Week 7 Fantasy Football Market Share Report: Is It Finally Damien Harris' Time?
In previous weeks, the injury bug has been the catalyst for a lot of our roster decisions. However, Week 7 gave us a reset on some players who were on our radar but faded into a sea of targets and shares committees.
This week we look at some players who have emerged to cause a pain point in their team's target and touch shares and need to be rostered or acquired, if at all possible.
Rushing Market Shares
Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers
Leonard Fournette was back and healthy, and he muddied the waters in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' backfield, leading the yardage share over Ronald Jones with 11 rushes for 50 yards -- Jones used his 13 rushes and gained 34 yards.
Jones led Fournette 54.2 percent to 45.8 percent running back rushing shares, but Fournette found usage in ways we've hoped Jones would eventually emerge. For Jones, though, catching the ball cleanly on a regular basis just may not be in the cards.
Fournette furthered the receiving gap when he out-targeted Jones 7 to 2, which he turned into 6 receptions for 47 yards.
It’s a true split backfield, but having a piece of the backfield with this explosive of an offense can prove to be beneficial down the stretch.
Damien Harris, Patriots
It’s ugly for the New England Patriots, but we did get a little bit of clarity in the backfield.
Damien Harris handled 10 rushes for 58 yards and caught his only receiving target for 12 yards. Fantasy owners have dreamed of Harris taking some piece of the New England rushing shares, and he might have just had the modest game we can cling to.
Harris was the lead back and had 71.4 percent of the team's running back rushing market share, which should continue as the offense and quarterback Cam Newton work through their struggles.
Receiving Market Shares
Rashard Higgins, Browns
Tying Jarvis Landry for the team-lead with 6 targets, Rashard Higgins rolled with 6 receptions for 110 yards in a game that flushed out some interesting takeaways.
Higgins’ 21.4 percent market share should rise after it was revealed that Odell Beckham is lost for the season with a torn ACL. With Donovan Peoples-Jones emerging as well, the group has a chance to provide some fantasy goodness as targets get spread around more than when Beckham was in the lineup.
Marquez Callaway, Saints
Michael Thomas is still not in action. Whether it’s injuries, suspension, or a potential trade, things are foggy with fantasy's typical top-two wide receiver. With the uncertainty, Marquez Callaway capitalized with 10 targets, turning them into 8 receptions for 75 yards in Thomas' absence.
A 27.8 percent market share can certainly be repeated as long as Thomas is out. But if you have room to stash Callaway, give him a look, even if it's only for a week or two.
Red Zone Market Shares
Darrell Henderson, Rams,
Lost in the Los Angeles Rams’ three-headed running back by committee of Malcolm Brown and Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson has quietly become a very intriguing red zone weapon.
With 25 red zone rushing attempts, third among all rushers, Henderson has 3 red zone rushing touchdowns and 64.1 percent of the Los Angeles running back red zone rushing shares.
Henderson has risen to the top of the running back heap for the Rams, and while it’s hard to know what the future holds for the committee, being third in the league in red zone touches makes him worthy consideration as you look at bolstering your roster midseason.
T.J. Hockenson, Lions
T.J. Hockenson is becoming quite the red zone receiving asset for the Detroit Lions. Hockenson is tied for fourth in the NFL in red zone receiving targets with 9.
Hockenson has parlayed his targets into a 26.5 percent red zone target share for the Lions, to go with four touchdowns.
The addition of Kenny Golladay back in the Detroit lineup has cleared Hockenson up for some red zone action and should help the Lions' passing game continue to progress in the weeks to come.
