Wide Receiver Usage Deep Dive: Russell Gage Flashes and the Stars Explode in Week 1
Image Credit: Stephen Lew/Icon Sportswire. Pictured: Russell Gage.

All season long Zachary Krueger will go in-depth with all of the key wide receiver performances. Providing weekly targets, air yards breakdowns, and fantasy points over expectation trends, he’ll help you dominate the waiver wire and make the best start/sit decisions in your upcoming fantasy football matchups.

Like frost blanketed across the grass on a crisp fall morning, nothing is more beautiful than logging into the RotoViz Weekly Stat Explorer and seeing those fresh stats. As a Russell Gage fan, I could stare at his 9/114/0 receiving line all morning over a hot cup of coffee, salivating at the idea of him receiving similar volume in Week 2.

An even more exciting way to start your day could be by digging into the air yards Will Fuller received on Thursday night against the Chiefs. After all, it’s not everyday that a receiver just stumbles into 46% of his team’s air yards.

These Week 1 receiving numbers are just a few stats that we’ll emphasize as we head into Week 2. Through the assessment of valuable numbers such as targets, air yards and expected fantasy points we’ll cover all the angles and help you better understand every receiver.

Tasked with the tremendous honor of writing this weekly column, I hope we all get a chance to learn something of value through this weekly dive on WRs. With the goal of winning fantasy championships at the forefront of my mind for the next 16 weeks, let’s take a look at some Week 1 performances!

Week 1 Target Recap

PlayerTeamTgtRecYardsTD
Davante AdamsGB17141562
DeAndre HopkinsARI16141510
Amari CooperDAL1410810
Jamison CrowderNYJ1371151
Calvin RidleyATL1291302
Julio JonesATL1291570
Russell GageATL1291140
Diontae JohnsonPIT106570
John BrownBUF106701
Odell Beckham Jr.CLE103220
Quintez CephusDET103430
Will FullerHOU1081120
A.J. GreenCIN95510
Allen RobinsonCHI95740
D.J. MooreCAR94540
Darius SlaytonNYG961022
Mike WilliamsLAC94690
Parris CampbellIND96710
Sammy WatkinsKC97821
Stefon DiggsBUF98860
T.Y. HiltonIND94530
A.J. BrownTEN85390
Adam ThielenMIN861102
Corey DavisTEN871010
Curtis SamuelCAR85380
D.K. MetcalfSEA84951
Jerry JeudyDEN84560
Keenan AllenLAC84370
Marvin JonesDET84550
Robby AndersonCAR861151
Robert WoodsLAR861050
Tyler LockettSEA88920
Adam HumphriesTEN76470
Chris GodwinTB76790
Cole BeasleyBUF74580
Danny AmendolaDET75810
DeSean JacksonPHI72460
Greg Ward Jr.PHI75310
Julian EdelmanNE75570
Preston WilliamsMIA72410
Terry McLaurinWAS75610
Anthony MillerCHI64761
CeeDee LambDAL65590
Demarcus RobinsonKC63200
Jarvis LandryCLE65610
Juju Smith-SchusterPIT66692
Marquez Valdes-ScantlingGB64961
Marquise BrownBAL651010
N'Keal HarryNE65390
Scott MillerTB65730
Sterling ShepardNYG66470
Tyreek HillKC65461
Brandin CooksHOU52200
Breshad PerrimanNYJ53170
Christian KirkARI5100
Cooper KuppLAR54400
Dontrelle InmanWAS52210
Emmanuel SandersNO53151
Henry RuggsLV53550
John RossCIN52170
Keelan ColeJAC55471
Kendrick BourneSF52340
Larry FitzgeraldARI54340
Michael GallupDAL53500
Michael ThomasNO53170
Tim PatrickDEN54290
Trent TaylorSF5270
Tyler BoydCIN54330
Allen LazardGB44631
Chris HoganNYJ4100
DeVante ParkerMIA44470
Isaiah FordMIA42130
Jakeem GrantMIA43250
Jalen ReagorPHI41550
John HightowerPHI41-20
Laviska Shenault Jr.JAC43371
Mike EvansTB4121
Miles BoykinBAL43370
Olabisi JohnsonMIN43560
Willie SneadBAL44641
D.J. CharkJAC33251
DaeSean HamiltonDEN31180
Darnell MooneyCHI33380
David MooreSEA33280
Isaiah McKenzieBUF33170
James WashingtonPIT32341
Justin JeffersonMIN32260
Khadarel HodgeCLE31120
Mike ThomasCIN32170
Randall CobbHOU32230
Steven Sims Jr.WAS33500
Van JeffersonLAR31310
Zach PascalIND32180
C.J. BoardNYG22170
Chase ClaypoolPIT22390
DeAndre CarterHOU2180
Gabriel DavisBUF22160
Hunter RenfrowLV22210
Javon WimsCHI2111
Justin WatsonTB2160
Kalif RaymondTEN2000
Kenny StillsHOU2000
Marvin HallDET21260
Michael PittmanIND22100
Seth RobertsCAR2150
Bryan EdwardsLV1190
Chris ConleyJAC1160
Collin JohnsonJAC11140
Cordarrelle PattersonCHI11120
Damion RatleyNYG1000
Dante PettisSF1000
Deonte HarrisNO11170
Devin DuvernayBAL11120
Freddie SwainSEA11170
Jalen GuytonLAC11160
Jamal AgnewDET1000
Josh ReynoldsLAR11170
Mecole HardmanKC1160
Nelson AgholorLV11231
Rashard HigginsCLE1190
Tajae SharpeMIN1000
Ted GinnCHI1000
Tre'Quan SmithNO1140
Tyrie ClevelandDEN1170
Christian BlakeATL0000
Joe ReedLAC0000

All jokes about drooling over my coffee aside, Russell Gage’s 12 targets were a pleasant surprise in Week 1. The Falcons stuck to the preseason narrative of being one of the most pass-heavy teams in the league, as the trio of Julio JonesCalvin Ridley, and Gage each received 12 targets and eclipsed 100 receiving yards. Atlanta’s pass-heavy approach last week against the Seahawks may have had more to do with the negative script in a game they ended up losing 38-25, but I wouldn’t be so quick to ignore Gage’s numbers.

Looking back at his last 10 games, Gage is tied for 17th in targets per game (7.8) among all wide receivers.[1] Gage’s 12 targets from last week weren’t even a career high for him, as he was targeted 13 times in Week 17 last year. Gage’s 20.4 fantasy points (WR11) did set a new career mark.

With the Falcons defense looking like a sieve at home against the Seahawks, negative script could become a norm. Atlanta gets a talented Cowboys offense in Week 2 that’s coming off a tough loss in their opener against the Rams.

If you find yourself already looking for a new WR3/4, Gage is a sure bet to outproduce his offseason FFPC draft slot of 269.5. His 7.8 targets per game over his last 10 puts him on a 16-game pace for 125 total targets. That would have been the 16th most among WRs in 2019.

By contrast, I’m fading the Week 1 target numbers for Quintez Cephus.

Last week, Cephus became only the 16th WR since 2000 to see 10-plus targets in his rookie debut.

While Cephus’ high-volume debut looks good on the surface, it’s worth noting a few things.

First and foremost, Cephus’ performance came without Kenny Golladay (hamstring). Had Golladay been healthy, Cephus would have been hard pressed to see the field, much less 10 targets.

Moreover, Cephus was the second-most inefficient WR in Week 1, posting -9.2 fantasy points over expectation (reFPOE). He turned his 10 targets into a dismal receiving line of 3/43/0 and only 7.3 PPR points. While his debut makes him an interesting dynasty stash, I’m not trying to jam Cephus into any Week 2 lineups.

In the same way I would be rushing to the waiver wire to add Gage, I’m just as quickly moving away from any thoughts of adding Cephus.

Week 1 Expected Points Recap

Footnotes

Footnotes
1 Minimum of eight games played.

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Zachary Krueger

Staff writer & fantasy analyst. I probably liked Darren Waller before you. Follow on Twitter @ZK_FFB

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