Week 3 of the 2025 fantasy football season was the week defined by backup quarterbacks and defenses putting up crazy fantasy scores. How does that impact the offensive usage on every team in the NFL? There were a lot of interesting takeaways from this past weekend, but the tricky thing with weeks like this is determining what is signal and what is noise.
After just three weeks’ worth of games, can we know that what we saw on the field this weekend is the same thing we will see for 18 weeks? That’s unlikely, but interesting trends are already emerging after just one game per team.
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This weekly piece will look at those trends and make recommendations for players who might be worth rostering or starting in our fantasy lineups. For Week 3, we will look primarily at how roles changed over the first three games of the season for a player on each team, and if that is signal or noise this early in the year.
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 3 usage!
NFL Week 3 Usage Trends
ARIZONA CARDINALS
The Trey Benson Show
ATLANTA FALCONS
Game Script Tells the Tale
After three games, we now know more about how the Falcons will deploy their two running backs. In Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, Bijan Robinson played 80% of snaps because the Falcons were trailing the entire game. He only played 65% when they were leading the Vikings the entire game. In that game, Tyler Allgeier played 33% of the snaps. Allgeier only played 9% when they were trailing on Sunday.
BALTIMORE RAVENS
Devontez Walker and DeAndre Hopkins Disappear
Perhaps it was the flow of the game, or the fact that the Baltimore Ravens had to play catch-up at the end, but DeAndre Hopkins and Devontez Walker only played 21 total snaps and combined for three targets. In this game, Lamar Jackson preferred Mark Andrews and Rashad Bateman when he wasn’t handing off to Derrick Henry.
BUFFALO BILLS
James Is The Next Top Cook
In a game where the Buffalo Bills were pushed by the Miami Dolphins, the Bills relied heavily on James Cook. In a close game throughout, Cook played on 67% of the team’s snaps, while backup Ray Davis played only 7%. Cook’s usage continues to go up every week, and he is a top-three running back this year. And dictation
CAROLINA PANTHERS
David Moore Enters the Picture
With Xavier Leggette missing this game with an injury, David Moore entered the picture and played 97% of snaps, even more than Tetairoa McMillan. Legette struggled even before he was injured this year, and the Panthers desperately need a third wide receiver to step up. Moore might be that player in the weeks ahead.
CHICAGO BEARS
Rome Odunze Assumes WR1 Role
In a game where the Chicago Bears scored plenty of points, Rome Odunze led the team in targets for the third straight week and played over 90% of the snaps. Along with several other Bears, Odunze scored a touchdown against the weak Dallas Cowboys defense, but it’s clear now that Odunze is Caleb Williams’s top target.
CINCINNATI BENGALS
Chase Brown Sees Role Decrease
Chase Brown found no running room in Week 3 and was in on only 55% of the Cincinnati Bengals’ snaps in this game. The lack of a strong offensive line has kept Brown from having any breakout performances, and his metrics show that he has been one of the worst running backs before contact this season. Joe Burrow being out certainly isn’t helping matters either, and all of a sudden, this Cincinnati offense looks like a mess.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
Judkins the New RB1
There is no doubt about it now: the Cleveland Browns have a new top running back. Rookie Quinshon Judkins played 55% of the snaps, the most of any running back on the team. He finished the day against the Green Bay Packers with 19 Touches for 95 yards and a touchdown. The other two running backs combined for just five touches in the game.
DALLAS COWBOYS
KaVontae Turpin is the Next Man Up
With CeeDee Lamb leaving this game after his first touch due to injury, backup wide receiver KaVontae Turpin filled the role left behind by Lamb. Turpin played 66% of snaps after just 16% in week two. He also finished the day with three touches for a combined 68 yards. He is a deep league add this week.
DENVER BRONCOS
RJ Harvey Gains Ground
The Denver Broncos abandoned playing Tyler Badie in Week 3, which left only JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey as the only running backs to get any real work. RJ Harvey played about 30% of the snaps again, but still only got about five touches. But if the Broncos are going to abandon other running backs, big things should be ahead for Harvey in the future.
DETROIT LIONS
David Montgomery Does a Lot With a Little
David Montgomery had a massive night for the Detroit Lions, rushing for 152 yards and two touchdowns. But he only played about half as many snaps as Jahmyr Gibbs, which was his lowest number of the 2025 season. If he is going to be that efficient, it shouldn’t matter how many snaps he gets, but we shouldn’t count on a 72-yard run and two touchdowns every game, so Montgomery losing work is a stain on this otherwise perfect game
GREEN BAY PACKERS
Matthew Golden Steps Up With Jayden Reed Out
With Jayden Reed now out for the foreseeable future, it was first-round rookie Matthew Golden who stepped up for the Green Bay Packers. He played on over 71% of the team’s snaps and finished the day with seven touches for a combined 61 yards. It’s an encouraging sign for his future usage.
HOUSTON TEXANS
Woody Marks’ Role Increases
The game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans was close throughout, mostly a neutral game script for the entire contest. That means good things for the fact that Woody Marks saw 48% of the running back snaps on Sunday. He was in on passing Downs and 2-minute drills. He also had the most touches of his career in this Week 3 game.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Adonai Mitchell Could See More Snaps
The Indianapolis Colts were mostly flat with their usage on Sunday, but since Alec Pierce missed 40% of the game with a concussion, Adonai Mitchell stepped into his place. Mitchell played on 42% of the snaps on Sunday after just 10% in Week 2. If Pierce is out next week, Mitchell could be in for a big role.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Rookie Running Back Shuffle
Even though he scored a touchdown on Sunday, rookie Bhayshul Tuten had an unusual day. He only played on 17% of the team snaps, while Travis Etienne Jr. got 54% and fellow rookie LaQuint Allen Jr. saw 30%. It’s an odd drop-off for Tuten after a couple of encouraging games, so this is really something to monitor going forward.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
Kareem Hunt Won’t Go Away
The Kansas City Chiefs clearly want Isaiah Pacheco to be their lead running back, but Kareem Hunt keeps making big plays, which keeps him on the field. Hunt’s snapshare was 44% on Sunday, the highest of the season for him. But Pacheco once again couldn’t even cross the 60% mark. This looks like a timeshare moving forward.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Ashton Jeanty Workload Problems
This is now two straight games with only about 60% of the workload and snaps going to rookie Ashton Jeanty. Dustball Zamir White played 29% of the snaps on Sunday, and Dylan Laube was still in for 11%. We aren’t necessarily at Code Red Alert for Ashton Jeantyh yet, but with the lack of efficiency and snaps going down, it’s definitely time to start worrying.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
Hampton the New Work Horse
Najee Harris left this game after only 11 snaps on Sunday, which meant Omarion Hampton saw almost 80% of snaps, staying in for 68 total plays. It was the best day of Hampton’s career so far, with 129 total yards on 25 touches plus his first touchdown. Hampton is the new workhorse running back with Harris’s Achilles injury confirmed as season-ending, so look for Hampton to have 75% or more of the staff moving forward
LOS ANGELES RAMS
Blake Corum Still Lurking
Karen Williams had another big game on Sunday with more than 110 total yards on 22 touches plus a touchdown. However, Blake Corum still played at least 24% of his snaps for a second straight week. Right now, it still appears Williams has the workhorse role, but Corum eating into his playing time is something to monitor.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
Ollie Gordon’s New Role
In the Miami Dolphins game on Thursday, Ollie Gordon played a new role in their backfield. He played on all of their short-yardage snaps and was also in on two of their three goal-line opportunities. It still appears De’Von Achane is going to have the vast majority of work, but Gordon appears to have a new role, and potentially a valuable one, that has the goal-line work for Miami.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Jordan Mason is Efficient With a Decent Role
Jordan Mason, the Minnesota Vikings’ new number one running back, played the exact same percentage of snaps that he played in Week 2. But he was ultra-efficient against the Bengals on Sunday and turned 16 rushes into 116 yards and two touchdowns. He will be a top running back option as long as Aaron Jones is out.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
TreVeyon Henderson Benefits From Others Fumbling
Rhamandre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson losing a combined three fumbles against Pittsburgh on Sunday meant that TreVeyon Henderson got another big shot again. He played 46% of the Patriots’ snaps, which allowed him to rack up a season-high 14 touches. If Henderson is going to get another long look after these fumbling problems, he is worth starting everywhere.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Juwan Johnson Doesn’t Leave the Field
There are not many takeaways when a team allows 38 points in the first half and is beaten 44-13 in a game. The one thing that still stands out is that Juwan Johnson is playing over 90% of snaps every single game, and should be started every week as a top 10 tight end option.
NEW YORK GIANTS
Skattebo Fever
After Tyrone Tracy left with a dislocated shoulder, it became the Cam Skattebo show. He ended up leading the New York Giants in rushing attempts, rushing yards, targets, receptions, and receiving yards, and he scored a touchdown in this game. It’s past time for the New York Giants to turn to Jackson Dart so they can start the era of Dart-Nabors-Skattebo, to see what the future might look like.
NEW YORK JETS
Breece Hall Can’t Break Through
Even after the New York Jets had to start Tyrod Taylor on Sunday, running back Breece Hall still couldn’t get more than 55% of the running back snaps. The hope was that without Justin Fields around, Hall would be able to dominate the rushing workload. But Braelon Allen still played 33% of the snaps on Sunday.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Welcome to 2025, Wide Receivers!
Both AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith had their best games of the season on Sunday against the LA Rams. In fact, both of them had more catches, yards, and touchdowns than in the first two weeks of production. It’s clear that the Eagles need a team to push them offensively so that all aspects of the Philadelphia offense can be utilized. Otherwise, it’s just going to be the running show over and over again.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Jaylen Warren Takeover
Jalen Warren’s snaps exploded from 58% in Week 2 to 80% in Week 3. He got an endorsement from Aaron Rodgers this past week, which all but ensures that he will be on the field for most of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive snaps going forward. It doesn’t appear that Warren has ever played 80% of the snaps in a game before in his career.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Ricky Pearsall or Bust
Without Jawan Jennings in this game, the pass-catching group really came down to Ricky Pearsall and not much else. Pearsall had 11 targets and led all wide receivers and tight ends for San Francisco. Those 11 targets were actually the same number as every other wide receiver and tight end had combined in this game against Arizona. Even with Christian McCaffrey getting 15 targets, Pearsall was still able to catch eight passes for 117 yards.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Blowouts = Skewed Data
There was not much to learn from the Seattle Seahawks’ blowout win over the New Orleans Saints. No skill player played more than 54% of the game’s snaps, and even quarterback Sam Darnold sat for almost 1/3 of the game.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Sterling Shepard is a Must-Add if Evans is Out
The roller coaster ride of Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receivers continued on Sunday when Mike Evans left with a hamstring injury after just 72% of snaps. Tampa Bay should get Chris Godwin back in another week or two, but if someone is needed to fill the gap in the short term, Sterling Shepard is the guy to do it. He played 61% of snaps on Sunday and caught four passes for 80 yards.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Tony Pollard Guaranteed Touches
Not much is going right for the Tennessee Titans’ offense right now, but one thing is guaranteed, and that is Touches for Tony Pollard. He just played his third straight game with more than 90% of the snaps and at least 18 touches. If Cam Ward can start delivering in the passing game, it could open up a lot more opportunities for Pollard.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
Running Back Mess in D.C.
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
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