Davante Adams Now Co-Favorite to Lead NFL in Receiving TDs Entering Week 15

By Eric Rosales in NFL Football
Updated: April 6, 2020 at 12:01 pm EDTPublished:

- Antonio Brown, Eric Ebron, and Davante Adams are tied for the NFL-lead with 12 receiving TDsÂ
- Adams was a bit of a longshot just a couple weeks ago
- Who is the best bet of the bunch?
I don’t want to say I told you so, but look who just shot up to the top of the odds with Antonio Brown to lead the NFL in receiving touchdowns: Davante Adams.
https://twitter.com/packers/status/1071834033812688896
Fingers crossed you jumped on it back then, because Adams was getting +600 odds, even though he was just one off the leaders.
Two weeks later and with three games to go, it’s a three-way tie for top spot. Let’s see how this has shifted.
Odds to Lead the NFL in TD Receptions in 2018
Player | Team | Odds |
---|---|---|
Antonio Brown | Steelers | +250 |
Davante Adams | Packers | +250 |
Eric Ebron | Colts | +375 |
Tyreek Hill | Chiefs | +500 |
Travis Kelce | Chiefs | +1600 |
DeAndre Hopkins | Texans | +1600 |
Tyler Lockett | Seahawks | +1600 |
Calvin Ridley | Falcons | +1600 |
Adam Thielen | Vikings | +1600 |
Michael Thomas | Saints | +1600 |
Adams Remains Go-To Guy in Green Bay
Didn’t it seem like the Pack had a bevy of weapons to toss out there every week, every dam season?
Now, Adams is the undisputed top target, and he’s the only consistent threat that Aaron Rodgers can lean on each down.
Davante Adams is a MONSTER. That's a TD in 3 straight games! pic.twitter.com/zGNlb13QZ4
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) December 9, 2018
Adams has a combined 24 targets in the last two weeks, and a TD reception in each game.
In fact, he’s only been kept out of the end zone in three games this year: a Week 4 win over Buffalo, a Week 8 loss to the Rams and a Week 11 loss to the Seahawks. Even in those games, he still had 23 catches for 380 yards.
Brown stays favored, Ebron stays relevant
It’s been a feast or famine couple of weeks for the mercurial Steelers wideout.
In a shootout loss to the Chargers, AB piled up 10 catches for 154 yards and a major, before being a non-factor against the Raiders, with just five catches and 35 yards receiving.
https://twitter.com/VersaceBoyEnt/status/1069433218917679105
Like Adams, Brown now has three TD-less games on the year, going for 23 receptions for just 169 yards, all Steelers losses.
As for Ebron, he and the entire Colts team crashed to earth when they were shutout 6-0 by the Jaguars in Week 13. Fortunately, Indy bounced back to end Houston’s 9-game win streak. Ebron still has 14 catches for 146 yards and a score in the last two weeks.
https://twitter.com/MrSportsLeak/status/1071847390464917504
Brown, Adams, and Ebron Weeks 13 & 14 Stats
Player | Targets | Receptions | Yards | Touchdowns | Remaining Games |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Antonio Brown | 20 | 15 | 189 | 1 | vs Patriots, at Saints, vs Bengals |
Davante Adams | 24 | 15 | 174 | 2 | at Bears, at Jets, vs Lions |
Eric Ebron | 24 | 14 | 146 | 1 | vs Cowboys, vs Giants, at Titans |
Who’s the best bet?
As we documented last time, Brown has perhaps the lightest slate of pass defenses left. However, the emergence of Juju Smith-Schuster, particularly in that Raiders loss, doesn’t mean it’s a slam dunk Brown will always be the main target.
But the Steelers are also staggering, having dropped three straight games. Being in disarray is not good at any time in an NFL season, but not when Bill Belichick and Sean Payton-coached teams are on the docket.
Adams will be in tough against the Bears defense this week, and Ebron will have to deal with the suddenly-mighty Cowboys D.
Each of their schedules ease up after that. And they are my two favorites (Adams and Ebron).
Sure, the Pack are out of things, but Aaron Rodgers is on some kind of tear, so despite wins and losses, he’ll be locked in. Adams’ 26 red zone targets are second in the NFL, and he’s translated his 14 receptions into 11 majors.
https://twitter.com/LambeauLeafs/status/1072951798527332353
Ebron, meanwhile, is tied for seventh with 20 red zone targets. He’s turned 11 catches into 10 TDs. He also has arguably the hottest QB in football. Minus the Jags game, Andrew Luck has thrown 29 TD passes in 9 games, better than three a contest.
https://twitter.com/_SteveFrederick/status/1069303557474660354
Ebron’s the best value at +375. But my dark horse-turned-favorite Adams feels like the winning pick.

Sports Writer & Editor
Having worked in and around sports since 1997, Eric is truly a knowledgeable expert. The two-time journalism grad specializes in all things NBA and NFL. From TSN.ca to CTV's Olympic Broadcast Consortium, Eric's work has appeared in local and national publications alike.