NFL Target Leaders in 2024

 

Show me a list of target leaders and I’ll show you a list of the most valuable fantasy players.

Targets are the lifeblood of fantasy scoring – particularly in PPR leagues. More targets mean more opportunities for catches, yards, and TDs.

Understanding where targets have flowed in the past is one of the first steps to accurately predicting what will happen in the future.

So let’s take a look at the NFL target leaders in 2024. We’ll break down the leaders in total targets, target share, and targets per route. Each metric can teach us a little something different about what happened in 2024 -- and what to expect in 2025 and beyond.

  

The Players With The Most Targets In 2024

We’ll look at target share and targets per route below. But in terms of producing fantasy points, raw targets are king.

Here are the top 20 NFL target leaders in 2024.

Just how valuable are targets?

15 of the 17 WRs to appear on the top-20 list above scored 218+ PPR points, or enough to finish as a top-20 WR.

The two others: Wan'Dale Robinson and Keenan Allen, who were both woefully efficient. Robinson's 5.0 yards per target ranked 87th among 89 WRs with 50+ targets; Allen ranked 81st at 6.1 yards per target.

Brock Bowers and Trey McBride led TEs in targets ... and PPR points. Travis Kelce was the only other TE to crack the top-20 list above. He finished fifth at the position in PPR scoring.

  

NFL Target Share Dominators

Total targets are the more descriptive stat when looking back at last year’s fantasy scoring. But target share can be more predictive.

Target share helps separate a player’s usage from his environment. Earning 100 targets on a team that throws 400 times yields a higher target share than earning 120 targets on a team that throws 500 times.

Target share can help uncover players likely to earn significantly more or fewer targets in coming seasons if his team’s pass volume changes.

Here are the NFL target share leaders in 2024.

Malik Nabers not only led the league in target share as a rookie but also registered the single highest target share by any player over the last four seasons.

He'll likely face tougher target competition in 2025 and projects for at least a slight dip in target share. But expect to find Nabers near the top of the leaderboard for the foreseeable future.

The problem is that Philadelphia will return much of its core next season, meaning that this team will likely continue to lean on its running game and defense.

Trey McBride was the only TE to rank top-20 league-wide in target share. Brock Bowers finished with six more total targets, but his Raiders threw 92 more passes than the Cardinals.

We currently project that gap in pass attempts to shrink in 2025 -- and for McBride to lead TEs with 151 targets. Bowers checks in second at 145 targets in our projections.

  

Targets Per Route Leaders

Targets per route tends to be a relatively sticky stat from season to season and is a good proxy for talent. Earning targets is a skill; it means you’re open, your playcaller is designing plays for your, and/or your QB is looking to get you the ball.

Targets per route is especially useful for uncovering players with big fantasy upside if they’re given larger roles. Look for players with low route rates but high targets per route.

Here are the 2024 leaders in targets per route (minimum 80 routes).

This is the most interesting list when it comes to projecting 2025 fantasy value.

The targets per route leaderboard features a bunch of the league's best players: Puka Nacua, CeeDee Lamb, Trey McBride, etc. But there are a few surprising names in the top 20 that are worth highlighting.

Josh Downs

Downs was very efficient on a per-route basis last year. On top of ranking sixth league-wide in targets per route -- and fifth among WRs -- he also finished 17th in yards per route and 11th in Pro Football Focus receiving grade among 84 qualifying WRs.

Downs finished just 32nd at the position in PPR points per game, though, largely because he ranked 56th in route rate. Almost exclusively a slot receiver (85% of his routes came from the slot last year), Downs was often not on the field when the Colts went with just two WRs.

That will need to change in 2025 if Downs is going to ascend beyond WR3 status. But, if it does, Downs would boast exciting upside.

Dalton Kincaid

Kincaid was a 2024 bust. Often drafted as a top-five TE, he finished 23rd at the position in PPR points per game.

But Kincaid actually improved as a target earner from his rookie season. His target share climbed from 16.6% to 19.7%, and his targets per route climbed from 0.196 to 0.257. The latter mark ranked 15th league-wide and third among TEs.

A former first-round pick heading into year three, Kincaid is an intriguing 2025 bounce-back bet at what will be a depressed ADP.

Jauan Jennings

Jennings turned in the rare fourth-year breakout, posting a 77-975-6 receiving line after totaling 78 catches over his first three seasons.

Jennings earned targets at an impressive rate, ranking 17th league-wide in targets per route. He also finished 14th among 104 qualifying WRs in yards per route.

With Brandon Aiyuk working back from a multi-ligament knee injury and Deebo Samuel unlikely to be back in San Francisco, Jennings is a good bet to play a significant role again this coming season. He could be undervalued in 2025 fantasy drafts.

Marvin Mims

Mims is a tricky case. He impressed in terms of targets per route -- but a vast majority of his targets came on designed plays. Per Pro Football Focus, Mims ranked second among WRs with 27 screen targets. That constituted 54.0% of his total targets, which was the highest rate among all WRs with at least 20 total targets.

Of course, we like when a coaching staff schemes up plays for a receiver. But Mims will need to earn more routes and earn more targets on non-designed plays to truly break out in 2025.

Dontayvion Wicks

Wicks disappointed as a popular 2024 sleeper, failing to earn consistent snaps and struggling with drops. His yards per route fell from his rookie year (2.04 to 1.42), as did his Pro Football Focus receiving grade (77.8 to 63.9).

But, for the second straight season, Wicks impressed in terms of targets per route. He drew a target on 25.3% of his routes last year (20th league-wide) after earning a look on 20.0% of his routes as a rookie.

Wicks might end up being a targets-per-route mirage. But I'm willing to give him one more chance to break out in 2025, especially at what figures to be an even cheaper price.

 

What 2024 Target Leaders Mean For Your 2025 Fantasy Season

Capturing as many targets as possible in your draft is key to a winning season. That's why targets, target share, and targets per route are big factors in our 2025 player projections.

Those projections fuel the customized fantasy football cheat sheet on the Draft War Room, the most powerful drafting tool in the game.

Learn more about the Draft War Room in this quick video:

 

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