• Zack Moss shines in Jonathan Taylor’s return: Moss gained over 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns while Taylor played on a limited basis in his first game of the season.
• The Miami Dolphins’ speedy skill players were unstoppable: De’Von Achane and Tyreek Hill both gained over 150 yards and scored a 65-plus-yard touchdown.
• Two tight ends rebound: Darren Waller and Kyle Pitts disappointed fantasy managers over the first half of the season, but both led their teams in receiving with over 85 receiving yards each.
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.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Buffalo Bills
- Travis Etienne Jr.: 26 carries, 136 yards, 2 touchdowns
- Stefon Diggs: 8 receptions, 121 yards, 1 touchdown
Zay Jones temporarily returns to the Jaguars: Jones missed time in Week 2 and in each of the previous two games with a knee injury. A knee injury in this game forced him to exit in the third quarter.
- Jones played well in Week 1 with five receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown.
- He played the majority of snaps in 12 personnel over Christian Kirk both in the preseason and to start the regular season, which hurt Kirk’s fantasy value.
- Jones played the vast majority of snaps in 11 personnel in this game prior to exiting, but it was Kirk playing ahead of Jones in 12 personnel most of the time.
- It’s possible that the Jaguars were easing Jones in after his missing time or that Kirk played so well the past few weeks that he has earned the job. This is something to keep an eye on over the next few weeks, especially once Jones is healthy enough to get off the injury list.
- All three wide receivers found some success in this game. Calvin Ridley caught seven passes for 122 yards, Kirk caught six passes for 78 yards and Jones caught three passes for 23 yards and a touchdown.
A nightmare game for James Cook: Cook ran five times for -4 yards and caught three passes for 25 yards.
- Cook ran the ball at least 12 times in each of his first four games, but this was the first game where the Bills were down early.
- While it was exciting to see Cook take goal-line snaps last week, he saw fewer snaps on third downs and the Bills were generally rotating their running backs more often.
- That kind of rotation continued in this contest. The problem is the Bills were down throughout the game, which led them to pass a lot more than in past weeks.
- Cook hasn’t been as involved in the passing game relative to his routes run in recent weeks, and that carried on.
- We can expect Cook to be a fantasy starter in most games where the Bills are clear favorites. But when the game is expected to be closer, Cook might not be worth the start.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Calvin Ridley and Dalton Kincaid were both evaluated for concussions in the second half and returned shortly after.
- Kincaid played more offensive snaps last week than Dawson Knox for the first time. This week, it was back to Knox seeing more playing time and also running more routes. He should be left on fantasy benches until this changes.
- Trent Sherfield has spent most of the season as the Bills’ third wide receiver, with Deonte Harty the third in clear passing situations. Khalil Shakir has slowly but surely gained more playing time as the season has progressed, limiting both Sherfield and Harty.
- Jamal Agnew was inactive due to injury last week. He returned this week and took a few snaps early on but didn’t play as much as he normally would — especially given Zay Jones’ injury. It was mostly Tim Jones taking over for Zay Jones in the second half.
Houston Texans @ Atlanta Falcons
- Bijan Robinson: 14 carries, 46 yards; 2 receptions, 12 receiving yards, 1 touchdown
- Dalton Schultz: 7 receptions, 65 yards, 1 touchdown
Monitor Tank Dell’s health: Dell suffered a concussion late in the first half, forcing him to miss the second half.
- Dell was playing 72.4% of his team's offensive snaps prior to the injury, which was on par for him compared to recent weeks.
- Robert Woods also missed time in the second half due to injured ribs.
- This led John Metchie III to be an outside wide receiver despite typically playing in the slot, and Xavier Hutchinson took over in the slot in three-receiver sets.
- Woods was able to play all of the fourth quarter, where he took over as an outside receiver in 21 personnel and continued to play in the slot when his team used 11 personnel.
- This was particularly interesting because Woods started the season on the outside and only moved to the slot after Noah Brown landed on injured reserve.
- If Dell ends up missing a game, this will primarily benefit Woods, who could potentially play over 90% of his team's offensive snaps, but could also benefit Metchie.
- Brown will be eligible to return next week, and this might increase the odds the Texans play him.
Kyle Pitts has his best game of the season: Pitts caught seven of the 10 passes thrown his way for 87 yards.
- He was targeted on 40% of his pass routes, which probably isn't sustainable.
- While it was great to see him finally see significant targets, his playing time has also declined significantly.
- He only played in two of a possible 13 snaps out of 11 personnel. He’s only played in 35.4% of 11 personnel snaps this season.
- His snaps from 12 personnel also declined in this game. He was playing over 90% of 12 personnel snaps in Weeks 3 and 4, but that dropped to 72.4% in this game.
- His playing time had been relatively low to other fantasy starting tight ends, but that typically meant he missed a lot of run plays. He only ran a route on 64% of pass plays in this game.
- He will probably continue to frustrate fantasy managers given this usage, making now the perfect time to sell high.
Miscellaneous Notes
- The Texans offensive line received a boost this week with left tackle Laremy Tunsil playing for the first time since Week 1 in addition to Tytus Howard returning from injured reserve and starting at left guard.
- Dalton Schultz set a season-high 10 targets this season. This was partially due to the injuries at wide receiver as well as a lot of snaps during two-minute drills. He still isn’t running as many routes as a starting fantasy tight end should, and it’s unlikely he will keep this high of a target rate. It’s still worth monitoring.
- The Falcons wide receivers not named Drake London have been players to avoid in fantasy football, and now that’s even more true. The Falcons have been using Mack Hollins and Scott Miller with London in 11 personnel while KhaDarel Hodge plays a lot in one and two-receiver sets.
- In this game, Hodge overtook Hollins in two receiver sets but still rarely played in 11 personnel.
- Cordarrelle Patterson played five offensive snaps this week after not playing the first three weeks and only playing one snap last week. He shared the field with Bijan Robinson for three of those five plays.
Carolina Panthers @ Detroit Lions
- Sam LaPorta: 3 receptions, 47 yards, 2 touchdowns
- Adam Thielen: 11 receptions, 107 yards, 1 touchdown
Jameson Williams makes his season debut: The Lions also played without Amon-Ra St. Brown and Josh Reynolds wasn’t 100%, giving Detroit a heavy rotation of wide receivers.
- The Lions used Reynolds, Kalif Raymond and Marvin Jones Jr. in 11 personnel, with Williams only taking four snaps from that personnel group.
- Raymond specifically took over St. Brown’s role as the slot receiver in 11 personnel.
- Williams plated the clear majority of snaps in 12 personnel, taking 20 of 26 snaps. Jones and Antoine Green rotated as the other primary wide receivers from that personnel grouping.
- Williams caught two passes for two yards in his debut, which doubled his receptions total from last season.
- The Lions said they were easing Williams in this week, but he already played more snaps than any game last season.
- He will need to see significant time in 11 personnel before he’s considered for fantasy starting lineups, but this was still a step in the right direction despite the lack of receiving production.
David Montgomery shines with Jahmyr Gibbs inactive: Gibbs showed up on the injury report on Friday due to a hamstring injury. His injury status changed to doubtful on Saturday, and he was inactive.
- Montgomery took over as the every down back as expected. He played in 44 of a possible 49 snaps over the first three quarters.
- He ran the ball 19 times for 109 yards and a touchdown while catching two passes for 20 yards.
- The Lions are known for giving the ball to their lead rusher when they are on the one-yard line, but Jared Goff both threw a touchdown and ran for a touchdown from the one-yard line, preventing Montgomery from having an even more dominant game.
- The first play of the fourth quarter was his last of the game as Detroit was up by 18 late. This allowed Craig Reynolds to play significantly and score a touchdown.
- Montgomery can probably stay in fantasy starting lineups even when Gibbs returns with how often and how well he’s running with the ball.
The Panthers wide receivers are finally healthy: The Panthers finally had a game where all wide receivers played from start to finish without limitations.
- D.J. Chark Jr. missed Week 1 and only played a partial role in Week 2 before becoming a full-time player in Week 3.
- Jonathan Mingo suffered a concussion in Week 3, causing him to miss Week 4. This led Terrace Marshall Jr. to play a significant role in every game except for this one.
- Laviska Shenault Jr. played some of his snaps in Mingo's place in three-receiver sets and the rest in four wide receiver sets.
- Adam Thielen is the only wide receiver on the roster who can be trusted at the moment. He’s caught at least seven passes in each of the last four games.
- There is a chance another wide receiver could emerge from this team, but the offense would need to start playing better first.
- There were reports over a week ago that the Panthers are interested in trading for a new top wide receiver, but nothing has come from that in the past week. The NFL’s trade deadline is on October 31st this season.
Chuba Hubbard out-snaps Miles Sanders again: Hubbard just barely played more offensive snaps than Sanders for a second straight week.
- The roles of the running backs were basically the reverse of what we’ve seen all season. Sanders played the majority of third-down snaps while Hubbard took the majority in short-yardage situations.
- Hubbard has been, by far, the more efficient runner this season, gaining a first down or touchdown on 37.1% of his carries compared to Sanders' 14.8%.
- Sanders has been the better receiver, posting a better yards per route run figure.
- Similarly, Hubbard has been avoiding more tackles in the run game while Sanders has forced more in the passing game this year, so this change might be something that sticks going forward.
- It’s worth noting Sanders remained limited in practice to begin the week due to a groin injury but was a full participant by the end of the week.
- Hubbard should be a priority off the waiver wire.
Miscellaneous Notes
- After Hayden Hurst’s strong Week 1 performance, he’s caught eight passes for 59 yards over the last four games.
- As of the conclusion of the 1 p.m. eastern games, rookie Sam LaPorta leads all tight ends in receiving yards this season at 289 and is tied for the league lead in touchdowns with three.
Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts
- Zack Moss: 23 carries, 165 yards, 2 touchdowns; 2 receptions, 30 receiving yards
- DeAndre Hopkins: 8 receptions, 140 yards
Jonathan Taylor has a quiet return: Taylor only ran the ball six times for 18 yards and caught a 16-yard pass in his return to the Colts.
- Taylor returned to the Colts this week off the PUP list and signed a three-year contract extension.
- Jake Funk was released from the team to make room for Taylor.
- He was a full participant in practice all week, which made it seem like he would play a significant role this week.
- Instead, Zack Moss started and played the vast majority of the game regardless of the situation. Taylor only took one snap in the first quarter compared to Moss' 10. He was worked in a little bit more as the game progressed.
- Given how well Moss played in this game, we might see a committee in Indianapolis longer than most fantasy managers would like.
Kyle Philips makes his season debut: The Titans’ second-year receiver was eased into action after spending the first four weeks on injured reserve.
- He played in 14 of a possible 25 snaps in 10 and 11 personnel and didn’t take a single snap in one or two wide receiver sets.
- Philips lined up in the slot for 11 of his 14 snaps.
- It wouldn’t be surprising to see his snap share increase from three-receiver sets, enabling him to become the Titans’ primary slot receiver.
- This makes Philips a waiver target in deep leagues with a career 22.6% target rate despite only seeing one target in this game.
- Both Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Chris Moore played significant snaps with Treylon Burks out, but both players will likely see a significant decrease once Burks and Philips are healthier.
Chigoziem Okonkwo finally receives significant targets: The Titans sleeper tight end was thrown at eight times, but that only led to five receptions for 33 yards.
- He was held to four or fewer targets in each of the first four games. His target rate in this game was similar to his target share last season.
- Unfortunately, his playing time has also decreased compared to the start of the season.
- He played in 70.8% of his team's snaps in 11 personnel and 46.1% of the snaps in 12 personnel.
- Fifth-round rookie Josh Whyle set a career-high in both offensive snaps and pass routes while Kevin Rader played a bit in each of the last two weeks after not playing over his first three seasons.
- Okonkwo will need to go back to playing a similar amount of snaps as the start of this season, and he needs to make the big plays he was making last season. Just doing one or the other won’t turn him into a fantasy starting tight end.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Anthony Richardson left the game in the first half due to a right shoulder injury. He was ruled out 25 minutes after the injury and his X-rays were negative. Gardner Minshew should definitely be picked up in superflex leagues assuming Richardson misses time, but there are no great matchups over the next six weeks for the Colts quarterbacks.
- Josh Downs has caught at least six passes for at least 55 yards in games where Minshew plays significantly, and he has been held to four or fewer catches for 40 or fewer yards in games where Minshew doesn’t play.
- Mo Alie-Cox left the game in the third quarter due to a concussion and didn’t return. This allowed both Andrew Ogletree and Kylen Granson to play more snaps, but neither ran a route on over half the Colts' passing plays.
- Tyjae Spears has played over 50% of the Titans' offensive snaps in four of five games this season.
- DeAndre Hopkins had been limited the last few weeks but played a season-high 83.6% of offensive snaps in his game.
New York Giants @ Miami Dolphins
- De’Von Achane: 11 carries, 151 yards, 1 touchdown; 1 reception, 14 receiving yards
- Tyreek Hill: 8 receptions, 181 yards, 1 touchdown
Monitor Tyreek Hill’s health: Hill played significantly less than usual and was seen limping off the field late.
- Hill played in 15 of 20 snaps over the Dolphins’ first four drives, including 11 of 13 pass plays, which is a pretty typical distribution for him.
- He didn’t play at all in the two-minute drill to end the half, with Cedrick Wilson Jr. taking over as the outside receiver.
- He played at least one snap in every drive in the second half other than the last one where the Dolphins ran out the clock, but he only played in 10 of 22 snaps and seven of 10 pass plays in that time.
- The fact that he was able to keep playing is generally a good sign, but this will be a situation to monitor this week.
Eric Gray moves up the Giants depth chart: Saquon Barkley missed his third-straight game due to an ankle injury, giving Gray more opportunities.
- Matt Breida has been the starter while Gary Brightwell was the primary backup with Barkley out, but this week it was Breida and Gray.
- Brightwell was limited in practice all week due to an ankle injury, but he was active. This could partially explain Gray’s increased playing time.
- Gray played more snaps than Brightwell, including leading the Giants in carries (12) and rushing yards (25).
- It’s at least possible Gray becomes the primary backup on early downs once Barkley is back while Breida remains the backup on passing downs.
- The Giants play the Buffalo Bills next week, which means New York will probably be playing from behind and using Breida more if Barkley needs to miss another week.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Daniel Jones left due to a neck injury and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game.
- Darren Waller played in 92% of New York's offensive snaps for the second straight week, but it was more impressive this week considering backup Daniel Bellinger played the entire game.
- Waller caught eight of 11 targets for 86 yards. This was his best game in terms of receiving yards since 2021 prior to most of his injuries from the last two years.
- Wan’Dale Robinson took over as the primary slot receiver last week, and he played a similar number of snaps this week. It was announced at one point that he would be out for the game due to a concussion, but he ended up returning to the game.
- Jalin Hyatt played the majority of snaps at outside receiver for New York for a second straight week, but he was held without a target. Isaiah Hodgins started again and rotated in more than last week.
- The Dolphins traded for Chase Claypool a few days ago, but he was inactive for this game. Chances are he will take Robbie Chosen’s spot on the 53-man roster and play 20-30% of Miami's offensive snaps in a backup role.
- Undrafted rookie Chris Brooks was active over veteran Salvon Ahmed despite Ahmed not appearing on the injury list.
- This could mean Ahmed’s roster spot is in danger, as Jeff WIlson Jr. is eligible to return from injured reserve.
New Orleans Saints @ New England Patriots
- Alvin Kamara: 22 carries, 80 yards, 1 touchdown; 3 receptions, 17 receiving yards
- Kendre Miller: 11 carries, 37 yards; 4 receptions, 53 receiving yards
Ezekiel Elliott breaks even with Rhamondre Stevenson: The two running backs were close to even in offensive snaps and rushing attempts.
- The Patriots running backs had generally been rotating by drive but Stevenson often plays some snaps on some Elliott's drives, particularly on third downs.
- New England hasn’t been as happy with Stevenson on passing downs, leaving Elliott to typically play all of the snaps on his drives, unlike the first few weeks of the season.
- Stevenson started the game, but Elliott’s drives were roughly as successful as Stevenson’s, leading the two to split.
- Stevenson has graded better as a receiver this season and has four first downs compared to none by Elliott, but Elliott has a much higher target rate at 22% to Stevenson's 14% this season.
- If Stevenson can start performing as a receiver similarly to last year, his playing time will likely bounce back. Until then, Stevenson probably isn’t going to be a consistent fantasy starter anymore.
Monitor the Patriots wide receivers’ health: Demario Douglas and JuJu Smith-Schuster both suffered head injuries and didn’t return.
- Prior to the injuries, the Patriots rotated their wide receivers similar to previous weeks. DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Demario Douglas were the primary receivers in 11 personnel, and Parker played with JuJu Smith-Schuster in 12 personnel.
- Douglas suffered his injury early in the second quarter. Smith-Schuster simply took over as the slot receiver in 11 personnel after Douglas’ injury.
- Smith-Schuster suffered his injury in the middle of the third quarter.
- Bourne took over for Smith-Schuster in 12 personnel while Ty Montgomery became the slot receiver in 11 personnel.
- The biggest implication for fantasy purposes is if Smith-Schuster must miss a week, Bourne would play over 80% of New England's offensive snaps and be a viable option in some fantasy leagues.
Kendre Miller has his best NFL game: Miller set career highs in both rushing yards and receiving yards in the Saints' blowout victory.
- The Saints released Tony Jones Jr. earlier in the week, giving the Saints just two halfbacks on the 53-man roster.
- This allowed Miller to be the primary backup after Jones played more snaps than Miller last week.
- The third-round rookie totaled most of his rushing attempts late in the game while the Saints maintained their blowout victory, but his big plays in the passing game happened in the second quarter.
- Miller is a fine waiver wire target as someone to stash for later in the season. With Jamaal Williams‘ injury and Kamara’s career 1,500-plus touches, there is a possibility there will be weeks later in the season when Miller plays significant snaps.
Foster Moreau returns to be the Saints' lead tight end: Moreau had missed the last two games due to an ankle injury.
- The Saints’ primary tight end Juwan Johnson missed his second straight game due to a calf injury.
- Moreau led the team in snaps out of 11 personnel with 25, but the Saints were twice as likely to run than pass out of 11 when Moreau was on the field. Taysom Hill ran more routes out of 11 personnel despite playing fewer snaps.
- Moreau and Jimmy Graham were typically the tight ends out of 12 personnel. There were also eight plays where all three tight ends were on the field.
- Moreau caught a touchdown pass, but it was his only target of the game.
- The situation is one to avoid for fantasy purposes because there are too many tight ends rotating in and out.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Chris Olave was dealing with a toe injury before the game, as he spent time with trainers testing things out, but that had no impact on his playing time. He’s been remarkably consistent in terms of playing time this season, always playing between 78-82% of New Orleans' offensive snaps.
- Tyquan Thornton spent the first four weeks on injured reserve. He was eligible to return to practice this week but wasn’t ready to. There is a chance he will this week, but it still might be some time before we see him play on Sundays again.
Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers
- George Pickens: 6 receptions, 130 yards, 1 touchdown; 1 carry, 16 rushing yards
- Zay Flowers: 5 receptions, 73 yards
The Ravens backfield goes back to a two-man committee: Justice Hill was limited last week, but was back to receiving a significant role in the offense this week.
- Gus Edwards unsurprisingly led the team in carries, but Hill ended up with more yards per carry and scored a 14-yard touchdown early.
- Hill also caught four passes for 13 yards while Edwards wasn’t targeted.
- This is the kind of rotation we can probably expect for the imminent future.
- Kenyan Drake was activated from the practice squad rather than Melvin Gordon III this week, likely so the Ravens could keep a third running back without having to permanently sign either to the active roster.
- Undrafted rookie Keaton Mitchell returned to practice this week from injured reserve but wasn’t quiet ready to return for this game. He will likely take over as the third running back next week, and potentially earn some playing time over the course of the next few months.
The Ravens’ returning receivers have quiet games: Odell Beckham and Rashod Bateman both missed last week and made small contributions to the offense this week.
- Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews unsurprisingly led the team in both routes run, targets, receptions and receiving yards.
- Beckham didn’t return to his previous role in the offense, where he was rarely leaving the field. He split time with both Nelson Agholor and Bateman in 12 personnel across from Flowers.
- Early in the season, Beckham and Bateman would both play significantly in 11 personnel. This week, they had to split playing time for one outside receiver role while Agholor played the majority of snaps as the slot receiver.
- Agholor has been the Ravens' second-highest-graded wide receiver this season behind Flowers. The rookie has 1.84 yards per route run while Agholor has 1.65 and the rest of the wide receivers are below 1.0.
- This makes it unlikely Beckham or Bateman will be fantasy viable over the rest of the season while Agholor likely keeps his slot role.
Steelers tight ends split work without Pat Freiermuth: Freiermuth missed all week of practice due to a hamstring injury.
- The Steelers used both Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward significantly, with both players running 18 routes — just under 50% of possible routes each.
- Washington played more snaps in both 11 and 21 personnel. The Steelers' offense was pretty balanced when he was on the field.
- When Heyward was on the field in 11 personnel, the Steelers passed the ball on 18-of-20 plays, but Heyward stayed in to block on four of those plays.
- Heyward caught three passes for 23 yards while Washington was held without a catch.
- These tight ends should be left on the waiver wire even if Freiermuth missed another game because of their playing time split.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Jaylen Warren has scored more PPR points than Najee Harris for the fifth-straight week this season.
- George Pickens set a career-high with 130 receiving yards. His 127-yard previous career high came in Week 2.
Cincinnati Bengals @ Arizona Cardinals
- Ja’Marr Chase: 15 receptions, 192 yards, 3 touchdowns
- Marquise Brown: 4 receptions, 61 yards, 1 touchdown
Ja’Marr Chase dominates without Tee Higgins: Higgins missed this week with a ribs injury.
- Trenton Irwin took over as the outside receiver in 11 personnel, as expected, and received 10 targets. He caught eight of them for 60 yards in a solid performance of his own.
- The big question was who would play in 12 personnel. The answer was Andrei Iosivas, who handled 11 of 18 snaps in 12 personnel. Kwamie Lassiter II also received some time in 12 personnel. This is why no one received nearly as many snaps as Chase.
- Chase has been a little more hot and cold in his career than some would like, but his hot games tend to be incredible.
- He set a career high in receptions this week (15), but his performance doesn’t even rank as a personal top-two game in receiving yards and it wasn’t his first three-touchdown outing.
- If Higgins misses another game, then it is still worth taking a chance on Boyd or Irwin despite their lack of snaps in 12 personnel because the Bengals are playing the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle had allowed the second-most fantasy points to wide receivers heading into Week 4.
Monitor James Conner’s health: The Cardinals’ starting running back suffered a knee injury early in the second quarter and didn’t return.
- Keaontay Ingram started the season as the primary backup in run situations, and Emari Demercado handled passing situations.
- Ingram has missed the last two weeks with a neck injury, so Demarcado took over as the primary running back for the rest of the game.
- The Cardinals brought up Corey Clement from the practice squad before the game, their third active running back, but they chose to use Demarcado on all but one snap over the rest of the game. Clement saw no playing time.
- Demercado is probably the player to target off the waiver wire, because even if Ingram is ready to play next week, he might be limited.
- Arizona will also be playing from behind in most games, meaning they’ll want their passing back in Demarcado.
- If Conner suffered a serious long-term injury, it’s entirely possible the Cardinals will add a free agent or attempt to make a trade.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Rondale Moore led the team in rushing yards (50), thanks to a 41-yard carry. It’s his second time in three weeks with more than 50 rushing yards, but he’s been held under 35 receiving yards in every game this season.
- Irv Smith Jr. returned after missing the past two games with a hamstring injury. His role was similar to the first two weeks, but he didn’t see a single target on his 33 routes run, which isn’t a promising sign.
- This was the first time all season that all four Bengals running backs were active and all four received at least one offensive snap.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Los Angeles Rams
- Dallas Goedert: 8 receptions, 117 yards, 1 touchdown
- Puka Nacua: 7 receptions, 71 yards, 1 touchdown
Cooper Kupp shines in his return: Kupp returned from injured reserve to catch eight passes for 118 yards.
- Kupp was not limited in terms of playing time. He was off the field for only three plays, two of which were runs.
- Instead of the Rams using some kind of rotation between Puka Nacua, Tutu Atwell and Van Jefferson, it was simply Kupp taking all of Jefferson’s snaps.
- The Rams haven’t had a clear slot receiver to start the season, and that continued in this game. All three wide receivers ran between 21 to 23 routes from the slot.
- All three receivers gained at least eight PPR points, while the rest of the offense combined for four catches for 24 yards.
- Kupp and Nacua will both be must-start players going forward, and there is a chance Nacua will maintain his fantasy value.
The Eagles’ running back rotation continues to evolve: The Eagles stopped their rotation by quarter to use a more traditional rotation.
- In the first six quarters once Kenneth Gainwell returned from injury, the Eagles rotated D’Andre Swift and Gainwell by quarter.
- They went away from that in the second half last week, giving Swift some time, then Gainwell and then back to Swift to close out the game.
- This week, they went with more of a rotation by drive but allowed for a little more rotation within the drive.
- Gainwell subsequently played a role somewhat similar to his role last season — as a backup runner and primary passing-down back. Swift took on more of the Miles Sanders role.
- Gainwell was forced to stay in for pass protection just as much as he was asked to run a route, which helped keep pressure away from Jalen Hurts.
- Swift was the more effective runner on larger samples, so he will likely remain the clear top running back in Philadelphia for the foreseeable future.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Rashaad Penny was inactive as usual, although he also would have missed the game due to illness had they wanted him on the active roster.
- Quez Watkins missed the past two weeks with a hamstring injury. He returned to being the third wide receiver in 11 personnel over Olamide Zaccheaus.
- Kyren Williams had a relatively quiet game, but there should be plenty of games ahead where the Rams have a lead and are running much more. They’ve had the second-most difficult schedule so far, but they have an easier-than-average schedule the rest of the season.
New York Jets @ Denver Broncos
- Breece Hall: 22 carries, 177 yards, 1 touchdown; 3 receptions, 17 receiving yards
- Jaleel McLaughlin: 9 carries,68 yards; 3 receptions, 21 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
Breece Hall has the best game of his career: Hall ran the ball a career-high 22 times and averaged 8.0 yards per carry in the Jets’ road victory.
- Reports earlier in the week indicated that Hall would no longer be on a snap count.
- His role in the offense didn’t change much from previous weeks. He saw a slightly higher percentage of snaps on early downs at Dalvin Cook’s expense.
- The bigger difference was that the Jets ran the ball more often, allowing Hall to have so many carries.
- Hall can safely be put in fantasy starting lineups going forward, while Cook can be dropped in most leagues.
- Hall eventually overtook Carter as the third-down back last season before his injury. He’s been taking a few snaps here and there in clear passing situations. Hall could have even more fantasy value if he starts taking more snaps in clear passing situations.
Xavier Gipson’s role expands: Gipson played one offensive snap over the first three weeks, 11 snaps last week and 20 this week.
- All of his snaps last week came in 11 personnel, cutting into Randall Cobb’s playing time and allowing Garrett Wilson to line up more in the slot.
- That continued this week, with both Wilson and Lazard seeing some playing time in the slot.
- Gipson also received a little bit of playing time in other personnel groupings, most notably in 21 personnel. That allowed Lazard and Wilson to take more breaks.
- Mecole Hardman was a healthy inactive for this game, making it highly unlikely he has any fantasy value this season — even if there is an injury.
- Gipson didn’t see a target, but he can be picked up in dynasty leagues in case his role continues to expand.
The Broncos rely on backup running backs: Javonte Williams ended up practicing by the end of the week amid a quadriceps injury but was ultimately inactive.
- Samaje Perine and Jaleel McLaughlin split playing time, as expected. Perine took a higher percentage of early-down snaps than he did last week, but McLaughlin was used more as a receiver than expected.
- McLaughlin continued to look dominant on early downs, averaging 7.6 yards per carry. He’s made the case to have a decent-sized role in the offense even when Williams is healthy.
- Perine led the Broncos in receiving yards (73) after making four catches, but he wasn’t nearly as effective in the passing game.
- Williams will likely be back after this game, but it would be worth holding onto McLaughlin in case they continue giving him opportunities.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Jerry Jeudy set a season-high for playing time, but it’s still not as much as during his peak periods last season.
- Marvin Mims Jr. seemed to pull even with Brandon Johnson for the third wide receiver spot last week, but Johnson nearly doubled Mims’ pass routes total this week. He caught his only target for four yards.
- Jeremy Ruckert didn’t play much in the first three weeks of the season, but his role has expanded over the past two weeks. Tyler Conklin’s playing time has declined each week, making it unlikely he has any consistent fantasy value this season.
Kansas City Chiefs @ Minnesota Vikings
- Travis Kelce: 10 receptions, 67 yards, 1 touchdown
- Jordan Addison: 6 receptions, 64 yards, 1 touchdown
Monitor Travis Kelce’s health: Kelce left the game with a right ankle injury in the second quarter but played in the second half.
- Kelce wasn’t playing as much as usual in Weeks 2 and 3 after missing Week 1, but his playing time bounced back last week.
- He started the game playing 82.6% of snaps on the first three drives, putting him on a path similar to last week.
- His injury happened in the middle of the second quarter, but he was able to return for two plays near the end of the half.
- Kelce was in on only 52.9% of snaps in the second half. He played just over half of snaps in 11 personnel, rarely played in 12 personnel and took all three snaps from 13 personnel.
- While Kelce’s workload was down, he was targeted on nearly 50% of routes and scored for the third time this season.
- He’s been helpful for fantasy managers but hasn’t put together a big game yet this season.
- He’s on a four-game stretch of fewer than 70 receiving yards, his longest such regular-season streak since 2019.
Isiah Pacheco’s increased role continues: Pacheco played well over 50% of offensive snaps for the second straight week.
- Kansas City over the past two seasons has used a primary early-down back and a secondary early-down back. Pacheco has been the primary early-down back in 2023, but they’ve trusted him to take a higher percentage of those snaps recently. This has meant less time for both Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon.
- McKinnon has typically been the goal-line back, but this week it was Pacheco, which helped him find the end zone from one yard out. If he keeps getting goal-line opportunities, it will be huge for his rest-of-season value.
- McKinnon continued to play all of the two-minute drill and third-and-long snaps, as usual.
- This wasn’t the most efficient game for Pacheco, at 3.4 yards per carry, but if he keeps up with this playing time, he will be a regular fantasy starter for the rest of the season.
Alexander Mattison’s role declines: Mattison scored a touchdown, but there is reason to be concerned about his long-term fantasy value.
- This was the second straight week that Mattison shared the backfield with Cam Akers.
- They continued to split short-yardage situations, which isn’t great because it could take away future touchdowns from Mattison.
- Mattison saw the majority of work on early downs, as expected, but Akers took a higher percentage of those early-down snaps from him last week.
- The Vikings also opted to use C.J. Ham as their primary passing-down back. Some of this was to help with pass protection, but he also ran routes.
- Ham had averaged 5.7 snaps per season on third-and-5 yards or more to go before this season with a high of 10 snaps. He already has surpassed that with 11 snaps in such situations over the first four weeks. He set a career high with eight snaps in those situations this week.
- Mattison should have more fantasy value in games where the Vikings are winning, but those games might not happen very often. And it’s possible Akers will take over as the early-down back at some point.
Monitor Justin Jefferson’s health: Jefferson left early in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury and didn’t return.
- The Vikings’ wide receiver rotation was basically the same for the first three quarters, with Jefferson and K.J. Osborn playing nearly every snap, and Jordan Addison playing in three-receiver sets.
- Addison played two snaps in 12 personnel before the injury after playing just one snap outside of 11 personnel in the first four weeks, which is a small step in the right direction for Addison’s future playing time.
- Once Jefferson went down, Addison took over in 12 personnel while Brandon Powell took over in 11 personnel.
- If Jefferson ends up missing time, then Addison would have a lot more fantasy value.
Miscellaneous Notes
- The Chiefs’ wide receiver rotation remained similar to last week. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore and Justin Watson led the team in snaps, ran a route on a little more than 50% of pass plays and barely received any targets.
- Kadarius Toney and Rashee Rice both played a low number of snaps, ran a route on less than 40% of pass plays, but maintained high target rates.
- T.J. Hockenson at one point limped off the field and seemed shaken up on the sideline, but it wasn’t long before he returned to the game.
Dallas Cowboys @ San Francisco 49ers
- George Kittle: 3 receptions, 67 yards, 3 touchdowns
- Christian McCaffrey: 19 carries, 51 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 receptions, 27 receiving yards
Buy low on Jake Ferguson: Ferguson was on the field more in this game than usual, but he didn’t see as many targets.
- Ferguson ran a route on a higher percentage of pass plays in this game than in any other outing this season.
- This was partially because Peyton Hendershot missed the contest due to injury, but Hendershot also missed last week and Ferguson still wasn’t playing this much.
- Ferguson had been among the league leaders in target rate among tight ends, but he was thrown at just three times for 28 yards in this game.
- The 49ers have been among the best teams at shutting down tight ends. Dallas’ next few opponents are anywhere from average to bad against tight ends.
- They are also relatively competitive games, in which Dallas should be passing a lot in high-scoring affairs.
The return of Jauan Jennings: The 49ers’ wide receiver room was fully healthy for an entire game for the first time since Week 1.
- Brandon Aiyuk missed time in Weeks 2 and 3, and Jennings missed Week 4 with a shin injury.
- Jennings was limited in practice early in the week but a full participant by the end and wasn’t given an injury designation.
- He returned to his usual role of playing every snap in 11 personnel and not playing at all in other personnel groupings.
- He caught only one pass for 19 yards, as the focus was on the 49ers’ stars.
- It’s unlikely Jennings will be fantasy relevant at any point this season, but it’s always fine to take a chance on him in DFS lineups, as defenses will always be focused on the other skill players.
Miscellaneous Notes
- The 49ers put their backups in with 12 minutes left in the game, which skewed the snap counts. Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle, among others, were seeing normal snaps counts prior to the backups coming in.
- Elijah Mitchell missed his second straight game with a knee injury, allowing Jordan Mason another chance at being the primary backup. Mason played very well and is making the case to be the primary backup over the rest of the season. Mitchell could be someone to watch as we get closer to the trade deadline.
- George Kittle has averaged 1.0 touchdowns per game with Brock Purdy as the starting quarterback in the regular season compared to 0.31 with anyone else at quarterback.
- Tony Pollard was playing more than 85% of offensive snaps for Dallas before the game got out of hand. He has played a much higher percentage of offensive snaps in the games the Cowboys have lost compared to their blowout victories. He, like Ferguson, is also a clear buy-low candidate.
- Cowboys backup wide receiver and returner KaVontae Turpin scored a touchdown on his only target but later injured his ankle and was ruled out for the 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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