• Tim Patrick is locked in as the Denver Broncos‘ WR2: For the second straight week, Patrick served as the primary wide receiver opposite Courtland Sutton while the starters were on the field.
• Taysom Hill remains a part of the New Orleans Saints offense: Hill continues to line up all over the field and even ran for a touchdown in this game.
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Estimated reading time: 7 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.
Green Bay Packers @ Denver Broncos
Broncos shake up their running back rotation: Denver put their running backs in different situations this week, which suggests that the backfield still isn’t settled.
Last week, the Broncos used their running backs in situations familiar to each player. Javonte Williams started and took most of the snaps on the first two drives, with Samaje Perine taking third downs. Perine continued to take third downs when the backups came in and then played in the two-minute drill. Perine never got a chance to play in normal early-down situations. Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime rotated as backups, with McLaughlin playing one snap on a third-and-11.
Williams started again this week, with McLaughlin rotating in after a few plays. The two continued their rotation on the first two drives, with McLaughlin playing on third-and-9 and at the goal line. McLaughlin ended up playing more snaps, which meant Williams left the game first.
Perine started on a normal first-and-10 on the third drive, with Estime rotating in on the drive. Perine continued to play into the third quarter. Many have speculated that Perine could be released from the team. After the first game, it seemed unlikely, given Perine was taking all the usual passing-down work. Now that the Broncos seem more willing to give McLaughlin opportunities in those situations, it’s more likely Perine won’t make the team.
If this backfield is just a two-man rotation between Williams and McLaughlin, then both are a value at their ADP. There is still a chance Estime will mix in, but he hasn’t earned those opportunities to this point.
Broncos' top-three wide receivers are locked in: The Broncos’ wide receiver rotation was very similar to last week.
Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick were Denver's two primary wide receivers last week, with Josh Reynolds joining him in three-wide-receiver sets. This was somewhat surprising, considering the Broncos spent early draft picks on Marvin Mims Jr. and Troy Franklin in recent seasons. It seemed possible the Broncos were playing more veterans with Jarrett Stidham and more of their younger players with Bo Nix later in the game.
Nix was the starter this week, and the wide receiver rotation remained the same. There was no clear fourth wide receiver, with Lil’Jordan Humphrey, David Sills and Mims all playing a snap on the first two drives. It’s worth noting that Devaughn Vele also seemed to be in the mix among the backup receivers, but he wasn’t in uniform for this game. It’s unclear why he was absent.
Sutton remains a decent value at his ADP, while Patrick should shoot up rankings after it’s becoming clearer that he’s the starter.
The Packers could keep four running backs: Emanuel Wilson was taken out of the game before the other Packers players.
Wilson served as a receiving back for the Packers last season, playing whenever one of the top two running backs was injured. He put up a great performance last week, taking 13 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown. This has led some to suggest Wilson should make the roster and even see offensive playing time this season.
The Packers rested their top three running backs, leaving Wilson as the starter for this game. He didn’t put up the same numbers this week as the Packers' backups were facing the Broncos' starters, but he was the focal point of the offense, running eight times and catching a pass throughout the first half. He will likely only make the roster if a running back is dealing with an injury or if they are concerned that another team would sign him to their active roster, meaning he couldn’t make the practice squad.
Miscellaneous Notes
• Lucas Krull received more work with the Broncos' starters this week, which meant that Greg Dulcich played fewer snaps. This appears to be a three-man rotation that should be completely avoided in all formats.
• The Packers announced before the game that the following players wouldn’t play: quarterback Jordan Love, running backs Josh Jacobs, A.J. Dillon, MarShawn Lloyd and Jarveon Howards, wide receivers Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks and tight end Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft.
• Samori Toure has been a top backup for the Packers in recent years, but he wasn’t among the top three wide receivers in this game, which places him eighth on the depth chart. He seems unlikely to make the roster at this point.
New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers
Taysom Hill shines with the Saints offense: Hill played 14 of a possible 22 snaps, lining up all over the field.
Hill played six snaps at tight end, four at halfback, four at fullback and one at slot receiver. Last week, he didn’t play at all at halfback but did play as an outside wide receiver. While the Saints are down some of their top skill players, it appears clear that Hill will be a major part of their offense.
Hill finished last season as the overall TE12. The year before, he finished as the TE9. There initially seemed to be some risk because of the new offensive coordinator, but if anything, it appears the new staff is even more willing to use Hill in the offense. He is one of the best options you can draft if you’re looking for a backup fantasy tight end or have waited too long to draft one, assuming he has tight end eligibility on the site you’re drafting.
Ronnie Bell and Danny Gray are on the roster bubble: Bell was WR5 on the Niners' depth chart last season, but he might not make the 53-man roster this season.
The 49ers haven’t had their top four wide receivers for the last two weeks. In the first preseason game, Bell was a starter with Chris Conley, with Trent Taylor as the third receiver. Fourth-round rookie Jacob Cowing didn’t play in that game, but he did play this week, replacing Bell in the starting lineup. Bell played his first snap in the second quarter when other players who started this game (including Brock Purdy) were out of the game. This suggests Bell is eighth on the depth chart at best, keeping him off the roster.
Gray was a third-round pick in 2022 but only has one career reception. He didn’t play last week and received his first snap after Bell in this game, suggesting he is ninth in the pecking order. So, his time with the 49ers' active roster also seems to be coming to an end.
Miscellaneous Notes
• Saints tight end Juwan Johnson remains on the PUP list.
• Running backs Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller, wide receiver Rashid Shaheed and tight end Dallin Holker were among the players who didn’t suit up for pregame warmups.
• Cedrick Wilson Jr. was the wide receiver opposite Chris Olave last week with the starters, which continued in this game. We can expect him to have that role in 11 personnel this season and an every-down role for as long as Shaheed remains out.
• The 49ers rested running backs Christian McCaffrey and Kyle Juszczyk, wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings and tight end George Kittle.
• Running back Jordan Mason also didn’t play, as he’s dealing with a minor injury. Elijah Mitchell, Isaac Guerendo, Patrick Taylor Jr. and rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall are also dealing with injuries.
• Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is still holding out, with no major updates on whether he will return or get traded.
Table Notes
• Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. These plays are removed from the other three stats.
• 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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