end-zone targets, four targets of 20-plus air yards and 160 air yards but only scored 5.7 fantasy points in Week 4. Woof.
Baker Mayfield was erratic throwing the ball, with just two of OBJ’s targets deemed catchable. Beckham had a rough afternoon because of the QB play, but the high-value opportunities were present. That’s the important takeaway for projecting the Browns wide receiver going forward: Look for him to bounce back in Week 5.
Projecting a tight end breakout is easy when equipped with the right details. A high routes run rate per dropback is an essential start, as seen with Week 4’s top fantasy finishers: C.J. Uzomah and Dawson Knox. WFT tight end Ricky Seals-Jones looks like that guy this week.
Not only did he run a route on 81% of his offense’s dropbacks in relief of Logan Thomas, he also commanded two end-zone targets. Routes run plus touchdown upside is a one-way ticket to tight end productivity.
Mo Alie-Cox went #kaboom as a result of Jack Doyle entering the injury report. Alie Cox’s snaps increased, and he made the most of his targets with two touchdowns. If Doyle is limited leading up to Week 5, move Alie-Cox up the fantasy rankings.
Tyler Higbee’s 77% routes run rate per dropback ranked eighth and his three end-zone targets ranked third among all TEs. If you are hurting at tight end, target Higbee in trade.
Don’t quit Kenny Golladay. The Giants' big-bodied wide receiver commanded a 21% target share and 155 air yards in Week 4 with both Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard out of the lineup. Golladay’s five end-zone targets are the most for any player yet to score — it’s just a matter of time until he hits paydirt.
Related content for you: Fantasy Football Week 5: 5 to Waiver Wire Add, 5 to Drop, 5 to Buy Low, 5 to Sell High via Nathan jahnke
Other players who are long overdue to score are Kyle Pitts, Courtland Sutton and Michael Pittman Jr. Each has four targets inside the 5-yard line but has yet to score on any of those throws. I'm least bullish on Sutton because he's attached to quarterback Drew Lock. Only one of Lock’s passes to Sutton in Week 4 was catchable.
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