Taking a look at the Week 13 touches and targets leaders can go a long way in projecting where fantasy points may come from in the near future. Each week, I break down which running backs lead the way in touches, including red zone opportunities. Most of the top performers in touches and targets on a week-to-week basis are not only owned in most leagues, but started as well. This will give us a clearer view of where touchdowns may come from; a huge plus for the DFS players out there. As you’ll see below, there are several waiver wire picks who have carved themselves nice roles as we head into the fantasy football playoffs.
Week 13 Touches Leaders
- Ezekiel Elliott – 29
- Saquon Barkley – 27
- Todd Gurley – 26
- Isaiah Crowell – 25
- Jeff Wilson Jr. – 23
- Gus Edwards – 21
- David Johnson – 21
- Josh Adams – 20
- Lamar Miller – 20
- Phillip Lindsay – 20
Jeff Wilson Jr. – San Francisco 49ers
Jeff Wilson Jr. is in the Week 14 waiver wire column, but don’t count on him being the reason you win a fantasy football championship. He very well could be a piece of the reason you get it done, but don’t forget he’s only played two NFL games. It helps that Matt Breida is already ruled out and there are many in tough spots, so Wilson could find a way on a lot of starting lineups this week. He had 61 yards on 15 carries last week, but more importantly, he caught eight of nine targets for 73 yards. That’s 23 touches in a game where Breida started. Alfred Morris will likely draw back into the lineup, but I don’t expect him to out-touch JWJ, especially not in the passing game.
Josh Adams – Philadelphia Eagles
Josh Adams has racked up 42 carries in his last two games and it’s very clear he’s the main dog in Philly. That said, Corey Clement and Darren Sproles were sprinkled in last week and will be moving forward. Adams has the clear path to the majority of carries and red zone rushing attempts. He’s led the Eagles in rushing yards in each of the last five weeks (85, 84, 53, 47 and 61). Adams has two rushing touchdowns in his past three games and had 47 yards on seven carries four weeks ago against Dallas, but he was just starting to earn reps at that point. The matchup is not the best, but he’s still a low-end RB2 in Week 14 against the same Dallas team.
Phillip Lindsay – Denver Broncos
Phillip Lindsay is already one of the better waiver wire pickups of the season, and he has an opportunity to cap it off with a strong fantasy football playoff run. Lindsay scored two rushing touchdowns last week and has five over a current three-game run. Lindsay has found the end zone nine times this season and has at least 79 yards in five of his past six games. He has 267 in his past two games, and he’ll likely get more work in the passing game with Emmanuel Sanders sidelined for the season.
Overall Touches Leaders
- Ezekiel Elliott – 293
- Todd Gurley – 279
- Saquon Barkley – 269
- James Conner – 253
- Chris McCaffrey – 243
- David Johnson – 240
- Alvin Kamara – 226
- Adrian Peterson – 108
- Kareem Hunt – 207
- Melvin Gordon – 197
Adrian Peterson – Washington Redskins
Adrian Peterson is hard to trust. You really have to try and predict game script because when the Washington Redskins get down in games, he doesn’t touch the field. Peterson is averaging 21.8 carries per game in the six Washington wins and 10.3 carries per game in their six losses. AP had 98 yards on nine carries last week, but 90 came on one play. He was held to 35, 51, 68 and 17 in his previous five games, but he had his best game of the season in Week 8 @ NYG. Peterson had 149 yards on 26 carries, but Chris Thompson is back and Mark Sanchez is under center, so don’t expect another performance like that.
Week 13 Targets Leaders
- Keenan Allen – 19
- Eric Ebron – 16
- Tarik Cohen – 14
- Davante Adams – 13
- Travis Kelce – 13
- T.Y. Hilton – 13
- Antonio Brown – 13
- DeAndre Hopkins – 12
- Jordy Nelson – 11
- Curtis Samuel – 11
Eric Ebron – Indianapolis Colts
Eric Ebron failed to find the end zone for just the fourth time this season, but he still had a productive game with 10 catches for 81 yards. Ebron is averaging 11 targets, 6 catches and 60 yards per game in six contests without Jack Doyle. He’s averaging 3.6 targets, 3 catches and 38 yards per game in six games with Jack Doyle.
Curtis Samuel – Carolina Panthers
Curtis Samuel is certainly trending up, but he remains very boom or bust and more of a tournament play in DFS. Samuel had a career high 11 targets, six catches and 88 yards last week. Devin Funchess hardly touched the football field and has been very quiet of late, despite scoring a TD last week, plus Greg Olsen is likely done for the season. Samuel has scored a touchdown in three of his past five games and he has at least four receptions in three of his past four contests.
Overall Targets Leaders
- Antonio Brown – 135
- Adam Thielen – 134
- Julio Jones – 133
- Davante Adams – 127
- Odell Beckham Jr. – 124
- Zach Ertz – 121
- Jarvis Landry – 120
- Stefon Diggs – 119
- Juju Smith-Schuster – 119
- DeAndre Hopkins – 114
Overall Red Zone Rushing Attempts
- Todd Gurley – 61
- Alvin Kamara – 52
- Saquon Barkley – 38
- James Conner – 34
- Christian McCaffrey – 32
- Ezekiel Elliott – 31
- Sony Michel – 30
- Peyton Barber – 27
- Adrian Peterson – 27
- Kareem Hunt – 27
Peyton Barber – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Peyton Barber has at least 16 carries and a rushing touchdown in each of his last three games. He only has 92 rushing yards in his last two contests, but the volume has been there. Ronald Jones was active last week, but no surprise…he wasn’t really involved. This is a very tough matchup against the New Orleans Saints, but Barber can be thought of in the FLEX spot. TB is averaging the most yards and passing yards per game, and Barber is a lock for the goal line work should the Bucs get down there.
Overall Red Zone Targets
- Davante Adams – 25
- Alvin Kamara – 23
- JuJu Smith-Schuster – 23
- Michael Thomas – 21
- Odell Beckham Jr. – 20
- Travis Kelce – 20
- Eric Ebron – 19
- Zach Ertz – 19
- James White – 18
- DeAndre Hopkins – 17
Overall Passing Attempts
- Andrew Luck – 80
- Drew Brees – 78
- Jared Goff – 78
- Patrick Mahomes – 74
- Eli Manning – 68
- Ben Roethlisberger – 64
- Tom Brady – 63
- Matthew Stafford – 63
- Deshaun Watson – 63
- Aaron Rodgers – 58
Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs
What can you say about Patrick Mahomes? He’s amazing. One thing I noticed in Week 13, though, was his rushing ability. Mahomes has at least 18 yards on the ground in seven games this season, but the loss of Kareem Hunt resulted in a career high nine carries for 52 yards in Week 13. As if Mahomes owners needed more projected fantasy points.
Get more Chris Meaney on his new podcast, By Any Means. Each week he’ll bring in guests from around the industry to break down all the fantasy news you need to know for your march to the championship.
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