• Jaylen Warren’s back-to-back 100-yard games: The Pittsburgh Steelers receiving back has been much more involved in the run game and broke a 74-yard run for the Steelers’ only touchdown.
• Tank Dell leads the Houston Texans again: The third-round rookie receiver achieved his third game of the season with at least 25 PPR points thanks to his eight receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown today.
• Tyreek Hill’s historic season continues: Hill reached the 1,200 receiving yard mark with his fifth game of over 140 receiving yards this season.
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.
Dallas Cowboys @ Carolina Panthers
- Tony Pollard: 12 carries, 61 yards, 1 touchdown; 4 receptions, 19 receiving yards
- CeeDee Lamb: 6 receptions, 38 yards, 1 touchdown
Miles Sanders pulls back even with Chuba Hubbard: Sanders’ playing time has increased in each game over the past month.
- Hubbard ran the ball 10 times for 57 yards and caught two passes for eight yards while Sanders ran 11 times for 50 yards and caught a two-yard pass.
- Their split was near-perfect in every situation. Hubbard played one more snap than Sanders on early downs, one more on third downs, and the two took two snaps each in short-yardage or goal-line situations.
- Hubbard started the game and they rotated by drive, but if the drive lasted more than four plays, then both running backs would play snaps on the drive. Typically, when a team rotates by drive, a running back will stay on the field even if it is a longer drive.
- The backfield will likely start as a 50/50 split for the foreseeable future, but if one running back gets the hot hand, they could take over for the second part of the game or potentially earn the job for the rest of the season.
- The Panthers have one of the worst schedules for running backs the rest of the season, so this is likely a situation for most fantasy managers to avoid except in deeper leagues.
Tommy Tremble starts at tight end: The Panthers’ usual tight end Hayden Hurst was inactive due to a concussion.
- The Panthers started the season with Hurst, Tremble and Ian Thomas playing significant snaps at tight end. Hurst was the main player in passing situations and the other two played more in blocking situations.
- Thomas landed on injured reserve after Week 5. From Weeks 6-10, Tremble played more offensive snaps than Hurst, but Hurst remained the primary receiver while Tremble was the primary blocker.
- Tremble played 32 of a possible 45 snaps in 11 personnel and 12-of-13 in 12 personnel. He only caught one pass in the game, but it was Carolina’s only touchdown.
- Thomas was activated off injured reserve and served as the other tight end in two tight end sets, taking all 13 snaps in that personnel grouping but only taking three snaps in 11 personnel.
- Stephen Sullivan has spent most of the season as Carolina’s third tight end, and he was the primary backup in 11 personnel. He caught a 20-yard pass, and that one play was enough to finish second on the team in receiving yards.
- This remains a position to avoid given the state of the Panthers offense and the rotation at the position.
Michael Gallup’s playing time reaches a new low: Gallup’s share of offensive snaps has declined each game since Week 5.
- Gallup played in 18 of a possible 32 snaps in 11 personnel over the first three quarters with Jalen Tolbert taking 14.
- Tolbert played more last week by taking a few snaps from Brandin Cooks as well, but Cooks played in 29 of 32 snaps in 11 personnel.
- Gallup also took all five snaps in 01 personnel — a grouping with no running back while KaVontae Turpin is on the field. Turpin is capable of running with the ball.
- Gallup didn’t take a single snap in a two-wide-receiver set for the second straight week.
- Last week, Gallup continued to play into the fourth quarter with the backups because Turpin was inactive, making Gallup clearly among the bottom three on the depth chart.
- This week, Gallup only took two snaps in the fourth quarter with Jalen Brooks and Tolbert taking most of the fourth-quarter snaps.
- Gallup caught three passes for 31 yards. It’s possible his playing time bounces back in a more competitive game but even with a bounceback, he can be dropped in most fantasy leagues.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Terrace Marshall Jr. was a healthy inactive for the first time all season with Laviska Shenault Jr. healthy. Marshall had only caught two passes for 20 yards over the last five weeks. Mike Strachan catching a 45-yard pass last week in his first game with Carolina also contributed to Marshall being inactive.
- Cowboys backup running back Rico Dowdle popped up on the injury report Saturday as questionable with an ankle injury. He was active and third-string running back Deuce Vaughn was a healthy inactive, which pointed to Dowdle being fine for this game.
- Cooper Rush has played at least seven offensive snaps in the fourth quarter in six different games, including this game. On five occasions, it was because the Cowboys were blowing out their opponent, and in one game, it was the Cowboys getting blown out.
- The blowout win impacted the playing time of all Cowboys star players in the second half of the fourth quarter. Most notably, Tony Pollard only took four of a possible 20 fourth-quarter snaps.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns
- Jaylen Warren: 9 carries, 129 yards, 1 touchdown; 3 receptions, 16 receiving yards
- David Njoku: 7 receptions, 56 yards
Pat Freiermuth returns to Pittsburgh: The Steelers starting tight end was activated off injured reserve after dealing with a hamstring injury.
- Freiermuth returned to being the primary tight end in 11 personnel and 12 personnel, but he was rotating in and out of 11 personnel more often than usual.
- Darnell Washington was always the tight end with him in 12 personnel. Washington is Freiermuth's primary competition for 11 personnel snaps.
- While Washington and third-string tight end Connor Heyward were used more in run-blocking situations out of 11 personnel. Freiermuth was often asked to stay in for pass protection, typically to help block Myles Garrett.
- This led to only one target, which he caught for seven yards.
- It’s likely Freiermuth will play a higher percentage of offensive snaps going forward once he’s closer to 100%, but he will need to see a higher target share before he can get back in fantasy starting lineups.
Kareem Hunt breaks even with Jerome Ford again: The Browns backfield seemed to stabilize the past two weeks, but Cleveland changed its tendencies this week.
- Ford played a clear majority of Cleveland's early-down snaps over the past two weeks with both running backs healthy, so it seemed like that trend would continue. Instead, Hunt played more snaps in those situations this week.
- Ford played all 12 snaps on first and second down on the first two drives and Pierre Strong Jr. took the snaps on the third drive. Hunt played for most of the game after that.
- Ford was also playing 100% of the two-minute drill work, but those snaps were split this week.
- Hunt had consistently been the goal-line back when both players were healthy, but it was Ford this week, leading to a one-yard touchdown.
- Hunt took 15 of a possible 16 snaps in the fourth quarter. There were times throughout Hunt’s career when Nick Chubb played most of the first three quarters and then Hunt would close the game in the fourth, and that seemed to be the case this week.
- Both players ended up with 12 carries for 30-40 yards and a few receptions each for single-digit yards.
- It will remain a risk counting on either one of these running backs for the rest of the season based on their inconsistent usage.
Miscellaneous Notes
- David Bell was active after missing the last two games due to a knee injury. He was ahead of Cedric Tillman on the depth chart before his injury, but Tillman remained the second outside wide receiver, where he’s been since the Donovan Peoples-Jones trade.
- Marquise Goodwin missed his second-straight game due to a concussion, so the Browns were still thin at wide receiver depth.
- Kenny Pickett left the game briefly after a quarterback sneak but quickly returned.
- Jaylen Warren played 50% of Pittsburgh's early down snaps last week, but his playing time was back to early-season levels despite his big plays.
Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions
- D.J. Moore: 7 receptions, 86 yards, 1 touchdown
- Jahmyr Gibbs: 8 carries, 36 yards, 1 touchdown; 6 receptions, 59 receiving yards
Khalil Herbert returns for Chicago: Herbert had missed the last five games while on injured reserve due to ankle and shin injuries.
- Herbert was the clear starter when he was healthy while Roschon Johnson was his backup.
- D’Onta Foreman played well enough during Herbert’s absense that this was a three-man committee for this game.
- Foreman started the game and took eight of the 10 snaps on the Bears’ first drive.
- Foreman proceeded to play more snaps than Herbert in the first half, taking 16 snaps to Herbert's 12. Roschon Johnson played nine snaps in the first half, mostly coming on third downs or second-and-long.
- Foreman started the third quarter but injured his ankle on the second play of the quarter and didn’t return. He was also limited in practice all week due to an ankle injury.
- Herbert played 20 snaps after the injury compared to Johnson's 16.
- Herbert can return to fantasy starting lineups if the Foreman injury is serious, as he should receive the clear majority of carries.
- If Foreman returns, then Herbert should still play more snaps than he did in the first half, but Foreman might remain the better fantasy back due to goal-line opportunities. He scored a one-yard touchdown run in this game.
- The Bears have one of the worst schedules for running backs going forward, so this might be something to avoid in most leagues regardless of the health of Foreman.
Jameson Williams on the rise: Williams’ snap share has generally increased each week since Week 6.
- Once Williams returned from suspension, he was primarily playing in two wide receiver sets.
- In Week 7, it seemed like WIlliams would have a big opportunity with Marvin Jones Jr. retiring. Instead, he, Kalif Raymond and Antoine Green all split time in 11 personnel.
- He stopped playing as much in 12 personnel in Week 8, but Green stopped playing as much in 11 personnel.
- After their Week 9 bye week, Williams played the majority of 11 personnel snaps over Raymond in Week 10. That lead increased even further for this game. He played in 35 of a possible 43 snaps in 11 personnel.
- Despite the increased playing time, he was held to exactly two receptions for the fifth time in his six games this season. He did catch his second touchdown of the season as part of the Lions' 12-point comeback.
- Williams still needs to pass Josh Reynolds on the depth chart for fantasy managers to really begin to trust him, but Reynolds has been held to 15 receiving yards or less in each of the last three games. It’s possible Williams could see a sizeable increase in snaps again next week.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Donovan Peoples-Jones made his debut with the Lions after getting traded from the Browns at the trade deadline. He only played three offensive snaps and didn’t catch his only target.
- Sam LaPorta was held to three receptions for 18 yards. His previous career-low in receiving yards in a game was 36. It similarly tied his career low in receptions at three.
- Cole Kmet ran his fewest routes in a game this season. He was targeted three times after seeing at least seven targets each of the last three weeks.
- For the second straight week, Darnell Mooney, Equanimeous St. Brown and Tyler Scott rotated for the second and third receiver spots rather than Mooney being a clear starter.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Green Bay Packers
- Keenan Allen: 10 receptions, 116 yards, 1 touchdown
- Jayden Reed: 4 receptions, 46 yards; 3 carries, 46 yards, 1 rushing touchdown
Monitor Aaron Jones’ health: Jones left the game on a cart in the second quarter and was quickly ruled out.
- Luckily, Jones spoke with the media after the game, stating preliminary tests show it was not an ACL tear and more tests will be done Monday.
- Shortly after Jones’ injury, third-string running back Emanuel Wilson suffered a game-ending shoulder injury, and his arm was in a sling after the game.
- This left A.J. Dillon as the last man standing. He took all 32 snaps of the second half.
- Dillon ended the day with 14 carries for 29 yards and four receptions for 32 yards.
- He will be a borderline fantasy starter for as long as Jones is out just depending on who the Packers’ opponent is and the projected game script.
- Undrafted rookie Ellis Merriweather is the only other Packers running back on the practice squad. He will likely be brought to the active roster if Jones or Wilson miss next week. He would be the primary backup if both players miss time.
Chargers backup tight ends shine without Gerald Everett: Donald Parham Jr. and Stone Smartt both gained over 50 receiving yards, finishing second and third on the team in receiving yards.
- Everett didn’t practice all week due to a chest injury and was ultimately inactive.
- Los Angeles has been using a four-man rotation at tight end in recent weeks, but Everett was the primary 11 personnel tight end in passing situations throughout the season.
- Parham was consistently playing in 12 personnel in this game while Smartt and Nick Vannett split the other snaps.
- Parham similarly was the primary player in 11 personnel, taking 33 of a possible 50 snaps with Smartt taking 13 and Vannett four.
- The three shared the field for two snaps in 13 personnel.
- Parham and Smartt's increased roles allowed both formerly undrafted players to set new career highs in receiving yards.
- They can be left on the waiver wire because Los Angeles will continue a rotation at tight end once Everett is back.
Chargers dig deep down the wide receiver depth chart: Jalen Guyton was the latest Chargers wide receiver to miss time due to a groin injury.
- Guyton didn’t show up on the injury report until Friday, when he was a limited participant in practice, but he was ultimately inactive.
- He joins Joshua Palmer and Mike Williams as three of the Chargers' top five wide receivers from their initial depth chart to be out.
- Derius Davis seemed like the logical replacement to play in three-receiver sets, as the rookie’s taken 80 offensive snaps this season. Simi Fehoko seemed like the other option with his 22 snaps heading into this week.
- Instead, it was 31-year-old veteran Alex Erickson, who was activated off the practice squad.
- He’s been on five different teams over the last three seasons, and this was his first offensive snaps since 2021.
- Erickson caught one pass for 12 yards as the passing game was focused on other players.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Jayden Reed led the Packers in rushing yards with 46 off three carries. He only ran the ball twice over the first 10 weeks. All three carries occurred in the first 16 minutes of the game before either running back injury occurred.
- Fifth-round rookie wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks set a career-high in receiving yards with 91. His playing time has remained unchanged the past few weeks as the primary backup to both Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.
- Doubs has caught a touchdown in four of his past five games.
- Austin Ekeler has seen his share of offensive snaps increase slightly in every game since Week 7. This was the first time since Week 12 of last season that he played over 70% of the Chargers’ offensive snaps.
- Despite the increased playing time, Ekeler set a season-low in carries at 10 and he received his second-fewest targets at three.
Arizona Cardinals @ Houston Texans
- Tank Dell: 8 receptions, 149 yards, 1 touchdown
- Devin Singletary: 22 carries, 112 yards, 1 touchdown; 2 receptions, 6 receiving yards
Cardinals adjust without two wide receivers: Both Michael Wilson and Zach Pascal missed this week due to shoulder and hamstring injuries, respectively.
- Wilson has been an outside wide receiver all season, with Pascal as his primary backup.
- Arizona opted to give both Rondale Moore and Greg Dortch more playing time despite both players primarily being slot receivers.
- The two split snaps across from Marquise Brown in 12 personnel. Typically, Moore was the slot receiver with Dortch outside in three receiver sets, but at times the roles were reversed.
- Moore scored his first receiving touchdown of the season on a deep pass out of 12 personnel. The 48 yards he gained on that play were also enough to mark a season-high in receiving yards. That was his only catch of the game.
- Dortch caught six passes for 76 yards. He played just as many offensive snaps in this game as the first 10 weeks combined, and he put together better reception and receiving yard numbers than Moore’s had in any game this season. If anything, we could see more of Dortch going forward after his many good plays late in this game.
Tony Jones holds Cardinals’ receiving back job for one more week: Jones was the only back outside of James Conner to see playing time for Arizona for potentially the last time.
- This was the third straight game where Jones played nearly every third-down snap as a practice squad elevation.
- If the Cardinals want to do that again, they would need to sign him to the active roster which seems unlikely considering they have four running backs on the active roster.
- Emari Demercado missed his third-straight game due to a toe injury while Keaontay Ingram was active but didn’t play on offense.
- The Cardinals also added Michael Carter off waivers from the New York Jets earlier this week. Carter had been the Jets' third-down back all season. Either he or Demercardo will take the third-down snaps going forward.
- Conner was the primary third-down back both last season and the start of this season, but his days as an every-down back appear to be over.
Nico Collins returns to the Texans: Collins missed last week due to a calf injury, but he returned to his usual role this week.
- While Collins returned, Houston was without Noah Brown due to a knee injury. The Texans haven’t had all four top wide receivers healthy since Week 1.
- Brown missed Weeks 2-5, Tank Dell missed Week 6, the Texans had their bye week in Week 7, Robert Woods missed Week s8 and 9, Collins missed Week 10, and Brown missed this game.
- This allowed Collins, Dell and Woods all to see their usual roles in the offense.
- Collins caught seven passes for 65 yards. This tied his season-high in terms of receptions but was just average for him in terms of yards.
- He can be safely put in fantasy starting lineups going forward, but it will be interesting to see how the four wide receivers co-exist once everyone is healthy at the same time.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Trey McBride played 100% of Arizona's offensive snaps for the first time of his career. Both he and Zach Ertz had played over 95% of the team's snaps at times in the past few seasons with Arizona, but Ertz had never reached 100% with Arizona at any point either.
- Cardinals wide receiver Andre Baccellia signed off the practice squad rather than being a practice squad elevation. He served as the fourth wide receiver and doubled his offensive snaps for the season.
- Devin Singletary started for Houston due to Dameon Pierce missing his third-straight game with an ankle injury. Singletary has potentially played well enough in the last three games to keep the starting job even when Pierce is healthy.
- Brevin Jordan returned to the Texans after missing the last three games with a foot injury. They were comfortable enough with his health to make Eric Saubert inactive, leaving them with two tight ends and fullback/tight end hybrid Andrew Beck, who also missed last week.
Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars
- Calvin Ridley: 7 receptions, 103 yards, 2 touchdowns
- DeAndre Hopkins: 4 receptions, 59 yards, 1 touchdown
Jacksonville limites Travis Etienne Jr.: Etienne played significantly in the first half but barely saw the field in the second.
- He played in 32 of a possible 36 snaps in the first half which was typical of him.
- Etienne ran 10 times for 38 yards in that time with two receptions for two yards.
- The Jaguars started the third quarter with D’Ernest Johnson as their leadback, playing nine of the 15 snaps in the quarter.
- Etienne took six of a possible 15 third-quarter snaps and nine of a possible 20 in the fourth. Jacksonville used Tank Bigsby significantly in the fourth quarter with other backups.
- This was the second straight game where the Jaguars played in a game that was out of reach part way into the second half and the second straight where Etienne didn’t see nearly as much work as the first half of the season.
- He remains a must-start for fantasy football purposes, but expectations should be tempered for games where the Jaguars blow their opponent our or are getting blown out.
Zay Jones returned to Jacksonville: Jones missed six of the last seven games due to a knee injury.
- Jones’ playing time wasn’t restricted by his injury. He joined Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk in 11 personnel, as expected, playing 37 of a possible 40 snaps.
- There was significant conversation in the preseason and early in the season about how snaps would be distributed between Kirk and Jones in 12 personnel. Jones was playing most of those snaps in the preseason, but Kirk played well with those snaps while Jones was out.
- Jones only took five of a possible 14 snaps in 12 personnel over the first three quarters. Ridley and Kirk took 10 each, and Tim Jones the other three. The Jaguars ran 12 personnel a lot late in the game as well with backups.
- Jones caught all four of his targets for 20 yards.
- Kirk playing so many 12 personnel snaps before garbage time was generally good news. He caught three passes for 48 yards. Both wide receivers are capable of better games, but it was Calvin Ridley making most of the big plays in this game.
Tennessee continues tight end rotation: Titans’ fifth-round rookie Josh Whyle ended up leading their tight end room in offensive snaps.
- Whyle started playing more snaps in place of Chigoziem Okonkwo last week and that trend became even worse for Okonkwo in this game.
- Okonkwo was almost completely phased out of 12 personnel. Whyle played all seven 12 personnel snaps, Trevon Wesco took six-of-seven snaps, and Okonkwo took one snap in Wesco's place.
- Okonkwo remains the primary tight end in 11 personnel, which is why he led the tight end room in routes run, but he only took 11 snaps out of 11 personnel compared to eight by Whyle.
- With the Titans falling further out of playoff position, it wouldn’t be surprising if we continue to see heavy rotations at all positions to get young players like Whyle more involved.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Jamal Agnew has spent most of the season as the Jaguars' third wide receiver with Zay Jones out, but he landed on injured reserve this past week due to shoulder and rib injuries. He will miss the next four games.
- Sixth-round rookie wide receiver Parker Washington returned off injured reserve to be the Jaguars' fifth receiver. He had played one offensive snap and one punt return in Week 4 during his only previous NFL game. He played 10 offensive snaps as the Jaguars’ fifth wide receiver with eight of them coming in the last five minutes of the game.
- Treylon Burks missed his fifth game of the last seven with a concussion. It has typically been a committee replacing Burks, but these last two weeks we’ve seen more of Chris Moore.
Las Vegas Raiders @ Miami Dolphins
- Tyreek Hill: 10 receptions, 146 yards, 1 touchdown
- Davante Adams: 7 receptions, 82 yards, 1 touchdown
Monitor De’Von Achane’s health: The rookie sensation returned from injured reserve but only lasted three snaps before landing on the same knee that put him on injured reserve.
- The Dolphins started the game with two plays that had both Raheem Mostert and Achane on the field. Mostert stayed on the field for third down.
- They similarly started the second drive with a play with both Achane and Mostert. Achane ran for the second time in the game, which is when he suffered the injury.
- Because all three of Achane’s snaps came with both running backs on the field, this game gave no indication of how snaps might be split between the two plates going forward.
- He reportedly wanted to return to the game, but the coaching staff wanted to be cautious, so ideally Achane will be back next week.
- Jeff Wilson Jr. was a healthy inactive for the game, so he can be dropped from fantasy rosters.
- This left the team with Mostert and Salvon Ahmed, leaving both players with more playing time than usual. Mostert ran a season-high 22 times for 86 yards.
- Mostert and Achane should both be fantasy starters over the rest of the season assuming Achane is good to go.
Monitor most Dolphins wide receivers’ health: Tyreek Hill missed significant time in this game with a hand injury.
- Hill played 11-of-13 first-quarter snaps but missed most of the second quarter due to a hand injury.
- He returned for the third quarter with 14-of-21 snaps. He only played seven-of-13 snaps in the fourth quarter, but all six plays he missed were run plays.
- On top of that, Braxton Berrios was inactive due to a hamstring injury and Chase Claypool also missed due to a knee injury.
- This left Cedrick Wilson Jr. as the third wide receiver on the depth chart. River Cracraft missed the last six weeks, but he was back for this game and served as the fourth wide receiver. He played more than expected with Hill missing time.
- Robbie Chosen was released earlier in the week due to Cracraft returning, but he was then signed to the practice squad and activated from the practice squad for this game. He barely played, but he was targeted on two of his four routes and gained 39 yards.
- Ideally, Hill will be just fine down the stretch, but they will likely continue to limit his playing time as they have throughout his time in Miami.
Michael Mayer sees more production despite running fewer routes: Mayer caught four passes for 46 yards, making this his best receiving day in over a month.
- Mayer started the season as the Raiders' primary blocking tight end but eventually overtook Austin Hooper on passing downs.
- Since Week 8, Hooper has slowly gained some of those 11 personnel snaps back from Mayer. He played 12-of-44 Sunday compared to Mayer's 32.
- Typically, when a top tight end is off the field, it’s primarily in more run situations than pass, but that isn’t true for Mayer.
- He ran a route on just under 70% of pass plays, which is less than ideal, but the Raiders were passing a lot, leading to Mayer's five targets.
- There is still a chance Mayer can become a factor for fantasy leagues this year in this role if his target share can reach closer to 20%.
- If that doesn’t happen this year, he will probably be one of the top sleeper tight ends during the fantasy draft season next year.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Dolphins starting tight end Durham Smythe was inactive due to an ankle injury. Undrafted rookie Julian Hill took most of the tight end duties and caught one pass for 10 yards, setting a new career-high in receiving yards.
- Josh Jacobs’ rushing production continues to depend heavily on the game script. He’s run 19 or more times in every win and 17 or fewer times in every loss including Sunday.
- Jacobs’ rushing production has largely disappeared in recent weeks. He caught one pass for 12 yards today and has been held to two or fewer receptions in the last six games after averaging five receptions a game over the first five games.
- D.J. Turner was signed off the Raiders practice squad to their active roster yesterday. He was active for the game but didn’t play on offense.
New York Giants @ Washington Commanders
- Saquon Barkley: 14 carries, 83 yards; 4 receptions, 57 receiving yards, 2 receiving touchdowns
- Darius Slayton: 4 receptions, 82 yards, 1 touchdown
Brian Robinson shines without Antonio Gibson: The Commanders’ veteran back was inactive due to a toe injury.
- Robinson has spent all season as the early-down back while Gibson’s been the receiving back. Robinson took over as the primary running back in all situations for this game.
- Robinson wasn’t much of a receiver as a rookie, averaging a target a game, but he shined last week with six receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown.
- He followed that up with seven receptions for 58 yards, leading the team in receptions and tying the team lead in receiving yards.
- He also ran the ball 17 times for a respectable 73 rushing yards.
- Rookie Chris Rodriguez Jr. served as the primary backup in all situations, and he also looked good with 43 yards on six carries. Derrick Gore was brought up off the practice squad for this game as the third back.
- Gibson and Robinson were both among the top-five running backs in terms of PFF receiving grade coming into the week. It wouldn’t be surprising if Gibson returns to being the primary receiving back once he’s healthy in an effort to not overwork Robinson.
Monitor Darius Slayton’s health: Slayton suffered an arm injury late in the first half and didn’t return.
- Slayton has been the one constant for New York’s wide receiver room this season, consistently leading the team in offensive snaps from one week to another.
- That continued in this game, as he played 28 of a possible 33 first-half snaps.
- One half was enough time to put together his best game of the season. His 82 receiving yards was a season-high, and he also scored his first touchdown of the season.
- Sterling Shepard has been Slayton's primary backup all season. He took over as the top outside wide receiver. He played 19-of-22 second-half snaps while no other wide receiver played more than 13 snaps.
- If Slayton misses time with this injury, it should have little to no impact on the other wide receivers' fantasy value.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Curtis Samuel was ejected from the game near the end of the first half. Jamison Crowder primarily took over Samuel’s role in the slot as he’s done in recent games when Samuel was injured.
- Saquon Barkley has 12 games of 50 or more receiving yards, but this was his first such game since Week 4 of 2021.
- Tommy DeVito threw for three passing touchdowns in this game, something Daniel Jones hasn’t done since 2019.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ San Francisco 49ers
- Brandon Aiyuk: 5 receptions, 156 yards, 1 touchdown
- George Kittle: 8 receptions, 89 yards, 1 touchdown
George Kittle’s hot streak continues: Kittle scored more than 20 PPR points for the third straight game.
- Kittle’s role in the offense hasn’t changed. He has lost playing time only in blowout victories where backups have been put in during the fourth quarter.
- He posted two of his three worst career games in October, catching one pass for single-digit yards in both of those games.
- The difference has been his target share. His target share was less than 7% in his two poor October games and over 30% in two of his last three games.
- Kittle will likely be at TE4 on the season by the end of the week, meaning the top four tights by ADP will be the top four tight ends in fantasy points.
Rachaad White remains a must-start: White remains inefficient as a runner but has the volume to be a fantasy starter.
- White was held to 3.3 yards per attempt or less for the fifth time this season, but he remains a must-start player due to his opportunities.
- White joined Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara and Jahmyr Gibbs as the only running backs with three or more games of six or more receptions.
- He’s run 20 times or caught six passes in the last five games.
- He scored just one touchdown over the first eight weeks, but he scored his fourth touchdown in the last three weeks in this game.
- Chase Edmonds was the only other Tampa Bay running back to play in this game, and he isn’t going to provide any competition for playing time this season.
- Tampa Bay may find a new early-down back next season, but White should remain in fantasy starting lineups for the rest of this season.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Christian McCaffrey ran the ball 20 or more times in three of the first four games this season. He then faced a five-game stretch of less than 20 attempts. That streak ended today with his 21 carries for 78 yards.
- Mike Evans caught his seventh touchdown of the season, surpassing his 2022 touchdown total.
New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills
- James Cook: 17 carries, 73 yards; 3 receptions, 29 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
- Breece Hall: 10 carries, 23 yards; 5 receptions, 50 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
The Jets' youth movement: New York used more young players throughout this game.
- The Jets' first big move was at running back. They released Michael Carter earlier in the week and activated Israel Abanikanda for the first time.
- Abanikanda became the primary backup on early downs, with Dalvin Cook serving as more of a third-down back, replacing Carter.
- Xavier Gipson overtook Allen Lazard as the Jets' second wide receiver. Gipson played 42 of a possible 44 snaps in 11 personnel, while Lazard played only 32. Jason Brownlee cut into Lazard’s playing time in 11 personnel.
- The Jets rarely used two-wide receiver sets, but even then, Gipson was on the field more often than Lazard.
- Lazard has been dropped from most leagues because of his poor play this season, but he should now be released from the rest of leagues.
- Jeremy Ruckert overtook C.J. Uzomah as the second tight end. He caught a career-high three passes, gaining 25 yards.
- Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall and even Tyler Conklin were largely unaffected by the changes.
The Bills’ three-man committee: Ty Johnson played 16 offensive snaps for Buffalo after playing two in the previous four games.
- The Bills started the season with a three-man committee with Damien Harris. After Harris landed on injured reserve, Johnson was added to the roster but was rarely used before this game.
- Johnson most notably took the two-minute drill to end the first half. James Cook and Latavius Murray had split those responsibilities in past games.
- Johnson took the last four snaps in garbage time but was also sprinkled in for normal early-down situations throughout the game.
- Cook received roughly the same amount of playing time as last week in a game where he was benched for roughly a quarter after fumbling.
- Murray also received his lowest share of offensive snaps since Harris’ injury.
- Johnson’s emergence wasn’t a problem for Cook’s fantasy value in this game because it was a blowout victory, but it could hurt his value in other weeks.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Leonard Fournette was signed to the Buffalo Bills practice squad three weeks ago, but he still hasn’t been brought up to the active roster. He will reportedly have “big-time consideration” later in the season.
- Khalil Shakir caught three passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. While his playing time remains relatively high, he has only one game with more than four targets this season. This makes it hard to consider him for fantasy football purposes.
- Malik Taylor had recently been part of the Jets' wide receiver rotation, but he was not brought up from the practice squad for this game. This likely was related to the youth movement, given that Taylor is 27. Randall Cobb was inactive for another game.
- Tim Boyle replaced Zach Wilson late in the third quarter of this game due to ineffective play. Boyle may start for Wilson going forward.
Seattle Seahawks @ Los Angeles Rams
- D.K. Metcalf: 5 receptions, 94 yards, 1 touchdown
- Puka Nacua: 5 receptions, 70 yards, 1 touchdown
Monitor Kenneth Walker III’s health: Walker suffered an oblique injury and didn’t return.
- The Seahawks ran only one drive in the first quarter, which went for 14 plays. Walker played his usual role as the early-down back, while Zach Charbonnet played as the third-down back until Walker’s injury on that drive.
- Charbonnet took over as the primary running back in every situation over the rest of the game.
- Charbonnet recently took over for DeeJay Dallas in all passing situations. Dallas regained a little of the playing time, presumably to give Charbonnet a few plays off during the game.
- Charbonnet ran 15 times for 47 yards and caught six passes for 22 yards.
- The Seahawks running backs don’t have a favorable schedule the rest of the way, but if Walker is to miss time, Charbonnet will rightfully be the clear top waiver option in fantasy leagues.
- The Seahawks play on Thursday night against the San Francisco 49ers. Given the short week, it is likely Walker will miss at least one game, but that game is against a good 49ers run defense.
Monitor Cooper Kupp’s health: Kupp suffered an ankle injury in the first half and didn’t return.
- Kupp played his usual role for the first four drives until the injury, catching one target for 11 yards.
- Van Jefferson was Kupp’s replacement for the first few weeks of the season, but he was traded to the Atlanta Falcons weeks ago.
- Based on playing time this season, Ben Skowronek and Demarcus Robinson seemed to be the next players on the depth chart. Instead, Austin Trammell took Kupp’s spot. Trammell played 46 snaps in Week 11 — his previous career-high was 11. He was targeted six times, and he caught three passes for 23 yards.
- Tutu Atwell wasn’t rotated out as much as in past weeks and presumably would have been second in targets based on his play early in the season, but he caught only one of his three targets for 17 yards.
- Atwell and Trammell could be considered waiver wire targets if the injury is serious.
Royce Freeman dominates carries for Los Angeles: Freeman ran 17 times for 73 yards, while Henderson ran six times for 1 yard.
- Henderson partially made up for his one rushing yard with a rushing touchdown and four receptions for 28 yards, so Henderson still scored more fantasy points.
- The running backs' roles weren’t all that different from recent weeks. Henderson started as usual, and they rotated by drive like normal.
- The difference is that the Rams offense played better when Freeman was on the field. This led to a few very long drives while Freeman was out there.
- There was more of a tendency to run the ball when Freeman was on the field, potentially because of Henderson’s inefficiency in the run game.
- Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers are eligible to return from injured reserve this week, so the running back room may get a major shakeup.
- It’s also possible they won’t be ready for another week, so some people might overreact to this game and expect Freeman to be a clear starter next week. If Williams and Rivers aren’t back, it wouldn’t be surprising for Henderson to start next week and for the two to return to a 50/50 split.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Geno Smith suffered a right elbow injury late in the game, but he was able to return for the final drive, where Seattle got in field goal range.
- Tyler Lockett didn't practice all week in the lead-up to the game and was questionable. He played 10 of the 17 snaps in the first quarter and two of the 18 snaps in the second, but he wasn’t limited in the second half, playing 24 of the 30 snaps.
- Dee Eskridge played 14 offensive snaps as the Seahawks’ fifth wide receiver. It was just his second game of the season after playing three snaps in Week 8. He didn’t catch his only target.
- Tyler Higbee was held to one reception for 17 yards. This is the fifth time he was held under 20 receiving yards in the last six weeks.
Minnesota Vikings @ Denver Broncos
- Ty Chandler: 10 carries, 73 yards; 4 receptions, 37 receiving yards
- Courtland Sutton: 4 receptions, 66 yards, 1 touchdown
Alexander Mattison leads the Vikings backfield: Mattison ran 18 times for 81 yards despite suffering a concussion last week.
- It initially seemed unlikely Mattison would play. Later, reports suggested the Vikings backfield would be close to a 50/50 split.
- Mattison played the majority of snaps over Ty Chandler, taking most of the short-yardage and goal-line snaps.
- Outside of Mattison’s fumble, both players looked good, although it’s worth noting most running backs have against the Denver Broncos defense.
- Chandler’s stat line looks best, but it’s worth noting that he broke a 31-yard run on a fake punt where the result of the play had more to do with the decision and play design than Chandler.
- The Vikings’ backfield has changed from one week to another all season, so it’s certainly possible Chandler gets more involved later, but this game was generally a good sign for Mattison’s usage.
T.J. Hockenson was limited: The Vikings star tight end was limited in practice this past week with a ribs injury.
- He was also limited in Week 10 but played very well.
- Over the first 10 weeks, he played over 90% of offensive snaps in 11 personnel, over 90% of snaps in 12 personnel and rarely in 21 personnel.
- This week, Josh Oliver mixed in more than usual in 11 personnel. It was typically in run situations, but Oliver also took a few pass plays.
- Hockenson played around only half of the snaps in 12 personnel. Oliver consistently took the field in 12 personnel, while Hockenson rotated with Johnny Mundt. The Vikings tended to pass when Hockenson was on the field and run when Mundt was on the field.
- Hockenson caught four passes for 55 yards, but Oliver caught four passes for 47 yards and a touchdown.
- Two of Oliver’s receptions (including his touchdown) came from 11 personnel, plays that Hockenson would have played had he been 100%.
- Minnesota doesn’t play again until Monday Night Football, so hopefully the extra rest will give Hockenson enough to recover.
Marvin Mims’ playing time takes a step back: Last week, Mims played over 40% of the offensive snaps for the first time in his career. This was his second-best game in terms of snaps, but it wasn’t nearly as close.
- Mims played most of the 11 personnel snaps but rarely got involved in other groupings.
- Last week, the Broncos ran a higher percentage of their plays out of 11 personnel, and Mims played more often in other personnel groupings.
- The other problem is that he was only targeted three times, bringing in two passes for 12 yards.
- He caught nine passes for 242 yards in the first four weeks and four passes for 16 yards since then.
- Of the 14 wide receivers picked in the first three rounds of the 2023 draft, Mims has been on the field for the second-fewest plays since Week 5, behind only Tre Tucker. He has the second-fewest receiving yards, behind only Cedric Tillman. Every other wide receiver has at least 120 receiving yards since Week 5.
- Ideally, Mims turns his season around after looking like one of the best wide receivers in the class in September.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Vikings backup quarterback Nick Mullens was activated off injured reserve on Saturday to serve as the backup quarterback for this game.
- Justin Jefferson was not added from injured reserve for this game. There were reports early Sunday that he might choose to sit out Week 12, also giving him time during their Week 13 bye week.
- Lucas Krull had been brought up from the Broncos practice squad last week to serve as their top receiving tight end, but he was left on the practice squad for this game.
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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