Box Score Breakdown: Week 15 Snaps, Routes, Personnel and Usage

The final five columns of each stat table (written in italics) show numbers for the entire season. Bold lettering denotes especially strong marks relative to positional standards. Green lettering for the weekly stats denotes considerable increases in playing time and/or usage relative to past weeks. Red lettering denotes the opposite — a decreased role relative to prior games.

If you're looking for target and air-yard shares that only include active games, you can find those updated every Tuesday on RotoWire's advanced receiving stats page. For the players that have missed games this year, we can still get a good picture of their usage/role from the stat tables below by looking at snaps/routes per game in combination with TPRR (targets per route run) and YPRR (yards per route).

Rams (12) at 49ers (6) 

Rams Personnel: 11 - 75% / 12 - 15%

65 Plays — 28 DBs — 6.8 aDOT — 16-of-27 for 160 yards — 0 TD, 0 INT, 0 sacks, 1 scramble

• RB Kyren Williams dropped to two-thirds of the snaps and RB opportunities in Week 13, but he's since logged back-to-back games with snap share above 80 percent and exactly 29 carries, getting 62 of 76 RB opps. (82%) during the two-game stretch.
• TE Colby Parkinson got 49% snap share and 59% route share, lingering around 50% for both rates for a second straight game after yielding more of the work to Davis Allen and Hunter Long for most of November.
• The gap between WRs Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp continues to widen, although Kupp's three-target, zero-catch dud was also a product of bad weather and a tough defensive matchup. Nacua, of course, was less bothered, with a 51-yard reception in the second half setting up the go-ahead FG and allowing him to finish with 17.8 PPR points on an otherwise brutal night for fantasy production.
  • Nacua still leads the league in both targets and yards per route.
• WR Demarcus Robinson handled 78% snap share and 93% route share after being listed as questionable with a shoulder injury. He was targeted just once on 25 routes.

49ers Personnel: 11 - 43% / 12 - 17% / 21 - 25% / 22 - 11%

53 Plays — 34 DBs — 11.1 aDOT — 14-of-31 for 142 yards — 0 TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks, 0 scrambles

• RB Isaac Guerendo took 76% of snaps and all 20 RB opportunities, with Patrick Taylor taking just three snaps (6%) and the 49ers using FB Kyle Juszczyk as the lone back on the field at times.
  • Guerendo was listed as questionable with a foot sprain, having suffered the injury four days prior. He's now dominated the RB work when healthy in two straight games since Jordan Mason and Christian McCaffrey suffered likely-season-ending injuries.
• WR Jauan Jennings led the team in targets again but had a tough time in the rain, dropping two of his nine chances and slipping a couple times.
• The 49ers seemingly made a point to get the ball to squeaky-wheel Deebo Samuel, especially on the first couple drives, but he was mostly well-covered by the Rams and then had a brutal drop on his best chance of the day -- a 3rd-and-10 pass that might've been a 29-yard TD if he hadn't let the ball slip right through his hands.
• TE George Kittle tied Samuel for second on the team with seven targets and seemed least bothered by the bad weather among San Francisco's pass catchers.

Stock ⬆️:   RB Isaac Guerendo

Stock ⬇️:   WR Deebo Samuel 

  49ers Injuries 🚑: LB Dre Greenlaw (knee/Achilles), S Ji'Ayir Brown (groin)

Cowboys (30) at Panthers (14) 

Cowboys Personnel: 11 - 61% / 12 - 14% / 21 - 10% / 22 - 14%

70 Plays — 30 DBs — 7.5 aDOT — 18-of-29 for 214 yards — 3 TDs, 0 INT, 1 sack, 0 scrambles

• RB Rico Dowdle had career highs for carries (25) and rushing yards (149), but he didn't get any targets on 21 routes (70%), and the Cowboys didn't have any snaps inside the 10-yard line to give him TD chances (their three TDs were all passes of 11-17 yards).
  • Dowdle has four straight games with at least 61% snap share, 19 touches and 98 total yards. He's still scored just one rushing TD this season, despite 880 rushing yards, but that's mostly due to a lack of goal-line running opportunities for Dallas in general, not because Ezekiel Elliott is taking all the available chances.
• WR CeeDee Lamb is hitting his stride with Cooper Rush, aided by favorable matchups. Lamb put up 9-116-1 on Sunday, after 6-93-1 against Cincinnati the week before.
  • Lamb accounts for 26.4% of Rush's targets and 30.9% of his passing yards, with no other Dallas receiver getting more than 10.7% of the targets (Jalen Tolbert) or 15.0% of the yardage (KaVontae Turpin). 
• WR Jalen Brooks scored a TD but ran just one other route, while Brandon Cooks handled team-high 90% route share and had the second most targets (five).
  • WR Jalen Tolbert dropped to 49% snap share and 47% route share, after both numbers were in the 70s the week before. Cooks was at 63% and 90%, respectively, up from 40% and 56% the week before.

Panthers Personnel: 11 - 84% / 12 - 10%

50 Plays — 37 DBs — 7.9 aDOT — 19-of-28 for 219 yards — 1 TD, 2 INTs, 6 sacks, 3 scrambles

• RB Chuba Hubbard got 94% of snaps and 14 of 16 RB opportunities.
  • Mike Boone subbed in for a few snaps in the second quarter and had carries of 9 and 5 yards on back-to-back plays, then disappeared for the rest of the game. (Carolina lost its Nos. 2-4 RBs to injuries, although Raheem Blackshear and/or Miles Sanders may return at some point this season).
  • Hubbard has taken 97% and 94% of snaps the past two games.
• WR Jalen Coker returned from a quad injury and took more snaps on the perimeter than in the slot for the first time since his Week 4 NFL debut (when he played only seven snaps).
  • Coker got 86% snap share and was second on the team with 85% route share. He played 24 snaps on the perimeter (56%), 16 in the slot (37%) and three from a tight alignment (7%).
  • Nearly all of Coker's production came from an 83-yard TD on a broken coverage, but his six targets were second most on the team behind Adam Thielen's seven.
• Thielen remained a full-time player with Coker back in the lineup, taking 67% of his snaps in the slot, 21% outside and 12% tight to the formations (while leading the team with seven targets).
  • WR David Moore was the odd man out, playing just 15% of snaps in the first half. Xavier Legette actually led the team's WRs with 85% snap share before halftime, but he then suffered a groin injury and played just one snap in the second half, which allowed Moore to return to a full-time role (team-high 97% of snaps post halftime).
    • Thielen and Coker each played 93% of snaps in the second half with XL out.
• TEs Ja'Tavion Sanders and Tommy Tremble split snaps/routes again.

Stock ⬆️:   WR Jalen Coker

Stock ⬇️:   WR Jalen Tolbert

 Cowboys Injuries 🚑: CB Jourdan Lewis (elbow), G T.J. Bass (thigh) 

 Panthers Injuries 🚑: WR Xavier Legette (groin)    

Chiefs (21) at Browns (7) 

Chiefs Personnel: 11 - 52% / 12 - 36%

75 Plays — 43 DBs — 9.0 aDOT — 21-of-40 for 179 yards — 2 TDs, 0 INT, 0 sacks, 3 scrambles

• QB Patrick Mahomes is considered week-to-week after exiting in the fourth quarter with a mild high-ankle sprain. He left with about eight minutes remaining and was deemed questionable to return shortly thereafter (he didn't return).
  • The Chiefs have games coming up Saturday and then Wednesday (Christmas), which makes it more challenging for Mahomes to avoid missed time.
• RB Isiah Pacheco got only 37% of snaps (the same as Kareem Hunt) and 14 of 31 RB opportunities, with Hunt taking 15 opps. and Samaje Perine getting two.
  • Pacheco took 48% of snaps and 18 opportunities in the previous game, with Hunt at 31% snap share and only six opportunities. Sunday's usage was a big blow to any hope of Pacheco regaining his pre-injury role in the coming weeks.
• WR DeAndre Hopkins dropped to 45% snap share and 48% route share, after handling 67% and 68% route shares (and 50+ percent snap share) in back-to-back games.
  • Hopkins is consistently drawing targets on a high percentage of his routes with the Chiefs, but there's been inconsistency in terms of whether his route share is around 45% or 65% (and it's never gone to 70% or higher). It'll be interesting to see if he's a full-time player in the playoffs.
• WR Xavier Worthy had season highs for targets (11), carries (three), snap share (81%) and route share (85%), with 19.6 PPR points being his best total since Week 1 when he scored TDs on two of his three touches.
  • Worthy dropped a short pass and went 0-for-3 on targets more than 10 yards downfield (none of which was catchable), so it was far from a perfect day, but his role/usage were the best we've seen yet, and his 21-yard TD run was a nice highlight (also his third rushing score of the year, and seventh TD overall).

Browns Personnel: 11 - 78% / 12 - 5% / 10 - 10%

60 Plays — 41 DBs — 8.2 aDOT — 20-of-34 for 164 yards — 0 TD, 4 INTs, 5 sacks, 2 scrambles

• RB Nick Chubb fractured his foot and will miss the rest of the season. He missed the final 26 minutes of the game, in which time Jerome Ford took 84% of snaps and all six RB opportunities (including a 62-yard TD run that was Cleveland's only score on a windy afternoon).
  • Chubb isn't expected to need surgery. He's scheduled for free agency this offseason.
• WR Jerry Jeudy had 108 of Cleveland's 164 receiving yards. He'd been dominating the team's receiving production for weeks, and in this one he also dominated the volume, drawing 14 targets in a game where no other Brown saw more than six.
  • Jeudy is averaging 21.1 PPR points in Jameis Winston's starts, with at least five catches and 64 yards in seven straight games.
• With David Njoku inactive due to a hamstring injury, Jordan Akins got 52% snap share, 62% route share and caught three of four targets for 40 yards.
  • Akins didn't take Njoku's full role, instead yielding a bunch of snaps/routes to third-stringer Blake Whiteheart.

Stock ⬆️:   WR Xavier Worthy  /   RB Jerome Ford

Stock ⬇️:   RB Isiah Pacheco, WR DeAndre Hopkins  /   QB Jameis Winston

 Chiefs Injuries 🚑: QB Patrick Mahomes (ankle), DB Chamarri Conner (concussion)

 Browns Injuries 🚑: RB Nick Chubb (foot), CB Martin Emerson (head), DL Shelby Harris (arm)    

Dolphins (12) at Texans (20) 

Dolphins Personnel: 11 - 42% / 12 - 21% / 21 - 34%

62 Plays — 43 DBs — 4.4 aDOT — 29-of-40 for 196 yards — 1 TD, 3 INTs, 3 sacks, 0 scrambles

• RB De'Von Achane got 66% snap share, 60% route share and 19 of 29 RB opportunities with Raheem Mostert back from a hip injury (and taking 37% snap share and nine touches).
  • Rookie RB Jaylen Wright was the odd man out, with three snaps and one touch.
• WR Jaylen Waddle suffered a knee injury in the second quarter and missed the rest of the game, finishing with two incomplete targets on 15 routes.
  • With Waddle out for the final 35 minutes of the game, Tyreek Hill played 95% of snaps, with Malik Washington at 68% and River Cracraft at 53%.
  • Washington drew six targets on 31 routes and put up 5-52-0. His post-halftime route share was 82%, suggesting he may have some fantasy value if Waddle misses time. Washington is a rookie sixth-round pick who is old for his draft class (turns 24 in January) but has a lot of fans in fantasy world. He has a stout build (5-9, 191) and promising YAC ability, only with 4.47 speed instead of being a true burner like Hill and Waddle.
  • Washington had just 14 air yards, seeing all six of his targets near the LOS.
• TE Jonnu Smith drew a team-high 11 targets en route to a 9-48-1 receiving line, giving him five straight games with at least 13.4 PPR points (and five TDs in that stretch). 

Texans Personnel: 11 - 54% / 12 - 32% / 6OL - 10%

50 Plays — 31 DBs — 7.8 aDOT — 18-of-26 for 131 yards — 2 TDs, 0 INT, 4 sacks, 1 scramble

• RB Joe Mixon got 18 of the 19 RB opportunities, including exactly six targets for a third straight game, but his 12 carries were a season low in healthy games, and his 63% snap share was a drop compared to 75%+ in each of the previous four games.
  • Mixon's 11 appearances have yielded seven 100-yard rushing games and three outings with 25 rushing yards or fewer. He's had two duds in his past three games and now faces the Ravens and Chiefs for the most important weeks of the fantasy season.
  • Mixon's six targets were somewhat of a fluke, as he handled 47% route share and lost some of the passing-down work to Dare Ogunbowale. Between that and the tricky matchups coming up, Mixon profiles as more of a back-end RB1 than the elite RB1 he's been for much of the season.
  • Mixon briefly left the game to be checked for an ankle injury.
• WR Nico Collins scored two TDs and had 87% route share, but everything else was disappointing, including six targets on 26 routes.
  • TE Dalton Schultz and WR Tank Dell also topped 80% route share. Robert Woods stole a few more snaps/routes from John Metchie relative to the past few games.

Stock ⬆️:   WR Malik Washington, TE Jonnu Smith

Stock ⬇️:   RB Joe Mixon

 Dolphins Injuries 🚑: WR Jaylen Waddle (knee), WR Grant DuBose (head)

Texans Injuries 🚑: DT Folorunso Fatukasi (ankle)

Jets (32) at Jaguars (25) 

Jets Personnel: 11 - 76% / 12 - 13%

54 Plays — 36 DBs — 11.5 aDOT — 16-of-30 for 289 yards — 3 TDs, 0 INT, 1 sack, 5 scrambles

• RB Breece Hall took 49% of snaps and 11 of 19 RB opportunities. He had a poor fantasy day until the Jaguars let him score a one-yard TD so they could get the ball back with enough time remaining for a drive.
  • RB Braelon Allen suffered a back injury and briefly left the game. Allen returned and played through the fourth quarter, but Isaiah Davis had three times as many touches and twice as many snaps.
• WR Garrett Wilson started hot before giving way to Davante Adams, who completely dominated the second half and added a two-point conversion after one of his TDs.
  • Stats since Week 7 when Adams joined the team:
  • Adams: 69-651-5 (81 tgts) / 8.4 aDOT / 29.5% TPRR / 2.4 YPRR / 8.0 YPT / 0.23 EPA/t
  • Wilson: 43-534-3 (67 tgts) / 10.7 aDOT / 23.6% TPRR / 1.9 YPRR / 8.0 YPT / 0.13 EPA/t
• TE Jeremy Ruckert got 68% snap share and 65% route share with Tyler Conklin absent due to the birth of his child. Kenny Yeboah also played more than normal, including some snaps in clear passing situations.

Jaguars Personnel: 11 - 74% / 12 - 17%

77 Plays — 51 DBs — 6.1 aDOT — 31-of-46 for 294 yards — 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 2 sacks, 3 scrambles

• RB Travis Etienne got 70% of snaps and 19 of 30 RB opportunities, including a 14-11 edge over Tank Bigsby in carries (after Bigsby had an 18-4 advantage the week before, with 52% snap share).
  • Bigsby fumbled in the first quarter, but it was recovered by a teammate and there was a defensive penalty on the play. Etienne got the next carry/snap, but Bigsby was back in a few plays later and took a carry.
  • It looks like a hot-hand/matchup-based backfield, with Etienne leading the way in two of three games since a Week 12 bye. Here are their overall numbers for the three games since that bye:
    • Etienne: 59% snaps, 31 carries, 12 targets, 213 yards from scrimmage
    • Bigsby: 40% snaps, 36 carries, 4 targets, 139 yards from scrimmage
• WR Brian Thomas had a career high for targets for the third week in a row (each game since the bye) and took advantage with 10-105-2 receiving.
  • Thomas has 31% target share and 47% air yard share over the past three weeks, ranking top 10 in both categories. His 36 targets are tied for third most in the NFL the past three weeks, and Thomas' 408 air yards are a league high.
• WR Parker Washington stayed in the No. 2 role, with Devin Duvernay the No. 3 again and taking most of the slot work.
• TE Brenton Strange got 81% snap share, 81% route share and put up 11-73-0 on 12 targets, essentially functioning as a 1-for-1 replacement for Evan Engram, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury.
  • Strange doesn't have Engram's speed, but the second-year pro had a few nice games filling in earlier this season and now has a monster volume game on his record. That's enough to put Strange in the back-end TE1 discussion and make him highly intriguing for dynasty leagues (Engram has one year and no guaranteed money remaining on his contract).

Stock ⬆️:   WR Brian Thomas, TE Brenton Strange

Stock ⬇️:   RB Tank Bigsby  /   RB Braelon Allen

 Jets Injuries 🚑: CB Michael Carter (back), S Jalen Mills (chest)

Commanders (20) at Saints (19) 

Commanders Personnel: 11 - 64% / 12 - 23%

74 Plays — 46 DBs — 9.1 aDOT — 25-of-31 for 226 yards — 2 TDs, 0 INT, 8 sacks, 7 scrambles

• RB Brian Robinson took 73% of snaps and 24 of 29 RB opportunities but didn't find much room to run against a seemingly vulnerable Saints defense, averaging just 3.2 YPC.
• TE Zach Ertz suffered a concussion in the second quarter and missed the rest of the game.
  • TE Ben Sinnott and veteran John Bates each got 63% snap share after halftime, but the rookie had a clear advantage in terms of receiving chances, with 73% route share compared to Bates' 27%.
• WR Terry McLaurin added two more TDs to his total while having more than twice as many targets and receiving yards as any of his teammates. However, he could've had a much bigger game, as there were near-misses on three possible deep-ball TDs in the fourth quarter (his only three incomplete targets on the afternoon).
• WR Dyami Brown jumped to 78% snap share and 85% route share in the absence of Noah Brown, who was placed on IR due to a kidney laceration and can't return until the playoffs.
  • Brown unsurprisingly drew just four targets on 33 routes, but he was at least well ahead of all the other non-McLaurin WRs for snap and route share.
  • WR Jamison Crowder came back from a prolonged IR stint and worked as the No. 4 receiver ahead of rookie Luke McCaffrey. Olamide Zaccheaus got a modest bump in playing time as well with Brown out.

Saints Personnel: 11 - 47% / 12 - 25% / 21 - 20%

51 Plays — 36 DBs — 10.0 aDOT — 15-of-32 for 205 yards — 2 TDs, 1 INT, 3 sacks, 1 scramble

• A groin injury limited RB Alvin Kamara to one snap in the fourth quarter (a quarter that accounted for half of the Saints' offensive plays). Before the fourth quarter, Kamara took 92% of snaps (24 of 26) and 10 of 11 RB opportunities, including a TD reception on a trick-play pass from WR Cedrick Wilson.
  • RB Kendre Miller then got 88% snap share and all nine RB opportunities in the fourth quarter, gaining 47 yards on eight carries to help the Saints rally.
  • Kamara is dealing with a "groin abductor" situation, according to coach Darren Rizzi. It doesn't sound great, with Kamara scheduled for additional testing and no word yet on whether the injury is considered serious. He should be considered unlikely to play Week 16, at the very least.
• QB Spencer Rattler replaced starter Jake Haener in the third quarter, with New Orleans down 17-0 at the time. Rattler led a rally that came up just short, throwing a TD pass on the final play of the game but then failing to complete the two-point conversion.
• WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling got seven targets for a second straight week. He has a team-high 17 targets in three games since the Week 12 bye, slightly ahead of Kamara (16 tgts) and TE Juwan Johnson (15 tgts).
  • WR Kevin Austin, meanwhile, continues to get a lot of playing time but not do much with it. He drew three targets on 28 routes and had eight receiving yards. His 11 targets and one carry since the bye have yielded just 53 total yards.
• TE Foster Moreau had the strong receiving line (4-39-1), but he ran just 15 routes (43%), compared to 27 routes (77%) for Juwan Johnson.
• No. 3 WR Dante Pettis got a big boost in snaps/routes/targets, although driven by game script more so than taking playing time away from the team's other WRs. His five targets tied for second most on the team, while his 18 routes were just fourth most (and would've ranked fifth if not for Kamara's injury).

Stock ⬆️:   RB Kendre Miller, QB Spencer Rattler  /   WR Dyami Brown

Stock ⬇️:   QB Jake Haener

 Commanders Injuries 🚑: TE Zach Ertz (concussion), S Jeremy Chinn (concussion)

 Saints Injuries 🚑: RB Alvin Kamara, CB Kool-Aid McKinstry (stinger)

Ravens (35) at Giants (14) 

Ravens Personnel: 11 - 20% / 12 - 44% / 21 - 17% / 20 - 14%

59 Plays — 29 DBs — 10.2 aDOT — 21-of-25 for 290 yards — 5 TDs, 0 INT, 3 sacks, 1 scramble

• Baltimore pulled starters for the final two drives. Prior to that point, RB Derrick Henry got 55% of snaps and 14 of the 21 RB opportunities (including 14 of 16 carries).
  • RB Rasheen Ali didn't play at all before the final two drives, then took eight carries for 32 yards on those last two series.
  • Henry has a three-game TD drought and has fallen shy of 15 PPR points in five straight games (despite averaging at least 4.3 YPC in each contest).
• WR Zay Flowers caught three passes for 23 yards on the first two drives but then didn't see another target until the two-minute warning of the first half. He played 98% of snaps before the starters were pulled, with his even targets leading the team.
  • WR Rashod Bateman scored a pair of TDs, including one from long distance, and played 74% of snaps before the final two drives (unlike Flowers, he stayed in and got some playing time with the backups).
• TE Mark Andrews got 66% snap share and 75% route share, after 73% snap share and 62% route share in the previous game. He drew only two targets on 21 routes, but his snap/route shares the past few games haven't been far from his pre-2024 norms.

Giants Personnel: 11 - 75% / 12 - 15%

60 Plays — 40 DBs — 5.8 aDOT — 22-of-37 for 191 yards — 1 TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks, 0 scrambles

• QB Tommy DeVito suffered a concussion late in the second quarter and missed the rest of the game, giving way to Tim Boyle (Drew Lock was out with a heel injury).
  • It's unclear which of DeVito, Boyle or Lock will start Week 16.
• RB Tyrone Tracy played 67% of snaps but got only 14 of 25 RB opportunities (56%), yielding eight carries and three targets to Devin Singletary, who scored a two-yard TD late in the second quarter a few snaps after Tracy was stuffed on an attempt from the 3-yard line.
  • Singletary later gained three yards on a carry from Baltimore's 5-yard line, which was followed by three consecutive incompletions (two intended for Malik Nabers) for a turnover on downs.
• Nabers put up 10-82-1 on 14 targets, with a 23-yard TD that cut the lead to 21 points with about seven minutes remaining.
  • He has three straight games with double-digit targets and seven in a row with at least nine targets, five catches and 50 yards.
• TE Daniel Bellinger lost a few more snaps to Chris Manhertz relative to Week 14, dropping from 78% snap share to 68%, and from 80% route share to 63%.
  • Bellinger has 10 targets in two games since Theo Johnson's season-ending injury, catching eight for 80 yards. Not bad.

Stock ⬆️:   RB Devin Singletary

Stock ⬇️:   RB Tyrone Tracy

 Giants Injuries 🚑: QB Tommy DeVito (concussion), LB Patrick Johnson (knee)    

Bengals (37) at Titans (27) 

Bengals Personnel: 11 - 80% / 12 - 9%

64 Plays — 38 DBs — 7.0 aDOT — 26-of-37 for 271 yards — 3 TDs, 2 INTs, 1 sack, 0 scrambles

• RB Chase Brown completely dominated the RB work again, with 92% snap share and 28 of 29 RB opportunities, including a rushing TD and a receiving TD.
  • He's up to six straight games with at least 19 PPR points.
• WR Ja'Marr Chase was held out of the end zone but otherwise handled his business, catching nine of a team-high 11 targets for 94 yards. Tee Higgins, meanwhile, bounced back from his disappointing Week 14.

Titans Personnel: 11 - 68% / 12 - 9% / 6OL - 20%

65 Plays — 41 DBs — 5.5 aDOT — 29-of-38 for 298 yards — 2 TDs, 4 INTs, 1 sack, 2 scrambles

• QB Mason Rudolph replaced Will Levis in the third quarter after Levis' fourth turnover of the game. Coach Brian Callahan said he's not sure who his Week 16 starter will be (probably Rudolph).
• RB Tony Pollard took five carries for 22 yards and a TD on Tennessee's first drive, but he aggravated the ankle injury he was playing through (listed as questionable) on the next series, which opened the door for Tyjae Spears to get goal-line carries on consecutive plays and score a one-yard TD.
  • Pollard returned to the game and finished with 17 of the 21 RB carries, but he gained just 23 yards after his brief exit and got less playing time on passing downs than usual (21% route share). Spears took advantage in a big way, with seven targets on 24 routes (62% route share) yielding a 6-87-1 receiving line.
  • Spears took 95% of snaps in the fourth quarter, but only after Pollard got 85% in the third quarter (and 56% in the first half), so game script was a factor in addition to Pollard's ankle injury.
• WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine had just three targets and nine yards on a team-high 36 routes (92%). Regression has hit, and hard, with just three catches for 28 yards on five targets the past two weeks (after eight TDs over the previous eight games).
• TE Josh Whyle took more playing time from Chigoziem Okonkwo and made the most of it, with a 5-37-1 receiving line on 15 routes (his TD came on the final snap of regulation, a.k.a. deep garbage time, and all five catches were in the final 17 minutes of game time).
  • Okonkwo played 73% of snaps through three quarters, then just 30% in the fourth. Whyle got 70% in the fourth, after just 9% through three quarters.

Stock ⬆️:   RB Tyjae Spears, QB Mason Rudolph

Stock ⬇️:   RB Tony Pollard, WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

 Bengals Injuries 🚑: DE Sam Hubbard (knee)    

 Titans Injuries 🚑: LB Luke Gifford (concussion)    

Colts (13) at Broncos (31) 

Colts Personnel: 11 - 76% / 12 - 18%

72 Plays — 44 DBs — 8.7 aDOT — 17-of-38 for 172 yards — 0 TD, 2 INTs, 2 sacks, 4 scrambles

• RB Jonathan Taylor appeared to give the Colts a 20-7 lead with a 41-yard TD run early in the third quarter, but he dropped the ball a millisecond early for a touchback, and the Broncos then scored the final 24 points of the game.
  • Taylor took carries on the Colts' next two offensive snaps after the fumble. His reduced snap share (67%) wasn't related to the fumble; it was mostly a product of not playing on the final drive when Indy was down by 18 points.
  • Prior to the final drive, Taylor took 80% of snaps and 24 of 25 RB opportunities.
• WR Alec Pierce suffered a concussion late in the second quarter and missed the second half.
  • Snap/route shares after halftime:
    • Pittman: 97% snaps, 95% routes
    • Downs: 79% snaps, 91% routes
    • Mitchell: 88% snaps, 86% routes
• Mitchell had a brutal day despite the extra playing time, throwing a pick-six (technically a lost fumble because it went backwards) on a trick play and going 0-for-4 on his targets (with a drop).
  • Mitchell's target rate and ability to get open are encouraging, but he's also had a lot of ugly snaps as a rookie, be it due to drops, bone-headed mistakes or struggling to make plays through contact.
• WR Josh Downs handled his normal role after missing Week 13 with a shoulder injury, and he had no trouble getting open, per usual, but there were a couple missed opportunities, including a fourth-down pass off his fingertips.

Broncos Personnel: 11 - 69% / 12 - 11%

61 Plays — 37 DBs — 5.6 aDOT — 20-of-33 for 133 yards — 3 TDs, 3 INTs, 1 sack, 3 scrambles

• The backfield remained a mess for fantasy, with RB Javonte Williams taking 54% snap share and 56% route share but only nine of the 25 RB opportunities. Jaleel McLaughlin actually had the most carries (seven), touches (10) and total yards (34) despite missing the fourth quarter with a quad injury.
  • Audric Estime got five of his six opportunities in the fourth quarter, after McLaughlin's exit. Before the final quarter, Estime had just four snaps (8%) and one carry for six yards.
    • McLaughlin got 35% of snaps and seven of the 12 RB opportunities in the first half, continuing the trend from the past couple weeks of him getting the ball slightly more than Williams (even with Williams comfortably playing more snaps).
• WR Devaughn Vele got just one target on 23 routes in a seemingly good matchup against one of the league's most zone-heavy defenses.
• A late TD saved Courtland Sutton from a brutal fantasy day. His 12.1 PPR points were the least he's scored in a game since Week 7. Since then, he has seven straight games with at least eight targets, and prior to Sunday he had six in a row with at least six catches and 70 yards.
• TEs Nate Adkins and Adam Trautman both scored TDs, but their route shares were only 29% apiece, compared to 41% for Lucas Krull. It's still a rotation with no fantasy value, much like the Colts'.

Stock ⬆️:   RBs Audric Estime, Javonte Williams

Stock ⬇️:   QB Anthony Richardson, WR Josh Downs

 Colts Injuries 🚑: WR Alec Pierce (concussion)    

 Broncos Injuries 🚑: RB Jaleel McLaughlin (quad), CB Patrick Surtain (ankle), DT D.J. Jones (finger)  

Bills (48) at Lions (42) 

Bills Personnel: 11 - 49% / 12 - 15% / 21 - 13% / 6OL - 18%

68 Plays — 38 DBs — 11.0 aDOT — 23-of-34 for 362 yards — 2 TDs, 0 INT, 0 sacks, 4 scrambles

• RB James Cook got only 43% of snaps and 15 of 31 RB opportunities but scored a pair of TDs.
  • Ray Davis got three carries in the first half, then four carries and two targets in the second half.
  • Ty Johnson got a carry and four targets in the first half, playing 37% of snaps and gaining 100 total yards, but then dropped to 23% snap share and two touches in the second half.
  • Buffalo's RBs combined for 129 rushing yards, 156 receiving yards and three TDs, with Cook scoring 26.3 PPR points, Johnson scoring 17.3 and Davis scoring 10.9.
• WR Amari Cooper dropped to 44% snap share and 38% route share with WR Keon Coleman and TE Dalton Kincaid back in the lineup.
  • Cooper finished without a target on 13 routes, after drawing an absurd 14 targets on 23 routes the week before (54% snap share, 62% route share.
• Khalil Shakir led the WRs with 65% route share, slightly ahead of Keon Coleman (59%) and Mack Hollins (59%) and well ahead of Cooper (38%) and Curtis Samuel (29%).
• Kincaid had a solid receiving game with 4-53-0 on seven targets, but he played a bit less than his pre-injury norm, with 47% snap share and 59% route share, both of which were south of Dawson Knox's rates (74% snaps, 68% routes).
• Long story short, the Bills are putting up absurd yardage and point totals, but they're doing it while rotating guys at each skill position, making Shakir and Cook the only safe fantasy starters (and even they are vulnerable to bust weeks).

Lions Personnel: 11 - 75% / 12 - 12%

77 Plays — 64 DBs — 8.0 aDOT — 38-of-59 for 494 yards — 5 TDs, 0 INT, 3 sacks, 2 scrambles

• RB David Montgomery got stuffed on his early carries and then game-scripted (mostly) out of relevance with Detroit trailing by multiple scores all day and throwing a ton to catch up. He caught four passes in the second half to sneak his way to 7.5 PPR points, which was his worst score of the season and just his second time below 12.5 PPR points.
  • RB Jahmyr Gibbs also was quiet for most of the day, taking nine touches for 54 yards through three quarters, but he then had a 12-yard receiving TD and a one-yard rushing score in the fourth quarter, plus receptions of 15 and 11 yards and a 21-yard gain on a lateral.
  • Montgomery and Gibbs have shared passing-down snaps for most of the year, so it was at least a bit surprising that the latter had a 42-13 advantage in routes (and 74% to 31% in snaps) with the Lions in extreme negative game script for the first time since... uh, not sure?
  • Update: Montgomery suffered a season-ending MCL injury and will undergo surgery. It presumably happened at some point in the fourth quarter (he got six of 32 snaps in the final frame). 
• WR Tim Patrick scored his third TD in the past two weeks and had season highs for snap and route share (the Lions used more 11 personnel than normal after falling behind).
• TE Sam LaPorta caught six of eight targets for 89 yards in the fourth quarter, finishing with season highs for catches, yards and targets despite getting just one target in the first 46 minutes of game time.
• The Lions look like a team that peaked too early. Not only because they gave up 48 points, but also because they lost Montgomery, CB Carlton Davis (jaw) and DT Alim McNeill (knee) to potentially season-ending injuries, after losing star DE Aidan Hutchinson (leg) for the year in October. They're obviously capable of winning shootouts, but their defense looks awfully weak with three of its better players on the shelf for the rest of the season. I hope I'm wrong, because they've been an incredibly fun team the past couple years.

Stock ⬆️:   RB Jahmyr Gibbs, TE Sam LaPorta

Stock ⬇️:   WR Amari Cooper

 Bills Injuries 🚑: WR Curtis Samuel (shoulder), LB Matt Milano (groin), RT Spencer Brown (head)

 Lions Injuries 🚑: CB Carlton Davis (jaw), DT Alim McNeill (knee), CB/RS Khalil Dorsey (leg)

Buccaneers (40) at Chargers (17) 

Buccaneers Personnel: 11 - 51% / 12 - 19% / 13 - 22%

67 Plays — 30 DBs — 8.4 aDOT — 22-of-27 for 288 yards — 4 TDs, 1 INT, 1 sack, 2 scrambles

• RB Bucky Irving remained effective while playing through hip and back injuries. The rookie didn't play the final two drives, but prior to that he took 53% of snaps and 17 of 30 RB opportunities, which is about where he was a few weeks ago before hurting his hip.
  • Rachaad White got 55% of snaps and 13 opportunities before the final two drives, then added four carries on the second-to-last series.
  • Sean Tucker didn't play at all until the final two drives, with each of his seven carries occurring after Irving and White bother were done for the day.
• WR Jalen McMillan had another nice game after scoring twice on seven targets the week before. In three games since a Week 12 bye, McMillan has caught 11 of 16 targets for 159 yards and three TDs while topping 85% snap share in each game.
  • TE Cade Otton, meanwhile, has caught nine of 14 targets for 114 yards and no TDs in the same stretch.
• WR Mike Evans blew up for 9-159-2. He's averaging 6.5 catches for 103.5 yards and 0.75 TDs on 8.5 targets in four games since returning from a hamstring injury.
  • Evans averaged 4.2 catches for 51.7 yards and 0.82 TDs on 7.0 targets over the first six weeks of the season when both he and Chris Godwin were healthy.
• WR Sterling Shepard drew just one target, after three straight games with either six or seven. His snap/route shares were down some, but mostly because the Bucs had a huge lead, not because he lost much work to depth receivers.

Chargers Personnel: 11 - 71% / 12 - 2% / 21 - 13%

48 Plays — 37 DBs — 8.2 aDOT — 22-of-34 for 199 yards — 2 TDs, 1 INT, 3 sacks, 0 scrambles

• RB Gus Edwards got eight of the 11 RB carries but played just 27% of snaps and had 8% route share, with Kimani Vidal taking just three carries despite dominating the snaps (67%) and routes (16 - 43%).
  • Vidal also outsnapped Edwards the week before, 53% to 44%, and with just one fewer opportunity (10-9). It's essentially an even split, with Edwards getting a few more carries and Vidal a lot more passing-down work.
  • The Chargers haven't been able to run the ball at all without J.K. Dobbins, who is eligible to return from IR for Week 17 (but won't necessarily be ready to do so).
• WR Ladd McConkey handled 90% snap share and team-high 92% route share, showing no limitations after missing the previous game due to shoulder and ankle injuries. He got off to a fast start, including an early TD, but Tampa Bay dominated possession and limited opportunities for the entire Chargers offense.
• WR Quentin Johnson led the team in targets (10) and air yards (112) and scored a touchdown, but he may have suffered an ankle injury along the way. His snap and route shares (73%) were only ever so slightly below his usual marks, but the Chargers listed him as a non-participant on their practice estimate Monday, ahead of Thursday's matchup with Denver.
  • WR Joshua Palmer, meanwhile, was targeted on just three of 31 routes, after leading the team in targets and air yards in the game McConkey missed.
• TE Stone Smartt filled in for Will Dissly (shoulder) with 67% snap share, 59% route share and a 5-50-0 receiving line on six targets. That's pretty similar to Dissly's normal workload when healthy.

Stock ⬆️:   TE Stone Smartt  /   WR Jalen McMillan

Stock ⬇️:   RB Gus Edwards

 Chargers Injuries 🚑: CB Cam Hart (concussion), G Zion Johnson (ankle)    

Steelers (13) at Eagles (27) 

Steelers Personnel: 11 - 56% / 12 - 32% / 13 - 12%

41 Plays — 26 DBs — 7.0 aDOT — 14-of-22 for 128 yards — 1 TD, 0 INT, 2 sacks, 2 scrambles

• RB Jaylen Warren got only six opportunities but comfortably out-snapped Najee Harris for a second straight game, with Haris getting just seven of 16 RB opportunities (his second week in a row with less than half).
  • It's already an issue to split work with each other, and on top of that Harris and Warren are losing about 8-10 snaps and 3-5 touches to Cordarrelle Patterson each week.
• WR Calvin Austin took on a much larger role in the second game without George Pickens (hamstring), handling 80% snap share and team-high 96% route share, up from 35% and 56%, respectively, the week before.
  • Austin took 11 of 14 snaps in 12 personnel (79%), with Van Jefferson getting all 14. That was a big change from Week 14, when Austin took just five of 21 snaps in 12 personnel (24%) even though Pickens was out.
• TE Pat Freiermuth has three straight games with a TD and four in a row with at least 9.9 PPR points, while fellow tight end Darnell Washington has just two targets and one catch over the past three games after enjoying a more productive stretch from mid-October through late November.

Eagles Personnel: 11 - 68% / 12 - 23%

77 Plays — 38 DBs — 6.7 aDOT — 25-of-32 for 290 yards — 2 TDs, 0 INT, 3 sacks, 3 scrambles