Three weeks into the NFL season, the usage picture is starting to become clearer, but Week 3 also brought another wave of injuries that could dramatically change several fantasy football rosters. De’Von Achane, Breece Hall, Travis Etienne Jr., Mike Evans, Baker Mayfield, and others left games early, while players such as Nico Collins, Puka Nacua, Alec Pierce, and Jonah Coleman remained unavailable. That gave us good looks at how several teams plan to replace important offensive pieces.
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 dive into some ambiguous and uncertain situations that developed over the last three weeks to see how different roles played out.
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 2026 NFL Week 3 usage!
More Fantasy Football Fun!: | Sneaky Starts | Fantasy Football Waiver Wire | Weekly Sleepers & Streamers | Starts & Sits | Skrip’s Week Winners | Players You Can Drop | NFL DFS | NFL Player Props | IDP Analysis | Bold Predictions | Re-Draft Trade Targets | Survivor Picks | NFL Injury Report | Dynasty Trade Targets | Dynasty Risers and Fallers | Weekly Rankings | Game Previews
NFL Week 3 Usage Trends
ARIZONA CARDINALS
Jeremiyah Love finally started separating from Tyler Allgeier in Week 3. Love played a season-high 55 snaps (64%) and turned his opportunities into 90 rushing yards, 19 receiving yards, and a touchdown. Allgeier, meanwhile, managed just two carries for negative one yard. After a frustrating first two weeks, Love may finally be taking control of this backfield.
ATLANTA FALCONS
Michael Penix Jr.’s return was fantastic news for Drake London. London played 93% of the snaps, ran a route on every Atlanta dropback, and commanded a massive 36% target share. He turned that into nine catches for 194 yards against Green Bay and immediately looked like an elite fantasy receiver again with Penix under center.
BALTIMORE RAVENS
Zay Flowers was active despite his hamstring injury, but Baltimore clearly managed his workload. Flowers played just 33% of the snaps, yet still caught five passes for 84 yards. That production is encouraging, but his practice participation will be important to monitor before trusting him with a normal fantasy workload.
BUFFALO BILLS
DJ Moore and Keon Coleman both entered Week 3 with injury concerns but were ultimately able to play. Dalton Kincaid remains the more interesting usage story. His strong targets-per-route-run rate through three weeks suggests he is becoming one of Josh Allen’s primary options rather than simply another weapon in Buffalo’s crowded passing attack. He did play fewer snaps than Dawson Knox (70% to 67%), but Kincaid is the clear top option.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
Unheralded Brycen Tremayne was the interesting Carolina receiver in Week 3. He played 81% of the snaps and ran a route on 76% of Bryce Young’s dropbacks, catching four of six targets for 83 yards. Even more encouraging were his 109 air yards, which represented 25% of Carolina’s total. Jalen Coker, meanwhile, had just a 36% snap share because of his resurfaced injury.
CHICAGO BEARS
Luther Burden III managers absolutely want more Case Keenum or more of whatever game plan helped the Bears pull out a Monday Night Football victory. Burden had 11 targets and turned that into seven catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. Before Monday night, Burden had 12 total targets and 95 combined yards in two games.
CINCINNATI BENGALS
Chase Brown continues to control this backfield despite Samaje Perine remaining involved. Brown played 71% of Cincinnati’s offensive snaps over the first two games, compared to 34% for Perine, and Week 3 again featured Brown as the Bengals’ primary runner. Perine has a role, but the overall usage continues to make this Brown’s backfield rather than a true committee.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
KC Concepcion Jr. has officially moved ahead of Jerry Jeudy. Concepcion played 96% of Cleveland’s 11-personnel snaps and 83% in 12 personnel after playing only 42% there through the first two weeks. He only caught two passes for nine yards, but this is exactly the kind of usage change we want to identify before the production follows.
DALLAS COWBOYS
George Pickens is getting exactly the kind of opportunity we want in this Dallas offense. He drew a game-high 11 targets in Week 3, catching seven for 82 yards, while playing 82% of the snaps. Pickens accounted for a 24.8% target share and, even better, 35.2% of the Cowboys’ air yards. The touchdowns have not been there yet (and Dak Prescott missed him wide open at the end of the game), but that usage gives Pickens a massive ceiling.
DENVER BRONCOS
Jonah Coleman’s absence produced a very clear split between J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey. Dobbins played 52% of the snaps and handled 17 of the Broncos’ 20 running back carries, while Harvey played 33% and drew seven targets, catching six for 41 yards. Tyler Badie did play on eight of 11 passing-down snaps, however, so Harvey didn’t even get all that work.
DETROIT LIONS
Detroit experimented with more 13 personnel against the Jets, which came at the expense of Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Both finished with an 81% route participation rate after entering Week 3 above 90%. One game does not establish a trend, but increased three-tight-end usage would particularly hurt Williams.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
Green Bay gave us a legitimate three-way committee without Josh Jacobs, and none of them were even close to fantasy-relevant. Chris Brooks led the backfield with 26 of 63 snaps, followed by Kaleb Johnson with 22 and MarShawn Lloyd with 15. Johnson and Lloyd each received four carries, meaning neither turned his opportunity into a meaningful advantage. These guys are not worth trusting, especially with a horrific offensive line.
HOUSTON TEXANS
After Dalton Schultz exploded for 12 catches and 140 yards without Nico Collins in Week 2, Foster Moreau actually out-snapped him in Week 3. Houston has significantly more depth at tight end this season, and Schultz’s monster Week 2 should not be confused with an every-down role, especially once Collins returns.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Alec Pierce’s latest injury created playing time for Laquon Treadwell, but not fantasy opportunity. Treadwell ran 32 routes in Week 3 and received only one target. Josh Downs was the alpha, as expected, drawing 172 air yards, easily the highest single-game total of his career. Treadwell can be ignored unless those routes start producing targets, while Downs should be started at least until Pierce returns.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Brian Thomas Jr.’s disappearing role is becoming one of the strangest usage stories in the league. Thomas played under 40% of Jacksonville’s snaps for the second time in three games. Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers are clearly ahead of Thomas right now.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
Rashee Rice finally received the usage fantasy managers expected, catching seven passes for 88 yards. His target rate jumped to 41% after sitting below 14% in each of the first two games. That rate is obviously unsustainable, but Rice being featured again is far more important than the final box score.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Brock Bowers returned and immediately caught 10 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. He played 75% of the snaps but ran a route on nearly 95% of Las Vegas’ passing plays. Jack Bech’s broken forearm will also keep Bowers more involved, particularly after Las Vegas used two tight ends frequently in Week 3.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
While the Chargers search for some answers on offense, suddenly they have a three-man backfield. Omarion Hampton, Keaton Mitchell, and Kimani Vidal all played between 25% and 42% of the snaps, with Mitchell’s early-down role increasing significantly. Hampton remains the back to roster, but the dominant workload he briefly possessed has disappeared.
Oronde Gadsden’s role is also worth watching following injuries to David Njoku and Charlie Kolar. Gadsden played 25 of the Chargers’ 30 snaps in 11 personnel, giving him a much clearer receiving role.
LOS ANGELES RAMS
With Puka Nacua out again, Davante Adams, Konata Mumpfield, and Xavier Smith remained the Rams’ primary receivers. Tyler Higbee also caught eight passes for 62 yards and a touchdown after Terrance Ferguson injured his ankle. Higbee could become an interesting short-term tight end option if Ferguson misses time.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
De’Von Achane suffered a knee injury after only four snaps, leaving Ollie Gordon II as essentially the last running back standing with Jaylen Wright inactive. Gordon played 61 snaps and finished with 17 carries and three targets. With Achane now out for the season, Gordon immediately becomes a major fantasy option, although Wright could eventually complicate the backfield.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Aaron Jones Sr. entered Week 3 with a knee injury but still played nearly 80% of Minnesota’s offensive snaps, easing concerns about his workload. T.J. Hockenson also benefited from Minnesota using more 11 personnel. With Kyler Murray back, Hockenson’s combination of increased playing time and improved quarterback play is encouraging, especially with Justin Jefferson leaving this game with an injury.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson divided the early-down work fairly evenly, but Stevenson handled the passing downs, short-yardage situations, and goal-line work. That gives Stevenson the more fantasy-friendly portion of the committee for now, although Henderson remains explosive enough to eventually earn more opportunities.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Travis Etienne Jr. was moving toward a much larger role before suffering a hamstring injury, playing 22 of 30 first-half snaps. Once Etienne left, Alvin Kamara took over as the lead back, playing 20 second-half snaps compared to 14 for Kendre Miller. Etienne appears to be out for Week 4, so Kamara and Miller appear to be the primary beneficiaries.
NEW YORK GIANTS
Cam Skattebo has officially become the Giants’ feature back. After the Giants mixed their backs more frequently earlier in the season, Skattebo received the overwhelming majority of the important work (77% of snaps; Tyrone Tracy Jr. got 2%) against Tennessee and topped 100 rushing yards. Jaxson Dart’s season-ending injury could push New York toward an even more run-heavy offense.
NEW YORK JETS
Breece Hall’s thigh injury gave us a clear look at New York’s contingency plan. Hall had played 24 snaps compared to 14 for Braelon Allen through three quarters, but Allen handled every running back snap after Hall left. If Hall misses extended time, Allen could immediately become a fantasy starter.
Rookie Kenyon Sadiq also took advantage of injuries throughout the receiving corps, catching seven of eight targets for 105 yards and a touchdown despite playing only 58% of the snaps. The rookie is making a strong case for more playing time, especially after an amazing diving play for a score.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
In a game where Jalen Hurts dropped back 27 times and where Dallas Goedert was also out, DeVonta Smith saw eight targets for six catches and 65 yards. The 32% target share is amazing, and up there with the elite receivers in the league, but Smith now has two games out of three that don’t even come close to putting him in WR1 status for that slate.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
With Ricky Pearsall, Christian Kirk, De’Zhaun Stribling, and Demarcus Robinson already on injured reserve, Mike Evans left Week 3 with a hip injury. KhaDarel Hodge directly replaced Evans and played 25 of a possible 29 second-half snaps. If Evans misses time, Hodge appears to be the clearest immediate replacement. But Deebo Samuel and George Kittle would also get a lot more involvement going forward.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Seattle’s backfield continues to get messier. Emanuel Wilson led the early-down work, while George Holani also cut into Jadarian Price’s workload. Price played only 10 of Seattle’s first 52 snaps before getting extensive late-game work while the Seahawks were trying to play catch-up. With Zach Charbonnet returning eventually, Price is becoming increasingly difficult to start each week.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
After playing roughly 88% of the snaps through two weeks, Emeka Egbuka drew a season-high nine targets in Week 3 and caught five for 62 yards. He also already has two red-zone targets this season. The bigger concern now is whether Baker Mayfield’s thumb injury means fewer quality opportunities. Egbuka is a wait-and-see at this point.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears are still splitting snaps, but their responsibilities became a little less murky in Week 3. Pollard handled 80% of the early-down snaps and finished with 17 carries for 74 yards, while Spears primarily handled passing downs. That gives Pollard a much more attractive fantasy role when (and if) Tennessee can remain competitive. But Spears should still be rostered.
Elic Ayomanor also appears to have passed Calvin Ridley for a receiver role. Ayomanor played 80% of the snaps compared to 33% for Ridley after they essentially shared the position through the first two weeks.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
Jacory Croskey-Merritt may be taking control of Washington’s backfield. He played a season-high 57% of the snaps compared to 43% for Rachaad White and handled 19 carries to White’s eight. That is especially encouraging because Washington was forced into a pass-heavy game script, which should have favored White. Croskey-Merritt’s increasing snap share makes him the clear running back to want going forward, especially with Jayden Daniels not around to soak up rushing attempts.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 4 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!
Fantrax is one of the fastest-growing fantasy sites in the fantasy sports industry, and we’re not stopping anytime soon. We are the most customizable, easy-to-use, and feature-rich platform in the industry, offering the greatest fantasy experience for your dynasty, keeper, redraft, and best ball leagues. Fantasy sports doesn’t sleep, and neither does Fantrax, with seasons running 365 days a year. Take your fantasy leagues to the next level now at Fantrax.com!
