Box Score Breakdown: Week 3 Snaps, Routes, Personnel and Usage

I can't show all the information I'd like below because it would make the stat tables for each team unwieldy. I do like to tinker with the format, however, and this week we'll add color coding to denote significant changes from previous weeks in terms of snap, route, carry or target share. Also note that the final five columns of each table (in italics) are showing rate stats for the entire season, not Week 3. Bold lettering for the full-season numbers shows rates well above positional norms.

Any RB/WR/TE with a target, carry or snap share of at least 15 percent is listed below. Any personnel grouping used on at least 10 percent of snaps is listed, in addition to rates for 11 and 12 personnel (by far the two most popular sets league-wide).

Patriots (3) at Jets (24) 

Patriots Personnel: 11 - 79% / 12 - 17%

48 Plays — 35 DBs — 6.5 aDOT — 16-of-26 for 120 yards — 0 TD, 0 INT, 7 sacks, 2 scrambles

• QB Drake Maye played the final drive of the game, completing four of eight passes for 26 yards on a series that spanned 16 plays and 46 yards (with three fourth-down conversions) before the clock ran out after a red-zone sack.
• RB Rhamondre Stevenson had a terrible night, including a lost fumble early in the fourth quarter, but he at least played 81% of snaps up until the fumble.
  • The Patriots tried to throw more than in previous games, especially to squeaky wheel DeMario Douglas, but Stevenson didn't lose any playing time for it until the game was out of hand.
• Douglas accounted for nine of New England's 24 targets and more than half of the receiving yards, but he had his normal role otherwise, getting 41 of 41 snaps in 11 personnel and just two of nine snaps otherwise. The Pats used 11 personnel on 29 of 32 snaps after halftime.
• TE Hunter Henry played 70% of snaps in the first half and 59% after halftime, losing a bunch of work to Austin Hooper despite his 100-yard eruption the week before. Henry's reduced playing time may have been a product of the short week.
  • Henry played 85% of snaps Week 1 and 83% in Week 2. He'll probably rebound some Week 4, but this did reinforce that he's more of a gameplan/matchup-dependent target than a key focus for the offense (the passing game doesn't even have a de facto alpha; the two guys that have seen the most targets, Henry and Douglas, were completely irrelevant in two of three games).
• WR Kayshon Boutte got all his playing time in the fourth quarter. Before the final frame, K.J. Osborn was at 77% snap share, Ja'Lynn Polk at 58% and Tyquan Thornton at 54%. 
  • Thornton didn't play in the fourth quarter. No injury was announced, but he did take a big hit in the third quarter on his official target (he drew a long DPI earlier in the game).

Jets Personnel: 11 - 50% / 12 - 33%

70 Plays — 40 DBs — 5.9 aDOT — 27-of-35 for 281 yards — 2 TDs, 0 INT, 2 sacks, 3 scrambles

• RB Breece Hall got 73% of snaps, up slightly from 71% in Week 2, but his share of the RB opportunities dipped from 67% (W2) to 55% (W3). 
  • Hall still got 20 touches for a third time in as many weeks. He's had either 20 or 21 in each game, with at least 83 total yards and exactly one TD in each contest. That's high-end RB1 production, but he might be in peak-McCaffrey scoring range (or even a bit higher) if not for Braelon Allen getting a bunch of work as well (18 carries and seven targets over the past two games. Third-stringer Isaiah Davis also got three carries in this one, albeit in the second half after the Jets were up 21-3 and then 24-3.
• WR Allen Lazard scored his third TD of the season and played 84% of snaps, while Mike Williams got only 46% of snaps (after 64% the week before).
  • Williams got just 60% of snaps in 11 personnel, with Xavier Gipson getting the other 40%. That was a change from Week 2 when Gipson ran just four routes.
• WR Garrett Wilson didn't have much luck besides a two-yard TD catch, but it sounds like Aaron Rodgers is optimistic for bigger days ahead (see below).
  • Wilson's 28% target share and 41% air-yard share are what drafters hoped for. It's just that defenses have covered him well and the Jets have been more RB-dependent than expected... partially due to game script and partially due to Allen's emergence as a quality No. 2 RB.
• TE Tyler Conklin had his usual every-down role and made the most of six targets with a 5-93-0 receiving line. It was a nice outing, but he's still just fourth on the team in targets (10) this season, well behind Wilson (26), Hall (19) and Lazard (16).

Stock ⬆️:   WR DeMario Douglas

Stock ⬇️:   TE Hunter Henry

  Patriots Injuries 🚑: LG Michael Jordan (knee)    

  Jets Injuries 🚑: RT Morgan Moses (knee - out 2-4 weeks) 

Bears (16) at Colts (21) 

Bears Personnel: 11 - 64% / 12 - 29%

84 Plays — 56 DBs — 10.2 aDOT — 33-of-52 for 363 yards — 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 4 sacks, 0 scrambles

• RB Roschon Johnson made his season debut, replacing an injured Travis Homer (IR - finger). Johnson's role was much bigger than Homer's had been, with the second-year pro taking 13 of Chicago's 34 RB opportunities (38%).
  • RB D'Andre Swift had season-low 52% snap share and 17 of the 34 RB opps. (50%).
  • RB Khalil Herbert had a minimal role again, with three of his four carries coming on consecutive plays inside the Colts' 5-yard line in the second quarter. After Herbert failed to punch it in, the Bears gave Swift an outside run on fourth down (he got pinned in the backfield and lost 12 yards trying a desperate escape). It is worth noting that the 12-yard loss wasn't Swift's fault, and his rushing line without that play would've been a somewhat more acceptable 12-32-0. Still, it was a rough day for Swift, losing playing time to Johnson and failing to put up numbers against a run defense that previously allowed Joe Mixon and Josh Jacobs to top 150 yards rushing.
• TE Cole Kmet exploded for 10-97-11 on season-high 81% snap share, but he still lost a decent number of routes to Gerald Everett, with Kmet's route share at 66% (not bad at all, but still south of his 2022-23 norms).
• WR Rome Odunze tied Kmet for the team lead with 11 targets and put up 6-112-1 with a league-high 235 air yards.
  • Odunze's first target was nearly a 38-yard TD on a scramble drill; he had a step of separation but Caleb Williams slightly overthrew him. Williams made up for it with dimes on his next two passes to Odunze, hitting him for 47 yards on a go ball and 27 on a deep crossing route. After that came an interception off Odunze's hands (albeit in double coverage), an overthrown deep ball and then six targets of varying quality/depth in the fourth quarter (including a one-yard TD).
• WR DJ Moore also had a solid receiving line, but more than half his yards came on a hail mary at the end of the first half (he was tackled at the 1-yard line).

Colts Personnel: 11 - 72% / 12 - 15%

54 Plays — 23 DBs — 9.4 aDOT — 10-of-20 for 167 yards — 0 TD, 2 INTs, 1 sack, 2 scrambles

• RB Jonathan Taylor scored two TDs and rarely left the field, but he did yield another score to Trey Sermon after gains of 25 and 21 yards on consecutive plays pulled JT off the field due to fatigue.
  • Taylor is averaging 17.0 carries for 87.0 yards and 1.0 TD per game. He's caught only three passes, but the rushing workloads could've been even larger if not for the Colts having so many quick drives (either 3-and-outs or long completions) and depressed overall play volume. The Colts have run just 150 plays, 14 fewer than any of the other teams that have played three games so far.
• WR Adonai Mitchell was the odd man out in Josh Downs' season debut, getting just 11% of snaps, 10% of routes and one incomplete target (a deep ball, at least).
  • QB Anthony Richardson hasn't been bad in terms of yards per pass attempt thanks to a bunch of big plays, but the combination of low pass volume and a low completion rate makes it hard to support any pass catchers worth starting in fantasy leagues. Pittman has been useless even with 29% target share, and said target share likely will drop some now that Downs is back. Even if you bump all the stats by 20% to account for Indy's unusually low play volume, it doesn't add up to much for any of the pass catchers beyond Pierce, whose production has entirely been built on four long plays (his target rate per route has improved from 2022-23, but it's still below 20%).

Stock ⬆️:   RB Roschon Johnson / WR Rome Odunze / TE Cole Kmet

Stock ⬇️:   RB D'Andre Swift / TE Gerald Everett

  Colts Injuries 🚑: DE Kwity Paye (quad) 

Chargers (10) at Steelers (20) 

Chargers Personnel: 11 - 53% / 12 - 9% / 21 - 18% / 22 - 16%

45 Plays — 25 DBs — 7.1 aDOT — 14-of-20 for 149 yards — 1 TD, 0 INT, 5 sacks, 0 scrambles

• QB Justin Herbert aggravated his high-ankle sprain in the third quarter and didn't return. The Chargers also lost LT Rashawn Slater (pectoral) and OLB Joey Bosa (hip) to injuries, leaving them without three of their most important players down the stretch.
  • Taylor Heinicke replaced Herbert, who underwent X-Rays after the game.
• RB J.K. Dobbins played 63-67% of snaps in each quarter and took 15 of the 18 RB carries plus all three RB targets, emerging ahead of Gus Edwards as the clear lead runner after the two had split carries 50-50 the previous two weeks (Edwards actually had one more carry in both games).
  • The snap share bump for Dobbins was small, and Edwards ran just one fewer route, but the 12-carry gulf between the two represents a massive change relative to Weeks 1-2.  Dobbins won't have to face the Steelers every week, although he does have KC, Bye, DEN coming up on the schedule and might not have Herbert under center.
• WR Ladd McConkey played 24 of 25 snaps in 11 personnel (96%) and seven of 12 snaps (58%) in two-wide formations but didn't play at all in one-wide looks, with those snaps again mostly going to Simi Fehoko, who also filled in for inactive Joshua Palmer (elbow/calf) as the third guy in three-WR formations.
  • Quentin Johnston scored his third TD in two weeks, but McConkey had the same route share (88%) and led the team in targets. The rookie has 27% route share and 35% air yard share for the season, which is pretty much best-case scenario but hasn't amounted to much due to the lack of team pass volume.
    • Johnston's shares are also strong - 86% routes, 21% targets, 32% air yards.
• TE Will Dissly caught three passes but ran just seven routes, nine fewer than Hayden Hurst.

Steelers Personnel: 11 - 29% / 12 - 12% / 21 - 25% / 6OL - 20%

65 Plays — 35 DBs — 5.3 aDOT — 25-of-32 for 245 yards — 1 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks, 1 scramble

• RB Cordarrelle Patterson played the same number of snaps as Jaylen Warren, ran one more route, took one more carry and drew four more targets.
  • It's the second time in three weeks that Patterson took a big chunk out of the workload that went to Warren last season. And Warren doesn't look nearly as good this year, perhaps because of his summer hamstring injury.
  • That said, Patterson's four carries all came on the final drive. The work he took from Warren before that was on pass plays.
    • Harris also had three carries on the final drive, gaining 36 yards. Before that, he had 15 carries for 34 yards, with the only upside being five catches on 14 routes. He'll score some TDs eventually but looks like more of a low-end RB2 than a solid one.
  • Monday update: Harris reportedly injured his arm, which may explain Patterson taking the final few carries.
• QB Justin Fields is doing alright as a game manager and should keep the job even when Russell Wilson (calf) is back at full strength, but even with a rushing TD on Sunday it's clear Fields isn't going to approach his rushing production from Chicago.
• TE Pat Freiermuth had season highs for snap share (82%) and route share (85%), which were only slightly above his marks from Weeks 1-2. He took only 15 of 24 snaps in 11 personnel (63%) but 40 of 44 snaps otherwise (91%). 
• WR Calvin Austin had a big game with a 25-yard catch in the third quarter and a 55-yard TD in the fourth, but it was Scotty Miller who took most of Van Jefferson's playing time after Jefferson suffered an eye injury early in the second quarter.
  • Miller and Austin both played 60% of snaps after the first quarter.

Stock ⬆️:   RB J.K. Dobbins / RB Cordarrelle Patterson

Stock ⬇️:   RB Gus Edwards / RB Jaylen Warren

  Chargers Injuries 🚑: QB Justin Herbert (ankle) / LT Rashawn Slater (pec) / OLB Joey Bosa (hip)

  Steelers Injuries 🚑: WR Van Jefferson (eye) / OLB Alex Highsmith (groin) / RB Najee Harris (arm)

Broncos (26) at Buccaneers (7) 

Broncos Personnel: 11 - 53% / 12 - 25% / 21 - 11%

64 Plays — 39 DBs — 6.9 aDOT — 25-of-36 for 216 yards — 0 TD, 0 INT, 0 sacks, 3 scrambles

• QB Bo Nix was legitimately good, relying on short passes and his mobility to lead Denver to two TDs and four FGs on 10 drives. Half of the team's drives spanned more than 40 yards, although one of the TDs was a freebie nine-yarder after an interception.
  • He had five designed runs, three scrambles and one kneel-down. Nix has taken four or more carries for 25+ yards in each game so far, averaging 5.9 attempts for 35.7 yards and 0.67 TDs. But he still hasn't thrown a TD pass.
• Friends School of Baltimore alum Tyler Badie took nine carries for 70 yards, but seven of his totes came on the final two drives.
  • Before the fourth quarter, Javonte Williams took 62% of snaps and nine of 17 RB opportunities, with Jaleel McLaughlin getting 28% of snaps and seven opps (including a goal-line TD on a toss play). Badie played only three snaps before the final quarter.
  • The Broncos are dead last in PFF team run-blocking grade... although the RBs are probably making the blockers look worse than they actually are. PFF grades aren't always good at teasing out that kind of stuff.
• WR Courtland Sutton accounted for nearly one-third of the targets, including a 22-yard gain on the first snap and a 17-yarder on his second look. After that, his gains went for 6, 10, 1, 4, 8.
  • Sutton's 25% target share and 41% air-yard share for the season are best-case scenario for him, and with Denver's offense showing improvement he could have some big games ahead. 
• WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey led the team in routes, running one more than Sutton, and finished second for targets (eight), catches (six) and receiving yards (37).
  • Humphrey played at least 70% of snaps in each quarter, taking a bit more of the work that had gone to Josh Reynolds in previous games. 
  • Humphrey didn't play much Week 1 but over the past two weeks he's at 76% snap share, 73% route share and 13 targets, while Reynolds is at 59% snaps, 66% routes and seven targets.

Buccaneers Personnel: 11 - 80% / 12 - 11%

56 Plays — 40 DBs — 3.6 aDOT — 25-of-33 for 163 yards — 1 TD, 1 INT, 7 sacks, 0 scrambles

• RB Rachaad White continues to out-snap Bucky Irving about 2:1, but Irving had three more carries in this game and now has 88 more rushing yards than White on six fewer carries this season.
  • White is a solid player with good receiving skills, and he's both bigger and faster than Irving, but the rookie is more agile and has better vision/instincts with the ball in his hands. White has dealt with a groin injury the past two weeks, although it didn't impact his playing time.
• WR Mike Evans scored two TDs in the season opener, but every other indicator is drastically in Chris Godwin's favor under new offensive coordinator Liam Coen. Granted, a matchup with Broncos CB Patrick Surtain didn't help matters for Evans.
  • Godwin is fourth in the NFL with 31% target share. He'll probably lose some of that to Evans as the season progresses, but maybe not a lot of it.
• WR Trey Palmer took a bunch of snaps/routes from Jalen McMillan in the first half but not the second. In any case, McMillan has been targeted on just 8% of his routes this year.
• TE Cade Otton drew eight targets, after just four in his first two games combined. It was mostly check-down stuff later in the game (six of the eight targets came after halftime) and he lost a fumble on his final reception.

Stock ⬆️:   RB Bucky Irving + WR Chris Godwin  /   QB Bo Nix + WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey

Stock ⬇️:   RB Rachaad White  /   WR Josh Reynolds

Texans (7) at Vikings (34) 

Texans Personnel: 11 - 73% / 12 - 22%

63 Plays — 52 DBs — 6.9 aDOT — 28-of-44 for 307 yards — 1 TD, 2 INTs, 5 sacks, 3 scrambles

• QB Davis Mills replaced C.J. Stroud on the final drive, but for some reason the Texans left Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell in, which allowed all three to pump their stats but also led to Dell hurting his hand/wrist.
  • Collins had a 25-yard catch to open the garbage-time drive and then four consecutive incomplete targets from Minnesota's 3-yard line to end it. In between, Dell caught two passes for 30 yards and Diggs caught three for 18.
  • Dell was efficient with his chances, especially in garbage time, but his 16% target share for the season is a big problem for fantasy. Dell is lagging slightly behind Collins and Diggs for route share and well behind them in target rate (17% TPRR).
• RB Cam Akers took 64% of snaps before the fourth quarter and didn't play at all in the fourth. Prior to the final frame, he had nine of the 11 RB carries and three of the four RB targets, including an eight-yard TD reception.
  • RB Dare Ogunbowale got 11 of 11 third-down snaps before the fourth quarter, while Akers took 29 of the 34 snaps (85%) on first and second down. In other words, Akers pretty much had Joe Mixon's pre-injury role.
  • Mixon (ankle) and Dameon Pierce (ankle) didn't practice at all last week, so Akers seemingly has a 50/50 or better chance at big-time usage again Week 4 against Jacksonville.
• TE Dalton Schultz caught only two passes, but he played a season-high 95% of snaps in the first game since fellow tight end Brevin Jordan suffered an ACL tear.

Vikings Personnel: 11 - 53% / 12 - 32% / 21 - 13%

60 Plays — 32 DBs — 7.5 aDOT — 17-of-28 for 181 yards — 4 TDs, 0 INT, 4 sacks, 0 scrambles

• RB Aaron Jones had his usual playing time split with Ty Chandler, but the touches shifted way toward Jones in this one, with 25 of the 32 RB opportunities (78%) en route to 148 total yards and a TD.
  • For the season, Jones has a 42-25 advantage over Chandler for carries and a 14-3 edge in targets, doubling his total opportunities (56 to 28) while holding a slightly lesser advantage in snap share (58/36).
  • Jones took the first seven carries of the fourth quarter before Chandler got the final two (with about 5-6 minutes remaining). Jones had a 39-yard scamper stopped at the 1-yard line, then got stuffed on the next play (TE Johnny Mundt eventually scored the TD).
  • The averages of 14.0 carries and 4.7 targets per game in a thriving offense make Jones a low-end RB1 for fantasy.
• WR Jalen Nailor had 100% route share and scored his third TD in as many weeks, but he's at only 13% target share and 13% TPRR for the season, working as a low-volume big-play guy in an offense dominated by Jones (34% TPRR) and Justin Jefferson (27% TPRR).
• Mundy saw three targets for a second straight game, with 66% route share after 77% the week before. He's now clearly ahead of Josh Oliver for pass-catching, after their split was much more even Week 1.
• Regardless of any frustrations about fantasy football or our favorite real-life teams, there's no denying the comedic value of Sam Darnold slicing and dicing through defenses at a time when so many highly regarded QBs are struggling. The combination of Darnold's 2024 performance and Baker Mayfield's 2023 breakout — within the context of a depressed scoring environment — may really change the way a lot of teams (and analysts) view roster-building.  QB performance is super important, of course, but detaching it from the surrounding situation is even harder than most of us assumed. The new conventional wisdom in recent years suggested there was no point building a strong team without a path to signing or drafting a top QB / top QB prospect. But with so many of those prospects struggling and guys like Mayfield and Darnold making the most of third/fourth chances, it may not be long before other "rebuilding" teams start to prioritize coaching, line play and weapons over the fierce scramble to find a franchise QB.
  • Darnold missed one snap with a knee injury and looked alright after returning, but he said he'll have an MRI to make sure everything is ok. The Vikings announced Monday afternoon that Darnold has a bone bruise and isn't expected to miss time.

Stock ⬆️:   RB Aaron Jones  /   RB Cam Akers

Stock ⬇️:   WR Tank Dell

  Texans Injuries 🚑: WR Tank Dell (hand)

  Vikings Injuries 🚑: QB Sam Darnold (knee)

Packers (30) at Titans (14) 

Packers Personnel: 11 - 76% / 12 - 24%

59 Plays — 25 DBs — 6.2 aDOT — 13-of-19 for 202 yards — 1 TD, 0 INT, 3 sacks, 3 scrambles

• RB Chris Brooks got the final three carries of the game, and none before that. Prior to Brooks' totes, Emanuel Wilson had seven of the last nine carries, albeit with Josh Jacobs getting a 23-yarder wiped out by a holding penalty.
  • Jacobs had a 12-5 carry advantage over Wilson late in the third quarter, so this wasn't quite as even of a split as the box score suggests. Wilson did have a 30-yard TD catch and some other nice plays, i.e., there was real encroachment on Jacobs' usage, just not quite to the extent one might gather from the final stats.
  • Jacobs played 12 of 16 snaps in the first quarter (75%) but only 41-45% of snaps in each subsequent quarter.
• The Packers weren't nearly as run-heavy as the previous week; QB Malik Willis had six pass attempts and two scrambles within the first two drives.
• WR Christian Watson got open for a 30-yard gain on the opening drive and caught a 37-yard pass over a defender in the second quarter, but he didn't see any targets otherwise and ran one fewer route than Dontayvion Wicks.
  • Jayden Reed pulled ahead of Romeo Doubs as the team target leader for 2024, with both solidly ahead of Watson/Wicks. Once Jordan Love returns, I'd say Reed is by far the best fantasy option, followed by Doubs, with Watson and Wicks well behind.
• TEs Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave both had 50% route share, with Kraft ceding far more playing time to Musgrave than in the previous two games.
  • Kraft's snap shares: 95% in Week 1, 79% in Week 2, 66% in Week 3.

Titans Personnel: 11 - 74% / 12 - 13%

53 Plays — 44 DBs — 6.6 aDOT — 26-of-34 for 260 yards — 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 8 sacks, 2 scrambles

• RB Tony Pollard got only three carries after the opening drive. He still took far more snaps than Tyjae Spears, who had been listed as questionable with an ankle injury, but the Titans ran only 18 plays in the first half and then abandoned the run after falling behind 20-7 going into halftime.
  • Spears looked healthy and had a 29-yard gain on a screen pass and a 16-yard catch deep in garbage time.
• WR DeAndre Hopkins had a big stat line but was still just a part-time player (for the third straight week). Hopkins was the Titans' best player Sunday and looked entirely healthy, with the highlight being an 11-yard TD in the third quarter on a back-shoulder throw (he had a few other tough grabs along the way).
  • Hopkins' snap/route shares rose from Week 1 to Week 2 but not from Week 2 to Week 3, despite what his receiving stats might seem to suggest. The Titans presumably will give him more playing time eventually, or maybe they'll trade him to a contender and it'll happen there (he's a good bench stats for this scenario, and a buy-low target if he doesn't put up stats Week 4).
  • The Titans had nine players with multiple targets, but only Hopkins had more than five. WR Calvin Ridley accounted for just three of the 34 targets after a huge game the week before, dropping his target share for 2024 to a disappointing 18% (though his 48% air yard share ranks third in the NFL, with 345 total air yards being fifth most and his 21.5 aDOT ranking second to Alec Pierce's 22.5 among WRs with more than 18 routes.)
• TE Josh Whyle caught two passes for 30 yards on the opening drive but didn't have another reception until the last series of the game. He's still sharing snaps with Chigoziem Okonkwo, rendering both useless for fantasy.

Stock ⬆️:   RB Emanuel Wilson

Stock ⬇️:   RB Josh Jacobs + TE Tucker Kraft

  Titans Injuries 🚑: CB Chidobie Awuzie (groin) 

Giants (21) at Browns (15) 

Giants Personnel: 11 - 55% / 12 - 26% / 13 - 13%

69 Plays — 40 DBs — 6.8 aDOT — 24-of-35 for 236 yards — 2 TDs, 0 INT, 2 sacks, 3 scrambles

• RB Devin Singletary lost a fumble in the third quarter — his second in two weeks — and gained only 22 yards on 15 carries before his 43-yard run at the end iced the game (he went down at the 1-yard line, unfortunately for fantasy managers). However, it amounted to another big fantasy game, with 20 of the 28 RB opportunities (71%), including a one-yard TD in the first quarter.
  • Singletary has 42 of the team's 53 RB carries and 10 of the 16 targets this year, with he and Nabers accounting for 58% of the yards from scrimmage and five of six TDs.
• WR Malik Nabers got 12 targets and two carries en route to 82 total yards and a pair of TDs. Nabers' 37 targets are the third most ever in the first three games of a players' career.
• WR Wan'Dale Robinson has scored 11.8, 9.8 and 13.1 PPR points, with his 29% TPRR not that far behind Nabers' 58%. 
  • Robinson's aDOT, however, is just 4.3, making it hard to put up huge stat lines even as the clear No. 2 target in a highly concentrated offense.
    • Nabers has a 10.0 aDOT, which is on the low-ish side for a top wideout, but that's perfectly fine when you're averaging 12.3 targets per game and have the third most YAC (133) among WRs.

Browns Personnel: 11 - 84% / 12 - 5%

63 Plays — 47 DBs — 7.2 aDOT — 21-of-37 for 196 yards — 2 TDs, 0 INT, 8 sacks, 2 scrambles

• RB D'Onta Foreman all but disappeared after getting 38% snap share and 14 of 22 RB carries the previous week.
  • Jerome Ford got 12 of the 14 RB carries in Week 1 (86%), 7 of 22 in Week 2 (32%) and then 10 of 12 in Week 3 (83%).
  • Ford's snap share was a season high, and he got 14 of the 16 RB opps.
  • Ford has 29 of the 48 RB carries this season, plus 13 of the 19 targets, averaging 13.0 touches for 67.7 yards per game (with one TD). He's startable as an RB2 or FLEX until/unless Nick Chubb (knee) returns, but frustration should be the expectation, not a surprise.
• WR Amari Cooper put an otherwise dismal Cleveland offense on his back before leaving in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury. He took a hard fall that didn't look great, but he walked off the field after a minute or two, and he isn't on the list of Browns players scheduled for MRIs on Monday.
• WR Jerry Jeudy maintained his solid route/target/AY shares for the season but is producing only 6.0 YPT, far below his career low of 7.6 from his rookie season (he was at 8.3 or better each of the last three years). QB Deshaun Watson has arguably been as bad or worse than any of the quarterbacks Jeudy dealt with in Denver... yikes.
  •  
• TE Jordan Akins took on a much larger role after a more even split with Blake Whiteheart in the first game David Njoku (knee) missed.
  • Akins got seven targets on 70% of snaps and 76% of routes, up from one target on 48% of snaps and 47% of routes the week before. Game script helped, but only a tiny bit, with Akins playing 67% of snaps before the fourth quarter and then 75% in the final frame.
• After playing their first two games without both starting OTs, the Browns got Jedrick Wills back in the lineup Sunday, only to lose him to another knee injury (likely an issue with his surgically repaired knee). They also lost his replacement (James Hudson) to a shoulder injury and starting RG Wyatt Teller to a knee injury. All three linemen are scheduled for MRIs on Monday, as is superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett, who said last week that he's been playing with pain in both feet and may need surgery after the season.
  • Long story short, Cleveland's season is already circling the drain, even if there's hope to eventually get better QB play via Jameis Winston. The O-line is an absolute disaster, the run game doesn't exist without Nick Chubb, and the defense is probably just average without Garrett.

Stock ⬆️:   WRs Malik Nabers & Wan'Dale Robinson

Stock ⬇️:   RB D'Onta Foreman

  Giants Injuries 🚑: CBs Adoree' Jackson (calf) & Andru Phillips (calf)    

  Browns Injuries 🚑: WR Amari Cooper (undisclosed) / DE Myles Garrett (foot) / RG Wyatt Teller (knee) / LT James Hudson (shoulder)/ LT Jedrick Wills (knee)

Eagles (15) at Saints (12) 

Eagles Personnel: 11 - 70% / 12 - 19%

67 Plays — 46 DBs — 7.4 aDOT — 29-of-38 for 311 yards — 0 TD, 1 INT, 4 sacks, 4 scrambles

• The Eagles lost No. 1 receiver DeVonta Smith to a concussion early in the fourth quarter, after losing depth receiver Britain Covey (shoulder) and both starters on the right side of the O-line earlier in the game.
  • Jahan Dotson ran 37 routes but was targeted on only three of them. Parris Cambell had 26 routes with only two targets. They offer speed but not much else.
• RB Saquon Barkley reached 21.66 mph on his 65-yard TD run, his fastest speed in a game since 2019. More important for our purposes, he topped 80% snap share for a third straight week. He's averaging 21.0 carries for 117.0 yards and 3.3 catches for 17.7 yards, with five TDs. 
  • Kenneth Gainwell is the only other Eagles RB with a touch, and he has just three carries and four targets.
• TE Dallas Goedert was already having a huge game before his gains of 30 and 61 yards in the fourth quarter — both on crossing routes against man coverage. The 61-yarder to set up a go-ahead TD was rather amusing, with two Saints defenders colliding and a third then bumping into them. 
  • Goedert is now up to 21% target share for the season and leads all TEs in yards, with just one fewer catch than Brock Bowers.

Saints Personnel: 11 - 47% / 12 - 7% / 21 - 31% / 22 - 13%

55 Plays — 27 DBs — 9.5 aDOT — 14-of-25 for 142 yards — 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 sack, 1 scramble

• With Taysom Hill (chest) inactive and the Saints finally in a close game, RB Alvin Kamara played 87% of snaps and took 29 of the 33 RB opportunities.
• WRs Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed also got slight upticks in route share thanks to the tight contest, with very different results (Shaheed went 0-for-5, Olave went 6-for-6 and scored a TD).
  • Shaheed got open down the left sideline for a 40-yard TD in the second quarter, but an underthrow allowed the defender to catch up and knock it away. He also nearly had a 25-yard TD in the fourth quarter but couldn't quite make the contested catch.
• TEs Foster Moreau and Juwan Johnson both were below 40% route share while splitting snaps.

Stock ⬆️:   TE Dallas Goedert

Stock ⬇️:   QB Jalen Hurts

  Eagles Injuries 🚑: WR DeVonta Smith (concussion) / WR Britain Covey (shoulder) / RT lane Johnson (concussion) / RG Mekhi Becton (finger)    

  Saints Injuries 🚑: C Erik McCoy (groin)

Dolphins (3) at Seahawks (24) 

Dolphins Personnel: 11 - 29% / 12 - 11% / 21 - 52%

56 Plays — 39 DBs — 6.6 aDOT — 20-of-32 for 186 yards — 0 TD, 0 INT, 6 sacks, 1 scramble

• QB Skylar Thompson took a bunch of hard hits and eventually left in the third quarter with a chest/rib injury. Tim Boyle took over and failed to produce any points on four drives.
• RB De'Von Achane played a season-high 71% of snaps, including 13 of 16 in the fourth quarter (not smart), but the Seahawks limited him to 58 yards on 14 touches. He's at 3.5 YPC for the season, dealing with poor QB play and an O-line that isn't as good as it was last year.
  • RB Jaylen Wright got 23% of snaps but only two carries (for 17 yards) and took a lot of his snaps while Achane was also on the field.
• WR Jaylen Waddle saw some early targets but wasn't involved much thereafter. He's down to 17% TPRR and 13% target share for the season, which puts him in WR4/5 territory unless/until Tua Tagovailoa (head) returns.
  • WR Tyreek Hill also had a rough day, and his 27% TPRR this season is a strong number by most standards but not his own. Consider him a WR2 or WR3 until Tua is back.
• TE Jonnu Smith dropped to 39% route share, down from 68% the week before, although his snap share only dipped a little (43% to 38%).

Seahawks Personnel: 11 - 78% / 12 - 20%

60 Plays — 37 DBs — 5.5 aDOT — 26-of-34 for 289 yards — 1 TD, 2 INTs, 3 sacks, 0 scrambles

• RB Zach Charbonnet got 85% of snaps and 22 of the 25 RB opportunities en route to 107 total yards and two TDs.
  • This was his best performance in five career games replacing Kenneth Walker (oblique) as the lead back, but it does seem Walker is on track to return Week 4 or 5 after practicing in a limited capacity Friday. (He'll have an extra day to get ready Week 4 with the Lions facing Detroit on MNF.)
  • Kenny McIntosh got the final three carries. Before that, Charbonnet had every single RB opportunity, and he played 91% of snaps prior to the fourth quarter.
• WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba got 87% snap share and 100% route share but was targeted on only three of his 37 routes, while Tyler Lockett was targeted on eight of his 28. The two are pretty close in terms of target rate per route, but JSN has quite a few more snaps/routes. While I'd certainly rather have Smith-Njigba on a fantasy team, the overall picture looks far less extreme than what we saw Week 2 at New England. Continue monitoring closely.
• WR DK Metcalf had a long TD on a double move, giving him 100-plus yards and a TD in consecutive games.
• TE Noah Fant had 6-60-0, his first good receiving game of the season, but his snap and route shares actually dropped compared to Weeks 1-2 with Pharaoh Brown making his season debut after dealing with a foot injury.
  • Fant played only 50% of snaps before the fourth quarter, i.e., the lost playing time was a product of Brown's return, not game script.

Stock ⬆️:   WR Tyler Lockett

Stock ⬇️:   WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba + TE Noah Fant

  Dolphins Injuries 🚑: QB Skylar Thompson (ribs) / LT Terron Armstead (head) / CB Kendall Fuller (concussion) / LB David Long (hamstring) / CB Storm Duck (shoulder)   

  Seahawks Injuries 🚑: DL Leonard Williams (ribs) / DL Byron Murphy (hamstring)

Panthers (36) at Raiders (22) 

Panthers Personnel: 11 - 59% / 12 - 21% / 6OL - 13%

70 Plays — 39 DBs — 6.1 aDOT — 26-of-37 for 319 yards — 3 TDs, 0 INT, 2 sacks, 0 scrambles

• QB Andy Dalton became the first player this season with 300 passing yards and three passing TDs in the same game. Go figure.
  • He made a couple decisions, including one near-interception, but overall it was a fantastic showing, not strictly a product of poor defense or YAC.
• RB Chuba Hubbard's snap share didn't change relative to Weeks 1-2, but he got 26 of the 35 RB opportunities (74%) en route to 169 total yards and a touchdown.
  • Hubbard took 65% of snaps before the fourth quarter, with a 14-3 edge over Miles Sanders in carries and 5-2 lead in targets (19 of 24 RB opps. overall).
  • Keep in mind that rookie second-round pick Jonathan Brooks (ACL) is eligible to return Week 5, with most reports from the summer suggesting Carolina expects him to be ready. I don't think Brooks will replace Hubbard as the lead back immediately, but we could see a three-way backfield... or Brooks replacing Sanders and having a bigger role than Sanders had previously. Plus, Brooks could prove good enough to become the lead guy at some point. Hubbard gains value here, no doubt, but it may just be a temporary boost.
• WR Diontae Johnson rode the Dalton wave in a big way. Johnson is ninth in the league for target share (28%) and 18th in AY share (37%), making him a clear fantasy starter as long as the Red Rocket can provide some semblance of competence under center.
• WR Adam Thielen got off to a strong start but then injured his hamstring in the second quarter and didn't return.
  • Xavier Legette led the Carolina WRs with 76% snap share in the second half, and his 87% route share post-halftime was second only to Johnson's 93%.
    • Legette played 15 of 16 snaps in 12 personnel on the day. He and Johnson were the regular pairing, while Mingo and Thielen got most of the 11 personnel work alongside. In the second half with Thielen out, Legette also got 80% of the snaps in 11 personnel.
  • Jonathan Mingo actually played more snaps in the first half; he didn't benefit from Thielen's absence because he was already playing in 11 personnel but not in 12 (same as Thielen).
• TE Tommy Tremble got 86% of snaps and 64% route share, up from 48% and 43% the week before. He missed Week 1 with a hamstring injury but has now moved clearly ahead of rookie Ja'Tavion Sanders.

Raiders Personnel: 11 - 83% / 12 - 14%

59 Plays — 45 DBs — 7.9 aDOT — 27-of-40 for 296 yards — 2 TDs, 1 INT, 3 sacks, 2 scrambles

• TE Brock Bowers dropped to season-low 49% route share even though he played his normal allotment of snaps (66%). It wasn't a game script thing, as his route share was 40% in the first half and 54% after halftime. He lost three pass snaps to blocking, but the bigger factor was the Raiders using multi-TE formations less (and Michael Mayer still taking a bunch of the snaps in single-TE sets).
  • Bowers at least was efficient with his four targets, catching three for 41 yards. He's caught 18 of 21 targets this season, with 10.9 YPR and 9.4 YPT.
• RB Zamir White played a season-low 24% of snaps, after 39% in Week 1 and 65% in Week 2. Game script is part of that, but the Raiders also mostly played from behind Week 2 when his snap share spiked.
  • White had 10 of the 13 RB carries but ran only three routes and saw none of the five RB targets.
• RB Ameer Abdullah played 14% of snaps before the fourth quarter and then 68% in the final frame. Alexander Mattison got 49% before Q4.
• The Panthers did a surprisingly good job on Bowers and Davante Adams, which left Tre Tucker and Jakobi Meyers to put up big stat lines. The season-long shares still show Adams as a clear Alpha and Bowers ahead of the other WRs, but the dip in route share does hint that Meyers can maybe pull even with the rookie TE.
  • Tucker looks to have been a good pick in the third round last spring, but his path to steady targets doesn't really exist without Adams or Meyers being traded/injured (which may well happen before November).
• DE Maxx Crosby was listed as questionable with an ankle injury. He ended up playing but said afterward that he's dealing with a high-ankle sprain (he didn't clarify if that was already the case before Sunday or if it's a new injury he picked up on top of the old one).

Stock ⬆️:   RB Chuba Hubbard + WRs Diontae Johnson & Xavier Legette  /   WR Tre Tucker

Stock ⬇️:   TE Brock Bowers  /  [ LOGO] TE Ja'Tavion Sanders

  Panthers Injuries 🚑: WR Adam Thielen (hamstring) / G Damien Lewis (elbow)    

  Raiders Injuries 🚑: DE Maxx Crosby (ankle) / RT Thayer Munford (knee) / S Marcus Epps (knee) 

Lions (20) at Cardinals (13) 

Lions Personnel: 11 - 49% / 12 - 26% / 6OL - 22%

68 Plays — 26 DBs — 7.7 aDOT — 18-of-23 for 199 yards — 2 TDs, 1 INT, 2 sacks, 1 scramble

• The playing time split between David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs went slightly in Monty's favor with Detroit sitting on a lead, but Gibbs still got 16 carries for 83 yards and had 20 receiving yards and a TD without a target (thanks to the lateral from ARSB).
  • Gibbs had zero targets on 12 routes, while Monty had three targets on eight routes.
  • Gibbs is averaging 13.3 carries for 69.0 yards and 3.7 catches for 25.3 yards, with two TDs. Montgomery is averaging 17.0 carries for 77.0 yards and 2.7 catches for 18.0 yards, with three TDs. The production is basically dead even so far, making Montgomery a huge win at ADP and Gibbs perhaps a slight disappointment.
• TE Sam LaPorta suffered a low-ankle sprain at the end of the second quarter. He returned to the game but took only 32% of snaps after halftime, with Brock Wright getting 79%.
  • All four of Wright's receptions came on the first three drives, well before LaPorta's injury. The only target Wright got after the injury was a horrible interception from Jared Goff.
  • LaPorta was targeted twice on 11 routes pre-injury... minor progress. He caught both passes for gains of 24 and 12.
• WR Amon-Ra St. Brown got eight of the 22 targets, moving up to third in the NFL this season with 31% target share.
  • WR Jameson Williams, on the other hand, had a quiet day with just three targets and one carry for two total yards. His receiving shares for the season are strong even after a dud.
• WR Kalif Raymond ran only two routes, compared to Tim Patrick's 13. They'd split the No. 3 WR role the week before.

Cardinals Personnel: 11 - 62% / 12 - 23% / 13 - 15%

53 Plays — 38 DBs — 11.6 aDOT — 21-of-34 for 207 yards — 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 sack, 3 scrambles

• RB James Conner got only 10 touches despite playing 75% of snaps. He had a few nice runs for 3-4 yards early but then got ambushed by a tough run defense and game-scripted out of relevance eventually.
• WR Marvin Harrison saw 183 air yards on 11 targets, giving him the third most air yards (368) this season after back-to-back big weeks. He missed a few contested catch opportunities that were makeable, and Kyler Murray's willingness to toss it up to Harrison in single coverage (also a couple times in double coverage, including a terrible INT) was noticeable. 
  • WR Michael Wilson also had a solid game, his first of the season, with he and Harrison accounting for 20 of the 34 targets.
  • Negative game script helped Greg Dortch get a lot more playing time and routes than the week before, even though he was listed as questionable with a hamstring injury after being a late addition to the injury report.
• TE Trey McBride was concussed on a nine-yard reception during Arizona's final drive (with six minutes remaining).

Stock ⬆️:   TE Brock Wright

  Lions Injuries 🚑: TE Sam LaPorta (ankle) / DB Brian Branch (neck) / DT Alim McNeill (shoulder) 

  Cardinals Injuries 🚑: TE Trey McBride (head) / T Jackson Barton (toe) / DL Justin Jones (triceps) / DT Khyiris Tonga (knee)

49ers (24) at Rams (27) 

49ers Personnel: 11 - 38% / 12 - 8% / 21 - 48%

65 Plays — 38 DBs — 11.1 aDOT — 22-of-30 for 292 yards — 3 TDs, 0 INT, 1 sack, 7 scrambles

• WR Jauan Jennings tied Brandon Aiyuk for the team lead in routes (27%) and was targeted on 12 of his 27 routes while putting up 11-175-3. 
  • Jennings dropped a short pass but was otherwise spectacular, winning on a variety of routes and at every level of the field. He should be in fantasy lineups Week 4, assuming Deebo Samuel (calf) is out again.
• Aiyuk drew seven official targets on the first three drives, plus three others that didn't count because of penalties. He didn't play well, with one clear drop and a couple other catchable passes that he didn't quite corral.
• TE Eric Saubert was targeted only twice while filling George Kittle's usual role in terms of snap/route share.
• RB Jordan Mason was a workhorse again, taking 78% of snaps and 21 of the 26 RB opportunities.
  • Isaac Guerendo got a bit more involved with five carries for 19 yards.
  • Mason played 90% of snaps in the first half and 82% in the fourth quarter. The 49ers mixed Guerendo in mostly during the third quarter.

Rams Personnel: 11 - 55% / 12 - 44%

55 Plays — 29 DBs — 10.8 aDOT — 16-of-26 for 221 yards — 1 TD, 0 INT, 3 sacks, 0 scrambles

• Many players have front-flipped into the end zone, but few have done it for pragmatic reasons rather than as a celebration. Add Kyren Williams to the shortlist. He also scored two additional TDs, giving him five for the year. His 87% snap share this season leads all RBs.
  • Ronnie Rivers spelled Williams the few times he came off the field. Blake Corum has still only played in garbage time through three games.
• More empty air yards for Demarcus Robinson, who led the team with 93% route share and caught one of four targets for 32 yards. He had a 34-yard reception overturned on challenge, on a trick play pass from fellow wideout Tutu Atwell.
  • Robinson has 124 yards on 102 routes, with a 16.7 aDOT, 15% TPRR and seven catches on 15 targets.
• Atwell was the unexpected star, getting 74% of snaps and 83% route share en route to gains of 24 and 50 yards (with the latter setting up the game-tying TD late in the fourth quarter).
  • Atwell also drew a 48-yard PI penalty. Each of the Rams' three TD drives either had a long penalty or long gain courtesy of Atwell.
  • Tyler Johnson and Jordan Whittington, meanwhile, both were below 50% route share. And the Rams used 12 personnel nearly as much as 11 personnel — unusual under Sean McVay, but reasonable given the reality of their current WR group.

Stock ⬆️:   WR Tutu Atwell  /   WR Jauan Jennings

Stock ⬇️:   WR Tyler Johnson

  49ers Injuries 🚑: DT Javon Hargrave (triceps)    

Ravens (28) at Cowboys (25) 

Ravens Personnel: 11 - 32% / 12 - 18% / 21 - 27% / 22 - 22%

60 Plays — 17 DBs — 3.2 aDOT — 12-of-15 for 182 yards — 1 TD, 0 INT, 0 sacks, 2 scrambles