Taking a look at the Week 6 touches and targets leaders can go a long way in projecting where fantasy points may come from in the near future. Each week I’ll break down which running backs led the way in touches, including red zone opportunities. Most of the top performers in touches and targets from 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 plus for the DFS players out there. With the recent Devonta Freeman news, Ito Smith becomes a pretty decent start now in deeper formats now. There’s even more reason to like him as you’ll see below.
Week 6 Touches Leaders
- Todd Gurley – 30
- Latavius Murray – 25
- Ezekiel Elliott – 25
- Sony Michel – 24
- James Conner – 23
- Joe Mixon – 23
- Saquon Barkley – 21
- Melvin Gordon – 20
- David Johnson – 20
- Wendell Smallwood – 19
Latavius Murray, RB – Minnesota Vikings
Last week was a great example of why you don’t cut Latavius Murray, even when Dalvin Cook returns. Murray finished as RB7 in PPR and standard formats in Week 6 thanks to 155 rushing yards on 24 carries. Murray took advantage of a soft matchup and scored a rushing touchdown. He’s one of the better handcuffs in the league, and his late pick in drafts likely just won you a week. I’d buy low on Dalvin Cook btw.
David Johnson, RB – Arizona Cardinals
David Johnson registered 18 carries and a touchdown for the third straight game. DJ hasn’t hit the 10o-yard rushing mark yet, but he’s scored five touchdowns this season and is starting to get more and more work. Johnson has had at least 20 touches in each of his last three games. There was a solid buy-low window early on in the year, which is probably gone now. He gets Denver this week and has some tasty looking matchups head, including come playoff time (WK 14 vs DET, WK15 @ ATL).
Wendell Smallwood, RB – Philadelphia Eagles
Wendell Smallwood had 18 carries and 51 yards on the ground in Philadelphia’s first game without Jay Ajayi. He led the way in snaps, but it was Corey Clement who was more efficient. Clement had 43 yards on 11 carries and caught all three of his targets for 26 yards. Smallwood started the game, but it was Clement who finished it and received three straight red zone opportunities early on. He also scored a one-yard rushing touchdown and continues to lead the team in red zone rushing attempts. Both should be started, but I’ll lean Clement because of his work in the red zone. Plus, I think he’s better.
Overall Touches Leaders
- Todd Gurley – 150
- Ezekiel Elliott – 140
- James Conner – 129
- Saquon Barkley – 124
- Melvin Gordon – 121
- Carlos Hyde – 120
- Kareem Hunt – 113
- David Johnson – 109
- Marshawn Lynch – 105
- Christian McCaffrey – 105
James Conner, RB – Pittsburgh Steelers
James Conner is a pretty big talking point right now as a lot of people are not sure what to do with him. Le’Veon Bell has not reported to the team yet and Pittsburgh is on bye this week. Bell must report to the Steelers by Week 10, which would hurt Conner’s value. The Steelers are almost certainly going to give Bell close to a full work load when he returns. He’s not just going to sit on the sidelines, especially if Pittsburgh doesn’t plan on signing him in the offseason. I would see what I could get for Conner before it’s too late, and I’d start with the Bell owner. There’s also nothing wrong with just riding it out with Conner.
Pat Mayo and myself break it down a little bit more on DraftKings Live.
Week 6 Targets Leaders
- Davante Adams – 16
- Adam Thielen – 15
- Julio Jones – 14
- Tyreek Hill – 12
- David Njoku – 12
- Saquon Barkley – 12
- Alshon Jeffery – 12
- A.J. Green – 12
- Danny Amendola – 11
- Cole Beasley – 11
David Njoku, TE – Cleveland Browns
David Njoku finished with 12 targets last week to give him 46 on the season, which is the fourth-most at the TE position. His 12 targets and seven catches in Week 6 were a season-high, plus he scored his first TD of the year. Njoku has had at least seven targets, five catches and 52 yards in all three of Baker Mayfield’s starts.
Alshon Jeffery, WR – Philadelphia Eagles
Alshon Jeffery has had a healthy 29 targets in his three games this season. He’s racked up 18 catches for 218 yards with three touchdowns. Jeffery is a WR2 the rest of the way and it’s nice to see Zach Ertz still be productive during Jeffery’s return. Ertz has 34 targets, 27 catches and 265 yards with two touchdowns over the last three weeks.
Overall Target Leaders
- Adam Thielen – 81
- Antonio Brown – 72
- Davante Adams – 71
- Julio Jones – 69
- Odell Beckham Jr. – 69
- Zach Ertz – 67
- Jarvis Landry – 65
- DeAndre Hopkins – 63
- JuJu Smith-Schuster – 63
- Stefon Diggs – 60
Overall Red Zone Rushing Attempts
- Todd Gurley – 37
- Sony Michel – 21
- Alvin Kamara – 20
- James Conner – 17
- Carlos Hyde – 17
- Adrian Peterson – 17
- Melvin Gordon – 15
- Kareem Hunt – 15
- Marshawn Lynch – 15
- Ito Smith – 14
Ito Smith, RB – Atlanta Falcons
Ito Smith is definitely worth a number one waiver claim and quite a bit of FAAB, as he headlines the Week 7 Waiver Wire. Devonta Freeman (groin) has been placed on injured reserve and he’ll miss at least the next eight games. That would put him out until Week 16, so there’s no reason to hold onto him in a redraft league. Smith had 11 carries and two catches last week compared to just 10 carries and one catch from Coleman. It was Coleman who ended up with 35 rushing yards, but it was Smith who scored a rushing touchdown for the third straight game. As you see above, Smith now ranks inside the Top 10 in red zone rushing attempts which gives him plenty of value moving forward. In 2016 and 17, Freeman out-touched Coleman 87-45 inside the red zone and 30-9 inside the 5-yard line. This may play out the same, with Coleman getting more work in the passing game, which is how he scored his touchdown last week.
Overall Red Zone Targets
- Alvin Kamara – 16
- JuJu Smith-Schuster – 16
- Davante Adams – 15
- Eric Ebron – 14
- A.J. Green – 12
- Michael Thomas – 12
- Jared Cook – 11
- Zach Ertz – 11
- Todd Gurley – 11
- Cooper Kupp – 11
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.