The playoffs are here! The playoffs are here! Lordy, lordy, the playoffs ARE HERE! Sorry for sounding like an over-aggressive toddler on Christmas morning, but these are the weeks we play fantasy football for.
Now, to anyone who didn't make the playoffs this year: First off, good on you for still visiting these rankings and setting your lineup. That's a champion move. Second, please tell me you didn't miss the playoffs because of something I did. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
Let's get into some wide receiver rankings!
Target Monsters
Those rostering Keenan Allen this year have had an up and down ride, but the bushily-bearded receiver hit season-high marks in receptions (14) and receiving yards (148) in Pittsburgh this past week. Allen racked up an outrageous 19 targets, tying Adam Thielen and JuJu Smith-Schuster for the most targets by a receiver this season. With Melvin Gordon sidelined, Allen has become a necessary outlet for Phillip Rivers, and he should continue to see huge numbers in the first half of this week's matchup with Cincinnati.
No matter how poorly the Packers perform, it's clear Davante Adams is going to get his. Currently the sole bright spot in Green Bay's receiving corp, Adams saw 13 targets and accounted for 40% of the team's receiving yards and the lone receiving touchdown. With head coach Mike McCarthy ousted, it's hard to say how the Packers will fare as a team these next few games. But Adams remains a lock for WR1 production.
It was nice to see T.Y. Hilton heavily involved in the Colts' passing attack again. Granted, his 13 targets still didn't make him the most-targeted player on the team (that was Eric Ebron), but it was a season-high for Hilton. He's had better overall games -- Hilton produced just 77 yards and no touchdowns -- but that kind of volume would be huge for the fantasy playoffs.
Jordy Nelson, Curtis Samuel, and Bruce Ellington all saw double-digit targets for the first time this year. Can you expect any of them to reach that number in the next three weeks? Unlikely. But if I had to pick one of them moving forward to repeat that production, my money is on Curtis Samuel. With Greg Olsen hitting IR, the Panthers need more bodies in the middle of the field, and Samuel should be a steady presence.
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