Fantasy Takeaways from Week 6 Usage

Arizona Cardinals

RB snap rates:

Eno Benjamin - 87%

Keaontay Ingram - 13%

Route rates:

Eno Benjamin - 83%

Keaontay Ingram - 11%

Rondale Moore - 98%

Marquise Brown - 94% (injured)

A.J. Green - 70%

Javon Wims - 11%

Greg Dortch - 9%

Zach Ertz - 91%

Trey McBride - 19%

Takeaways:

• We got an absolute floor performance from Benjamin considering the usage. He handled 15 of 18 RB carries (83%) and saw 3 targets (8%).

Atlanta Falcons

RB snap rates:

Tyler Allgeier - 57%

Caleb Huntley - 34%

Avery Williams - 12%

Route rates:

Tyler Allgeier - 68%

Avery Williams - 21%

Caleb Huntley - 11%

Drake London - 89%

Olamide Zaccheaus - 84%

Bryan Edwards - 37%

Damiere Byrd - 16%

KhaDarel Hodge - 5%

Kyle Pitts - 84%

Parker Hesse - 42%

MyCole Pruitt - 5%

Takeaways:

• Pitts registered a strong 84% route rate and 21% target share. But it hardly matters when QB Marcus Mariota drops back just 19 times and throws only 14 passes.
• Mariota (166) now has fewer drop backs than Justin Fields (171).
• Huntley played 20 snaps and carried on 16 of them. You can bet defenses know what’s coming when Huntley hits the field.

Baltimore Ravens

RB snap rates:

Kenyan Drake - 58%

J.K. Dobbins - 27%

Mike Davis - 8%

Route rates:

Kenyan Drake - 47%

J.K. Dobbins - 17%

Mike Davis - 6%

Devin Duvernay - 81%

Demarcus Robinson - 75%

Tylan Wallace - 19%

James Proche - 8%

Mark Andrews - 97%

Isaiah Likely - 33%

Josh Oliver - 28%

Takeaways:

• Dobbins didn’t play in the 2nd half after his knee “tightened up,” HC John Harbaugh said. Dobbins is ideally on your bench until we see him handle a bigger workload.
• Andrews is up to a 31.5% target share. Cheat code.

Buffalo Bills

RB snap rates:

Devin Singletary - 86%

James Cook - 14%

Route rates:

Devin Singletary - 65%

James Cook - 15%

Gabriel Davis - 96%

Stefon Diggs - 89%

Isaiah McKenzie - 57%

Khalil Shakir - 20%

Dawson Knox - 80%

Quintin Morris - 20%

Takeaways:

• Singletary has posted 73%, 88% and 86% snap rates in Buffalo’s 3 competitive games this season. He’s averaged 12.3 carries and 7.0 targets in those 3 outings.
• McKenzie returned as Buffalo’s primary slot receiver but had a rough game. Let’s see if Shakir closes that route gap coming out of the Week 7 bye.
• Knox’s 80% route rate was easily a season high. He still saw just 3 targets (7.5% share).

Carolina Panthers

RB snap rates:

Christian McCaffrey - 86%

D’Onta Foreman - 23%

Chuba Hubbard - 9%

Route rates:

Christian McCaffrey - 78%

D’Onta Foreman - 22%

Chuba Hubbard - 9%

D.J. Moore - 100%

Terrace Marshall - 65%

Shi Smith - 65%

Robbie Anderson - 35% (booted by interim HC Steve Wilks)

Tommy Tremble - 57%

Ian Thomas - 35%

Takeaways:

• It looks like Marshall will take over Anderson’s spot, at least until WR Laviska Shenault is over his hamstring injury. But you should avoid the situation in this travesty of an offense.

Chicago Bears

RB snap rates:

David Montgomery - 78%

Khalil Herbert - 22%

Trestan Ebner - 4%

Route rates:

David Montgomery - 71%

Khalil Herbert - 18%

Trestan Ebner - 4%

Darnell Mooney - 93%

Dante Pettis - 69%

Equanimeous St. Brown - 60%

Ihmir Smith-Marsette - 31%

Velus Jones - 9%

Cole Kmet - 97%

Trevon Wesco - 13%

Ryan Griffin - 2%

Takeaways:

• Despite Herbert’s strong play, Montgomery continues to get workhorse usage.
• Mooney has hogged 29% of Bears targets and 46% of the air yards but continues to be limited by extreme run-heavy play calling.

Cincinnati Bengals

RB snap rates:

Joe Mixon - 72%

Samaje Perine - 25%

Chris Evans - 5%

Route rates:

Joe Mixon - 58%

Samaje Perine - 20%

Chris Evans - 7%

Ja’Marr Chase - 100%

Tyler Boyd - 98%

Tee Higgins - 89%

Mike Thomas - 7%

Trent Taylor - 7%

Hayden Hurst - 73%

Mitchell Wilcox - 27%

Takeaways:

• Coming off the ankle injury, Higgins essentially played his usual role and is safe to use in Week 7 fantasy lineups.

Cleveland Browns

RB snap rates:

Nick Chubb - 44%

Kareem Hunt - 43%

D’Ernest Johnson - 13%

Route rates:

Kareem Hunt - 38%

Nick Chubb - 33%

D’Ernest Johnson - 13%

Donovan Peoples-Jones - 85%

Amari Cooper - 73%

David Bell - 67%

Anthony Schwartz - 21%

Michael Woods - 19%

David Njoku - 69%

Harrison Bryant - 35%

Pharaoh Brown - 23%

Takeaways:

• Cleveland played Johnson on the final drive of this 38 to 15 loss. His usage isn’t a concern for Chubb or Hunt.
• Another big 27% target share for Cooper in this one. He’s also at 27% for the season.

Dallas Cowboys

RB snap rates:

Ezekiel Elliott - 61%

Tony Pollard - 40%

Route rates:

Ezekiel Elliott - 56%

Tony Pollard - 34%

CeeDee Lamb - 95%

Noah Brown - 88%

Michael Gallup - 78%

Jalen Tolbert - 5%

Peyton Hendershot - 56%

Jake Ferguson - 41%

Sean McKeon - 7%

Takeaways:

• Gallup has seen 18.5% of Cowboys targets since returning 3 weeks ago. That’ll be a useful number with QB Dak Prescott.

Denver Broncos

RB snap rates:

Latavius Murray - 47%

Mike Boone - 36%

Melvin Gordon - 16%

Route rates:

Mike Boone - 36%

Latavius Murray - 25%

Melvin Gordon - 14%

Courtland Sutton - 100%

Jerry Jeudy - 94%

K.J. Hamler - 64%

Kendall Hinton - 22%

Montrell Washington - 3%

Greg Dulcich - 81%

Andrew Beck - 17%

Eric Tomlinson - 14%

Eric Saubert - 3%

Takeaways:

• Gordon didn’t play a single snap after halftime. Murray handled 14 carries in the 2nd half and overtime to Boone’s 1 carry and 2 targets.
• Target shares in Jeudy’s 4 healthy games:
  • Sutton - 20.9%
  • Jeudy - 20.1%
• An 81% route rate and 11% target share for Dulcich in his NFL debut. If he can maintain that route rate, he’ll flirt with TE1 production the rest of the way.

Detroit Lions

The Lions had a Week 6 bye.

Green Bay Packers

RB snap rates:

Aaron Jones - 56%

A.J. Dillon - 49%

Route rates:

Aaron Jones - 53%

A.J. Dillon - 42%

Allen Lazard - 96%

Romeo Doubs - 94%

Randall Cobb - 40% (injured)

Amari Rodgers - 34%

Juwann Winfree - 23%

Robert Tonyan - 74%

Marcedes Lewis - 13%

Josiah Deguara - 4%

Tyler Davis - 2%

Takeaways:

• After Jones controlled the Week 5 backfield, the Packers went back to a near 50/50 split in this one.
• Rodgers (19 slot snaps) and Winfree (10) combined to replace Cobb. Don’t bother adding either guy this week.
• Tonyan finally broke out of the 50-60% route range he’d been stuck in across the first 5 games of the season. He easily led Green Bay with 12 targets – a 27% share. He’ll have a good shot at TE1 production if this elevated route rate holds.

Houston Texans

The Texans had a Week 6 bye.

Indianapolis Colts

RB snap rates:

Deon Jackson - 67% (injured)

Phillip Lindsay - 33%

Route rates:

Deon Jackson - 56% (injured)

Phillip Lindsay - 27%

Michael Pittman - 100%

Parris Campbell - 100%

Alec Pierce - 70%

Michael Strachan - 20%

Kylen Granson - 39%

Jelani Woods - 38%

Mo Alie-Cox - 25%

Takeaways:

• Jackson was getting workhorse usage before suffering a quad injury late in this one. We’ll see who’s healthy in Indianapolis’ backfield for Week 7.
• Pierce followed a 74% route rate in Week 5 with a 70% in Week 6. He still hasn’t iced Campbell, who actually had his best game of the season (7-57-1 on 11 targets).
• This was a season-low route rate for Alie-Cox.

Jacksonville Jaguars

RB snap rates:

Travis Etienne - 46%

James Robinson - 43%

JaMycal Hasty - 16%

Route rates:

Travis Etienne - 47%

James Robinson - 31%

JaMycal Hasty - 19%

Christian Kirk - 100%

Zay Jones - 100%

Tim Jones - 59%

Jamal Agnew - 13% (injured)

Evan Engram - 84%

Chris Manhertz - 25%

Luke Farrell - 6%

Dan Arnold - 3%

Takeaways:

• Etienne out-snapped Robinson for the 3rd straight game. Opportunities over that span:
  • Etienne - 28 carries, 8 targets
  • Robinson - 30 carries, 3 targets
  • Hasty - 4 carries, 2 targets
• Just 22 Trevor Lawrence pass attempts muted the production, but Kirk tallied a 23% target share. That gives him a 20+% share in 5 of 6 games this season.
• Engram has now seen 16% of Jaguars targets and ranks 9th among all TEs with 32 targets.

Kansas City Chiefs

RB snap rates:

Jerick McKinnon - 43%

Clyde Edwards-Helaire - 42%

Isiah Pacheco - 15%

Route rates:

Jerick McKinnon - 45%

Clyde Edwards-Helaire - 34%

Isiah Pacheco - 13%

JuJu Smith-Schuster - 91%

Marquez Valdes-Scantling - 83%

Mecole Hardman - 49%

Skyy Moore - 26%

Justin Watson - 11%

Travis Kelce - 77%

Noah Gray - 34%

Jody Fortson - 23%

Takeaways:

• Here’s where Edwards-Helaire ranks among RBs in key usage metrics through 6 weeks:
  • Snaps - 31st
  • Routes - 24th
  • Carries - 28th
  • Targets - 21st

Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders had a Week 6 bye.

Los Angeles Chargers

RB snap rates:

Austin Ekeler - 66%

Sony Michel - 32%

Joshua Kelley - 2% (injured)

Route rates:

Austin Ekeler - 57%

Sony Michel - 24%

Joshua Kelley - 3% (injured)

Mike Williams - 96%

Josh Palmer - 91%

DeAndre Carter - 76%

Michael Bandy - 6%

Jason Moore - 6%

Gerald Everett - 58%

Tre McKitty - 30%

Donald Parham - 18%

Takeaways:

• Since a somewhat concerning opener, Ekeler has averaged 9.0 targets on a 20% target share over the last 5 games.
• This was a season-low route rate for Everett, as the Chargers got Parham on the field more. Definitely worth monitoring going forward, although Parham landed in the concussion protocol on Tuesday.

Los Angeles Rams

RB snap rates:

Darrell Henderson - 71%

Malcolm Brown - 25%

Ronnie Rivers - 5%

Route rates:

Darrell Henderson - 63%

Malcolm Brown - 11%

Ronnie Rivers - 3%

Cooper Kupp - 94%

Allen Robinson - 86%

Ben Skowronek - 66%

Brandon Powell - 37%

Tutu Atwell - 3%

Tyler Higbee - 60%

Brycen Hopkins - 17%

Kendall Blanton - 3%

Takeaways:

• Strong usage for Darrell Henderson sans Cam Akers – but he came away with just 52 total yards on 14 touches. This running game remains ineffective.
• The 60% route rate and 6% target share were easily season lows for Higbee. I’m assuming the ankle injury that had him questionable coming in was the culprit. Higbee gets a well-timed Week 7 bye.

Miami Dolphins

RB snap rates:

Raheem Mostert - 61%

Chase Edmonds - 39%

Route rates:

Raheem Mostert - 48%

Chase Edmonds - 45%

Jaylen Waddle - 87%

Tyreek Hill - 80%

Trent Sherfield - 68%

Cedrick Wilson - 20%

River Cracraft - 20%

Mike Gesicki - 75%

Tanner Conner - 10%

Hunter Long - 8%

Takeaways:

• Edmonds worked his way back into the mix this week but was still out-touched 15 to 4 by Mostert. Myles Gaskin was a healthy scratch.
• This was a season-high route rate for Gesicki – and followed a 66% in Week 5. He saw 7 targets (15% share) in this one and has totaled 13 targets (11%) over the last 3 games. We’ll continue to keep an eye on his usage, but Gesicki is at least worth adding if available in TE-premium leagues.

Minnesota Vikings

RB snap rates:

Dalvin Cook - 87%

Alexander Mattison - 13%

Route rates:

Dalvin Cook - 46%

Alexander Mattison - 11%

Justin Jefferson - 100%

Adam Thielen - 94%

K.J. Osborn - 63%

Jalen Reagor - 3%

Irv Smith - 63%

Johnny Mundt - 23%

Takeaways:

• This was easily a season-high snap rate for Cook – and a season-low for Mattison. I’m guessing it was due to the shoulder injury that had Mattison questionable, but we’ll continue to monitor.
• Smith has now been between a 63% and 69% route rate in 3 straight. It’s not a great mark but enough to make him a low-end TE option.

New England Patriots

RB snap rates:

Rhamondre Stevenson - 86%

Kevin Harris - 17%

Pierre Strong - 6%

Route rates:

Rhamondre Stevenson - 60%

Kevin Harris - 5%

Pierre Strong - 0%

DeVante Parker - 95%

Jakobi Meyers - 93%

Tyquan Thornton - 73%

Kendrick Bourne - 8%

Hunter Henry - 78%

Jonnu Smith - 15%

Takeaways:

• Elite usage for Stevenson. He’s an easy top-10 RB play as long as Damien Harris is out.
• Thornton went from a 58% route rate in his NFL debut last week to a 73% mark in this one. Expect that to continue to climb.
• Even with Smith back, Henry registered a 78% route rate and 21% target share. He’s seen 22% of Patriots targets over the past 2 weeks. It’s worth noting that it’s come from QB Bailey Zappe. We’ll see what happens to Henry’s volume when QB Mac Jones returns.

New Orleans Saints

RB snap rates:

Alvin Kamara - 69%

Mark Ingram - 33%

Dwayne Washington - 4%

Route rates:

Alvin Kamara - 66%

Mark Ingram - 24%

Dwayne Washington - 0%

Marquez Callaway - 87%

Tre’Quan Smith - 71%

Keith Kirkwood - 58%

Kevin White - 29%

Rashid Shaheed - 16%

Juwan Johnson - 82%

Taysom Hill - 21%

J.P. Holtz - 21%

Adam Trautman - 5% (injured)

Takeaways:

• Hill ran a season-high 8 pass routes in this game, possibly because of Trautman’s injury. Hill didn’t see a target but carried 5 times for 39 yards.
• Johnson is back on the spot-start radar for however long Trautman is out with his ankle injury.

New York Giants

RB snap rates:

Saquon Barkley - 88%

Matt Breida - 23%

Gary Brightwell - 2%

Route rates:

Saquon Barkley - 68%

Matt Breida - 12%

Gary Brightwell - 3%

Darius Slayton - 76%

Marcus Johnson - 76%

Richie James - 38%

Wan’Dale Robinson - 35%

David Sills - 24%

Daniel Bellinger - 82%

Chris Myarick - 26%

Tanner Hudson - 12%

Takeaways:

• This obviously isn’t a route rate at which we can trust Robinson in fantasy lineups. But expect it to climb quickly. The good news is that he saw 4 targets on 12 routes.
• Bellinger set a new season high in route rate for the 2nd straight week, smashing last week’s 59%. The rookie is officially on the spot-start radar.

New York Jets

RB snap rates:

Breece Hall - 67%

Michael Carter - 49%

Route rates:

Michael Carter - 41%

Breece Hall - 36%

Corey Davis - 91%

Elijah Moore - 68%

Garrett Wilson - 64%

Braxton Berrios - 27%

Jeff Smith - 9%

Tyler Conklin - 59%

C.J. Uzomah - 50%

Takeaways:

• Everything is dead in this passing game. That might be a little dramatic, but …
  • This was a season-low route rate for Moore.
  • This was Wilson’s lowest route rate since Week 1.
  • Conklin and Uzomah have essentially split routes down the middle over the past 2 weeks.
  • Even Hall’s route rate was down from 54% in Week 5 and 59% in Week 4.

Philadelphia Eagles

RB snap rates:

Miles Sanders - 62%

Kenneth Gainwell - 24%

Boston Scott - 14%

Route rates:

Miles Sanders - 50%

Kenneth Gainwell - 27%

Boston Scott - 7%

DeVonta Smith - 97%

A.J. Brown - 90%

Quez Watkins - 63%

Zach Pascal - 17%

Dallas Goedert - 97%

Jack Stoll - 37%

Takeaways:

• Sanders’ playing time took a slight hit with Scott back in the mix, but you can’t complain about 18 carries and 1 target.

Pittsburgh Steelers

RB snap rates:

Najee Harris - 69%

Jaylen Warren - 31%

Route rates:

Najee Harris - 50%

Jaylen Warren - 36%

Diontae Johnson - 100%

George Pickens - 89%

Chase Claypool - 89%

Steven Sims - 8%

Connor Heyward - 50%

Zach Gentry - 47%

Takeaways:

• Harris out-touched Warren 16 to 2, although his playing time was in line with where it’s been most of the season.
• Neither Heyward nor Gentry is usable if TE Pat Freiermuth misses more time with his concussion.

San Francisco 49ers

RB snap rates:

Jeff Wilson - 52%

Tevin Coleman - 20%

Ty Davis-Price - 2%

Route rates:

Jeff Wilson - 47%

Tevin Coleman - 18%

Ty Davis-Price - 0%

Brandon Aiyuk - 93%

Deebo Samuel - 84%

Ray-Ray McCloud - 40%

Jauan Jennings - 33%

Willie Snead - 7%

George Kittle - 96%

Charlie Woerner - 20%

Takeaways:

• This was a 4-week low in snap rate for Wilson. I’m guessing it was due to the negative game script. Wilson has handled 67% of San Francisco’s RB carries over the past 2 weeks – down just a bit from 73% over the 2 weeks before that.
• Kittle’s 96% route rate and 24% target share were season highs.
• Target shares over the last 4 games with QB Jimmy Garoppolo and Kittle:
  • Samuel - 26.8%
  • Aiyuk - 21.3%
  • Kittle - 19.7%

Seattle Seahawks

RB snap rates:

Kenneth Walker - 68%

DeeJay Dallas - 35%

Route rates:

Kenneth Walker - 39%

DeeJay Dallas - 32%

D.K. Metcalf - 88%

Tyler Lockett - 88%

Marquise Goodwin - 54%

D’Wayne Eskridge - 12%

Noah Fant - 61%

Will Dissly - 44%

Colby Parkinson - 29%

Takeaways:

• Walker handled 21 of 23 RB carries (91%) and saw 3 targets (10%). Those are reasonable projections for his rest-of-season usage – which would give him a good shot at RB1 production.
• Fant has registered 59% and 61% route rates the past 2 weeks, totaling 12 targets for a 21% share. I’m not quite ready to trust him in a fantasy lineup, but he seems to be trending up.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

RB snap rates:

Leonard Fournette - 82%

Rachaad White - 22%

Route rates:

Leonard Fournette - 73%

Rachaad White - 20%

Mike Evans - 98%

Chris Godwin - 91%

Russell Gage - 78%

Scotty Miller - 4%

Breshad Perriman - 4%

Cameron Brate - 60% (injured)

Cade Otton - 44%

Ko Kieft - 11%

Takeaways:

• The playing-time between Fournette and White widened in this game.
• Fournette leads all RBs with 174 pass routes through 6 weeks.
• This was a season-high route rate for Godwin.
• Target-per-route rates this season:
  • Godwin - 23.8%
  • Evans - 17.2%
  • Gage - 17.1%

Tennessee Titans

The Titans had a Week 6 bye.

Washington Commanders

RB snap rates:

Brian Robinson - 47%

J.D. McKissic - 30%

Antonio Gibson - 26%

Route rates:

J.D. McKissic - 43%

Antonio Gibson - 25%

Brian Robinson - 21%

Terry McLaurin - 100%

Curtis Samuel - 93%

Cam Sims - 82%

Dyami Brown - 11%

Dax Milne - 7%

Cole Turner - 93%

Armani Rogers - 14%

Takeaways:

• Robinson hit pay dirt on Thursday night but remains in an ugly 3-man committee and is getting very little passing game usage. Consider the rookie a RB3 at best.