Fantasy Football: 5 Players to Target in Half-PPR Leagues

Understanding the scoring format and rules of your fantasy football league are crucial before drafting your team. Some players are more valuable than others in certain scoring formats due to the roles they possess in their respective offenses.

There are typically three different types of scoring formats in fantasy football, including standard, half-PPR, and full PPR leagues. Standard leagues don't reward extra points for receptions while half and full PPR formats give a bonus to skill players who rack up catches.

Over on FanDuel Research, we already have you covered when it comes to determining players to target when it comes to standard and full PPR leagues. Within this article, we'll be discussing five players to set your sights on during your half-PPR fantasy football drafts while using FantasyPros' consensus average draft position (ADP).

Players to Target in Half-PPR Leagues

Travis Etienne Jr., Jaguars

ADP: RB8 (17.0 Overall)

Whenever Travis Etienne debuted for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022 following a foot injury that sidelined him for the entirety of his rookie year in 2021, everyone was enamored with his receiving usage coming out of college. Etienne accrued 85 catches, 1,020 receiving yards, and 6 receiving touchdowns in his final two season at Clemson.

In his first year with the Jaguars in 2022, Etienne rushed for 1,125 yards and 5 touchdowns while hauling in 35 of his 45 targets for 316 yards to finish as the RB24 in half-PPR fantasy points per game. The dynamic back would proceed to rush for 1,008 yards and 11 touchdowns a season ago, along with recording 58 receptions for 476 yards and another touchdown on 73 targets to conclude the year as the RB6 in half-PPR fantasy points per game.

Entering the 2024 campaign, Etienne appears to have a stranglehold on Jacksonville's backfield as second-year back Tank Bigsby still doesn't appear to be much of a threat to his workload. If the Jaguars' snap counts in their final preseason game are any indication of how the backfield workload shakes out, then Etienne could easily clear 300-plus touches for the second straight year while he receives goal-line work and has elite receiving upside at the running back position.

Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs

ADP: RB10 (22.0 Overall)

The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to field an elite offense in 2024, and Isiah Pacheco goes a bit overlooked with everyone understandably centering their attention on Patrick Mahomes and the aerial attack. After flashing as a rookie in 2022, Pacheco led the Chiefs in rushing with 935 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground in 2023 while he also added 44 receptions, 244 receiving yards, and another 2 scores through the air.

Pacheco finished last year as the RB15 in fantasy points per game in half-PPR formats in 2023, but Kansas City's offense should be drastically more efficient in 2024. The additions of vertical weapons like Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy should force defenses to respect deep passes more, which could lighten the box for Pacheco in the running game.

As for the passing game, Pacheco proved to be a reliable receiver last season, corralling all but five of his 49 targets from Mahomes. With a lack of competition behind him (Clyde Edwards-Helaire and rookie Carson Steele), Pacheco has RB1 potential in 2024 if he continues to maintain a decent-sized role in the passing attack.

Cooper Kupp, Rams

ADP: WR17 (35.0 Overall)

Ahead of the 2024 season, I've already spoken about Cooper Kupp being one of my favorite targets in fantasy football, so it's no surprise he makes the cut for this list. The All-Pro wideout for the Los Angeles Rams does have stiff competition for targets with Puka Nacua emerging as the team's WR1 in 2023, but plenty of targets should be funneled to both of them again this year.

Even though Nacua produced a fantastic 28.8% target share, 33.4% air yards share, and 2.74 yards per route run last season, Kupp managed to register a 25.6% target share, 27.7% air yards share, and 1.96 yards per route run despite dealing with injuries, via NextGenStats. The good news is that Kupp is fully healthy entering the upcoming season, and he's still attached as a favorite target for veteran signal-caller Matthew Stafford -- who is also healthy.

While Kupp was the WR27 in fantasy points per game in 2023, he was the WR1 in fantasy points per game in 2021 and 2022. Over the last five seasons, Kupp has averaged 6.7 receptions per game, 81.6 receiving yards per game, and he's totaled 40 receiving touchdowns in 69 games during that span, giving him a pathway to another WR1 finish in 2024 if he can remain on the field.

Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins

ADP: WR19 (38.3 Overall)

Jaylen Waddle logged his third straight season of 70-plus receptions and 1,000-plus receiving yards with the Miami Dolphins in 2023 despite playing a career-low 14 games. Even amid a two-game absence to end the regular season last year, Waddle showed off his explosiveness with 14.1 yards per reception and 2.76 yards per route run on a 22.7% target share in the 14 games he was active in.

Aside from being a main cog in Mike McDaniel's high-octane offense, Waddle's only competition at wide receiver for targets at wide receiver is Tyreek Hill. Similar to the Rams, targets should primarily be funneled to Hill and Waddle, so there is reason to believe both can eat in fantasy football if Miami's offense continues to be extremely efficient.

The Dolphins did add veteran Odell Beckham and rookie Malik Washington in the offseason, but neither of them to be legitimate threats to Hill or Waddle's role in the passing game this season. Our fantasy football projections have Waddle accumulating 89 receptions, 1,211 receiving yards, and 5.7 receiving touchdowns en route to a WR14 finish in fantasy football, making him someone to target with a WR19 ADP in half-PPR scoring leagues.

Evan Engram, Jaguars

ADP: TE8 (72.0 Overall)

Another member of Jacksonville's offense that isn't getting enough love in the fantasy football world is Evan Engram. Engram is coming off a 2023 campaign where he caught 114 passes for 963 yards and 4 touchdowns on 143 targets, giving him the second-most receptions for a tight end in a single season in NFL history.

Calvin Ridley departed in the offseason, and the Jaguars replaced him with exciting rookie Brian Thomas Jr.., who will likely have a role that doesn't negatively affect Engram. While Thomas gives Trevor Lawrence a vertical threat in the passing game, Engram and Christian Kirk should continue commanding targets in the short and intermediate range of the field.

Following a TE8 finish in fantasy points per game in 2022, Engram was the TE2 in fantasy points per game in 2023 despite scoring only four touchdowns. Engram currently has a TE8 ADP in half-PPR leagues, which is seemingly his floor, and he has top-five potential at the position again if he can see an uptick in red-zone usage with Ridley and Zay Jones gone.

Gear up for NFL season! Customers who bet $5 will get a free trial of NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube & YouTube TV! This promo expires September 22nd. See here for full terms and conditions.

Looking for the latest NFL odds? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook and check out all of the NFL betting options.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.