2026 has been for the veterans. In Week 7, Matthew Stafford became the Rams' franchise leader in passing touchdowns. Aaron Rodgers broke a tie with Peyton Manning, claiming sole possession of the third-most touchdown passes in NFL history. Stafford leads the league in passing yardage. Kirk Cousins leads in touchdown passes. The classics never age; they just gain experience.
The Target Report
I view target trees as "clean" or "dirty." Clean trees distill targets to their top options and give standout fantasy performances. Dirty trees are, well, a mess and rely on unpredictable possibilities. The chart below categorizes these offenses.
Offenses with Top 2 Options > 60% Target Share
These passing attacks center on two key players. Shared targets can make it hard for the rest of the receiving corps to get meaningful production. A third option remains, but the targets should be highly concentrated or overwhelming in sheer volume.
| Team | Team Targets | Player | Targets | Stat Line | Target % | ADOT | YAC | QB Rating | Snap % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas | 26 | CeeDee Lamb | 12 | 5-74-2 | 46% | 14.7 | 6 | 102.1 | 81% |
| George Pickens | 6 | 4-57-1 | 23% | 10.2 | 6 | 136.8 | 60% | ||
| Ryan Flournoy | 4 | 4-70-0 | 15% | 11.5 | 24 | 118.8 | 78% | ||
| Detroit | 31 | Amon-Ra St. Brown | 11 | 9-153-0 | 35% | 12.6 | 47 | 118.8 | 78% |
| Jameson Williams | 9 | 5-91-2 | 29% | 9.9 | 48 | 130.1 | 84% | ||
| Jahmyr Gibbs | 6 | 5-27-0 | 19% | -2 | 31 | 85.4 | 90% | ||
| Seattle | 27 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 12 | 9-150-1 | 44% | 9.8 | 60 | 144.4 | 77% |
| AJ Barner | 5 | 4-42-0 | 19% | 0.6 | 41 | 101.7 | 80% | ||
| Rashid Shaheed | 3 | 2-1-0 | 11% | -1.3 | 8 | 30.6 | 32% | ||
| Tampa Bay | 11 | Chris Godwin Jr. | 5 | 4-27-0 | 45% | -1.6 | 32 | 89.2 | 73% |
| Tez Johnson | 2 | 2-33-1 | 18% | 15 | 3 | 158.3 | 65% | ||
| Bucky Irving | 2 | 1-4-0 | 18% | -3 | 4 | 56.2 | 59% |
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Lamb bounced back from two quiet weeks with his best fantasy game since Week 4. He appears to be clearing the quad injury that limited him in Week 5. Pickens was in the news after Brian Schottenheimer questioned his run blocking. He's been the WR10 in fantasy over the last 5 weeks. Flournoy continued his ascent; he's been the WR18 over the last three weeks. Jake Ferguson and Brevyn Spann-Ford matched each other in snaps, and Spann-Ford has beaten him in targets each of the last two weeks. Ferguson can not hit fantasy lineups and is droppable in shallow leagues. Dallas pass game pieces are must-plays against a poor Arizona defense.
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St. Brown posted his best fantasy output since Week 2. His hot start and reputation obscured the fact that he was WR34 in points per game between Weeks 3 and 6, including a bye week. Williams started slow and has clicked, scoring two touchdowns in consecutive games. Sam LaPorta's absence is notable. LaPorta went public with frustrations about the lack of a contract extension before the Packers game. He had a season-low 2 targets. The Lions surprised many by trading T.J. Hockenson midseason and have committed financially to two wide receivers and Gibbs, leaving LaPorta the odd player out. Playing him against a tough Minnesota pass defense is very risky.
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What else can you say about Smith-Njigba beyond the fact that he's the best wide receiver in the NFL? His 867 yards lead the NFL. Tyreek Hill in 2023 is the only other player with 860+ yards through their first 7 games since Wes Chandler in 1982. The caveat to Smith-Njigba's dominance is Seattle's lack of other pass-game options. Shaheed had a strong Week 6 game, but that was after 51 pass attempts. At a more realistic volume, any fantasy option depends on a touchdown. Seattle faces a Chicago team that has controlled the clock and limited offensive opportunities, leaving Smith-Njigba as the only passing play.
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The Buccaneers' 11 pass attempts were the lowest in a team win and the third-fewest in team history. Other recent games with this low pass volume include the Mac Jones New England-Buffalo blizzard game (just 3 attempts) and the Broncos starting Kendall Hinton (10 attempts). Emeka Egbuka should return in Week 8 as offensive coordinator Zac Robinson faces his former Atlanta team. Expect more than 11 attempts.