Hidden Stat Line: Week 3 Backfield Usage for Every NFL Team

Hidden Stat Line: Week 3 Backfield Usage for Every NFL Team

This article is part of our Hidden Stat Line series.

Before we get started on our game-by-game breakdowns, let's take a look at the big picture, tossing each NFL backfield into one of five categories based on Week 3 usage only (these aren't predictions for how work will be split going forward). Teams listed in italics are the ones that saw noteworthy role changes relative to Week 2.

If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you'll find Week 3 leaderboards for some key RB-usage statistics, followed by Jerry's top-10 waiver adds for Week 4.

  

Not Allowed to Come Off the Field Unless You Can't Breathe

  1. Buffalo Bills - Devin Singletary
  2. Houston Texans - David Johnson
  3. Dallas Cowboys - Ezekiel Elliott

Three-down Role, Sometimes Subbed Out

  1. Miami Dolphins - Myles Gaskin
  2. Atlanta Falcons - Todd Gurley
  3. Minnesota Vikings - Dalvin Cook
  4. San Francisco 49ers - Jerick McKinnon
  5. Philadelphia Eagles - Miles Sanders
  6. Pittsburgh Steelers - James Conner
  7. Carolina Panthers - Mike Davis
  8. LA Chargers - Austin Ekeler
  9. Arizona Cardinals - Kenyan Drake
  10. Denver Broncos - Melvin Gordon
  11. Green Bay Packers - Aaron Jones
  12. New Orleans Saints - Alvin Kamara

Clear Lead Back, But Usually Off the Field for Obvious Passing Situations

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars - James Robinson
  2. Chicago Bears - David Montgomery
  3. Los Angeles Rams - Darrell Henderson
  4. Tennessee Titans - Derrick Henry
  5. Las Vegas Raiders - Josh Jacobs
  6. Cincinnati Bengals - Joe Mixon
  7. Detroit Lions - Adrian Peterson
  8. Seattle Seahawks - Chris Carson
  9. Kansas City Chiefs - Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Two-Man Split

  1. Washington FT - Antonio Gibson &

Before we get started on our game-by-game breakdowns, let's take a look at the big picture, tossing each NFL backfield into one of five categories based on Week 3 usage only (these aren't predictions for how work will be split going forward). Teams listed in italics are the ones that saw noteworthy role changes relative to Week 2.

If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you'll find Week 3 leaderboards for some key RB-usage statistics, followed by Jerry's top-10 waiver adds for Week 4.

  

Not Allowed to Come Off the Field Unless You Can't Breathe

  1. Buffalo Bills - Devin Singletary
  2. Houston Texans - David Johnson
  3. Dallas Cowboys - Ezekiel Elliott

Three-down Role, Sometimes Subbed Out

  1. Miami Dolphins - Myles Gaskin
  2. Atlanta Falcons - Todd Gurley
  3. Minnesota Vikings - Dalvin Cook
  4. San Francisco 49ers - Jerick McKinnon
  5. Philadelphia Eagles - Miles Sanders
  6. Pittsburgh Steelers - James Conner
  7. Carolina Panthers - Mike Davis
  8. LA Chargers - Austin Ekeler
  9. Arizona Cardinals - Kenyan Drake
  10. Denver Broncos - Melvin Gordon
  11. Green Bay Packers - Aaron Jones
  12. New Orleans Saints - Alvin Kamara

Clear Lead Back, But Usually Off the Field for Obvious Passing Situations

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars - James Robinson
  2. Chicago Bears - David Montgomery
  3. Los Angeles Rams - Darrell Henderson
  4. Tennessee Titans - Derrick Henry
  5. Las Vegas Raiders - Josh Jacobs
  6. Cincinnati Bengals - Joe Mixon
  7. Detroit Lions - Adrian Peterson
  8. Seattle Seahawks - Chris Carson
  9. Kansas City Chiefs - Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Two-Man Split

  1. Washington FT - Antonio Gibson & J.D. McKissic
  2. Cleveland Browns - Nick Chubb & Kareem Hunt

Not-So-Pretty Committee

  1. New England Patriots - Rex Burkhead, Sony Michel & J.J. Taylor
  2. New York Giants - Dion Lewis, Wayne Gallman & Devonta Freeman
  3. New York Jets - Frank Gore, La'Mical Perine & Kalen Ballage
  4. Indianapolis Colts - Jonathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines & Jordan Wilkins
  5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Ronald Jones, Leonard Fournette & LeSean McCoy

(Snap totals, snap shares, carries and targets come from pro-football-reference.com or NFL.com's game books. Data on dropbacks and routes run come from Pro Football Focus.)

Dolphins (31) at Jaguars (13)

Dolphins

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Myles Gaskin 75%  22 (79%) 5 25% 18 .7222-66-0 — 5-20-0
Matt Breida 18%  3 (11%) 0 0 5 .203-4-0 — 0
Jordan Howard 7%  3 (11%) 0 0 0 03-1-1 — 0
  • Gaskin saw a small bump from 63 and 65 percent snap share the previous two weeks, but his share of the carries and targets rose by a lot more. The 79 percent carry share, in particular was a huge change, after he'd seen just 37 percent of Miami's RB carries through the first two games. Prior to Thursday, he was the clear top choice on passing downs, but otherwise shared with Gaskin and Howard. What we saw Thursday was Gaskin thoroughly dominating snaps and touches in a game where the Dolphins led throughout, i.e., they didn't face many obvious passing situations. The only negative was Howard stealing goal-line work.
  • Howard now is on pace for 85 carries, 64 yards and 16 TDs. Each of his three carries Thursday came from the 1-yard line or 2-yard line. He'll keep scoring some TDs if his role stays the same, but the pace will almost certainly drop off. It's been four years since any player scored double-digit rushing TDs from inside the 5-yard line in a season — David Johnson and LeGarrette Blount both did it in 2016, playing for teams that averaged 26.1 and 27.6 ppg, respectively. The Dolphins offense looks decent so far, but it's still only at 23.3 ppg.
  • Gaskin even got the garbage-time carries, including a 15-yarder on the second-to-last snap of the night. Makes you wonder if Chan Gailey or Brian Flores started Gaskin in fantasy.

  

Jaguars

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
James Robinson 45% 11 (85%) 6 14.6% 15 .3111-46-2 — 6-83-0
Chris Thompson 45%  2 (15%) 6 14.6% 24 .492-3-0 — 5-35-0
Dare Ogunbowale8%  0 0 0 5 .100 — 0
  • It felt like Robinson played way more than 45 percent of snaps, as he scored a pair of TDs and was targeted on six of his 15 routes. But Chris Thompson actually ran more routes and got a lot of the work when the Jags were in catch-up mode in the fourth quarter. That said, Robinson had 59 receiving yards after halftime, and he's now on pace for a 53-688-0 receiving line on 59 targets (Thompson is on pace for 53-325-5 on 64 targets).
  • Robinson's one-yard TD in the fourth quarter was the first inside-the-five carry Jacksonville has had all year. The Jags simply haven't run many goal-line plays; Gardner Minshew only has one inside-the-five pass attempt (a TD to Keelan Cole), plus one incompletion (to Dede Westbrook) wiped out by a penalty.
  • Robinson is on pace for 1,808 scrimmage yards and 16 TDs. He doesn't quite have the usage to back that up, but 14.3 carries and 3.7 targets per game is nothing to scoff at. Following Thursday's game, PFF had the rookie graded No. 4 among qualified running backs this year, with the 12th-best elusive rating (71.0) out of 31 RBs with 20-plus carries.
  • Thompson allowed pressure on both his pass-blocking snaps Thursday night, including a viral lowlight when he was obliterated by Dolphins LB Kyle Van Noy. It didn't seem to impact Thompson's role, but he might lose more passing snaps if the blocking struggles continue.

Bears (30) at Falcons (26)

Bears

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
David Montgomery  56% 14 (70%) 3 (33%) 6.1%20  .3714-45-0 — 2-9-0
Tarik Cohen  32% 2 (10%) 6 (67%) 12.2%22 .412-21-0 — 3-20-0
Cordarrelle Patterson 13% 4 (20%) 0 0 5 .094-13-0 — 0
  • Cohen suffered an ACL tear while fielding a punt with about nine minutes left in the game. From that point forward, Montgomery had four carries and two targets, accounting for all of the team's RB opportunities.
  • Patterson lined up in the backfield for 10 of his 11 snaps. He's been in the backfield for 26 of 35 snaps this season, so it's no longer really accurate to call him a wide receiver. He's averaging only six routes run and one target per game, but those numbers could go up with Cohen out for the year.
  • Cohen averaged 4.7 carries and 3.0 targets per game, so Montgomery could get a big value boost if he takes on even half the missing volume. Montgomery currently is averaging 14.3 carries and 3.0 targets, compared to 15.1 and 2.2 last season. But his efficiency has improved from 3.7 YPC and 5.3 YPT to 4.4 and 7.1, respectively (albeit in a small sample).
  • RBs have accounted for 17 percent of Chicago's targets, the ninth-smallest share. That's a big change from last season when the team sent 26 percent of its targets to RBs, fifth-most. Probably a good thing considering Cohen (4.4 YPT) and Montgomery (5.3 YPT, 71.4 percent catch rate) both had inefficient receiving stats last year.

  

Falcons

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Todd Gurley  51%14 (61%) 2 (29%) 5.3% 13 .3314-80-1 — 1-2-0
Brian Hill  34% 9 (39%) 3 (43%) 7.9% 13 .339-58-1 — 1-22-0
Ito Smith  9% 0 2 (29%) 5.3% 6 .150 — 0
  • Gurley scored his TD from 10 yards out, while Hill's was a 35-yarder. Gurley has taken four of the five carries inside the 5-yard line this year, with Smith getting the other (in Week 2).
  • Hill got three carries and two targets in both of the first two games, so this was a major uptick in touches, though his snap share was only a bit higher (compared to 27 and 20 percent the first two weeks).
  • Smith's snap share has declined each week, from 25 to 15 to 9 percent. Hill is the Atlanta backup RB worth rostering in deeper fantasy leagues.
  • Gurley is on pace for 261 carries and 37 targets, but he's caught only three passes for three yards on seven targets. Smith and Hill both had drops in Sunday's loss, so Gurley's lack of aerial production doesn't necessarily stand out relative to his teammates — the Falcons haven't gotten much from any of their RBs in the passing game... 46 yards on 19 cumulative targets.

Los Angeles Rams (32) at Bills (35)

Rams

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
 Darrell Henderson 49% 20 (74%) 3 (60%) 9.7% 10 .2920-114-1 — 1-6-0
 Malcolm Brown 49%  7 (26%) 2 (40%) 6.5% 17 .497-19-0 — 0
  • Cam Akers (rib cartilage) was out, leaving the Rams with a two-way split instead of a three-headed backfield.
  • You wouldn't know it from the receiving stats, but Brown got most of the work on passing downs, while Henderson got the start and dominated carries.
  • RBs have accounted for only 15 percent of the Rams' targets, the fifth-smallest share in the league. But that's actually up from last year's 10 percent, which was dead last.
  • Brown took one carry from the seven-yard line, but Henderson got all the other red-zone work, including three straight inside-the-five carries on the go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter. Henderson had also converted a 3rd-and-1 earlier in the game.
  • The Rams rank third in PFF's team run-blocking grades and eighth in the pass-blocking grades. Last year, they were 26th and 29th, respectively. They have the same five starters from last season, though LG Joe Noteboom (calf) missed Week 3 and will be out for at least two more games on IR. The Rams had four of the five same starters back in 2017 and 2018 when their line was dominant, so maybe it isn't too surprising to see the unit performing at a high level again. We just didn't expect it to be this good, after it was that bad last year.

  

Bills

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
 Devin Singletary 89% 13 (81%) 5 (100%) 15.6% 30 .8113-71-0 — 4-50-0
 T.J. Yeldon 10% 3 (19%) 0 0 2 .053-18-0 — 0
  • With Zack Moss (toe) inactive, Singletary got the second-largest snap share of his career, up from 59 and 56 percent the first two weeks of the season.
  • Yeldon got all his carries on the final drive before halftime. He didn't play a single snap in the second half.
  • Singletary was stuffed from the 1-yard line twice on the same drive in the first quarter. Those were his first two carries inside the 5-yard line this season, while Moss got three in the first two games.
  • Josh Allen has accounted for each of the Bills' 12 TDs this year.

Washington Football Team (20) at Browns (34)

WFTs

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
J.D. McKissic 52%5 (29%)  4 (57%) 11.1% 25 .615-15-0 — 3-37-0
Antonio Gibson  40%9 (53%)  3 (43%) 8.3% 14 .349-49-1 — 3-11-0
Peyton Barber  11%3 (18%) 0 0 2 .053-6-0 — 0
  • Gibson dropped off from 65 percent of snaps and 13 carries the previous week, which also was a two-TD loss (30-15 at Arizona). Then again, McKissic had an 11-3 edge in third-down snaps Week 2, so it wasn't exactly a shock to see him get more routes and targets Week 3. Gibson didn't play a single snap on third down in Sunday's loss.
  • Barber got two of his three carries on the final two snaps of the game, with coach Ron Rivera once again electing to run the clock out rather than trying for a TD and an onsides kick.
  • Gibson got the lone goal-line carry, scoring from two yards out. Barber hasn't seen a carry inside the 5-yard line since he got a handful in the Week 1 win over Philadelphia.

  

Browns

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Nick Chubb  54% 19 (54%) 1 (25%) 4.5%12  .4619-108-2 — 1-2-0
Kareem Hunt  46% 16 (46%) 3 (75%) 13.6%11 .4216-46-0 — 2-18-1
  • This was the third time in three weeks with Chubb getting more routes but Hunt drawing more targets. Hunt's target advantage is now up to 11-3, as he's seen the pass on a whopping 34 percent of his routes.
  • Hunt scored his TD on a nine-yard pass in the second quarter, while Chubb hit paydirt from 16 and 20 yards out. Hunt got carries from the 5-yard line and 8-yard line, but there weren't any chances from inside the 5 for either player. Chubb has a 4-2 advantage for those carries on the year.
  • Hunt played 13 of the 14 snaps on third downs, with the lone exception being a 3rd-and-3 late in the game.
  • Speaking of which... Hunt got 11 of his 16 carries in the final quarter, including eight on the very last drive. He now has a 32-10 advantage over Chubb in fourth-quarter carries, accounting for 82 percent of Hunt's total rushing volume. The Browns eventually will play in a close game where they actually need to throw the ball and/or use Chubb in the final 10 minutes... eventually.
  • Chubb has drawn exactly one target in every game, and he's averaging 17.0 carries, down a tick from last year's 18.6. He's thriving on the basis of efficiency (5.7 YPC) and TDs (four), which does create some volatility but also is a product of him being a great player. He produced 5.2 YPC as a rookie and 5.0 last season.
  • The Browns are No. 1 in PFF's team run-blocking grades (83.5).

Titans (31) at Vikings (30)

Titans

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Derrick Henry  75%26 (90%) 3 (75%) 9.1% 22 .5626-119-2 — 2-11-0
Jeremy McNichols  12% 1 (25%) 3.0% 4 .100 — 1-5-0
Darrynton Evans 11% 3 (10%) 0 0 3 .083-9-0 — 0
  • Evans' NFL debut had no impact on Henry's snap share or touch volume. The big fella has logged 75, 72 and 75 percent of snaps through three weeks, seeing 25-plus carries and either two or three targets in each game. He's on pace for 437 carries and 43 targets, both of which would easily be career highs (303 and 24 last year).
  • Henry is up to .50 routes per QB dropback on the season, compared to .38 last year.
  • McNichols got seven of the 13 snaps on third downs, with Henry taking five and Evans only one. It was 6-3 in favor of McNichols when the Titans needed four or more yards to convert. According to PFF, McNichols was used as a blocker on four of his eight pass snaps, while Henry ran a route on 22 of his 28.

  

Vikings

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Dalvin Cook  74%22 (73%)  5 (100%) 20.0%16  .5322-181-1 — 2-18-0
Alexander Mattison  25% 8 (27%) 0 0 6 .208-27-0 — 0
  • Cook lost a fumble in the first quarter but bounced back with a 39-yard touchdown on the next drive and ultimately put up a career-high 181 rushing yards.
  • Cook and Mattison got three snaps apiece on 3rd-and-medium/longs. Mattison got the lone carry in a goal-to-go situation, picking up one yard from the Tennessee 4-yard line. Cook has a 5-1 advantage for inside-the-5 carries on the year.
  • Cook is averaging 16.0 carries and 3.0 targets per game, down from 17.9 and 4.5 last year. But that's largely a product of Minnesota running the fewest plays per game (52.7), even after a more normal showing Week 3. Cook has seen a carry or target on 36 percent of the team's plays, comparable to his 39 percent in Weeks 1-11 last year.

Raiders (20) at Patriots (36)

Raiders

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Josh Jacobs  59% 16 (80%) 4 (57%) 12.5% 16 .4416-71-0 — 3-12-0
Jalen Richard  34% 1 (5%) 3 (43%) 9.4% 17 .471-14-0 — 3-8-0
Devontae Booker  7% 3 (15%) 0 0 1 .033-31-0 — 0
  • Richard had a 6-2 snap advantage over Jacobs on 3rd-and-medium/long. For the year, Richard has a 19-6 edge in those situations.
  • The snap share, carries and yards were all season lows for Jacobs, who also lost a fumble for only the second time in his pro career. He still dominated the rush attempts, with his playing time taking a hit because the Raiders were forced into catch-up mode. The Week 1 buzz about an every-down role has died down, as Richard still gets most of the snaps in obvious passing situations.

  

Patriots

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Rex Burkhead  46% 6 (23%) 10 (77%) 35.7% 21 .686-49-2 — 7-49-1
 Sony Michel 38% 9 (35%) 2 (15%) 7.1% 8 .269-117-0 — 2-23-0
 J.J. Taylor 22% 11 (42%) 1 (8%) 3.6% 1 .0311-43-0 — 0
  • James White (personal) missed another game, and Damien Harris (finger) is still on IR. The Patriots can reinstate Harris for Week 4, but they haven't been updating the media on his status (shocker!).
  • Burkhead essentially handled White's usual role plus most of the red-zone work, i.e., he didn't get a ton of snaps and carries but dominated the high-value touches for fantasy. Burkhead got six carries and six targets on 71 percent snap share the previous week, so his big game may not have caught you totally off guard if you're a regular reader of Hidden Stat Line. In fact, the words "startable as an RB2" were used last week, whereas expert consensus rankings on Fantasy Pros put him at RB-43. You can always find money in the banana stand, and you can always find fantasy points if you follow usage trends instead of relying on box scores.
  • Cam Newton got only nine carries, down from 15 and 11 over the first two weeks. Still, he's accounted for five of New England's seven inside-the-5 carries this year, with Michel and Burkhead getting one apiece.
  • Taylor got eight of his 11 carries in the first half, i.e., his increased role was part of the gameplan, not a product of garbage time. The 185-pound undrafted rookie got just five carries and one target on 10 snaps over the first two weeks of the season.
  • Michel had gains of 48, 38, 13, 9 and 8. The final stat line was pretty strange, considering he spent all of last season throwing up 15 carries for 45 yards, with his fantasy viability entirely dependent on whether or not he scored a goal-line TD. Despite the strong game, Michel's outlooks appears rather hairy, with Taylor now getting carries and both White and Harris likely to return at some point within the next month or so. Everything about this backfield screams COMMITTEE, and one where the QB gets a ton of the goal-line carries, no less.

49ers (36) at Giants (9)

49ers

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Jerick McKinnon  62% 14 (50%) 4 (50%) 11.4% 24 .6314-38-1 — 3-39-0
Jeff Wilson  30% 12 (43%) 3 (37%) 8.6% 9 .2412-15-1 — 3-54-1
JaMycal Hasty  8% 2 (7%) 1 (13%) 2.9% 1 .032-9-0 — 1-9-0
  • Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman both missed the game with knee sprains. Coleman is expected to be out for about a month, while Mostert seems to be week-to-week.
  • McKinnon had a 38-to-9-to-0 snap advantage over Wilson and Hasty in the first half.
  • At the end of the third quarter, McKinnon had accounted for 82 percent of the RB snaps, 100 percent of the RB targets (four) and 68 percent of the RB carries (13). That includes 7-of-8 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long.
  • Hasty got all three of his touches in the final 10 minutes with SF up by 20 points already.
  • Wilson got the lone goal-line carry, scoring from two yards out with 3:35 left in the game. His other TD — also in the fourth quarter — was a 19-yard reception. McKinnon scored on a 10-yard run, and had a four-yard TD catch nullified by an O-line penalty.

  

Giants

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Dion Lewis  38% 1 (10%) 3 (50%) 9.7%15  .431-0-0 — 1-10-0
Wayne Gallman  35% 4 (40%) 3 (50%)  9.7%11 .314-7-0 — 2-7-0
Devonta Freeman  29% 5 (50%) 0 0 6 .175-10-0 — 0
  • This backfield was a three-way disaster in the first game without Saquon Barkley (knee). The only real hope for mainstream fantasy value is Freeman taking on a larger share of the workload as he becomes more familiar with the playbook, and even that isn't likely to happen if Lewis retains his role on passing downs.

Bengals (23) at Eagles (23) OT

Bengals

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Joe Mixon  72% 17 (100%)3 (50%)  7.7% 29.56 17-49-0 — 2-16-0
Giovani Bernard  25% 03 (50%)  7.7% 17.330 — 3-55-0
  • Mixon hit season highs for snaps share, routes and routes/db, but it didn't pay off in receiving production. Benard got each of the nine snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, while Mixon got 88 percent of snaps on first and second downs.
  • Mixon is averaging 17.3 carries and 3.0 targets per game, nearly identical to what he got last season (17.4 and 2.8). But he's producing only 3.2 YPC, and the Bengals have run the ball inside the 5-yard line only four times (two for Mixon, one for Bernard, one for Joe Burrow), while Burrow has 10 pass attempts and four TDs at the goal line.

    

Eagles

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Miles Sanders  78% 18 (75%) 8 (89%) 18.2% 41 .7318-95-0 — 4-12-0
Boston Scott  14% 3 (12%) 1 (11%) 2.2% 7 .133-5-0 — 0
Corey Clement  7%  3 (12%) 0 0 3 .053-8-0 — 0
  • Including playoffs, Sanders has played 70-90 percent of snaps in eight of his last 10 games. The two games where he fell short of 70 percent both came against the Giants, and one involved an early exit due to a knee injury.
  • Sanders has seen 18.2 and 16.3 percent target share in his two games, with 20 and 18 carries, running .70 and .73 routes/db. The Eagles offense may be broken, but the usage should make Sanders an RB1 anyway.

Texans (21) at Steelers (28)

Texans

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
David Johnson  96% 13 (93%)3 (100%)  11.1 30 .9113-23-1 — 2-23-0
  • With Duke Johnson (ankle) out another week, C.J. Prosise served as the No. 2 RB and logged only two snaps on offense.
  • The Texans have run only 54 plays per game, second worst in the league. Between that and repeatedly playing from behind, Johnson's massive snap shares (81, 95, 96 percent) largely have gone to waste. And it didn't help that the Houston O-line was completely overwhelmed by the Ravens and Steelers the past two weeks.
  • David is fifth on the team with 11 targets, good for 12.0 percent share. That's not a huge number, so his receiving volume could disappoint once Duke returns. On the other hand, David actually leads the team in routes run (97, .82 per QB dropback), so there's clear room for target growth if he continues to play a ton of snaps.

  

Steelers

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
James Conner  66% 18 (56%) 5 (71%) 14.3% 21 .5418-109-1 — 4-40-0
Benny Snell  19% 7 (22%) 0 0 2 .057-11-0 — 0
Anthony McFarland  12% 6 (19%) 2 (29%) 3.7% 3 .086-42-0 — 1-7-0
Jaylen Samuels 8% 1 (3%) 0 0 2 .05 1-1-0 — 0
  • Conner had a huge stat line, but his snap share actually was down a little from 77 percent the previous week, largely because the Steelers got McFarland involved in their offense for the first time. The rookie fourth-round pick did well with his touches, so he should see some more work Week 4. Samuels, on the other hand, has become a total non-factor.
  • Over the past two weeks, Conner is averaging 71 percent snap share, 17 carries, 3.5 targets, 135 total yards and 1.0 TD.
  • The Steelers ran 76 plays to Houston's 47, so the rushing volume (32 carries) was inflated. Conner stayed busy deep into the game, only giving way to Snell for the final four minutes and last two carries.
  • Conner got nine of the 11 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, i.e., he's the one they trust most on passing downs, so he shouldn't disappear if/when the Steelers are forced into catch-up mode.

Jets (7) at Colts (36)

Jets

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Frank Gore  41% 15 (63%) 1 (13%) 3.8% 10 .2815-57-0 — 1-5-0
La'Mical Perine  33% 7 (29%) 2 (25%) 7.7% 12 .337-24-0 — 2--1-0
Kalen Ballage  30% 2 (8%) 5 (63%) 19.2% 8 .222-8-0 — 5-44-0
  • They don't even deserve my jokes anymore.
  • Ballage got nine of the 11 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, but he also was used as a blocker on four of his 12 pass snaps, per PFF. He was targeted five times on the eight routes he did run.
  • Perine got four of his carries in the first half, so his first significant NFL action wasn't just a product of garbage time. This was a legit three-man committee from the beginning of the game to the end.
  • Le'Veon Bell (hamstring) is on IR and won't be eligible to return until Week 5. It isn't clear if he's expected back at that time, or if he'll be out even longer.

  

Colts

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Jonathan Taylor  40% 13 (45%) 1 (14%) 4% 10 .4013-59-1 — 1-3-0
Nyheim Hines  33% 7 (24%) 5 (71%) 20% 11 .447-21-0 — 4-40-0
 Jordan Wilkins 28% 9 (31%) 1 (14%) 4% 2 .49-39-0 — 1-6-0
  • Taylor got only 13 of 27 snaps and seven of 13 carries in the first half, though the Colts did have a 10-point lead before Wilkins got his first carry (4:50 mark of Q2). Contrast this with Week 2 when Taylor played 86 percent of the first-half snaps and entered the break with 21 touches.
  • Taylor got five of the eight snaps and three of the four carries in goal-to-go situations. Hines got the other three snaps and the fourth carry, which came on a 3rd-and-goal from the 3-yard line (JT then punched it in from one yard out on fourth down).
  • In the fourth quarter, Wilkins got five of the six carries and 10 of the 13 snaps. He was involved earlier in the game, but garbage time definitely boosted his volume. The split was more drastic the week before, with eight of his nine carries coming in the final 17 minutes of an easy win.

Panthers (21) at Chargers (16)

Panthers

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Mike Davis  76% 13 (68%) 9 (100%) 32.1% 22 .7113-46-0 — 8-45-1
  • Reggie Bonnafon played two snaps and took two carries for 16 yards, while Curtis Samuel had four carries for seven yards and lined up in the backfield on nine of his 33 plays. So, Samuel essentially had 18% snap share as a RB and 47% snap share as a WR.
  • Davis led the team in targets, giving him 17 on 38 routes (45 percent) the past two weeks. Teddy Bridgewater, check-down artist.
  • Christian McCaffrey (ankle) is on IR, so he'll miss at least two more games.

  

Chargers

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Austin Ekeler  72%12 (60%) 11 (85%) 22.9% 39 .7412-59-1 — 11-84-0
 Joshua Kelley 29% 8 (40%) 2 (15%) 4.2% 11 .218-43-0 — 2-9-0
  • The 12 carries were a season low, but everything else (targets, routes, catches, etc.) was exactly what fantasy managers were hoping for when they drafted Ekeler in the second round. Ekeler now has 15 targets in two games with Justin Herbert under center, accounting for 18.3 percent of the team total.
  • Tyrod Taylor (lung) is expected to miss Week 4, but coach Anthony Lynn has suggested the veteran likely will retake the starting job once he's healthy. Herbert is making a decent case to keep the job, though the Chargers are 0-2 in his starts.
  • Kelley lost a fumble in the second quarter, but he still saw 13 snaps and five touches after halftime.
  • Ekeler is third among RBs with 80 routes run.

Lions (26) at Cardinals (23)

Lions

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Adrian Peterson  60% 22 (88%) 1 (25%) 3.2% 12 .3422-75-0 — 1-10-0
Kerryon Johnson  30% 3 (12%) 1 (25%) 3.2% 10.29 3-16-0 — 1-14-0
 D'Andre Swift 9% 0 2 (50%) 6.5% 4 .110 — 1-19-0
  • Peterson got 88 percent of the carries, up from 35 percent the previous week.
  • This was a big difference from Week 2 when Peterson, Johnson and Swift each landed between 25 and 35 percent snap share. In fact, this was the first time all season a Lions RB played more than 44 percent of the team's snaps.
  • Johnson got each of the 12 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, taking the passing-down role away from Swift (though you wouldn't know it from the box score). Per PFF, Johnson blocked on four of his 14 pass snaps, so maybe the role change was inspired by the Lions not trusting their rookie as a blocker? Whatever the case, Swift should be avoided in fantasy lineups until further notice.
  • The Lions didn't have any inside-the-5 carries in Sunday's win, but Peterson and Johnson did get one tote apiece in goal-to-go situations.
  • Johnson got all his carries on three consecutive plays in the third quarter. Peterson had three carries and a catch on the game-winning FG drive.

  

Cardinals

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Kenyan Drake 68%  18 (86%) 1 (33%) 3.0% 19 .5118-73-0 — 1-6-0
Chase Edmonds 32% 3 (14%) 2 (67%) 6.1% 11 .303-13-0 — 2-21-0
  • Drake has played 71, 65 and 68 percent of snaps through three weeks, taking at least 16 carries in each game. But he hasn't reached the end zone since Week 1, and he hasn't seen more than two targets in a contest despite running 25, 20 and 19 routes.
  • Edmonds got four of the six snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long. Those snaps have been split 50/50 (15 apiece) for the season.
  • Drake got three of the four snaps on goal-to-go plays, putting him at 10-of-12 for the season. But just two of the 10 have seen him get the ball, with Kyler Murray dominating the highest-value opportunities.

Buccaneers (28) at Broncos (10)

Buccaneers

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Ronald Jones  51% 13 (65%) 4 (40%) 11.1% 18 .4413-53-0 — 2-20-0
Leonard Fournette  37% 7 (35%) 2 (20%) 5.6% 15 .377-15-0 — 2-7-0
LeSean McCoy  16% 0 4 (40%) 11.1% 6 .150 — 2-24-0
  • Fournette's big second half in the Week 2 win over Carolina didn't lead to a lead role Week 3. In fact, Jones even served as the garbage-time closer, taking four carries for 26 yards on four consecutive plays before the Bucs went to kneel-downs on the final drive. Prior to that, RoJo's carry advantage was only 9-to-7 over Uncle Lenny. Translation: still a committee.
  • McCoy got seven snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, but he barely played otherwise.

  

Broncos

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Melvin Gordon  62% 8 (80%) 6 (75%) 15.8% 20 .438-26-0 — 4-12-0
Royce Freeman  38% 2 (20%) 2 (25%) 5.3% 6 .132-4-0 — 2-31-0
  • Gordon took a big dip from his 79 percent snap share and 21 touches in the first game with Phillip Lindsay (toe) out of the lineup, but that was largely based on Freeman getting 10 of 14 snaps in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss. Gordon had a 30-12 snap advantage at the end of the third quarter.
  • Freeman got six of the 11 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long. There wasn't a clear preference between the two for obvious passing situations.
  • Freeman blocked on 14 of his 20 pass snaps (70 percent), and even Gordon blocked on seven of his 27 (26 percent), per PFF. The Broncos either didn't trust their O-line, or didn't trust Jeff Driskel to deal with pressure, or maybe a lil' bit of both. The 21 total pass-blocking snaps from RBs were more than Gordon, Freeman and Lindsay had over the first two weeks combined (18).

Cowboys (31) at Seahawks (38)

Cowboys

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Ezekiel Elliott  98% 14 (100%)12 (92%) 21.8% 46 .74 14-34-1 — 6-24-0
Tony Pollard  7% 01 (8%)  1.8%  3 .050 — 1--5-0
  • This is a prime example of the wonders of an every-down role. Zeke played one of his worst games as a pro, yet finished with 17.8 PPR points. He committed three drops while tying for the team lead in targets, and PFF charted him with zero tackles avoided on 20 touches.
  • Zeke is on pace for 309 carries, 123 targets and 21 TDs. Fantasy managers probably haven't even noticed that he's averaging only 3.8 yards per carry and 5.9 per catch. He leads RBs with 110 routes run, which also puts him 18th in the NFL among all players.

  

Seahawks

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Chris Carson  58% 14 (70%) 3 (60%) 7.9% 25 .5214-64-0 — 3-12-0
Carlos Hyde  21% 4 (20%) 1 (20%) 2.6% 8 .174-12-0 — 1-11-0
 Travis Homer 21% 2 (10%) 1 (20%) 2.6% 11 .232-19-0 — 0
  • Carson suffered a knee sprain late in the fourth quarter. Even so, he ran a route on more than half of Russell Wilson's dropbacks for a second week in a row, also drawing three targets again. The Seahawks used a timeshare Week 1, but the past two weeks (31 carries, six targets for Carson) have looked more like last season, albeit within the context of a pass-heavy offense.
  • Homer got 10 of the 11 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, while Carson got 43 of 58 (74 percent) on first and second downs. 

Packers (37) at Saints (30)

Packers

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Aaron Jones  71% 16 (73%) 4 (80%) 13.3% 19 .5616-69-1 — 2-17-0
Jamaal Williams  31% 6 (27%) 1 (20%) 4.7% 10 .296-14-0 — 1-3-0
  • AJ Dillon strictly played special teams.
  • The 71 percent snap share for Jones was the largest he's seen since 2018 in a game where Williams was healthy.
  • Jones got four of seven snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, after getting four of eight last week. They use Williams to keep Jones fresh, but it doesn't seem there's any situation where the team actually thinks Williams is better, apart from maybe plays where the RB is used as a blocker. Williams has blocked on 22 percent of his pass snaps this season, compared to 12 percent for Jones... not a huge difference, but it does help to explain how Jones gets so many touches without playing a ton of snaps. It also helps to be targeted on 35 percent of routes, something we discussed in more detail in last week's HSL. Sunday perhaps marked the start of some regression there, as Jones was targeted on 22 percent of routes last year — a strong number, but not in Kamara range.

  

Saints

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
Alvin Kamara  67% 6 (33%) 14 (93%) 40.0% 32 .846-58-0 — 13-139-2
Latavius Murray  34% 12 (67%) 1 (7%) 2.9% 5 .1312-58-0 — 1-7-0
  • Ty Montgomery (hamstring) was placed on IR on Saturday. He got three targets and one carry on 8 percent snap share between Weeks 1 and 2. Dwayne Washington was the No. 3 RB on Sunday but strictly played special teams.
  • Thoughts and prayer to anyone who faced Kamara in a fantasy matchup this week, especially in a PPR league. The six carries were tied for his second-fewest in a game the past three years, but he more than made up for it with 40 percent target share and a third-consecutive multi-TD game.
  • Kamara is on pace for 165 carries, 165 targets, 2,336 total yards and 32 TDs. He might beat Christian McCaffrey's RB receptions record, and 20-plus TDs should also be in play. Granted, he'll lose some of the target volume when Michael Thomas (ankle) returns, which supposedly could happen as soon as Week 4.
  • Kamara leads all RBs in targets (31), despite being only fourth in routes run (76). He's been targeted on 41 percent of his routes, which isn't sustainable but also may not be as far from sustainable as it sounds? He was targeted on 34 percent in 2017, 31 percent in 2018, and 28 percent in 2019. Yes, this is a repeat stat from last week, but it now seems even more pertinent.

Chiefs (34) at Ravens (20)

Chiefs 

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
 Clyde Edwards-Helaire 69% 20  6 14.6% 29 .6220-64-0 — 5-70-0
 Darrel Williams21%  2 2 4.9% 8 .172-6-0 — 2-1-0
 Darwin Thompson8%  2 2  4.9% 4 .092-11-0 — 0
  • The rookie hasn't scored a TD since Week 1, but he's averaging 18.3 carries and 5.3 targets per game, with 67, 62 and 69 percent snap share... That's rock-solid-RB1 usage, within an offense that scores a ton of touchdowns. It'll pay off in huge fantasy days sooner than later.
  • Williams got seven of 11 snaps on 3rd-and-medium/long, including four out of five when the Chiefs needed more than five yards for the conversion. He's still getting most of the snaps when it's an obvious passing situation, but CEH gets the majority of 'tweener snaps (a.k.a. when it's a high probability of a ass, but the defense does have to consider the threat of a run).
  • Thompson lost a fumble on the opening drive of the second half and didn't play another snap the rest of the night.

  

Ravens

 Snap ShareCarriesTargetsTarget ShareRoutesRoutes/DB Stat Line
 J.K. Dobbins43%  1  4 14.8% 17 .491-6-0 — 4-38-0
 Mark Ingram32%  7 1 3.7% 7 .207-30-0 — 0
 Gus Edwards23%  4 0 0 4 .114-39-0 — 0
  • Dobbins once again was the clear choice in obvious passing situations, which led to more work Sunday with the Ravens playing from behind. But he only has three carries the last two weeks, with one of those coming deep into garbage time Week 2.
  • With Dobbins taking the passing-down work Ingram handled last season, and Edwards still mixing in for some carries, it feels like Ingram needs a specific type of game — likely a very close one — in order to see more than a dozen touches. The veteran is averaging only 8.7 carries and 1.3 targets per game, down from 13.5 and 1.9 last season. He's still the safe bet to lead the team in carries any given week, but he'll lose a bunch of work to Dobbins if the Ravens fall behind, while Edwards will poach a bunch of carries if the Ravens take a comfortable lead. Heck, Edwards get some carries even when it's a close game.

Week 3 Stat Leaders (doesn't include MNF)

Snap Share

1Ezekiel Elliott98%
2David Johnson96%
3Devin Singletary89%
4Miles Sanders78%
5Mike Davis76%
6Myles Gaskin75%
7Derrick Henry75%
8Dalvin Cook74%
9Joe Mixon72%
10Austin Ekeler72%
11Aaron Jones71%
12Kenyan Drake68%
13Alvin Kamara67%
14James Conner66%
15Jerick McKinnon62%
16Melvin Gordon62%
17Adrian Peterson60%
18Josh Jacobs59%
19Chris Carson58%
20David Montgomery56%
21Nick Chubb54%
22J.D. McKissic52%
23Todd Gurley51%
24Ronald Jones51%
t-25Darrell Henderson49%
t-25Malcolm Brown49%

  

RB Carry Share

1Ezekiel Elliott100%
2Joe Mixon100%
3David Johnson93%
4Derrick Henry90%
5Adrian Peterson88%
6Kenyan Drake86%
7James Robinson85%
8Devin Singletary81%
9Melvin Gordon80%
10Josh Jacobs80%
11Myles Gaskin79%
12Miles Sanders75%
13Darrell Henderson74%
14Dalvin Cook73%
15Aaron Jones73%
16Chris Carson70%
17David Montgomery70%
18Mike Davis68%
19Latavius Murray67%
20Ronald Jones65%
21Frank Gore63%
22Todd Gurley61%
23Austin Ekeler60%
24James Conner56%
25Nick Chubb54%

    

Team Target Share

1Alvin Kamara40.00%
2Rex Burkhead35.70%
3Mike Davis32.10%
4Myles Gaskin25%
5Austin Ekeler22.90%
6Ezekiel Elliott22%
7Dalvin Cook20.00%
8Nyheim Hines20%
9Kalen Ballage19.20%
10Miles Sanders18.20%
11Melvin Gordon16%
12Devin Singletary15.60%
13James Robinson14.60%
14Chris Thompson14.60%
15James Conner14.30%
16Kareem Hunt13.60%
17Aaron Jones13%
18Josh Jacobs12.50%
19Jerick McKinnon11.40%
20David Johnson11.10%
21Ronald Jones11.10%
22J.D. McKissic11.10%
23LeSean McCoy11.10%
24Darrell Henderson9.70%
t-25Dion Lewis9.70%
t-25Wayne Gallman9.70%

   

Routes per QB Dropback

1David Johnson0.91
2Alvin Kamara0.84
3Devin Singletary0.81
4Austin Ekeler0.74
5Ezekiel Elliott0.74
6Miles Sanders0.73
7Myles Gaskin0.72
8Mike Davis0.71
9Rex Burkhead0.68
10Jerick McKinnon0.63
11J.D. McKissic0.61
12Aaron Jones0.56
13Derrick Henry0.56
14Joe Mixon0.56
15James Conner0.54
16Dalvin Cook0.53
17Chris Carson0.52
18Kenyan Drake0.51
19Chris Thompson0.49
20Malcolm Brown0.49
21Jalen Richard0.47
22Nick Chubb0.46
23Nyheim Hines0.44
24Josh Jacobs0.44
25Ronald Jones0.44

  

Week 4 Waiver Targets

(This list is limited to players on less than 50 percent of Yahoo rosters as of Monday evening.)

  1. Myles Gaskin - He's still rostered in only 47 percent of Yahoo leagues, while every other RB with a comparable role is above 75 percent.
  2. Carlos Hyde - It isn't clear Chris Carson will miss time with a knee sprain, but if he does, Hyde likely will get about 12-16 carries and 2-3 targets per game. Travis Homer might also take some of the vacated snaps, though likely on pass plays for the most part.
  3. Rex Burkhead - Only 11 percent rostered on Yahoo, Burkhead will be a solid Week 4 start if James White misses another game. If not, Burkhead is better left on the bench or waivers.
  4. Tony Pollard - He's rostered in fewer and fewer leagues each week, but he's still only one injury away from RB1 status. Nothing has fundamentally changed.
  5. Alexander Mattison - Same deal as Pollard, more or less.
  6. Chase Edmonds - Three-down potential if Drake is injured or demoted. The latter doesn't appear imminent, but it could be discussed at some point if he doesn't start picking up more than what's blocked.
  7. Damien Harris - Speculative add in case the Patriots grow tired of their committee once Harris is healthy. Not likely, but a man can dream.
  8. Jamaal Williams - The Packers haven't shown much interest in using rookie AJ Dillon, so Williams could see a lot of work if Aaron Jones misses time with an injury at some point this year
  9. Brian Hill - Pulling ahead of Ito Smith for the No. 2 job in Atlanta.
  10. Jeff Wilson - Worth an add if you're absolutely desperate for a Week 4 starter, but remember that Wilson's Week 3 stat line was fueled by garbage-time production in a blowout win over the Jets. Plus, Raheem Mostert (knee) could be back soon.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jerry Donabedian
Jerry was a 2018 finalist for the FSWA's Player Notes Writer of the Year and DFS Writer of the Year awards. A Baltimore native, Jerry roots for the Ravens and watches "The Wire" in his spare time.
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