The 2023 season has had its curtain call, and now we get to dig into the details that shaped our fantasy fortunes. Many teams had up and down seasons with changes at quarterback influencing how the pass-catchers faired. In this recap, we’ll look at how each team was managed and what outside factors influenced the outcomes.

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2023 Fantasy Football Season Target Recap

Arizona Cardinals

Marquise Brown saw plenty of volume this year, but sadly most of it came during the first half of the season without Kyler Murray and he only caught 51 of 101 targets. When Murray returned it coincided with Brown struggling with injuries and his production tailed off managing just nine catches from Week 10. Meanwhile, though, Trey McBride‘s breakout continued seeing 8.6 targets per game with Murray, to easily lead the team. The Cardinals can afford to franchise tag pending free agent Brown, but they still need another quality receiver to add to this room to really challenge in year two of this regime.

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons ping-ponged back and forth between two quarterbacks who won’t be starting games in 2024 and nobody was able to be a consistent fantasy option in this offense, and throughout Arthur Smith’s three years, there has been very little consistency from any pass-catchers. Jonnu Smith seeing more red zone targets than Kyle Pitts, who the Falcons spent elite draft capital on, is certainly a choice. Pitts saw his target share drop by 9% from 2022 and Drake London‘s dropped by 7%. London has shown the ability to earn targets but badly needs an upgrade at quarterback, and probably head coach too.

Baltimore Ravens

Zay Flowers broke the Ravens record for a rookie receiver, seeing 108 targets, as well as an impressive 14 red zone targets, which ranked 29th among all players. Flowers thrived after Mark Andrews got injured, but we shouldn’t downplay the face Flowers clearly has Lamar Jackson‘s trust. Andrews’s 6.1 targets per game is a slight down-tick on his career average of 6.4, but a notable drop from 2022 when he saw 7.4, yet Andrews was still able to perform as the TE4 in points per game. The 59 targets that went to running backs or fullbacks is almost identical to 2022’s 58, however in 2022 they resulted in 248 yards and in 2023 under Todd Monken’s offense they created 514.

Buffalo Bills

Stefon Diggs was the only Bills receiver with more than 100 targets or a target share greater than 20% when we look at the whole season, but when we consider his catch rate it tells a different story. Between Weeks 1-9 Diggs caught 72% of his targets, but from Week 10 onwards only 54%. Diggs has struggled over the second half of the year for two consecutive years now, and it hasn’t been helped by Josh Allen‘s accuracy issues of late. Dalton Kincaid looked elite during Dawson Knox‘s time on injured reserve, averaging 7.6 targets per game, but only averaged 4.6 in games with Knox, who is under contract till 2026 and is likely a lock to make the roster in 2024.

Carolina Panthers

The only players to have been relevant in this Panthers offense have been Adam Thielen and Chuba Hubbard. Thielen dominated targets particularly before the Week 7 bye, averaging 9.8 per game, but his age caught up to him and the offense moved away from him slightly as he struggled to be productive, seeing 7.5 targets for the rest of the season. Hubbard showed he was the more productive back and while he didn’t earn more targets than Miles Sanders did, he generated 251 yards after the catch compared to Sanders’s 158. Ultimately, with a new offense, head coach and hopefully new receivers, everything will look drastically different in 2024.

Chicago Bears

The Bears found Justin Fields a true WR1 and DJ Moore delivered, setting career-highs in receiving yards, receptions, catch rate and touchdowns. This in turn led to Justin Fields having his most productive year as a passer. The only knock on Moore’s season was that when Field’s missed time his receiving yardage dropped from an average of 90 per game to 52. This spell wasn’t unproductive for everyone though with Cole Kmet averaging 6.25 targets per game, up from his average of 5.1 with Fields. Darnell Mooney is a fine WR3 on any offense, but the Bears need to find someone else of quality to draw dedicated coverage away from Moore.

Cincinnati Bengals

Tyler Boyd quietly had his most targets since 2020, but even in PPR formats, it didn’t count for much with Boyd finishing as the WR56. Boyd is only 29 years old but appears to be irrelevant for fantasy purposes if the Bengals can find a way to keep Tee Higgins, with Boyd scoring 8.6 points per game with Higgins active, compared to 10.1 without him playing. Higgins had averaged over 7.0 targets per game throughout his career before this season but with Joe Burrow‘s injuries and regression Higgins finished outside the top 36 wide receivers for the first time. Joe Mixon saw the second-most targets of his career, which helped make up for reduced rushing efficiency. Tanner Hudson showed more in his age-29 season than Irv Smith has ever done and is worth remembering for 2024 if the Bengals are without Higgins.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns were the only team in the league to have three different receivers see 100 or more targets, thanks in large part to the pass-heavy paradisiacal days of Joe Flacco, who passed 204 times in five games compared to Watson’s 171 in six. Watson’s catchable ball rate was 65% compared to Flacco’s 70%. David Njoku in particular struggled more with Watson, seeing 6.0 targets per game compared to 8.6 in games without Watson at quarterback. With Watson due back in 2024, it’s worth considering just how high you want to draft Njoku.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys kicked things up a gear after their Week 7 bye week with Dak Prescott going from 31 passes per game to 36. That change saw CeeDee Lamb and Prescott go nuclear and both scored the most points at their positions for the rest of the season. Before the bye Lamb was WR24, but the Cowboys becoming pass-heavy unleashed him. Jake Ferguson led all tight ends in red zone targets and his 96 targets were the seventh-most among tight ends. Brandin Cooks separated from Michael Gallup after the bye week, with 5.0 targets per game to Gallup’s 2.3. Going into next year the order seems set with Lamb, Ferguson and Cooks the most relevant players.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos were one of only three teams to not have a single player reach 90 targets as Sean Payton led a more conservative offense, running back-focused offense than Russell Wilson dreamed of when he left Seattle. Courtland Sutton was the only fantasy-relevant player, thanks to his ten touchdowns, eight of which came in the red zone, and because of this he typically only returned value when scoring touchdowns. Jerry Jeudy earned targets but couldn’t turn it into production and Marvin Mims never earned Payton’s trust ahead of a host of ‘his guys’ from his time in New Orleans. Adam Trautman‘s 12 red zone targets were the ninth-most among tight ends but they only turned into three touchdowns.

Detroit Lions

The Lions offense needed another receiver to step up alongside Amon-Ra St. Brown and they yielded immediate returns from Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs, with LaPorta seeing the fifth-most targets among tight ends and Gibbs also fifth in targets among running backs. Jameson Williams grew into a role as his second season went along, seeing 4.3 targets per game from Week 14 onwards and there remains some hope he could become fantasy-relevant if he can finally have a season uninterrupted by suspension or injuries.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers lacked a receiver going over 100 targets, but not for trying with injuries hampering them all at various points in the season. Romeo Doubs played 16 games and Jayden Reed 15, while Christian Watson managed only nine and struggled for consistency when he did play. Reed in particular flourished over the second half of the season, averaging 6.6 targets, compared to Doubs’s 4.9 and while Watson might offer more upside, it shouldn’t be surprising if Reed ends up as the Packers WR1 in 2024. Both Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft had their moments in 2023 but might struggle for fantasy relevancy when they’re both healthy.

Houston Texans

If it were not for Tank Dell‘s unfortunate injury, both he and Nico Collins likely would have seen 100 targets this year, but there are plenty of positives for the Texans in their first season with CJ Stroud. Stroud spread the ball around well, trusting all of his receivers and they all thrived upon it. Texans stacks will be very popular in 2024 best ball contests.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts season was thrown into a tornado when Anthony Richardson got injured, and under Gardner Minshew, it elevated Michael Pittman from a fantasy value to a must-start player. Pittman was averaging 8.75 targets with Richardson but saw it jump to 10.45 with Minshew, but it wasn’t all good news with Minshew as he struggled to connect with any other receivers consistently and the Colts became quite one-dimensional. Will Mallory leading the tight end position in targets is noteworthy when many expected a step forward from Jelani Woods, but with the Colts deep at the position it likely doesn’t bear relevancy in 2024.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Evan Engram is one of only three tight ends to lead his team in targets, with the other two being Travis Kelce and TJ Hockenson. Engrams 130 targets were the 27th most ever by a tight end, and 15 more than his previous career high of 115 set in his rookie season way back in 2017. Where Engram struggled though was turning targets into touchdowns with only three all season. The Jaguars seem to have very defined roles for their pass-catchers with Ridley rarely moving from the outside and Christian Kirk rarely leaving the slot. When it gets to the red zone it was all Calvin Ridley, who led the team with seven receiving touchdowns. Ultimately the team missed Zay Jones when he wasn’t on the field, and he only played eight games all year, but rarely looked healthy. The Jaguars have all the pieces, they just need to make the offense more creative and draft depth in case Jones never gets back to his 2022 form.

Kansas City Chiefs

Travis Kelce saw his lowest target total since 2017 and failed to break 1000 yards in the fantasy season for the first time since 2015. Kelce’s 8.1 targets per game was the second-most at the position, only trailing TJ Hockenson, but his 10.6 yards per reception was the first time he’s dipped below 12.0 in his career. Kelce can still be a solid TE1 in 2024, benefiting from PPR scoring systems, but it seems very likely we’ve seen the best of him. Rashee Rice had a very impressive rookie season and while he’s not the most complete receiver, his 22 red zone targets trailed only CeeDee Lamb among wide receivers. The Chiefs badly need at least one wide receiver to come in and dominate snaps alongside Rice, with nobody else in the group worthy of a consistent role. If Travis Kelce were to retire, things could be even worse in 2024.

Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders’ season spiralled from the get-go, and even when Davante Adams was getting 21 targets in Week 17, he was only able to catch 13 of them. Adams’s 33.1% target share led all players this year and his targets per game ranked fourth-highest, but his catch rate of 59% was the lowest of any receiver with 8.6 targets or more per game. The Raiders need a new head coach and a new quarterback, and it’s hard to imagine Adams not getting an upgrade should that happen. Meanwhile, Jakobi Meyers has had 95 or more targets in three straight seasons and deserves to be drafted inside the top ten rounds of 2024 drafts providing the Raiders secure a QB upgrade. Michael Mayer had a good as season as could be expected in year one and is a fine buy-low candidate in dynasty leagues.

Los Angeles Chargers

Keenan Allen dominated in 2023, as the WR3 in PPR points per game played, averaging a league-high 11.5 targets per game, 1.0 more than Tyreek Hill and CeeDee Lamb. Allen hadn’t finished as a top-five receiver since 2017 and had only managed it that one time in his first ten years in the league. The Chargers could make the difficult decision to move on from Allen this offseason, due to a very tricky cap situation, but wherever Allen lands, he’s shown he’s still a great receiver and can be counted on. Quentin Johnston was perhaps one of the most disappointing rookies and the raw numbers fail to convey just how many good opportunities were spurned. If one or both of Allen and Mike Williams move on, perhaps Johnston has a chance to turn things around, but the odds are stacked against him. It’s also noteworthy that both Gerald Everett and Austin Ekeler are out of contract leaving another 135 targets up for grabs.

Los Angeles Rams

Puka Nacua looks set to break records in Week 18 with both the rookie receiving yardage and receptions records within reach. His season has been fantastic from start to finish with no fewer than seven targets in every game as he finished as the WR7 in points per game. Cooper Kupp‘s 7.9 targets per game ranked 19th among wide receivers, but his 12.5 yards per reception was his second-highest mark since 2018, with him benefiting from defenses paying attention to Nacua. Kupp still retained the most looks in the red zone, with his short-distance twitchiness still proving a nightmare for defenders. In 2024 it shouldn’t be surprising if Nacua separates further, but Kupp potentially scores more touchdowns. Tyler Higbee‘s 70 targets resulted in only four double-digit points games all year and with only two touchdowns he struggled to be fantasy-relevant. If the Rams don’t bring in fresh legs at wide receiver both Tutu Atwell and Demarcus Robinson will be worth late fliers in best ball drafts as the Rams lead the league in three-wide receiver looks.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins story is quite a simple one really, Tyreek Hill dominated and everyone else mopped up what was left over. Durham Smythe rarely factored for fantasy purposes with zero touchdowns and only three games with more than three receptions. Jaylen Waddle set career lows in targets, receptions, yardage and touchdowns along with falling outside the top-20 wide receivers in points per game for the first time in his career. Waddle could bounce back, but he’ll need the Dolphins to be less focused on the running game in 2024 in order to achieve it.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings could have been a lot of fun this year if it wasn’t for injuries to both Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins, but injuries are a constant part of fantasy football, and thankfully for the Vikings pass-catchers a carousel of quarterbacks has at least kept them fairly relevant. Jordan Addison saw 2.5 more targets in games without Justin Jefferson, while Jefferson was on IR, but all these stats feel noisy due to the four different quarterbacks the Vikings have used this year.

New England Patriots

Only the New England Patriots and New York Giants failed to have a single player reach 75 targets or more, as both teams put up forgettable seasons on offense. Bill O’Brien was installed as offensive coordinator in New England and was supposed to be an upgrade on 2022’s debacle of an experiment with Matt Patricia calling plays. Kendrick Bourne looked better than anyone else in this offense before his ACL injury and should be a solid option for 2024 depending on what the environment around him looks like. Demario Douglas was reasonably impressive, but nothing special, turning 73 targets into five top-36 finishes and eight outside that range. It’s all change in New England in the coming months, and there won’t be many safe bets for 2024.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints looked discombobulated at times this season and Michael Thomas was emblematic of the offense when he was out there, steady volume that moved the ball but very few returns. Thomas finished as the WR55 in points per game, and the biggest win for him might have been playing in ten games for the first time since 2019. Olave’s production was steady throughout the season, but his four touchdowns all came in the red zone and 37 other wide receivers saw more red zone looks than Olave. Juwan Johnson left it late to make a mark, but after a strong training camp and a strong finish, there’s enough reason to leave the light on for another year.

New York Giants

It was a bleak season in New York and there isn’t much to garner here. Darius Slayton had the only top-ten finish of any Giants wide receiver and that came in Week 17 with Tyrod Taylor at quarterback. In games with Daniel Jones, Darren Waller saw 6.8 targets per game and a 21.5% target share, Wan’Dale Robinson had 5.7 and an 18.1% target share and Darius Slayton had 4.8 and a 15.2% target share. Jalin Hyatt grew into the offense, seeing an average of 2.0 targets per game weeks 1-11 and 3.2 per game from Week 12 onwards. The Giants badly need offensive upgrades to be more fantasy-relevant next year.

New York Jets

It definitely didn’t feel like Garrett Wilson saw the third-most targets this year, but the numbers don’t lie, even if Wilson finished 12th in receptions and 22nd in receiving yardage as well as 66th in touchdowns. We all know that Garrett Wilson badly needs better quarterback play and that rests in the hands of a 40-year-old quarterback coming off an achilles injury. Breece Hall‘s 93 targets led the position and with a healthy Aaron Rodgers Hall should be unleashed. While in Green Bay Rodgers loved to target his running backs. Allen Lazard and Tyler Conklin have limited upside but will be worth shots in best ball stacks, depending on if Davante Adams is added to this group as rumors continue to swirl, even if those resources would be better spent on the offensive line.

Philadelphia Eagles

AJ Brown was balling to start the year and even garnered some mentions in very early MVP conversations, as he averaged 10.2 targets per game and 22.6 PPR points per game between Weeks 1-9. Sadly for Brown, after the Eagles Week 10 bye week, the offense’s backward step caught up to him and saw his targets drop slightly to 9.2 and his fantasy output crater to 12.3 points per game. Brown had six touchdowns before the bye week and a single one after that. DeVonta Smith continued a career-long trend of smashing when Dallas Goedert was out of the lineup, averaging 9.3 targets without Goedert, compared to 6.5 when Goedert played. Goedert himself, took a backward step too, seeing fewer screens than he did in previous years resulting in only two top 12 finishes in weeks 1-9, but he finished strong with 29.8 points combined over the last two weeks. Ultimately, this team will be better placed in 2024 when they likely face a second-placed schedule and have a fully healthy Jalen Hurts. Thankfully, the offense continues to be very condensed.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers miserable games under Kenny Pickett and Matt Canada yielded very few fantasy returns, but there were immediate signs of life when Canada was fired and even more signs of life when Kenny Pickett was benched in favor of Mason Rudolph. Pickens saved his season with a three-game stretch at the end where he saw a 31% target share and twice finished inside the top ten. Meanwhile, Diontae Johnson continues to earn targets but struggles to have solid returns in this offense. All of these players have found roles and shown enough that we should have faith in them for 2024 if Mike Tomlin makes an upgrade at quarterback to one who can move the ball better and isn’t afraid to take shots.

San Francisco 49ers

Most people would be surprised to hear the Niners only had one player reach 100 targets this year but the Niners live on efficiency and they’ve done what they want largely this year. George Kittle had thrived with touchdowns in 2022 when Brock Purdy got into the lineup but this year he was more impressive all-round putting up a career-high 15.7 yards per reception. Kittle may be getting older, but unlike Travis Kelce, he’s finding an extra gear. Christian McCaffrey‘s near-MVP form made it harder for Brandon Aiyuk to be a fantasy stud, with seven games under 60 yards and nine games without touchdowns. Deebo Samuel struggled earlier on in the year, but his skills frequently see him be the first read on plays, which makes him a valuable player to roster. Unless one of the big four are injured, there is nobody else worth rostering in San Francisco.

Seattle Seahawks

The common refrain in the offseason was that Jaxon Smith-Njigba might struggle to see the field in Seattle because they ran so many two-wide receiver sets, but unsurprisingly the Seahawks changed things up after drafting a round one wide receiver and Smith-Njigba saw plenty of work, averaging 64% of snaps. Smith-Njigba never truly broke out but flashed at times and if the team moves on from Tyler Lockett, we could be in for a promising second year. Lockett meanwhile showed signs of his age with his first sub-1000 yard season since 2018, despite earning the most targets. DK Metcalf once again proved overdrafted, unable to separate from Lockett in terms of targets. Through Weeks 1-10 Metcalf scored a single touchdown and averaged a WR32 finish each week, but then saved his season with six touchdowns down the stretch. Perhaps the most surprising part of the season is Colby Parkinson garnering seven redzone looks on only 29 targets.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay became pleasantly predictable throughout the season with Chris Godwin finding form as the season went on and Mike Evans being a far more reliable option than expected with Baker Mayfield at quarterback. Rachaad White was tenth among running backs in targets seeing eight more than in his rookie season. Mike Evans is a pending free agent, but the Buccaneers seem keen to retain him and if that transpires, along with Mayfield’s return then we can feel confident in this offense for 2024.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans are a team deep into a rebuild, who potentially aren’t even sure that they have their quarterback of the future yet either. DeAndre Hopkins was as expected this year, earning targets and putting up solid performances but lacking some of the magic from earlier in his career. Hopkins is under contract for another year with the Titans, but they could move on and save $14m against the cap should they decide to. Treylon Burks has continued to struggle and at this point it would be surprising to see him deliver consistent fantasy returns. Chigoziem Okonkwo struggled to start the year, seeing 4.3 targets in games with Ryan Tannehill, before a slight increase to 4.8 with Will Levis. Tyjae Spears showed on a limited workload that he can be a fantasy stud in 2024 without Derrick Henry on the team.

Washington Commanders

The Commanders were fantasy-friendly in 2023, with their terrible defense and fast rate of play delivering how we’d like, but few players disappointed as much as Jahan Dotson did, going from a promising rookie campaign where he totaled 523 yards on 61 targets, to managing 501 on 80 this year. Curtis Samuel‘s emergence as Sam Howell’s best friend was slightly surprising and there were spells where he was the most consistent player in this passing game. New coaching and new quarterbacks might finally bring Terry McLaurin what he needs to finish inside the top-20 wide receivers for the first time in his career.