When the Ravens and Bengals scored 10 total touchdowns on Thursday Night Football last week, fantasy managers hoped that would open the door to a big offensive week for our rosters. That didn’t happen as 15 of the 24 teams that played on Sunday scored 20 points or fewer.
But even in a low-scoring environment, we can learn a lot about how teams are using their players as we get closer and closer to the playoffs. Usage is still very valuable at this stage of the season.
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 10 usage!
NFL Week 10 Usage Trends
ARIZONA CARDINALS
James Conner Addition by Subtraction
ATLANTA FALCONS
Bijan’s Role Ascending.
For the third straight week, Bijan Robinson’s snap share increased while Tyler Allgeier’s decreased. Bijan Robinson also got a goal-line touchdown after Allgeier was stopped on three straight downs and was unable to score.
BALTIMORE RAVENS
Diontae Johnson Backup Role
As has been hinted by reporters and team officials, Diontae Johnson must have been brought into Baltimore as an insurance policy for their offense. After debuting with just 30% of snaps in Week 9, he played just 8% during the Thursday Night offensive explosion.
BUFFALO BILLS
Ray Davis Efficiency Meter
With Amari Cooper, Keon Coleman, and Dalton Kincaid (most of the game) out, here is how the pass-catcher snaps were spread out: Khalil Shakir (72%), Mack Hollins (88%), Curtis Samuel (89%), and Dawson Knox (70%).
CAROLINA PANTHERS
Sanders the Clear TE1
For the second week in a row, Ja’Tavion Sanders played more than 80% of his team’s snaps. It’s paying off for him as he had a touchdown in Week 10 and 87 yards in Week 9.
CHICAGO BEARS
Rome Roller Coaster
I truly don’t understand how the Bears are trying to use Rome Odunze this season. One week after finally playing him all game at 88% of snaps, he dropped down to just 68%. His inconsistency needs to be addressed if the Bears make coaching changes this week.
CINCINNATI BENGALS
Don’t Sweat Gesicki
After torching Las Vegas for 100 yards and two scores in Week 9, Mike Gesicki was bound to disappoint. He did have just 30 yards, but the positives are he played his highest snap rate of the season and saw nine targets.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
The Cleveland Browns Did Not Play in Week 10
Today, we express our gratitude toward the selfless men and women who have and continue to serve our country. Thank you, veterans! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/bsywae832g
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 11, 2024
DALLAS COWBOYS
Are Cowboys Playable Going Forward?
It’s hard to judge a game where wide receiver Ryan Flournoy saw 27% of the Cowboys’ snaps on Sunday. If their defense and offense can’t muster better performances in weeks to come, players like Rico Dowdle and CeeDee Lamb might find their way to fantasy benches.
DENVER BRONCOS
Audric Estime Hype Pays Off
In Week 10, rookie Audric Estime saw his highest snap share of the season at 45%. Coach Sean Payton said he was impressed after 14 touches for 53 yards, so expect his role to grow going forward.
DETROIT LIONS
Gibbs and Montgomery Body Swap
One week after David Montgomery saw 57% of snaps and Jahmyr Gibbs had 39%, the roles switched. Gibbs played 60% against Houston while Montgomery played 40%. Both were uber-effective once again with Gibbs getting 108 total yards and Montgomery scoring a touchdown.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
The Green Bay Packers Did Not Play in Week 10
We're focused on playing up to our capabilities
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 12, 2024
HOUSTON TEXANS
Metchie Makes His Mark
John Metchie III is an easy guy to root for after he lost his rookie season to a leukemia diagnosis. He finally put himself on the map Sunday night with 65% of snaps and five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Wide Receiver Roles With no Pittman
With Michael Pittman sitting with an injury in Week 10, the Colts deployed their wide receivers like this: Adonai Mitchell (94%), Alec Pierce (86%), and Josh Downs (69%). For Mitchell, it’s a massive jump up from his 9% in Week 9.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Backfield Turnover
After Tank Bigsby left with an injury, Travis Etienne played 68% of snaps and D’Ernest Johnson played 9%. None of them were efficient as all backs combined for 14 touches and 49 yards against Minnesota.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
DeAndre Hopkins Integration
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
The Las Vegas Raiders Did Not Play in Week 10
Key facts, figures, and metrics behind the Silver & Black's first half of the 2024 NFL season#RaiderNationhttps://t.co/fUnA7qQLGU
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 9, 2024
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
Herbert Uses His Legs
Justin Herbert had a season-high nine rush attempts on Sunday, going for 32 yards and a touchdown. Even though he only threw for 164 yards and a score, Herbert continues to show that he is one of the most valuable late-round quarterback picks this season.
LOS ANGELES RAMS
Davis Allen the New TE1 in LA
David Allen officially took over for Colby Parkinson in the Monday night game. Allen played 56 snaps while Parkinson played in just 11. Allen also saw six targets, third-most behind Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
Mostert’s Time May Have Passed
In a must-win game for Miami, De’Von Achane played 37 snaps compared to just eight for Raheem Mostert. Mostert also did not play a single first or second down, according to PFF’s Nathan Jahnke.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Hockenson Rounding Into Form
Only Travis Kelce had more than T.J. Hockenson’s nine targets in Week 10 among tight ends. At 88.9%, Hockenson also had the highest catch rate at his position this week.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Super DeMario
Among all wide receivers and tight ends, no player had a larger cushion or higher separation metric than wide receiver DeMario Douglas. Right behind Douglas? Names you might recognize like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Puka Nacua.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Who Are These Receivers?
With a number of players out with an injury, the top wide receivers for New Orleans were Marques Valdes-Scantling, Mason Tipton, and Kevin Austin Jr. Naturally, MVS had two touchdowns and the Saints won their game against the Falcons.
NEW YORK GIANTS
Tyrone Tracy Officially a Bellcow
Tyrone Tracy played 80% of snaps for the first time in his young career and gathered 104 yards and a touchdown on 19 touches. He has officially supplanted Devin Singletary for the full-time role.
NEW YORK JETS
Breece Hall Can’t Get Going
Despite bumping back over 81% of snaps, Breece Hall is not getting enough work and efficiency with the new play-calling to do much for fantasy. For the third straight week, he was held under 90 total yards and did not score.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Jalen Hurts is a Running Back at This Point
Jalen Hurts’ eight rushing touchdowns in the last four weeks is more than any running back in the league not named Derrick Henry has all season. Unfortunately it means Saquon Barkley has just two rushing touchdowns in his last six games.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Will Mike Williams Matter?
In his first game with his new team, Mike Williams played just 12% of snaps, but caught his lone pass for a 32-yard touchdown. He is perfectly suited for the Russell Wilson moon ball so I expect him to get more snaps very soon.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
The McCaffrey Factor
With Christian McCaffrey returning, he had a full workload and also drew defensive attention. He had the highest percentage of 8+ defenders in the box on Sunday, which led to a -34 rushing yards over expectation, the second-highest in the league. But that attention allowed Brock Purdy and the receivers to have a huge game.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
The Seattle Seahawks Did Not Play in Week 10
The uniforms. The fans. The atmosphere.
Our top shot of the first half of the season, presented by @Novavax. pic.twitter.com/hakmaAZJQu
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 11, 2024
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
New Tampa Bay Offensive Scheme
In Week 10, the Buccaneers went almost exclusively with a 12-personnel offensive scheme instead of their traditional three wide receivers. Trey Palmer dropped way down to 25% of snaps while the backup tight end played 85%.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Pollard Gets Role Chopped
With Tyjae Spears back in the lineup on Sunday, the Titans went right back to almost a 50/50 split despite Tony Pollard’s success when Spears was out. Pollard touched the ball 13 times to 10 for Spears.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
Don’t Sweat Jayden Daniels
Jayden Daniels had only 202 yards and no touchdowns on Sunday, but Next Gen Stats says it should have been much more. His actual completion percentage was 50% while his expected percentage was 64%. That 14-point discrepancy was the highest of Week 10.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 11 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!