In These Hands We Trust
So far there no question that not only has wide receiver Terrell Owens been one of the pleasant surprises this season for fantasy owners, but since his arrival in Cincinnati he seems to be reinventing himself as media darling. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but one thing we are seeing from Owens this season, more walk and less talk.
In the team’s first 8 games this season Owens has become the league’s most targeted receiver (prior to the start of week 10) with 99 targets. Over the past several weeks, T.O. and his quarterback Carson Palmer have found a nice groove resulting in seven touchdowns over the past five games. Owens has scored twice in each of his last two starts and with 55 receptions and 770 yards receiving he has become a weekly must-start. With the Colts (ranked 7th against the pass) up next in week 10, Owens is looking at another productive Sunday.
Along with Owens, another receiver that has emerged as a solid weekly start is wide receiver Steve Johnson. While any offensive player on the Buffalo Bills tends to be a risky play, this has been one risk that has been paying handsomely over the past several weeks.
In his last six starts Johnson has scored six times with 35 catches for 483 yards receiving. Quietly over his last three start he has become one of the most targeted wide outs with 34 (second only to Owens over the same span). More impressively Johnson had scored in five straight games. The streak was snapped last Sunday, but in that game he still caught 11 passes for 145 yards. He has quickly become quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick’s go-to receiver and should be in your line up this Sunday when the Bills face the Lions (ranked 22nd against the pass)
My Fantasy Notes:
Through the first eight weeks of the season, wide receiver Bernard Berrian has been relatively non-existent, but last Sunday he showed up with nine catches for 89 yards on 11 targets. The Vikings are expected to have all of their weapons (Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin) on the field Sunday. There’s no question the opposing defense will be looking to take away Rice and Harvin, so this is the perfect time for Berrian to start gelling with his quarterback. It may be a little too soon to jump on board, but Berrian is certainly worth keeping tabs on for now.
With camp marsh-mellow in complete disarray, there has been one silver lining worth noting an that has been rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant. When healthy he is a special player with tremendous talent and upside. Thus far this season he has had his ups and downs, but in his last three games he is averaging nearly nine targets per outing. Last week against the Packers he turned in a solid performance. Bryant had nine receptions for 86 yards and a score (4 touchdown receptions in 2010) on 10 targets. He’s looking more and more like Kitna’s favorite and is quickly becoming a steady play week in and week out. With his playmaking skill he’s worth noting and even starting in some of the deeper leagues.
Last week the fantasy world was introduced to a new name and one they will likely be hearing more of in the coming weeks. The Raiders wide receiver Jacoby Ford displayed last Sunday against the Chiefs, exactly how speed kills. Ford came up with some very timely and clutch receptions and in overtime he and quarterback Jason Campbell connected on a 47 yard strike that set up a game winning field goal. The reason no one had heard of Ford, before last Sunday he had only been targeted 8 times. Against the Chiefs, Campbell threw his way nine times and the two connected six for 148 yards. The word out of Oakland, the kid is going to see more action. Ford already looks like a player and it’s just a matter of time before we see more evidence; keep watching.
Weekly Target Leaders...
(Unofficial numbers)
Last week’s Top 10
- Jacob Tamme, IND (17 targets)
- Reggie Wayne, IND (16 targets)
- Steve Johnson, BUF (14 targets)
- Terrell Owens, CIN (14 targets)
- Hakeem Nicks, NYG (13 targets)
- Dwayne Bowe, KC (12targets)
- Percy Harvin, MIN (12 targets)
- Bernard Berrian, MIN (11 targets)
- Tony Gonzales, ATL (11 targets)
- Roscoe Parrish, BUF (11 targets)