• The Taysom Hill show for the New Orleans Saints: Hill ran for a career-high 138 yards and three touchdowns while catching a career-high eight passes for 50 yards, but he also lost a fumble and threw an interception.

•  The Detroit Lions kept scoring: The Lions scored seven touchdowns on their first seven drives, with each drive going for at least 60 yards.

• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all of our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, the Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Sign up now!

Estimated reading time: 20 minutes

PFF’s fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2024.

Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears

Roschon Johnson takes short-yardage snaps: Johnson achieved double-digit carries this week, largely thanks to playing more short-yardage snaps.

The Bears backfield has been largely stable for the last month and a half. D’Andre Swift played the clear majority of the Bears’ early down snaps, while Johnson took passing downs and the remaining early down work. Throughout that time, Swift has played two-thirds of the snaps when the Bears only need one or two yards for a first down. This has included seven carries to Johnson’s two.

The Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron after three straight games of scoring 15 or fewer points. Former Los Angeles Rams assistant coach and Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown has taken over as offensive coordinator. That potentially led to a change in philosophy, with Johnson clearly playing in short-yardage situations for this game, playing 10 of 11 snaps when the Bears were within three yards of a first down. This included five runs and a one-yard touchdown.

Usually, teams have some variation in short-yardage work from one week to another, but the splits in this game were on a larger sample size than usual and so extreme that this seems like a change in plans. This probably won’t be enough for Johnson to have standalone fantasy value this season, but it will make it harder for Swift to score touchdowns. He ran for a 39-yard score in this game, but he might not see those short touchdowns.

Coaching change shakes up tight end rotation: Cole Kmet played in over 95% of the Bears’ offensive snaps for the first time this season.

Gerald Everett’s playing time was negatively impacted by the firing of Shane Waldron. Everett played under Waldron with both the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, so he was likely a big reason why he joined the Bears. Everett played at least 14 offensive snaps and ran at least seven routes in every game this season, but this week, he ran one route and was on the field for seven plays.

Kmet was the main beneficiary, as he rarely left the field. Kmet’s playing time was below 50% in Week 1, playing behind Everett, but Kmet’s playing time had slowly but surely been rising over the rest of the season.

This was Kmet’s best game in a while, as he finished with three catches for 42 yards. He had only caught three passes for 27 yards over his three previous games. The Bears have primarily been targeting their wide receivers and Chicago has a rough schedule for tight ends the rest of the way, but this increases the chances Kmet has another big game or two over the rest of the season.

Jayden Reed plays just over 50% of Green Bay’s offensive snaps: Reed’s fantasy performance has been very inconsistent from one week to another.

Reed caught two passes for 23 yards and a touchdown this week while running the ball once for a five-yard loss. Reed has averaged 130 receiving yards per game in Packers losses and 36 receiving yards per game in wins. While this game was won on a blocked field goal, and those numbers could have easily changed by a little bit, the sentiment remains that the Packers don’t use Reed as much in positive game scripts.

His role in the offense has remained consistent all season, he’s played over 90% of 11 personnel snaps and 3% of 12 personnel snaps. When the Packers are doing well, they run more 12 personnel, and when they are losing, they run more 11 personnel. Luckily, Reed scored this week and has scored one other week in a Packers victory.

The Packers have matchups against the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings over the rest of the fantasy season, and the other three teams are at least fighting for playoff spots, so we could see a bit more of Reed down the stretch.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Packers rookie running MarShawn Lloyd returned to practice this week on a limited basis. He underwent an appendectomy on Friday, which delayed his return to the Packers lineup.
• Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore left with trainers to the locker room early before halftime, but his playing time was completely normal throughout the game.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Detroit Lions

• Amon-Ra St. Brown: 11 receptions, 161 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 carry, -4 rushing yards
• Jameson Williams: 4 receptions, 124 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 carry, 2 rushing yards

Jaguars adjust without Tank Bigsby: The Jaguars leading rusher was inactive this week due to an ankle injury.

In a typical game, Travis Etienne plays most early down snaps and splits passing-down duties. Tank Bigsby takes most of the other early down snaps and frequently runs with the ball when he is on the field. D’Ernest Johnson plays a small amount of early down snaps and splits the rest of the passing-down work. We haven’t had many typical games this season due to injuries.

This week, Etienne largely took Bigsby’s snaps, while Johnson played his usual role. This didn’t lead to an increase in fantasy production. The game script didn’t allow Etienne to run more than usual, and Etienne only averaged 2.3 yards per carry.

The Jaguars have their bye week this week, which ideally will be enough time for Bigsby to get healthy. He could return to the team’s leading rusher once he’s back as he’s been the more effective player running the ball this season. From Weeks 14-17, the Jaguars only face teams with losing records, so the Jaguars should be able to run the ball more later in the season than they are now.

Monitor Gabe Davis’ health: The Jaguars’ veteran receiver suffered a non-contact knee injury late in the third quarter.

The Jaguars started the game with a similar wide receiver rotation as last week. Davis and Brian Thomas Jr. played every down and Parker Washington joined in three-receiver sets. In the past, Christian Kirk was their clear slot receiver, but with Kirk out, they’ve rotated in the slot more frequently.

After the injury, Devin Duvernay stepped up as the Jaguars’ third wide receiver. The former Baltimore Raven spent Weeks 6-9 on injured reserve and was only playing a few snaps each week on offense before his injury. Duvernay’s history is as a slot receiver, so he largely played in the slot while Washington and Thomas played on the outside.

If Davis’s injury is serious, it could negatively impact Thomas’ fantasy production. This season, Thomas averages 2.88 yards per route run from the slot and 2.07 out wide. If Davis is out, Duvernay will likely remain the slot receiver, which means fewer snaps for Thomas in the slot. This would likely mean a slightly larger target share for Washington but probably not enough to consider him off the waivers in most fantasy leagues.

Lions survive without Sam LaPorta: The sophomore tight end was inactive due to a shoulder injury.

Brock Wright was the Lions’ primary tight end throughout the day, rarely leaving the field. James Mitchell and Shane Zylstra split snaps in 12 personnel while Wright was constantly on the field. The main time Wright was off the field was third downs, where Zylstra was the primary tight end. If this game had been more competitive, we would have seen more Zylstra for passing situations and less of Wright.

There is a chance LaPorta misses another game, but it would likely remain a situation to avoid given the time split between Wright and Zylstra. For the most part, the Lions simply gave the ball to their other star players, with both tight ends catching one pass each.

Miscellaneous Notes

• The Jaguars elevated Velus Jones from the practice squad for this game, presumably to be a third running back in case Travis Etienne or D’Ernest Johnson suffered an injury. While he started his career at wide receiver, he was learning the running back position during training camp with the Chicago Bears.
• Rookie Keilan Robinson was questionable due to a toe injury and was ultimately inactive. The former fifth-round pick has been on injured reserve all season and will ideally make his season debut after the Jaguars’ bye week next week.
• The Lions pulled their starters over the last 16 snaps, which included Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Brock Wright was also rotated out more frequently during those two drives than he had been earlier in the game.

Las Vegas Raiders @ Miami Dolphins

Monitor Zamir White and Alexander Mattison’s health: White suffered a quad injury late in the third quarter, while Alexander Mattison left due to an ankle injury early in the fourth.

Prior to the injuries, White played much more on early downs than he did in recent weeks. White started the season as the early down back before injury and inefficiency led to Mattison taking over. He played 21 of 29 snaps on first and second downs over the first three quarters. This had made White a potential waiver-wire target prior to this injury.

Once Mattison also went down, Ameer Abdullah was the Raiders’ only remaining running back. While White and Mattison were deemed questionable at the same time, Mattison was the only one declared out, which potentially points to a more severe injury.

If only Mattison misses time, we could expect White to be the early down back and Abdullah as the passing down back. Rookie Dylan Laube has been a healthy inactive for most of the season, but he would likely be active and play a few snaps. If both running backs miss time, Laube could potentially be the starter. Abdullah has mostly been a receiving back in recent seasons. In the preseason, Laube was given an every-down role, while Abdullah was largely used in passing situations. Laube is also worth a waiver wire target because he could be the main back and potentially give the offense a spark.

Michael Mayer returns to the Raiders: He returned to the team after dealing with a personal matter over the last seven weeks.

Harrison Bryant had served as the backup tight end while Mayer was out, but Bryant was inactive due to an ankle injury. The Raiders didn’t bring up another tight end from the practice squad, which pointed to a big role for Mayer.

Early in the season, Mayer took snaps away from Brock Bowers, as Bowers played 66-68% of the Raiders’ offensive snaps each of the first three weeks. Once Mayer was out, Bowers was consistently playing 79-84% of the snaps. Over the last three weeks, Bowers has consistently played over 90%. Even with Mayer back, Bowers played more than ever with a 95% snap rate.

Considering the Raiders no longer have Davante Adams, we can expect a very high 12 personnel rate over the rest of the season, especially once Bryant is healthy again. Mayer should be left on the waiver wire, but it was good to see him play after missing so much time and that it didn’t take anything away from Bowers.

Jaylen Wright remains the Dolphins’ backup running back: For the second straight week, Mostert mostly played on third downs.

Last week, Mostert consistently played on third downs, as the rookie Wright played more snaps than Mostert on early downs. It was just a one-game sample at the time, but that trend was even stronger this week.

It is worth noting Mostert suffered a hip injury, was ruled questionable to return and eventually returned. Despite this, we’ve reached the point where Mostert can be released in a lot of fantasy leagues. He doesn’t have any fantasy value in this role, and if De’Von Achane suffers an injury, it seems like Wright would be the primary runner. 

Wright is a fine waiver-wire option for a lottery ticket, but the Dolphins have a rough schedule for running backs over the rest of the season. There are other backup running backs who have better schedules and could have more upside if their starters get injured.

Miscellaneous Notes

• The Raiders released veteran wide receiver Alex Bachman on Saturday and elevated former Carolina Panthers second-round pick Terrace Marshall from the practice squad for this game.
• The Dolphins gained one of their blockers back this week, as tight end Julian Hill was active. Fullback Alec Ingold missed his second straight game, so the team didn’t use any traditional 21 personnel. This meant more plays in passing formations and more playing time for Jonnu Smith.

Los Angeles Rams @ New England Patriots

Kendrick Bourne earns a role in the Patriots offense: Bourne didn’t play a single snap on offense for the Patriots last week.

DeMario Douglas has maintained the Patriots’ slot receiving role all season, while Kayshon Boutte has been the unquestioned X receiver since Week 6. This has left Ja’Lynn Polk, K.J. Osborn and Bourne rotating in the Z receiver role all season.

That three-man rotation has been in constant flux. Polk has been the closest thing to a constant in terms of playing time in that role, but he hasn’t had a game with multiple receptions since Week 4. Osborn was a clear part of the rotation last week, but he was a healthy inactive this week. Bourne split time with Polk and caught five passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. His success led to more playing time as the game progressed. However, the inconsistency in the rotation would make it very difficult to target him off the waiver wire.

Expect the Patriots to make some changes this offseason, as Douglas is the only wide receiver with more than 1.0 yards per route run this season.

Rams remain unsettled at tight end: Davis Allen remained the primary tight end in terms of routes run, but the Rams tight ends rotated more than last week.

Colby Parkinson had started the season as the Rams’ primary tight end, but he eventually lost his snaps in 12 personnel followed by his snaps in 11 personnel, while Allen took over as the primary threat. This week, the Rams used more 12 personnel than usual, and they rotated Allen out of 11 personnel more frequently than last week.

Allen didn’t see a target all game, while Parkinson caught a touchdown on his only target. If anything, that could lead to more of a rotation. Given how much the Rams have targeted their wide receivers and how little they’ve targeted their tight ends, this is a situation to avoid.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Coach Sean McVay said earlier in the week that Tyler Higbee is a couple of weeks away from returning. He can likely be left on the waiver wire in most leagues, as he could be a rotational player in his first few games back until he’s fully up to speed again.
• It is rare for a team to have seven wide receivers active on game day, and it’s even more rare for all seven to receive playing time. To be fair, Xavier Smith only saw snaps on offense as the deep player on kneel downs.
• Puka Nacua appeared to be injured after scoring a touchdown, but he was able to return on the following drive, and his playing time was relatively normal.
• The Patriots released wide receiver Tyquan Thornton on Saturday. He started in Week 1 but quickly lost playing time to Kayshon Boutte. Thornton was a healthy inactive in four of the Patriots’ last five games.

Cleveland Browns @ New Orleans Saints

• Taysom Hill: 8 receptions, 50 yards, 7 carries, 138 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns, 1 completion, 1 pass attempt, 18 passing yards, 1 interception
• Jerry Jeudy: 6 receptions, 142 yards, 1 touchdown

Saints make multiple changes at wide receiver: The Saints have continued to look for the right combination of wide receivers with Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Bub Means on injured reserve.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling scored two touchdowns on three receptions for 109 yards last week, which put him in position to be the Saints top wide receiver in this game. Former Notre Dame receiver Kevin Austin Jr. made his NFL debut last week and looked fine with two receptions for 36 yards, so that was enough for him to be the Saints’ second wide receiver. Austin spent 2022 with the Jaguars practice squad, wasn’t on a team during the 2023 season and then played for the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions this spring, which led him to join the Saints in July.

Cedrick Wilson Jr. returned from his shoulder injury that kept him out last week. He was only third on the depth chart despite looking good the last game he was fully healthy. It’s certainly possible Wilson will overtake Austin on the depth chart once he’s closer to 100%. Dante Pettis joined Austin as a practice squad elevation to round out the wide receiver room.

Mason Tipton, who has run the most routes for the Saints over the previous four weeks, was a healthy inactive. The Saints released Jermaine Jackson on Saturday after he was low on the Saints depth chart last week. Equanimeous St. Brown is another Saints receiver who has seen noteworthy playing time this season, but he remained on the practice squad.

This led to minimal production by the Saints wide receivers outside of Valdes-Scantling’s 71-yard touchdown pass, as most of the targets went to tight ends and running backs. We can expect the Saints to prioritize other positions until another wide receiver steps up.

Taysom Hill with the game of his career: Several factors contributed to Hill having one of the best performances in fantasy football history.

Hill was used extensively with the starters in the preseason and received plenty of offseason hype that suggested he would be used even more this season than in years past. Injuries early in the season prevented that from materializing on a consistent basis. Injuries to Kendre Miller and Jamaal Williams have effectively made Hill the primary backup running back. Injuries to Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Bub Means at wide receiver have made Hill the second option in the passing game.

Hill was worth it before those injuries because he’s often used near the goal line. Over the last three weeks, Hill has just as many carries within 10 yards of scoring as Alvin Kamara does. In the two previous weeks, only one of those three carries resulted in a touchdown. This week, his only run inside the 10 resulted in a score. The injuries have led to more volume and this week, he made two big runs that also netted touchdowns.

Going forward, we obviously can’t expect many more 35-plus PPR performances, but we can expect him to have good enough volume to be a fantasy starter, and he will continue to have a high touchdown upside. He is somehow still available in over 50% of ESPN leagues, so it’s worth checking to see if he is available in your league.

Jerome Ford dominates snaps for the Browns backfield: Nick Chubb still led the backfield in carries with 11.

The Browns started the game with a normal rotation. Chubb played nine of 11 snaps on early downs in the first quarter while Ford took the third downs. In the second quarter, it was more Ford than Chubb on early downs even before the two-minute drill. The game was still relatively close, so it wasn’t game script-related yet. Over the first five drives, Chubb played 11 snaps on early downs to Ford’s six and Pierre Strong Jr.‘s one. The gap between Chubb and Ford was larger two weeks ago in their first game of the season together over the same time period when the game script was close.

Ford played throughout the two-minute drill to end the first half and into the second half as the Browns were playing from behind. We can expect Ford to play a lot of snaps in these losses. Even in closer game scripts, this game suggests Chubb would still be the lead back, but it would be closer than fantasy managers who have held onto Chubb all season might like. There might not be a situation over the rest of the season where it’s worth having Chubb in fantasy starting lineups.

Miscellaneous Notes

Indianapolis Colts @ New York Jets

• Breece Hall: 16 carries, 78 yards, 1 touchdown, 7 receptions, 43 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
• Josh Downs: 5 receptions, 84 yards, 1 touchdown

Colts wide receiver room returns to normal: Michael Pittman Jr. returned from his back injury that kept him out one game.

Pittman has been dealing with a back injury for over a month that, at one point, could have landed him on injured reserve. With Pittman out, Alec Pierce took over Pittman’s role, while Adonai Mitchell took Pierce’s role. All three Colts’ active receivers, including Josh Downs, gained over 70 receiving yards last week.

Pittman was a full participant in practice by the end of this week, which has rarely happened over the last month. He and Pierce returned to their usual roles. Mitchell was back to being a rare rotational player and caught a 33-yard pass on one of his few routes. Since Week 5, Mitchell has 2.49 yards per route run so ideally, he would play a bit more.

Given how poorly Pittman has played at times this season, likely due to injury, how inconsistent Pierce is in the X role, and how little Mitchell is playing, it’s hard to trust any of the outside wide receivers for the Colts.

Drop Tyler Conklin: Conklin caught just one pass for seven yards in this game.

Conklin’s playing time dipped in recent weeks due to not playing as much in 12 personnel compared to earlier in the season. This week that bounced back, but that still hasn’t helped his target rate.

Since the Jets traded for Davante Adams, Conklin’s had a 9.3% target rate, leading to 0.44 yards per route run. Over the first six weeks, his target rate was a little higher at 12.9%, and his yards per route run was more than double at 0.91. The competition for targets could get worse if Allen Lazard is able to return this season. While Conklin is playing more than enough snaps and running enough routes to be a fantasy starter, the targets simply aren’t there.

Miscellaneous Notes

• The Colts had utilized a four-man rotation at tight end over the past seven weeks but this week, they opted to make Will Mallory a healthy inactive, leaving them with a three-man rotation. Kylen Granson ran a route on just over 50% of the Colts’ passing plays. This was more than usual but still not enough to be fantasy-relevant.
• Davante Adams was questionable due to both a wrist injury and an illness, but this had no impact on his playing time.
• Jets tight end Kenny Yeboah caught a touchdown on his only pass route of the game. It was the first touchdown of his career.

Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Diontae Johnson plays slightly more snaps: Johnson received two deep targets early and then nothing else the rest of the game.

Johnson was the clear third receiver over the first three drives, playing three of the four snaps out of 11 personnel. He received two targets with a 32 average depth of target, with both passes falling incomplete.

After those two targets, he went back to only rarely playing in 11 personnel, with six snaps compared to Nelson Agholor‘s 15 over the rest of the drives. He only played one of 18 snaps in two-receiver sets. It seems like Johnson could overtake Agholor in 11 personnel eventually, but the Ravens don’t use 11 personnel frequently enough for Johnson to have any kind of consistent fantasy value. At this point, his only path is an injury to one of the other wide receivers. Johnson can be dropped in most fantasy leagues at this point.

Isaiah Likely returns from injury in a big way: Likely missed last week due to a hamstring injury but caught four passes for 75 yards this week.

Likely had an excellent Week 1 with 111 yards and a touchdown, but from Weeks 2-9, he averaged 20 yards per game. Mark Andrews has also played well recently, but all of that hasn’t impacted their roles. Andrews and Likely are consistently on the field together for 12 personnel, Charlie Kolar and Likely in 22 personnel, typically Kolar or Andrews in 21 personnel, and either Andrews or Likely in 11 personnel.

The game script will contribute to which formation groups the Ravens are using, and this week was a lot of 11 personnel. Because of that, Likely was on the field less often than usual. Andrews ran 12 routes out of 11 personnel this week to Likely’s eight. In some weeks, that’s been even, in other weeks, Andrews plays over 75%. Despite the stat lines this week, Andrews is the one more likely to have fantasy value in games that are close or when the Ravens are losing.

Likely might randomly have another game like this over the rest of the season, but we won’t know which game it will happen in, so he won’t be in fantasy starting lineups when that happens. Because of that, Likely should be left on the waiver wire. The only situation where you can start him is an Andrews injury. This also makes it harder to start Andrews because his recent good play hasn’t left him in a bigger role.

Jaylen Warren plays through a back injury: Warren played well but didn’t get as much playing time as usual.

Warren showed up on the injury report Thursday with a back injury after not appearing on the report Wednesday. It was bad enough that the Steelers elevated Jonathan Ward from the practice squad as a precautionary measure. Typically, when a team elevates someone from the practice squad, it indicates someone else at that position will be inactive.

Warren didn’t take as many of the third-down snaps as usual, while Najee Harris played more than usual. Similarly, Cordarrelle Patterson took some two-minute drill snaps that would ordinarily go to Warren.

Despite this, Warren caught a season-high four receptions. Last season, he averaged nearly four receptions per game, and the lack of receiving production is a big reason why he hasn’t had standalone fantasy value this season. It was also his third consecutive game, where he averaged 4.6 yards per carry or better.

This would ordinarily be a game to get excited about Warren for the rest of the season, but it’s worth noting all six games the Steelers have over the rest of the season are against teams in the top 10 at preventing fantasy points to running backs. That is, by far, the worst schedule for running backs, and it will be hard for any of the Steelers backs to maintain success.

Steelers rotate their wide receivers more than usual: The Mike Williams addition and Ben Skowronek’s return has given Pittsburgh more options at wide receiver.

Over the first nine weeks, the Steelers wide receiver rotation was simple. George Pickens and Van Jefferson were the every-down receivers, while Calvin Austin III joined for three-receiver sets and Scotty Miller backed everyone up.

This week, Pickens was consistently on the field for two-receiver sets, but Jefferson only took 14 snaps compared to Williams’ nine. Miller and Austin also played multiple snaps on two-receiver sets.

In 11 personnel, Williams took significant snaps away from Jefferson, as Williams played 16 snaps to Jefferson’s 29. Skowronek was nearly even with Austin at 20 snaps to 24. Miller also played four snaps in 11 personnel.

This all means that Pickens is the only trustworthy wide receiver for the Steelers at the moment. This was a big step in the right direction for Williams. He will take another few big steps before considering him in fantasy starting lineups.

Miscellaneous Notes

• The Steelers didn’t have third-straight tight end MyCole Pruitt due to a knee injury. He has already missed four games this season.
• Keaton Mitchell only played two snaps in his second game back. He might play more snaps when the Ravens are able to secure a lead, but that might not happen for another few weeks, as there are games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles upcoming.

Minnesota Vikings @ Tennessee Titans

Monitor Josh Oliver’s health: The Vikings’ elite run-blocking tight end suffered an ankle injury early in the fourth quarter.

T.J. Hockenson has been back for three games, but Oliver has played more snaps than most anticipated. Oliver has consistently played in 21 personnel, which was true last season when Hockenson was healthy. In 11 personnel, Oliver played nine snaps over the first three quarters compared to Hockenson’s 16. Hockenson tended to play on passing downs, but it was still noteworthy. In 12 personnel, Johnny Mundt also took a few snaps from Hockenson, again mostly in run situations.

After the injury, Mundt took over in 21 personnel. Mundt was also the primary player in 11 personnel as the Vikings were running out the clock. This left Hockenson with two receptions for 13 yards. Even if Oliver misses time, we might not see Hockensons play more snaps, as it appears his injury is still preventing him from playing his usual workload.

Monitor Tyjae Spears’ health: Spears was taken out of the game early in the fourth quarter to be evaluated for a concussion and didn’t return.

The Titans started the game with their usual running back rotation, as Tony Pollard played 17 of 25 snaps in the first half prior to the two-minute drill while Spears played 11. There were multiple plays with both on the field. Spears played all of the snaps in the two-minute drill to end the half and was leading in snaps in the third quarter due to the game script.

After Spears left the game, Pollard was the running back for the remainder of the game. Spears missed Weeks 7-9 due to a hamstring injury, and Pollard played between 80-90% of the Titans’ offensive snaps. If Spears missed a game or two, that would make it easier to put Pollard in fantasy starting lineups.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Jordan Addison didn’t play in the fourth quarter due to cramping, but there are no long-term concerns. Jalen Nailor became the number two receiver and Brandon Powell played in the slot with Addison out, which is similar to earlier points in the season when Addison missed time.
• Aaron Jones was limited in practice due to a rib injury. Cam Akers rotated in more often for Jones as the game progressed, likely due to both the game script and Jones not being 100%. 
• Tyler Boyd was added to the Titans injury report on Saturday as questionable due to a back injury. He consistently was on the field in 11 personnel, but it’s at least possible the Titans used more multiple tight end sets to limit his playing time.

Atlanta Falcons @ Denver Broncos

Javonte Williams remains Broncos’ lead back: Audric Estime ran 14 times last week to Williams’ one carry.

The box score suggested that Estime would be the Broncos’ clear lead back for Denver. Even the possibility that Estime could have that role made him the biggest waiver wire option at running back in recent weeks. There was still some concern because Estime didn’t play on the first few drives last week. This left the door open to the Broncos using the hot hand, and Estime simply being the hot hand last week.

This week, Williams was the primary running back on the first drive which led to a touchdown. Estime was the primary back on the second drive, leading to a three-and-out. Williams was the primary back on the third drive, which resulted in a touchdown. Williams was the hot hand this week, so he played a lot over the rest of the game.

Estime didn’t get his second carry until the middle of the third quarter when the Broncos were up by three scores. Estime should still be on fantasy rosters because he’s been the biggest playmaker running the ball for them this season on a per-play basis, but it will be hard to trust any Broncos running back in your starting lineup.

Monitor Darnell Mooney’s health: Mooney suffered a hamstring injury in the third quarter and didn’t return.

Mooney spent all season as the Falcons X receiver, consistently playing between 92-100% of the team’s offensive snaps outside of blowouts. Mooney suffered his injury on the first play of their sixth drive early in the third quarter. This moved Drake London back to more of an X position, which is where he played last season, while KhaDarel Hodge played in the Z position, which he’s done at times this season when London has been hurt.

It’s unclear how serious the injury is, but given the game script, it’s understandable if Mooney was kept out as a precaution. If Mooney does end up missing playing time, slot receiver Ray-Ray McCloud could be a decent waiver option. While Hodge would see an increase in playing time, McCloud could see an increase in targets as he did in this game.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Tyler Allgeier tends to play more when the Falcons are winning and less when they are losing. This is partially why Allgeier had less playing time in this game, but this was a new extreme.
• The Falcons rested their starters for the final two drives, including Kirk Cousins, Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, Drake London and Darnell Mooney. The Falcons used 12 personnel for the majority of these plays, and the Falcons only had two active tight ends, so Kyle Pitts kept playing.
• All of Jase McClellan’s carries occurred during these drives.
• Run-blocking tight end Charlie Woerner was inactive due to a concussion. Instead of Pitts seeing more playing time, Ross Dwelley took his role. Pitts was seeing more playing time than the last few weeks due to the game script.
• Broncos wide receiver Josh Reynolds returned to practice and was a full participant in practice throughout the week, but the Broncos decided to declare him out for this game. Devaughn Vele was a healthy inactive the last time Reynolds was active.

Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers

49ers wide receiver plan is clear: For the first time this season, Jauan Jennings, Deebo Samuel, Ricky Pearsall and Chris Conley were all available.

The 49ers have dealt with several wide receiver injuries this season, most notably to Brandon Aiyuk, who is out for the season. After his injury, Chris Conley spent some time as the 49ers’ new X receiver. However, part of this was due to injuries to other receivers. Now that everyone is healthy, the 49ers have opted to go with the combination that gets their best players on the field.

Last week, Jauan Jennings tended to play the X role, Deebo Samuel the Z and Ricky Pearsall in the slot in three-receiver sets. While Pearsall generally only joined the team in three-receiver sets, all three wide receivers were lining up all over the place. The 49ers have typically moved their wide receivers around a little more than most teams, but it has become more extreme with Aiyuk out.

That could make it harder to predict which 49ers wide receiver will play well any given week because their matchups of who they might face in the defense won’t be as clear as other teams. This week, Jennings played well, but if teams start to focus more on Jennings in future weeks, other wide receivers could shine.

A.J. Barner leads the Seahawks’ tight ends: Both Noah Fant (groin) and Brady Russell (foot) were out for the Seahawks. 

Barner has spent all season rotating significantly in 11 and 12 personnel, making it harder for Fant to be a fantasy-relevant tight end. Barner received a bigger role in this game than Fant usually has because there was less of a rotation in both personnel groupings.

Barner and Pharaoh Brown played 100% of the 12 and 22 personnel snaps together, while Barner played 38 of 46 snaps out of 11 personnel. This led to a high route participation rate, but he only received four targets. 

If Fant misses more time, there is a chance Barner could be fantasy-viable in deeper leagues, but his target share would need to be higher to get excited about him.

Miscellaneous Notes

• George Kittle was inactive due to a hamstring injury. As expected, Eric Saubert completely took over his playing time but not his target share. His injury left more targets for other players.
• The Seahawks signed wide receiver Cody White to the 53-man roster prior to the game, giving them a seventh wide receiver on the roster.
• Tyler Mabry signed to the Seahawks’ 53-man roster with the other tight ends out, but he only played one snap in a three-tight-end set.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Buffalo Bills

• James Cook: 9 carries, 20 yards, 2 touchdowns, 5 receptions, 7 receiving yards
• Khalil Shakir: 8 receptions, 70 yards

JuJu Smith-Schuster complicated Chiefs wide receiver rotation: He returned from the hamstring injury that kept him out the last three weeks.

This was the first time both DeAndre Hopkins and Smith-Schuster were on the field together. Smith-Schuster’s return left Xavier Worthy, Hopkins and Justin Watson playing fewer snaps compared to last week.

There were constant rotations in both two- and three-receiver sets, and for the most part, all of the wide receivers were lining up all over the field. Hopkins tended to line up at X, as he’s done throughout his career, while Watson lined up in the slot like last week. Worthy has lined up all over the field throughout the season. Smith-Schuster was primarily a slot receiver in Week 5 when he gained 130 receiving yards. Without a consistent slot role, it’s a lot harder to be optimistic about him in fantasy football.

This rotation was reminiscent of last season before the team trusted Rashee Rice. In any given week, one receiver could step up, but now they have several players capable of stepping up. The Chiefs also play the Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns in three of their next four games. They might rely heavily on the run game and not need any receiver to step up. This will make it harder to put Hopkins in fantasy starting lineups, and Smith-Schuster can probably be dropped in most leagues.

Amari Cooper returns for the Bills: Cooper was inactive the last two weeks due to a wrist injury.

Cooper joined the team before Week 7 and played more snaps in his second game with the team in Week 8. The momentum he built was paused for two weeks. In this game, his playing time was nearly identical to his Week 8 game. Presumably, he will play more once he’s fully recovered, but that’s no guarantee.

The Bills missed Keon Coleman for a second-straight game due to a wrist injury, which allowed Curtis Samuel to be part of the three-man rotation outside with Cooper and Mack Hollins. This also allowed Khalil Shakir to more consistently be on the field because he didn’t have to rotate with Samuel in three-receiver sets as he did earlier in the season.

Shakir, Samuel and Cooper all ended up with over 50 receiving yards. This team has a lot of talent at wide receiver, but this situation will get more complicated once Coleman and Dalton Kincaid are back.

Dawson Knox steps up without Dalton Kincaid: The former first-round pick was inactive due to a knee injury.

The Bills have used a heavy rotation at tight end this season, as Kincaid tends to play in passing situations while Knox tends to play on run plays. Those tendencies are general guidelines rather than some of the more predictable roles other teams have for their tight ends.

This week, Knox was in a more traditional lead tight end role. He was consistently on the field in multiple tight end sets. Quintin Morris took a few snaps from him in 11 personnel, and Zach Davidson took a few snaps in multiple tight end sets. The team also used 13 personnel for eight snaps, which isn’t common.

Knox caught four passes for 40 yards, which was fine, but not as much as some fantasy managers hoped for in a good matchup. The Bills have their bye week this upcoming week, which will ideally be enough time for Kincaid to return.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Isiah Pacheco returned to practice this week on a limited basis, but he did not play in this game due to his ankle injury. He is expected to be healthy for next week.
• Ray Davis playing time in this game was consistent with past weeks. Ignoring Week 6 when James Cook was out, Davis had played 10.6% of the Bills’ first-half snaps before Sunday and 10.2% of first-half snaps against the Chiefs. He’s played 27.3% of the offensive snaps in the second half when the Bills are winning before Sunday and 32.3% of second-half snaps with a lead Sunday.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Los Angeles Chargers

Tee Higgins returns from injury: The star receiver missed the previous three weeks with a quadriceps injury.

Higgins wasn’t able to log a full practice at any point this week but avoided an injury designation heading into the game. His playing time appeared relatively normal, with Andrei Iosivas dropping from second to third on the depth chart and Jermaine Burton sliding from third to fourth.

Notably, Burton was more involved than expected, even with Higgins active. This marked the first time this season that Ja’Marr Chase, Higgins, and Burton all saw significant snaps together. Previously, Burton had only reached double-digit offensive snaps in games where Higgins was sidelined due to injury. While he did take a few snaps from Higgins, the majority of his playing time came at Iosivas’ expense.

Though Burton finished with just one catch for eight yards, his increased involvement could be a positive step forward in his development.

Will Dissly shines in a reduced role: Dissly was the Chargers’ top receiver, but he didn’t run as many routes as expected.

Many fantasy analysts were optimistic about Will Dissly‘s prospects this week and going forward. Over the past month, Dissly has seen a notable increase in snaps, and his target rate has ranked near the top at the position.

Dissly began seeing more playing time after Hayden Hurst suffered an injury. However, even after Hurst returned, he did not reclaim his role and was a healthy inactive for this game. Initially, Dissly absorbed Hurst’s responsibilities while still maintaining most of his original role. Over the last two weeks, though, Tucker Fisk has stepped in and taken over much of Dissly’s old responsibilities.

Fisk, who spent the first half of the season on the Chargers’ practice squad, has been utilized primarily in clear-run situations—a role Dissly handled in the first five weeks. While this shift mostly impacts run plays, the Chargers might need to mix things up by calling some passing plays with Fisk on the field to avoid being predictable.

This change makes Dissly’s role more game-script-dependent than fantasy managers would prefer. He started strong in this game, hauling in four receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown, with much of that production coming early. However, as the Chargers held a clear lead through much of the middle of the game, Dissly saw reduced snaps. Once the game tightened in the fourth quarter, Dissly returned to more consistent usage.

Fortunately, the Chargers face several upcoming matchups against teams that tend to allow fantasy production to tight ends. Despite the rotation, Dissly could still thrive, especially if game scripts favor him.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Khalil Herbert played only a few snaps in his second game with the team. Rather than playing a third-down role as originally anticipated, the  Bengals seem content not having a running back on the field for most third downs. Herbert appears to simply be insurance if Chase Brown suffers an injury.
• D.J. Chark was a healthy inactive for the Chargers. It seems unlikely he will make an impact for the Chargers this season unless there is an injury.
• Ladd McConkey left the game in the first half with a shoulder injury but was able to return.

Table Notes

• Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.
• Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
• Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.