If you want a player who’s going to catch a lot of touchdowns, it’s always nice to get players who are utilized regularly around the goal line. That’s where touchdowns are scored. And as we pass the halfway point of the season, three wide receivers now have 10 targets inside the 10-yard line: Jordy Nelson, Emmanuel Sanders and Allen Robinson.
San Diego has a couple of surprise players in this part of the field. Tyrell Williams has 9 targets – just one off the league league – while Hunter Henry has actually seen more pass attempts than his more heralded tight end teammate, Antonio Gates, who is chasing the all-time tight end scoring record.
Glancing over these numbers, two teams have a pair of futile receivers. In Washington, Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson have gone a combined 0 for 9 in this part of the field.
And with Dallas, the tendency is to give Dak Prescott lots of credit for being 8-1 as a starter. But he’s been very ineffective getting the ball to Dez Bryant and Brice Butler in this part of the field – a combined 1 of 12 throwing to those guys inside the 10.
The stats here include 2-point conversions (which technically aren’t plays). We’ve included those because we think they’re meaningful. So the “EZ” is touchdowns for most players but includes a 2-point conversion or two for some.
All players with at least 4 targets:
| PLAYERS WITH 4 TARGETS INSIDE THE 10 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Att | Rec | Pct | EZ |
| WR J.Nelson, GB | 10 | 7 | 70.0% | 6 |
| WR E.Sanders, DEN | 10 | 5 | 50.0% | 2 |
| WR A.Robinson, JAX | 10 | 5 | 50.0% | 4 |
| WR Ty.Williams, SD | 9 | 5 | 55.6% | 1 |
| WR L.Fitzgerald, ARZ | 9 | 4 | 44.4% | 3 |
| TE C.Brate, TB | 7 | 6 | 85.7% | 5 |
| WR M.Sanu, ATL | 7 | 5 | 71.4% | 3 |
| WR D.Thomas, DEN | 7 | 4 | 57.1% | 4 |
| WR D.Adams, GB | 7 | 4 | 57.1% | 3 |
| TE T.Kelce, KC | 7 | 4 | 57.1% | 2 |
| TE H.Henry, SD | 7 | 4 | 57.1% | 3 |
| RB D.Murray, TEN | 7 | 4 | 57.1% | 2 |
| WR M.Jones, DET | 7 | 3 | 42.9% | 2 |
| WR Q.Enunwa, NYJ | 7 | 3 | 42.9% | 1 |
| WR B.Marshall, NYJ | 7 | 2 | 28.6% | 0 |
| WR A.Cooper, OAK | 7 | 2 | 28.6% | 2 |
| WR R.Cobb, GB | 6 | 5 | 83.3% | 3 |
| WR M.Thomas, NO | 6 | 5 | 83.3% | 4 |
| TE J.Tamme, ATL | 6 | 4 | 66.7% | 1 |
| WR M.Crabtree, OAK | 6 | 4 | 66.7% | 4 |
| TE J.James, PIT | 6 | 4 | 66.7% | 3 |
| WR S.Roberts, OAK | 6 | 3 | 50.0% | 2 |
| WR A.Brown, PIT | 6 | 2 | 33.3% | 2 |
| WR B.Butler, DAL | 6 | 1 | 16.7% | 1 |
| WR D.Bryant, DAL | 6 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| RB M.Ingram, NO | 5 | 5 | 100.0% | 3 |
| WR M.Evans, TB | 5 | 5 | 100.0% | 5 |
| TE Z.Miller, CHI | 5 | 4 | 80.0% | 3 |
| WR T.Pryor, CLV | 5 | 4 | 80.0% | 4 |
| WR A.Boldin, DET | 5 | 4 | 80.0% | 3 |
| WR T.Hilton, IND | 5 | 4 | 80.0% | 1 |
| WR W.Snead, NO | 5 | 4 | 80.0% | 3 |
| RB D.Freeman, ATL | 5 | 3 | 60.0% | 1 |
| WR M.Wallace, BLT | 5 | 3 | 60.0% | 2 |
| WR B.LaFell, CIN | 5 | 3 | 60.0% | 3 |
| WR K.Britt, LA | 5 | 3 | 60.0% | 2 |
| TE K.Rudolph, MIN | 5 | 3 | 60.0% | 3 |
| TE A.Gates, SD | 5 | 3 | 60.0% | 3 |
| TE D.Walker, TEN | 5 | 3 | 60.0% | 3 |
| RB T.Cadet, NO | 5 | 2 | 40.0% | 1 |
| WR J.Crowder, WAS | 5 | 2 | 40.0% | 1 |
| WR O.Beckham, NYG | 5 | 1 | 20.0% | 1 |
| WR P.Garcon, WAS | 5 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| WR B.Coleman, NO | 4 | 4 | 100.0% | 1 |
| WR B.Cooks, NO | 4 | 4 | 100.0% | 2 |
| WR M.Floyd, ARZ | 4 | 3 | 75.0% | 3 |
| WR K.Benjamin, CAR | 4 | 3 | 75.0% | 3 |
| WR C.Beasley, DAL | 4 | 3 | 75.0% | 3 |
| RB T.Riddick, DET | 4 | 3 | 75.0% | 2 |
| WR G.Tate, DET | 4 | 3 | 75.0% | 1 |
| TE D.Allen, IND | 4 | 3 | 75.0% | 2 |
| TE J.Doyle, IND | 4 | 3 | 75.0% | 2 |
| TE J.Thomas, JAX | 4 | 3 | 75.0% | 3 |
| TEC.Fleener, NO | 4 | 3 | 75.0% | 2 |
| WR R.Matthews, TEN | 4 | 3 | 75.0% | 3 |
| TE G.Olsen, CAR | 4 | 2 | 50.0% | 2 |
| WR A.Green, CIN | 4 | 2 | 50.0% | 1 |
| RB D.Johnson, CLV | 4 | 2 | 50.0% | 1 |
| WR A.Hawkins, CLV | 4 | 2 | 50.0% | 2 |
| WR J.Norwood, DEN | 4 | 2 | 50.0% | 0 |
| TE R.Gronkowski, NE | 4 | 2 | 50.0% | 1 |
| WR A.Holmes, OAK | 4 | 2 | 50.0% | 2 |
| RB L.Bell, PIT | 4 | 2 | 50.0% | 2 |
| WR D.Baldwin, SEA | 4 | 2 | 50.0% | 2 |
| TE J.Reed, WAS | 4 | 2 | 50.0% | 2 |
| WR J.Jones, ATL | 4 | 1 | 25.0% | 1 |
| TE L.Kendricks, LA | 4 | 1 | 25.0% | 0 |
| WR J.Edelman, NE | 4 | 1 | 25.0% | 0 |
| WR J.Kearse, SEA | 4 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| WR D.Jackson, WAS | 4 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
—Ian Allan