For the sake of keeping the chart as useful as possible, I have eliminated any non-receiver (quarterback, offensive lineman, etc.) and any player who has failed to manage a 10 percent target share in at least one game. Injured players are included to highlight how much of the "pie" teammates will have to pick up in their absence.

Note: You can sort each column as you wish. The numbers highlighted in green are weeks in which a player achieved at least a 30 percent target share. Blue numbers indicate a player finishing between 25-29.9 percent in that week.

** All target totals used in this piece courtesy of Pro Football Reference.

This is going to come about one week too late for owners in deeper leagues, but I'll be more than a little stunned if J.J. Nelson isn't an every-week starter in three-receiver leagues moving forward. Michael Floyd has been benched for Nelson, while John Brown can't seem to get or stay healthy this year. Receivers that tip the scales at 5-10 and 160 pounds typically don't create much fantasy buzz, but if there is one quality I look for more than any other when figuring out what players might be poised for sustained success, it is trust from their quarterbacks, and it is clear to me Nelson has it. While many will point to Nelson's 8-79-2 line (on 12 targets) from Week 8 as the eye-opener, the UAB product actually first caught my eye in a relief spot in Week 11 against the Cincinnati Bengals last season. He did so again two weeks ago versus the Seattle Seahawks, drawing seven targets and occasionally blowing right past CB Richard Sherman. While Nelson is never going to make his living working inside the hashmarks, he's also not afraid to do so either. But it is his 4.28 speed that should drive owners to start him this week (San Francisco) and beyond. Yes, Carson Palmer isn't what he was even last year at this time, but HC Bruce Arians believes in his vertical passing game and Nelson is the best candidate to lift the lid off of defenses right now.

Tight end is perhaps the most difficult position to find an every-week starter off waivers. While his ceiling is obviously going to be limited somewhat for as long as QB Brock Osweiler continues to struggle, C.J. Fiedorowicz has a great shot at being that player. The third-year pro saw nearly a quarter of the team's targets in Week 8 and has maintained a pretty steady pace in that regard since taking ownership of the starting job in Week 4. Perhaps the most encouraging part is that he has managed at least seven targets in four straight weeks and posted at least 10 PPR fantasy points in four of his last five games. Over that latter stretch, only six tight ends (Rob Gronkowski, Jordan Reed, Eric Ebron, Jimmy Graham, Greg Olsen and Delanie Walker) have averaged more than Fiedorowicz's 13.6 PPR fantasy points. Given who is behind him on that same list and Osweiler's problems in regards to feeding DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller, it is not unthinkable Fiedorowicz can maintain his current pace. It is already pretty clear he is an important part of the passing game, and it is also very possible I have laid out his new floor. Even more encouragingly, if Osweiler picks it up in the second half and is able to make Hopkins and Fuller viable threats again, it is only going to open up more space for (and bring less attention to) Fiedorowicz down the middle of the field.

Taylor Gabriel is thriving in Atlanta after getting lost in the wash in his first two NFL seasons with Cleveland. While his target shares are hardly awe-inspiring, the Abilene Christian product has caught 16 of his 18 targets. His play and 4.28 speed (not to mention familiarity with OC Kyle Shanahan from their one year together with the Browns in 2014) has the Falcons finding ways to get him involved in the running game too, although there is no chance that will be a regular occurrence given his 5-8, 167-pound frame. However, Atlanta is sporting a pretty dynamic offense this year, so stopping the team's third receiver (deep threat or not) is a pretty low priority. It is fair to consider Gabriel a lite version of J.J. Nelson with a better quarterback and less opportunity for targets.

All you really need to know about Marqise Lee right now is that he is tied with Allen Robinson for the most receiving yards by a Jaguar (442), which tells you about all you need to know about how things are going in Jacksonville. Lee has pulled off this small miracle off despite seeing 32 fewer targets (81-49) and only has five fewer catches (39-34) than Robinson. Lee has yet to visit the end zone, which is about the only reason he isn't inside the top 50 receivers in PPR scoring. For what it's worth, he is the highest-scoring fantasy receiver who has yet to score a touchdown. He's managed at least six targets in all but one game since Week 1 (and owned a target share of at least 14.3 percent in those contests) and could have some immediate value despite a difficult matchup this week if Allen Hurns is unable to pass the league's concussion protocol in time. There's really no way to tell if he can maintain the steady floor he has seemingly established over the remainder of the season, but he has provided enough consistency in some difficult spots already despite being third in line for targets. I've already touched on the lack of upside, but owners need to realize the importance of high-floor players as well. Lee is making his case as one of those players.

It has taken about three years longer than I anticipated, but the Rams may have finally started to use Lance Kendricks in the way most expected when they drafted him in 2011- as a pass-catcher. Virtually no player in a Case Keenum-led offense is going to send the masses screaming to the waiver wire, but it's getting harder to ignore how much more involved Kendricks has been lately, exceeding a 23.3 percent target share in three of his last five games and finishing with five or more receptions in four of those same five contests. Obviously, Keenum caps his touchdown upside, while Kenny Britt and Brian Quick are much more likely to visit the end zone, which explains why Kendricks only has one score halfway through the season. Be that as it may, he has posted target totals of eight, nine and 12 over the last three weeks - the kind of volume we typically dream about at tight end. Don't hesitate to cut bait the moment this trend comes to a halt, but owners need to - at the very least - consider Kendricks if they are in a pinch at the position.

Trending Downward

Dennis Pitta ranks second in the league among tight ends with 60 targets (surprisingly one more than Jordan Reed) and is tied for third with Zach Miller with 40 catches, meaning he is on pace for 120 targets and 80 catches, which are elite numbers at his position. Yet somehow, he is almost useless in fantasy given his team's offensive woes and only one target inside the 10 this season. This wouldn't be as mindboggling on other teams that have a plethora of big receivers, but 5-9 Steve Smith Sr. and 6-0 Mike Wallace aren't exactly intimidating. Pitta is 6-4 and has long been Joe Flacco's most trusted short-range option in the passing game, which would normally lends itself to him also being his most trusted option in the red zone. That's not happening, and it is fair to wonder why an offense having so many problems scoring isn't trying to take advantage of the one big pass-catcher it has in close quarters. Crockett Gillmore (6-6, 260) has the same number of targets inside the 10 as Pitta, so it's not as if another player at his position is vulturing touchdowns. Owners should start Pitta without hesitation in Week 10 given how awful the Cleveland Browns have been at defending tight ends (look no further than Jason Witten last week), but it is fair to wonder if he is worth holding after that.

With most players, opportunity is enough. Tavon Austin is not one of those players, at least not this year (37 catches on 66 targets). Of the 33 receivers who have at least 60 targets (Austin is tied for 20th), only Julian Edelman (yep, I know) and Jeremy Kerley has turned them into fewer fantasy points in PPR formats. What's worse is that Austin has 14 carries as well, giving him 80 opportunities - the same number as Odell Beckham Jr. The former No. 8 overall pick probably needs an upgrade at quarterback more than any other receiver on the roster, especially since the same defenders that load the box to stuff Todd Gurley on a regular basis are the same ones who can run to Austin when he gets a handoff or reception within five yards of line of scrimmage. Granted, Austin isn't helping himself with five drops (one behind Mike Evans, Marvin Jones and Brandon Marshall off the league lead). I have maintained for some time that Austin would be a superstar in a place like New England, not only because of the quarterback play he'd receive, but the unlimited ways in which he would be used (again, not happening in LA). Last week's 4.3-percent target share was his second sub-15 percent share in the last three games, perhaps signaling Los Angeles is ready to let Kenny Britt, Brian Quick and Lance Kendricks carry the passing game. Most owners knew drafting Austin had the chance to be a bit of a roller-coaster ride, but despite posting three good-to-great fantasy performances so far this season, he has yet to do so in back-to-back games. For a player that receives as many opportunities as he does on a weekly basis, that's not good enough to keep on a roster in the majority of leagues.

One of these years, things are going to work out for Kyle Rudolph (and not for just part of a season). After a promising start in which he had a target share of at least 19.4 percent and at least seven targets in each of his first four outings, Rudolph has topped each mark only once in four games since. OC Norv Turner - a play-caller who seemingly always has a good tight end - resigned last week and was replaced by Pat Shurmur, but that would seem to be the least of his problems. The offensive line is as bad now as any front five in the league, which means the sixth-year tight end will almost certainly be asked to block more often. The first quarter of this season is exactly what I have expected from Rudolph for at least the last three years, but I don't see how this situation turns around in his favor this season (at least for fantasy purposes). Add in the possibility (likelihood?) of Sam Bradford missing a game or two in the very near future and it makes for a pretty grim outlook for a player who was a must-start about a month ago.

Longtime readers should know by now I tend not to go overboard on any player (or game, for that matter), so it should only come as a minor surprise that I've included Chris Hogan here. In theory, he is trending upward because he is coming off his best fantasy performance of the season. In reality, I see a receiver who has been targeted five or fewer times in all but one game thus far. While it is true he's only played alongside Tom Brady for four games, the Patriots are already having problems getting Julian Edelman enough chances to be an every-week fantasy start. Hogan has yet to occupy a target share of higher than 17.1 percent and hasn't exceeded 12.2 percent since Brady's return. Now, New England will probably need to make room for Dion Lewis as well. While I realize Lewis and Hogan don't play the same position or operate in the same part of the field, the Patriots are unlikely to phase out James White completely, meaning Hogan has one more player to compete with for targets. The former Buffalo Bill is going to be worth starting anytime Brady connects with him on a deep ball, but good luck predicting when that is going to happen and how often.

Blake Bortles mentioned sometime right before the start of the season that it would be irresponsible if Julius Thomas was not a significant part of the offense. Well, so much for that. Despite staying mostly healthy for a change, Thomas is averaging three catches and 35 yards receiving. He hasn't exceeded three catches or 30 receiving yards since Week 2 and is averaging 9.1 PPR fantasy points for the season (seven per game since Week 2). Marqise Lee's "emergence" has robbed Thomas of a lot of opportunities he became accustomed to last season, while Bortles' poor play has given him fewer opportunities to score inside the red zone. There are roughly 15 tight ends I would trust more than the artist formerly known as Orange Julius in fantasy right now. With Jacksonville likely to depend more on the run going forward, the few opportunities Thomas has been getting could dry up even further.