The name of the game in fantasy football is volume. That's why it's so important to take note of which wide receivers are seeing a significant target market share and how each team splits up its backfield opportunities. Each week, Matt Harmon and Matt Franciscovich will break down the week's wide receiver targets and backfield touches leaders with takeaways you can use for your fantasy football teams going forward. We won't bore you with any more introductory comments here, let's dig into the good stuff from Week 14.
*NOTE: This article will be updated with data from the Sunday Night and Monday Night games the following day, so check back for more information as games wrap.
Arizona Cardinals
Touches: 20 | Carries: 20 | Receptions: 0
With Adrian Peterson out again, Kerwynn Williams was locked into another high-volume workload on Sunday against the Titans. It wasn't a very favorable matchup as the Titans have been tough against backs this year. Williams totaled 73 rush yards and failed to find the end zone. Williams was a risky start heading into the day, but if you came away with seven fantasy points, consider that a win. He'll be a low-end flex again next week when the Cardinals face the Redskins in Washington.
Target share: 26.9% |Targets: 7 | Receptions: 5 | Yards: 44
It wasn't a massive day for Larry Fitzgerald but it was once again a solid floor stat line from the veteran receiver. Fitzgerald has five or more catches in all but one game since Carson Palmer took an early exit from the 2017 season. That one contest came against the elite Jacksonville secondary.
Atlanta Falcons
Touches: 24 | Carries: 24 | Receptions: 0
On Thursday night against the Saints, Devonta Freeman scored his first touchdown since Week 4 and collected 91 rush yards on his 24 attempts. It was a much-needed return to fantasy relevancy after missing a few games with a concussion and a long touchdown drought. Tevin Coleman had nine carries for 32 yards but left the game with a head injury. Freeman will be a low-end RB1 next Monday night in a great matchup against the Buccaneers.
Target share: 44% |Targets: 11 | Receptions: 5 | Yards: 98
Julio Jones no longer has a volume issue. The elite wideout has double-digit targets in three of his last four games. The production hasn't always been juicy, but that's due to issues in the red zone.
Buffalo Bills
Touches: 32 | Carries: 32 | Receptions: 0
LeSean McCoy was loaded up with touches in blizzard conditions against the Colts. He piled up 156 rush yards including a 21-yard touchdown run to win the game in overtime. McCoy has a thing for snow games, as he put up over 200 yards and two touchdowns in a memorable Week 14 white-out back in 2013. Let's officially call this a trend. McCoy will be an RB1 next week against the Dolphins.
Target share: 53.3% |Targets: 8 | Receptions: 3 | Yards: 38, TD
Easily his best day since joining the Bills, Kelvin Benjamin saw over half the targets distributed from Nathan Peterman and Joe Webb and scored a touchdown. Benjamin was cooking despite the weather but reaggravated the same knee that cost him his previous two games. He didn't return after leaving in the fourth quarter.
Carolina Panthers
Touches: 16 | Carries: 16 | Receptions: 0
Just as we all expected, Jonathan Stewart dropped 103 yards and three touchdowns on one of the best defenses in football, the Vikings. Wait, actually nobody expected that. Cool. Anyway, Stewart's day was kind of ridiculous as his first run of the game was a 60-yard trip to the paint. He followed up with another touchdown in the second quarter and punched in what ended up being the game-winner with less than two minutes to play. He has a good matchup next week against the Packers, too. Christian McCaffrey totaled 53 yards on 11 touches and will remain in play as a PPR option next week.
Target share: 29.2% |Targets: 7 | Receptions: 3 | Yards: 59, TD
Volume over everything. Devin Funchess led the team in targets and owned a whopping 51.7 percent share of Cam Newton's intended air yards. It was enough to get him to a successful stat line in a tough matchup against Xavier Rhodes and the Vikings secondary. Funchess has 86 yards and/or a touchdown in each of the last five weeks.
Chicago Bears
Touches: 24 | Carries: 23 | Receptions: 1
Jordan Howard had his best game in what feels like forever, piling up 155 yards from scrimmage including 147 rushing and two touchdowns against the Bengals. Cincinnati has been gashed by running backs of late, and Sunday was no different as even Tarik Cohen managed 80 rush yards and added five receiving yards on his 14 touches. Put simply, the Bengals were embarrassed at home by Chicago.
Target share: 35.5% |Targets: 11 | Receptions: 10 | Yards: 107
Hard to say where this game came from. Sunday was the first week in which Kendall Wright saw double-digit target since September 17th. He hadn't cleared 50 yards since Week 4. We should not put any stock in this result.
Cincinnati Bengals
Touches: 17 | Carries: 11 | Receptions: 6
With Joe Mixon (head) out for this game, the workhorse role was handed to Giovani Bernard. He ended up leading the team in rushing (62 yds) and receiving (68 yds), totaling 130 on the day. Bernard didn't find the end zone but his versatility helped boost his yardage total. He could keep a bigger role due to his success over the last two weeks, even if Mixon is healthy. He doesn't have a great matchup though, as the Bengals travel to Minnesota in Week 15.
Target share: 33.3% |Targets: 12 | Receptions: 5 | Yards: 64
The Bengals suffered an embarrassing loss at home in Week 14. Andy Dalton completed 48.3 percent of his throws and averaged just 4.9 yards per attempt. As such, there was nothing to speak of in the passing game.
Cleveland Browns
Touches: 21 | Carries: 19 | Receptions: 3
Isaiah Crowell racked up 121 rush yards and added 10 receiving yards against the Packers on Sunday. Crowell really did damage in the second half with big gains of 18 and 37 yards in the third quarter. Duke Johnson was effective too, totaling 49 yards and scoring a receiving touchdown. The matchup against the Packers was nice, but the going will be tougher for the Browns backs next week as they face Baltimore.
Target share: 21.4% |Targets: 6 | Receptions: 3 | Yards: 69, TD
Target share: 21.4% |Targets: 6 | Receptions: 5 | Yards: 62, TD
The Browns have a nice one-two punch at the wide receiver position with Josh Gordon and Corey Coleman. The duo tied for the team-lead in targets with six, cleared 60 yards and scored a touchdown. Gordon bested Coleman with a team-high 43.3 percent share of DeShone Kizer's intended air yards.
Dallas Cowboys
Touches: 21 | Carries: 19 | Receptions: 3
Alfred Morris led the Cowboys backfield in touches and totaled a respectable 85 yards from scrimmage against the Giants. But the real story here is the breakout of Rod Smith who led Dallas in receiving with a 5/113/1 line. He also had 47 rush yards and a touchdown on six carries. Both of his scores came in the fourth quarter; one was an 81-yard touchdown catch and run, and the other was a 15-yard run with about three minutes to play. So to sum up, Smith posted 160 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. Boom. Don't expect this every week as Morris is clearly the volume back, but the explosive plays are possible, especially next week against Oakland.
Target share: 20% |Targets: 6 | Receptions: 3 | Yards: 25
Long catch and run touchdowns from Rod Smith and Dez Bryant kept the overall passing volume low for the Cowboys. Terrance Williams led the way with just six targets. He missed a pair of end zone targets.
Denver Broncos
Touches: 24 | Carries: 22 | Receptions: 2
C.J. Anderson averaged 2.1 yards per carry on his 22 rush attempts for 48 yards. Even with a gigantic workload, Anderson was ineffective. You should know by now that starting him in fantasy is not a smart idea. Maybe he finds the end zone next week against the Colts. Maybe.
Target share: 42.9% |Targets: 12 | Receptions: 8 | Yards: 93, TD
Demaryius Thomas has eight or more targets in each of his last seven games. As long as he gets competent quarterback play at a minimum, he will offer up WR2 numbers. The only two games in that stretch where he didn't clear 60 yards and/or score a touchdown were Paxton Lynch's start and Trevor Siemian's meltdown last week.
Detroit Lions
Touches: 16 | Carries: 10 | Receptions: 6
Theo Riddick took advantage of a prime opportunity in a favorable matchup with Ameer Abdullah inactive. Riddick punched in two rushing touchdowns and racked up 93 total yards, 64 of which came through the air, on his 16 total touches. Riddick saw 10 targets in the game against Tampa Bay. Tion Green, who scored on a long touchdown run last week, had just 15 yards on five carries. He was on the practice squad until last week for a reason. The Lions face the Bears on Saturday, and Riddick should be in line for another decent workload pending Abdullah's status.
Target share: 25% |Targets: 11 | Receptions: 10 | Yards: 94
Fantasy gamers certainly had more lines like this in mind for Eric Ebron when he was a popular late-round tight end pick in August. However, this was truly an outlier performance for him this year. He had yet to clear 60 receiving yards on the year and had just two games with more than six targets heading into Week 14.
Green Bay Packers
Touches: 22 | Carries: 15 | Receptions: 7
Packers' rookie Jamaal Williams lit up the scoreboard twice in a win over the Browns Sunday and piled up 118 total yards in the game. Williams has been one of the best late-season waiver-wire pickups as he now has scored five total touchdowns over his last three games. He's catching the ball out of the backfield too; he hauled in all seven of his targets in this game for 69 receiving yards, including a 30-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter. He may take a step back next week on the road in Carolina, but if Aaron Rodgers can get back, his presence will help boost the fantasy value of the players around him, including Williams.
Target share: 30.4% |Targets: 14 | Receptions: 10 | Yards: 84, 2 TDs
Davante Adams continues to dominate as Brett Hundley's clear-cut top wideout. He saw all but two of his targets following halftime. Adams has cleared eight targets in all but one of Hundley's starts. Jordy Nelson went for a measly 33 yards.
Houston Texans
Touches: 19 | Carries: 17 | Receptions: 2
There's not much to take away from this one as the Texans fell out of script early, and Tom Savage left the game with a head injury. That didn't leave many great opportunities for Lamar Miller to produce as he totaled just 60 yards on his 19 touches. Miller will remain a volume play next week, but has a tough matchup against Jacksonville.
Target share: 43.2% |Targets: 16 | Receptions: 11 | Yards: 149, 2 TDs
DeAndre Hopkins tied a season-high with 16 targets today, which came from both Tom Savage and T.J. Yates. Hopkins now has double-digit targets in six of his last seven games.
Indianapolis Colts
Touches: 37 | Carries: 36 | Receptions: 1
Frank Gore amassed a ridiculous 37 touches and totaled 140 scrimmage yards in a Buffalo blizzard on Sunday. The field conditions were atrocious, so both teams loaded up their running backs with volume and limited their pass attempts. Cleary, Gore had his best game of the season because of that. After such a huge workload, it'd make sense for the Colts to manage his reps in a short week against Denver on Thursday night, so consider him a low-end flex. That could mean more work for rookie Marlon Mack, who had nine touches and totaled 44 yards Sunday.
Target share: 20% |Targets: 4 | Receptions: 2 | Yards: 20
With the heavy snow being the theme of this game, the Colts only took to the air 22 times. Jacoby Brissett completed 11 for 69 yards. T.Y. Hilton was the leader in the target market share with 20 percent of the team's looks.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Touches: 28 | Carries: 24 | Receptions: 4
Leonard Fournette was a beast against the Seahawks piling up 119 total yards and a touchdown on his 28 touches. It marked Fournette's second straight game with a touchdown, and it seems, after a mid-season slump, that he's back on track. He gets a decent matchup next week against the Texans at home, but you don't need us to tell you to leave him in your fantasy playoff lineup.
Target share: 29.6% |Targets: 8 | Receptions: 5 | Yards: 81, TD
Dede Westbrook has been heating up the last four weeks, his first action in the NFL. He has target totals six, 10, nine and eight in that stretch and saw his yardage total climb each week. Westbrook found the end zone for the first time in his career.
Kansas City Chiefs
Touches: 28 | Carries: 25 | Receptions: 3
Kareem Hunt doubled his touch totals from his last two games against the Raiders on Sunday, racking up 138 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown. Just when everyone gave up on him, Hunt came through with a big game, his best since Week 3. Hunt should be in the conversation as a low-end RB2 next Saturday when the Chiefs welcome the Chargers into Arrowhead Stadium.
Target share: 38.2% |Targets: 13 | Receptions: 7 | Yards: 74
The production was spread out evenly in the Chiefs passing game. All of Albert Wilson, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill finished between 72 and 75 receiving yards. Kelce paced the team with 13 targets and had multiple big plays called back.
Los Angeles Chargers
Touches: 23 | Carries: 22 | Receptions: 1
Melvin Gordon rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown on his 22 attempts against the Redskins on Sunday. He's a volume workhorse and is playing in one of the hottest offenses in the NFL down the stretch, so you need to keep playing him in fantasy, it's very simple. He gets the Chiefs in Week 15.
Target share: 23.5% |Targets: 8 | Receptions: 6 | Yards: 111
Keenan Allen didn't dominate from a volume and market share perspective this week as he had over the previous three contests where he averaged 13.7 targets per game. However, he still cleared 100 yards for the fourth-straight week. Allen and his quarterback are still playing on fire as the 2017 season winds down.
Los Angeles Rams
Touches: 16 | Carries: 13 | Receptions: 3
Todd Goat ... I mean, Gurley, rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries against the Eagles, and added 39 receiving yards on three catches. Given the Eagles' success at limiting opposing backs this season, Gurley's performance was that much more impressive. He's locked in as an RB1 against the Seahawks next week.
Target share: 28% |Targets: 7 | Receptions: 3 | Yards: 21, TD
Target share: 28% |Targets: 7 | Receptions: 5 | Yards: 118
The absence of Robert Woods has without a doubt narrowed the target distribution in the Rams passing game to the point where we can seemingly rely on Cooper Kupp and Sammy Watkins. Kupp has cleared five catches in each of the last three games and gone over 100 yards in two of them. Watkins has scored in each of the last three, as well.
Minnesota Vikings
Touches: 11 | Carries: 9 | Receptions: 2
Latavius Murray totaled 20 yards on his 11 touches against the Panthers. In their first loss in two months, the Vikings couldn't get anything going on the ground in Carolina. Jerick McKinnon out-snapped Murray but had nine touches for just 55 total yards. It was a disappointing performance for a backfield that has been so productive in recent weeks.Both Murray and McKinnon have a good chance to bounce back at home against the Bengals in Week 15, so fear not.
Target share: 29.5% |Targets: 13 | Receptions: 6 | Yards: 105, TD
Case Keenum came into this game with a passer rating over 100 and completion rate north of 70 percent in four-straight games. He came in under on both stats in Week 14. Despite the production not being as efficient, the volume was there for both the top wide receivers. Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs combined for over 52 percent of the team's targets.
New Orleans Saints
Touches: 16 | Carries: 12 | Receptions: 4
Mark Ingram totaled 92 scrimmage yards on Thursday night against the Falcons. He did most of his rushing damage in the first half and caught all four of his receptions in the second half, but failed to find the end zone. Alvin Kamara left the game on the Saints first drive with a concussion and never returned, and New Orleans' offense was seemingly lost without their rookie playmaker. But Ingram is more than capable of handling a big workload. The good news is that Kamara has 10 days off to get healthy before the Saints play the Jets in Week 15. The bad news is his injury may have already cost you your playoff run.
Target share: 41.2% |Targets: 14 | Receptions: 10 | Yards: 117, TD
Michael Thomas hit a season-high 14 targets on Thursday night. It's no coincidence that it came in a week where the Saints rushed for a season-low 50 yards in a loss. New Orleans hasn't had to open up the passing offense much the year due to game script, but when they do, Thomas is the clear funnel receiver. Thomas has double-digit targets in seven games this season.
New York Giants
Touches: 19 | Carries: 12 | Receptions: 7
For some reason, Wayne Gallman saw nine targets as a receiver for the Giants on Sunday. He caught seven receptions for 40 yards and rushed 12 times for 59 yards. It seems New York isn't intent on sticking with Orleans Darkwa as the primary back, which is odd because he was effective in that role earlier in the year. Either way, using a Giants running back in fantasy is risky business, so tread with caution. Especially next week against the Eagles.
Target share: 23.9% |Targets: 11 | Receptions: 7 | Yards: 46
In Eli Manning's return to the starting lineup, Roger Lewis led the team in targets and share of intended air yards. Evan Engram was the only pass-catcher with more than 50 receiving yards and had seven targets. Sterling Shepard came in questionable, again, but was on the field for 96 percent of the plays.
New York Jets
Touches: 13 | Carries: 13 | Receptions: 0
Bilal Powell totaled 35 rush yards on 13 carries as the entire Jets offense struggled against Denver. Matt Forte had 13 yards on six carries and added 21 receiving yards on two catches. This was not pretty. The Jets have a tough matchup on tap in New Orleans next week, and Josh McCown suffered a hand injury Sunday, so the outlook is not good for anyone in the New York offense.
Target share: 28.6% |Targets: 6 | Receptions: 3 | Yards: 27
Target share: 30% |Targets: 6 | Receptions: 1 | Yards: 4
We had a wonderful time riding the Jets duo as wide receiver streamers off the waiver wire this season. With Josh McCown breaking his left hand, it's unlikely either will produce much with the Jets younger quarterbacks.
Oakland Raiders
Touches: 8 | Carries: 7 | Receptions: 1
Even in a disastrous game for the Raiders, Marshawn Lynch came through for his fantasy owners. Beast Mode only received eight touches the entire game but managed 64 total yards and scored on a 22-yard touchdown run in garbage time. Lynch has been a late-season savior and has a three-game touchdown streak going. He's also scored in four of his last five games. He'll be a risky play against the Cowboys next week, but is worth a shot in lineups given his hot streak.
Target share: 31.7% |Targets: 13 | Receptions: 7 | Yards: 60
Derek Carr finished the day with 211 passing yards and that doesn't truly illuminate what a miserable outing this passing unit had against an exploitable secondary missing its best cornerback. Michael Crabtree led the team in catches and all but one of them came in the second half when the Raiders were well behind on the scoreboard.
Philadelphia Eagles
Touches: 16 | Carries: 15 | Receptions: 1
Jay Ajayi finally usurped LeGarrette Blount on the backfield totem for Philly on Sunday, logging 15 rush attempts for 78 rush yards against the Rams. Ajayi had a few big gains in the first half of 9, 14 and 19 yards. He racked up 10 touches in the fourth quarter, as the Eagles leaned on him late. Ajayi will be a flex play next week in a matchup against the Giants. Keep in mind that Carson Wentz injured his knee, and could miss time, so the high-powered Eagles offense we have grown to know this season may not be so high-powered any longer, which could negatively affect the backfield production.
Target share: 21.6% |Targets: 11 | Receptions: 5 | Yards: 52, TD
Target share: 21.6% |Targets: 11 | Receptions: 6 | Yards: 100
Target share: 21.6% |Targets: 11 | Receptions: 8 | Yards: 64
With their quarterbacks taking to the air 51 times, all the Eagles wide receivers performed. Alshon Jeffery scored his fifth touchdown in as many games. Nelson Agholor hit double-digit targets for the second week in a row. Torrey Smith did it for the first time all year. Meanwhile, both replacement tight ends found the end zone a combined three times on nine targets. Unfortunately, Carson Wentz left the game with a likely severe injury. The football world will wait with bated breath for the results of further tests.
San Francisco 49ers
Touches: 14 | Carries: 78 | Receptions: 0
Carlos Hyde led the 49ers backfield with 78 rush yards on 14 carries and a touchdown in a win over the Texans on Sunday. It was his first trip to the end zone since way back in Week 6, so it was a welcome sight. Hyde didn't catch any passes in the game, and it seems with Jimmy Garoppolo under center, Hyde will see a downtick in those kinds of opportunities which may ding his value some. Matt Breida also had 12 carries in this game but totaled just 27 yards. He's merely a handcuff until further notice.
Target share: 37.5% |Targets: 12 | Receptions: 6 | Yards: 106
Marquise Goodwin had a whopping 12 targets today and racked up over 100 yards. He now has 20 targets over Jimmy Garoppolo's first two starts with the 49ers. Goodwin averaged 19.2 air yards on his targets today, so he's still getting plenty of work as a deep threat. However, he's clearly stabilized his play into that of a more traditional, complete receiver. He can be deployed as a flex in fantasy every week.
Seattle Seahawks
Touches: 16 | Carries: 15 | Receptions: 1
Mike Davis has taken over the lead role in the Seattle backfield. That much is clear after his second straight game with double-digit touches. Eddie Lacy was inactive and Thomas Rawls played one snap but didn't touch the football. Davis had 65 total yards in the game, but it was a tough matchup and Seattle was trailing most of the way, so it was an unfavorable script for him. He gets the Rams defense next week, where he'll once again be a volume play.
Target share: 24.1% |Targets: 7 | Receptions: 3 | Yards: 72, TD
Despite a nightmare matchup, all three of the top Seahawks wideouts scored touchdowns against the Jaguars. Perhaps just as shocking was that Jimmy Graham put up a goose egg after offering up five touchdowns in his previous four games.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Touches: 13 | Carries: 12 | Receptions: 1
Rotoworld may have summed upDoug Martin's day best in their headline that read, "Martin starts, scores, fumbles, gets benched." He got the start after sitting out last week and scored early on a short touchdown run, but that was about it. Peyton Barber relieved Martin and ended up with 58 yards on his 12 carries. This backfield is basically a fantasy migraine for the rest of the season. They get the Falcons next Monday night, but you're heading into risky territory if you're messing with the Bucs backs.
Target share: 18.9% |Targets: 7 | Receptions: 4 | Yards: 41
The completely uninspiring Buccaneers passing offense remained as such in Week 14. Only rookie Chris Godwin cleared 55 receiving yards and Jameis Winston had three turnovers. Mike Evans checked in with just five targets, the fewest he's had in any game this season.
Tennessee Titans
Touches: 13 | Carries: 11 | Receptions: 2
DeMarco Murray rushed for 34 yards and added 13 receiving yards in a Titans loss to the Cardinals on Sunday. Derrick Henry had eight carries for 20 yards and scored a touchdown. Henry only had two touches in the second half and played just 22 percent of his team's offensive snaps, while Murray logged a 78 percent snap share. This is one of the most frustrating backfields, and all-around offenses in the league and Marcus Mariota's poor play isn't helping the situation. They have a decent matchup against San Francisco next week if you're into that sort of thing.
Target share: 29% |Targets: 9 | Receptions: 5 | Yards: 42
Delanie Walker led the team whose quarterback averaged 5.1 yards per attempts in targets. That doesn't equate to much. There isn't much going on in the Titans passing game right now. You can count on Walker's volume and not much else.
Washington Redskins
Touches: 21 | Carries: 17 | Receptions: 4
Samaje Perine left the game early with what was reported as a "stomach" which seems odd. When he left the game he had 45 rush yards on 17 carries and ended up leading his team in receptions with four for the game. The Redskins offense has regressed so much, that Perine, an early-down back, led them in receptions in a game. Let that soak in.
Target share: 25.9% |Targets: 7 | Receptions: 2 | Yards: 26, TD
Vernon Davis led a Washington offense suddenly looking light on playmakers with seven targets in Week 14. He had just two catches for the second straight game but made it into the end zone for the first time since Week 3. Davis has revealed himself to be a boom/bust player but that's essentially what you're getting into with the tight end position, regardless.
You can rely on NFL.com's Touches and Targets column for great fantasy advice. Just like you can rely on FedEx Ground for fast and affordable shipping.
-- Follow Matt Harmon on Twitter _@MattHarmonBYB_ and Matt Franciscovich @MattFranchise.
