• A rib injury can’t stop T.J. Hockenson: He was the first tight end with double-digit first-half catches since 2009.
• Noah Brown with back-to-back 150-yard games: Brown didn’t have a 100-yard performance in his first 69 career games but now has two with the Houston Texans.
• Christian McCaffrey’s touchdown streak comes to an end: Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Deebo Samuel all found the endzone, but McCaffrey will stay tied with Lenny Moore for the most consecutive games with a touchdown (including the postseason) at 17.
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
PFF's fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2023.
Indianapolis Colts @ New England Patriots
- Michael Pittman Jr.: 8 receptions, 84 yards
- Jonathan Taylor: 23 carries, 69 yards, 1 touchdown; 1 reception, 6 receiving yards
Jonathan Taylor completely takes over the backfield: Taylor played 88% of the Colts' offensive snaps.
- His playing time has increased by at least 8% in each game since his return, but that streak will likely stop.
- Taylor has played over 88% of Indianapolis' offensive snaps just four times in his four-season career.
- This was his second straight game averaging 3.0 yards per carry or less. If he’s able to start playing better, he will be an elite fantasy option given his current usage.
- This meant Zack Moss was barely a part of the offense with one carry for two yards.
- Moss can be dropped in leagues with lighter benches, but the Colts have one of the better schedules for fantasy running backs over the rest of the season, making Moss one of the best handcuffs in the league.
Monitor Josh Downs’ health: The Colts' rookie slot receiver was a true game-time decision due to a knee injury.
- He did not practice all week, making it seem like he might be inactive.
- Downs didn’t play at all in the first quarter with Isaiah McKenzie taking the snaps in 11 personnel for that quarter.
- Downs started to mix in for the second quarter, splitting time with McKenzie.
- Downs went back to barely playing in the third quarter with just one snap, but then he took four compared to McKenzie's three in the fourth quarter.
- He was still able to make a big impact with two catches for 40 yards, finishing second on the team in receiving yards.
- The Colts have their bye week next week, so ideally Downs will be close to 100% by Week 12.
Patriots make changes at wide receiver: DeVante Parker missed his second-straight game due to a concussion, but New England found a different way to replace him this week.
- The Patriots used Demario Douglas, Jalen Reagor and a rotation of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton in 11 personnel last week. Douglas and Reagor played the majority of 12 personnel snaps with Smith-Schuster and Thornton at times mixing in.
- This week, sixth-round rookie Kayshon Boutte was active for the first time since Week 1. He surpassed both Reagor and Thornton on the depth chart. Reagor didn’t play his first snap until the fourth quarter while Thornton didn’t play at all on offense.
- Smith-Schuster, Douglas and Boutte played in 11 personnel, but they rarely used that personnel grouping. Smith-Schuter and Douglas played in 12 personnel, with Boutte at times playing for Douglas.
- The Patriots also spent a lot of the game in 12 personnel, when Smith-Schuster was on the field. That was the main reason Smith-Schuster played more offensive snaps than Douglas. It’s worth noting Douglas also came into the game with an ankle injury and was questionable, which could have impacted his playing time.
- Douglas was the clear leader at wide receiver with six receptions for 84 yards. Both Boutte and Smith-Schuster caught one pass each.
- Once Parker is healthy, he should at least be among the top three receivers, taking Boutte’s snaps in 11 personnel and mixing in significantly in 12 personnel.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Bailey Zappe took over for the last two minutes of the game after a bad Mac Jones interception. It’s possible Zappe will be the Patriots quarterback going forward.
- Rhamondre Stevenson suffered a back injury in the second half and was deemed questionable to return, but he was able to return by the middle of the fourth quarter.
- Alec Pierce was questionable for this game due to an ankle injury, but that had no impact on his playing time.
- Andrew Ogletree was inactive in this game due to a foot injury. This meant more playing time for Mo Alie-Cox, but he was held without a catch. Kylen Granson and Will Mallory each caught one pass.
Houston Texans @ Cincinnati Bengals
- Noah Brown: 7 receptions, 172 yards
- Ja’Marr Chase: 5 receptions, 124 yards, 1 touchdown
The Texans’ wide receivers can’t stay healthy The Texans didn’t have their top wide receiver Nico Collins due to a calf injury.
- Since Week 2, the Texans' top three wide receivers were whichever three of Collins, Tank Dell, Robert Woods and Noah Brown were healthy.
- Brown missed Weeks 2-5, Dell missed Week 6, the Texans had their bye week in Week 7 and Woods missed Week 8 and 9 with a foot injury.
- Dell was the Texans’ top wide receiver in terms of playing time, consistently playing in both 11 and 12 personnel. Woods and Brown were also on the field in 11 personnel, splitting time in the slot and out wide, and they also split playing time in 12 personnel.
- John Metchie III mixed in more in 11 personnel as the game progressed, primarily in Woods' place.
- We didn’t have Brown as a waiver target last week despite his six-catch, 153-yard performance last week because he seemed like the odd man out once everyone was healthy.
- Brown followed up his first career 100-yard performance in his seven-year career with another one.
- He should be picked up simply because of his recent production, but we are likely in store for a heavy rotation among all four receivers once everyone is healthy.
Devin Singletary dominates without Dameon Pierce: Singletary made his second consecutive start with Pierce out with an ankle injury.
- Singletary’s usage was very similar to last week, where he dominated all early down and short yardage situations while Mike Boone took most passing situations.
- He ran 30 times for 150 yards and a touchdown and also caught an 11-yard pass.
- This was the best statistical performance by a Texans running back all season.
- He averaged 3.0 yards after contact per carry. Singletary has averaged three or more in four games this season while Pierce has only averaged three or more once.
- Singletary was already cutting into Pierce’s playing time on early downs in the few weeks leading up to Pierce’s injury. It wouldn’t be surprising if Singletary remains the starter at least in the short term while Pierce is eased back into action.
The Bengals adjust without Tee Higgins: A hamstring injury left Higgins inactive for this game.
- Trenton Irwin was Higgins' primary replacement in terms of playing time. Andrei Iosivas also took some playing time in 11 personnel.
- The Bengals stayed in 11 personnel for almost the entire game. Four different wide receivers took snaps in 12 personnel despite the Bengals only running three plays out of 12.
- Irwin took advantage of his increased playing time with two receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown.
- Ja’Marr Chase was questionable for this game with a back injury which kept him limited in practice all week, but it had no impact on his playing time.
- Tyler Boyd’s playing time didn’t increase, but his target share did, leading to eight receptions for 117 yards. This was Boyd’s first 100-yard game since Week 7 of last season.
- The Bengals play again on Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens, leaving a decent chance Higgins will miss another game. Irwin could be considered a waiver target, but it’s another difficult matchup.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn landed on injured reserve yesterday, so Matt Ammendola will be the Texans kicker for at least the next three games.
- Brevin Jordan was inactive for another week due to injury, and fullback Andrew Beck was also out. This led Dalton Schultz to rarely leave the field for another game while Eric Saubert and Dalton Keene split time opposite Schultz in 12 personnel.
- The Bengals continued using a heavy rotation at tight end, with Irv Smith Jr., Tanner Hudson and Drew Sample all playing 16-19 offensive snaps out of 11 personnel. Hudson received a high 41.2% target rate, so there is at least a chance Hudson starts playing more snaps going forward.
Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens
- Amari Cooper: 6 receptions, 98 yards
- Elijah Moore: 5 receptions, 44 yards, 1 touchdown
Jerome Ford is the clear top Browns running back: Ford was clearly ahead of Kareem Hunt for a second straight week.
- Ford’s playing time had been declining for most of October due to injury while Hunt earned more playing time, but that changed last week.
- Ford has been playing the majority of snaps in both early downs and late downs in the last two games, but Hunt has been playing a little more in short-yardage situations.
- Neither Ford nor Hunt was on the injury report this week, but Pierre Strong showed up with a hamstring injury. He was active but didn’t take an offensive snap.
- It’s becoming safer to put Ford in fantasy starting lineups going forward, but there will probably be more games where Hunt ends up scoring a touchdown instead of Ford as he did in this game.
The Browns struggle while down at wide receiver: David Bell and Marquise Goodwin were both inactive this week due to a knee injury and a concussion respectively.
- This is after the Browns traded Donovan Peoples-Jones to the Detroit Lions, so the Browns were down three of their top six wide receivers from a month ago.
- Cleveland was down 14-0 within the first five minutes of the game, which left them in 11 personnel for most of their offensive plays.
- Third-round rookie Cedric Tillman was the primary player to see more playing time last week after the Peoples-Jones, and he was the clear third wide receiver in this game.
- James Proche II stepped up as the fourth wide receiver in this game. After three seasons with the Ravens, Proche made his Browns debut late in the third quarter last week after Goodwin’s injury. He took a few plays from Tillman in 11.
- Tillman didn’t catch any of his three targets.
- There is a chance Tillman breaks out at some point this season but there is also a chance Bell becomes the third wide receiver on the team once he’s healthy.
The Ravens become a three-man rotation: Keaton Mitchell led the Ravens running backs in rushing yards and receiving yards despite limited playing time.
- Mitchell broke out in a big way last week with over 100 rushing yards and a touchdown, but he appeared on the injury report in the middle of the week due to a hamstring injury.
- This game began with a two-man rotation between Gus Edwards and Mitchell. Edwards played nine first-quarter snaps while Mitchell played six.
- Mitchell ran for a 39-yard touchdown and caught a 32-yard pass in those six snaps, which is more rushing yards and more receiving yards than the other Ravens running backs gained all game combined.
- Mitchell only played in seven of 39 snaps over the rest of the game, presumably due to the hamstring injury he came into the game with.
- Mitchell remains the top running back option off the waiver wire in leagues where he is still available. He was playing ahead of Justice Hill to begin this game and very well could the rest of the season.
- Given his two big plays while Edwards averaged 2.2 yards per carry, it’s possible Mitchell will play ahead of Edwards sooner rather than later.
Rashod Bateman doubles Odell Beckham Jr.’s snaps: Beckham caught a 40-yard touchdown in his revenge game but Bateman played more snaps and received more targets.
- Early in the season, Beckham and Bateman rotated by drive. In more recent games, Bateman was playing more often in two-receiver sets and Beckham more in three-receiver sets.
- That trend continued, with Bateman playing in 21-of-27 snaps in two receiver sets compared to Beckham's four. One difference in this game is the Ravens threw the ball more than usual out of their two receiver sets.
- Another difference is the Ravens used 20 personnel in this game for seven plays, and Bateman took six of those seven snaps. The two had been splitting time in that personnel group in the past.
- Bateman also took more playing time than usual out of 11 personnel. He and Beckham both took 13 snaps out of a possible 19.
- Based on their usage in this game, Bateman could outperform Beckham over the rest of the season.
Miscellaneous Note
- David Njoku has gained at least 50 receiving yards in three of his last four games after not gaining 50 yards in each of his first five games.
San Francisco 49ers @ Jacksonville Jaguars
- George Kittle: 3 receptions, 117 yards, 1 touchdown
- Deebo Samuel: 4 receptions, 40 yards; 3 carries, 29 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown
Deebo Samuel returns with no limitations: Samuel had missed the last three games due to a shoulder injury.
- He spent most of the game playing 100% of his team's snaps in two-receiver sets and all but one snap in three-receiver sets.
- The reason Samuel’s playing time was low was because the 49ers were winning by so much. They ran 15 plays out of 22 personnel, which was tied for the second-most by a team in a game this season, only behind the 49ers in Week 3 in their 30-12 win over the New York Giants.
- Samuel didn’t take a snap out of 22 personnel. Brandon Aiyuk played most of those snaps.
- The 49ers also took out most of their starters at the end of the game. Samuel didn’t take a snap in the fourth quarter.
- Fantasy managers should have no concerns about putting Samuel in their starting lineup going forward.
Monitor Jamal Agnew’s health: Agnew suffered a shoulder injury. He was deemed questionable to return, but he didn’t end up playing another snap.
- Agnew has spent most of the season as the Jaguars’ third wide receiver with Zay Jones missing six of the last seven games.
- He played in three of the Jaguars’ first six snaps before exiting the game with his injury.
- Tim Jones and undrafted rookie Elijah Cooks split time in three-receiver sets. Their routes were close to the same but Jones played more in run formations.
- Jones caught both passes thrown his way while Cooks still hasn’t seen his first NFL target.
- This mostly meant more targets for Christian Kirk and Evan Engram, who received 18 targets while everyone else combined for 13.
- These backup receivers can be left on the waiver wire. Zay Jones was limited in practice this past week which is a step in the right direction, so it’s possible he will be back soon.
Miscellaneous Notes
- The Jaguars waived backup running back Jamycal Hasty yesterday. He was the primary backup last season after James Robinson was traded but spent most of this season as the fourth running back. He was active for three of eight games, playing six offensive snaps. He will presumably re-sign to the practice squad unless someone claims him on Monday.
- Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings didn’t take a snap in the fourth quarter while George Kittle only played three snaps.
- Christian McCaffrey played eight snaps in the fourth quarter as the 49ers tried and failed to extend his touchdown streak.
- Travis Etienne Jr. played in a career-high 89% of the 49ers' offensive snaps in their last game. His playing time came back to Earth in this game. D’Ernest Johnson and Tank Bigsby took six and five snaps respectively in the first half even before the game was out of reach. He’s still the clear top running back in Jacksonville despite getting rotated out more frequently.
New Orleans Saints @ Minnesota Vikings
- T.J. Hockenson: 11 receptions, 134 yards, 1 touchdown
- Chris Olave: 6 receptions, 94 yards, 1 touchdown
Monitor Michael Thomas’ health: The former All-Pro receiver left early in this game due to a knee injury and didn’t return.
- Rookie A.T. Perry completely took Thomas’ role in the offense, playing significantly in both 11 and 12 personnel.
- Perry was either inactive or didn’t receive a snap in each of the first seven games. He was active the last two weeks but hadn’t seen a target yet.
- He not only made his first catch of his NFL career with a 23-yard catch, but he also caught his first NFL touchdown in the fourth quarter.
- It was at least a little surprising that Rashid Shaheed, who has been the Saints' third wide receiver all season, did not see an increase role in two receiver sets, but he did see an increase in targets.
- Shaheed has been a borderline waiver target all season, but he’s been inconsistent with his high average depth of target and low target share. If Thomas misses time, then Shaheed would be a waiver target with a higher target share.
- Perry can also be considered in deeper leagues.
Alvin Kamara bounces back: Kamara scored 14 PPR points after several things worked against his fantasy score last week.
- Kamara ran the ball nine times for 26 yards and caught four passes for 44 yards last week.
- One issue was his diminishing playing time. Jamaal Williams had played more last week than any other game with Kamara, but that trend reversed. Williams played roughly 22% of New Orleans' offensive snaps, which was consistent with Weeks 7 and 8.
- Third-round rookie Kendre Miller was also mixing in during recent weeks, but he was inactive due to an ankle injury. The Saints used a two-man rotation instead of three.
- Kamara’s target rate actually dropped to the lowest rate it’s been all season at 24.1%, but the Saints were playing from behind most of the game, leading to 29 routes, which was 10 more than either of the last two games.
- The other big change is that Taysom Hill wasn’t nearly as involved in the offense. Hill lined up somewhere in the backfield 27 times over the last two weeks but only lined up there twice in this game.
- Hill has played 20% of the Saints' offensive snaps lined up in the backfield when the Saints are tied or winning this season and 7% when they are losing, and they were losing for most of this game.
- The Saints only have one more game on their schedule against a team with a winning record. We will see Hill more involved in future games and there will be less passing than this one.
- Kamara will need to start putting up big games on the ground to continue being an elite fantasy running back.
Monitor Alexander Mattison’s health: Mattison left the game late in the third quarter due to a concussion and didn’t return.
- Cam Akers had suffered a season-ending Achilles tear last week, which seemed like it would lead to a larger role for Mattison.
- Instead, Ty Chandler was very involved in the game. Both running backs received eight carries over the first three quarters.
- Chandler was more successful in that time with 40 yards and a touchdown, but Mattison averaged more yards after contact per carry.
- Chandler ran the ball another seven times in the fourth quarter once Mattison was out, but only gained four yards on those carries because the Saints knew the Vikings were running most of the quarter.
- Kene Nwangwu didn’t play on offense until the fourth quarter. He played three snaps in relief of Chandler.
- Players typically miss a week after suffering a concussion and the Vikings have a good matchup against the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football next week. Chandler will be one of the top waiver wire options for teams looking for a running back for Week 11.
- It’s also possible Chandler mixes in more than expected once Mattison is back.
The Vikings dig deep down the wide receiver depth chart: K.J. Osborn was inactive due to a concussion.
- Osborn was a full participant in practice by the end of the week but the team was being cautious about his return. He will likely be ready for next week.
- Minnesota also opened up the 21-day practice window for Justin Jefferson. He was limited in practice all week, and they ultimately decided not to activate him for this game.
- Jordan Addison played in all two and three receiver sets like he’s done since the Jefferson injury and Brandon Powell continued to play in the slot in 11 personnel as he’s done since Jefferson’s injury.
- Last week, Trishton Jackson took over for Osborn, but this week, it was Jalen Nailor.
- Nailor was excellent last season in a very small sample. He received a 91.6 offensive grade and 5.77 yards per route run on 31 routes.
- Nailor had spent most of the season injured with a hamstring. He was active in this game for the first time since Week 2.
- Addison and Powell caught four passes each while Nailor caught a pass for 16 yards.
- Ideally by next week, Jefferson and Osborn are back in the lineup. At that point, the only question is if Addison or Osborn play in 12 personnel. Osborn was taking the 12 personnel snaps to start the season, but Addison has graded better in recent weeks, including much better grades as a receiver and comparable grades as a run blocker.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Saints fullback Adam Prentice was activated from injured reserve yesterday, but he only played one offensive snap. He was playing between 8-18 snaps each game prior to landing on injured reserve.
- In a corresponding move, backup wide receiver Keith Kirkwood was released. He was playing 14-22 snaps each game until Week 8 when A.T. Perry surpassed him on the depth chart, making Kirkwood inactive for the last two games. He will presumably get re-signed to the practice squad or potentially back to the active roster if the Michael Thomas injury is serious.
- T.J. Hockenson caught 10 passes in the first half, which was the most for a tight end in the first half of a game since 2009 Week 9 when Dallas Clark caught 11 passes.
- Derek Carr was carted to the locker room in the second half and didn’t return. It was initially reported as a shoulder injury, but later Dennis Allen said he was out with a concussion. The Saints have their bye week next week, so Carr should have a lot of time to recover.
Green Bay Packers @ Pittsburgh Steelers
- Jaylen Warren: 15 carries, 101 yards, 1 touchdown; 2 receptions, 9 receiving yards
- Najee Harris: 16 carries, 82 yards, 1 touchdown; 3 receptions, 14 receiving yards
Add Romeo Doubs: Doubs caught a touchdown pass for the third time in four weeks.
- Doubs has been the most dependable receiver for Green Bay this season, leading the team in targets, receptions and receiving touchdowns.
- His 20% target rate leads all Packers wide receivers.
- The problem for the Packers wide receivers all season has been the quality of passes thrown his way. Only 37 of his 56 targets this season have been catchable.
- That problem has been worse for Christian Watson, who has a higher average depth of target this season, leading to even more difficult passes to catch.
- There is a chance Jordan Love improves this season, which would help all of their wide receivers, but until then, Doubs is the one with the fantasy value because he’s been the top target when they are close to scoring.
- Jayden Reed could also be considered a waiver target after his 84-yard performance with a touchdown, but his involvement in the offense has been less consistent since he only plays in 11 personnel. He’s been held under 22 receiving yards in three of the last five games.
Jaylen Warren’s role grows in the run game: Warren set a career-high in rushing yards last week with 88 and he beat that this week with his first 100-yard game.
- Warren reached a near-even split with Najee Harris on early downs. Harris had been doubling Warren in early down snaps in the vast majority of games this season.
- Harris played more in short yardage situations and Warren more on third downs as usual.
- While Harris was off to the best start of his career, Warren has been the better runner over the last four weeks.
- Warren has averaged 6.5 yards per carry in that stretch compared to Harris' 4.1. Warren has twice as many explosive runs, more than twice as many avoided tackles and more first-down runs despite having 16 fewer carries.
- This will still be a two-man backfield for the foreseeable future, but this could be the last time we see Harris out-snap Warren based on how well Warren has been playing and his high amount of early down snaps in this game.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Aaron Jones played around 56% of Green Bay's offensive snaps for a second straight week. He and A.J. Dillon were used interchangeably, with Dillon’s stats looking more impressive thanks to a 40-yard run.
- Packers rookie tight end Luke Musgrave set a career-high in receiving yards last week with 51. He set a new career high today with 64.
- George Pickens was unhappy with his targets and was vocal about it. Mike Tomlin didn’t seem happy with those comments and Pickens was not announced with the starters to begin the game. Pickens started the game anyway and played in all but three offensive snaps while leading the team in receiving yards with 45.
Tennessee Titans @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Mike Evans: 6 receptions, 143 yards, 1 touchdown
- Rachaad White: 20 carries, 51 yards; 2 receptions, 47 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
The Titans adjust without Treylon Burks: The second-year receiver missed his fourth game of the season.
- He missed a three-game stretch earlier in the year due to a knee injury and missed this game due to a concussion.
- The Titans used a three-man rotation for the two spots in two-receiver sets between DeAndre Hopkins, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Chris Moore.
- Moore and Hopkins rarely left the field in 11 personnel while Westbrook-Ikhine took the majority of slot snaps.
- Kyle Philips also mixed in for 11 personnel. It was a little surprising that Philips only played a little more than half of the 11 personnel snaps after catching four passes for 68 yards last week. Neither Westbrook-Ikhine nor Moore has gained more than 58 yards in a game this season.
- That didn’t stop Philips from leading the team in receiving with 61 yards off three passes.
- Philips can be a waiver target in deeper leagues, but it’s generally difficult for a slot receiver to have fantasy value unless they are consistently on the field in 11 personnel.
Josh Whyle becomes involved in the passing game: The Titans’ fifth-round rookie was much more involved in the Titans’ offense than in the past two weeks.
- Whyle basically split playing time with Chigoziem Okonkwo, who played 21 snaps out of 11 personnel compared to Whyle's 14, and Whyle out-snapped Okonkwo in 12 personnel at 10 to eight.
- Trevon Wesco remained the primary run-blocking tight end, taking five snaps in 11 personnel in run situations and the majority of 12 personnel snaps.
- The three tight ends played together for three snaps in 13 personnel.
- Okonkwo’s six targets were the second-most for him in a game this season and Whyle’s five targets were a career high.
- It’s unlikely either tight end has any fantasy value over the rest of the season in redraft leagues because they are splitting snaps.
Chase Edmonds gains the primary backup running back role: Edmonds and Ke’Shawn Vaughn had split the backup job in recent weeks.
- Edmonds started the season splitting snaps with Sean Tucker to be the primary backup.
- He seemed destined for a larger role in Week 2, as he took three snaps on the Buccaneers’ first drive, but then he suffered an injury, landing him on injured reserve.
- While Edmonds was out, Ke’Shawn Vaughn had overtaken Tucker as the primary backup.
- Edmonds returned in Week 8 but was splitting time with Vaughn.
- This week, Vaughn was a healthy inactive with Tucker taking over as the third-string back, but Tucker was restricted to one snap.
- Rachaad White has been making more big plays in recent weeks, particularly in the passing game, so the backup job only really matters if there is an injury.
- This could mean Edmonds would see the majority of snaps and touches if something were to happen to White.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Derrick Henry was held to 24 yards on 11 carries. He’s received double-digit carries in every game this season, but was the second time he was held under 25 yards. Both games occurred when Tennessee was facing top-four defenses at preventing fantasy points to running backs.
- Mike Evans scored his sixth touchdown of the season, matching his touchdown total from last season. With his 143 yards today, he’s reached 737 on the season. He’s well on his way to his 10th-straight 1,000-yard season.
- Cade Otton was considered a tight end on the rise after his two touchdowns last week, but he was held to a season-low 10 yards in this game. His playing time was unchanged. This was his fifth game of the season under 20 receiving yards.
Atlanta Falcons @ Arizona Cardinals
- Trey McBride: 8 receptions, 131 yards
- Bijan Robinson: 22 carries, 95 yards, 1 touchdown; 1 reception, 11 receiving yards
James Conner returns for the Cardinals: Conner was activated off of injured reserve Saturday.
- Conner was limited in practice all week, but the Cardinals needed him with Emari Demercado out due to a toe injury.
- Conner mostly returned to his usual role, playing most of the snaps on early downs and short-yardage situations.
- Conner started the season as the third-down back but Demercado has taken over that role. Tony Jones Jr. took over as the third down back last week after Demercado last week and kept that role in this game.
- It wouldn’t be surprising if Conner takes a little higher percentage of snaps on early downs once he’s closer to 100%, but this is basically the role we can expect from him going forward.
- Conner ran 16 times for 73 yards but didn’t see a target.
Bijan Robinson sets a career-high in carries: Robinson ran 22 times after running 14 times or fewer in eight of his first nine games.
- His playing time didn’t change much from past weeks. The change was mostly Atlanta running the ball on a higher percentage of plays. The Falcons quarterbacks attempted 21 total passes.
- Typically, Tyler Allgeier is also seeing significant carries. He’s run between 7-17 times in every game this season outside of the game Robinson wasn’t 100%, when he ran 21 times.
- He only ran nine times in this game. This was the biggest the gap has been between Robinson and Allgeier’s carries. The only other time Robinson had a clear lead was Week 4, when Robinson ran 14 times to Allgeier's seven.
- Allgeier has averaged less than 4.0 yards per carry in every game since Week 1.
- Ideally, Robinson continues to be the focal point of the Falcons offense.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Trey McBride achieved his first 100-yard receiving game of his career. There was some concern McBride might not do as well with Kyler Murray because Murray wasn’t targeting tight ends as much in past seasons compared to what Joshua Dobbs did to start this season. This was McBride’s third game with a 30-plus percent target rate in the past four games.
- Taylor Heinicke suffered a hamstring injury and didn’t return, resulting in the team turning back to Desmond Ridder.
- Drake London returned to Atlanta after missing last week. His playing time was slightly lower than usual, but he led the team in receiving yards with 36.
- Mack Hollins was inactive for this game due to injury, but because of how much the Falcons used multiple running backs or multiple tight ends, none of the other players saw an increase in snaps.
- Cordarrelle Patterson was on the field for 22 plays, which was the most for him in a game this season that all three running backs were healthy. Twelve of his snaps were as an outside wide receiver, four were from the slot and six occurred in the backfield.
Detroit Lions @ Los Angeles Chargers
- Keenan Allen: 11 receptions, 175 yards, 2 touchdowns
- Amon-Ra St. Brown: 8 receptions, 156 yards, 1 touchdown
David Montgomery returns to Detroit: Montgomery had been inactive the last two games with a rib injury.
- We hadn’t seen both Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs healthy for a full game since Week 4 when Montgomery ran 32 times for 121 yards and three touchdowns.
- Gibbs has generally played well since that game when healthy, so we expected playing time between the two backs to be less lopsided.
- Montgomery started this game, but Gibbs ended up with more carries, targets and playing time in all situations except in short yardage. It was especially noteworthy that Gibbs received goal-line work, which helped him to two one-yard touchdown runs.
- Montgomery ended up with more rushing yards, but that was in part because he broke a 75-yard touchdown run.
- Montgomery ended with 12 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown while Gibbs ran 14 times for 77 yards and two touchdowns, with three receptions for 35 receiving yards.
- The Lions had their bye week and Montgomery was a full participant in practice this past week, so he presumably wasn’t limited.
- It should be safer to start Gibbs going forward while Montgomery can still have standalone value in the right matchups.
Monitor Gerald Everett’s health: Everett suffered a back injury and didn’t play in the second half.
- The Chargers have been using a heavy rotation at tight end in recent weeks, but Everett was off to a strong start in terms of playing time. He played in 24 of a possible 35 snaps in the first half. He didn’t catch either of his targets.
- Both Donald Parham Jr. and Stone Smartt stepped up to replace Everett. Parham played 16-of-32 11 personnel snaps while Smartt played 12.
- Nick Vannett took the remaining snaps and he was the primary run blocking tight end.
- Parham ended up playing fewer snaps than in recent weeks because Everett was playing so much to start the game.
- This has been a position to avoid because of the committee, and even if Everett misses time, it will still be a position to avoid.
Miscellaneous Notes
- The Lions’ newest wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones was inactive due to a rib injury. He still hasn’t made his debut with the team.
- Keenan Allen left the game at one point with a shoulder injury but was quick to return.
- Quentin Johnston scored his first NFL touchdown. His four receptions for 34 yards were both the second-best marks of his career.
New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys
- CeeDee Lamb: 11 receptions, 151 yards, 1 touchdown; 1 carry, 14 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown
- Brandin Cooks: 9 receptions, 173 yards, 1 touchdown
Jalen Tolbert pulls ahead of Michael Gallup in playing time: Tolbert’s playing time has been rising in recent weeks while Gallup’s has declined.
- Both wide receivers played 19 offensive snaps in the first half. The Cowboys spent nearly the entire half in 11 personnel, 43 plays, so they both could play plenty of snaps.
- Tolbert pulled ahead of Gallup in the third quarter when Tolbert took 12 snaps to Gallup's six. This was partially from 11 personnel snaps and also due to Brandin Cooks playing less after gaining 173 receiving yards, so Tolbert took a few snaps in 12 personnel while Gallup didn’t take any.
- The Cowboys took most starters out of the fourth quarter, but both Tolbert and Gallup continued toplay. Despite the lead, they still played the majority of snaps out of 11 personnel.
- Tolbert extended his lead thanks to Tolbert taking five snaps out of 12 personnel compared to none by Gallup in the fourth quarter.
- Gallup had two big plays in the game including a 41-yard touchdown, but Tolbert received more targets at five.
- It will be interesting to see if Gallup can keep his job after his big plays, or if Tolbert continues to be more involved.
Monitor Jalin Hyatt’s health: Hyatt left this game due to a concussion late in the third quarter and didn’t return.
- Hyatt began the game like usual, splitting snaps with Isaiah Hodgins for one receiver spot.
- There has been a tendency all season of Hyatt playing more in passing situations while Hodgins does more in rushing, but that was more extreme than usual in the first half. Hyatt ran a route on all nine of his first half snaps while Hodgins ran a route on two of his nine.
- Once Hyatt left the game, Hodgins took all of Haytt’s snaps. He is the only Giants wide receiver to play every snap in the fourth quarter.
- Hodgins is at least OK to consider in deep leagues next week. Hyatt will likely miss the game, so Hodgins should see close to 100% of New York's offensive snaps, and the Giants face the Washington Commanders, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Twenty of the Giants' 57 snaps occurred in the fourth quarter when the Giants were down by over 30 points. Saquon Barkley only played two snaps in the quarter.
- Darius Slayton was the only other player majorly impacted by garbage time. Sterling Shepard played all 11 of his snaps in Slayton's place in the fourth quarter, which led to his touchdown.
- The Cowboys similarly took most star players out in the fourth quarter. Dak Prescott, Tony Pollard and Brandin Cooks didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter. CeeDee Lamb took two snaps and Jake Ferguson took one.
Washington Commanders @ Seattle Seahawks
- Brian Robinson: 8 carries, 38 yards; 6 receptions, 119 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
- Kenneth Walker III: 19 carries, 63 yards; 1 reception, 64 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
The Seahawks backfield remains unchanged: Zach Charbonnet outsnapped Kenneth Walker III for the third straight week, but it was largely game-script-related.
- Charbonnet has played more the past three weeks because he completely took the passing down role from DeeJay Dallas in addition to the fact that the Seahawks have been in a lot of passing situations recently.
- The Seahawks have run 34 plays out of two-minute drills over the past two weeks, which is the second-most for all teams. They have also run the fourth-most plays of third-and-11-plus.
- Kenneth Walker continues to play the clear majority of early-down snaps, which hasn’t changed this season.
- Charbonnet has run the ball better than Walker over this three-game stretch. Charbonnet has eight first downs rushing compared to Walker's three. Charbonnet has only run the ball 15 times compared to Walker's 36.
- There is at least a chance Charbonnet starts cutting into Walker’s playing time on early downs, but that hasn’t happened yet.
Curtis Samuel returns to Washington: Samuel missed last week and most of Week 8 due to a toe injury.
- Samuel was still limited in this game. He only played in 29 of a possible 44 snaps in 11 personnel, but he had played 83% of 11 personnel snaps from Week 1-7.
- Byron Pringle, Dyami Brown and Jamison Crowder all played single-digit 11 personnel snaps to replace Samuel as well as giving Terry McLaurin a break for a few plays.
- Samuel was targeted six times, tying him for the second-most targets on the team, but he only caught two passes for six yards.
- Ideally, he can get closer to 100% by next week because the Commanders play Sunday and then again on Thanksgiving.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Brian Robinson set a career-high in targets (six), receptions (six) and receiving yards (119). His previous high was 42 yards, so he broke his career high in receiving yards a minute and a half into the game when he caught a 51-yard pass.
- Jahan Dotson seemed to be turning his season around the last two weeks with 12 receptions for 177 yards and two touchdowns, but he was held without a catch on his two targets.
- Both Kenny McIntosh and Dareke Young were activated off injured reserve yesterday. Young served as the Seahawks' fifth wide receiver while McIntosh didn’t play an offensive snap.
New York Jets @ Las Vegas Raiders
- Davante Adams: 6 receptions, 86 yards
- Garrett Wilson: 7 receptions, 84 yards
Add Michael Mayer: The Raiders rookie tight end scored his first career NFL touchdown.
- Mayer has played a clear majority of Las Vegas' offensive snaps the last five weeks and well over 80% in the last three. He is among the top-five tight ends in terms of offensive snaps over that time.
- Most top tight ends will leave the field in mostly running situations. Unfortunately for Mayer, when he’s off the field, it’s often a passing situation with Austin Hooper on the field.
- His target rate has been good but not great, so Mayer has been outside of the top-12 fantasy tight ends despite the increased playing time.
- This means Mayer isn’t someone to put in starting lineups yet, but if the Raiders’ offense starts relying on Mayer more often late in the season, he could become a consistent fantasy tight end.
Garrett Wilson shines in a different role: Wilson caught at least seven passes for 80-plus yards for a fourth-straight game, but he accomplished this in a different role.
- Wilson was targeted on 30% of his routes for the third time in four weeks, and he’s gained at least 2.3 yards per route run in those three games.
- The difference this week was Zach Wilson threw his shorter passes, similar to what he did early in the season.
- His 33.3% target rate was the highest it’s been all season, leading to a season-high 2.5 yards per route run — his second-best rate this season
- His 9.1-yard average depth of target was the lowest it’s been since Week 3, but his 5.5 yards after the catch per catch was the highest it’s been since Week 2.
- Typically, the Jets are throwing a lot more passes but the Raiders won the time of possession battle, so this normally would have been a quiet game for Wilson had they not focused so heavily on getting him the football.
- No other Jets wide receiver caught more than one pass.
- New York has the second-most difficult schedule for wide receivers over the rest of the season, including a matchup against the Cleveland Browns during fantasy championship week. Simply due to the schedule, this might be a good time to sell high on Wilson.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Breece Hall has averaged 3.3 yards per carry or less in each of his last four games. His fantasy value has largely been saved because he’s gained at least five PPR points from receiving in each of those games.
- The Raiders keep changing which wide receiver receives the third-most snaps with the team. Last week, it was Tre Tucker and this week, it was Hunter Renfrow. It hasn’t mattered all season, as Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers are the only Raiders wide receivers with more than four targets in a game this season.
Table Notes
- Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.
- Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
- Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.
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