Are the targeted keywords saturated? Is it still worth the time spent on keyword research? What do you think about targeting keywords that are closely related to the primary keywords instead of laying too much of emphasis on the selection of the already saturated 'bunch' of keywords?
yes, targeted keywords are already saturated since a long time ago. but i think it's still good to have them on your list of keywords. your site may not rank within a short period of time with them, but if you put much hard work and perseverance your site can rank on them in the future and that will be very rewarding.