Hidden Stat Line: Targets, Routes & Snaps from Week 1

This article is part of our Hidden Stat Line series.

Welcome to Hidden Stat Line: Part II, where we'll examine Week 1 usage for wide receivers and tight ends, focusing on the snaps, routes and targets that led to fantasy points (or lack thereof). This is the complement to Monday's HSL: Backfield Breakdown, which provided volume and context for every running back who had a significant role during the opening week of the season.

Our backfield breakdown provided cause for optimism on James Robinson, Malcolm Brown and Myles Gaskin, while a closer look suggested Joshua Kelley might not be the slam-dunk waiver add some have suggested.

For the pass catchers, key "winners" below include Darren Waller, Parris Campbell, Jimmy Graham, Preston Williams, Miles Boykin and Quintez Cephus. On the other hand, you might be disappointed if you thought Anthony Miller's strong stat line and game-winning TD would be backed by high-end usage.

Due to time constraints, we'll initially post breakdowns from the Thursday game and the early Sunday games, later adding data from the other contests once we've crunched the numbers and taken a closer look at everything that's fantasy-relevant. If you scroll to the very bottom of the page, you'll find Week 1 leaderboards for air yards, air yard share, target share, routes per dropback and targets per route.

(Snap and targets come from pro-football-reference.com. Data on dropbacks and routes run comes from Pro Football Focus.)

Houston Texans (20) @ Kansas City Chiefs (34)

Houston

Notes

• A casual observer of this game never would've guessed that Fuller ran fewer routes than Cobb and played fewer snaps than Akins. Fuller is already a polarizing player, so I'm sure we'll all interpret this in whichever direction supports our pre-existing opinions. His fantasy managers would probably like to see him higher than 0.80 routes per Deshaun Watson dropback, but it's still a good sign to see him targeted on 31.2 percent of routes. Plus, he got his customary drop out of the way early, letting a perfect back-shoulder throw slip through his fingers on the opening drive. Fuller put up four for 72 in the fourth quarter.
• The 88 percent snap share was a new career high for Akins, who hit paydirt from 19 yards out on a seam route to cut the KC lead to 18 points midway through the fourth quarter.
• Akins, Randall Cobb and No. 5 WR DeAndre Carter saw one red-zone target apiece; the Texans didn't run many plays near the KC end zone.
• Houston ran 69 percent of its plays from 11 personnel (3 WR, 1 RB, 1 TE) and 24 percent from 12 personnel (2 WR, 1 RB, 2 TE), plus 5 percent with both David Johnson and Duke Johnson on the field.

Kansas City

Notes

• Maybe there's something here with Watkins following his big postseason with a big Week 1. The usage and the quality of his performance both were encouraging, but we do need to mention that he had 70 percent snap share in 2018 and 79 percent in 2019, yet disappeared from the stat sheet on a regular basis.
• Robinson let two passes fall through his hands in the end zone. Both were difficult plays, but definitely catchable. Nonetheless, he continued to get most of the playing time as the No. 3 receiver, working ahead of Hardman to the chagrin of fantasy football players. The two did combine for 28 routes (on 32 Patrick Mahomes dropbacks), so there's some potential if Hardman can eventually make the role entirely his. Granted, even in that scenario, he might need a teammate injury (Kelce/Watkins/Hill) before seeing more than 4-5 targets per week.
• Watkins got three targets inside the 10-yard line, with Kelce seeing two and Hill and Robinson getting one apiece. Watkins and Mark Andrews were the only players with three inside-the-10 targets Week 1.
• The Chiefs ran 11 personnel on 60 percent of snaps, also mixing in 12 (25 percent), 21 (7 percent) and 22 (7 percent).

Seattle Seahawks (38) @ Atlanta Falcons (25)

Seattle

  Notes

• Chris Carson added a 6-45-2 receiving line on six targets, despite rotating with Carlos Hyde and Travis Homer (two targets) in the backfield.
• Olsen got the TD deodorant, but 0.56 routes per dropback isn't encouraging, especially given that it was Dissly's first game back from a severe injury. The Seattle tight ends are a stay-away until further notice.
• The Seahawks ran 11 personnel on 62 percent of snaps and 12 personnel on 31 percent. Last year, they were at 73 percent and 14 percent, respectively. Given the Olsen addition, it does make sense that they'd use more multi-TE sets this year, especially while waiting on Josh Gordon to be reinstated from suspension (TBD).
• Red-zone targets went to Carson (two), Moore (one) and Olsen (one).
• Metcalf hit paydirt from 38 yards out, and he had another deep reception for a gain of 37. Lockett drew a 41-yard PI penalty, but in terms of credited targets he saw four within 10 yards of the LOS and four more in the 10-19 range, per PFF.

Atlanta

Notes

• Each of the top-three WRs had 12 targets, nine catches and triple-digit yards.
• Ridley had three of the six red-zone targets, including one inside the 10 (a seven-yard TD). Gage and Ito Smith also got one inside-the-10 target apiece, while Jones got a lone red-zone look.
• Jones and Ridley got two targets apiece 20+ yards downfield. Gage saw nine of his 12 within 10 yards of the LOS, per PFF.
• Hurst was a dud for fantasy, but we at least saw him handle the same role Austin Hooper had last year in terms of snaps and routes. No need to panic after one game.
• The Falcons were reasonably varied in their personnel, running only 62 percent of snaps from 11. They ran 26 percent of their plays from either 12 or 21, mixing in Stocker or fullback Keith Smith.

Cleveland Browns (6) @ Baltimore Ravens (38)

Cleveland

Notes

• Njoku was placed on IR with an MCL sprain after the game. His final catch came with five minutes remaining in the third quarter, so while he likely would have seen more snaps if he'd stayed healthy, it's not like the injury drastically distorted his playing time.
• Beckham had four or five would-be targets wiped out by penalties, including two called against him. He had an ugly third-down drop in the first half, and he was overthrown by Baker Mayfield on what could've been a 48-yard TD in garbage time.
• The Browns used 12 personnel on 41 percent of snaps, which was more often than they used 11 (34 percent). The Eagles were the only other team to use 12 more than 11 in Week 1, though the Cardinals actually came kind of close (33-26) to doing it.

Baltimore

Notes

• The Ravens pulled their top players for the final drive, which consisted of five carries and one pass.
• Andrews drew three of the four inside-the-10 targets, with Boykin getting the other. Snead got two in the red zone but none inside the 10.
• The 71 percent snap share for Andrews was easily a career high, eclipsing 57 percent from a Week 7 game in Seattle last season. Last year, he got most of his playing time in three-wide formations, while Hayden Hurst and Nick Boyle often paired up in multi-TE sets. This year, as many predicted, Andrews appears to be playing in a wider variety of formations. His snap share might have been around 80-85 percent if this had been a closer game.
• Hollywood did all his damage in the first half, including a 47-yard gain on a deep ball.
• The Ravens ran nine or more plays from four different personnel groupings, with 11 (41 percent) being the most commonly used. Fullback Patrick Ricard played 39 percent of snaps and lost a fumble along the way.

New York Jets (17) @ Buffalo Bills (27)

New York

Notes

• Herndon was used as a pass blocker on nine snaps, per PFF. Fellow Jets tight end Ryan Griffin had the second-most pass blocking snaps (105) of any TE last year.
• There were two RZ targets - one to Crowder, one to Hogan. The Crowder TD was a 69-yarder on a pass he caught at the line of scrimmage.
• The Jets ran 79 percent of their plays out of 11 personnel.

Buffalo

Notes

• The Bills dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 41:16 and running 81 plays.
• Knox was used as a pass blocker on nine snaps, per PFF.
• The Bills ran an NFL-high 22 plays (27 percent) out of 10 personnel (four WR, one RB). The Cardinals (11 plays) were the only other team to use 10 personnel more than three times this week.
• The Bills also ran 65 percent of their plays from 11 personnel. All told, they had only two with fewer than three WRs on the field. However, I will note that they came out with a similar strategy at the beginning of last season but eventually mixed in some more looks with a second tight end or fullback. Even so, it's encouraging for Josh Allen, who lost two fumbles but also had a 14-57-1 rushing line, 312 passing yards and two passing TDs. It also leaves the door open for Beasley to have some deep-league value even if Diggs and Brown are getting regularly fed.
• PFF charted Allen with only five scrambles from pass plays among his carries, so it was mostly option plays or designed runs.

Las Vegas Raiders (34) @ Carolina Panthers (30)

Las Vegas

Notes

• Edwards played more snaps, but it was Ruggs who led the WRs in both routes and targets, albeit with less-than-dominant shares in both cases. The first-round pick did miss part of the game with an ankle injury, so it's possible he'll be a full-time player Week 2.
• No need to worry about Waller's role. He took snaps in "running" formations, and led the team in every relevant volume receiving stat.
• The Vegas RBs accounted for 10 of the team's 28 targets (36 percent). Last year, RBs accounted for 24 percent of the team total, which was eighth most in the league.
• The Raiders had multiple TEs on the field for 54 percent of snaps, going three-wide only 46 percent of the time. That's bad news for Renfrow, who played all but one of his snaps from 11 personnel. Then again, it's not exactly a surprise that he's strictly the slot man in three-wide sets.
• Nelson Agholor scored a 23-yard TD on his lone target.

Carolina

Notes

• The route usage for Thomas was much better than you'd guess if you only looked at the receiving line and snap share. Tight ends who run routes on more than two-thirds of dropbacks usually have streaming value, at the very least.
• The Panthers ran 65 percent of their plays from 11 personnel, plus 5 percent from 10 personnel. Not bad, but I was expecting it to be more spread-heavy under OC Joe Brady. That's not ideal for Samuel, who doesn't figure to see many snaps when the Panthers have a second tight end or fullback on the field.
• The team had two RZ targets, one for Moore and one for Anderson.

Chicago Bears (27) @ Detroit Lions (23)

Chicago 

Notes

• The Bears also had WR Darnell Mooney in on 32 percent of snaps and TE Cole Kmet in for 31 percent. (Robinson and Graham were the only full-time skill players in the offense.)
• Miller finished with the best stat line behind 58 yards and a game-winning TD in the final four minutes, but it was actually ol' man Graham whose snap/route usage was encouraging. Of course, Miller's huge fourth quarter should lead to more playing time in the future, right?
• The Bears ran 52 percent of their plays from 11 personnel, down from 63 percent last year.

Detroit

Notes

• Marvin Hall played only 21 percent of snaps, i.e., the same role he had last year when Kenny Golladay (hamstring) was healthy. Cephus took on Golladay's usual snaps.
• Cephus saw two of his team-high 10 targets inside the 10-yard line, but neither was completed. Hockenson saw the other inside-the-10 target and converted for the TD.
• Cephus wasn't just a dump-off guy; he had 117 air yards.
• Detroit used 11 personnel on 69 percent of snaps, even with Golladay absent.

Indianapolis Colts (20) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (27)

Indianapolis

Notes

• RBs accounted for 37 percent of the Indy targets... Philip Rivers!
• In addition to the heavy RB usage, it's suboptimal for fantasy purposes to see four WRs getting semi-regular snaps. Campbell might seem like a huge winner from Week 1, but consider that he only played four snaps in anything other than 11 personnel. That means his snaps and routes could drop if the Colts shift toward multi-TE formations. They ran 80 percent of their plays from 11 personnel in Week 1. Still, you're happy to see nine targets and 103 air yards if you drafted Campbell.

Jacksonville

Notes

• Dede Westbrook was inactive, while Chris Conley played only 32 percent of snaps. The youth movement is in full effect!
• Jacksonville ran only 47 offensive plays, the fewest in the NFL for Week 1. (The Colts ran 69, t-10th most).
• Shenault took one direct snaps and had two other plays lined up in the backfield. He gained 10 yards on two carries.
• Cole with 0.23 targets per route run (TPRR) is likely an anomaly. He was just 0.14 TPRR last year and also 0.14 in 2018, primarily serving as a low-volume deep threat.  However, four of his five targets Sunday came within 10 yards of the LOS, per PFF.

Green Bay Packers (43) @ Minnesota Vikings (34)

Green Bay

Notes

• Josiah Deguara played 31 percent of snaps, with Jace Sternberger adding 15 percent. You can probably drop Sternberger if you still have him, even in most dynasty leagues.
• MVS had the better stat line, but it was Lazard who occupied a full-time role.
• Green Bay RBs accounted for 11 targets, 26 percent of the team total. They got 25 percent last year, seventh most of any backfield.
• Adams did good.

Minnesota

Notes

• We kind of already knew Thielen would be the only reliable pass catcher here.
• The Vikings ran 49 offensive plays, second fewest of any team Week 1. The Packers ran 76, fifth most.
• This usage is highly discouraging for any Irv Smith breakout investors, but there is some cause for optimism on Jefferson if you can move past the weak stat line... 0.84 routes per dropback in an NFL debut is a big workload.

Miami Dolphins (11) @ New England Patriots (21)

Miami

Notes

• There was some buzz last week about Durham Smythe looking good in practice and being listed ahead of Gesicki on the depth chart... Smythe played 21 percent of snaps Sunday and finished without a target.
• No limitations for Williams in his first game back from an ACL tear.
• The Dolphins really tried to emphasize their running game, with three RBs combining for 22 carries and Ryan Fitzpatrick adding another five rush attempts. Last year, they often didn't even bother.
• Parker left with a hamstring injury.
• Ford is worth checking out in deep leagues and DFS. The ball needs to go somewhere, right? And I'm guessing Parker won't be back for Week 2.

New England

Notes

• The Patriots almost always ran the ball when Edelman was off the field, but it is still a little concerning to see his snap share so darn low. He also had a 23-yard carry, so he wasn't a bust for fantasy managers. He played 79 percent of his snaps from 11 personnel, so he wasn't strictly a one-formation player like Hunter Renfrow.
• Ryan Izzo in an every-down role! Meanwhile, Devin Asiasi was limited to 16 percent of snaps, and Dalton Keene (neck) was inactive. Izzo had six catches on 256 offensive snaps last year, in case you were wondering.

Philadelphia Eagles (17) @ Washington Football Team (27)

Philadelphia

Notes

• The Eagles also had J.J. Arcega-Whiteside playing 41 percent of snaps and John Hightower at 40 percent, so they essentially used a five-man rotation at wide receiver.
• Goedert got 10 snaps in 11 personnel, while Ertz handled 15. Last year, Ertz averaged 20.9 snaps per game in 11, while Goedert averaged 9.3. Closing that gap and stealing more of Ertz's playing time in single-TE formations might be the key factor for Goedert to move from the TE1/2 borderline into legit TE1 territory. For the time being, he still appears unreliale, despite the immense talent.
• D-Jax ruined a lot of DFS lineups, but his league-high 210 air yards hint at a big game coming at some point in the not-so-distant future.
• Reagor's 144 air yards were sixth-best in the league at the conclusion of Sunday's action.

Washington

Notes

• I'm not sure if Thomas is actually good, but the route/target rates above are close to the best-case scenario for any tight end. It's the type of usage that instantly makes him a streaming option or a waiver add for the TE-needy.
• Sims played 44 snaps in the slot and 13 out wide, per PFF. He wasn't just the slot guy in three-wide formations, though he also handled that role (plus punt returns... and kick returns). Only 62 percent of his snaps came in 11 personnel.
• Washington ran only 51 percent of its plays from 11, which doesn't bode well for Inman as the third receiver. He's the kind of replacement-level talent who probably needs to be on the field for something like 90 percent of snaps if he's going to provide any fantasy value.
• The route and target numbers hint at better days ahead for McLaurin.

Los Angeles Chargers (16) @ Cincinnati Bengals (13)

Los Angeles

Notes

• The Chargers used 11 person on 73 percent of their plays, despite having Williams (shoulder) at less than 100 percent and the inexperienced Guyton serving as the No. 3 receiver.
• If Sunday is any indication, Guyton could be this year's version of Andre Patton, who saw only 17 targets on 506 snaps for the Chargers last season. All those empty snaps leave more targets and carries for the core skill-position players (Allen, Williams, Henry, Austin Ekeler).

Cincinnati 

Notes

• Auden Tate, Tee Higgins and Mike Thomas each played 22 percent of snaps. Maybe that was just a Week 1 thing, or maybe it's a real concern for the starting wide receivers. Anyway, only Thomas saw targets (2-17-0 on three passes).
• Backup TE Drew Sample played 35 percent of snaps and caught his lone target for seven yards.
• Raise your hand if you thought Ross and Uzomah would get more snaps and routes than Green. Of course, AJG still led the team in targets and was one push-off away from a game-winning TD (the PI was the right call, imo).
• Joe Burrow had four scrambles and four designed runs, per PFF.
• Green saw three targets 20 or more yards downfield, tied for third most in the league behind only Allen Robinson (five) and DeSean Jackson (four), per PFF.
• The Bengals used 11 personnel on 72 percent of snaps, which is actually a slightly lower rate than what they did last year (76 percent). They also went five-wide 10 percent of the team, so fear not, there were plenty of WR snaps to go around (as you may have already noticed).

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (23) @ New Orleans Saints (34)

Tampa Bay

Notes

• Don't be fooled by the snap share... Gronk wasn't a primary part of the passing offense. He was used as a pass blocker on seven snaps, and the plays where he was off the field were all throws. Not to say he can't be a factor for fantasy teams, but it's an uphill climb if he's only running a route on half of Tom Brady's dropbacks.
• Evans initially was listed as doubtful with a hamstring injury, before being upgraded to questionable Saturday. His playing time hints at shenanigans, but his performance doesn't. I'm not quite sure what to make of it?
• Howard had a nice game, but the route/snap usage wasn't super promising. At least he appeared to replace Gronk for some of the obvious passing situations, rather than merely playing in multi-TE formations. Then again, Gronk had a 32-12 advantage in terms of the snaps in 11 personnel, so he's the one I'd start i I had to pick for Week 2.

New Orleans

Notes

• TE Josh Hill played 53 percent of snaps, and FB Michael Burton got 25 percent. For whatever reason, Sean Payton favored a power-running gameplan against a Bucs team that was death for RBs last year. It didn't really work, but the Saints defense and special teams took care of things.
• Sanders felt a little redundant, replacing deep threat Ted Ginn in an offense that already had Thomas, Cook and Alvin Kamara. Maybe they signed Sanders as Thomas insurance? Looks like it could pay off, as MT suffered a high-ankle sprain while Payton was trying to run up the score in garbage time. I don't mind coaches trying to score extra points, but why do it with superstars on the field? You don't need Thomas and Kamara taking snaps when you have an 11-point lead with two minutes remaining...
• Huge upgrades for everyone if Thomas ends up missing games. Smith doesn't ever seem to be a target priority, but maybe that changes a little, and Cook, Kamara and Sanders should all eat.

Arizona Cardinals (24) @ San Francisco 49ers (20)

Arizona

Notes

• Andy Isabella didn't get enough work for a spot on the chart, but dynasty fam will be (un)happy know he played 17 percent of offensive snaps, mostly serving as the No. 4 WR on the 14 percent of snaps where 'Zona went four-wide.
• PFF charted Kyler Murray with five intentional runs and eight scrambles en route to a 13-91-1 receiving line. He actually had 100 yards on 11 carries before a pair of unorthodox, shotgun kneel-downs at the end of the game cost some people the 100-yard bonus on DraftKings.
• I promise Kirk will be a bust this year if Hopkins continues to see 43 percent of targets. Otherwise, it's probably too early to say. (31 percent target share is about as high as any player ever goes over the course of a season.) Kirk did get a few more routes than Fitzgerald, despite playing two fewer snaps.
• The Arnold breakout is probably not a thing. I doubt he's talented enough to have fantasy value in a timeshare, even if he's getting most of the passing plays.
• Hopkins saw 11 of his 16 targets within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, and five more in the 10-19 range (none of 20-plus), per PFF. We obviously don't care when his target share is astronomical, but that might be an issue down the road. It's also possible Kliff Kingsbury's offense allows Hopkins to make it rain all year with a deluge of short and intermediate catches. Is it too early to ask out loud if Hopkins or Davante Adams can make a run at Michael Thomas' receptions record?

San Francisco

Notes

• RB Kyle Juszczyk played 58 percent of snaps, with WR Trent Taylor adding 34 percent and WR Richie James and TE Jordan Reed taking 16 percent apiece. That's one way to deal with a bunch of wideout injuries!
• Kittle landing below 20 percent target share in a game with Deebo Samuel (foot) and Brandon Aiyuk (hamstring) both inactive was one of the bigger surprises of the week for me. It probably didn't help that Kittle hurt his knee along the way. He had all of his catches — plus a nine-yard carry — during the first quarter.
• Pettis played a lot, but like, really, he didn't. Call him Andre Patton Jr.
• Juszczyk and the tailbacks accounted for 14 of the team's 32 targets.

Dallas Cowboys (17) @ Los Angeles Rams (20)

Dallas 

Notes

• Schultz and Blake Jarwin (torn ACL) combined for 41 routes. Schultz had one catch and two drops on four targets, but he might have some fantasy appeal if he ends up with an every-down role in a good offense. It's safe to say his rate of targets per route will be very low, sharing the field with Gallup, Cooper, Lamb & Zeke. (Jarwin drew one target on 17 routes before suffering a season-ending injury.
• No. 3 TE Blake Bell played only 11 percent of snaps, while reserve WRs Noah Brown and Cedrick Wilson got 4 percent each, i.e., the Cowboys ran a tight rotation of five skill players throughout the night.
• Dallas used 11 personnel on 83 percent of snaps, up from 67 percent last year. It makes sense given the construction of the roster, and it should allow Lamb to have fantasy value if it continues.

Los Angeles

Notes

• Everett missed at least part of the game with a back injury. He got eight of his snaps in 11 personnel, while 16 game in multi-TE formations. Higbee took 42 snaps in 11 and 23 in multi-TE sets, but he also "lost" seven plays to pass-blocking, per PFF.
• Reynolds and Jefferson split the No. 3 receiver role.
• Kupp played 12 of 20 snaps from 12 personnel (2 WR, 2 TE), which actually was more than Woods (eight snaps). Kupp started the year slow from a fantasy standpoint, but he shut down any concerns that he might only be used in three-wide sets. Ideally, you'd like to see Woods and Kupp getting all those snaps, but it's not the end of the world if they're rotating in 12 and playing every down in 11.

Pittsburgh Steelers (26) @ New York Giants (16)

Pittsburgh

Notes

• We've seen Ebron put up big numbers in a timeshare once before, but that was on a Colts team that had very little at wide receiver after T.Y. Hilton. It's a much different situation in Pittsburgh, where JuJu/Johnson/Washington appear to be a formidable WR trio. That said, running a route on two-thirds of dropbacks is pretty good by TE standards.
• JuJu hit paydirt from 10 and 8 yards out.
• Washington took 100 percent of his snaps in 11 personnel, clearly working behind Smith-Schuster and Johnson. Washington even lost a few snaps to Chase Claypool in 11 personnel, handling 37 of the 45. JuJu got 45, Johnson 43 and Claypool 10
• Claypool played 30 percent of snaps, catching both of his targets for 39 yards and adding eight yards on a carry. I'm not sure how the Steelers put McDonald will continue putting McDonald on the field when it means leaving both Washington and Claypool on the sideline. They did run 70 percent of snaps from 11 personnel, so it's not like the multi-TE formations were a huge part of the offense.

New York

Notes

• With Golden Tate (hamstring) inactive, the Giants averaged 1.75 TEs on the field per snap. Even No. 3 TE Levine Toilolo got 35 percent snap share.
• WR C.J. Board played 31 percent of snaps, with WR Damion Ratley adding 26 percent. The duo combined for 2-17-0 on three targets.
• Saquon Barkley tied for the team lead with nine targets and six catches.

Tennessee Titans (16) @ Denver Broncos (14)

Tennessee 

Notes

• Jonnu had a nice stat line, but he still has the same problem of losing high-value snaps to Firkser. Out of 37 plays from 11 personnel, Firkser got 19 snaps, Smith got 15, and MyCole Pruitt got three.
• Kinda weird how Brown and Davis posted identical numbers for snaps, routes and targets. Something tells me that won't hold up beyond Week 1... at least not the target aspect.

Denver

Notes

• Jeudy had two drops in his NFL debut. Courtland Sutton (shoulder) was inactive but hopes to be back for Week 2.
• Fant had a huge first half but saw only one target (an incompletion) after the break. His mark of .71 routes per dropback was a small boost relative to last year's .65, per PFF.

Week 1 Leaders

Team Target Share (TEs in bold)

Routes per Dropback

Targets Per Route

Air Yards (doesn't include MNF)

Team Air Yard Share (doesn't include MNF)