Brandon Lloyd

Targets have been compiled by the NFL since the start of the 2009 season, and while it remains an imperfect stat — a badly thrown ball from a quarterback can often go against the record of the receiver as opposed to the quarterback — it remains a good indication of the confidence level a passer might have in his pass catcher. Here’s a look at the target breakdown for the New England passing game through the first seven weeks of the 2012 regular season:

WR Wes Welker: 54 catches on 74 targets
WR Brandon Lloyd: 35 catches on 65 targets
TE Rob Gronkowski: 35 catches on 51 targets
TE Aaron Hernandez: 17 catches on 24 targets
RB Danny Woodhead: 14 catches on 15 targets
WR Julian Edelman: 12 catches on 17 targets
RB Stevan Ridley: Six catches on 10 targets
WR Deion Branch: Five catches on 11 targets
RB Brandon Bolden: Two catches on two targets
RB Shane Vereen: Two catches on three targets
TE Daniel Fells: Two catches on six targets
TE Michael Hoomanawanui: One catch on one target
TE Kellen Winslow: One catch on two targets
TOTALS: 186 catches on 281 targets

By position
Wide receiver: 106 catches on 167 targets
Tight end: 56 catches on 84 targets
Running back: 24 catches on 30 targets

Here’s a look at how targets looked through seven games last year.