Conner dominated the running back usage for Arizona and was
active in the receiving game. Demercado’s usage is a thorn in
the side to the rookie Benson who has no stand-alone value right
now.
The box score wasn’t great for Harrison as the Cardinals
clearly preferred the short, underneath stuff this week and rarely
targeted the outside receivers. One of the few plays actually
designed for Harrison resulted in a bad drop. I’d expect a better
performance and more involvement from Harrison and Wilson moving
forward. Dortch is a viable Flex option in PPR leagues but will
be wildly inconsistent.
TE Trey McBride: 52 snaps (85.2%), 29.0% tgt share; 9-5-30-0
It was an ugly week for the TE position as a whole but this
is the kind of usage we want to see. It won’t be shocking if McBride
leads all the Arizona pass catchers in targets by the end of the
season.
We’ve got a condensed receiver group in ATL which is nice,
but the Falcons’ passing game was under siege by the Steelers-D
which forced Cousins to look for slot man McCloud most of the
afternoon. Not panicking on London yet who played every snap.
TE Kyle Pitts: 54 snaps (96.4%), 13.0% tgt share; 3-3-26-1
TE Charlie Woerner: 23 snaps (41.1%), 8.7% tgt share; 2-1-4-0
Pitts led all tight ends in Week 1 with a 96.4% snap share.
Now, if they can throw him the ball a few more times a game, that
would be helpful.
Baltimore
Offensive Snaps: 80
TE Mark Andrews: 59 snaps (73.8%), 5% tgt share; 2-14-0
TE Isaiah Likely: 53 snaps (66.2%), 30.0% tgt share; 9-111-1
If you have Andrews, this isn’t time to panic as he was the
focus of coverage for the Chiefs defense, but it’s clear that
Likely is going to have a significant role in this offense and
should be hot waiver wire add this week. KC allowed the same out-route
to Likely three times on the Ravens last drive which helped pad
his stats, but nonetheless, this was an impressive performance.
I’d be happy with 22 touches from Cook every week. It’s not
great for Davis when Ty Johnson plays 14 snaps (23%). It’s not
great for any Bills RB when Josh Allen continues run for TDs around
the goaline.
Samuel dealt with turf toe the last month so it’s not surprised
to seem him start slow in Week 1. More disappointing was the usage
for Shakir. It’s going to be hard to count on Bills wideouts with
this kind of rotation.
TE Dalton Kincaid: 52 snaps (83.9%), 8.7% tgt share; 2-1-11-0
TE Dawson Knox: 36 snaps (58.1%), 8.7% tgt share; 2-1-23-0
Snap share for the Bills tight ends was about what we expected.
Kincaid was light on targets but no need to panic yet.
Difficult to have any takeaways here as the Carolina offense
was just putrid. I was high on Diontae during the pre-season but
this is concerning. Too much workload split between Hubbard and
Sanders in this bad offense to consider either one a Flex option.
Rough start for the Bears passing game. Caleb Williams couldn’t
even reach triple digits in passing yards (93). An impressive
target share for Allen resulted in 4 catches for 29 yards.
TE Cole Kmet: 27 snaps (48%), 3.4% tgt share; 1-1-4-0
TE Gerald Everett: 34 snaps (61%), 3.4% tgt share; 1-1-(-1)-0
We saw Everett get some extended playing time in the pre-season
and it carried over into Week 1. Stock falling hard on Kmet.
4 snaps for rookie Jermaine Burton. He can be dropped. Strong
usage for Iosivas who was on the field every play. Despite all
the drama around Chase, his usage was what we expected.
A solid top three for the Browns but just 50 combined receiving
yards from them as this passing offense looks out of sync with
Watson at the controls. Also consider, the Dallas defense is one
of the best in the league.
TE David Njoku: 28 snaps (36.8%), 11.6% tgt share; 5-4-44-0
TE Jordan Akins:
43 snaps (56.6%), 9.3% tgt share; 4-3-27-0
Njoku injured his ankle and is considered week-to-week. Aikins
is worth a look as a streamer but this Browns offense has yet
to find their footing over the last two years with Watson at quarterback.
It’s notable that McLauglin out-touched Williams 15 to 9
but the Broncos were trailing by 13 for most of the 4th quarter.
This is shaping up to be a backfield that’s evenly split with
McLauglin have more value in PPR leagues.
Yet another rookie QB that struggled throwing the ball. Box
Nix completed 26 of 42 passes for a grand total of 138 yards…
3.9 yards per attempt. That’s not going to be enough for 1 fantasy
viable receiver, let alone two. No reason to be holding Mavin
Mims in redraft leagues.
Detroit’s RB usage is what we expected with Montgomery getting
the majority of rushing work and Gibbs more active in the passing
game. Both are valueable fantasy assets in a high-powered offense.
It was a quiet night for ARSB but we got a splash from Jameson.
He’s primed to be a permanent fixture in this offense with this
kind of participation. Will that come at the expense of ARSB?
Kalif Raymond operated as the 3rd receiver but didn’t receive
a target.
The Packers were thin at RB coming into the game. MarShawn
Lloyd was Inactive. Jacobs was used like a lead back including
a 76.2% rush share. He should be relied on heavily the next few
weeks with Jordan Love (knee) out.
We got pretty much what we thought we would from the Green
Bay receivers. All should have their moments this season but their
value takes a hit in the short term with Love on the sidelines.
One of the best outings in Week 1 was turned in by Mixon.
His 33 touches led all running backs and there’s little in the
running back room behind him. Arrow pointing up. For all of you
excited about Cam Akers this pre-season, he was Inactive.
The dynamic trio combined for 21 of 22 WR targets for Houston.
This is roughly the usage we expected with Dell operating slightly
behind Nico and Diggs.
The Colts ran a staggering low 45 plays. Richardson only
threw the ball 19 times but the deep ball was in the gameplan.
Alec Pierce (3-125-1) hauled in a 60-yard TD. Pittman only reeled
in half of his targets. Pierce took on a larger role with Josh
Downs on the sidelines.
The Jags coaches said they planned to give Bigsby another
shot at the backup job after a disastrous 2023 season. They stuck
to their word in Week 1. It should be noted that Bigsby got more
work after Etienne fumbled in the 3rd quarter. Both had the same
number of carries (12). Bigsby should be a waiver wire consideration.
WR Gabe Davis: 50 snaps (94.3%), 15.8% tgt share
WR Brian Thomas Jr.: 41 snaps (77.4%), 21.1% tgt share
WR Christian Kirk: 38 snaps (71.7%), 21.1% tgt share
TE Evan Engram: 36 snaps (67.9%), 21.1% tgt share
Gabe is a permanent fixture on the field but and this should
be the main three-man WR group as long as they stay healthy. No
pass catcher, including Engram saw more than 4 targets.
TE Travis Kelce:
48 snaps (89%), 14.8% tgt share; 3-34-0
TE Noah Gray:
29 snaps (54%), 11.1% tgt share; 3-37-0
A muted game for Kelce which isn’t surprising given the Chiefs
have more weapons on the outside.
Keep in mind, Marquise Brown didn’t play but could be on the field
as soon as next week, which will cut into Justin Watson's workload.
With defense focusing on Kelce, Rice is poised to be the alpha
of the KC passing game as he works the underneath and middle of
the field. Assuming he stays healthy, he should outperform his
ADP.
Dobbins appeared to run out of gas on his 61-yard gain but
he looked quick and agile most of the day. It won’t be shocking
if continues to hold this 60-40 split with Gus moving forward.
Just 26 pass attempts for Herbert with 16 going to the WRs.
With D.J. Chark (hip) on IR, this should be the three-man rotation
moving forward. Encouraging usage for McConkey 7 (tgts) who should
operate in the short-to-medium areas pf the field.
TE Hayden Hurst: 35 snaps (61.4%), 12.0% tgt share
TE Will Dissly: 25 snaps (43.9%), 4.0% tgt share
If you’re desperate to add a backup tight end, Hurst (3 tgts)
got the most run for the Chargers in Week 1.
Talk of Blake Corum eating into the workhorse role of Kyren
this preseason didn’t materialize in Week 1. In fact, it was Ronnie
Rivers (2 touches) worked as the backup. Regardless, Kyren’s usage
was elite.
Puka re-injured his knee and has now been put on IR meaning
he will miss at least the next four games. Kupp (21 tgts!) played
every snap. We know he’s going to be heavily targeted with Nacua
out. He’s an easy WR1 moving forward. Robinson and Johnson should
be waiver wire considerations.
Mattison was on the field a lot which isn’t’ surprising considering
White fumbled and the Raiders were behind in the fourth quarter.
In games where the Raiders are in a positive script, White will
rack up a bunch of carries. Otherwise, Mattison is going to see
the field as well.
Adams was basically a full-time player and Bowers led all
Raiders’ receivers in targets (8). Better QB play would help here,
but Minshew is what we’re dealing with.
Jeff Wilson took 5 carries as Miami used three running backs,
deflating everyone’s value. Achane is the lead for now. Rookie
Jaylen Wright was inactive.
We know the passing offense runs through Hill (12 tgts) and
that’s exactly what we got in Week 1. Don’t discount Achane’s
passing game usage. He was basically used as a third receiver
with the second-most targets (7) on the team.
16 touches for Jones and 11 for Chandler. This is the kind
of split we should expect moving forward given Chandler some marginal
stand-alone value when the Vikings are running more plays.
Low passing volume led to low stats for the Vikings receivers
including Jefferson (6 tgts). Addison is dealing with yet another
injury (ankle) and Nailor scored on his only target.
The only thing folks were rooting for in this game is not
to lose their Survivor contest pick. Unfortunately, the Bengals
couldn’t muster a win against the Patriots as Rhamondre rumbled
for 120 rushing yards on 25 carries.
TE Foster Moreau: 51 snaps (77.3%), 16.7% tgt share
TE Juwan Johnson: 23 snaps (34.8), 12.5% tgt share
TE Taysom Hill: 21 snaps (31.8%), 13.5% rush share, 8.3% tgt share
The Saints spread the ball around this week as evidenced
by Shaheed leading all receivers with 5 targets. Kamara received
20 touches while playing just over half of the snaps. Olave only
had 2 targets but did play the most snaps by far of any receiver.
6 touches for Taysom Hill this week but no trips to the endzone.
Moreau dominating tight end usage is a surprise.
The Giants looked terrible on offense with very few targets
down the field. Nabers played every snap. Robinson’s 12 targets
tied for 2nd among all WRs. Jalin Hyatt (1 tgt) is a distant 4th
on the depth chart.
The Jets slow-paced offense combined with allowing Jordan
Mason to control the game, led to just 51 plays. Dominant usage
from Hall who’s going to produce at an RB1 level as long as he
remains healthy. Allen is worth a bench stash if you can fit him.
The majority of touches are going to Hall and Wilson in this
offense but Lazard is locked in as the WR2 on this team and worth
a look as a fantasy WR4/5.
Disappointing usage for Warren (4 touches) who wasn’t close
to a 50-50 split with Najee (21 touches). Were they limiting him
due to his hamstring issue or just more Arthur Smith B.S.? If
Justin Fields (14 rush attempts) continues to start, he could
be a thorn in the side of these two running backs.
The Steelers ran a lot of two and three tight end sets in
Week 1, limiting the use of the WRs. We like to see the high usage
for Pickens but he needs to be on the field more to be a true
alpha receiver. Roman Wilson was Inactive.
Not great for JSN who did play more snaps than Lockett but
was a distant third in targets (2) among the WRs and behind TE
Fant as well. Only 25 pass attempts for Geno however.
Christian McCaffrey was Inactive, leading to a dominant role
and performance by Jordan Mason (29 touches). If Mason happens
to be available in your league, you know what to do. Deebo (8
carries) was used as the backup running back.
Given his lack of prep time this off-season, Aiyuk was limited.
He dropped a TD that he would normally catch. Expect to see his
snap share ramp up next week.
White was his typical self. Inefficient but got enough volume
(21 touches) to pay off, especially in PPR leagues. Good first
impression for Bucky who doubled-up White in rushing yards (62
to 31). More work for Bucky moving forward? He should be a waiver
wire priority where available.
With Evans, Godwin and White dominating targets, it’s going
to be hard for McMillan (3 tgts) to get enough volume most weeks
to be a fantasy factor. Good to see him on the field this much
though. He’s a nice bench stash.
Just 24 pass attempts for Jayden Daniels who was way more
effective running the ball (16 carries) than throwing it. All
of which is bad news for McLaurin and the other Commanders pass
catchers. No Washington receiver had more than 4 targets.
TE Zach Ertz: 42 snaps (71.2%), 16.7% tgt share
TE John Bates: 28 snaps (47.5%), 4.2% tgt share
TE Ben Sinnott: 13 snaps (22.0%), 0.0% tgt share
Not sure why people were drafting Ben Sinnott in redraft
leagues.
