• J.K. Dobbins scores twice: Dobbins was somewhat eased into action in his first game of the season last week, but the offense leaned on him more this week. He scored the first receiving touchdown of his career.
• Austin Ekeler’s bounce back: Ekeler led the league in touchdowns last season, with 20, but was held without a touchdown the first three weeks. He scored his first, second and third touchdowns of the year against the Texans.
• T.J. Hockenson’s career game: The Lions didn’t have their top running back or top two receivers, which allowed Hockenson to be Goff’s favorite target, leading to 179 yards and two touchdowns.
PFF’s fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2022.
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Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans Saints
- Justin Jefferson: 10 receptions, 147 yards, 1 carry, 3 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown
- Chris Olave: 4 receptions, 67 yards, 1 touchdown
The Saints without Alvin Kamara: Kamara missed this game with the ribs injury that has left him either limited or out of practice for each of the past three weeks.
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- Mark Ingram II took over as the lead back, as he’s done previously this season.
- Tony Jones Jr. was the Saints’ receiving back the last time Kamra missed a game, but he was a healthy inactive.
- Latavius Murray was the backup running back, giving New Orleans the oldest and second-oldest running backs to take an offensive snap this season.
- The two backs were used interchangeably throughout the game.
- Ingram suffered an injury early in the second half, which gave Murray even more snaps than usual.
- Ingram was able to return to the game, but Murray took the majority of the carries in the second half.
- Ingram won the snap battle in the first half, 15 to 5, while Murray won the second half, 21 to 14.
- This remains a backfield to largely avoid whenever Kamara is out due to the split and limited upside.
The Saints without Michael Thomas: The Saints didn’t have Thomas due to a foot injury he suffered last week.
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- Marquez Callaway was the biggest beneficiary in terms of playing time. He was fourth on the depth chart to start the season on pass plays but was one of the Saints’ primary run-blocking wide receivers.
- Jarvis Landry, Tre’Quan Smith and Deonte Harty were all limited in practice at various points throughout the week, so none of them were in the best position to see an increased workload.
- The Saints counteracted this in part with more multiple tight end sets, including a personnel grouping with all four tight ends on the field.
- The passing game was also limited with Andy Dalton at quarterback instead of Jameis Winston.
- There is not a waiver wire addition in the group even if Thomas misses more time. Chris Olave remains a must-start, while Jarvis Landry would have likely had a better game if healthy.
Irv Smith Jr.’s lower ceiling: Smith has only played in passing situations. He was still recovering from injury to start the season, but his role has remained unchanged.
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- The Vikings continue to use Johnny Mundt as their early-down tight end.
- Ben Ellefson has also been used extensively as the third tight end, particularly in 21 and 22 personnel.
- Smith still has touchdown potential in the Vikings’ offense and is used at times on the outside, which also helps, but his volume will always be limited in this role.
- He could still be a fantasy starter in the right matchup, but he won’t be a consistent fantasy starter as long as he’s in this role.
Monitor Dalvin Cook’s health: Cook didn’t practice earlier in the week with a shoulder injury. The Vikings limited his playing time accordingly.
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- He was typically taken out on third downs, but he also left the field for a few short stretches of plays.
- Minnesota made sure to have Cook on the field most of the time when running the ball, so his touches weren’t as limited as his snaps suggested.
- It’s worth keeping an eye on the injury report this week to see if Cook is on it and if he’s limited in practice at all.
Cleveland Browns @ Atlanta Falcons
Fantasy football snap counts and analysis coming soon…
Buffalo Bills @ Baltimore Ravens
- J.K. Dobbins: 13 carries, 41 yards, 1 touchdown, 4 receptions, 22 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
- Isaiah McKenzie: 4 receptions, 21 yards, 1 touchdown
Monitor the health of the Bills’ wide receivers: Jamison Crowder was carted to the locker room with an ankle injury, while Isaiah McKenzie left the game with a concussion. Neither returned to the game.
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- The Bills were already down one wide receiver in Jake Kumerow heading into the game. This allowed rookie Khalil Shakir to be active.
- Buffalo used solely 11 personnel in the first half.
- Crowder out-snapped McKenzie, 11 to 9, prior to Crowder’s injury.
- McKenzie played significantly in the two-minute drill in the second quarter, as well as in the third quarter.
- Shakir didn’t start seeing playing time on offense until both wide receivers were injured. He took over as the slot receiver in three-receiver sets.
- When everyone is healthy, this is a situation to avoid due to the split in snaps. If one or both of the top slot receivers misses time, whoever is left at the top of the depth chart is worth having on your fantasy roster due to their volume and the offense.
J.K. Dobbins trending up: Dobbins scored the two touchdowns for Baltimore, but there was even more reason to be excited about his usage.
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- The biggest concern for Dobbins after Week 3 was Justice Hill seeing most of the short-yardage and goal-line work.
- This week, Dobbins received the majority of the goal-line work, and the short-yardage work was split.
- Dobbins also received a snap on third down unlike last week. We’ve yet to see the Ravens run a two-minute drill since his return.
- This all adds up to Dobbins being a relatively safe start at least until Gus Edwards is healthy.
- Kenyan Drake was inactive for a second straight week and can be released in any league he’s still in.
Monitor the Rashod Bateman injury: Bateman went to the medical tent after the first play of the second half. He had his helmet on and was on the sideline but didn’t return to the game.
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- He saw his usual workload in the first half, including being on the field for 20 of 23 pass plays.
- Demarcus Robinson took his role in the second half, playing 17 of 20 pass plays.
- Tylan Wallace also moved up the depth chart. He didn’t play on offense in the first half but played six snaps in the second half.
- Devin Duvernay’s role was notably unchanged, and he played only 13 of 20 pass plays in the second half.
- The fact that he remained on the sideline and had his helmet is a good sign the injury isn’t serious.
Washington Commanders @ Dallas Cowboys
The return of Michael Gallup: Gallup played his first game of the season, moving up to third on the Cowboys’ depth chart.
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- He was on the field for 37 of 47 plays in 11 personnel. Eight of the 10 plays he was off the field from that group were run plays.
- He was on the field for only two of 11 plays in two-receiver sets, but again, seven of those nine plays were run plays.
- That playing time will likely lead to more targets in the future.
- Ideally, he surpasses Noah Brown on the depth chart in two-receiver sets so he can run even more routes, similar to last year when he was healthy.
- Third-round rookie Jalen Tolbert was the third wide receiver for Dallas but was inactive, as the other backups are more involved on special teams.
Monitor the Jahan Dotson injury: The rookie left in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury and didn’t play in the last 10 minutes of the game.
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- He saw his usual role in the first three quarters, running a route on 100% of the team’s pass plays and leaving the field for just six run plays. The snap counts look worse because of how much Washington passed in the fourth quarter.
- His 16.0% targets per route run was his highest rate in a game in his career. Similarly, his 1.72 yards per route run was much higher than any of the past three games.
- 2021 third-round pick Dyami Brown took Dotson’s place in the offense.
- Brown caught one of four targets in the game.
- Dotson should be picked up in leagues where he is available, as he should only improve from here.
- Brown doesn’t need to be a waiver target, even if Dotson misses time.
Antonio Gibson trending down: Gibson had a quiet game on the ground, gaining 49 yards on 13 carries.
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- Jonathan Williams was involved in the offense after just three offensive snaps over the first three weeks.
- Williams gained 48 yards on five carries.
- This meant Gibson handled a lower percentage of the early-down snaps compared to other games this season.
- Brian Robinson Jr. is eligible to return to the active roster this week, and it’s expected he will do so. That will cut into Gibson’s time even more going forward.
Seattle Seahawks @ Detroit Lions
Fantasy football snap counts and analysis coming soon…
Los Angeles Chargers @ Houston Texans
- Austin Ekeler: 13 carries, 60 yards, 2 touchdowns, 6 receptions, 49 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
- Dameon Pierce: 14 carries, 131 yards, 1 touchdown, 6 receptions, 8 receiving yards
Sell high on Austin Ekeler: Ekeler put together by far his best game of the season, but he continues to not see the same usage he received last season.
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- All three of his touchdowns were for 10 or more yards.
- Nine of his 20 touchdowns last year were for 10 or more yards. The other 11 were from six or fewer yards.
- Los Angeles hasn’t created a goal-line opportunity in the past two weeks, but Sony Michel was the primary goal-line back in Week 2.
- Ekeler received only a slight majority of snaps on early downs, which has been consistent this season, and was only in for a fraction of the third-down snaps. His only big advantage was taking most of the two-minute drill snaps.
- He will still be a clear fantasy starter considering his talent, the offense and his OK playing time, but we’re still not seeing the same usage as last season.
Sell high on Gerald Everett: Everett caught five passes for 61 yards and a touchdown, but his playing time remains somewhat limited, and the situation could get worse.
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- His playing time remains generally lower than what it was in Seattle due to sophomore tight end Tre’ McKitty also seeing passing-game work.
- Donald Parham will likely be ready to return next week, according to head coach Brandon Staley.
- He returned to practice for the first time this season a week ago, and on Friday he was a full participant in practice for the first time.
- Parham is 6-foot-8, making him an interesting red-zone threat. Everett will still make a few catches each week, but those touchdowns might disappear.
Dameon Pierce’s career high in catches: Pierce put together another excellent game, in part thanks to a 75-yard run. He succeeded despite the negative game script.
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- Houston remains committed to getting the ball to Pierce early, which is making him more resistant to the game script.
- They tried to get him involved in the passing game, leading to six receptions. He didn’t do much with those catches, but it’s a promising sign they could get him more involved in the passing game in the future.
- He still wasn’t used on third downs or two-minute drills, which could come back to bite fantasy managers if the Texans get blown out in worse games.
- How the Texans are using him and relying on him is similar to the Titans and Derrick Henry.
- He is worth starting regardless of the matchup at this point due to how much the offense relies on him.
- He could be a consistent top-five fantasy back based on his usage if the Texans become a winning football team.
Ignore the Texans’ tight ends: Houston didn’t have Brevin Jordan or Pharaoh Brown, leading the team to rely on backups.
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- Jordan Akins was the biggest beneficiary of the injuries last week, scoring a touchdown on three catches.
- O.J. Howard was the leader Sunday, but that resulted in only two catches for 27 yards.
- Jordan and Brown remain the likely starters once they are healthy, but it will remain a two- or three-man rotation. The offense isn’t good enough to support a consistent fantasy starter when there is a rotation.
Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts
Fantasy football snap counts and analysis coming soon…
Chicago Bears @ New York Giants
Fantasy football snap counts and analysis coming soon…
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Philadelphia Eagles
- Miles Sanders: 27 carries, 134 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 receptions, 22 receiving yards
- Jamal Agnew: 4 receptions, 50 yards, 2 touchdowns
Jamal Agnew’s big game: Zay Jones was inactive, leading to Agnew putting up his best numbers of the season.
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- Jones showed up on the injury report on Thursday with an ankle injury. He was questionable heading into the game but was made inactive.
- Marvin Jones Jr. moved up to second on the depth chart. Jacksonville has largely stayed in 11 personnel this season, so there wasn’t a huge difference for his playing time.
- Tim Jones and Agnew split snaps in the third spot. Jones saw more playing time largely from run plays, while Agnew ran more routes and saw significantly more targets.
- Agnew can be left on the waiver wire, as his playing time wasn’t enough to make him a reliable fantasy starter, even if Zay Jones misses more time.
Drop Kenneth Gainwell: Gainwell may have scored a touchdown, but he wasn’t used nearly enough despite Boston Scott missing this game.
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- Scott missed the game with a ribs injury. He didn’t practice all week and could miss additional time.
- Gainwell’s playing time actually went down rather than up, partially because Miles Sanders was playing so well.
- He only ran five times in a game where the Eagles ran 47 times, which isn’t nearly enough considering another back was injured.
- The Eagles opted to give Trey Sermon some plays on early downs rather than increase Gainwell’s playing time in those situations. Scott had consistently played more on early downs than Gainwell.
- He continued to be used on third downs and likely would have been their two-minute drill back had they been in that situation.
- His playing time would likely increase if Sanders were to get hurt, but it seems like he would at best split early-down work unless both Sanders and Scott are injured.
New York Jets @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Fantasy football snap counts and analysis coming soon…
Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers
Fantasy football snap counts and analysis coming soon…
New England Patriots @ Green Bay Packers
Fantasy football snap counts and analysis coming soon…
Denver Broncos @ Las Vegas Raiders
Fantasy football snap counts and analysis coming soon…
Kansas City Chiefs @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Fantasy football snap counts and analysis coming soon…
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.
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