Reggie Wayne and Brandon Marshall Go Bonkers w/ 33 Targets

Byron Lambert, Rosterwatch.com



Both Reggie Wayne and Brandon Marshall represented terrific value in the draft. Both were players with questions, but overriding upside.

They played each other on Sunday. Wayne and Marshall combined for an eye-popping 33 targets in Week 1. The former had 135 yards and could have easily had a couple of scores, Luck narrowly missing twice. The latter put up 119 yards and a touchdown, and he was within inches of two or three more big plays. The targets are the important numbers though, and they aren’t a fluke. Watch the game and everything the statistics suggest is confirmed.

Brandon Marshall is an unbelievable talent smack in the middle of his prime. He and Cutler are still getting better individually, and Cutler loves him. 15 times, Cutler aimed for Marshall. It seemed like he looked for him on every play. The Bears’ new offense has the opportunity to be prolific and Marshall has a legitimate chance to be the #1 fantasy WR on 2012.

Older but smarter, Reggie Wayne may even present better value than Marshall. His 18 targets in week 1 are disgusting. Clearly, Andrew Luck sees him as a security blanket. He still shows great athleticism and is a tremendous receiver. While Wayne may not have upside to be the best fantasy WR, he does have upside to be a true #1. Expect the Colts to throw it a lot this year. Wayne was a huge steal late in drafts.