5 Wide Receivers Who Drastically Outperformed Their Teammates in 2016
Cameron Meredith, Chicago Bears
Cameron Meredith is likely in line for a role boost in 2017 with Alshon Jeffery prepared to hit the free-agent market. Meredith, though, earned that bump with his performance on the field.
There were three separate receivers who essentially served as the Chicago Bears' top wideout this year with Kevin White getting the bulk of the targets the first two weeks. Here's how their metrics stacked up in comparison to each other.
| Wide Receiver | Targets | Target NEP | Target NEP per Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Meredith | 97 | 31.85 | 0.33 |
| Alshon Jeffery | 94 | 13.84 | 0.15 |
| Kevin White | 36 | -7.82 | -0.22 |
Which of these players was the seventh overall pick, and which went undrafted? It's too soon to say White's unworthy of a big role, but the early returns say Meredith needs to keep getting run.
If Jeffery winds up leaving, there will be plenty of targets to go around for both Meredith and White. But when deciding between the two, our preference should probably gravitate toward Meredith. He has shown he can perform well while receiving heavy volume, and the Bears are apparently pleased with the progress he showed in his second season.
The same cannot be said for White while battling numerous injuries. They'll need a solid quarterback to get them the football, but opportunity alone could prop Meredith up into being a respectable fantasy target.
