Box Score Breakdown: Week 4 Snaps, Routes, Personnel and Usage

The layout here is the same as it was last week, with the first six columns after a player's name in each stat table showing numbers from Week 4 while the final five columns display full-season rates for snap, route, target and air-yard share (plus targets per route run). We haven't had many key players in and out of lineups so far, which made it easy enough to manually adjust the shares for top players that participated in Week 4 but missed at least one other game. 

I did manual adjustments for Tee Higgins, Jake Ferguson, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Keenan Allen, Josh Downs, Jordan Addison and Joshua Palmer, so the full-season numbers you see for them will only come from the games they actually played. Time constraints mean I may not be able to do that all season, as the list of players that have missed time (yet played in the current week) figures to greatly expand over the next month.

Color coding for Week 4 stats denotes major role/usage changes relative to previous weeks, e.g., if a player with 65 percent route share for the season ran routes on 85 percent of dropbacks in his Week 4 game. And then for the season-long stats I'll use bold to denote numbers that are especially strong by positional standards, e.g., a target share of 23+ percent for a WR, 18+ percent for a TE, or 15+ percent for a RB (I'll ignore cases in which the sample is tiny, e.g. a TPRR of 33% with three targets on nine routes).

Any RB/WR/TE with a target, carry or snap share of at least 15 percent is listed below. Any personnel grouping used on at least 10 percent of snaps is listed, in addition to rates for 11 and 12 personnel (by far the two most popular sets league-wide).

Cowboys (20) at Giants (15) 

Cowboys Personnel: 11 - 65% / 12 - 10% / 21 - 10%

51 Plays — 28 DBs — 5.4 aDOT — 22-of-27 for 221 yards — 2 TDs, 0 INT, 1 sack, 0 scrambles

• RB Rico Dowdle started and got more snaps/touches than Ezekiel Elliott for a third straight week, but Dowdle still hasn't topped 46 percent snap share, 11 carries or 12 touches in a game. He has 9-to-12 touches and 43-46% of snaps each week so far, with his best performances betting Week 2 (59 total yards, four catches) and then Thursday night (61 total yards, 15-yard TD reception).
  • Deuce Vaughn and (especially) Hunter Luepke are also getting some of the RB snaps, limiting Dowdle's value even with Elliott landing below 20% snap share in back-to-back games (Zeke can be dropped in most leagues).
    • Vaughn played only three snaps Thursday night, but Luepke took 12 snaps lined up as a halfback, per PFF. Plus there were a couple of snaps with Luepke as the only RB on the field and CeeDee Lamb aligned in the backfield.
• Lamb had six carries and a carry in the first half, including a 55-yard TD reception, but the Giants contained him to two total yards after halftime (on two targets and two carries). This was Lamb's first game of the season with a really strong target share and target rate (31% TS, 32% TPRR).
• TE Jake Ferguson looks like one of the few non-disappointing tight ends this year. Ferguson has 18 targets, 13 catches and 144 yards in two games since returning from an MCL sprain; no other Cowboy besides Lamb has more than 10 targets over the past two games.
  • Ferguson is second on the team with 23 targets even though he's been on the field for only 49.4 percent of snaps this season, missing the end of Week 1 and all of Week 2. Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert are tied for third with 19 targets, each seeing only 12.9% of the team total despite getting far more snaps and routes than Ferguson.
• The Cowboys lost their two best pass rushers to multi-game injuries. It sounds like Micah Parsons (high ankle) may at least avoid injured reserve, whereas Demarcus Lawrence (mid-foot sprain) is expected to miss a minimum of four weeks. It's time to drop the Dallas D/ST if you haven't already; it's not like they'd been performing at a high level anyway, nor do they have premium matchups over the next few weeks (at PIT, vs. DET, BYE, at SF, at ATL, vs. PHI, vs. HOU).

Giants Personnel: 11 - 51% / 12 - 26%

65 Plays — 41 DBs — 9.5 aDOT — 29-of-40 for 281 yards — 0 TD, 1 INT, 1 sack, 0 scrambles

• The Giants had no trouble moving the ball but stalled out every time they got into scoring range. It wasn't their fault on the opening drive, as the refs somehow called a facemask penalty on the wrong team, setting up 2nd-and-18 on the 48-yard line instead of 1st-and-10 on the 18-yard line. The other drives, however, mostly ended with Daniel Jones throwing short of the stick on third downs (or taking a sack on one occasion).
• RB Devin Singletary got 15 of the 21 RB opportunities (71%) on 68% snap share, playing at least 57% of snaps in each quarter (including 90% in the fourth). It looked like Tyrone Tracy and Eric Gray were subbing in a bit more than usual early in the game, but Singletary didn't cede much after the second drive. He did, however, struggle to get anything going, with a long run of just five yards and only one target.
  • Singletary has only 11 targets despite being on the field for most of New York's pass plays. His target rate (14.7%of routes) is very low by RB standards, and his 44 pass-block snaps are the most by any RB this year, per PPR. We'd normally expect a RB with his kind of playing time on pass downs to get at least 3-4 targets per game.
    • TEs Theo Johnson and Chris Manhertz finished Thursday as the leaders at their position in pass-block snaps, with Johnson staying in 43% of the the time and Manhertz essentially an offensive lineman (88% blocking rate on pass snaps). The use of so much max protect ensures WRs dominate the team's targets, allowing Nabers and Wan'Dale Robinson to combine for 66% target share.
• Nabers cruised past 20 PPR points again but suffered a concussion late in the third quarter. He mostly saw short stuff after his first catch went for 39 yards, averaging less than eight yards per reception thereafter.
  • Robinson had season highs for targets (14) and air yards (71), topping his totals from Week 1 (12 and 58, respectively). He's averaging 13.2 PPR points, which is safely WR3 range, despite only 7.5 yards per catch and 5.1 per target.
• WR Darius Slayton has been targeted on a meager 11.5% of routes despite New York's frequent use of six/seven-man protections. But he had season highs for targets (five) and yards (56) Thursday night and could see a big boost in volume if Nabers misses time.

Stock ⬆️:   TE Jake Ferguson

Stock ⬇️:   RB Ezekiel Elliott / WR Brandin Cooks / Dallas D/ST

  Cowboys Injuries 🚑: DE/OLB Micah Parsons (high ankle) / DE Demarcus Lawrence (foot)

  Giants Injuries 🚑: WR Malik Nabers (concussion) 

Rams (18) at Bears (24) 

Rams Personnel: 11 - 91% / 12 - 9%

58 Plays — 32 DBs — 7.0 aDOT — 20-of-29 for 224 yards — 0 TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks, 0 scrambles

• RB Kyren Williams scored his sixth TD of the season and had 20.4 PPR points, but he did cede a few more snaps and carries to Ronnie Rivers compared to previous games, after playing ~90 of snaps in non-blowout situations Weeks 1-3.
  • Rivers took 21% of snaps and six carries, which still left 23 touches for Williams, who ultimately handled 79% of snaps and 79% of the RB opportunities.
  • Still no sign of Blake Corum, who took 16 snaps on special teams and none on offense.
• WR Jordan Whittington led the team in routes, targets and catches, while Tyler Johnson was merely the No. 4 receiver.
• WR Demarcus Robinson again handled a huge route share without seeing many targets. Nearly all of his looks have come downfield, while the team's other pass catchers have run more of the crossing routes, slants, etc. that are more likely to lead to targets and fantasy points in Sean McVay's offense.
  • Whittington and Tutu Atwell could both have some value until Cooper Kupp (ankle) returns, which may not happen for a few more weeks.

Bears Personnel: 11 - 56% / 12 - 30% / 13 - 11%

54 Plays — 26 DBs — 7.6 aDOT — 17-of-23 for 157 yards — 1 TD, 0 INT, 3 sacks, 0 scrambles

• RB D'Andre Swift got the first four carries and took seven of eight snaps in the first quarter. Roschon Johnson then took over to start the third drive and split playing time with Swift throughout the second quarter, including a one-yard TD from Johnson. It wasn't until the final drive of the half that Swift got going, with three touches for 42 yards on three straight plays to set up a field goal.
  • In the second half, Swift had touches on six of Chicago's first seven snaps, gaining 31 yards before Johnson mixed back in and took two carries for 13 yards. On the next drive, Swift had three touches for 46 yards and a TD, running one in from 36 yards out. Over the final two series, Swift had six touches for 22 yards while Johnson got just one for three yards.
• RB Khalil Herbert only played special teams, while Swift rebounded to 67% snap share and 23 of 30 RB opps. (77%) after sinking to 52% and 50%, respectively, the week before.
  • Johnson had the one-yard TD and a 3rd-and-1 conversion among his seven carries. But he took only two of five snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, with Swift getting the other three. Reports that Johnson's role would be expanded compared to Week 3 turned out to be incorrect.
• TE Cole Kmet was a full-time player for a second straight week, with 93% snap share and 73% route share (but only three targets in a game where the Bears ran only 54 plays and Caleb Williams
• WR Rome Odunze played a few less snaps than usual but still ran routes on 88% of dropbacks. Keenan Allen, meanwhile, was at only 67% snap share but 85% route share in his first appearance since Week 1. They drew just three targets apiece, with Swift and DJ Moore accounting for 13 of the 22 looks.

Stock ⬆️:   RB D'Andre Swift  /   WRs Jordan Whittington & Tutu Atwell

Stock ⬇️:   RB Khalil Herbert  /   WR Tyler Johnson

  Bears Injuries 🚑: G Teven Jenkins (ribs)

Saints (24) at Falcons (26) 

Saints Personnel: 11 - 39% / 12 - 23% / 21 - 21%

70 Plays — 38 DBs — 5.7 aDOT — 28-of-36 for 239 yards — 0 TD, 1 INT, 1 sack, 1 scramble

• RB Alvin Kamara played more than 80% of snaps for a second straight week, and he made good on it with a season-high nine targets and a go-ahead, one-yard TD with one minute remaining.
  • Kamara is averaging 20.0 carries for 90.5 yards and 4.3 catches for 43.5 yards, with 1.5 total TDs per game, i.e., the best fantasy season of his storied career (or at least on par with his 2020 campaign).
• Taysom Hill scored a pair of rushing TDs in the first half but then left with an injury to his ribs (he missed Week 3 with a chest injury).
• WR Rashid Shaheed is holding even with Chris Olave, who didn't have any limitations after suffering a hamstring injury during Friday's practice (or so the Saints say...).
  • Shaheed's 11 targets were two more than his previous career high and six more than his previous season high. A muffed punt recovered for a TD was his most memorable play of the game, but his usage was highly promising for fantasy value going forward, suggesting he won't necessarily need a long score to produce solid numbers.
    • Shaheed leads the team in target share (26%) and air yard share (49%), with the latter being well ahead of Olave's 31%.
• TE Juwan Johnson got a few more snaps/routes than usual, at Foster Moreau's expense, but Johnson was targeted on just three of his 13 routes with Olave/Shaheed/Kamara once again dominating the offense's volume.
• WR Mason Tipton was the clear No. 3 receiver ahead of Cedrick Wilson, after the two split playing time the week before. That might be because Wilson was listed as questionable with an ankle injury. Either way, Tipton was targeted just once on 22 routes, dropping him to 11% TPRR for the season.

Falcons Personnel: 11 - 98% / 12 - 0%

51 Plays — 36 DBs — 6.6 aDOT — 21-of-35 for 238 yards — 0 TD, 1 INT, 1 sack, 0 scrambles

• RB Bijan Robinson had season lows for snap share (61%), carries (seven), touches (11) and PPR points (11.4), with Tyler Allgeier playing a season-high 41% of snaps and taking seven of his eight carries in the second half.
  • Allgeier had gains of 13, 12 and 6 yards on Atlanta's first drive of the second half. He ended up with seven carries and two targets in the half, while Robinson got one carry and one target. (Bijan had a second target that went for a 17-yard TD on a screen pass in the fourth quarter, but it was canceled out by a holding penalty that probably shouldn't have been called.)
    • Raheem Morris gave a "hot hand" explanation for Allgeier taking the lead after halftime. Robinson played 73% of snaps in the first half and only 48% in the second half; the playing time split wasn't nearly as drastic as the division of touches post-halftime. Robinson was on the injury report due to his shoulder, but he managed full practice participation Thursday and Friday and didn't have an injury designation for the game (in other words, his shoulder probably wasn't a factor in the reduced touches/snaps).
• TE Kyle Pitts had a season low in snap share (65%) for the second straight week and also dropped to 67% route share, losing more playing time to Charlie Woerner.
  • Pitts also dropped two of his three targets, not exactly making a case for more work next week.
• WR Drake London had season highs for targets (12) and air yards (154) but a modest 6-64-0 receiving line.
  • London has seen more targets with each passing week this season, but he's caught just six of 14 passes for 88 yards on throws of 10-plus air yards, including 0-for-2 on passes 20-plus yards downfield. He also doesn't have a lot of yards after the catch, so he's mostly made a living this year on short gains (with two TDs helping a lot). His target share/rates are still highly encouraging.
• WR Darnell Mooney drew a 30-yard DPI penalty to set up the game-winning field goal, in addition to his 113 air yards and six targets on the record.

Stock ⬆️:   WR Rashid Shaheed

Stock ⬇️:   TE Kyle Pitts

  Saints Injuries 🚑: TE Taysom Hill (ribs) / S Tyrann Mathieu (groin) / LB Willie Gay (hand)    

  Falcons Injuries 🚑:  LB Troy Andersen (knee)

Broncos (10) at Jets (9) 

Broncos Personnel: 11 - 52% / 12 - 14% / 21 - 14%

56 Plays — 27 DBs — 8.9 aDOT — 12-of-25 for 60 yards — 1 TD, 0 INT, 0 sacks, 2 scrambles

• QB Bo Nix had an 8.9 aDOT, but nearly all the completed passes were at/behind the line of scrimmage, which allowed Courtland Sutton to record 60 receiving yards in a game where Nix had 60 passing yards (two Broncos had negative receiving yardage, and none besides Sutton had more than three yards).
  • Rain didn't help, nor did the matchup with New York's excellent secondary, but this was still a disappointing performance from Nix one week after he played such a clean game in a win at Tampa Bay.
• RBs Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin both had their best rushing games of the season, but without any TDs or serious receiving production to make it helpful for fantasy.
  • RB Tyler Badie played four of 12 snaps in the first quarter and touched the ball on three of those plays, but he left the game and was eventually taken to the locker room on a stretcher after a big hit and lost fumble late in the first quarter.
    • Williams took only five of 12 snaps in the first quarter but 64% of snaps after that, i.e., he might've gotten a lot less work if Badie hadn't been injured and missed the rest of the game.
• Sutton is up to 27% target share and 47% air-yard share, both career highs. His production has been much less impressive, but with an upward trend the past two weeks (13.8 and 15.0 PPR points).
• WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey got significantly more snaps and routes than Josh Reynolds for a second straight week. They combined for three targets and no catches on 33 routes.
• Rookie WR Troy Franklin was around 30% snap and route share for a second straight week. Franklin's four targets and 57 air yards were second most on the team, but the two passes he caught were at/behind the line of scrimmage, and the two deep looks he saw fell incomplete (he had a step on his defender both times, but one was overthrown and the other underthrown).
• TE Greg Dulcich's route share rebounded some to 52% (25% the week before), but he played less than 40% of snaps for a second straight week.

Jets Personnel: 11 - 67% / 12 - 23%

70 Plays — 51 DBs — 7.0 aDOT — 24-of-42 for 225 yards — 0 TD, 0 INT, 5 sacks, 4 scrambles

• RB Breece Hall got 71% snap share and 15 of the 24 RB opportunities (63%) but managed just 18 yards on 12 touches, while Braelon Allen gained 46 yards on nine touches.
  • Allen has received much better blocking from his teammates this year, but Hall's mixed results nonetheless create some concern about Allen's role growing (or at least staying at the Week 4 level, which was slightly above Weeks 2-3). 
    • Hall also looked flat-out bad Sunday. There weren't any opportunities for big gains, but he probably could've gotten back to the line of scrimmage on a couple of his losses, and it looked like a cutback might've gotten him into the end zone on the first of his two unsuccessful tries from Denver's 1-yard line.
• WR Mike Williams made the most of his eight targets but again was well behind Allen Lazard for snaps and routes (and Lazard also had a decent game, apart from a couple penalties).
• WR Garrett Wilson doesn't seem to have the best chemistry with Aaron Rodgers and has drawn some touch matchups / had a bunch of near-misses this season. I still think Wilson will have a good year, and his 26% target share is about as expected, but it does seem the hopes of him joining high-end WR1 range this year need to be given up.
• Rodgers said both of his legs bothered him Sunday, and Monday he elaborated that one of his knees is "a little swollen".

Stock ⬆️:   WR Troy Franklin

Stock ⬇️:   RB Breece Hall

  Broncos Injuries 🚑: RB Tyler Badie (back/neck)

  Jets Injuries 🚑: QB Aaron Rodgers (legs)

Jaguars (20) at Texans (24) 

Jaguars Personnel: 11 - 64% / 12 - 28%

58 Plays — 35 DBs — 12.0 aDOT — 18-of-33 for 169 yards — 2 TDs, 0 INT, 1 sack, 1 scramble

• RB Travis Etienne was one of the mysteries of the week. He got the start but was taken out before his first touch, standing on the sideline without a helmet on while the Jaguars reported him as questionable to return due to a shoulder injury. Tank Bigsby thus got the first three carries, with Etienne returning at the end of the first quarter and taking 13 of the 19 RB opportunities from that point forward.
  • Bigsby got only four carries after the first quarter, but one of those went for 58 yards down to Houston's 4-yard line.
    • The Jags then gave Bigsby carries on the next two snaps, giving the ball to a tired player so he could get the TD he'd earned with a long run. That's the kind of thing a 10-3 team does with a 10-point lead, not something you do in Week 4 when you're 0-3 in a three-point game. Jacksonville's coaching, or lack thereof, is a complete embarrassment, even by the standards of a frequently humiliated franchise.
  • Etienne took 62% of snaps after the first quarter, with Bigsby at 26% and D'Ernest Johnson getting 14%.
• Etienne is averaging 4.6 YPC, up from 3.8 last year, but he's taken 10-13 carries in every game after averaging 15.7 last season. He's just an RB2 for now, and not an especially strong one.
• WR Gabe Davis led the Jags in routes, targets and air yards through two weeks, but Christian Kirk and Brian Thomas have dominated receiving volume and production the past two weeks.
  • Over the past two games...
    • Kirk: 22 targets, 243 air yards, 15-140-1
    • BTJ: 18 targets, 202 air yards, 11-134-1 
    • Davis: 11 tgts, 141 air yards, 3-16-0
  • I think Kirk and Thomas are both WR3s for fantasy at this point, with Thomas offering potential for more as the year progresses.

Texans Personnel: 11 - 63% / 12 - 24%

68 Plays — 45 DBs — 7.9 aDOT — 27-of-40 for 345 yards — 2 TDs, 0 INT, 2 sacks, 3 scrambles

• RB Cam Akers made another start but lost a bunch of carries to J.J. Taylor and a bunch of pass-down work to Dare Ogunbowale, with Akers ultimately getting only 38% of snaps and 13 of the 26 RB opportunities (50%).
  • Akers played less than half the snaps in each quarter, while Ogunbowale got 57% in the final frame and scored the go-ahead TD on a short catch. Joe Mixon (ankle) should be back next week, but Akers is only a desperation start for fantasy even if Mixon misses another game.
• WR Nico Collins leads the NFL in receiving yards and air yards while ranking sixth in target share (29.3%) and sixth in air-yard share (47.9%). The guys with larger team shares are all in lesser passing-production environments, giving Collins a solid overall-WR1 argument for fantasy. It's between him, Malik Nabers and Justin Jefferson right now, with CeeDee Lamb, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ja'Marr Chase capable of entering the discussion.
• WR Robert Woods took all of the snaps/routes that normally go to Tank Dell (chest/ribs) but was targeted just three times on 35 routes.
  • Dell is expected back for Week 5 against Buffalo.
• TE Dalton Schultz has played 95% and 85% of snaps in two games since Brevin Jordan's ACL tear, drawing five targets in both games (but turning them into only 45 yards). Still, that's enough to put Schultz back on the map as a low-end TE1 (not that there's much difference between those guys and the mid-range TE1s... or the TE2s).

Stock ⬆️:   WRs Brian Thomas & Christian Kirk

Stock ⬇️:   WR Gabe Davis  /   RB Cam Akers

  Jaguars Injuries 🚑: OLB Josh Hines-Allen (concussion) 

  Texans Injuries 🚑: LT Laremy Tunsil (ankle)

Steelers (24) at Colts (27) 

Steelers Personnel: 11 - 57% / 12 - 26% / 13 - 15%

68 Plays — 42 DBs — 7.3 aDOT — 22-of-34 for 312 yards — 1 TD, 0 INT, 4 sacks, 4 scrambles

• RB Najee Harris took only 42% of snaps in the first half, with Cordarrelle Patterson getting 29% and Aaron Shampklin handling 29%.
  • After halftime, Harris took 92% of snaps and Shampklin got only 8%, with Patterson unavailable due to an ankle injury.
  • Harris and Patterson took six carries apiece in the first half, with Patterson's going for 43 yards and Harris' for five yards. Shampklin mostly played in the two-minute drill.
  • With Patterson potentially joining Jaylen Warren (knee) on the inactive list next week, Harris figures to dominate carries. He's had plenty of chances already, however, and hasn't done much with them. That's partially been bad luck, especially with goal-line stuff, but Harris isn't playing all that well either.
• WR George Pickens' dominant share of the Pittsburgh passing game finally translated to a big fantasy day, as the Steelers fell behind and had Justin Fields drop back 42 times.
  • Fields also had his first big fantasy game of the year, rushing for 55 yards and two TDs while throwing for 312 and another score. It was enough to leave him at QB6 for the season despite not doing much the first three weeks.
  • It wasn't all good for Pickens; he lost a fumble inside the Colts' 10-yard line.
• TE Pat Freiermuth ranks fifth at his position in PPR points, or seventh in points per game (9.7). His 19% target share is t-4th among TEs, and his 80% route share is sixth.
  • Freiermuth took 62% of snaps in 12 personnel and 77% in 11 personnel. Not quite ideal, but his route shares have been strong every week despite losing a bit of playing time to Darnell Washington and either Connor Heyward or MyCole Pruitt (injured for this one).

Colts Personnel: 11 - 73% / 12 - 22%

64 Plays — 33 DBs — 10.8 aDOT — 19-of-30 for 239 yards — 2 TDs, 0 INT, 2 sacks, 1 scramble

• QB Anthony Richardson got off to a strong start before injuring his hip on the second drive of the game. He went out for two plays, returned for one snap (on which he ran the ball) and then came up wincing and left for the locker room.
• RB Jonathan Taylor was injured midway through the fourth quarter, after which Trey Sermon took four carries for eight yards and no other RBs got any touches.
  • Taylor reportedly suffered a high-ankle sprain, but it may not be an especially severe one. Sermon will take over as the lead back while Taylor is out, with Tyler Goodson likely getting a bunch of the passing-down work (a role that likely would be much more valuable if Richardson is also sidelined).
• WR Michael Pittman caught passes of 32 and 28 yards from Richardson early in the game and then added four more catches for 53 yards (on six targets) from QB Joe Flacco.
  • Josh Downs was the one who lit it up with Flacco, getting just one of his nine targets (an 11-yard catch) from Richardson. Downs got eight targets from Flacco and caught seven of them for 71 yards and a TD.
• In two games with Downs active, he and Pittman have 14 targets apiece, JT has six and no other Colt has more than four (Pierce, Mitchell).
• It doesn't sound like Richardson's injury is serious — the Colts reportedly consider him day-to-day — but if he and Taylor both end up missing games at the same time that's the best-case scenario for Pittman and Downs to pile up targets (albeit in an offense that may struggle to score).

Stock ⬆️:   WR Josh Downs  + RB Trey Sermon + QB Joe Flacco  /   TE Pat Freiermuth

Stock ⬇️:   WRs Alec Pierce & Adonai Mitchell

  Steelers Injuries 🚑: RB Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle) / G James Daniels (ankle)

  Colts Injuries 🚑: QB Anthony Richardson (hip) / RB Jonathan Taylor (high ankle) 

Bengals (34) at Panthers (24) 

Bengals Personnel: 11 - 48% / 12 - 31% / 6OL - 21%

62 Plays — 32 DBs — 5.9 aDOT — 22-of-31 for 232 yards — 2 TDs, 1 INT, 0 sacks, 1 scramble

• The split between RBs Zack Moss and Chase Brown was by far the most even so far this year, after Moss got at least 65% snap share and 65% of the RB opportunities each of the first three games.
  • Moss still had a clear snap advantage, 58/42, but he had the same number of carries (15) as Brown and only one more target (4-3). Brown had rushing TDs of 3 and 1 yards, with Moss scoring on a reception from one yard out.
• WR Tee Higgins led the team with 10 targets, including six on Joe Burrow's first nine pass attempts. Higgins has a 24% target share, 39% air yard share and 25% target rate through two games.... better rates than Ja'Marr Chase, who has scored three TDs of 31-plus yards in Higgins' two games.
  • Chase and LSU buddy Justin Jefferson are having similar seasons, with less volume than they're accustomed to but incredible efficiency. Chase has caught 19 of his 24 targets (79%) for 300 yards (12.5 YPT) and three TDs.
• TE Mike Gesicki didn't drop off too much in terms of snap/route share but was targeted just once on 17 routes. Don't expect much from him unless Chase or Brown goes out again.
  • TE Erick All got a small bump in route share and bigger bump in snap share while recording exactly four catches on exactly four targets for a third straight week. The playing time increase was mostly a product of the Bengals running more in positive game script, but it's nonetheless a good sign that they trust All to block and keep throwing him passes (albeit only short ones near the LOS). 
    • All is a great dynasty target if people in your league are still sleeping on him. He could also be useful in redraft later in the year; he's worth a stash in some deep leagues.
• WR Andrei Iosivas got most of the one-wide snaps. The two-wide snaps were split pretty evenly between him, Chase and Higgins. In three-wide sets, it was Chase/Higgins/Iosivas on almost every play.
  • The lack of playing time in heavier formations is why Higgins dropped to 63% snap share, after 90% in his season debut. It's perhaps not ideal but didn't matter much in terms of route share Sunday (84%).

Panthers Personnel: 11 - 74% / 12 - 13%

70 Plays — 43 DBs — 7.7 aDOT — 25-of-41 for 220 yards — 2 TDs, 1 INT, 0 sacks, 2 scrambles

• WRs Xavier Legette, Diontae Johnson and Jonathan Mingo each had 90% route share and at least 80% snap share in the first game with Adam Thielen (hamstring) on IR.
  • Mingo had only five targets and 24 yards, but Legette and Johnson both drew double-digit targets and scored TDs.
  • Interestingly, Johnson got more of the deep looks, while Legette did a lot of his damage on short passes and also took two carries.
• RB Chuba Hubbard took 74% of snaps and 22 of the 32 RB opportunities (69%) while producing his second straight game with more than 100 rushing yards and a TD.
  • RB Jonathon Brooks (knee) won't return to practice this week, which suggests he'll likely be out multiple more games.
• TE Tommy Tremble had a full-time role again but wasn't targeted on 31 routes. Rookie tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders saw two more targets on 22 fewer routes, and he may still take the starting job at some point this year (even if Tremble is a much better blocker).

Stock ⬆️:   WRs Xavier Legette & Diontae Johnson + RB Chuba Hubbard

Stock ⬆️:   RB Chase Brown + TE Erick All

Stock ⬇️:   TE Mike Gesicki

  Bengals Injuries 🚑: DE Trey Hendrickson (neck)

  Panthers Injuries 🚑: LB Josey Jewell (hamstring) + LB Shaq Thompson (heel)

Vikings (31) at Packers (29) 

Vikings Personnel: 11 - 52% / 12 - 23% / 21 -16%

64 Plays — 34 DBs — 9.9 aDOT — 20-of-28 for 275 yards — 3 TDs, 1 INT, 2 sacks, 4 scrambles

• RB Aaron Jones handled season-high 83% snap share in his revenge game, taking 27 of the 31 RB opportunities (87%) after getting 25 of 32 (78%) the week before. His workload is trending up, but the Vikings may ease up on him some in the coming weeks, especially for non-divisional and/or non-conference games.
• WR Jordan Addison got 66% of snaps, 87% of routes, four targets, one carry and 80 air yards in his first game since Week 1. He scored on a 29-yard reception in the first quarter and a seven-yard rush attempt in the second.
  • Addison played only 44% of snaps in two-wide formations, ceding a lot of those to Trent Sherfield, especially in the fourth quarter. 
    • Addison took 74% of snaps overall before the fourth quarter, and even in the fourth quarter when he played less he had 100% route share.
  • Jalen Nailor played only 30% of snaps in three-wide formations, with Brandon Powell taking 62%.
• TE Josh Oliver scored a TD and was in a near-50/50 share with Johnny Mundt, who had been the clear lead guy in the previous two games (and still had a 60/40 route share advantage in this one).
• WR Justin Jefferson still hasn't seen more than eight targets in a game this season, but he's scored every week while averaging 5.0 catches for 89.5 yards and 12.3 YPT.

Packers Personnel: 11 - 78% / 12 - 22%

74 Plays — 56 DBs — 10.6 aDOT — 32-of-54 for 389 yards — 4 TDs, 3 INTs, 1 sack, 1 scramble

• RB Josh Jacobs got 61% of snaps and 15 of 23 RB opportunities. He's solidly ahead of Emanuel Wilson still, but Jacobs has now gone two straight games without the type of huge workloads he handled Week 1 (73% snaps, 16 carries) and Week 2 (67% snaps, 32 carries). And he still hasn't scored a TD this year. There's some positive regression ahead, but maybe not as much as some people will assume, considering Matt LaFleur's offenses have almost always had a high rate of passing TDs to rushing TDs (even when the offense is reasonably balanced overall).
  • Rookie RB MarShawn Lloyd (IR - ankle) won't be eligible until Week 7 and may not have a role once he's healthy, making Wilson a highly desirable handcuff.
• WR Christian Watson suffered a serious-looking ankle injury in the first quarter, leaving Dontayvion Wicks in a full-time role the rest of the day.
  • Wicks was targeted once in the first quarter and 12 times thereafter, finishing with a team-high 13 targets and league-high 210 air yards.
• Wicks is a big, strong receiver who knows how to get open, keeps drawing targets at a high rate per route and can also break tackles, but his hands have been a real problem this year, both in terms of ugly drops and failing to make contested catches. 
  • Coming into Week 4, his nine targets this year included one bad drop plus two other balls that hit his hands and could've been caught. Then in Sunday's loss he had two uncontested drops and a fourth-down deep pass (for a likely TD) that bounced off his chest (with some contribution from the defender guarding him). He even bobbled one of the two TDs he did catch, on a play where he was wide open in the end zone for an easy six-yard score. 
    • He's the ultimate enigma right now. His strong track record of drawing targets when on the field seems to be speeding up, not slowing down, but he isn't actually playing well from a real-life standpoint and may even have a bit of a mental block when it comes to making easy catches. There's also some risk that even if he gets over the dropsies and plays well he'll be back to a part-time role once Watson returns.
• TE Tucker Kraft lost a fumble but otherwise had his best receiving game in the NFL, putting up 6-53-1 on 85% snap share, 80% route share and nine targets. It's probably not a coincidence that Kraft's snap/routes advantage over Luke Musgrave has been largest in the two games QB Jordan Love has played.
• WR Jayden Reed had a strong day even before he and Wicks went ham in garbage time. Reed's route/target/AY shares aren't ideal, but he's probably Green Bay's best real-life player on the offensive side and continues to display big-play ability that's essentially unmatched by any other slot-based receiver.
• WR Romeo Doubs leads the team in routes nearly every week, but has been targeted on only 17% of those. He does enough to eat into everyone else's fantasy value, just not quite enough to have value of his own outside of deep leagues.

Stock ⬆️:   WR Dontayvion Wicks + TE Tucker Kraft

Stock ⬇️:   WR Jalen Nailor

  Packers Injuries 🚑: WR Christian Watson (ankle) / DE Devonte Wyatt (ankle)

Eagles (16) at Buccaneers (33) 

Eagles Personnel: 11 - 52% / 12 - 41%

56 Plays — 37 DBs — 8.8 aDOT — 18-of-30 for 158 yards — 1 TD, 0 INT, 6 sacks, 1 scramble

• RB Saquon Barkley played 82% of snaps in the first half but only 39% in the third quarter and 31% in the fourth, limiting his opportunities to pile up receiving production.
  • This was Philadelphia's first game that didn't go down to the final seconds. Barkley is obviously still a strong RB1, but this does hint at some workload caution when the Eagles aren't in tight contests.
• TE Dallas Goedert played 90% of snaps through three quarters, accounting for eight of the Eagle's 19 targets, before sitting out the fourth quarter.
  • The Bucs made it a 17-point game early in the fourth.
• Jahan Dotson and Parris Campbell got most of the WR snaps but accounted for only eight targets and 28 yards on 62 combined routes.
  • Johnny Wilson also played 80% of snaps before the fourth quarter, but with only two targets and no catches on 16 routes. He then missed the final quarter after entering concussion protocol.
    • Before the final quarter, Wilson and Campbell each took 71% of snaps in 12 personnel, with Dotson at 57%. In 11 personnel, each of the three played at least 96% of snaps, i.e., John Ross didn't really play until after Wilson's injury.
• There's a pretty good chance the Eagles will have A.J. Brown (hamstring) and DeVonta Smith (concussion) when they come back from a Week 5 bye.

Buccaneers Personnel: 11 - 78% / 12 - 11%

74 Plays — 50 DBs — 6.6 aDOT — 30-of-47 for 347 yards — 2 TDs, 0 INT, 2 sacks, 1 scramble

• RB Bucky Irving continued moving toward a 50/50 split with Rachaad White, getting the same number of carries (10) and just one fewer target (3-2) while playing 41% of snaps. Game script wasn't really a factor, as Irving played only 36% of snaps in the fourth quarter, and it was actually White who got the final four carries on the last drive with Tampa Bay up by 17 points.
  • In other words, Irving had 10 carries to White's six before the garbage-time drive.
  • Irving got three of his carries inside Philly's 5-yard line (including a one-yard TD) and another inside the 10. White didn't get any touches in the red zone.
• QB Baker Mayfield may have been even better than his impressive stats suggest. PFF shows four drops, while NFL.com has a whopping nine (quite possibly incorrect, I admittedly didn't watch much of this game).
• A big day from Mike Evans closed the production/usage gap between him and Chris Godwin some, although Godwin still has nine more catches (five more targets) and 108 more yards on the season. The biggest surprise is both averaging the same amount of yards per catch (11.9), with Evans seeing just three targets 20-plus yards downfield all season (all three incomplete).
• Trey Palmer replaced Jalen McMillan (hamstring) as the No. 3 receiver and scored an early TD, but Palmer then left for concussion protocol and was replaced by none other than Sterling Shepard, who caught three of five targets for 51 yards (with 79 air yards!).
• TE Cade Otton is up to 16% target share on the season, with 17 targets the past two games after being essentially invisible Weeks 1-2. 

Stock ⬆️:   RB Bucky Irving

Stock ⬇️:   RB Rachaad White

  Eagles Injuries 🚑: WR Johnny Wilson (concussion) / S Reed Blankenship (illness)

  Buccaneers Injuries 🚑: WR Trey Palmer (concussion) / LB SirVocea Dennis (shoulder)

Commanders (42) at Cardinals (14) 

Commanders Personnel: 11 - 45% / 12 - 31% / 13 - 12%

67 Plays — 37 DBs — 6.0 aDOT — 26-of-30 for 233 yards — 1 TD, 1 INT, 0 sacks, 7 scrambles

• RB Brian Robinson had another strong performance, but his role didn't really change with Austin Ekeler (concussion) inactive. Jeremy McNichols took over Ekeler's role and scored a pair of TDs.
• WR Terry McLaurin continued his dominance of Washington's passing game, especially the air yards / non-screen work.
  • McLaurin's 57% air yard share leads the NFL, and his 366 air yards are 10th most.
• WR Olamide Zaccheaus was still only the No. 4 receiver but drew targets on six of his nine routes and caught all six passes for 85 yards. I guess that kind of stuff happens when your offense is this red-hot.
• Jayden Daniels leads all QBs in fantasy points (94.7), completion percentage (82.1), rush attempts (46) and rushing TDs (four). Even his relative weak points, like taking sacks, seem to be improving. He's been sacked just twice on 69 dropbacks the past two games, improving his overall sack rate to 6.4 percent, ranking 16th among qualified passers.
  • Daniels has scrambled on a league-high 18.4 percent of dropbacks, a far higher rate than even Lamar Jackson (13.2%), Justin Fields (10.5%) and Josh Allen (10.2%), the only other QBs in double digits.
    • The top single-season scramble rates on record (2016-23) are 16.2 percent by Justin Fields in 2022, 13.2 percent by Lamar Jackson in 2023, 12.6 percent by Justin Fields in 2021 and 12.6 percent by Josh Allen in 2018. Daniels is way ahead of any of those, which may raise some concerns in real life but works more than fine for fantasy.

Cardinals Personnel: 11 - 74% / 12 - 22%

58 Plays — 27 DBs — 6.6 aDOT — 16-of-22 for 142 yards — 1 TD, 0 INT, 4 sacks, 1 scramble

• RB James Conner played 73% of snaps before the fourth quarter and got 19 of the 24 RB opportunities pre-Q4.
  • Trey Benson got eight of his 11 snaps in the fourth quarter, taking eight carries for 44 yards on those plays.
• Apart from Conner, the Cardinals kept most of their starters in the game to the bitter end, including Kyler Murray (100% snaps) and Marvin Harrison (100% route share).
• TE Elijah Higgins handled 67% snap share and 92% route share with Trey McBride (head) inactive, but Higgins was targeted on just three of 24 routes.
• WR Greg Dortch also got more playing time in McBride's absence, with season highs for snap (72%) and route share (96%).
• Michael Wilson drew a team-high seven targets, after nine the week before. He started the year slow with four targets the first two weeks but is now up to 19% target share, tied with Dortch for second on the team (well behind Harrison's 26%, of course).
• Harrison scored his fourth TD in three weeks on the opening drive but was otherwise held in check. 
• QB Kyler Murray played an incredible game Week 2 against the Rams but has otherwise been average this season. He's not the only problem here, but he also isn't putting the team on his back, and his rushing stats have been disappointing for fantasy (zero TDs, 4.0 carries for 41.0 yards per game). 
  • Murray has five carries on designed run plays this season, plus 10 scrambles and a kneel-down. He needs more rushing work to be anything above a back-end QB1.

Stock ⬆️:   QB Jayden Daniels + WR Terry McLaurin

Stock ⬇️:   QB Kyler Murray

  Commanders Injuries 🚑: LG Nick Allegretti (ankle)  

Patriots (13) at 49ers (30) 

Patriots Personnel: 11 - 56% / 12 - 32%

62 Plays — 39 DBs — 5.5 aDOT — 19-of-32 for 168 yards — 1 TD, 1 INT, 6 sacks, 1 scramble

• RB Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled for a fourth straight game (second lost fumble) late in the first quarter but was back in the game two drives later, playing 53% of snaps in the second quarter and 67% in the third.
  • The Patriots aren't ready to bench him, but Stevenson's workloads have generally been trending the wrong way since a big Week 1 at Cincinnati. He's not even trustworthy as an RB2 at this point.
  • Antonio Gibson is a reasonable bench stash, but he's unlikely to be featured as a workhorse even if Stevenson eventually gets demoted. The Pats could still have Stevenson getting some carries, plus JaMycal Hasty or someone from the practice squad or free agency. And it's a horrific offense, so anything besides a dominant workhorse role is unlikely to yield much fantasy value.
• Rookie WR Ja'Lynn Polk led the team in routes, targets and air yards, getting a huge role increase compared to previous weeks at the expense of Tyquan Thornton.
  • It amounted to just 30 yards, but this does give some hope of the Patriots having a useful fantasy pass catcher later in the year (maybe, kind of, sorta).
• TE Hunter Henry has exactly two catches and three targets in three of his four games, with the other being his 8-109-0 explosion (on 12 targets) against Seattle. And that's been enough to lead the Patriots in targets, catches and yards. In fact, he's the only Patriot with triple-digit receiving yards.

49ers Personnel: 11 - 37% / 12 - 8% / 21 - 40%

60 Plays — 30 DBs — 14.5 aDOT — 15-of-27 for 288 yards — 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 sack, 2 scrambles

• RB Jordan Mason took 73% of snaps, including 87% in the fourth quarter, en route to 26 touches for 160 yards and a TD. 
  • Mason also had a 38-yard TD on a screen pass wiped out by a ticky-tack holding penalty on George Kittle, who scored a 12-yard TD later on that drive.
  • Mason took five carries for 36 yards on the final drive, with San Francisco up by 17 points. Kyle Shanahan likes to play with fire.
• WR Deebo Samuel handled his normal workload after missing Week 3, playing 91% of snaps before the fourth quarter. He took five touches for 72 yards.
  • Kittle also had a full workload, with 93% snap share, 79% routes share and 4-45-1 on four targets.
    • Kittle didn't have any problems with his hamstring but is now day-to-day with an injury to his ribs.
• WR Jauan Jennings lost a lot of snaps and routes with Samuel back, but Jennings saw a team-high six targets on only 18 routes, with gains of 32 and 45 yards (plus an 11-yard grab deep into garbage time).
• WR Brandon Aiyuk had a 38-yard gain on San Francisco's first pass attempt and then went missing for the rest of the day. There's been some bad luck involved, and Jennings' ascent has cost him some targets, but Aiyuk also just isn't playing that well this year.

Stock ⬆️:   WR Ja'Lynn Polk

Stock ⬇️:   RB Rhamondre Stevenson

  Patriots Injuries 🚑: C David Andrews (arm) / OT Caedan Wallace (leg) / S Kyle Dugger (leg)   

  49ers Injuries 🚑: WR Jacob Cowing (arm) / LB Fred Warner (ankle) / FB Kyle Juszczyk (shoulder)

Chiefs (17) at Chargers (10) 

Chiefs Personnel: 11 - 57% / 12 - 24% / 13 - 10%

58 Plays — 34 DBs — 6.6 aDOT — 19-of-29 for 245 yards — 1 TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks, 2 scrambles

• WR Rashee Rice suffered a serious knee injury in the first half, with early reports suggesting it may be an ACL tear.
  • The Chiefs are already without WR Hollywood Brown (shoulder), likely for the entire season, although reports a few weeks ago seemed to hint he could return for a playoff run.
  • WR Xavier Worthy still hasn't seen more than four targets in a game, but he had a 54-yard TD and the game-clinching first down in Sunday's win, and three of his 14 touches have gone for touchdowns.
  • WR Justin Watson picked up most of the snaps and routes that had been going to Rice, with Worthy also moving up some and Mecole Hardman getting a bit more playing time off the bench.
    • WR JuJu Smith-Schuster's snap/route shares were nearly identical to the previous game, and he wasn't targeted on 16 routes, dropping him to a ridiculously low 8% TPRR this year. He's not worth a look outside of extremely deep leagues; better to take a shot on Watson.
• RB Carson Steele lost a fumble on the opening drive and got just one carry and two targets the rest of the game, allowing Kareem Hunt to take 17 of the 27 RB opps. (63%).
  • Hunt didn't play in the first quarter but got 50% of snaps thereafter, with Perine taking 44% and Steele only 10%.
    • Hunt got 14 of the 19 carries and three of the six RB targets after the opening quarter, playing 68% of snaps on first down and 61% on second down, while Perine got 79% of the third-down snaps.
• TE Travis Kelce finally had a vintage game, both in terms of real-life performance and fantasy volume/production.
  • Kelce gets a huge target projection boost with Rice out, and he's already the TE leader in route share (88%) and fourth at the position in target share (19%). Kelce is my ROS TE1, without hesitation or doubt.

Chargers Personnel: 11 - 58% / 12 - 8% / 21 - 11% / 22 - 11%

53 Plays — 29 DBs — 6.8 aDOT — 16-of-27 for 179 yards — 1 TD, 0 INT, 2 sacks, 0 scrambles

• QB Justin Herbert seemed to survive the afternoon without making his high-ankle sprain worse, but he was limping around behind an offensive line with both starting tackles inactive, clearly not healthy nor in a good position to succeed.
• RB J.K. Dobbins took 72% of snaps, improving on his season-high 64% from the week before, but he struggled to find room for a second straight week, taking 13 carries for 32 yards.
  • Dobbins got 14 of the 20 RB carries (70%) and four of the five targets (with the fifth going to FB Scott Matlock, not Gus Edwards).
  • Dobbins is at 6.1 YPC for the year even after two games of rough sledding, thanks to his handful of long gains over the first two weeks. His role and cumulative numbers are better than anyone hoped for, but he doesn't look anything like the same player he was pre-injury when you watch him. I still think this could be a dead-cat bounce like the one James Robinson had in Sept. 2022, the year after his Achilles' tear.
    • RB Kimani Vidal was a healthy scratch again, in case you're wondering. The guy active ahead of him, Hassan Haskins, has been playing a ton of special teams, so it is possible Vidal is higher up on the offensive depth chart (but not guaranteed).
• WR Ladd McConkey put up 5-67-1 on a team-high seven targets, with season-high 75% snap share (up slightly from 71% the week before).
  • McConkey is now at 27% target share, 33% air yard share and 29% TPRR for the season, essentially best-case scenario for all of the usage rates (besides route share, which still isn't bad0.
    • McConkey has played eight of 13 snaps in 12 or 21 personnel (two-WR sets) the past two weeks, along with 96% of the snaps in 11 personnel.
• McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Joshua Palmer had nearly identical snap/route shares, but Johnston wasn't able to keep his TD streak going and caught only one of five targets.
  • Palmer has been targeted on only 16% of routes this season. He looked healthy after missing Week 3 but is clearly     taking a backseat to McConkey, and perhaps to Johnston as well.

Stock ⬆️:   TE Travis Kelce + WR Xavier Worthy  /   WR Ladd McConkey

Stock ⬇️:   QB Patrick Mahomes  /   RB Gus Edwards

  Chiefs Injuries 🚑: WR Rashee Rice (knee)  

Browns (16) at Raiders (20) 

Browns Personnel: 11 - 84% / 12 - 7%

57 Plays — 41 DBs — 5.5 aDOT — 24-of-32 for 176 yards — 1 TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks, 6 scrambles

• RB Jerome Ford dominated the backfield work for a third time in four games, taking 77% of snaps and 17 of the 22 RB opportunities, including seven targets. 
  • Nick Chubb (knee) is expected back at practice this week, which suggests the Browns expect him to be ready for games no later than Week 8 (they'll have 21 days after his practice return to either move him to the active roster or place him on season-ending IR). I'm guessing Chubb will play Week 6 or 7, but it could be as soon as this Sunday at Washington.
• TE Jordan Akins lost a lot of snaps/routes from the previous week, splitting work with Geoff Swaim and Blake Whiteheart (who caught a TD) in the absence of David Njoku (ankle).
• WR Amari Cooper put the Browns on his back Week 3, only to drop them (and the ball) Week 4. He dropped what should've been a gain of at least 15 yards in the third quarter, with the ball bouncing up in the air and into the hands of a defender. He had another drop in the fourth quarter, albeit on a poor throw from Deshaun Watson, who otherwise played one of his less awful games as a Brown (facing a Raiders defense without Maxx Crosby helped).
  • In his defense, Cooper had an 82-yard TD on a scramble drill wiped out by a holding penalty that shouldn't have been called. That's the difference between a bad day and a good one for both him and Watson.
    • Unfortunate that Cooper, Jordan Mason and Bijan Robinson all lost TDs this Sunday to holding penalties that probably shouldn't have been called. Refs are flagging more of those this year, especially in space / the open field. There have been 2.69 offensive holding penalties per game, up from 2.03 in 2023 and 2.15 in 2022 (and on par with peak levels of 2.75 per game in 2018-19). I think defenders are getting too good at drawing those calls, kind of like WRs with pass interference on underthrown or uncatchable deep balls. If you're being blocked in the open field and aren't going to make a tackle anyway, you might as well pretend you're being held, right? Especially when the refs are this gullible...
• WR Jerry Jeudy led the team in targets and yards while improving his target share to 21% and air yard share to 34%. It may not amount to much in fantasy as Option B in a lousy offense, but he's playing well in real life.

Raiders Personnel: 11 - 38% / 12 - 47%

55 Plays — 26 DBs — 7.5 aDOT — 14-of-24 for 130 yards — 0 TD, 0 INT, 2 sacks, 0 scrambles