We spent some time Saturday looking at receiver Michael Crabtree's value to quarterback Colin Kaepernick when the San Francisco 49ers faced third down last season.
The idea was pretty simple. We took the number of times the 49ers targeted Crabtree on third down from Week 11, when Kaepernick became the starter, through the playoffs. We then divided that number by the number of pass routes Crabtree ran on third down. The result: a 40.6 percent target rate, by far the highest on the 49ers over that span.
I've expanded the exercise to cover qualifying NFL wide receivers and tight ends with target rates of at least 30 percent last season (no tight ends cracked the list). NFC West followers should note that Percy Harvin, Crabtree and Danny Amendola cracked the top five. Only Crabtree and Amendola played for NFC West teams. But with Crabtree injured and Amendola in New England, Harvin is the last one standing in the division.
A separate look at notable players from NFC West teams showed the majority with target rates between about 20 and 25 percent.