• Keaton Mitchell makes his first mark on the NFL: The Baltimore Ravens‘ undrafted rookie ran nine times for 138 yards and a touchdown and will be the clear top waiver target this upcoming week.
• Cole Kmet scores twice: The Chicago Bears tight end scored multiple touchdowns for the fourth time in the last two seasons. George Kittle is the only tight end with more multi-touchdown games in that time.
• Shootouts highlight the early slate: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers– Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings–Atlanta Falcons games featured plenty of fantasy points — all four teams gained at least 28 points.
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.
Miami Dolphins @ Kansas City Chiefs
- Raheem Mostert: 12 carries, 85 yards, 1 touchdown
- Tyreek Hill: 8 receptions, 62 receiving yards; 1 carry, 3 rushing yards
Isiah Pacheco leads the Chiefs offense: Pacheco led the Chiefs in total yards of offense, running for 66 yards on 16 carries.
- His longest carry went for 9 yards, so his 66-yard game was due to consistently good play rather than one or two explosive runs.
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire missed this game due to an illness. Pacheco received a slight increase in snaps, while La’Mical Perine also received a few snaps after being elevated to the active roster.
- Pacheco has been a pleasant surprise to fantasy managers all season, and he continues to be a must-start.
- Jerick McKinnon played fewer snaps than usual this week, with the Chiefs maintaining a lead all game. It was surprising to see Perine take snaps instead of McKinnon, who was often the primary backup on early downs last season.
- McKinnon scored a touchdown on one of his three opportunities, but he can probably be dropped in most leagues. He can’t be trusted in fantasy starting lineups right now, and even a Pacheco injury might not be enough to make him a starter.
Rashee Rice’s role continues to expand: The rookie receiver had a place in the Chiefs' starting lineup for the third straight game and played over two-thirds of the offensive snaps for the first time in his career.
- Rice led the wide receiver room in snaps played, though he finished third in routes run. His target rate was also much lower than usual.
- With his playing time increasing, this might be the best time to buy low. The Chiefs have one of the easier schedules for wide receivers over the rest of the season.
- Justin Watson played much more than usual, leading the wide receiver room in targets and routes. He recorded the highest snap percentage of his season.
- This came at the expense of Skyy Moore, who had played at least 50% of offensive snaps in every game until Week 9, but this week his role diminished.
- Both Mecole Hardman Jr. and Kadarius Toney took steps back from last week.
- While the box score didn’t show it, this game was the clearest sign Rice will be the top wide receiver in most games going forward.
Jeff Wilson Jr. remains third on the Dolphins’ depth chart: Wilson was expected to have a significant role on his return, but he remained a clear third for Miami.
- Wilson was playing more than Raheem Mostert by the end of the 2022 season, leading many to assume he would play a significant role in 2023.
- Instead, Salvon Ahmed has remained the primary third-down back, while Ahmed and Wilson have split time on early downs and in short-yardage situations.
- De’Von Achane has spent four games on injured reserve and should be back for the Dolphins' Week 11 game. The Dolphins could use four running backs on the active roster, or Wilson might become the odd man out in Miami.
- Regardless, Wilson can likely be dropped in most fantasy leagues.
Monitor Jaylen Waddle’s health: Waddle went to the medical tent with an apparent knee injury on the Dolphins' first drive.
- Waddle was quickly deemed questionable to return, but he was back on the field by the Dolphins’ second drive. He played just under 50% of the offensive snaps in the first half and just over 50% in the second half.
- Cedrick Wilson Jr. not only played in place of Waddle for a lot of the game, but he also played in three-receiver sets in place of Braxton Berrios at times. Berrios had played 94% of snaps in 11 personnel over the first eight weeks and 45% of 11 personnel snaps in this game.
- Wilson caught a touchdown for 31 yards and could be a waiver wire target, especially considering this is the second time in three weeks Waddle has missed significant time.
- It’s also worth noting that Tyreek Hill played over 90% of the offensive snaps for just the second time since joining the Dolphins due to the magnitude of this game.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Travis Kelce now averages 108 yards per game with Taylor Swift in attendance and 41 yards per game when she is not. His 14 receiving yards marked his lowest single-game total since 2018.
- The quiet game was enough for him to overpass Tony Gonzalez for the most receiving yards in Chiefs history. Kelce now sits at 10,941 receiving yards from 152 games, while it took Gonzalez 190 games to reach 10,940 yards.
- The Chiefs recently opened the 21-day practice window for wide receiver Richie James Jr. He played 35% of offensive snaps in Week 1 before suffering his injury early in Week 2.
- The practice window was similarly opened for Dolphins wide receiver River Cracraft a week and a half ago.
- Both the Chiefs and Dolphins have bye weeks this upcoming week, so both players should be suiting up for Week 11.
Minnesota Vikings @ Atlanta Falcons
- Jonnu Smith: 5 receptions, 100 yards, 1 touchdown
- Alexander Mattison: 16 carries, 44 yards; 2 receptions, 49 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
Monitor Cam Akers’ health: Akers tore his Achilles during this game according to Kevin O’Connell. If more tests confirm it, that will end Akers’ season and put his career in jeopardy.
- The injury occurred at the end of the third quarter. At that point, the Vikings backfield had been pretty split with Alexander Mattison taking 27 snaps to Akers’ 23.
- There had been multiple points over the last few weeks where either player seemed to be the leadback on the team.
- Mattison played all 15 snaps after the injury.
- Mattison has been a borderline fantasy starter throughout the season with good volume but not great efficiency. It will be safer to put him in fantasy starting lineups going forward knowing he is unlikely to lose many snaps going forward.
- Ty Chandler had been the primary backup before the team traded for Akers and will likely return to second on the depth chart.
- Minnesota could look towards free agency or another team’s practice squad, but there are no obvious names for the Vikings to consider.
- This is the second time Akers has torn his Achilles. Tearing it once is a difficult injury for a running back to come back from. If he’s able to play well with it later in his career, he’d be a favorite for the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year.
Monitor K.J. Osborn’s health: Osborn took a helmet-to-helmet hit to the back of the head. He was at least able to walk to the cart after staying down on the field, but he was ultimately ruled out.
- The Vikings wide receiver rotation started as usual. Osborn and Jordan Addison played on every down while Brandon Powell came in for three-receiver sets.
- Osborn’s injury occurred late in the second quarter.
- Trishton Jackson completely took Osborn’s place while playing in 42-of-43 offensive snaps in the second half.
- Osborn had caught two passes for 17 yards prior to the injury while Jackson caught one pass for two yards after it.
- Justin Jefferson is eligible to return from injured reserve after this game, but he might not be ready to come back yet. Initial reports suggested he would miss four-to-six weeks, and we are at the four-week mark.
- The Vikings have a rough matchup against the New Orleans Saints next week, so it’s best to leave Jackson on the waiver wire even if Jefferson and Osborn both miss another game.
Falcons use a committee to replace Drake London: The Falcons’ top wide receiver didn’t practice all week due to a groin injury and was inactive.
- Van Jefferson had seemingly emerged as the Falcons' No. 2 wide receiver behind London. He was pretty consistently on the field in 12 personnel Sunday but only played in two-thirds of Atlanta's 11 personnel snaps. He played a lower percentage of Atlanta's offensive snaps this week than last.
- KhaDarel Hodge was the top guy in 11 personnel, playing 14-of-15 snaps while equaling Jefferson in 12 personnel.
- Mack Hollins and Scott Miller rounded out the depth chart while Damiere Byrd made his season debut as the fifth receiver who played significant snaps. Byrd had been a rotational receiver for Atlanta in 2022.
- Byrd took all five snaps in 13 personnel. That is usually a run formation, but Atlanta passed the ball on all five plays.
- While playing time has been somewhat predictable for Falcons players this season, opportunities have been completely unpredictable and that was true for the wide receivers.
- Hodge led the wide receivers in receiving with three catches for 60 yards, Hollins was second with three receptions for 36 yards while Jefferson had one catch.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Vikings quarterback Jaren Hall suffered a concussion early in his first NFL start. He was looking good, completing five-of-six passes for 78 yards in the first quarter.
- Falcons third running back Cordarrelle Patterson played four first-quarter snaps but left the game due to an ankle injury. He returned to the game in the middle of the third quarter.
- Jonnu Smith has two of the top-10 tight end receiving-yard performances this season. He gained 95 yards in Week 4 and 100 yards Sunday. Travis Kelce is the only other tight end with two top-10 performances.
- 2022 sixth-round receiver Jalen Nailor was activated off injured reserve on Saturday after missing the first half of the season due to a hamstring injury. He was inactive for this game.
Seattle Seahawks @ Baltimore Ravens
- Keaton Mitchell: 9 carries, 138 yards, 1 touchdown; 1 reception, -4 receiving yards
- Gus Edwards: 5 carries, 52 yards, 2 touchdowns
Add Keaton Mitchell: The Ravens’ undrafted rookie played significant snaps for the first time and looked great in his opportunities.
- Mitchell started the season on injured reserve. He made his NFL debut in Week 6 only playing special teams and then in Week 7, he played two offensive snaps, catching a nine-yard pass before suffering a hamstring injury that cost him Week 8.
- The Ravens started with Gus Edwards and Justice Hill splitting snaps in the first quarter. Edwards played eight snaps and Hill played seven.
- Mitchell didn’t start mixing in until the middle of the second quarter. Edwards only played in three snaps in the second quarter, three in the third quarter and didn’t play at all in the fourth.
- Edwards was dealing with a toe injury to start the week, but he was a full participant in practice on both Thursday and Friday, making it surprising he was completely phased out after scoring two touchdowns.
- The Ravens largely turned to backups in the fourth quarter. Tyler Huntley played the entire quarter, and Hill was the running back for 17 of those 19 snaps. Garbage time is why Hill dominated snaps as much as he did.
- Now that this appears to be a three-man committee, it will be harder to put Edwards in fantasy starting lineups despite his five touchdowns over his last two games. He remains a player to sell high.
- Mitchell will likely be the top waiver target this week. There is no guarantee he will work out considering the three-man committee, but it’s possible Mitchell will become Baltimore's top rusher and receiver. He is a high-risk player, but the upside is there for him to be a top-15 running back down the stretch if he can win the job.
Zach Charbonnet leads the Seahawks backfield in snaps again: The Seahawks second-round pick played over 50% of Seattle's offensive snaps again, but that’s unlikely to continue in the short term.
- He was splitting snaps in passing situations with DeeJay Dallas for more of the season, but he completely took over last week. That carried on into this game with Charbonnet playing 100% of Seattle's third downs and two-minute drill plays.
- Seattle ran an abnormally high number of plays in those situations last week, and that happened again this week with Seattle losing 37-3.
- Neither running back did much in the run game or passing game, with Kenneth Walker III running nine times for 16 yards and Charbonnet gaining 13 yards off four carries and one reception.
- Chabonnet has converted 40.6% of his runs into first downs this season, and his rate stats have generally been a little better than Walker’s.
- Walker was gaining a first down on at least 20% of carries in each of his first five games, but that rate has been 15% or less in each of the last three.
- It’s at least possible that Charbonnet will start earning more opportunities on early downs over the rest of the season.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Take the snap counts for Baltimore with a grain of salt because the Ravens used backups throughout the fourth quarter. Gus Edwards and Zay Flowers didn’t play a single fourth-quarter snap while Mark Andrews only took one snap in the fourth.
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba received more playing time than usual because the Seahawks stayed in 11 personnel playing catchup. He led the Seahawks in receptions (six) and receiving yards (63) today and also leads the team in receiving yards over the last three weeks at 162.
Arizona Cardinals @ Cleveland Browns
- Amari Cooper: 5 receptions, 139 yards, 1 touchdown
- David Njoku: 4 receptions, 26 yards, 1 touchdown
Cedric Tillman goes from inactive to a top-two wide receiver: Donovan Peoples-Jones was traded to the Detroit Lions at the trade deadline, opening the door for Tillman to receive a bigger role.
- Tillman caught one pass in his first four games and was inactive for each of the last three.
- He was on the injury report during the first week he was inactive but was not during the last two.
- Tillman played 43 of a possible 51 snaps in 11 personnel and 11 of 13 in 12 personnel.
- Marquise Goodwin was often on the field when Tillman was off, but Goodwin suffered a concussion at the end of the third quarter and didn’t return.
- David Bell was inactive with a knee injury. It’s possible Bell will take some time from Tillman once he’s healthy.
- Tillman caught his only target for three yards, but the opportunity is there for Tillman to be a much bigger part of the Browns offense going forward.
The Browns running backs gain clear roles: The backfield has been in flux due to Kareem Hunt’s return to the team followed by injuries to both Hunt and Jerome Ford, but things seem to have stabilized.
- Ford was a full participant in practice by the end of the week while Hunt didn’t show up on the injury report this week, which was generally a good sign.
- The two split snaps on early downs. There was a slight tendency toward Hunt in short-yardage situations while Ford was the clear passing-down back.
- This allowed Ford to lead the backfield in both rushing attempts and targets while Hunt was the player to score a touchdown. Both players averaged between 2-3 yards per carry.
- Pierre Strong Jr. had seen plenty of opportunities in recent weeks due to the injuries, but he only received five offensive snaps. It was surprising he didn’t see more considering the 27-0 blowout win.
- Ford can return to fantasy starting lineups assuming the matchup isn’t bad while Hunt should at least remain on fantasy rosters.
Zach Pascal replaces Michael Wilson: The Cardinals third-round rookie didn’t practice all week due to a shoulder injury.
- Pascal was fighting with Wilson for the starting job during the preseason and has been his backup all season, so it was unsurprising to see Pascal take the starting job.
- Pascal also took over in most two wide receiver sets rather than Rondale Moore playing more snaps. Moore had played in 12 personnel at times last season.
- Pascal was held without a target, but there is at least a chance Pascal can find some success next week if Wilson misses another game and Kyler Murray takes over at quarterback.
Keaontay Ingram and Tony Jones Jr. split snaps: The Cardinals dug deep down the depth chart and it showed.
- James Conner has spent the last four weeks on injured reserve and is luckily eligible to return to Arizona after this game.
- Emari Demercado and Damien Williams had been the primary replacements for Conner the past two weeks, but both players also missed this game due to injuries.
- Ingram was the primary early-down back while Jones served as the primary receiving back.
- The Cardinals also ran seven plays out of 01 personnel in which Rondale Moore would often line up in the backfield. They had only used 01 personnel six other times this season, and the Cleveland Browns are the only other team to run 01 personnel on at least five plays in a game this season.
- Ingram, Moore and Jones all averaged between 0.7 and 0.9 rushing yards per attempt.
- Ideally, Conner will be back next week and all other Cardinal running backs can be dropped from fantasy rosters.
Los Angeles Rams @ Green Bay Packers
- Aaron Jones: 20 carries, 73 yards, 1 touchdown; 4 receptions, 26 receiving yards
- Luke Musgrave: 3 receptions, 51 yards, 1 touchdown
Aaron Jones sets season-highs: Jones has spent most of the last 11 months battling injuries, but this was the most Jones has been utilized in a long time.
- Jones ran the ball 20 times for 73 yards and a touchdown while catching four passes for 26 yards.
- This was the first time he reached double-digit carries since last season and the first time he reached 20 carries since Week 10 of last year.
- His four receptions on five targets were both tied for his most this season. He hasn’t seen more than five targets since Week 11 last season.
- The Packers took Jones out for the last few minutes of the game when Emanuel Wilson ran four times for 43 yards.
- There were concerns his injuries would linger and that the Packers were rumored to be looking for running backs at the trade deadline, but this game was a positive sign that Jones could remain a fantasy starter.
Monitor Christian Watson’s health: Watson is dealing with a chest injury, a back injury and was being evaluated for a concussion.
- Watson was playing his usual role over the first three quarters, playing in 42 of a possible 47 snaps.
- He was only targeted once on 18 pass routes in that time — a play with 38 air yards.
- He left the game with five minutes to go after a similarly deep target, which he caught. That was his only catch in the game.
- Dontayvion Wicks took over for Watson to end the game as he’s done several times this season.
- This was not a good matchup for Watson which explains his few targets, but ideally, he would have been more involved with the offense prior to his injury.
- Wicks caught four passes for 49 yards throughout the game, subbing in for all three other wide receivers. He could be a fine waiver target in deeper leagues considering the Packers have a strong matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers next week.
Tutu Atwell’s playing time declines: Atwell was rotated out more than in recent weeks.
- Part of the problem is he was rotated out for Ben Skowronek in 11 personnel more than in past weeks. Atwell played 35 of a possible 46 11 personnel snaps.
- The other problem is the Rams used more 12 personnel this week than most weeks, taking 12 snaps from that personnel grouping. Atwell played in four of those 12 plays.
- The increase in 12 personnel also meant fewer snaps than usual for Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. Demarcus Robinson and Skowronek were the main wide receivers in 12 personnel.
- Atwell was excellent to start the season with 17 receptions for 246 yards in the first three weeks, but he’s been held under 33 receiving yards in each of the last six games.
- The Rams offense should play better once Matthew Stafford returns, but Atwell can be released due to the offense shifting its philosophy toward Atwell.
Miscellaneous Notes
- The Rams made Myles Gaskin inactive in Week 7 after he just joined the team. Sixth-round rookie Zach Evans was inactive last week, allowing Gaskin to make his debut with the Rams. This week, the Rams flipped third-string running backs again, as Evans was active while Gaskin was inactive. Neither back has played an offensive snap during this three-game stretch.
- Samori Toure was a healthy inactive for the first time this season. He had been the Packers fifth-string wide receiver. He played significantly early in the season when Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs were injured, but he was held to 14 offensive snaps over the previous three games. Undrafted rookie Malik Heath, who had been inactive over the last four games, was active.
- Packers rookie tight end Luke Musgrave set a new career-high in receiving yards with 51 and caught the first touchdown of his career. He is one of the best tight end options available off the waiver wire.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Houston Texans
- Tank Dell: 6 receptions, 114 yards, 2 touchdowns
- Noah Brown: 6 receptions, 157 yards, 1 touchdown
Devin Singletary steps in at running back: Dameon Pierce didn’t practice all week due to an ankle injury.
- In recent weeks, Singletary had been splitting snaps with Pierce on early downs while Mike Boone gets the third down work.
- Singletary completely took over the early-down work while Boone stayed the third down back.
- That didn’t lead to much fantasy production. Singletary ran the ball 13 times for 26 yards and caught two passes for no yards. The Buccaneers scored on three of their first four drives, so Houston was playing from behind most of the game.
- Dare Ogunbowale had been inactive for five of the first seven games this season. He was active today as the third running back. He wasn’t needed on offense, but he was the backup kicker, leading to multiple Ogunbowale kickoffs in the second half.
- Singletary might have better luck next week if Pierce misses another game. The Texans face the Cincinnati Bengals, who haven’t been as good as Tampa Bay against fantasy running backs, but the game script might be worse.
Dalton Schultz shines in an expanded role: Schultz’s playing time has been rising due to injuries to multiple Texans tight ends.
- The Texans’ top run-blocking tight end Teagan Quitoriano landed on injured reserve earlier last week due to a groin injury that caused him to miss this game, and he will miss at least the next three.
- Brevin Jordan is the top backup receiving tight end, but he’s missed the last two games due to a foot injury. He was limited in practice to start this past week but wasn’t able to practice at the end of the week.
- Schultz has always been the primary receiver in 11 personnel all season, but he rarely played in 21 personnel. He played in 14 of a possible 19 snaps in 21 personnel in this game. He had played in 17% of his team's 21 personnel snaps over the first eight weeks.
- Most of his receiving work came from 11 personnel like usual, but he also averaged 2.3 yards per route run in 21 personnel in this game.
- Schultz ended the day with 10 receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown.
- Schultz has been a borderline fantasy starter, but it’s going to be safer starting him for the foreseeable future while Quitoriano is out.
Consider Cade Otton: The second-year tight end posted the best game of his career with 70 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
- Otton’s playing time has been elite all season. He played in 100% of Tampa Bay's offensive snaps for the second time this season and at least 96% of snaps in all but one game.
- His 14.3% target rate over the season ranks seventh among tight ends with at least 150 routes on the season. This was his second game of the season with a target rate above 16%.
- Chances are Otton will go back to having a low target rate next week which doesn’t warrant having him in fantasy starting lineups, but he’s been trending in the right direction in recent weeks. He’s gained at least six targets in each of the last three games after achieving that once in the first five.
- Otton has a top-five schedule for fantasy tight ends over the rest of the fantasy regular season, so he might only need to see a slightly higher target share than usual to be a fantasy starter in November.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Noah Brown might seem like a top waiver target after catching six passes for 153 yards and a touchdown, but Robert Woods has missed the last two games due to a foot injury. Brown is the most likely of the three wide receivers to see a significant decrease in playing time once Woods is back.
- Chase Edmonds continues to share the backup job at running back with Ke’Shawn Vaughn in his second game back. Vaughn played more in rushing situations while Edmonds played more in passing situations.
Washington Commanders @ New England Patriots
- Rhamondre Stevenson: 9 carries, 87 yards, 1 touchdown; 4 receptions, 42 receiving yards
- Jahan Dotson: 4 receptions, 69 yards, 1 touchdown
Demario Douglas leads the Patriots receivers: Douglas is the Patriots' new top wide receiver with Kendrick Bourne out for the season.
- Douglas caught five-of-seven targets for 55 yards and ran the ball once.
- The Patriots’ wide receiver rotation in this game was similar to what it was at the very end of the last game.
- Douglas played in 100% of the team's 11 personnel snaps, but the Patriots spent the vast majority of the game in 12 personnel. Douglas took 44 of a possible 54 snaps in that personnel grouping.
- Jalen Reagor was the closest receiver to him in terms of playing time, as he also played 100% of New England's 11 personnel snaps and 39-of-54 in 12 personnel. He only played so many snaps because DeVante Parker was out due to a concussion. Once Parker returns, he and Reagor will split snaps.
- JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton split snaps as the backup wide receivers. Thornton played more than Smith-Schuster in 11 personnel, but Smith-Schuster played more in 12.
- If this was a game where the Patriots were playing from behind more often, then Thornton may have out-snapped Smith-Schuster. Once Parker is back, he could also cut into Smith-Schuster’s 12 personnel playing time.
- Douglas should have been picked up off the waiver wire last week. If he’s still available in your league, he should be picked up this week.
Curtis Samuel has multiple replacements: Samuel missed this week due to a toe injury, leading to more opportunities for several players.
- Jamison Crowder was Samuel’s primary replacement, playing 37-of-52 snaps in 11 personnel and barely any snaps in other personnel groupings. He caught four passes for 23 yards.
- Dyami Brown has also been playing more snaps over the last two weeks. He caught two passes for 33 yards, as he also took more snaps than usual in 11 personnel.
- Samuel has posted a respectable 19.2% target rate this season. His replacements both had target rates between 26-27% that came at the expense of the running backs, Terry McLaurin and Logan Thomas.
- Samuel’s absence hasn’t impacted Jahan Dotson‘s playing time, but Dotson is back to making big plays. He caught four passes for 69 yards and a touchdown and is fantasy-relevant once again.
- Samuel was an intriguing waiver option before the injury, but with Crowder and Brown splitting the role, neither is worth considering off the waiver wire even if Samuel misses more time.
- It’s been great to see Dotson starting to live up to the preseason hype, but it will be good to see him continue to do this well even when Samuel is back.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Antonio Gibson ran the ball six times for 34 yards. It was the second time all season that he ran the ball more than three times and his first time rushing for more than 20 yards.
- Sixth-round rookie Kayshon Boutte remained inactive despite the injuries to Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker. New England consistently had several wide receivers active each week while Matthew Slater and Ty Montgomery II primarily played on special teams, but this week, they just had fewer wide receivers active.
- The Patriots ran 54 snaps out of 12 personnel, which was the most by a team in a game this season. That beat the Patriots in Week 2 with 45 snaps. The Buffalo Bills had 44 in Week 1, the Atlanta Falcons have the next four highest games with 39 Sunday and three games at 36.
Chicago Bears @ New Orleans Saints
- Cole Kmet: 6 receptions, 55 yards, 2 touchdowns
- Taysom Hill: 11 carries, 52 yards; 4 receptions, 13 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
Alvin Kamara’s role continues to decline: Kamara played under 50% of New Orleans' offensive snaps for the first time since 2020.
- Jamaal Williams and Kendre Miller took half of the early down snaps from Kamara while Williams has taken over as the clear third-down back for the team.
- Kamara stayed close to 50% of New Orleans' snaps despite not playing much on third downs because he was the sole back in the two-minute drill.
- He ran the ball nine times for 26 yards, but Taysom Hill ended up with more carries at 11. He was also more effective of a runner, gaining 52 yards.
- All of Hill’s carries occurred while he was lined up at quarterback. Hill’s usage will be inconsistent from one week to the next, but Williams and Miller will continue to see significant snaps.
- Kamara has averaged 3.7 yards per carry or less in each of the last five games. His fantasy value might be dependent on how much he’s used as a receiver, and that will depend on the game script.
- The Saints have the third-easiest schedule over the rest of the season. The 5-4 Minnesota Vikings next week and the 6-2 Detroit Lions in Week 13 are the only teams they still need to face with a winning record.
D’Onta Foreman keeps hold of the early down job in Chicago: Foreman ran the ball 20 times for 83 yards in the Bears loss.
- He dominated carries for Chicago in a way we haven’t seen this season. Roschon Johnson was restricted to two carries for six yards while Darrynton Evans ran once for two yards.
- Because Johnson took fewer snaps on early downs, he ended up taking more snaps on third downs, which left Evans without a role in the offense.
- Khalil Herbert is eligible to return next week. He will likely take Evans’ spot on the roster.
- Foreman was typically a healthy inactive when Herbert was healthy, but based on the Bears’ recent reliance on Foreman, he will likely be active.
- We could see Herbert and Foreman share time on early downs while Herbert and Johnson share time on third downs.
- This means there is a chance Foreman can stay relevant in fantasy leagues even when Herbert is back and will make it much harder for Johnson to be fantasy-relevant this year despite some good play early in the season.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Sixth-round rookie A.T. Perry was active for the first time last week and was eased into action with eight offensive snaps. He overtook Lynn Bowden in offensive snaps this week because his snap count doubled, but he still didn’t receive a target.
- Jimmy Graham was inactive for the second straight week. Last week, he showed up on the injury report due to an illness and was questionable heading into the game. This week, he didn’t appear on the injury report, so it seems like the Saints are happy with three active tight ends.
- Darnell Mooney posted his best game of the season with five receptions for 82 yards. He had five games this season between 32-53 receiving yards and three games where he was held without a catch
Indianapolis Colts @ Carolina Panthers
- Jonathan Taylor: 18 carries, 47 yards; 5 receptions, 22 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
- Michael Pittman Jr: 8 receptions, 64 receiving yards
Jonathan Taylor takes over the Colts backfield: Taylor finally pulled away from Zack Moss and is playing a similar role to the one he previously held.
- Taylor played 74% of the offensive snaps, a similar snap share to the one he held in 2021 and 2022 before his injuries.
- He was at 82% during the first three quarters. After that point, Indianapolis held a double-digit lead, so Moss took more snaps, and Trey Sermon took the three kneel-down snaps.
- Taylor didn’t play all that well, given his opportunities, as he averaged 2.6 yards per carry.
- His efficiency was a little concerning, as the Panthers had allowed 139 rushing yards per game heading into the week, the fourth-highest mark in the NFL.
- Moss likely can’t be in fantasy starting lineups going forward, but he can be kept as a handcuff.
Monitor Josh Downs’ health: Downs left the game with a knee injury early in the second quarter and didn’t return.
- Downs showed up on the injury report with a knee injury on Thursday and was limited on Thursday and Friday. He was questionable coming into the game. This is presumably the same injury.
- Isaiah McKenzie took over as the slot receiver for the rest of the game. McKenzie had competed with Downs for the slot role in training camp before Downs won the job.
- The Colts also used more 12 personnel than usual. This could have been because of the injury but also because of their lead.
- McKenzie caught two passes for 12 yards and can probably be left on the waiver wire, even if the Downs injury is serious.
Chuba Hubbard remains the top back for Carolina: Hubbard led the team in carries and was the primary back in most situations.
- Hubbard ran 16 times for 58 yards and caught four passes for 9 yards. He wasn’t all that effective on his carries, but he was the clear top player in all situations except the goal-line snap, which was a third-and-5.
- Miles Sanders was more involved than last week. He mostly took snaps from Raheem Blackshear, but he also touched the ball more often when he was on the field.
- Sanders ran the ball six times. Most notably, he was targeted on five of his 11 pass routes.
- Hubbard is still the top player to consider from this backfield, but given the quality of play of Hubbard and Sanders today, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if this moves closer to a 50-50 backfield next week.
D.J. Chark Jr. scores in a reduced role: Chark was in a full rotation with Terrace Marshall Jr. throughout the game.
- Chark and Marshall began a rotation in Week 6, with Chark receiving a clear majority of snaps.
- After the Panthers’ Week 8 bye, Chark became an every-down starter. There were rumors Marshall could be traded, but a trade never materialized.
- Chark started this game, but Marshall started rotating in by the second drive.
- It wasn’t exactly a 50-50 split, but Chark was only slightly ahead of Marshall in terms of total snaps and routes run.
- Laviska Shenault Jr. missed another game due to injury, but he will also factor in once he’s healthy again. It’s been difficult to trust these Panthers players, given the state of the offense. Chark can be cut from fantasy rosters in this reduced role.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Michael Pittman Jr. was evaluated for a concussion in the middle of the game, but he was able to return.
- Hayden Hurst led the Panthers in receiving yards with 54, thanks to a 48-yard reception. However, Tommy Tremble led the Panthers’ tight end room in snaps for a second straight week, while third-string tight end Stephen Sullivan saw the most targets.
New York Giants @ Las Vegas Raiders
- Josh Jacobs: 26 carries, 98 yards, 2 touchdowns
- Jakobi Meyers: 2 receptions, 38 receiving yards; 1 carry, 17 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown
Daniel Bellinger leads the Giants tight ends: Darren Waller landed on injured reserve on Saturday, so Bellinger will lead the team for the next month.
- Bellinger took over for Waller last week, and because he was the only other tight end on the active roster, he took every snap over the rest of that game.
- In Week 9, Bellinger played 33 of the 40 snaps out of 11 personnel and every snap in 21 personnel and two-tight end sets.
- Lawrence Cager, who was recently signed off the practice squad, played the other seven snaps of 11 personnel and all of the two-tight end sets.
- Bellinger played enough snaps and ran enough routes to be considered for fantasy rosters, but he was targeted on less than 10% of his routes.
- If Bellinger is targeted more, he’d be worth claiming off the waiver wire. For now, he can be added in deeper leagues where most starting tight ends are rostered.
Monitor Jalin Hyatt’s health: Hyatt appeared shaken up after fumbling after a catch late in the game.
- He was able to walk off the field on his own.
- The play occurred with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Giants ran only one run play to end the game once they got the ball back.
- There is a chance he would have been just fine and played more had the injury happened earlier in the game. Still, this is worth monitoring.
- Jalin Hyatt has been rotating with Isaiah Hodgins for one of the outside receiver spots this season.
- Hyatt was targeted five times and caught two passes for 19 yards, while Hodgins didn’t catch his only target.
Austin Hooper cuts into Michael Mayer’s playing time: Hooper took only seven of the 38 snaps in 11 personnel, but they were all in clear passing situations.
- Mayer and Hooper played 21 snaps together in 11 personnel. Two-thirds of those plays were run plays. On the seven pass plays, Mayer stayed in to block for three of them.
- Mayer took 31 snaps in 11 personnel, but the Raiders ran the ball on two-thirds of those snaps
- When Hooper was in for 11 personnel, they passed 86% of the time.
- Mayer ran a route on just 60% of the Raiders' pass plays. He was targeted twice and gained 11 yards on those targets.
- Mayer could still be a waiver-wire target, based on his youth and talent, but it will be much more difficult to rely on him when Hooper gets to be the primary tight end on so many pass plays.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Daniel Jones suffered a knee injury and wasn’t able to return. The initial fear is that the injury is serious. Tyrod Taylor landed on injured reserve yesterday and will miss at least the next three games.
- Tommy DeVito took over as the starting quarterback for this game. Matt Barkley was signed to the practice squad a week ago. Barkley will at least be added to the active roster and could take over as the starter sooner rather than later.
- Wan’Dale Robinson caught a fourth-quarter touchdown, but he played his lowest percentage of snaps since his first game back from his injury. Parris Campbell was rotated in more often than usual.
- Hunter Renfrow was the clear slot receiver for Las Vegas last week, but he went back to being a rotational player under the new coaching staff. Tre Tucker received more offensive snaps and ran one more route than Renfrow.
- Raiders fullback Jakob Johnson was inactive due to a concussion, leading the team to stay in 11, 12 and 13 personnel.
Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles
- CeeDee Lamb: 11 receptions, 191 yards
- Jake Ferguson: 7 receptions, 91 yards, 1 touchdown
Michael Gallup’s role continues to decline: Gallup played less than 50% of the offensive snaps, losing time to Jalen Tolbert.
- Gallup saw a sharp decline last week, as he rotated in and out with Jalen Tolbert and played less in 12 personnel than in previous weeks.
- Gallup played only 30 of the 53 snaps in 11 personnel in this game. He was often on the field in four-receiver sets but didn't play any of the 14 plays with two or fewer wide receivers.
- He caught two passes for 19 yards. Jalen Tolbert scored his first NFL touchdown. Tolbert was also targeted more often and caught three passes.
- It’s certainly possible that Tolbert will play more snaps than Gallup as soon as next week.
Monitor Dallas Goedert’s health: Goedert suffered a forearm injury late in the third quarter and didn’t return.
- Goedert looked good before the injury, catching three passes for 50 yards.
- Jack Stoll has been the clear No. 2 tight end all season. He took over as the top tight end in Goedert's absence. He similarly took over last season when Goedert missed time with an injury, basically playing the same role in terms of snaps and routes.
- Grant Calcaterra has been the Eagles’ third tight end all season, but he missed this game due to a concussion.
- Albert Okwuegbunam has spent most of the season as an inactive, but he was active this week with Calcaterra out. He didn’t play any offensive snaps until after the Goedert injury. Four of his six snaps came in two-tight end sets, and he also took two snaps out of 11 personnel.
- Stoll wasn't targeted in this game and was rarely targeted last season, even when he was the lead tight end. He can be left on the waiver wire in most leagues, even if the Goedert injury is serious.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Boston Scott was inactive after missing time this week for personal reasons. Rashaad Penny was active as the third running back and played two offensive snaps.
- Julio Jones’ playing time continued to rise in his third game with the Eagles, cutting into the playing time of Olamide Zaccheaus.
- CeeDee Lamb has exceeded 150 receiving yards twice in his career — last week against the Las Vegas Raiders and this week against the Eagles.
- Jake Ferguson set career highs in targets and receiving yards. This was his second straight game with a touchdown.
Buffalo Bills @ Cincinnati Bengals
- Stefon Diggs: 6 receptions, 86 yards, 1 touchdown
- Tee Higgins: 8 receptions, 110 yards
James Cook regains starting job: Cook started the game and played more than usual after Latavius Murray had started the past three weeks.
- Cook had been sharing early-down snaps with Murray, but Cook played 100% of early-down snaps over the first three quarters. Murray played only on third downs, on one goal-line play and in the two-minute drill in that time.
- Cook and Murray split third-down snaps during that time. Murray had been dominating third-down snaps in recent weeks.
- Murray took over in the fourth quarter while Buffalo was throwing to catch up.
- That didn’t lead to much production for Cook. The Bills lost the time of possession battle and were playing from behind, which didn’t produce many rushing opportunities.
- The Bills added Leonard Fournette to the practice squad this past week. He wasn’t brought to the active roster for this game, but Murray’s decreased role makes it more likely that Fournette will get some work once he is added to the active roster.
Bengals use committee at tight end: The Bengals recently added Tanner Hudson to the active roster to split the receiving job with Irv Smith Jr.
- Hudson was the primary receiving tight end for two weeks when Smith was out early in the season but was otherwise on the practice squad.
- He signed to the Bengals’ active roster this past Wednesday, giving Cincinnati four tight ends — all of whom received playing time.
- Smith and Hudson split snaps in 11 personnel, with Drew Sample also getting involved when they were looking for more blocking.
- The Bengals ran only a few snaps out of 12 personnel, and when they did, it was typically Sample and Mitchell Wilcox — the two best run-blockers.
- Hudson finished second on the team in receiving yards (45), catching four passes. Hudson and Smith both caught touchdowns.
- No Bengals tight end had a week as a top-20 fantasy tight end until this game. It’s best to leave all of these tight ends on the waiver wire, considering their low route participation rates.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Tee Higgins’ playing time had been limited throughout October due to injury. This was his first time playing more than 70% of offensive snaps since Week 3.
- Khalil Shakir continued solidifying his spot as the Bills' third wide receiver. He caught four passes for 57 yards.
- Gabe Davis followed up his first nine-reception game of his career with his first no-reception game since mid-2021.
- Dalton Kincaid reached at least 65 receiving yards for a third straight week. He joins Travis Kelce, T.J. Hockenson and George Kittle as the only tight ends with at least 200 receiving yards since Week 7.
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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