- The Buccaneers' running back duo dominates: Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell combined for 52 carries for 310 rushing yards and a touchdown while Baker Mayfield didn’t complete a pass.
- Tyler Allgeier and Adonai Mitchell bounce back: The Arizona Cardinals running back and New York Jets receiver have been dropped in more leagues than they’ve been added recently due to other players on their respective depth charts playing well, but both gained over 100 yards and a touchdown.
- Mike Washington Jr. plays ahead of Ashton Jeanty: While Jeanty hasn’t been on the injury report the last two weeks, it was Washington consistently carrying the ball for the Las Vegas Raiders.
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Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A 50/50 split at running back for the Buccaneers: Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell shared the backfield evenly.
Irving played 64% of snaps over the first seven weeks, which included 77% on early downs, while Gainwell was the primary back in passing situations. This made Irving a fantasy-viable running back, and Gainwell has been the subject of trade rumors.
In this game, Irving still led on early downs, while Gainwell took all of the passing snaps. The reason the two rotated more this week was obvious, and that’s because Irving tallied 27 carries in this game. He was great on his runs, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. Gainwell ran 25 times for 140 yards. It’s possible Tampa Bay continues to focus much more on its running backs going forward, given the success of the run game this season relative to the pass game, making it less likely the Buccaneers will trade Gainwell.
It’s also worth noting that Sean Tucker was active and didn’t appear on the injury report, but he didn’t take an offensive snap. This either shows how far ahead Gainwell is ahead of Tucker on the depth chart, or it’s at least possible the Buccaneers wanted to showcase Gainwell for a trade. Regardless, we can expect Irving to still see enough snaps each week to make him a must-start every week going forward despite the decrease in snap rate this week.
Emeka Egbuka misses a second straight week: Egbuka was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday with a foot injury, didn't practice on Friday and was ruled out.
Tampa Bay spent the first six weeks with Egbuka and Chris Godwin as the lead receivers and Ted Hurst III and Tez Johnson splitting the third spot. The Buccaneers used all four significantly in 12 personnel. Last week with Egbuka out, the three remaining Buccaneers receivers were consistently on the field in 11 personnel. David Sills V was activated off injured reserve last week, and while he rarely played in 11 personnel, he allowed Tampa Bay to continue a four-man mix in 12 personnel.
This week, Sills took on a larger role. He out-snapped Hurst and Johnson in 12 personnel, and he also took some reps from Johnson in 11 personnel.
Obviously, the fact that the Buccaneers aren’t completing any passes makes it difficult to trust any of these wide receivers. Godwin has been the subject of trade rumors. If Godwin is dealt, we could see Egbuka back to a full-time role, and these three other receivers rotating for the other spots. Jalen McMillan could also return in a few weeks, which would further complicate the rotation. That means that if Tampa Bay makes a deal at wide receiver, then there probably won’t be a clear waiver-wire target from the group.
Monitor Zachariah Branch’s health: Branch left in the first quarter with a hamstring injury and didn’t return.
Atlanta has started the year with Drake London as one outside receiver, Jahan Dotson leading a two-man rotation with Chris Blair for the other outside spot, and Olamide Zaccheaus heading a two-man deployment with Branch for the slot role. Last week, Branch handled 78% of the 11 personnel snaps as Zaccheaus was out with a shoulder injury. Atlanta also ran more 12 personnel snaps last week.
Zaccheaus was back this week, although he was limited in practice all week and ruled questionable. On the first three drives, Branch played five of a possible 13 snaps, while Zaccheaus only played one. While it’s possible this was entirely because Zaccheaus was questionable, it’s also feasible Branch was supposed to see more playing time going forward.
Branch suffered a hamstring injury on a kickoff, and he was quickly ruled out. This left Zaccheaus as the Falcons' third receiver for the rest of the game, and he played 24 of a possible 40 snaps. The fact that Zaccheaus was able to play so much further suggests Branch might see more playing time in the future if he’s healthy. However, there is a chance Branch will be sidelined, leaving Zaccheaus as the slot receiver.
Neither is worth considering too much in fantasy leagues, unless one of them starts seeing a higher target rate.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Atlanta running back Brian Robinson Jr. didn't practice all week with a hamstring injury and was ruled out on Friday, his second straight absence. The Falcons elevated running back Khalil Herbert from the practice squad to be their backup, similar to last week.
- Bijan Robinson has played in at least 78% of the Falcons' offensive snaps in four straight weeks after playing 77% or less in each of the first four.
- Falcons wide receiver Beaux Collins was a full participant in practice all week with a hip injury and was questionable but remains on injured reserve.
- Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts saw his playing time dip to 55% for a second straight week, down from his season average of 59%. However, this was his fifth consecutive game of having at least 20% targets per route.
- Buccaneers running back Kenny Gainwell didn't practice on Wednesday with a hip injury, was limited in practice on Thursday and was upgraded to full on Friday. He was questionable but was active.
Las Vegas Raiders @ New York Jets
Coming soon!
Cleveland Browns @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Coming soon!
Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions
Vikings turn to a three-man backfield: None of the Vikings' running backs reached a 40% snap rate.
Minnesota started the year with Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason in a two-man rotation. Mason landed on injured reserve after Week 1, leading Jones to play 80% of snaps over the following four weeks. DeeJay Dallas was the primary backup, splitting third-down snaps with Jones. Rookie Demond Claiborne was the main backup on early downs.
Mason returned last week, where Jones got the start, Mason played more on the following few drives and then Jones left early with a knee injury. Jones didn't practice Wednesday with a knee injury, was limited Thursday, was upgraded to full Friday and was active. Dallas was elevated from the practice squad, while Claiborne was a healthy inactive for a second straight game.
Jones and Mason split early-down snaps, with Dallas also getting some early-down work. Dallas was also the central third-down back for the first time. Jones handled all of the two-minute drill and short-yardage work, giving him a lead in snaps. Mason led the backfield in touches at eight, but only averaged 2.5 yards per carry.
The Vikings have been a team linked to running backs in the trade market, and the fact that Dallas was seeing an uptick in snaps over Jones and Mason further suggests Minnesota might be making a move for a running back sometime over the next nine days.
The Lions are the latest team to embrace 13 personnel: Detroit used 13 personnel nearly as much this week as the first seven weeks combined.
The Los Angeles Rams implemented 13 personnel more than any team in recent history last season. While no team has integrated it more than Los Angeles this season, several teams are turning to it more than they had in the past. The Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills both used it over 100 times over the first seven weeks, while another six teams have at least 50 snaps in 13 personnel. The Lions were in the bottom half of 13 personnel usage, with just 23 snaps.
This week, Detroit ran it 19 times, with Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright and Tyler Conklin as the three tight ends. Typically, when a team employs more 13 personnel, that means less 12 personnel. That wasn’t true this week, as Detroit ran 12 personnel on 34 snaps, its second-most such snaps this season.
That left Detroit in 11 personnel for only 16 plays, which meant a notable decrease in plays for Isaac TeSlaa. It was usually TeSlaa or Jameson Williams in for 13 personnel, so Amon-Ra St. Brown also played notably less than usual. St. Brown’s route participation rates have steadily declined this season. He ran a route on 92.5% of the Lions' pass plays over the first four weeks, and that has dropped to 86.5% over the last three. In recent years, wide receivers like Tyreek Hill and Puka Nacua have excelled with lower snap rates and high target rates, and St. Brown has taken a small step toward following that trend, as his targets per route has been 32% or better in each of the last three games.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (shoulder) and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) didn't practice Wednesday, but both practiced in full Thursday and Friday.
- Detroit third-string running back Jacob Saylors suffered a neck injury on a special teams play in the first half and was ruled out in the second half. He has only taken two offensive snaps this season.
- Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison has seen increased playing time in the slot over the last two weeks. He had a 22.7% slot rate over the first four weeks and a 37.6% slot rate over the last two.
- Ben Yurosek has remained the Vikings' second tight end option ahead of Gavin Bartholomew with Josh Oliver out. It’s unclear if Oliver will miss the entire season or not, but he’s not expected back anytime soon.
Indianapolis Colts @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Coming soon!
Baltimore Ravens @ Buffalo Bills
Coming soon!
Tennessee Titans @ Cincinnati Bengals
Coming soon!
Arizona Cardinals @ Dallas Cowboys
Coming soon!
Los Angeles Chargers @ Los Angeles Rams
Coming soon!
New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins
Coming soon!
Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos
Coming soon!
Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Commanders
Coming soon!
Table Notes
- Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, such as offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats exclude these plays.
- Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy is a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may credit 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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