The wonderful thing about building a fantasy football team is that despite mediocre play from quarterbacks, NFL teams can still offer productive players for your roster.
Now, selecting the shaky quarterbacks isn’t necessarily a wise decision, but keeping tabs on their top targets would be a wise choice during your draft.
DeSean Jackson, Washington football team
While Jackson isn’t poised for a breakout season, he’s in a position to benefit from the lack of options in Washington. Pass-catching back Roy Helu is no longer with the team, Niles Paul sustained a season-ending ankle injury, Jordan Reed always gets hurt and Alfred Morris isn’t a major receiving threat out of the backfield. Plus, with a declining Pierre Garcon split wide, Washington’s quarterback will regularly be looking Jackson’s way, if only because there’s no other option.
Allen Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars
For better or worse, the Jaguars are married to Blake Bortles under center. The second-year quarterback has multiple flaws he must address, but fortunately for Bortles, Robinson can atone for some of those shortcomings. The Penn State product was tied for 12th in the league with 48 receptions before sustaining a season-ending injury in Week 10. He’s the clear-cut No. 1 on the Jacksonville roster, and Bortles will likely utilize Robinson accordingly.
Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall, New York Jets
Ryan Fitzpatrick won’t lead the Jets to the playoffs, but he might help your fantasy team reach the postseason. In 12 appearances last season, Fitzpatrick only targeted tight ends on 9.3 percent of his 312 attempts but threw to his receivers 65.4 percent of the time. Decker and Marshall should both finish the 2015 campaign as productive wideouts, so don’t shy away from plugging them into a FLEX spot.
DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
Perhaps Brian Hoyer will target Houston’s tight ends more often than Fitzpatrick, but it’s a safe bet Hopkins will be a favorite receiver. Andre Johnson leaves 92 targets to be had, and Cecil Shorts III certainly won’t demand them all. Although rookie Jaelen Strong can cut into the number, too, Hopkins is the only reliable options the Texans have and will be heavily worked when they’re inevitably losing during the fourth quarter. Plus, Hopkins can do this:
Duke Johnson, Cleveland Browns
In PPR formats, the rookie running back is a valuable late-round addition. Like Houston, the Browns will likely be trailing in a majority of their regular season games. Johnson is the roster’s best all-around back, so he should be a fixture on those catch-up possessions. During Johnson’s junior year at Miami, he racked up 38 receptions. According to ProFootballFocus (subscription required), Isaiah Crowell, Terrance West and Ben Tate combined for 37 targets last season.