Usage Report: Michael Pittman Jr., Rashod Bateman, Darnell Mooney (2022 Fantasy Football)

High-end fantasy football performances and weekly finishes are fueled by high numbers of routes run and high-value targets and touches. The majority of top scorers from 2021 saw healthy doses of end-zone targets, air yards, deep targets and goal-line carries.

Targeting players who run a high percentage of routes is also a good approach for identifying breakout candidates, beatable player props, DFS targets and players to prioritize in your 2022 fantasy football drafts and Week 1 fantasy football rankings.

This report will look at rates of routes run per dropback from 2021 along with players who commanded a high rate of high-value opportunities compared to larger samples in order to find sleeper running backs, wide receivers and tight ends who are garnering more or fewer opportunities in the passing game heading into Week 1 for the 2022 season. 

This overview should help you understand what favorable usage looks like, so consider it an introductory piece to my weekly featured article on FantasyPros this season that will debrief you on player deployment from the previous week.

This also provides us with some insight to refer back to after the conclusion of Week 1, to see if players’ roles have changed in the wake of a new season.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Rate of routes run per dropback | 2021 Regular Season 

Player Routes run % of routes run per dropback
Cooper Kupp 655 97%
Michael Pittman Jr. 601 96%
Justin Jefferson 658 95%
Marvin Jones Jr. 666 94%
Darnell Mooney 650 93%
Jakobi Meyers 564 92%
Ja’Marr Chase 617 92%
D.J. Moore 653 92%
Robby Anderson 652 91%
Terry McLaurin 621 91%
Courtland Sutton 573 90%
DeVonta Smith 549 89%
D.K. Metcalf 530 88%
Tyler Lockett 528 87%
Stefon Diggs 683 87%
Diontae Johnson 659 87%
Keenan Allen 687 86%
Brandon Aiyuk 515 86%
Brandin Cooks 567 86%
Van Jefferson 580 86%
Davante Adams 583 85%
Zach Pascal 532 85%
Jaylen Waddle 622 84%
Deebo Samuel 501 84%
Marquise Brown 657 84%

 

Cooper Kupp, Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase all finished as top-five fantasy wide receivers while running a route on 92% of their team’s offensive dropbacks.

The high-end usage helped separate them from being back-end fantasy WR1s. It’s that exact role we should be chasing with wide receivers like Michael Pittman Jr., Darnell Mooney, D.J. Moore, Terry McLaurin and Courtland Sutton in 2022.

All of those guys ran a route on over 90% of dropbacks — elite usage — but none finished better than WR18 (Moore). Look for all of them to drastically improve their production next season, especially those who get upgraded quarterback play.

It’s less so with the guys like Jakobi Meyers, Robbie Anderson or Marvin Jones, who are facing more target competition.

Rate of routes run per dropback | Last four weeks of 2021

Player Routes run % of routes run per dropback
Cooper Kupp 147 98%
Justin Jefferson 145 98%
Brandon Aiyuk 123 96%
Odell Beckham Jr. 144 96%
Darnell Mooney 182 95%
Diontae Johnson 167 95%
Marvin Jones Jr. 152 94%
Michael Pittman Jr. 117 94%
Christian Kirk 186 93%
Rashod Bateman 168 93%
Donovan Peoples-Jones 142 93%
Robby Anderson 176 93%
Marquise Brown 166 92%
D.K. Metcalf 120 92%
Amon-Ra St. Brown 127 91%
Laquon Treadwell 147 91%
Terry McLaurin 128 91%
K.J. Osborn 134 91%
Amari Cooper 151 90%
Stefon Diggs 164 90%
DeVante Parker 127 89%
Jakobi Meyers 142 89%
Zay Jones 138 89%
Courtland Sutton 117 88%
Kenny Golladay 128 88%
D.J. Moore 165 87%
Deebo Samuel 111 87%
Russell Gage 119 86%
Keenan Allen 164 85%
CeeDee Lamb 141 84%
A.J. Green 167 84%

 

Rashod Bateman earned a full-time role in the Ravens offense during the final five weeks, running a route on 88% of dropbacks. In Week 18, Bateman tied Marquise Brown with 40 routes run.

As a rookie, Bateman had more receiving yards than Brown from Weeks 14-18 despite seeing 18 fewer targets. With Brown shipped off to Arizona this offseason, expect Bateman to establish himself as the Ravens’ No. 1 wide receiver.

Zay Jones projects to be a full-time starter in the Jaguars offense, but his lowly ADP hardly foreshadows that role. But based on how often Jacksonville used Marvin Jones and Laquon Treadwell last season, it’s easy to see Jones be a nearly every-down type player.

He’s $4.1K on DraftKings for Week 1 — cheaper than Marvin Jones.

TARGET SHARE

Highest Target share | 2021 Season (games played including postseason and other positions)

Player Target share
Cooper Kupp 32%
Davante Adams 32%
Justin Jefferson 29%
D.J. Moore 28%
A.J. Brown 28%
D.K. Metcalf 28%
Diontae Johnson 28%
Darnell Mooney 27%
Brandin Cooks 27%
Calvin Ridley 27%
Marquise Brown 26%
Michael Pittman 26%
Stefon Diggs 26%
Mark Andrews 26%
Keenan Allen 26%
Deebo Samuel 25%
Jaylen Waddle 25%
Tyreek Hill 25%
Terry McLaurin 25%
Jarvis Landry 24%
DeVante Parker 24%
Tyler Lockett 24%
Kristian Wilkerson 24%
Jakobi Meyers 24%
Ja’Marr Chase 24%
Russell Gage 23%
Darren Waller 23%
Tee Higgins 23%
Antonio Brown 23%
DeVonta Smith 23%
Amon-Ra St. Brown 23%

 

Still bearish on DeVante Parker being the No. 1 WR in the Patriots offense this season? Look no further than his 24% Target share in games played last season.

Looking for the discount Diontae Johnson? High Target share, but questionable quarterback play — hello, Darnell Mooney.

Highest Target share | Last four weeks of 2021 (including postseason)

Player Target share
D.K. Metcalf 32%
Amon-Ra St. Brown 31%
Michael Pittman Jr. 30%
Justin Jefferson 30%
Russell Gage 30%
Mark Andrews 30%
Cooper Kupp 29%
Davante Adams 28%
Stefon Diggs 27%
Darnell Mooney 27%
Marquise Brown 26%
Zay Jones 26%
Marquez Callaway 25%
Diontae Johnson 25%
Zach Ertz 24%
D.J. Moore 24%
Jakobi Meyers 24%
Jaylen Waddle 23%
Deebo Samuel 23%
DeVante Parker 23%
Marvin Jones Jr. 22%
A.J. Brown 22%
Ja’Marr Chase 21%
Brandin Cooks 21%
Dalton Schultz 20%

 

Russell Gage posted a 30% Target share over the last four weeks of the 2021 season and is going to be heavily involved in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense from the start with Chris Godwin returning from a late torn ACL. Gage is dirt cheap at WR50. Absurd.

TARGET RATE PER ROUTE RUN

Highest Target Rate Per Route Run | 2021 (minimum 65 targets)

Player Target rate per route run
Cooper Kupp 30%
Davante Adams 30%
Diontae Johnson 28%
A.J. Brown 28%
Tyreek Hill 27%
Justin Jefferson 26%
Cordarrelle Patterson 25%
D.J. Moore 25%
D.K. Metcalf 25%
Brandin Cooks 25%
Stefon Diggs 25%
Jarvis Landry 25%
Elijah Moore 24%
Mark Andrews 24%
Alvin Kamara 24%
Rondale Moore 24%
Jaylen Waddle 24%
Deebo Samuel 24%
D’Andre Swift 24%
Keenan Allen 23%
Darren Waller 23%
Russell Gage 23%
Leonard Fournette 23%
Jakobi Meyers 23%
George Kittle 23%
Tee Higgins 23%
Hunter Renfrow 23%
Marquise Brown 23%

 

Elijah Moore’s season didn’t end like we had hoped, with the rookie missing the final five games due to injuries and COVID-19 implications. Don’t overlook Moore’s 13th-highest target rate when on the field in 2021, however. It’s a great feat for a first-year player and bodes extremely well for the Ole Miss product as he heads into his second season as the team’s clear-cut alpha.

Other receivers who also saw extremely high target rates but failed to meet the 65-target threshold include Deonte Harty (27%), Kadarius Toney (25%), Sterling Shepard (25%), Albert Okwuegbunam (23%), Braxton Berrios (22%) and Jerry Jeudy (21%).

Tee Higgins’ 23% target rate per route run was higher than Ja’Marr Chase’s 21% in 2021. There’s no denying that WR1 overall upside exists with Chase in 2022, but Higgins’ constant command of targets in a loaded Cincinnati offense will make him a screaming value in 2022 fantasy drafts and in dynasty leagues.

Highest Target Rate Per Route Run | Last Four Weeks (minimum 15 targets)

Player Target rate per route run
Antonio Brown 38%
Antonio Gibson 34%
Amon-Ra St. Brown 33%
Brandin Cooks 33%
Davante Adams 32%
A.J. Brown 32%
D.K. Metcalf 32%
Ameer Abdullah 30%
Russell Gage 29%
Braxton Berrios 29%
Jaylen Waddle 28%
Michael Pittman Jr. 27%
Mark Andrews 27%
Cooper Kupp 27%
Justin Jefferson 27%
Stefon Diggs 27%
Dallas Goedert 27%
Laviska Shenault Jr. 27%
Zay Jones 26%
Alvin Kamara 26%
Mike Williams 26%
Marquez Callaway 25%
Cedrick Wilson 25%
Jakobi Meyers 25%
Diontae Johnson 25%
Deebo Samuel 24%
Darnell Mooney 24%
Ray-Ray McCloud 24%
Zach Ertz 24%
Jauan Jennings 24%
Tyreek Hill 24%
Ja’Marr Chase 24%

 

Antonio Gibson’s target rate per route run increased by 13% over the final four weeks — the biggest increase at the position. J.D. McKissic’s late-season injury fueled Gibson’s receiving surge, as the second-year back commanded a 17% Target share in games without his pass-catching counterpart.

In the other 12 games, Gibson owned just an 8% Target share and ran a route on 36% of dropbacks. It’s clear that Gibson’s path to top-tier usage can only be unlocked if McKissic misses time.

Why Mike Williams over Keenan Allen? Last four weeks of the season, Williams and Allen each saw 30 targets. However, Williams owned a monster 26% target rate per route run versus Allen’s 18%.

END-ZONE TARGETS

Most End-Zone Targets | 2021 Regular Season

Player End-zone targets End-zone touchdowns
Stefon Diggs 25 8
Mark Andrews 19 10
Justin Jefferson 19 7
Marvin Jones Jr. 17 4
D.K. Metcalf 17 8
Mike Williams 16 5
Diontae Johnson 16 3
Cooper Kupp 15 8
DeVonta Smith 15 6
Marquise Brown 15 5
Ja’Marr Chase 15 6
Tee Higgins 14 7
Mike Evans 13 9
Tyler Lockett 13 5
Hunter Henry 13 8
Kenny Golladay 13 0
Dawson Knox 13 6
Van Jefferson 13 3
Gabriel Davis 13 5
Emmanuel Sanders 12 4
Zach Ertz 12 2
Chase Claypool 12 1
Hunter Renfrow 12 6
Terry McLaurin 12 5
Jared Cook 11 6
A.J. Green 11 1
DeAndre Hopkins 11 6
Keenan Allen 11 5
Davante Adams 11 7
Amari Cooper 11 7
Bryan Edwards 11 2
Allen Lazard 11 4
Brandon Aiyuk 11 5
Rob Gronkowski 10 3
Randall Cobb 10 3
Darren Waller 10 2
Tyreek Hill 10 6
Ricky Seals-Jones 10 1
D.J. Moore 10 5
CeeDee Lamb 10 3

 

WRs and TEs who should experience positive touchdown regression in the 2022 NFL season based on their overall target volume inside the 5-yard line include Kyle Pitts, Zach Ertz, Gabriel Davis, Diontae Johnson, A.J. Green, Van Jefferson, Marquise Brown, Mike Williams, CeeDee Lamb, DeVonta Smith, Chase Claypool, Darren Waller, Courtland Sutton and Marvin Jones Jr.

DEEP TARGETS AND AIR YARDS

Most Deep Targets (20-plus air yards) | 2021 Regular Season

Player Deep targets
Justin Jefferson 39
Tyler Lockett 39
Ja’Marr Chase 34
Terry McLaurin 33
DeVonta Smith 31
Marquise Brown 30
D.K. Metcalf 29
Courtland Sutton 29
Stefon Diggs 28
Mike Williams 26
Davante Adams 25
Tyreek Hill 25
CeeDee Lamb 25
Mike Evans 25
Diontae Johnson 24
Brandin Cooks 24
Cooper Kupp 23
D.J. Moore 23
Darnell Mooney 23
Marvin Jones Jr. 23
Christian Kirk 23
Marquez Valdes-Scantling 22
Mark Andrews 21
Amari Cooper 21
Chase Claypool 20
A.J. Green 20
Odell Beckham Jr. 20
Elijah Moore 20

 

Highest Air Yards Share | 2021

Player Air yards Air yards share
AJ. Brown 1410 47%
Justin Jefferson 2071 46%
Calvin Ridley 521 43%
D.J. Moore 1730 42%
Terry .McLaurin 1697 42%
Brandin Cooks 1423 40%
D.K. Metcalf 1636 39%
Davante Adams 1732 38%
Tyler Lockett 1562 37%
DeVonta Smith 1586 37%
Ja’Marr Chase 1952 37%
DeVante Parker 856 37%
Tee Higgins 1668 35%
Darnell Mooney 1556 35%
Tyreek Hill 1884 35%
Stefon Diggs 1931 34%
Diontae Johnson 1542 33%
DeAndre Hopkins 788 33%
Cooper Kupp 2017 33%
Mark Andrews 1574 32%
Michael Pittman 1253 32%
Kenny Golladay 1050 32%
Marquise Brown 1622 31%
Marvin Jones 1422 31%
Courtland Sutton 1509 31%
Antonio Brown 734 31%
Marquez Callaway 1060 30%
Keenan Allen 1310 30%
Elijah Moore 899 30%
Kyle Pitts 1188 30%
Marquez Valdes-Scantling 985 30%
Chase Claypool 1292 30%
Mike Williams 1497 30%

 

Highest Air Yards Share | Last Four Weeks of 2021 Season

Player Air yards Air yards share
Justin Jefferson 578 45%
D.K. Metcalf 482 40%
Russell Gage 463 40%
Zay Jones 478 39%
Mark Andrews 491 39%
DeVonta Smith 368 38%
Kenny Golladay 338 38%
Marquez Callaway 285 37%
D.J. Moore 401 35%
Marvin Jones Jr. 414 34%
Terry McLaurin 320 34%
Ja’Marr Chase 378 33%
A.J. Brown 359 33%
Donovan Peoples-Jones 361 33%
Amon-Ra St. Brown 307 33%
Darnell Mooney 427 32%
Stefon Diggs 454 30%
DeVante Parker 344 30%
Chase Claypool 323 29%
Brandin Cooks 348 29%
Mike Williams 473 29%
Brandon Aiyuk 296 29%
Davante Adams 286 29%
Laquon Treadwell 346 29%
Cooper Kupp 339 29%
Amari Cooper 346 28%
Odell Beckham Jr. 326 27%
Courtland Sutton 338 27%
Jakobi Meyers 389 27%
Zach Ertz 381 27%

 

WOPR (Weighted Opportunity = 1.5 × Target share + 0.7 × air yards share)

Player WOPR
Justin Jefferson 76%
A.J. Brown 75%
Davante Adams 75%
Kristian Wilkerson 74%
D.J. Moore 72%
Coopper Kupp 71%
Calvin Ridley 70%
Brandin Cooks 69%
D.K. Metcalf 69%
Terry McLaurin 66%
Darnell Mooney 66%
Diontae Johnson 65%
Tyler Lockett 63%
Stefon Diggs 62%
DeVante Parker 62%
Michael Pittman 62%
Tyreek Hill 62%
Mark Andrews 61%
Ja’Marr Chase 61%
Marquise Brown 61%
DeVonta Smith 60%
Keenan Allen 60%
Tee Higgins 60%
Jakobi Meyers 57%
Antonio Brown 56%
Deebo Samuel 56%
Jaylen Waddle 55%
Russell Gage 55%
Jarvis Landry 54%
DeAndre Hopkins 54%
Darren Waller 53%
Marvin Jones 53%
Kyle Pitts 52%
Mike Williams 51%
George Kittle 51%
Elijah Moore 51%
Travis Kelce 50%
D.J. Chark 50%
Amon-Ra St. Brown 50%

 

RUNNING BACKS

Rate of Routes Run Per Dropback | 2021 Regular Season

Player Routes run % of routes run per dropback
Najee Harris 497 66%
Ezekiel Elliott 452 59%
Austin Ekeler 446 56%
Devin Singletary 401 51%
D’Andre Swift 344 51%
Jonathan Taylor 313 50%
Mike Davis 331 50%
Aaron Jones 329 48%
Leonard Fournette 377 47%
Joe Mixon 314 47%
Alvin Kamara 283 46%
Darrel Williams 371 46%
Javonte Williams 281 44%
David Montgomery 309 44%
Darrell Henderson 291 43%
Josh Jacobs 310 42%
Myles Gaskin 312 42%
Dalvin Cook 283 41%
James Robinson 288 40%
Melvin Gordon III 255 40%
Sony Michel 266 39%
Saquon Barkley 279 39%
Antonio Gibson 266 39%

 

Jonathan Taylor finished the 2021 regular season 11th in routes run and sixth in route participation (50%). I really think Nyheim Hines’ “increased role” at the expense of J.T. is being overblown, especially considering we are likely to see both backs heavily peppered with targets among a pretty lackluster receiving room. No passer targeted running backs more than Ryan did in 2021 — 8.6 targets per game.

Only two rookie running backs finished inside the top 15 in route participation in 2021: Najee Harris (1st) and Javonte Williams (13th).

It makes sense for Harris, who operated as a three-down workhorse all season. The volume he is going to see in 2022 pretty much locks him into RB1 territory. Still, his ceiling/floor projection will be dependent on the state of the Pittsburgh Steelers offense is with Mitchell Trubisky/Kenny Pickett at QB.

As for Williams, the fact he was able to carve out such a large receiving role as a rookie while also working in tandem with Melvin Gordon III demonstrates his sky-high ceiling. We got a glimpse of his potential when he scored 27 fantasy points against the Chiefs without Gordon in the lineup.

Gordon is going to be involved this season, but Williams’ upside cannot be ignored should the team turn to him more down the stretch.

Rate of Routes Run Per Dropback | Last Four Weeks of 2021

Player Routes run % of routes run per dropback
Sony Michel 111 74%
Devin Singletary 123 67%
Jonathan Taylor 78 63%
Alvin Kamara 73 59%
Najee Harris 104 59%
Rex Burkhead 76 54%
Devonta Freeman 93 51%
Ezekiel Elliott 84 50%
David Montgomery 95 50%
Dare Ogunbowale 80 50%
Brandon Bolden 79 50%
Josh Jacobs 75 48%
Austin Ekeler 92 48%
D’Ernest Johnson 72 47%
Javonte Williams 60 45%
Darrel Williams 81 45%
Joe Mixon 76 44%
Ameer Abdullah 83 44%
Devontae Booker 60 41%
Cordarrelle Patterson 57 41%
Alexander Mattison 60 41%
A.J. Dillon 64 40%
Justin Jackson 76 40%

 

Ameer Abdullah is one of my favorite final picks and a running back I am adding in super-deep dynasty formats. His 30% target rate per route run and 16% Target share ranked second among all RBs over the final four weeks. As the locked-in third-down back, he could provide more value in PPR leagues than many would assume.

A 10% Target share (top 10 at the RB position) isn’t crazy considering Josh Jacobs and Brandon Bolden saw similar target usage last season.

Highest Target share | 2021 Regular Season

Player Target Share
Najee Harris 14%
Austin Ekeler 13%
D’Andre Swift 13%
Alvin Kamara 13%
Leonard Fournette 11%
Cordarrelle Patterson 11%
Aaron Jones 10%
Ezekiel Elliott 10%
Mike Davis 10%
Josh Jacobs 10%
Nyheim Hines 10%
Myles Gaskin 10%
Antonio Gibson 10%
Saquon Barkley 9%
David Montgomery 9%
Javonte Williams 9%
Jonathan Taylor 9%
Kenneth Gainwell 9%
J.D. McKissic 9%
Brandon Bolden 9%

 

Why can D’Andre Swift be this year’s version of Austin Ekeler? They had identical target shares in 2021 (13%), tied for second-best among RBs,  although Swift’s target rate per route run (24%) was superior to Ekeler’s (21%).

Highest Target share | Last four weeks of 2021

Player Target share
Alvin Kamara 19%
Ameer Abdullah 16%
Antonio Gibson 13%
David Montgomery 12%
Najee Harris 11%
Joe Mixon 11%
Saquon Barkley 11%
Sony Michel 11%
Rex Burkhead 11%
Nyheim Hines 10%
Brandon Bolden 10%
Austin Ekeler 10%
Dontrell Hilliard 10%
Aaron Jones 9%
Javonte Williams 9%
Josh Jacobs 9%
Dare Ogunbowale 9%
Devontae Booker 9%

 

Highest Target Rate Per Route Run | 2021 Regular Season 

Player Target rate per route run
Christian McCaffrey 35%
Cordarrelle Patterson 25%
Tony Pollard 25%
Ameer Abdullah 25%
Kenneth Gainwell 24%
Nyheim Hines 24%
Alvin Kamara 24%
D’Andre Swift 24%
Leonard Fournette 23%
Michael Carter 23%
J.D. McKissic 23%
Brandon Bolden 22%
Antonio Gibson 22%
Josh Jacobs 21%
David Johnson 21%
Saquon Barkley 21%
Austin Ekeler 21%
Myles Gaskin 21%
Ty Johnson 20%
Aaron Jones 20%
Najee Harris 20%

 

Highest Target Rate Per Route Run | Last Four Weeks of 2021

Player Target rate per route run
Antonio Gibson 34%
Ameer Abdullah 30%
Tony Pollard 27%
Nyheim Hines 27%
Saquon Barkley 26%
Alvin Kamara 26%
Aaron Jones 25%
Dontrell Hilliard 24%
Joe Mixon 22%
David Montgomery 20%
Chase Edmonds 20%
Austin Ekeler 20%

 

CARRIES NEAR THE GOAL LINE

Most Carries Inside the 5-Yard Line | 2021 Regular Season

Player Goal-line carries Goal-line touchdowns
Jonathan Taylor 27 11
James Conner 16 10
Joe Mixon 16 7
Austin Ekeler 15 7
Ezekiel Elliott 15 6
Dalvin Cook 15 3
Damien Harris 14 9
Darrel Williams 14 6
Josh Jacobs 13 7
Antonio Gibson 13 5
David Montgomery 12 6
Leonard Fournette 11 5
James Robinson 10 7
Boston Scott 10 7
Melvin Gordon III 10 4
Nick Chubb 10 4
Najee Harris 10 4
A.J. Dillon 10 4
Alvin Kamara 10 2
Derrick Henry 9 4
Michael Carter 9 3
Javonte Williams 9 2
Devin Singletary 7 4
Darrell Henderson 7 4
Mark Ingram II 7 1
Devonta Freeman 6 4
Aaron Jones 6 4
Jordan Howard 6 3
Sony Michel 6 3
Rhamondre Stevenson 6 3
Rex Burkhead 6 2
Ty Johnson 6 2
Myles Gaskin 6 2
Miles Sanders 6 0

 

What separated Jonathan Taylor as the bona fide No. 1 running back in fantasy football? Goal-line usage. No player came close to seeing his amount of volume near pay dirt. Taylor’s 42 carries inside t he 10-yard line were 12 more than the next-closest back (Harris, 30).

It’s pretty clear that RBs with the vise grip on the touches inside the 5- and 10-yard line have an easy path to a top-tier fantasy ceiling, but not all RBs convert their opportunities into scores at the same rate.

Running backs who should easily experience positive touchdown regression — assuming their roles stay relatively the same — include A.J. Dillon, Alvin Kamara, Javonte Williams, Dalvin Cook, Antonio Gibson, Leonard Fournette and Miles Sanders.

The fact that Dillon is due for positive touchdown regression does not bode well for Aaron Jones’ elite fantasy football status in 2022. The bruising back was used heavily around the goal line all season, and that doesn’t seem likely to change entering Year 3.

Playing in a high-powered offense, Dillon could end up as the better Packers fantasy RB after finishing as PFF’s second-highest-graded rusher.

TIGHT ENDS

Rate of Routes Run Per Dropback | 2021 Regular Season

Player Routes run % of routes run per dropback
Mark Andrews 661 84%
Travis Kelce 662 82%
Kyle Pitts 535 80%
Mike Gesicki 581 78%
Zach Ertz 551 78%
Dalton Schultz 586 77%
Tyler Higbee 513 76%
Cole Kmet 529 75%
Tyler Conklin 506 73%
Noah Fant 460 72%
C.J. Uzomah 484 72%
Dawson Knox 543 69%
Hunter Henry 424 69%
Evan Engram 487 68%
George Kittle 409 68%
Jared Cook 512 64%
Gerald Everett 378 63%
T.J. Hockenson 423 62%
Dallas Goedert 379 61%
Pat Freiermuth 421 56%
Darren Waller 405 55%
Austin Hooper 320 51%
David Njoku 319 51%
Rob Gronkowski 398 50%

 

Rate of Routes Run Per Dropback | Last Four Weeks of 2021

Player Routes run % of routes run per dropback
Zach Ertz 184 92%
Mark Andrews 161 89%
George Kittle 112 88%
Dawson Knox 158 86%
Rob Gronkowski 155 86%
Tyler Conklin 124 84%
Noah Fant 108 81%
Evan Engram 118 81%
Cole Kmet 151 79%
Mike Gesicki 112 79%
Hunter Henry 123 77%
Gerald Everett 101 77%
Dalton Schultz 128 77%
Foster Moreau 115 74%
Kyle Pitts 103 74%
Travis Kelce 129 72%
John Bates 100 71%
David Njoku 99 65%
Tyler Higbee 96 64%
Jared Cook 115 60%
C.J. Uzomah 103 60%
Mo Alie-Cox 69 56%
Dallas Goedert 75 55%
Tyler Kroft 68 53%
Josiah Deguara 84 52%
Pat Freiermuth 91 52%
Durham Smythe 71 50%

 

David Njoku’s 65% route participation from the last part of 2021 combined with his full-time usage during the preseason suggests the dude is going to ball out in 2022. I’ve moved him up into my top 10 tight ends and he is by far my favorite target when I go late-round at the position.

His 18% target rate per route run was identical to Cole Kmet’s target rate last season … but we all know that Njoku can offer way more upside as an athlete and yards after the catch monster.

Highest Target share | 2021 Regular Season

Player Target share
Mark Andrews 25%
Travis Kelce 20%
Kyle Pitts 19%
Zach Ertz 18%
George Kittle 17%
Mike Gesicki 17%
Cole Kmet 16%
Noah Fant 16%
Dallas Goedert 15%
Dalton Schultz 15%
Darren Waller 14%
T.J. Hockenson 14%
Hunter Henry 14%
Tyler Conklin 14%
Tyler Higbee 13%

 

The fact that Dalton Schultz has been able to produce the way he has for fantasy despite just a 15% Target share just goes to show how valuable that role is in the Dallas Cowboys offense. It makes him hard to beat as one of the elite tight ends going in the middle rounds, especially considering that his Target share increased during the last four weeks of the season, foreshadowing a 20% Target share in his range of outcomes for the entire 2022 season.

Highest Target share | Last Four Weeks of 2021

Player Target share
Mark Andrews 30%
Zach Ertz 24%
Dalton Schultz 20%
Kyle Pitts 19%
Mike Gesicki 19%
Rob Gronkowski 18%
Travis Kelce 18%
Hunter Henry 18%
Dallas Goedert 17%
Tyler Conklin 16%
Noah Fant 16%
George Kittle 15%
Tyler Higbee 15%
Cole Kmet 15%
Gerald Everett 15%
Mo Alie-Cox 13%
Evan Engram 13%

 

Do not disregard Mo Alie-Cox. While others debate endlessly on the Colts No. 2 pass-catcher, simply stash the former basketball standout. The big man had a 20% target rate per route run in his last four games.

Highest Target Rate Per Route Run | 2021 Regular Season 

Player Target rate per route run
Jonnu Smith 28%
Mark Andrews 24%
Darren Waller 23%
Albert Okwuegbunam 23%
George Kittle 23%
Rob Gronkowski 22%
Travis Kelce 22%
Kyle Pitts 21%
Dallas Goedert 21%
T.J. Hockenson 21%
Zach Ertz 21%
Geoff Swaim 20%
Austin Hooper 20%
Noah Fant 20%
Dan Arnold 19%
Mike Gesicki 19%
Pat Freiermuth 19%
Hunter Henry 19%
Dalton Schultz 18%
David Njoku 18%
Cole Kmet 18%

 

Highest Target Rate Per Route Run | Last Four Weeks of 2021

Player Target rate per route run
Mark Andrews 27%
Dallas Goedert 27%
Cameron Brate 26%
Geoff Swaim 25%
Zach Ertz 24%
Dalton Schultz 23%
Travis Kelce 22%
Tyler Higbee 22%
Kyle Pitts 21%
Ricky Seals-Jones 21%
Hunter Henry 21%
Pat Freiermuth 21%
Mike Gesicki 21%
Mo Alie-Cox 20%
Rob Gronkowski 20%
Anthony Firkser 20%

 

*Routes run data provided by PFF.com

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If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – that allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.