NFL target leader at WR and TE have yet to find the end zone — can that continue to pay the fantasy football bills?

Once a week during the NFL season, I dig into the pass-game data and try to figure out what trends matter at wide receiver, tight end and running back. Let's open up the spreadsheets and see what we find.

Target leader at WR and TE have yet to find end zone

One thing I have fun with every year is the Diontae Johnson Award, my pretend trophy that goes to a target-hog player who can't seem to find the end zone. Johnson inspired the creation of the award with his bizarre 2022 season, when somehow he drew 147 targets but never scored a touchdown. Trey McBride was the winner last year - despite collecting 147 targets himself, he didn't catch a touchdown pass until Week 16 (he did have a touchdown run earlier in the year). Kyler Murray, to be fair, is part of that McBride problem. (And yes, they did connect in Week 3. Maybe things will start to normalize this year.)

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Back in the present, receiver Chris Olave (37 targets) and tight end Jake Ferguson (32 targets) are the target leaders at their respective positions, but neither has a touchdown. I suppose Puka Nacua (35 targets) also deserves a passing mention, though he does have a touchdown run, and given his connection with Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay, no one is worried about Nacua this moment. He'd be an obvious first-round pick in any league that started from scratch today.

I don't know what to make of Olave. The New Orleans passing tree is especially narrow, and Olave has drawn 13, 10 and 14 targets in his three games. But he's averaging just 7.2 yards per reception and his longest catch this year is a modest 14 yards. We appreciate the increase in layup targets, and that provides some weekly floor. But without splash plays, Olave can never become more than a WR3. Obviously, we have to consider the limitations of QB Spencer Rattler as we ponder Olave's fantasy value.

Ferguson didn't have a touchdown in 2024 either, though it's worth noting that he was productive in the Dak Prescott games (the numbers tanked when Cooper Rush was forced to start). Ferguson's role looks safe and secure in the 2025 Dallas offense. He's running a route on 71.2% of passes and he's been the first read on 27.5% of those plays - that latter stat is tops on the team. With CeeDee Lamb out three to four weeks, Ferguson elevates to set-and-forget status. Prescott is still a plus quarterback, and the leaky Dallas defense should present a lot of pinball games. Eventually, the touchdowns will follow, too.

Role crushing Travis Hunter's fantasy value

Perhaps the weirdest thing about the Jacksonville season so far is its 2-1 record. Consider that Trevor Lawrence has been bad (5.9 YPA, 70.3 rating), Brian Thomas Jr. hasn't played well and Travis Hunter has been largely invisible on offense, too. The Jaguars have stayed afloat through a strong running game, a steady defense and an easy schedule.

Fantasy managers were encouraged when Hunter played limited defensive snaps in Week 1. But that trend has not continued. Hunter ran 37 offensive snaps and 43 defensive snaps in the Week 3 victory over the Texans, which means he's now played 59% of the offensive snaps this season and 47% of the defensive snaps. He's also seeing occasional work on special teams.

The Jaguars have to do what's best for them, and maybe Hunter playing this much on defense makes sense. But if it continues, it's brutal for Hunter's fantasy value. If Hunter is even going to approach paying off his summer ADP, the offense needs to be the entree and the defense needs to be the dessert. Some better play from Lawrence wouldn't hurt, either.

Tyquan Thornton making most of fresh start

Tyquan Thornton was in the New England building for three years but the Patriots never coaxed any production from the second-round pick. We'd like answers, Bill Belichick. Raise your hand, Bill O'Brien. Stand up and be counted, Alex Van Pelt.

Spoiled for years with Randy Moss and Wes Welker and Julian Edelman (players the Patriots deserve credit for targeting and acquiring), the New England receiver room has become a joke in recent seasons. But it's obviously not all on the players.

Thornton has consistently gotten behind defenses in the last two weeks for the Chiefs, scoring two touchdowns and just missing on two other plays. And I'm not sure Thornton's role will collapse immediately when Xavier Worthy returns. Thornton has run a route on 72.5% of the Kansas City pass plays, and his average depth of target is 24.6 yards downfield (tops among regular players in 2025). He's doing something for this team that no one else is doing (Worthy's aDOT last year was 9.5 yards).

Andy Reid is no fool. When something's working, he's going to stick with it. Thornton is a fantasy hold until further notice.

The Titans' WR to roster

There have been no real winners in the Tennessee passing game so far, though it's reasonable to expect rookie QB Cam Ward to improve as the season goes along. Perhaps fellow rookie Elic Ayomanor will be part of that story. Although Ayomanor has run 20 fewer routes than Calvin Ridley so far, he's beating Ridley in almost everything - catch rate, targets per route run, depth of target. And if all you care about is the box score, well, Ayomanor has two more catches and two touchdowns (Ridley has zero touchdowns) and is only four yards behind the veteran.

Let's bet on the player who's nine years younger, and obviously on the escalator. Ayomanor's production can grow as both rookies continue to learn.

Data from TruMedia, Pro-Football Reference and Fantasy Points was used in the research for this article.