• Chuba Hubbard with a career day: The Carolina Panthers running back signed a contract extension this week and thanked the Panthers with 80 rushing yards in the first quarter and a career-high in yards by the third quarter.
• Young receivers have quiet days: The New York Giants and Carolina Panthers have rookies in their top wide receiver and top tight end spot, but none have achieved over 50 receiving yards.
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Estimated reading time: 30 minutes
PFF's fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2024.
New York Giants @ Carolina Panthers
- Chuba Hubbard: 28 carries, 153 yards, 1 touchdown, 4 receptions, 16 receiving yards
- Tyrone Tracy Jr.: 18 carries, 103 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 reception, 1 receiving yard
Monitor Miles Sanders’s health: The Panthers backup running back suffered an ankle injury early in the second quarter and didn’t return.
The Panthers started the game with their usual running back rotation. Chuba Hubbard played most early downs, while Sanders took third downs and near the end of longer drives to give Hubbard a rest. His injury occurred early in the fourth drive. He needed the cart and was immediately ruled doubtful, which is not a great sign for the severity of the injury.
Hubbard took over for the rest of the game, while Raheem Blackshear played a rare snap. This was reportedly going to be Jonathon Brooks’ first game after suffering an ACL tear one year ago to the week, but the Panthers opted to make him inactive. The Panthers have their bye week next week. There was a chance that Brooks would be active and play minimal snaps, but with Sanders' injury, it is more likely that Brooks will have a decent role in the offense.
Hubbard has been playing very well this season, including this game, leading to a four-year contract extension. This makes it unlikely Brooks will have significant fantasy value this season unless Hubbard also suffers an injury. It also puts into doubt how high Brooks’ ceiling will be in 2025.
Jonathan Mingo traded to the Dallas Cowboys: The second wide receiver departure in recent weeks simplified the Panthers wide receiver rotation.
First, Diontae Johnson was traded to the Baltimore Ravens, and now Mingo is in Dallas after the trade deadline. Xavier Legette has spent all season at one outside receiver spot, while the Johnson trade has pushed David Moore into a starting role. Jalen Coker had been rotating with Mingo, but the trade allowed Coker to see an increase in snaps. Along with playing in the slot, he also took some two-receiver sets.
The big question is what the Panthers will do once Adam Thielen is back. He’s been on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury. His practice window opened two and a half weeks ago, and the Panthers will need to activate him by the middle of the week for him to play again this season.
The most likely case is that he takes time from both Moore from the outside and Coker in the slot. There is a chance he completely takes Coker’s spot in the slot, as Thielen had that role when he was healthy. There is also a chance Thielen moves back to an outside receiver, which he was throughout his career with the Minnesota Vikings. This would leave Legette and Thielen on the outside and Coker in the slot.
Monitor Ian Thomas’ health: The run-blocking tight end left at the end of the first quarter and didn’t return.
The Panthers were already down one tight end, as Tommy Tremble was dealing with a back injury. Over the last six weeks, including Sunday, he’s missed four games and left early in the other two. While Ja’Tavion Sanders has played well at times this season, Tremble has consistently been the lead tight end when healthy this season.
The Panthers started this game with a heavy rotation of their two tight ends. Sanders and Thomas played 13 of a possible 20 snaps each over the first three drives. After the injury, the Panthers were largely stuck with 11 personnel. Sanders was the single tight end.
Sanders has scored at least eight PPR points in four of his last five games and could be worth considering off the waiver wire, but he is risky because he could see a reduced role whenever Tremble is back.
Monitor Malik Nabers’ health: While Nabers was able to play throughout the game, he seemed to be dealing with a hamstring injury.
In the second half, the commentators mentioned that Nabers was dealing with a hamstring injury, and as the weather cooled down, it seemed to have a larger impact on him. He also was down after a catch and went into concussion protocol, but he quickly passed and returned to the game.
The Giants were already down one of their outside wide receivers, and Darius Slayton was inactive after suffering a concussion last week. This moved Jalin Hyatt into the starting lineup. Former starter Isaiah Hodgins was called off the practice squad and was the primary backup wide receiver. This did not impact Wan’Dale Robinson, who continued to play in three-receiver sets.
The Giants have their bye week next week, which should give Nabers and Slayton enough time to recover. The Giants have one of the best remaining schedules for wide receivers, so both Nabers and Slayton could have a lot of fantasy value if they are closer to 100%.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Tyrone Tracy Jr. has run at least 16 times in five of his last six games. The Giants' next three opponents are top 10 at allowing fantasy points to running backs.
- The Panthers elevated Deven Thompkins off the practice squad for this game. He was the team’s fourth wide receiver when someone needed a play off.
- The Giants' backup wide receiver, Bryce Ford-Wheaton, was inactive for a second straight game due to an Achilles injury. He has mostly played special teams this season, with two total offensive snaps.
New England Patriots @ Chicago Bears
- Austin Hooper: 3 receptions, 64 yards
- Keenan Allen: 5 receptions, 44 yards
Kendrick Bourne benched: Bourne went from not playing on offense to playing over 75% of New England's offensive snaps to not playing on offense once again.
Bourne missed the first four games of the season due to injury. He was eased into action in Week 5, played over 50% of New England's offensive snaps in Week 6 and became a starter in Week 7. He had his best game of the season last week, catching four passes for 41 yards.
The Patriots decided to keep six wide receivers active this week instead of five, making only Tyquan Thornton inactive while keeping K.J. Osborn active. Ja’Lynn Polk and Osborn rotated at one wide receiver spot, while Kayshon Boutte remained the other starter and DeMario Douglas played in 11 personnel, as usual.
Douglas remains the only Patriots wide receiver with any upside this season. He led the wide receivers this week with four receptions for 50 yards. He’s the only one with a game with five or more receptions, and he’s done that four times before Week 10. Unfortunately, Douglas has also been held under 15 receiving yards and no touchdowns in half of his games this season, making it very hard to trust him in your starting lineup.
Antonio Gibson’s reduced role is confirmed: Gibson hasn’t played much in recent weeks, and injuries are no longer a factor.
Gibson started the season playing between 14 and 22 snaps per game, and he earned an increased role when Rhamondre Stevenson was fumbling too much or injured. He ran at least five times in each of the first six games.
In the last three weeks, his playing time had dropped to eight-to-13 snaps per game. Gibson had shown up on the injury report between Weeks 8 and 9 due to a toe injury that kept him limited in practice. That could have explained his reduced role. However, he was not on the injury report this week and played his fewest snaps in a game this season. His snaps occurred in the fourth quarter when the Patriots had a two-score lead and were draining the clock, while JaMycal Hasty was the backup during the first three quarters.
Gibson can be released in all redraft leagues, as Hasty appears to be the handcuff to Stevenson now.
Rome Odunze excluded from 12 personnel: D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen took all 18 snaps for Chicago in two-tight-end sets.
The Bears rotated wide receivers in 12 personnel over the first three games all three receivers were active. Moore played 37 snaps, Odunze 23 and Allen 18 snaps out of a possible 38 plays in 12 personnel during Weeks 1, 4 and 5. In the Bears' last three games, Allen took a stronghold of the 12 personnel snaps. Out of 34 plays, Allen played 28 to Odunze's six. This wasn’t typically a huge deal because the Bears only ran 10-13 snaps out of 12 personnel per game, and Odunze was playing at least a few of those snaps.
This week, the Bears used more 12 personnel than usual and didn’t rotate Odunze in at all. This didn’t impact his route total too much this week because the Bears were consistently running out of 12 personnel, but it would hurt his route total if he continues to not play in two-tight-end sets.
Odunze has the lowest number of routes per game and targets per route of the three receivers, but he has the most yards per route run and receiving yards total. Ideally, Odunze rarely leaves the field for Chicago.
Miscellaneous Notes
- While Austin Hooper led the Patriots in receiving this week with three receptions for 64 yards, he should be left on the waiver wire. He played a little more this week than usual because the Patriots were winning, allowing them to use more two-tight-end sets. He ran a route on less than half of the Patriots' pass plays, which is normal.
- The Bears traded Khalil Herbert to the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday. This makes Roschon Johnson the clear handcuff if D’Andre Swift gets injured this season.
Buffalo Bills @ Indianapolis Colts
- Alec Pierce: 4 receptions, 81 yards, 1 touchdown
- Josh Downs: 7 receptions, 72 yards
Bills dig down wide receiver depth chart: The Bills didn’t have two of their three top outside wide receivers for this game.
Keon Coleman was ruled out due to a wrist injury, which could keep him out for more than this week. Amari Cooper also has a wrist injury that’s kept him out of the last two games.
Curtis Samuel took over as one of the Bills' outside receivers. Samuel had primarily been a backup slot receiver behind Khalil Shakir this season. Samuel hasn’t been used this way since early in his career with the Carolina Panthers, and this seemed to be an ideal role for him to play at the start of the season. Mack Hollins was also rotated out less often than usual. Ideally, Samuel can continue getting looks in this role, but it might not be likely once everyone is healthy.
Oddly enough, the Bills did not change Shakir's role. In Shakir’s previous seven healthy games, he played over 80% of the 11 personnel snaps but only 16% of the 12 personnel snaps. This week, his rate in 11 personnel was higher at 98% without Samuel, but he only saw a slight increase in 12 personnel to 22%. He’s gained at least 40 receiving yards in every game he’s been healthy despite constantly getting rotated out of the game.
Monitor Dalton Kincaid’s health: Kincaid suffered a knee injury that prevented him from finishing the game.
Kincaid was expected to have a big game, considering the injuries at wide receiver. He caught two passes for 24 yards in the first quarter, but a knee injury limited him to one snap in the second quarter and two snaps early in the third quarter before he called it a game.
This left Dawson Knox as the primary tight end over the rest of the game, while Quintin Morris also played a significant number of snaps. Knox played in 37 of 49 snaps over the last three quarters, including 20 of 28 pass plays. He caught two passes for 40 yards.
The Bills play the Kansas City Chiefs next week, and Kansas City had allowed the most fantasy points to tight ends over the first nine weeks. This includes 50-plus-yard receiving games by six different tight ends. If Kincaid missed a week, Knox would be a top waiver wire option for anyone with Trey McBride or Cade Otton on a bye week.
Colts adjust without Michael Pittman: The Colts moved multiple wide receivers around to account for Pittman being inactive.
Michael Pittman missed this week due to back and finger injuries. He’s shown up on the injury report the last few weeks, but this was the first week where he was inactive. Over the last two seasons, Alec Pierce has been the X receiver, while Pittman has been the Z receiver and Josh Downs has played in the slot.
Adonai Mitchell has been the Colts' top backup this season. He started the offseason competing for the X spot with Pierce and then slid into the slot role when Downs missed time due to injury. Rather than having him in a third spot, Indianapolis moved Pierce into Pittman’s role so Mitchell could play the X spot. This led to big games by all three receivers, as all of them gained at least 70 receiving yards.
Mitchell caught four of his six passes lined up on the line of scrimmage out wide, which was the most for a Colts receiver in a game this season. Pierce gained 49 yards lined up off the line of scrimmage out wide, which was also the most for a Colts wide receiver in a game this season. The Colts should consider giving Pittman plenty of time to heal to see how the offense looks with the wide receivers in these spots in an effort to see if they can continue playing this well.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Trey Sermon has been used as the Colts’ primary backup, particularly on passing downs, in recent weeks. This week, the team made the switch to Tyler Goodson. If Jonathan Taylor gets hurt again this season, we would still expect both backs to play a significant number of snaps.
- While Ray Davis registered 17 PPR points last week, his role in the offense hasn’t changed all season. James Cook remained the clear lead running back, while Ty Johnson was still the receiving back. Davis ran three times for six yards.
- Jalen Virgil and Tyrell Shavers were the Bills' backup wide receivers this week. Virgil was signed to the 53-man roster while Shavers was a practice squad callup.
- Bills fullback Reggie Gilliam was inactive due to a hip injury. He had played 40 snaps over the first nine weeks.
- Laquon Treadwell was activated off the practice squad to be the team’s fifth wide receiver, but he didn’t play an offensive snap. Anthony Gould was inactive despite the injury to Michael Pittman.
Minnesota Vikings @ Jacksonville Jaguars
- T.J. Hockenson: 8 receptions, 72 yards
- Aaron Jones: 17 carries, 88 yards, 2 receptions, 13 receiving yards
Cam Akers remains the Vikings' primary backup running back: Akers was the only other running back to see the field, outside Aaron Jones, for the first three quarters.
Ty Chandler was the Vikings' clear backup over the first eight weeks of the season. He had played 128 snaps, while Cam Akers played eight and Myles Gaskin played six. Last week, Akers seemed to overtake him on the depth chart, playing 16 offensive snaps to Chandler's none. It seemed at least possible it was injury-related, but Chandler played on special teams last week, as he has every week, and he did not appear on the injury report this week.
Jones took a shot to the ribs that led him to be carted to the locker room late in the third quarter, but he was able to return to the game for the last three and a half minutes. During the 15 minutes he was out, Akers and Chandler nearly split their playing time. Akers was used more as a runner while Chandler was on the field for more pass plays.
At this point, it seems clear that Akers is second on the depth chart now and Chandler is third. Chandler can get released in any redraft league, even if it seems like Jones might miss a week. If we assume the Vikings would use their running backs over a full game as they did in 15 minutes in this game, Akers would be the primary rusher, while Chandler is more of a receiving-down back. This would mean Akers is the one getting the valuable fantasy touches. Akers is worth a waiver wire pickup this week, just in case Jones’ injury is more serious than we currently think.
Gabe Davis returns: The Jaguars’ veteran wide receiver missed last week due to a shoulder injury.
In Week 8, the Jaguars lost all three of their starting wide receivers due to injury. Christian Kirk is out for the season, but Brian Thomas Jr. was able to return last week. This week, Davis was able to join the lineup.
Last week, Parker Washington mostly played on the outside, while Austin Trammell primarily played in the slot. This week, Trammell remained on the practice squad, while Washington was the primary slot receiver in three-receiver sets. Thomas has averaged just over 10 snaps from the slot per game, which continued this week.
This week the wide receiver rotation didn’t matter, as Mac Jones focused almost exclusively on throwing to tight ends. The tight ends combined for 10 receptions while the wide receivers had three. It will probably be best to leave all of them on the bench as long as Trevor Lawrence is out.
Monitor Tank Bigsby’s health: Bigsby was limited in this game due to an ankle injury.
Bigsby has been limited the last two weeks of practice due to an ankle injury. He left the game in the first quarter due toan ankle injury, presumably the same ankle. Travis Etienne was also limited in practice this week, as he’s been for over a month, but at this point, he’s the healthiest Jaguars running back. Third down back D’Ernest Johnson showed up on the injury report on Thursday due to a hamstring injury and was the only one of the three with a questionable designation.
Etienne started the game, but all three backs played on the second drive, and Bigsby took the third drive. Bigsby only played four snaps in the second quarter, two in the third quarter and none in the fourth quarter. Johnson also took fewer snaps than usual and also didn’t play in the fourth quarter.
The Jaguars have a matchup against the Detroit Lions next week, so all of their running backs should probably be avoided. Then, they have their bye week. Ideally, everyone will be healthy after the bye week.
Miscellaneous Notes
- T.J. Hockenson’s playing time was nearly identical to last week, but his target rate was much higher this week than last. Ideally, he plays more snaps in the next few weeks.
- Wide receiver and return man Devin Duvernay was activated off injured reserve on Sunday. He didn’t play on offense but was the team’s primary punt returner.
Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs
- Travis Kelce: 8 receptions, 64 yards, 1 touchdown
- Courtland Sutton: 6 receptions, 70 yards, 1 touchdown
Audric Estime takes over the primary early-down role: Javonte Williams’ role declined each of the previous four weeks for Denver.
The Broncos rookie landed on injured reserve after a brief appearance in Week 1. He only played a few snaps in the last four weeks but averaged 6.3 yards per carry in his limited opportunities. Despite the limited work, he had four explosive runs compared to eight by Javonte Williams and six by Jaleel McLaughlin, and the latter two had many more opportunities.
This week, McLaughlin started the game with Javonte Williams coming in for third down. The team stuck with Williams on the second drive and stuck with passing the ball. On the third drive, Estime joined the rotation. He ran on back-to-back plays for eight and six yards, respectively, which was enough for Denver to stick with Estime as the early-down back for the rest of the game.
Over the last three quarters, Estime played 24 of a possible 41 snaps, while Williams played nine exclusively in passing situations and McLaughlin played three. Estime ran 14 times for 53 yards. While his 3.8 yards per carry wasn’t great, the Chiefs had allowed 3.7 yards per carry this season.
There is still a small chance the Broncos will take a hot-hand approach and say Estime had the hot hand this week, so maybe someone else has it next week. There is a larger chance Estime will continue to earn more opportunities going forward. Barring any major injury in the late slate, Estime will be a better waiver-wire option at running back than anyone else from the last few weeks.
DeAndre Hopkins takes a tiny step forward: Hopkins stayed on the field a little more often than last week but was still rotated out more than Justin Watson and Xavier Worthy.
The Chiefs’ top three wide receivers remained the same as last week, but they adjusted how they used their wide receivers.
Last week, all three played roughly two-thirds of their snaps out wide and one-third from the slot. Most of Hopkins’ receptions came at the X-receiver spot, leading to more receptions than anyone has received from Mahomes while lined up out wide and on the line of scrimmage. Hopkins’ role was fairly similar this week. He again caught one big pass from the slot, but most of his receptions came lined up out wide.
The main difference this week is Worthy stuck mostly to the outside, while Watson was the clear primary slot receiver. His 25 snaps from the slot were his most in a game since joining the Chiefs in 2022. When he played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the start of his career, he lined up in the slot more often.
This opens the door for JuJu Smith-Schuster to take over for Watson as the primary slot receiver once he’s healthy. Smith-Schuster gained 130 receiving yards in Week 5 but has missed time since then due to a hamstring injury. This should allow Hopkins, Worthy and Smith-Schuster to co-exist nicely while the Chiefs continue their quest for a third straight Super Bowl.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Travis Kelce played in 83% of the Chiefs' offensive snaps in this game. He has generally stayed on the field more this season than in recent seasons. This was his fifth game of the year with at least an 83% snap share. This matched the number of games he reached 83% of his team's offesnive snaps in the 2022 regular season and surpassed his total from the 2023 regular season.
- Adam Trautman has caught a pass for 30 or more yards twice in the last three weeks. Despite the big plays, he should be left on the waiver wire in most leagues since he only runs a route on just a fraction of the Broncos passing plays.
- The Chiefs elevated Justyn Ross from the practice squad for a second straight week to be the team’s fifth wide receiver.
Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints
- Bijan Robinson: 20 carries, 116 yards, 2 touchdowns, 3 receptions, 28 receiving yards
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 3 receptions, 109 yards, 2 touchdowns
Marquez Valdes-Scantling shines at wide receiver: Valdes-Scantling made three big plays while the Saints were down multiple receivers.
The Saints started the season with Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Mason Tipton and Bub Means as their wide receivers. Shaheed is out for the season and Means has spent the last two weeks on injured reserve. Olave suffered his second concussion in the last month and landed on injured reserve on Saturday. He might not play again this season. Wilson also missed this game due to a shoulder injury, leaving Tipton as the only original receiver to play in this game.
This allowed Valdes-Scantling to play a large role. The Buffalo Bills had released him after trading for Amari Cooper. Valdes-Scantling was consistently on the field in both 11 and 12 personnel. Tipton joined him in those personnel groupings, while Austin played in 11 personnel as well as other more run-heavy personnel groupings.
Valdes-Scantling caught a 40-yard touchdown and a 67-yard pass that was followed by a two-yard touchdown to finish that drive. Those three plays were a major factor in the Saints' victory. Even when Wilson is back, Valdes-Scantling is now the favorite to be the team’s top wide receiver over the rest of the season.
Bijan Robinson is slowly but surely on the rise: Robinson’s playing time in this game was better than most of the games of his career.
Robinson played in 78% of the Falcons' offensive snaps, which is among the top five games of his career. Part of this was game script related, as the Falcons have lost all eight games in his career when he’s played over 75% of the team's offensive snaps. He’s the clear receiving back over Tyler Allgeier, while Allgeier tends to see more snaps in the Falcons victories.
When accounting for the game script, Robinson still played a little more than usual and has been trending in that direction over the last month. That helped him to 116 rushing yards, which was the second-best for him in a game in his career, and his second career game with two rushing touchdowns.
Robinson is averaging 19.1 PPR points per game this season and in this role, he could be the best fantasy running back during the fantasy playoffs.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Drake London was questionable for this game due to a hip injury, but his playing time and target share were completely unaffected.
- Kyle Pitts hovered around 50% of Atlanta's offensive snaps for the third straight week, and Pitts' has a very strong tendency to be on the field for pass plays while Charlie Woerner is in for run plays. Over the first nine weeks, Woerner has the fifth-best run-blocking grade for a tight end with at least 100 snaps, while Pitts has the seventh-worst, so this trend seems unlikely to change.
- Jamaal Williams missed his second straight game due to a groin injury, leading Jordan Mims to be the backup running back while Alvin Kamara plays more snaps than usual.
- For whatever reason, the Saints have used Taysom Hill a lot in the first quarter of games but not as much later in games. Five of his six touches occurred in the first quarter this week. Over the entire season, he has 21 first-quarter touches and 16 over the rest of his games.
San Francisco 49ers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Rachaad White: 10 carries, 31 yards, 6 receptions, 39 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
- Ricky Pearsall: 4 receptions, 73 yards, 1 touchdown
Christian McCaffrey isn’t limited in his return: McCaffrey played 87% of the 49ers' offensive snaps, which was better than his average game last season.
McCaffrey was activated from injured reserve on Saturday after missing the entire first half of the season. His backup, Jordan Mason, was the starter for the first nine weeks but couldn’t finish the 49er's last two games before the bye week. He was a full participant in practice all week, so it seemed like Mason would still get some playing time.
Instead, McCaffrey was the clear main running back throughout the game, as he’s been throughout his time with the 49ers. He wasn’t as effective as usual in the run game, averaging 3.0 yards per carry to a Buccaneers defense that had allowed 4.9 yards per carry this season. Assuming this was just McCaffrey being a little rusty in his first game back, he should return to being a consistent top-five player over the rest of the season.
Jauan Jennings returns: The 49ers slot receiver had missed the last two games due to a hip injury.
This was the first game in which Jennings and rookie Ricky Pearsall were both active. Instead of playing his usual slot role, Jennings often lined up where Brandon Aiyuk typically played. He spent the majority of his snaps playing on the outside and on the line of scrimmage.
This allowed Pearsall to play in Jennings’ usual role, playing mostly in 11 personnel, often in the slot. The 49ers generally have their wide receivers line up in different spots more than most teams, which remained true with this wide receiver rotation.
This was generally good for the fantasy value of both Jennings and Pearsall. The only concern is Chris Conley was out due to a hamstring injury. He had been playing the X receiver role in recent weeks, and he may rotate in more than fantasy managers would like. Regardless, it seems like Jennings could be worth starting when the matchup is right. Pearsall remains a waiver-wire target in case he continues to play well in this role. He’s a rookie who has gained at least 13 PPR points in two of his three career games. Ideally, his role can expand.
Buccaneers hurting at wide receiver: The Buccaneers didn’t have a single wide receiver with more than 11 receiving yards.
Mike Evans was inactive for the third straight week due to a hamstring injury. It seemed like the Buccaneers would have some reinforcements this week because Jalen McMillan was active despite the hamstring injury that kept him out last week. While he was active, he didn’t play a single snap on offense.
The Buccaneers' wide receiver rotation was similar to last week's. Rakim Jarrett played at the X receiver spot, while Sterling Shepard was at Z and Ryan Miller was in the slot. The only difference this week is that Shepard was closer to 100%. He played in a limited fashion last week and was limited in practice to the end of this week.
This meant barely any playing time for Trey Palmer, who has been Evans’ replacement. However, Jarrett took the job from him, which left him to rotate with Shepard last week. Now, he was the backup.
There are still questions as to how the wide receiver room will look once everyone is healthy. Shepard had been the slot receiver once Chris Godwin suffered his season-ending injury. Once McMillan retuns, Shepard may move back to the slot, or we could see McMillan in the slot, as he played there in college. Once Evans returns, we could see Jarrett bea backup, or he might force a rotation with either Shepard or McMillan, or both.
The Buccaneers have their bye week next week, and ideally, they could have Evans and McMillan back after the bye week.
Miscellaneous Notes
- The Buccaneers didn’t use Sean Tucker on offense in this game. He had 14 carries for 136 yards in Week 6 with Rachaad White out and still played 20% of Tampa Bay's offensive snaps in Week 7. In the last two weeks, he played seven snaps in each game.
- The Buccaneers called up Marquez Callaway from the practice squad for a second straight week to be the team’s fifth wide receiver.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Washington Commanders
- George Pickens: 5 receptions, 91 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 carry, 4 rushing yards
- Austin Ekeler: 13 carries, 44 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 reception, 7 receiving yards
Mike Williams eased into action: The Steelers traded for Williams at the trade deadline on Tuesday.
The Steelers wide receiver rotation has been simple for most of the season. George Pickens and Van Jefferson were the main outside receivers, Calvin Austin III would play in three-receiver sets, and Scotty Miller was the primary backup who would often play in 13 personnel. No other wide receiver played more than 20 offensive snaps this season.
The wide receiver depth chart was shaken up with the trade for Williams. Ben Skowronek had missed the last six weeks while on injured reserve, but he was activated for this game. This pushed Miller from the top backup to a healthy inactive.
Williams took over as the primary backup in 11 and 12 personnel, while Skowronek took over as the rotational 13 personnel receiver. As expected, most of Williams' snaps came at Jefferson's expense. Williams’ only shot at fantasy value this season will be completely overtaking Jefferson as the outside receiver opposite Pickens. He will probably just be a rotational player, which won’t give him any value. Ideally, his game-winning 32-yard touchdown pass will lead the Steelers to get him on the field more often sooner rather than later.
Brian Robinson misses another game: The Commanders' lead running back was out due to a hamstring injury.
Robinson has also missed two of the last five weeks, and could only play on a limited basis in the other three. Last week, Ekeler played 26 of 34 snaps on the first five drives, while Jeremy McNichols took 16 of those 34 snaps. There were several plays where both running backs were on the field. The Commanders had a large lead last week, so Chris Rodriguez played most of the fourth quarter. The Commanders added him to the 53-man roster this week.
The Commanders were constantly playing from behind this week, so they didn’t rotate their wide receivers nearly as much as they usually do. Ekeler was both the clear early- and passing-down back. They also didn’t run as many plays with two running backs on the field.
Ekeler should be a relatively safe start for as long as Robinson remains out. He has a tough matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles next week, but with six teams on bye weeks, Ekeler could still end up among the top 24 running backs despite the matchup.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Cordarrelle Patterson returned to the Steelers lineup after missing the last four games due to an ankle injury. He played a few snaps as the Steelers' only running back in the backfield, a few snaps at receiver in an empty formation, and a few as a receiver with Jaylen Warren also on the field.
- Since MyCole Pruitt returned from injury, Pat Freiermuth’s playing time has declined a little bit each week. This was the second time this season that he was held under 60% of Pittsburgh's offensive snaps.
- Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin has gained at least 95 receiving yards in five of his last eight games including this game.
Tennessee Titans @ Los Angeles Chargers
- Calvin Ridley: 5 receptions, 84 yards, 2 touchdowns
- Quentin Johnston: 2 receptions, 24 yards, 1 touchdown
Tyjae Spears returns: Spears missed the last three weeks due to a hamstring injury.
During Spears’ absence, Tony Pollard became an every-down running back, rarely leaving the field. This week, the two were back to rotating. The splits by distribution were more extreme than usual, as Spears was constantly on the field more often in clear passing situations, while Pollard took a slightly higher share on early downs compared to earlier in the season.
Pollard hasn’t been practicing much due to a foot injury, and he missed a few plays in the second quarter while his knee was checked out. Spears played most of the snaps in the fourth quarter, but that was likely due to the game script and the Titans playing from behind rather than Pollard’s injury.
Regardless, it will be worth checking the injury report this week to see if Pollard is listed with just the foot injury, or both a foot and knee before deciding to start him next week.
Gus Edwards also steps back into his usual role: Edwards was activated off injured reserve from his ankle injury on Saturday.
While Edwards lost his starting job to J.K. Dobbins early in the season, Edwards remains a large part of the Chargers offense prior to his injury. His role in this game was very similar to when he left, playing a high percentage of the Chargers' early-down snaps and often running the ball when he was on the field.
This was by far his best game in a Chargers uniform, as he finished with 10 carries for 55 yards. He had averaged 3.3 yards per carry or less in each of his four games to start the season. Dobbins averaged 3.3 yards per carry this week, which could lead to Edwards taking more carries in the near future.
Edwards will be one of the top waiver-wire options at running back, but it’s worth noting each of their next six opponents has won 40% of their games or more and are all in the top 17 of our power rankings. The Chargers might not have many game scripts where they can run the ball as much as they did against the Titans anytime soon. They play the New England Patriots during fantasy championship weekend, so he could have a great season finally.
With Edwards back, Kimani Vidal went back to being a healthy inactive, similar to the first month of the season. He averaged 2.4 yards per carry on his 18 carries while Edwards was out, which wasn’t enough to keep a gameday roster spot. He can be dropped in redraft leagues.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Bryce Oliver is an undrafted rookie from Youngstown State who started the season on the Titans' practice squad but was recently signed to provide help after the DeAndre Hopkins trade. He barely played on offense but was targeted whenever he ran a route, leading to two receptions for 23 yards.
- Last week, Chig Okonkwo was the clear receiving tight end, rarely leaving the field when the Titans ran a pass play. This week, he was back to a two-man rotation with Josh Whyle.
- D.J. Chark Jr. was on the Chargers' gameday roster for the first time this season after spending most of the year on injured reserve due to a hip injury. He played one snap out of a run formation in the fourth quarter and doesn’t seem to be in a position to take playing time away from any of the other Chargers receivers in the near future.
- Chargers receiving tight end Will Dissly maintained a target per route above 22% for the seventh time this season.
New York Jets @ Arizona Cardinals
- James Conner: 12 carries, 33 yards, 1 touchdown, 5 receptions, 80 receiving yards
- Marvin Harrison Jr.: 5 receptions, 54 yards, 1 touchdown
Jets move on from Mike Williams: The veteran receiver was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers at the trade deadline.
Williams had spent all season as the Jets’ third wide receiver, first behind Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard and then behind Wilson and Davante Adams after the Jets traded for Adams while also losing Lazard to injured reserve.
With Williams out, both Xavier Gipson and Malachi Corley received noteworthy increases in playing time. Gipson was a starter at times last year and led the rotation, but he only saw one target. Carley had 16 snaps in this game, which is more than the 14 in the previous nine weeks combined. Nearly all of those 14 snaps were run plays, so this was the first time Corley was running routes with any kind of consistency.
It is unlikely Corley will have any fantasy value this season, but it would be good to find out if he can be a sleeper for 2025.
Zay Jones pulls even with Greg Dortch: Jones and Dortch’s playing time was nearly identical for most of this game.
Jones missed the first five games due to suspension and a sixth due to injury. In the last three games, he’s cut into Dortch’s playing time in 11 personnel. This week, Jones played 16 snaps to Dortch's 15 in the first six drives. The only reason Jones pulled clearly ahead was because of the final drive where Jones played with backups.
While Jones hasn’t had any fantasy value, totaling just one catch in his four games, he has diminished Dortch's fantasy value. Dortch gained at least 30 receiving yards in four of the first six games. In the last four games, he’s caught three passes for 13 yards. Dortch graded reasonably well in 2022 and 2023, leading him to be a sleeper this season, but it doesn’t look like he will live up to those expectations.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Jets tight end Tyler Conklin showed up on the injury report Friday due to an ankle injury, but this had no impact on his playing time. Conklin has been held to 10 receiving yards or less in four of his last five games.
- Jets rookie running back Isaiah Davis was given two offensive snaps in the fourth quarter. He only played four offensive snaps over the previous nine weeks.
- Each of the Cardinals' drives lasted at least six plays. They finished with no turnovers and only had one drive lead to a punt.
- Arizona rested its starters and top backups for the final drive, which meant resting Kyler Murray, James Conner, Trey Benson, Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch and Trey McBride.
- Conner also didn’t play on the sixth drive in favor of Benson. Benson played a little more than usual on the first five drives because of how long the drives lasted.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Goedert returns: The Eagles' lead tight end missed the last three games due to a hamstring injury.
Goedert returned, and his playing time was only slightly limited. He took 43 of a possible 54 snaps in the first 11 drives before the starters were pulled from the game. He took 22 of a possible 32 snaps out of 11 personnel, which was slightly lower than we’re used to.
That was still enough playing time to catch two passes for 25 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, the Eagles have a short week and play on Thursday Night Football. There is a chance Goedert will continue to be somewhat limited in that game.
Rico Dowdle remains clear Cowboys starter: The Cowboys haven’t used a rotation by drive in the last two weeks.
For most of the first month and a half, the Cowboys would rotate Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott by drive, while Hunter Luepke took the passing down snaps. Dowdle missed one game due to illness, and then Elliott missed a game for discipline reasons. In the game Elliott missed, Dowdle was the clear early-down running back, while Dalvin Cook rarely played.
The Cowboys didn’t activate Cook off the practice squad this week, leaving Elliott as the clear backup. For the first four drives, Elliott didn’t see the field. Dowdle took 10 of 15 snaps where he ran the ball six times. The fifth drive was a bit longer of a drive, so Elliott began rotating in more.
In the third quarter, Dowdle again played seven of a possible 11 snaps, while Luepke played the other four. The Cowboys were down 28-6 heading into the fourth quarter, so Dowdle only took five snaps, with Elliott taking seven. The combination of Elliott’s garbage time snaps and the Cowboys being in more passing situations than usual made it seem like Dowdle’s role reverted back to a few weeks ago. In a more neutral game script, we can expect Dowdle to be more of a clear lead running back.
Miscellaneous Notes
- The Cowboys traded for Jonathan Mingo on Tuesday, but given the short turnaround, Dallas opted to make Mingo inactive this week.
- Cooper Rush was pulled from the game after 10 drives where he completed 13 of 23 passes for 45 yards. Trey Lance played the last three drives.
- Multiple starters were pulled before the final drive, including Rico Dowdle, CeeDee Lamb, Tyler Smith and Zack Martin.
- The Eagles rested their starters for the last 14 plays over three drives. This meant no snaps by Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith or Dallas Goedert, while Kenneth Gainwell and Jahan Dotson were limited to three and four snaps, respectively.
- Both A.J. Brown (knee) and DeVonta Smith (hamstring) were listed on the injury report. Neither was given a questionable tag, which was a good sign, and neither's playing time was limited.
Detroit Lions @ Houston Texans
- John Metchie III: 5 receptions, 74 yards, 1 touchdown
- Sam LaPorta: 3 receptions, 66 yards, 1 touchdown
John Metchie III takes on a bigger role: Metchie consistently played in three-receiver sets.
Since Stefon Diggs went on injured reserve, John Metchie has seen an increased role, sharing snaps with Robert Woods. Metchie has primarily played in 11 personnel, while Woods has seen more action in 12 personnel. This week, the Texans leaned even more into this split, with Metchie logging the most 11-personnel snaps among Texans receivers while Woods handled most of the 12-personnel snaps.
Nico Collins was recently moved to the active roster but was inactive for this game. When he returns, he’s expected to reclaim the X receiver role, currently filled by Xavier Hutchinson, leaving the Metchie-Woods rotation largely unaffected.
Metchie may see slightly fewer snaps than Dell for the rest of the season, likely limiting his value as a waiver-wire target. However, he still has the potential for more big games like this one.
Monitor Sam LaPorta’s health: LaPorta had one of his best games of the season before suffering a shoulder injury.
Sam LaPorta played the Lions' first 39 snaps—a rarity for him, as he’s only surpassed 90% of snaps once this season—before exiting with a shoulder injury. Before leaving, he caught three passes for a season-high 66 yards and a touchdown against a defense that has been the league's best against tight ends this year. If healthy, this performance suggests LaPorta could see an upswing in the second half of the season.
Following LaPorta's exit, Shane Zylstra and Brock Wright split duties, with Wright handling more run-blocking snaps and Zylstra running more routes. If LaPorta misses time, Zylstra's likely low snap rate and target share would limit his value as a fantasy starter.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Jameson Williams returned from his two-game suspension and returned to being the clear No. 2 wide receiver for Detroit. He played slightly less than usual, but not so much to be concerned about his playing time going forward. He did briefly go down after two big hits on the same tackle but was able to return on the following drive.
- Dameon Pierce missed his second straight game with a groin injury. Like last week, Dare Ogunbowale was the third-down back and the primary early-down backup.
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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