diff --git a/components/net/fetch/methods.rs b/components/net/fetch/methods.rs
index 052e5e31ced..1a2c4ae0f4b 100644
--- a/components/net/fetch/methods.rs
+++ b/components/net/fetch/methods.rs
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ use std::mem;
 use std::rc::Rc;
 use std::sync::mpsc::{Sender, Receiver};
 
-pub type Target = Option<Box<FetchTaskTarget + Send>>;
+pub type Target<'a> = &'a mut (FetchTaskTarget + Send);
 
 pub enum Data {
     Payload(Vec<u8>),
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ pub type DoneChannel = Option<(Sender<Data>, Receiver<Data>)>;
 
 /// [Fetch](https://fetch.spec.whatwg.org#concept-fetch)
 pub fn fetch(request: Rc<Request>,
-             target: &mut Target,
+             target: Target,
              context: &FetchContext)
              -> Response {
     fetch_with_cors_cache(request, &mut CorsCache::new(), target, context)
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ pub fn fetch(request: Rc<Request>,
 
 pub fn fetch_with_cors_cache(request: Rc<Request>,
                              cache: &mut CorsCache,
-                             target: &mut Target,
+                             target: Target,
                              context: &FetchContext)
                              -> Response {
     // Step 1
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ pub fn main_fetch(request: Rc<Request>,
                   cache: &mut CorsCache,
                   cors_flag: bool,
                   recursive_flag: bool,
-                  target: &mut Target,
+                  target: Target,
                   done_chan: &mut DoneChannel,
                   context: &FetchContext)
                   -> Response {
@@ -297,20 +297,16 @@ pub fn main_fetch(request: Rc<Request>,
 
     // Step 19
     if request.synchronous {
-        if let Some(ref mut target) = *target {
-            // process_response is not supposed to be used
-            // by sync fetch, but we overload it here for simplicity
-            target.process_response(&response);
-        }
+        // process_response is not supposed to be used
+        // by sync fetch, but we overload it here for simplicity
+        target.process_response(&response);
 
         if let Some(ref ch) = *done_chan {
             loop {
                 match ch.1.recv()
                         .expect("fetch worker should always send Done before terminating") {
                     Data::Payload(vec) => {
-                        if let Some(ref mut target) = *target {
-                            target.process_response_chunk(vec);
-                        }
+                        target.process_response_chunk(vec);
                     }
                     Data::Done => break,
                 }
@@ -321,37 +317,29 @@ pub fn main_fetch(request: Rc<Request>,
                 // in case there was no channel to wait for, the body was
                 // obtained synchronously via basic_fetch for data/file/about/etc
                 // We should still send the body across as a chunk
-                if let Some(ref mut target) = *target {
-                    target.process_response_chunk(vec.clone());
-                }
+                target.process_response_chunk(vec.clone());
             } else {
                 assert!(*body == ResponseBody::Empty)
             }
         }
 
         // overloaded similarly to process_response
-        if let Some(ref mut target) = *target {
-            target.process_response_eof(&response);
-        }
+        target.process_response_eof(&response);
         return response;
     }
 
     // Step 20
     if request.body.borrow().is_some() && matches!(request.current_url().scheme(), "http" | "https") {
-        if let Some(ref mut target) = *target {
-            // XXXManishearth: We actually should be calling process_request
-            // in http_network_fetch. However, we can't yet follow the request
-            // upload progress, so I'm keeping it here for now and pretending
-            // the body got sent in one chunk
-            target.process_request_body(&request);
-            target.process_request_eof(&request);
-        }
+        // XXXManishearth: We actually should be calling process_request
+        // in http_network_fetch. However, we can't yet follow the request
+        // upload progress, so I'm keeping it here for now and pretending
+        // the body got sent in one chunk
+        target.process_request_body(&request);
+        target.process_request_eof(&request);
     }
 
     // Step 21
-    if let Some(ref mut target) = *target {
-        target.process_response(&response);
-    }
+    target.process_response(&response);
 
     // Step 22
     if let Some(ref ch) = *done_chan {
@@ -359,14 +347,12 @@ pub fn main_fetch(request: Rc<Request>,
             match ch.1.recv()
                     .expect("fetch worker should always send Done before terminating") {
                 Data::Payload(vec) => {
-                    if let Some(ref mut target) = *target {
-                        target.process_response_chunk(vec);
-                    }
+                    target.process_response_chunk(vec);
                 }
                 Data::Done => break,
             }
         }
-    } else if let Some(ref mut target) = *target {
+    } else {
         let body = response.body.lock().unwrap();
         if let ResponseBody::Done(ref vec) = *body {
             // in case there was no channel to wait for, the body was
@@ -379,9 +365,7 @@ pub fn main_fetch(request: Rc<Request>,
     }
 
     // Step 24
-    if let Some(ref mut target) = *target {
-        target.process_response_eof(&response);
-    }
+    target.process_response_eof(&response);
 
     // TODO remove this line when only asynchronous fetches are used
     return response;
@@ -390,7 +374,7 @@ pub fn main_fetch(request: Rc<Request>,
 /// [Basic fetch](https://fetch.spec.whatwg.org#basic-fetch)
 fn basic_fetch(request: Rc<Request>,
                cache: &mut CorsCache,
-               target: &mut Target,
+               target: Target,
                done_chan: &mut DoneChannel,
                context: &FetchContext)
                -> Response {
diff --git a/components/net/http_loader.rs b/components/net/http_loader.rs
index 2c745d7e5ec..7904e9f995f 100644
--- a/components/net/http_loader.rs
+++ b/components/net/http_loader.rs
@@ -533,7 +533,7 @@ pub fn http_fetch(request: Rc<Request>,
                   cors_flag: bool,
                   cors_preflight_flag: bool,
                   authentication_fetch_flag: bool,
-                  target: &mut Target,
+                  target: Target,
                   done_chan: &mut DoneChannel,
                   context: &FetchContext)
                   -> Response {
@@ -707,7 +707,7 @@ fn http_redirect_fetch(request: Rc<Request>,
                        cache: &mut CorsCache,
                        response: Response,
                        cors_flag: bool,
-                       target: &mut Target,
+                       target: Target,
                        done_chan: &mut DoneChannel,
                        context: &FetchContext)
                        -> Response {
diff --git a/components/net/resource_thread.rs b/components/net/resource_thread.rs
index 7055f928ad7..6eeb3aa6122 100644
--- a/components/net/resource_thread.rs
+++ b/components/net/resource_thread.rs
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ use hyper::header::{Header, SetCookie};
 use hyper_serde::Serde;
 use ipc_channel::ipc::{self, IpcReceiver, IpcReceiverSet, IpcSender};
 use net_traits::{CookieSource, CoreResourceThread};
-use net_traits::{CoreResourceMsg, FetchResponseMsg, FetchTaskTarget};
+use net_traits::{CoreResourceMsg, FetchResponseMsg};
 use net_traits::{CustomResponseMediator, ResourceId};
 use net_traits::{ResourceThreads, WebSocketCommunicate, WebSocketConnectData};
 use net_traits::request::{Request, RequestInit};
@@ -332,7 +332,7 @@ impl CoreResourceManager {
 
     fn fetch(&self,
              init: RequestInit,
-             sender: IpcSender<FetchResponseMsg>,
+             mut sender: IpcSender<FetchResponseMsg>,
              group: &ResourceGroup) {
         let http_state = HttpState {
             hsts_list: group.hsts_list.clone(),
@@ -349,14 +349,13 @@ impl CoreResourceManager {
             // todo load context / mimesniff in fetch
             // todo referrer policy?
             // todo service worker stuff
-            let mut target = Some(Box::new(sender) as Box<FetchTaskTarget + Send + 'static>);
             let context = FetchContext {
                 state: http_state,
                 user_agent: ua,
                 devtools_chan: dc,
                 filemanager: filemanager,
             };
-            fetch(Rc::new(request), &mut target, &context);
+            fetch(Rc::new(request), &mut sender, &context);
         }).expect("Thread spawning failed");
     }
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/net/lib.rs b/tests/unit/net/lib.rs
index c698145a074..6c2f8c7036f 100644
--- a/tests/unit/net/lib.rs
+++ b/tests/unit/net/lib.rs
@@ -78,22 +78,22 @@ fn fetch(request: Request, dc: Option<Sender<DevtoolsControlMsg>>) -> Response {
 
 fn fetch_with_context(request: Request, context: &FetchContext) -> Response {
     let (sender, receiver) = channel();
-    let target = Box::new(FetchResponseCollector {
+    let mut target = FetchResponseCollector {
         sender: sender,
-    });
+    };
 
-    methods::fetch(Rc::new(request), &mut Some(target), context);
+    methods::fetch(Rc::new(request), &mut target, context);
 
     receiver.recv().unwrap()
 }
 
 fn fetch_with_cors_cache(request: Rc<Request>, cache: &mut CorsCache) -> Response {
     let (sender, receiver) = channel();
-    let target = Box::new(FetchResponseCollector {
+    let mut target = FetchResponseCollector {
         sender: sender,
-    });
+    };
 
-    methods::fetch_with_cors_cache(request, cache, &mut Some(target), &new_fetch_context(None));
+    methods::fetch_with_cors_cache(request, cache, &mut target, &new_fetch_context(None));
 
     receiver.recv().unwrap()
 }