Makai Lemon — Week 3: Four Targets, Twenty-Nine Yards
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Wednesday, Sep 30
Lemon caught 3 of 4 targets for 29 yards and two first downs, a 19-yard catch on the Eagles' first snap and a 13-yarder to open their last drive, with a minus-3 catch on second and 9 in the third quarter between them. Philadelphia's final offensive snap, fourth and 22 from the Chicago 39, was a deep throw his way that fell incomplete, and he made the tackle on the return of Jalen Hurts's fourth-down interception, in a 27–7 loss to the Bears.
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Seven to nothing, Bears, eight 42 left in the first quarter, first and 10 at the Philadelphia 25, the Eagles' first snap of the night. Jalen Hurts threw short right to Makai Lemon, 10 yards past the line, and Lemon reached the 44, 19 yards. +1.2 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and 4.3 points of win probability, the chance of winning the game after the play against before it. Two Saquon Barkley runs took it to the Chicago 40, and the drive ended in a punt after an intentional grounding penalty.
The line: four targets, three catches, 29 yards, two first downs, 46 air yards, 17 after the catch, −1.6 expected points on the targets. After the 19 came the catch that cost the most: second and nine at the Philadelphia 36 with nine 35 left in the third quarter, down 13 to seven, short right, caught five yards behind the line and tackled at the 33, −3. −1.3 expected points and −5.7 points of win probability, the third-largest loss in win probability on any Eagles pass or run, and the Eagles punted two snaps later. Then 13 yards short middle to the Chicago 47 to open the last drive, first and 10 with seven 13 left, down 27 to seven. That drive ended on his fourth target: fourth and 22 at the Chicago 39, five 19 left, deep right, 34 yards in the air, incomplete, the last offensive snap Philadelphia took. One target before halftime, three after, none on third down. He is in the play-by-play once more, as the tackler at the Chicago 42 on the fourth-down interception thrown to DeVonta Smith with 27 seconds left in the third.
Four targets were third on the team, behind Smith's eight and Dontayvion Wicks's five, with Dallas Goedert inactive with a knee sprain, per PhillyVoice and NBC Sports. 29 yards were third among Eagles receivers, behind Smith's 65 and Wicks's 32.
Back in June the preview would not make a call on Lemon: the twentieth pick, Philadelphia having sent a first and two fourths to move up three spots for him, a Biletnikoff season at Southern California, and a slot job with the starters in spring, with the open question whether the job would be his alone or a split with Wicks. Week One was four targets and three catches for −5 yards. Week Two was one target, a 14-yard catch, and that episode said the direction was down. Monday was back to four targets, third on the team, with the most yards of his three games. Three games: nine targets, seven catches, 38 yards. Three games is a small sample for a rookie, and the split with Wicks has gone four and four, one and six, four and five. Philadelphia hosts the Rams on Sunday the fourth.
_Data via nflverse._
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