In fantasy football, usage and opportunity are king. Fantasy points can’t accrue on our teams unless our players accumulate the snaps, attempts, and targets that lead to yards and touchdowns.
This weekly piece will look at usage trends from each NFL team from a fantasy angle. We will look at who is gaining and who is losing opportunities in order to make better future roster decisions.
If you have interesting usage notes, feel free to reach out to me on X (@CableBoxScore) and let me know. Let’s dive into Week 2 usage!
NFL Week 2 Usage Trends
ARIZONA CARDINALS
Hollywood Not Dead Yet
Don’t count out Marquise Brown just yet. He played 94% of snaps and had five more targets than all other Arizona wide receivers combined. He parlayed that into six catches, 54 yards, and a touchdown. The defenses will get tougher but at least Josh Dobbs doesn’t look completely lost out there.
ATLANTA FALCONS
Bijan Takes the Lead, London Rising
After a pretty even split in Week 1, the Atlanta running back room tilted towards Bijan Robinson on Sunday. He out-snapped Tyler Allgeier 72% to 44% and had five targets to zero for Allgeier. The positive thing for Allgeier is that both backs still got four opportunities a piece in the Red Zone.
After an abysmal Week 1 (one target), Drake London led the team with seven targets and he scored a touchdown.
Bijan Robinson is now on pace for 85 catches.
Over the past 10 seasons, the RB1 Overall finisher has averaged 80.2 catches. 👀🔥🔥pic.twitter.com/Dlmbx3QB8U
— TheOGfantasyfootball (@TheOGfantasy) September 18, 2023
BALTIMORE RAVENS
New Running Back World Order
In the first game without J.K. Dobbins, the split favored Justice Hill on Sunday for Baltimore. He led Gus Edwards in snaps (43 to 32), targets (three to zero), and Red Zone chances (three to two). Both could still have flex value for the rest of the season, however.
BUFFALO BILLS
Red Zone Reserved for Tight Ends, Running Backs
When it came to Red Zone work on Sunday, the Bills basically ignored their wide receivers. Of 20 total Red Zone opportunities, the wideouts only saw five. For reference, that’s the same number Latavius Murray had by himself. Dawson Knox (three) and Dalton Kincaid (two) were also involved down in the red area.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
Only Mingo and Thielen Matter
It’s not a pretty passing attack right now for Bryce Young and the Panthers, but at least we know who the targets are going to. Bryce Young threw 21 times to wide receivers and tight ends on Monday night, and 17 of those went to Jonathan Mingo and Adam Thielen.
CHICAGO BEARS
Short Fields
Justin Fields continues to struggle as a passer during his third year in the league. Despite one nice touchdown toss to Chase Claypool, only Anthony Richardson – a rookie who has serious deficiencies passing the ball – has a lower average intended air yards than Fields’ 5.0 in the first two weeks. Bryce Young basically never aired the ball out on Monday and his average was 6.0.
CJ Stroud has more games throwing for over 300 yards than Justin Fields
— Shane P. Hallam (@ShanePHallam) September 18, 2023
CINCINNATI BENGALS
Chase Can’t Make the Case
That’s now two subpar games for Ja’Marr Chase, but the Bengals are trying to get him going. Chase led all wide receivers with four Red Zone targets in Week 2. But he only caught two of them for 11 yards and no scores.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
More Moore, Please!
Even with Amari Cooper playing in this game, Elijah Moore played the second-most snaps and tied for the most targets in the game (nine). He ran the same number of routes as Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones but Deshaun Watson’s inaccuracy only allowed him to catch three balls for 36 yards.
DALLAS COWBOYS
Ferguson Emerges
Dak Prescott may have a new favorite weapon when Dallas is close to the Red Zone. Out of nine total Red Zone throws on Sunday, three of them went to tight end Jake Ferguson and no other player had more than one. He is a sneaky pickup if still available in your league.
Target per route run rate leaders through two weeks
(all positions – minimum 30 targets)40% – Puka Nacua
37% – Tyreek Hill
36% – Jahmyr Gibbs
34% – Jayden Reed
33% – Jake Ferguson, Zach Ertz
32% – DeAndre Hopkins, Davante Adams
30% – Tony Pollard
29% – Roschon Johnson— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) September 18, 2023
DENVER BRONCOS
Mims Matters
Denver finally realized they should use Mims to his strengths, and his strengths are stretching the field for deep passes. Mims caught two of two targets for 113 yards and a score on Sunday. His yards per route run (18.83) was almost triple the next closest wide receiver (Jalin Hyatt with 7.3).
DETROIT LIONS
Better Days Are Here for Gibbs
All eyes were on Jahmyr Gibbs this week to see if Dan Campbell was telling the truth about getting more involved. He was right because Gibbs’ snaps jumped from 27% to 48% and he ended up playing more than David Montgomery because of the injury. Montgomery is now day to day with a thigh bruise, so there is a very real chance he is about to get Wally Pipp’d if Jahmry Gibbs gets a game or two with a full workload.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
Reed is a Red Zone Weapon
No other wide receiver had more Red Zone receiving yards than rookie Jayden Reed in Week 2 (29 yards, two touchdowns). He is emerging as a real weapon for Jordan Love and it will be interesting to see what role he has when Christian Watson is finally able to suit up.
Top-10 Rookie Target Shares
Puka Nacua- 39% 🥵
Zay Flowers- 28% 👀
Jayden Reed- 25% 👀
Bijan Robinson- 23% 🚀
Jaxon Smith-Njigba- 18%
Josh Downs- 17%
Jahmyr Gibbs- 17%
Sam LaPorta- 17%
Tank Dell- 16%
Jonathan Mingo- 16%— Dave Wright (@ff_spaceman) September 18, 2023
HOUSTON TEXANS
Stroud Slinging It
C.J. Stroud was first in passing yards and second in passing attempts in Week 2 as the Texans are letting him start to cook. His average completed air yards was 9.0 this week, trailing only Russell Wilson who threw two long bombs to Marvin Mims and also connected on a Hail Mary. Nico Collins (20 targets through two weeks) is the biggest beneficiary.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Zach Moss the RB Boss
With so many injuries to the running back room, Zach Moss played 98% of snaps in Week 2 and had very running back Red Zone touch and target. If Anthony Richardson is out for any period of time with a concussion, Moss could run wild for a couple of weeks.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Kirk’s a Man-Eater
Christian Kirk’s target share went from 9% in Week 1 to 34% in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Scott Barrett noted that the spike was predictable because of how successful Kirk is against man coverage and how often the Chiefs deploy that defense.
Christian Kirk (2022-2023)
[@FantasyPtsData]vs. Man: 0.75 fantasy points per route run (4th-best of 88-qualifying WRs)
vs. Zone: 0.28 fantasy points per route run (58th-best)Week 1: Colts (11th-lowest rate of man)
Week 2: Chiefs (8th-highest)
Week 3: Cowboys (3rd-highest) https://t.co/BhGBWXXaxi— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) September 15, 2023
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
Skyy High in Week 2
Skyy Moore had somewhat of a redemption game on Sunday after the whole wide receiver crew crapped their pants in Week 1. Moore saw a slight decrease in snaps (69% to 58%), but he saw more targets this week and was sixth among wide receivers in yards after the catch per reception (11.0).
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Jacobs by Air and Not by Land
Josh Jacobs may have finished his Week 2 game with negative receiving yards, but he made up for it in the passing game. His six targets were the fifth-most in his career and his 51 receiving yards were second-most. It likely reduces when Jakobi Meyers returns, however.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
Mike Williams Low-Key Dominant
On a day that Austin Ekeler missed and Keenan Allen scored twice, it was Mike Williams who silently dominated usage. Williams led the team in targets with 13 and was second in the entire NFL with 160 air yards. If he can stay healthy, more games like this will lead to massive fantasy output.
Week 2 target share leaders:
39% – Michael Pittman, Puka Nacua
38% – Deebo Samuel
35% – CeeDee Lamb, Davante Adams, Marquise Brown
34% – Christian Kirk
33% – Mike Williams
32% – Garrett Wilson, Jayden Reed
31% – Tyreek Hill, Tee Higgins
30% – Justin Jefferson— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) September 18, 2023
LOS ANGELES RAMS
Puka Power
What more can be said about rookie Puka Nacua at this point? He set the rookie record with 25 receptions in his first two games, and it appears Nacua might be the next wide receiver in line after Calvin Johnson and Cooper Kupp that Matt Stafford turns into a star. Through two games, Nacua has 10 more targets than the next closest player to him (Justin Jefferson). To put that in perspective, D.J. Moore has nine total targets on the season.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
Stepping Off the Achane
Devon Achane has a long way to go to be fantasy-relevant in Miami right now. Despite some nice plays, he played on just 10% of snaps in Week 2 with Salvon Ahmed and Alec Ingold all playing more.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Addison Already a Star
Rookie Jordan Addison may have been a clear third in snap percentage (69%), but he scored again and his yards per route run (2.0) dwarfed what WR2 K.J. Osborn did in Week 2 (0.77). Among players with at least five targets, Addison’s 19.4 aDOT ranked fifth among wide receivers.
Fantasy Points Per Touch: WRs (Min 10 tgts)
Jordan Addison 4.6
Garrett Wilson 4.4
Chase Claypool 4.2
Mike Evans 4.0
Josh Reynolds 4.0
Jayden Reed 3.8
Tyreek Hill 3.7
DeVonta Smith 3.7
Brandon Aiyuk 3.7
Tee Higgins 3.6
Zay Jones 3.3
Gabe Davis 3.3— Tom Strachan (@NFL_TStrack) September 18, 2023
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Bourne Snaps Down, Air Yards Up
With DeVante Parker back, Kendrick Bourne’s snaps went way down (to 51% after 91% in Week 1), but his usage remained elite for fantasy purposes. He led the league in air yards for Week 2 (184) and still had nine targets. He was only able to grab four of them, but this is still a player to roster based on the deep shots he is getting from Mac Jones.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Michael Thomas is Back
Chris Olave is still a stud after two weeks, but the real story in The Big Easy is the health and quality play of Michael Thomas. Thomas had nine targets on Monday (17 on the season) and led the team in receptions with seven. Olave and Michael Thomas are doubling up the number of routes they run compared to any other wide receiver on the roster. Once Alvin Kamara comes back, this could be a much more dangerous offense.
NEW YORK GIANTS
Waller Back to full Health
After six quarters of ineptitude, the Giants finally put together some offense. They were also able to fully deploy Darren Waller who seems to be fully recovered from his preseason injury. He jumped from 54% of snaps in Week 1 to 90% in Week 2. As expected, Waller led the team in targets with eight this past week.
NEW YORK JETS
Hall Not Happy With Usage
Breece Hall was not happy with his usage on Sunday and he let it be known with some subliminal Twitter/X messages. Hall did only play on 34% of snaps (with four carries) and it was essentially a three-back committee with Hall, Dalvin Cook, and Michael Carter. In more favorable game scripts, I would imagine the Jets roll him out there for more plays.
Breece Hall weighed in on the Jets 30-10 loss in Dallas 😬 pic.twitter.com/KdURJYofs5
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 18, 2023
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Swiftly Taking Over at Running Back
With Kenneth Gainwell sitting out for the Eagles, we knew D’Andre Swift was going to have a bigger role than in Week 1 but I don’t know if anyone expected this stat line – 28 carries plus three targets for 181 total yards and a score. More importantly, Swift was second to only Tony Pollard with seven Red Zone rush attempts in Week 2.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Steel City Running Back Split
We are getting closer and closer to a 50/50 split between Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren for the Steelers. Harris played 31 snaps on Monday (Warren played 23) and had 13 opportunities (Warren had 11). Harris doubled up Warren’s rushing yards, but Warren’s 66 receiving yards played a major role in Pittsburgh’s victory.
Final Week 2 Results
Jaylen Warren: 10 touches, 12.6 fantasy points
Najee Harris: 11 touches, 5.3 fantasy points
Through two games, Warren is averaging 1.1 fantasy points per touch. Harris is averaging 0.56 fantasy points per touch. https://t.co/D7mGRtZj9I
— Zachary Krueger (@ZK_FFB) September 19, 2023
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Aiyuk Disappears
After a monster game in Week 1, it was odd to see Brandon Aiyuk’s snap share fall from 85% last week to 53% in Week 2. A shoulder injury could be to blame, but Brock Purdy missed him on what should have been a WIDE OPEN 40-yard touchdown. Aiyuk is still top-10 in targets per route run, so he should be fine.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
JSN Short Stuff
The Seahawks may be scoring points, but that doesn’t mean they have unleashed Jaxson Smith-Njigba yet. Through two games, he has 15 total air yards and a lowly 2.5 aDOT. Those will all have to change if he wants to be a threat in this offense someday.
Jaxon Smith Njigba has had an interesting start to his career
The good:
Targeted on 23.4% of his routes run
The bad:
Has a current aDOT of 1.8 yards
He's a focal point of the passing game when he's on the field, but he needs to run deeper routes for him to maximize ceiling.
— Dalton Kates (@Dalton_Kates) September 18, 2023
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Sean Tucker Staircase?
Rachaad White was much more efficient and found the end zone against the Bears on Sunday, but Sean Tucker still ate a little bit more into his workload. Tucker’s snaps crept up from 15% to 24% and White dropped from 79% to 72%. White got all the targets and all the Red Zone work so that part of his game feels safe for now.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Spears Down but Also Up
Spears played more sparingly this week than in Week 1, but his opportunities were electric. Among running backs with at least eight rush attempts in Week 2, Spears led them all with 5.0 yards after contact per attempt. He is very quick and shifty and should continue to eat into Derrick Henry’s work this year.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
Robinson Red Zone Role
The running back committee between Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson was much more split this week (52% snaps for Robinson, 48% for Gibson), but Robinson got the high-value touches. Antonio Gibson did not record a touch in the Red Zone as they all went to Robinson. In addition, Robinson and Gibson both received three targets.
Data Sources: Pro Football Focus, NFL Next Gen Stats, Football Guys Snap Summary, FTN Air Yards, Pro Football Reference, Team Rankings
Look for our Week 3 Fantasy Football Rankings starting on Wednesday: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Half-PPR by Position | Flex Rankings | Positional Ranks w/ K & DST | Dynasty | Superflex Dynasty