With two weeks of fantasy football in the books, some trends and patterns are starting to emerge with NFL offenses. However, with the rash of injuries that has taken place in the last nine days, how can we possibly make sense of all the usage and opportunity? It seems like this year, more than others, has started with injuries to big-name players. With so many roles up for grabs, and teams still trying to find their identities on offense, let’s look at some usage notes from Week 2 and see what we can learn.
This weekly piece will look at an interesting usage note for each team during every NFL week. If you have interesting usage notes, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter/X (@CableBoxScore) and let me know. Let’s dive into the NFL Week 2 usage!
NFL Week 2 Usage Trends
ARIZONA CARDINALS
Harrison Flips the Script
ATLANTA FALCONS
Full of Mooney and McCloud
Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud actually ran more routes than Drake London on Monday (61 to 59), but London still led in targets (7) and scored a touchdown to match the one that Mooney had earlier in the game. The biggest takeaway is that there were actually some signs of life in this Falcons’ passing game after the debacle in Week 1.
BALTIMORE RAVENS
Mark Andrews Resurrection
Entering Monday night, Andrews was right on the cusp of a top-10 tight end week in half-PPR formats. His four catches for 51 yards represents a massive improvement over the Week 1 debacle. Most importantly for fantasy managers, he played on 63% of the Ravens’ snaps while Isaiah Likely played on just 49%.
BUFFALO BILLS
Keon Coleman Hope and Hype
Keon Coleman may have put up a goose egg on Thursday, but there is much to be excited about. He jumped from 73% of snaps in Week 1 to 91% in Week 2. He is playing well ahead of any other wide receiver and Josh Allen seems to have developed a rapport with him on the outside deep throws.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
Changing of the Guard
After posting the lowest passer rating and the worst adjusted net yards per attempt of any quarterback in the NFL, Bryce Young has been benched. Andy Dalton will take over for the time being, so there is hope glimmer of hope for Diontae Johnson and Chuba Hubbard managers that some semblance of an offense will follow.
CHICAGO BEARS
Swift Slow Start Silver Linings
No running back in Week 2 had more rush yards under expectations than D’Andre Swift. His -44 rush yards over expectation were by far the worst in the league and show that if the Bear’s offensive line can improve even marginal amounts, Swift could see big games in the future. Fortunately, he has been involved in the passing game with four catches for 24 yards on Sunday.
CINCINNATI BENGALS
Moss Still Rolling
After a 66%/35% snap share in favor of Zack Moss in Week 1, Moss took over even more of the work over Chase Brown on Sunday. Moss played 80% of snaps while Brown saw just 20%. However, neither has been terribly efficient through two weeks.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
Jeudy Showing up Strong So Far
With Amari Cooper only catching five of 17 targets through two weeks, the Browns have been looking for some consistency among the pass-catchers. They may have found it with Jerry Jeudy who went for 25 yards a score in Week 1 and then five catches for 73 yards in Week 2. Jeudy passed Elijah Moore in snap count on Sunday and is now the clear WR2 on this offense.
DALLAS COWBOYS
Dowdle Takes the Lead
The script was flipped on Sunday with Rico Dowdle playing more snaps than Ezekiel Elliott in the thrashing at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. Whether Dowdle plays more early downs remains to be seen, but Dowdle out-touched Elliott 11 to 8 on Sunday and outgained him 59 yards to 32.
DENVER BRONCOS
Sutton Sittin’ On Your Bench
Blame Bo Nix for part of it. Blame the lack of other receivers on the team. You can even blame Sean Payton. But Courtland Sutton is borderline droppable right now after dropping from 12 targets to four and catching just one pass for 26 yards against the Steelers. Only Bryce Young and Caleb Williams have a worse adjusted net yards per attempt than Bo Nix. With a 7.6-yard aDOT, Nix is just not throwing the ball downfield.
DETROIT LIONS
You Gotta Keep ‘Em Separated
As expected, Jameson Williams is one of the best receivers at separating from his defender this season, ranking in the top 18 among pass-catchers this year in separation and third in cushion created. He is second in the league in receiving yards and also 14th in unrealized air yards, so even bigger days could be coming for the former first round pick.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
Sticky Wicks
Despite running only eight routes on Sunday, Dontayvion Wicks led Green Bay wide receivers with four targets and caught his first touchdown. This will be a run-first offense for the time being with Malik Willis under center, but it’s a good reminder of the the value Wicks can provide even with limited playing time.
HOUSTON TEXANS
Nico Stands Above
Among all the debate on who among Houston’s big three wide receivers would be the alpha, it was Nico Collins all along. Collins is the only receiver with more than 80% of snaps in both games, and he leads the NFL in receiving yards with 252.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Richardson Missing the Target
Otherwise known as the Doing More with Less Award. Anthony Richardson had an expected completion percentage of 62.2% against Green Bay on Sunday, but he actually completed 50%. That 12.2% difference was the largest gap among all quarterbacks in Week 2.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Etienne the Bright Spot
Among rushers with at least 12 rush attempts this weekend, Travis Etienne trailed only Brian Robinson Jr. in yards after contact per attempt with 4.54. Etienne had 59 yards after contact on just 13 total rushing attempts in the game.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
Kelce on Ice?
Are we panicking yet Travis Kelce managers? After a lackluster game one, Travis Kelce caught just one pass for five yards. All is not lost, however, as Kelce was in on 91% of snaps and ran more routes (59) than any other player on Kansas City. This was just a concerted effort by the defense to take him out of the game.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Mattison Disappears (Until He Vultures)
After some real debate about whether Alexander Mattison or Zamir White would lead this Las Vegas backfield, White dominated played time with 63% of snaps compared to 22% for Mattison. Zamir White dominated touches in Week 2, but Mattison vultured a short touchdown on his only positive rushing attempt of the day.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
Not Palmer Sunday
Quentin Johnston’s fantasy value was resurrected on Sunday as Josh Palmer continues to get buried deeper and deeper in the Chargers’ pecking order. Playing just 43% of snaps, Palmer now has back-to-back weeks of two-catch games for under 20 yards. Palmer’s six targets this year are barely more than half the number of Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston.
LOS ANGELES RAMS
Deciphering the Wide Receiver Room
With Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua now out for multiple weeks each, how will this wide receiver room shake out? On Sunday, Demarcus Robinson played 92% of snaps, Tyler Johnson played 87%, and Jordan Whittington played 50%. Those are your top three as Tutu Atwell was in on only 19%.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
Jonnu Smith Enters the Picture
This offense is sure to look completely different going forward with no Tua Tagovailoa. That could be good news for Jonnu Smith, who dominated last Thursday night offering up easy targets for the Miami quaterbacks. Smith jumped up to 42% of snaps last week and tallied six catches for 53 yards.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Sam Darnold Version 2.0
Who is this guy? Sam Darnold has the Minnesota offense humming, even in games where Justin Jefferson leaves early with an injury. Darnold is ninth in passing yards, third in yards per attempt, and third in passing touchdowns. Imagine what he can do if Jefferson and Jordan Addison can ever get into a game together this season.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Hunter Now Leader of the Pack?
With his eight catches for 109 yards on Sunday, Hunter Henry led all tight ends in yards, receptions, air yards, share, target share, and route participation. It’s smart of Jacoby Brissett to make Hunter Henry his best friend as those easy targets can keep the chain moving and help him keep his job.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Shaheed Bomb
Will Rashid Shaheed catch a 50-yard touchdown bomb every week? Likely not, but the fast-paced, well-coached New Orleans Saints are sure going to try. Among players with at least nine targets this season, Shaheed ranks fifth with a 17.1 average intended air yards per target.
NEW YORK GIANTS
Won’t You Be My Nabers?
How does a 63% target share work for your fantasy team? Will that get it done? With 17 targets on 27 pass attempts, not even Daniel Jones can screw up Malik Nabers with that kind of volume. Nabers finished the day with 10 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown and has a very good chance to lead the league in target share the rest of the way.
NEW YORK JETS
Two-Headed Monster on the Jets’ “Run” way
Who needs Aaron Rodgers, really? When you have two running backs like Breece Hall and Braelon Allen, do you even need wide receivers and tight ends? Those two combined to be an absolute wrecking ball against the Titans on Sunday. Hall had 114 total yards and a score while Allen put up 56 yards and two touchdowns. It’s still a 70/30 split in favor of Hall, but Allen can get his value with 15-20 snaps.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
DeVonta Smith Predictably Takes Over
DeVonta Smith saw four more targets than any player on the Eagles and finished with 10 targets for seven catches, 76 yards and a score being asked to fill the WR1 role while A.J. Brown was out with an injury. Smith also ran 15 more routes than any other receiver for the Eagles, and we can expect more of the same next week against the suddenly super-charged Saints.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Backs Flip
After Najee Harris led the running back snaps 56% to 31% over Jaylen Warren in Week 1, it was flipped with Warren at 48% and Harris at 45% on Sunday. It was a close game throughout, and both were effective. Harris had 74 total yards and Warren ended up with 61. Touchdowns have been elusive for Pittsburgh so far, but that should change over time.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Stone Cold Mason
In the absence of Christian McCaffrey (and now Deebo Samuel, ugh), Jordan Mason has been the model of consistency for San Francisco. He has back-to-back weeks with 81% of snaps, more than 100 total yards, and a touchdown. Isaac Guerendo has touched the ball one time in two weeks, so this backfield completely belongs to Mason right now.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Welcome to Superstardom JSN
Mark down September 15th, 2024 as the coming-out party for Jaxon Smith-Njigba. With a 36.4% target share and 47% air yards share, JSN caught 12 balls for 117 yards. His 0.42 targets per route run was the most for any wide receiver with at least 10 routes run in Week 2 heading into Monday Night Football.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Regression Finds Godwin
After scoring just two touchdowns in all of 2023, Chris Godwin already has 200 receiving yards, two touchdowns, and a 32.7% target share (second only to Cooper Kupp through two weeks). Godwin is back to running in the slot where he is most successful and he is in the top 20 of slot snaps in the early season.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Hopkins Eased Back In
DeAndre Hopkins went from 27% to 44% snaps between Weeks 1 and 2, but has just one catch each week. He will continue to come back slowly, especially as long as Calvin Ridley is catching and running for touchdowns all day long. One encouraging note is that Hopkins already has an end zone target, even though there are only three total to wide receivers by Tennessee this year.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
Here’s To You Mr. Robinson
Data Sources: Pro Football Focus, NFL Next Gen Stats, Football Guys Snap Summary, FTN Air Yards, Pro Football Reference, Team Rankings, Fantasy Points Data Suite
Make sure to check out all of our Week 3 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!