Immediate fantasy football takeaways from Sunday’s games

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PFF’s fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2025.

Los Angeles Rams @ Jacksonville Jaguars

The Rams adjust without their top weapon: Puka Nacua was ruled out due to an ankle injury after not practicing all week.

Davante Adams and Jordan Whittington slid into the top two spots at wide receiver. Whittington and Atwell have battled for the third wide receiver spot all season. However, Atwell missed last week due to a hamstring injury. He was able to practice in full since Thursday. He was the third wide receiver on the first two drives, but Xavier Smith took his spot, starting on the third drive.

The big change was that the Rams became more diverse in their personnel groupings. Rather than relying on 11 personnel like usual, they used more 13 personnel in the first half than they did over the first six weeks combined. Jordan Whittington had been their 13 personnel wide receiver in the past, but with Whittington further up the depth chart, Konata Mumpfield became their primary 13 personnel wide receiver. This led to Mumpfield scoring the first touchdown of the game. The high 13 personnel usage also led Adams to play less than usual. Targets were well spread out due to the rotation, so Adams didn’t earn the reception volume many fantasy managers hoped for, but he did score three touchdowns.

The Rams have their bye week next week, which will ideally be enough time for both Nacua and Atwell to recover. Once they are back, we should be back to Nacua and Adams as the top wide receivers, while Whittington and Atwell fight for the third spot. There is at least a chance the Rams use a little more 13 personnel going forward, given their success with it in this game. 

The Rams tight end rotation: Los Angeles opted to make all four tight ends active, rotating them more than most teams.

Los Angeles has four tight ends on the roster in veterans Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen and second-round rookie Terrance Ferguson. The rookie has been inactive when everyone is healthy, but Ferguson has shown some promise as a receiver when given the opportunity. Tyler Higbee missed Week 5, leading to Ferguson catching a 21-yard pass. Most recently, Parkinson missed last week due to a concussion. Ferguson played a season-high 17 offensive snaps. Parkinson was a full participant in practice all week, and the Rams decided to use all four wide receivers rather than making someone inactive.

The Rams used Parkinson as the primary 11 personnel tight end on early downs and Ferguson as the primary 11 personnel tight end on third downs. All four played at least five snaps each in single-tight-end sets, and all four played double-digit snaps out of 13 personnel. Ferguson lined up as a wide receiver on several of his snaps out of 13 personnel. He made his second big play of the season with a 31-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. All four tight ends received at least some playing time in 11 personnel. 

This rotation makes it impossible to trust any of the tight ends for fantasy purposes. The most likely scenario where a tight end from this offense becomes an option would be Ferguson earning the majority of 11 personnel snaps on early downs to go along with his third-down usage. It’s also possible the Rams make a tight end inactive once they become healthier at other positions.

Bhayshul Tuten starts getting more involved: Travis Etienne Jr. hasn’t been as effective in recent weeks compared to early in the season.

Etienne had an excellent Week 1 with 143 yards on 16 carries, leading to Tank Bigsby being traded. Tuten has been the primary backup on early downs, while LeQuint Allen Jr. has been the third-down back. That rotation has been relatively stable in recent weeks, but Etienne’s production has declined. Eteinne averaged 3.5 yards per carry in Week 3 with no receptions. In Week 5, he was held to a season-low 12 carries. In Week 6, he matched those 12 carries, while only running for 27 yards.

Etienne started this game, but the Jaguars went three-and-out on their first two drives while the Rams scored touchdowns on their first two. This left them abandoning the run game relatively early. Tuten started rotating in on the third drive, playing significantly on the third and fourth drives prior to the two-minute drill drive. Etienne wasn’t effective the few times he ran the ball, while Tuten averaged more yards per carry for most of the game. The Jaguars were down 28 points in the last five minutes but made a few unexpected runs. This led to more than half of Etienne’s rushing production..

Tuten has been the more effective runner the past two weeks, but Etienne has the better numbers on the season. The one area where Tuten has an edge is avoided tackles per attempt. However, if Tuten keeps outplaying Etienne like he has the past two weeks, we could start to see more out of Tuten going forward. This is one of the few backfields where we could see the backup become the starter without any injuries or trades.

Monitor Brian Thomas Jr.’s health: Thomas was rotated out more than usual and left the game early due to a shoulder injury.

The Jaguars have generally used Brian Thomas Jr. in all situations in addition to using Travis Hunter in 11 personnel, leaving Dyami Brown and Parker Washington rotating for the other spot in both two- and three-receiver sets. Brown missed time in Weeks 3 and 4, but in the other four games, Brown played 70.6% of Jacksonville’s offensive snaps compared to Washington’s 27.5%.

Tim Patrick was notably rotating in more often than usual for Thomas throughout the game, suggesting Thomas wasn’t 100% healthy before the end of the game. The game paused in the last five minutes while Thomas was slow to get off the field, and he didn’t return. Even if Thomas was close to 100%, it made sense for the Jaguars to not risk things with the game out of hand. When Thomas left for the last few minutes, Brown consistently took his place rather than Patrick’s.

The Jaguars have their bye week next week. Ideally, that will be enough time for Thomas to recover. If everyone is healthy in the next two weeks, we should find out in Week 9 if Washington’s ascension is a long-term temporary change.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Los Angeles’ running back Blake Corum didn’t practice on Wednesday, was limited in practice on Thursday and upgraded to full on Friday. He’s dealing with an ankle injury and wasn’t given a game status.
• Corum played a lot this week, but that isn’t indicative of future playing time. The Rams had a very long first drive, leading Corum to take a few snaps in the middle of that drive, as well as the second drive, which also ran long. Williams took the rest of the first half snaps, but then the Rams had a three-score lead in the second half.
• The Rams elevated running back Ronnie Rivers from the practice squad for this game on Saturday while making Jarquez Hunter a healthy inactive. Hunter was also inactive in Week 1. His special teams snaps have declined in recent weeks.
• Travis Hunter didn’t play his first defensive snap until the third quarter. He had started on defense the last two weeks, playing at least 20 snaps in each of the last two games. This was the first game that he didn’t play on defense in the first half. This week was Hunter’s best game on offense, but most of his production occurred after the game was out of reach.
• Jacksonville’s tight end Quintin Morris didn’t practice all week due to a groin injury. He was ruled out on Friday. This left the Jaguars with only two tight ends.
• Hunter Long remained the primary tight end for Jacksonville in all situations with Brenton Strange on injured reserve.

New Orleans Saints @ Chicago Bears

Monitor Kendre Miller’s health: Miller suffered a knee injury in the middle of the first quarter and was ruled out shortly after halftime.

Miller has slowly but surely cut into Alvin Kamara’s playing time. In the previous two games, the two split carries 50-50, while Miller earned more rushing yards. Despite that, the Saints used Kamara on all five plays during the first two drives, which is relatively normal considering how short the drives were. Miller started to mix in on the third drive but suffered the knee injury on his second play.

Sixth-round rookie running back Devin Neal played seven snaps in Week 1 but didn’t play on offense in Week 2. Neal spent a few weeks as a healthy inactive with Velus Jones as the third running back. Neal was back to being active last week but again didn’t play on offense. He became the primary backup for the rest of this game.

Rather than Neal and Kamara rotating, similar to Kamara and Miller, Kamara was the feature back for the rest of the game, while Neal only took a few snaps here and there when Kamara needed a break. If the injury ends up being serious, this would improve Kamara’s fantasy value, making it more likely he would be in fantasy starting lineups in any given week. Kamara has been the subject of trade rumors, but he’s made it very clear he has no intentions of playing for another team. The Miller injury would make it even less likely that Kamara gets traded.

Neal would be a waiver wire pickup in deep leagues, but only as a handcuff option.

Bears move closer to a 50-50 split at running back: Kyle Monangai’s playing time has been rising while D’Andre Swift’s declines, to the benefit of both running backs.

Swift played 66.4% of the Bears’ offensive snaps over the first four weeks, playing roughly that percentage in all situations, outside of the goal line, where Swift had played 100% of the snaps. Chicago had its bye week in Week 5, giving the team time to make several adjustments to their offense. That included getting Monangai more involved in Week 6. Swift’s playing time was down to 56.3% while Monangai bumped up to 34.4%. Monangai played his first goal-line snap, and they were close to 50-50 on early downs. Swift averaged 7.7 yards per carry and caught two passes for 67 yards and a touchdown in this role, so the plan appeared to be working.

This week, the Bears took things a step further, as Swift played 52.9% of the snaps while Monangai played 45.6%. Monangai took the majority of third-down snaps for the first time. This left Swift running 19 times for 124 yards and a touchdown while Monangai ran 13 times for 81 yards and a touchdown.

Head coach Ben Johnson had a two-man backfield in Detroit where both running backs were fantasy-relevant, and it’s starting to look like this Bears duo could do the same thing. Monangai should be picked up off waiver wires in case this Bears rushing attack continues to be very successful. The Bears face the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals over the next two weeks, and those are the two teams that have allowed the most fantasy points to running backs heading into this week. Monangai could be a great short-term option at the position, as there are 10 teams on bye weeks over the next two weeks.

Monitor Cole Kmet’s health: Kmet suffered a back injury late in the third quarter, was initially ruled doubtful and didn’t return.

Kmet started the season as the Bears’ clear lead tight end, playing 90% or more of the offensive snaps in each of the first four games, while first-round rookie Colston Loveland was restricted to two-tight-end sets. The Bears made a change after their bye week. Kmet and Loveland split snaps, while Loveland played more in receiving situations and Kmet played more on run plays.

The Bears followed that same strategy over the first nine drives of this game, as Kmet played 28 of the first 45 snaps compared to Loveland’s 25, but Loveland ran more routes. Once Kmet left, Loveland became a full-time tight end, playing 21 of the final 23 snaps of the game. Durham Smythe, who took a few snaps early on in the game, became the second tight end, largely playing in two-tight-end sets.

Loveland was already a fine waiver-wire option after his increased role last week. If Kmet’s injury is serious, Loveland would have a chance to play an every-down role and prove he deserves to stay in that role over the rest of the season. Loveland caught a career-high three receptions for 24 yards this week.

Miscellaneous Notes

• New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara didn’t practice on Wednesday, was limited in practice on Thursday and upgraded to full on Friday. He was dealing with an ankle injury but wasn’t given a game status.
• Saints’ wide receiver Chris Olave was limited in practice on Wednesday but upgraded to a full participant on Thursday. He was dealing with a hip injury.
• The playing time between Rashid Shaheed and Brandin Cooks has stabilized in recent weeks. Both have played between 40-50% of New Orleans’ offensive snaps in 12 personnel. Both players had played games with over 75% and other games under 15% during the first four weeks.
• Similarly, tight end Juwan Johnson has seen his playing time decline each week, but he played exactly 40 out of 56 snaps for the second straight week.
• Taysom Hill’s primary position has changed all three weeks since his return. He primarily lined up at quarterback in Week 5, at fullback and tight end in Week 6, and at wide receiver in Week 7. He lined up in the slot or out wide on four plays this week, finishing with two snaps at tight end, two at quarterback and one at fullback. This led to two carries and two receptions. Hill was typically playing between 23 and 33 snaps per game last season when healthy. So far this season, he’s only played nine and 12 snaps per game.
• Chicago running back D’Andre Swift was limited on Thursday and Friday due to a groin injury and was questionable but played.
• The Bears activated running back Travis Homer from injured reserve on Saturday. He made his season debut this week.
• Wide receiver D.J. Moore didn’t practice on Wednesday and was limited on Thursday but upgraded to full on Friday. He was dealing with hip and groin injuries.
• Bears’ kicker Cairo Santos was ruled out due to a right thigh injury, his second straight absence. Jake Moody was elevated off the practice squad to replace Santos for a second straight week.

Miami Dolphins @ Cleveland Browns

David Njoku’s absence minimally impacted Harold Fannin Jr.: Njoku didn’t practice all week due to a knee injury. He was ruled out on Friday. 

The Browns used 12 personnel on 49.1% of their offensive snaps over the first six weeks of the season, which is more than any other team. Njoku and Fannin consistently played in those personnel groupings. The team had also used some 13, 22 and 02 personnel. This allowed both Njoku and Fannin to play 74% or more of the offensive snaps during that stretch.

Not only was Njoku out, but backup tight end Blake Whiteheart was limited in practice on Wednesday due to a shoulder injury. Fannin played 82.5% of the offensive snaps, which wasn’t even his season high. The big difference is that he was consistently on the field in 11 personnel on third downs, playing seven of a possible eight snaps. However, he played nine of 15 of those snaps last week. The Browns adapted by putting Luke Wypler on the field for 24 plays as a sixth offensive lineman. Teven Jenkins also played four snaps as an extra offensive lineman.

Whiteheart and the extra linemen were more likely to block on pass plays, allowing Fannin to run a route on a higher percentage of the Browns’ pass plays than usual. If Njoku were to get traded or the injury ended up being long-term, this should have a positive impact on Fannin’s fantasy value. However, this week, the Browns only threw 18 passes, so the increase in route percentage was counteracted by fewer total pass plays. Fannin caught four passes for 36 yards, leading Cleveland.

Fannin needs to remain on fantasy rosters, particularly for the next two weeks as we find out if Njoku gets traded or not.

Monitor Jaylen Waddle’s health: Waddle awkwardly fell after attempting to make a catch late in the fourth quarter. He was helped off the field and didn’t return.

Waddle has been the Dolphins’ clear top wide receiver since Tyreek Hill’s injury, while Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has been the second wide receiver, Malik Washington has been the third in three-receiver sets, and Dee Eskridge as the fourth option. That was also the case throughout this game. While Washington was third in snaps, he was the team leader in both targets and receptions.

Waddle’s injury occurred late in the fourth quarter, at a point when the Dolphins were also down two of their three tight ends. Miami only had four wide receivers on the 46-man game day roster, so it simply used 11 personnel with its three healthy wide receivers and one healthy tight end for the rest of the game. If Waddle misses time, it’s unclear how his snaps would be distributed. Ideally, Washington would become a full-time receiver, but if the Dolphins were comfortable with him playing over 80% of the snaps, he would likely be playing ahead of Westbrook-Ikhine. It’s possible that Eskridge would be the primary player who plays more snaps if Waddle misses time.

The wide receiver room would be one to avoid if Waddle’s injury is serious.

Monitor Darren Waller’s health: Waller suffered a pectoral injury. He was ruled questionable at halftime and out in the middle of the third quarter.

Waller’s playing time has risen each week since making his Dolphins debut in Week 4. He played 27.6% of Miami’s offensive snaps in Week 4, 58.2% in Week 5 and 67.8% in Week 6. That trend continued this week over the first 20 plays of the game, as Waller played 80% of those snaps. He accomplished this despite being limited in practice all week due to a hip injury. Waller left with two minutes to go in the first half and didn’t return. He didn’t earn a target this week.

After the injury, Tanner Conner became the primary receiving tight end, similar to the first three weeks of the season. He caught one pass for 28 yards. Run-blocking tight end Julian Hill suffered an undisclosed injury with 3:41 left in the fourth quarter. He also didn’t return to the game.

If Waller’s injury is not serious and he’s able to return in the next week or two, he would be a buy-low option. Some fantasy managers would be worried about his history of injuries and his lack of receptions this week, but it appears Waller is headed toward an even larger role in the Dolphins’ offense if he can stay healthy.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday and upgraded to a full participant on Friday. He was dealing with a knee injury.
• Gage Larvadain didn’t practice on Wednesday but was limited on Thursday and Friday due to a concussion and was officially questionable. He played.
• Browns wide receiver David Bell retired from the NFL earlier in the week due to an off-field injury. He was a top backup for Cleveland in 2022 and 2023 but played one game in 2024 and hadn’t played in 2025.
• The Browns used one wide receiver set on 14 plays this week, after averaging 4.7 of these plays per game over the first six weeks. Larvadain was the primary wide receiver for these formations, leading to a notable drop in snaps by all three lead wide receivers.
• Isaiah Bond’s playing time decreased even further, as Jamari Thrash was back to splitting two-receiver sets with Bond.
• De’Von Achane played 80% of Miami’s offensive snaps in the first quarter, which was relatively normal for him. The Dolphins were down multiple scores in the second half, so they rotated Achane out more often. He didn’t play in garbage time, so his playing time was ultimately lower than usual. While the quality of the Dolphins offense should be a concern long-term, Achane’s playing time should not be a concern.
• The Dolphins made a change at backup quarterback, making Quinn Ewers active for the first time this season, while Zach Wilson was inactive. Ewers ended up playing the last nine snaps of the game with the Dolphins down 25 points.
• Running back Jaylen Wright was back in the lineup after back-to-back healthy scratches. Eight of his nine offensive snaps occurred with Ewers on the field.

Las Vegas Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs

Rashee Rice returns to Kansas City: Rice was suspended for the first six games of the season.

The Chiefs started the season with Xavier Worthy, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hollywood Brown as their top three receivers. Tyquan Thornton played well enough as a deep threat to earn a role in the Kansas City rotation.

Kansas City eased Rice back in with playing time but not with targets. He played 50% of Kansas City’s offensive snaps before garbage time. That was his fewest in a game in which he stayed healthy since Week 6 of 2023. He largely took playing time away from both Smith-Schuster and Brown, who both had consistently played over 50% of the offensive snaps but fell below 50% before garbage time this week. Worthy and Thornton’s playing time was very similar to last week, again ignoring garbage time. Jalen Royals and Nikko Remigio both played a snap before garbage time and then received significant work in the fourth quarter.

Rice played all over the field, like all Chiefs receivers, but played 45.5% of his snaps out of the slot. While Rice’s playing time was relatively low, he was targeted on 47.4% of his routes, leading to seven receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown. We can generally expect Rice’s playing time to increase going forward, ideally to the 70-80% range. While Brown and Smith-Schuster are the most likely candidates to see a further drop in snaps, it’s at least possible Rice will also cut into Worthy’s playing time going forward.

Rice can safely be put in fantasy starting lineups despite his playing time this week.

Raiders adjust without Jakobi Meyers: Meyers couldn’t play due to knee and toe injuries. He didn’t practice on Wednesday and Thursday but was limited on Friday and initially ruled questionable.

Las Vegas started the season with Meyers and Tre Tucker as the two receivers in 12 personnel, while rookie Dont’e Thornton Jr. was at X, Tre Tucker was at Z and Meyers played in the slot in three-receiver sets. Over the last two weeks, fellow rookie Jack Bech took over for Thornton as the new X receiver in 11 personnel.

With Meyers out, Thornton returned to his role as the X receiver, playing that spot in both two- and three-receiver sets. Bech continued to play in three-receiver sets but in a Z and slot role. When Meyers was healthy, he was playing in the slot over 50% of the time. In this game, Tucker and Bech often rotated between the Z and slot roles.

There have been several trade rumors around Meyers. The Raiders are 2-5, Meyers requested a trade before the season, and he is in the last season of his contract. It would make sense for Las Vegas to make a trade. Bech is a fine waiver-wire option in case the Raiders make the trade in the next two days. He would be the player to target rather than Thornton because we’ve already seen Thornton not have fantasy value as the team’s X receiver. Bech was playing out of position before this week. In his first game playing more of the Z/slot role, he finished second on the team in receiving yards, albeit in a game where the Raiders only had 75 receiving yards.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Raiders halfback Zamir White didn’t dress (coach’s decision), his second straight absence.
• Raiders’ tight end Brock Bowers was inactive due to a knee injury, his third straight absence. He didn’t practice on Wednesday and Thursday but was limited on Friday and was ruled doubtful.
• Michael Mayer remained the Raiders’ clear lead tight end with Bowers out, but he only caught one pass for 10 yards.
• The Raiders only had 35 offensive snaps, with only 30 plays that weren’t called back due to penalty. The 30 plays were the fewest by an offense in a completed game in the PFF era.
• Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt was injured in the middle of the first quarter but was able to return by the end of the quarter.
• The Chiefs pulled their starters late in the third quarter, so Gardner Minshew and the backups played 15 offensive snaps. Thirteen of Brashard Smith’s 28 offensive snaps occurred in garbage time. Isiah Pacheco and Travis Kelce were playing a normal amount of offensive snaps prior to garbage time.
• Jason Brownlee was released from the Chiefs and brought to the practice squad with Rashee Rice back on the roster.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Minnesota Vikings

Jordan Mason’s snaps continue to rise: Mason’s snap rate has been rising every game this season.

Mason started the year splitting snaps with Aaron Jones. Once Jones suffered his injury, Mason only received slight upticks in snaps each week, going from 53.6% to 59.6% to 60.0% to 61.8% of the team’s offensive snaps. Mason received another significant boost in snaps in Week 5, going up to 66.2%, primarily from taking the two-minute drill snaps.

This week, his playing time bumped up again to 76.8%. He played 24 of a possible 30 snaps in the first half. Backup Zavier Scott started rotating in a little more frequently in the second half. Mason has consistently taken 100% of the two-minute drill and short-yardage snaps in recent weeks. The difference this week is that he played over 70% on early downs and over 50% on third downs. He’s typically exceeded that benchmark in one of two situations in each game, but this was the first time he accomplished both.

Jones is eligible to return from injured reserve next week, and all signs point to Jones being ready to play in Week 8. This will likely mean fewer snaps for Mason going forward, but Mason has played well enough to at least be the team’s primary ball carrier. The offensive line has dealt with several injuries, but it should be healthier going forward. While Mason might lose some volume, he should make up for that. There will be a small window where Mason is a buy-low candidate between the announcements that Jones is back and Jones’ actual first game back.

The Eagles make a change at running back: A.J. Dillon was a healthy inactive despite playing the second-most offensive snaps among Jaguars running backs this season.

The Eagles started the season with Will Shipley and Dillon as their primary backups. Shipley suffered an injury in Week 1, leading the team to trade for Tank Bigsby, who spent the first five weeks of his time in Philadelphia as a returner who did not play any snaps on offense. In recent weeks, Dillon was the primary backup to Saquon Barkley on early downs and third downs, but Shipley would get used at times in two-minute drills.

This week, Philadelphia decided to only have three running backs on the game day roster instead of four, making Dillon inactive. Shipley took all four of the two-minute drill snaps this week and became the primary backup on third downs. Bigsby played his first offensive snaps for Philadelphia, becoming the primary backup on early downs.

It’s unclear how much of this was Bigsby surpassing Dillon on the depth chart compared to Bigsby’s special teams value relative to Dillon in addition to the Eagles wanting to have more players at a different position. Barkley suffered a very brief injury in this game. If he misses a significant period of time this season, it’s unclear how snaps would be distributed. There is a possibility that Bigsby, Shipler or Dillon would be the best fantasy option in that scenario, just depending on how the Eagles would distribute touches. If you’re in a league where most handcuffs are rostered, this would still be a situation to avoid.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Minnesota quarterback J.J. McCarthy missed his fourth straight game due to an ankle injury. He was limited in practice all week. He was ruled questionable on Friday.
• Adam Thielen played a season-low eight offensive snaps this week. His playing time dramatically decreased once Jordan Addison’s suspension ended. This week, Jalen Nailor took a higher percentage of three-wide receiver set snaps from Thielen compared to the last two games.
• Tight end T.J. Hockenson has played at least 82% of Minnesota’s offensive snaps in four consecutive games. He never played over 82% in a game in 2024.
• Minnesota’s tight end Ben Yurosek was back in the lineup after missing back-to-back games due to a knee injury. Nick Vannett was released and returned to the practice squad with Yurosek back.
• Philadelphia tight end Grant Calcaterra was ruled out due to an oblique injury, his second straight absence. He didn’t practice all week. He was ruled out on Friday. The Eagles elevated tight end E.J. Jenkins from the practice squad for this game on Saturday.

Carolina Panthers @ New York Jets

Panthers adjust their running back rotation.: Chuba Hubbard was back in the lineup after missing back-to-back games due to a calf injury. 

Hubbard was the clear starter over the first four weeks, playing 64.1% of Carolina’s offensive snaps, compared to Dowdle’s 35.1%. Hubbard was the primary early-down back, while Dowdle was the backup and third-down running back. While Hubbard was out, Dowdle was the clear starter, running 53 times for 389 yards and a touchdown. However, he accomplished this in two favorable matchups, while Hubbard had the better stats over the first four weeks.

The Panthers opted for a simple rotation by drive. Hubbard started the game and played the first drive, Dowdle took the second and so on. Some of the drives went for more than seven plays, which, at times, led Carolina to stray from that rotation to give the current running back a break. Carolina didn’t stray from this strategy throughout the game. Hubbard was the primary running back on the 11th drive of the game.

Hubbard will be the player with the most touches in an average week if the Panthers stick with this rotation. However, it’s worth noting that Dowdle outplayed Hubbard this week. Dowdle gained 79 yards on 17 carries compared to Hubbard’s 31 yards on 14 carries. The Panthers may change their rotation as next week, even if it’s a small change like Dowdle, who sees the first drive while Hubbard gets the second. Carolina faces the Buffalo Bills next week, and the Bills have allowed a lot of fantasy production to running backs. Both may be worthy of being fantasy starters next week, as there are six teams on bye weeks.

Jalen Coker eased back into action: The Panthers activated Coker from injured reserve on Saturday, allowing him to make his season debut.

The Panthers have used Tetairoa McMillan as their X receiver, Xavier Legette as their Z, and a rotation of players, including Hunter Renfrow, seventh-round rookie Jimmy Horn Jr. and Brycen Tremayne, in the slot. Coker’s return meant Renfrow was the odd man out and a healthy inactive. 

Coker led the three-man rotation for the first three quarters, playing 10 of a possible 19 snaps in three-receiver sets, while Horn and Tremayne both played five. Carolina became comfortable enough with how Coker was playing in those three quarters to let him play 10 of a possible 13 snaps in 11 personnel in the fourth quarter. We can expect Coker to dominate three-receiver set snaps going forward, similar to what he did in the fourth quarter. He was held without a catch in his return.

If he’s going to become a fantasy-relevant receiver, he likely needs to take some playing time away from Legette, who played 17 of a possible 19 snaps in 12 personnel. Horn took the other two snaps. There were two plays in 11 personnel where Coker was an outside receiver in Legette’s place, while Tremayne was in the slot. However, Legette had his best game in the NFL, catching a career-high nine receptions for 92 yards while scoring a touchdown. His previous best game was six receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown.

While we should see much better games from Coker than this game, it will be much harder for Coker to become fantasy-relevant if Legette is playing well.

The Jets offense struggles without Garrett Wilson: Wilson didn’t practice all week due to a knee injury and was initially ruled doubtful but ultimately didn’t play.

Josh Reynolds has been the Jets’ X receiver when healthy, playing in both two- and three-receiver sets. New York wanted him to step up and be the top wide receiver in the offense, giving him the most targets. However, he only caught three of those passes for 29 yards. Arian Smith saw the biggest increase in playing time this week, playing over 90% of New York’s offensive snaps in both two- and three-receiver sets. He had been playing between 45-60% of the offensive snaps over the last three weeks. However, he was held to one reception for no gain. Given that the Jets are 0-7, it wouldn’t be surprising if Smith continues to play a very high snap rate to give him more opportunities to grow.

Allen Lazard led a two-man rotation with Tyler Johnson for the No. 3 receiver snaps. Lazard was a healthy inactive last week due to personal reasons. While Johnson was fourth on the depth chart in this game, he led the Jets in receiving with three receptions for 60 yards. While Johnson has been fifth on the depth chart when everyone is healthy, he has 1.29 yards per route run this season, while all of the other wide receivers who played Sunday are at 0.65, at best. Johnson may get more involved in the Jets offense going forward, given the plays he made in this game.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Breece Hall missed a little bit of this game due to injury but was able to return. That, and the Jets playing a lot of snaps on third downs and in two-minute situations, led to Hall and Davis playing a near 50-50 split. Hall still dominated early-down snaps when healthy.
• Jets running back Khalil Herbert was active this week after being a healthy inactive last week.
• New York wide receiver Josh Reynolds didn’t practice on Wednesday, was limited in practice on Thursday and upgraded to full on Friday. He was dealing with a hip injury.
• Justin Fields left early in the second quarter due to an injury. He returned before the end of the quarter, but the Jets decided to go with Tyrod Taylor for the second half. Taylor threw two interceptions, so the team may turn back to Fields next week.
• Jets fourth-string running back and returner Kene Nwangwu suffered a concussion in this game and didn’t return.
• Tight end Mason Taylor played over 90% of New York’s offensive snaps for a second straight week.
• Panthers tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders returned after missing three straight games due to an ankle injury. However, he was limited to just 26 of 71 offensive snaps. He primarily played on third downs and in three-tight-end sets, while Tommy Tremble the primary tight end on early downs and in two-tight-end sets with Mitchell Evans.
• Panthers quarterback Bryce Young left the game late in the third quarter due to an ankle injury and did not return. Initial reports immediately after the game were positive, but there is still a chance Young misses time.
• Panthers running back DeeJay Dallas was a healthy scratch after playing in the team’s last game.

New England Patriots @ Tennessee Titans

Rhamondre Stevenson becomes the Patriots’ every-down back: TreVeyon Henderson played notably fewer snaps in favor of Stevenson.

The efficiency stats between Stevenson and Henderson haven’t been all that different over the first six weeks. Stevenson has more yards per reception but also has three fumbles this year. Despite this, Stevenson played 72% of New England’s offensive snaps compared to Henderson’s 30% last week in the first game without Antonio Gibson. If anything, it was thought that the Patriots would move closer to 50-50 as the season progressed, given how much the Patriots invested in Henderson.

Instead, this week the team turned even more toward Stevenson, who played 42 of a possible 45 snaps over the first three quarters, while Henderson only played four snaps during this time. Stevenson ran 16 times compared to Henderson’s one run.

The Patriots had an 18-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. The two entered a two-man rotation at the start of the fourth quarter. New England put in its backups at the end of the game, which meant third-string running back Terrell Jennings closed out the game.

As long as this stands, Stevenson should be in starting lineups, while Henderson should not be in starting lineups, even with several teams on bye weeks the next few weeks. While you ideally want to hold onto Henderson in case he breaks out in the second half of the season, there will be plenty of fantasy managers who drop Henderson this week to form the best starting lineups they can during bye weeks. Considering Henderson seems to be getting further away from being fantasy relevant rather than closer, it’s understandable if this happens, particularly in 10-team leagues.

Tennessee adjusts without Calvin Ridley: Ridley didn’t practice all week due to a hamstring injury. He was ruled out on Friday.

Ridley has spent this season as the Titans’ primary Z receiver, while fourth-round rookie Elic Ayomanor played the X-receiver role. Van Jefferson has been the primary backup on the outside, while Chimere Dike and Tyler Lockett have split the slot snaps in three-receiver sets.

Similar to last week, the Titans moved Ayomanor to Ridley’s spot as the Z receiver, and Jefferson took Ayomanor’s spot as the X receiver. However, Dike had the best day of his NFL career with four receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown. He had 26 receiving yards and no touchdowns over the first six games combined. Dike’s role in this game did not change from last week. He played less than 50% of the 11 personnel snaps over the first three weeks and has been over 50% the last three weeks, taking time from Lockett. However, he didn’t take any more time from Lockett this week compared to last week.

Lockett could get traded in the next two weeks, in which case Dike would likely play notably more snaps. Dike is a fine player to pick up in deep leagues because of the potential Lockett trade, but Ayomanor remains the better long-term option this season, considering how many more routes Ayomanor runs each week compared to Dike.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Hunter Henry played notably fewer offensive snaps, particularly in 12 personnel. He played six of 13 snaps in 12 personnel in the first three quarters and two of 10 in the fourth quarter. In the first three quarters, he tended to be on the field for passing plays and off for run plays. He had played 91.4% of the 12 personnel snaps over the first six weeks. This will be worth monitoring going forward.
• The Patriots elevated running back Terrell Jennings from the practice squad for this game on Saturday. New England is the only team with only two running backs on the roster.
• Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday due to a chest injury and was questionable. He was active.
• Titans backup running back Tyjae Spears led the team in rushing yards at 22, but Tony Pollard was the leader in offensive snaps, including playing more third-down snaps.
• Tennessee wide receiver Bryce Oliver was ruled out due to a knee injury, his fifth straight absence. He was limited in practice all week but ruled out on Friday.
• Van Jefferson was limited in practice this week due to an ankle injury but was a full participant in practice on Friday. The Titans elevated Mason Kinsey off the practice squad for this game due to the injuries at wide receiver.
• Titans tight end Gunnar Helm played over 50% of his team’s snaps for the second time this season and caught a career-high 36 receiving yards. Chig Okonkwo was held without a catch. Helm’s playing time may continue to increase after this week.
• Titans’ kicker Joey Slye returned after missing last week due to a right calf injury. He was limited in practice all week.

New York Giants @ Denver Broncos

Coming soon!

Indianapolis Colts @ Los Angeles Chargers

Oronde Gadsden puts together a career game: Gadsden gained 164 receiving yards on seven receptions, which is 40 more receiving yards than any other tight end in a game this season.

Gadsden started the season as a healthy inactive, as the Chargers used Tyler Conklin and Will Dissly as their primary tight ends. An injury to Dissly led Gadsden to be active in Week 3. His playing time has been rising ever since. Dissly returned last week, but that didn’t stop Gadsden from playing 75% of the offensive snaps. He put together the best game of his short career with seven receptions for 68 yards.

His playing time increased even further this week, playing 78.9% of the offensive snaps. He played at least 80% of the snaps in one-tight-end sets on early downs, one-tight-end sets on third downs and two-tight-end sets. The only notable time he was consistently off the field was in four-receiver sets.

Tucker Fisk was the only other tight end who played significant snaps, largely in run formations. Dissly played three snaps. Conklin was active but didn’t play an offensive snap. Gadsden was the top waiver-wire target at tight end in most leagues last week but will be the top player to pick up this week in any league where he is available. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Chargers move on from Conklin, or at least make him a healthy inactive going forward.

The Colts turn to Anthony Gould with multiple injuries: Indianapolis didn’t have two of its top four wide receivers.

Indianapolis’ wide receivers Josh Downs (concussion) and Ashton Dulin (chest) were ruled out on Friday after neither practiced all week. Downs has been the Colts’ slot receiver when healthy. Alec Pierce recently missed two games due to a concussion. Adonai Mitchell initially replaced Pierce, but after fumbling a potential out of the end zone and a penalty negating a touchdown, the Colts turned to Dulin the following week. Mitchell was a healthy inactive last week. Last season, when Downs was injured, Mitchell took over in the slot.

While Mitchell was active this week and Laquon Treadwell was a practice squad elevation, Gould took over as the slot receiver in three-wide receiver sets. Gould was a fifth-round pick in 2024. He caught one pass as a rookie and was inactive for half of the games while playing special teams in the other half. This season, he was primarily used as a returner, finishing with 12 offensive snaps in the first six weeks.

He made his second NFL reception this week. This primarily led the Colts to concentrate their targets on their other four starting skill players, leading all four to have games with at least 14 PPR points each. All three of the Colts’ usual wide receivers should be on fantasy rosters and should often be in fantasy starting lineups. One or two players might have a bad week, but that risk is worth taking considering how good they can be when given enough touches.

Miscellaneous Notes

• The Colts placed quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. on injured reserve on Monday after suffering a pre-game eye injury last week.
• The Colts signed running back Ameer Abdullah off their own practice squad on Saturday. Tyler Goodson has missed most of the season due to injuries, and that included this week, as he missed due to a groin injury. Ameer Abdullah was the primary backup, ahead of D.J. Giddens, for a second straight game.
• Tyler Warren played over 90% of Indianapolis’ offensive snaps for the first time since Week 2.
• Chargers fullback Scott Matlock was active this week after missing last week due to an ankle injury. He was a full participant in practice all week.
• Los Angeles running back Hassan Haskins was a full participant in practice on Thursday and Friday. He was dealing with a chest injury and was initially ruled questionable, but he played.
• The split between Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins was nearly identical to last week, as Vidal played roughly double as many snaps as Haskins. Vidal dominated touches but wasn’t very effective. This game could lead Los Angeles to look for a running back via trade.
• The Chargers elevated running back Nyheim Hines from the practice squad for this game on Saturday to be their third halfback for a second straight week.
• Los Angeles wide receiver Quentin Johnston was back in the lineup after missing last week due to a hamstring injury.
• Los Angeles wide receiver Derius Davis was back in the lineup after missing his third straight game due to a knee injury. Rookie KeAndre Lambert-Smith was a healthy inactive with Davis back in the lineup.

Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals

Monitor Dontayvion Wicks’ health: Wicks was limited in practice this week, leading to limited playing time. He missed most of the second half.

Wicks played in 13 of a possible 24 snaps after dealing with an ankle injury during the week. He was consistently playing in three-receiver sets, but Romeo Doubs and Matthew Golden were the typical receivers in two-receiver sets. Wicks started the second half but only played two snaps before leaving with a calf injury. He was ruled questionable but never ended up returning to the game.

Malik Heath took over as the third receiver in three-receiver sets over the rest of the game, playing 17 of the 32 snaps in the second half. Savion Williams was the fourth receiver from that point on but only played three second-half snaps.

Green Bay wide receiver Christian Watson was limited in practice all week, and the Packers opted to leave him on injured reserve for this week. There is a good chance Watson will be activated this week. Wicks has been playing the Z-receiver role, which is also Watson’s spot. The two often rotated last season, and they seem very likely to be rotating next week if both are healthy.

Bam Knight leads the Cardinals’ running back rotation again: Knight received double-digit carries while Michael Carter barely earned double-digit rushing yards.

The Cardinals lost James Conner for the season, and his initial replacement, Trey Benson, has spent the last three weeks on injured reserve. While Carter was the initial early-down back, Knight took over last week despite Carter starting. This week, Knight started his first NFL game since 2022, playing 13 of the 16 snaps in the first quarter, while Carter didn’t play his first snap until the second quarter. Knight ran 14 times for 57 yards and caught three passes for seven yards, while Carter ran seven times for 11 yards and caught two passes for 25 yards.

Emari Demercado started the season as a special teams player, but took over as the third-down back once Conner was lost for the season. He didn’t practice all week due to an ankle injury and was ruled out on Friday. D’Ernest Johnson was elevated from the practice squad to take Demercado’s place. While Carter took most of the third-down snaps last week after Demercado’s injury, Johnson took the third-down role this week. He had a similar role with the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ offense in 2023 and 2024.

The Cardinals have their bye next week but follow that up with a game against the Dallas Cowboys, who allowed the third-most fantasy points to running backs over the first seven weeks. Knight should be picked up in fantasy leagues where he is available, as he can be in fantasy starting lineups in Week 9. After that point, Benson will be eligible to return.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Packers running back Josh Jacobs was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, upgraded to full on Friday. He was dealing with an illness and a calf injury and was questionable but was active. Jacos played roughly 10% fewer snaps than usual but still led the team in carries and scored two touchdowns.
• Green Bay elevated Pierre Strong Jr. from the practice squad in case Jacobs couldn’t play, but Strong was ultimately inactive.
• Green Bay kicker Brandon McManus couldn’t play due to a right quadricep injury, his second straight absence. He didn’t practice all week. He was ruled questionable on Friday.
• Kyler Murray has missed back-to-back games due to a foot injury. He was limited in practice all week.
• Marvin Harrison Jr. (concussion) and Zay Jones (knee) missed practice time this week, but both players were active. The Cardinals opted to make Xavier Weaver active after making him a healthy inactive the last two weeks as a precaution. Harrison’s playing time was normal, but Jones didn’t play as much as usual in two-receiver sets, while Michael Wilson played more often than usual.
• The Cardinals placed tight end Travis Vokolek on injured reserve on Wednesday and signed Josiah Deguara off the practice squad to take his place.

Washington Commanders @ Dallas Cowboys

Coming soon!

Atlanta Falcons @ San Francisco 49ers

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.