Jared Levitt 
Welcome to the Week 8 Edition of By The Numbers for the 2024 NFL Season. This is a series that will be data driven and will go under the hood to see if the box scores tell the whole story about what transpired during the weekend. My goal here will be to either calm your nerves about a player who may have underperformed or cause you to rethink some of the spots you may have taken.
Let’s dig in to the data!
Wide Receiver Targets
Before we dig into individual player performances, I wanted to take a moment to talk about why we focus so heavily on targets. Targets equal opportunities and in fantasy opportunities more often than not creates production. The more targets a player gets, the better chance there is that the player will return value.
In looking at the chart above, we can see that all of the top 5 receivers in terms of targets outperformed their previous 4 weeks of targets. CeeDee led all pass-catchers this weekend with a massive 17 targets. The 17 targets for Lamb were the most he’s had this season after setting a season-high of 14 last week. That’s now 31 targets in the last 2 weeks as he continues to be one of the top weapons in the game.
The only problem for the Cowboys is that it hasn’t helped them win as they’ve lost both games. Lamb and the Cowboys will look to get back into the winner’s circle in Week 9 as they take on the Falcons. This should be a neutral matchup for Lamb as the Falcons are about middle of the pack in terms of yards allowed to receivers.
Calvin Ridley turned back the clock in Week 8 as he had a season-high 15 targets. The 15 targets for Ridley were the most he’s ever had in a single week. He’s now had a combined 32 targets over the last 3 weeks and he’s becoming a favorite target for Mason Rudolph. He’ll look to have another strong week in Week 9 as the Titans play host to the Patriots. The Patriots have given up the 8th most yards to receivers this season and have also given up 8 TD’s to them as well.
After missing Week 7, Chris Olave returned this week with a vengeance. He set season highs in targets and yards and tied a season-high in receptions. With Derek Carr hopefully returning in Week 9, Olave will look to build some momentum in a best-case scenario matchup vs. a terrible Panthers team.
Running Back Targets
This week we saw just one back with double-digit targets and that was none other than Mr. Alvin Kamara. This was the first time this season that Kamara saw greater than 10 targets, a feat he accomplished twice last season. Kamara had a full stat line in Week 8 and he amassed 18 DK points for the first time since Week 4. He’ll look to keep the good times rolling in Week 9 as the Saints take on the lowly Panthers, a team that has been a fantasy haven for just about everyone who has played them.
Tight End Targets
Week 8 was the week of the Tight End. We saw 4 Tight Ends amass 10 targets, led by Mr. Swift (also known as Travis Kelce). After a slow start to the season, Kelce has now had double-digit targets in 2 of his last 3 games and set a season-high with 90 receiving yards. He also found the end zone for the first time this season. Up next for Kelce and the Chiefs will be a great matchup vs. a Buccaneers team that has given up the third most receiving yards to the Tight Ends.
It almost felt like the year 2020 as we saw another “older” Tight End with a solid week. For the first time this season, Ertz hit double-digit targets. His 11 was significantly higher than he’s seen all season and the most he’s seen since all the way back in Week 2 of the 2022 season. He’s now had at least 10 DK points in three straight weeks and he’ll look to keep it going as the Commanders takes on my New York Giants in Week 9.
Target Share (minimum 30 passes)
With Tua back in the pocket, we saw a swing to get the De’Von Achane back into more action. With his 8 targets, we saw Tua throw more than a third of his passes to his backs. Achane, Mostert, and Ingold combined for 11 targets. Tua was probably prepping his team as they’ll take on the Bills this week. No team has given up more receiving yards to backs than the Bills.
With how gassed Anthony Richardson was this weekend, I’m surprised he was able to throw the ball so much. Especially to his Wide Receivers. Nearly 75% of his passes went to his receivers this weekend. Surprisingly, it was Josh Downs that led the way with 9 of them. Next week they’ll turn the ball back over to the old man himself, Joe Flacco. Flacco will look to have a strong showing as the Colts take on a Vikings team that has given up the third most receiving yards to wide receivers this season.
Carries
Partially thanks to Jordan Love tweaking his groin, Josh Jacobs led all backs this past weekend with 25 carries. The former Raiders back had his most productive week of the season as he scored twice and ran for 127 yards. Things won’t be as easy for him in Week 9 as the Packers take on a Lions team that has been pretty stout vs. running backs.
Another guy with 25 carries this weekend was Joe Mixon. Mixon just continues to produce at a high level. He’s now gone for over 100 rushing yards in 4 of his 5 games this season. He’s also found the end zone in each of the games he’s rushed for 100 yards. With a matchup vs. the Jets in Week 9, there’s no reason to think he can’t continue with his dominance.
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