Arizona Cardinals
James Conner ran a route on 66 percent of Kyler Murray‘s dropbacks.
Conner earned a 15 percent target share while playing on 71 percent of the Cardinal’s offensive snaps. It was his first game back from a rib injury that cost him three games. Clearly approaching full strength, Conner’s workload should put him in line for RB2 numbers going forward.
Atlanta Falcons
All three of Atlanta’s running backs rank in the top 20 in rush yards over expected per carry.
Cordarrelle Patterson is leading the way with just shy of an entire yard per carry over expected. Both Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley are close behind. Patterson found the end zone twice in Week 9 but split the backfield with his teammates. As his role grows, he could make his way up the RB2 ranks.
Baltimore Ravens
Kenyan Drake saw 83 percent of the Ravens’ running back carries.
He also earned half of the running back targets and a 64 percent snap share. Gus Edwards will likely be back after Baltimore’s Week 10 bye, but Drake proved capable of handling a large workload. He may be the only back in Baltimore able to take on more than 15 touches on a consistent basis. Expect a committee in Week 11.
Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen leads the NFL in turnover-worthy plays (17).
Because he is sixth in total dropbacks, Pro Football Focus has his turnover-worthy play rate as the fifth-highest in the NFL. Allen is still one of the league’s best quarterbacks, but his high-volatility style caught up to him in Week 9. It’s also part of the reason Jalen Hurts, who has the second-lowest turnover-worthy play rate, is nearly the MVP favorite.
MVP candidate Geno Smith, just like we all predicted
— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) November 7, 2022
🔗 https://t.co/8nS9hiqX1Y pic.twitter.com/tZf4eVmwXk
Carolina Panthers
P.J. Walker leads all quarterbacks in big-time throw rate (9.6 percent).
Per PFF, the gap between Walker at No. 1 and Josh Allen at No. 2 is as large as the gap between Allen and the No. 17 ranked quarterback. On the other hand, Walker was benched after completing 3-of-10 passes with two interceptions in the first half of Week 9. Walker’s floor is as low as it gets, but his ceiling is higher than Baker Mayfield’s or Sam Darnold‘s.
Chicago Bears
Justin Fields set the record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game (178).
Fields also set the record for rushing first downs earned by a quarterback (12). On the day, he posted a 15/178/1 line while throwing for three scores. Matt Eberflus is finally designing an offense tailored to his quarterback’s strengths and the results are outstanding.
Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Mixon leads the NFL in red zone carries (30).
Mixon added seven red zone attempts to his total in Week 9. All but one of them came inside the 10 and three were inside the five. He is also tied for a league-high in carries inside the five (12) this season. Mixon’s role is that of a top-three fantasy back.
Detroit Lions
D’Andre Swift played 10 snaps.
It was the second-lowest snap count of his career. Swift touched the ball five times. Before the week, Lions coach Dan Campbell said Swift still wasn’t fully healthy. Until he lets us know Swift is past his shoulder and ankle injuries, the star runner has to be benched in all formats.
Green Bay Packers
Allen Lazard earned a 26 percent target share.
Lazard also saw 36 percent of the air yards and a third of the Packers’ red zone looks through the air. Lazard has stepped up as a reliable weapon and touchdown scorer for Aaron Rodgers this year. The results aren’t the same as they were with Davante Adams, but they are good enough to continue ranking Lazard as a WR2.
Houston Texans
Dameon Pierce is third in missed tackles forced (50) this season.
With Brandin Cooks sidelined for Week 9, Pierce was the only reason to watch Houston’s offense. Cooks is set to return, but his target share is down to 20 percent this year. He is a low-end WR3 while Pierce, as the focal point of the offense, is a strong bet for RB1 numbers.
Indianapolis Colts
Deon Jackson was targeted three times.
Starting in place of Jonathan Taylor, Jackson saw 79 percent of the Colts’ running back carries but earned just an 11 percent target share. In his previous start, he earned 10 targets on an 18 percent target share. With Sam Ehlinger under center, the offense is far less friendly for fantasy purposes.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Travis Etienne has seen 89 percent of the Jaguars’ running back carries in the past three weeks.
He has an 80 percent snap share over that span plus 17 red zone carries. Seven of those attempts came inside the five-yard line. Etienne now ranks top five in red zone carries. He has the makings of a first-round fantasy pick next year.
Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes threw 68 passes and set the NFL record for dropbacks in a game (78).
Four of his dropbacks were sacks and six were scrambles for 63 yards and a rushing touchdown. Mahomes also joined the exclusive club of quarterbacks to throw the ball at least 60 times in a game and win. Mahomes was coincidentally the 60th quarterback to throw 60 passes and the sixth to win under that condition. The Chiefs have another gear that almost no other team has.
Las Vegas Raiders
Davante Adams earned a 47 percent target share and a 55 percent air yards share.
He led all players in target share and ranked fourth in air yards share in Week 9. Adams has now seen 17 targets in two different games with the Raiders. In Week 9, he posted a 10/146/2 line versus the Jags. His one-catch performance in Week 8 was nothing more than an anomaly.
Los Angeles Chargers
Josh Palmer was on the field for every Justin Herbert dropback.
PFF charted him as running a route on all but one of the team’s passing plays. He logged a 23 percent target share and accounted for 40 percent of LA’s air yards. Palmer turned the role into eight catches for 106 yards. Until Keenan Allen and Mike Williams return, he looks like the new WR1 in LA.
Los Angeles Rams
Cooper Kupp accounted for 77 percent of the Rams’ passing yards.
Kupp has amassed 42 percent of the Rams’ passing yards and 35 percent of their total yards from scrimmage on the season. He also has exactly half of the team’s offensive touchdowns.
Miami Dolphins
Jeff Wilson earned more carries in his first game as a Dolphin than Chase Edmonds had since Week 1.
Miami traded Edmonds to Denver and acquired Wilson from San Francisco at the deadline. Already knowing Mike McDaniel‘s scheme well, Wilson was able to step into an immediate role. He played on nearly half of the Dolphins’ snaps and totaled 12 touches. The days of Raheem Mostert as a three-down back are over.
Minnesota Vikings
Justin Jefferson has reached 100 yards in 46 percent of his career games.
That is over his entire career. For reference, Calvin Johnson hit triple-digits in 34 percent of his games. Jefferson gets a potential shootout with Buffalo next week, though that will depend on the health of Josh Allen.
New England Patriots
Rhamondre Stevenson leads all running backs in expected fantasy points over the past five weeks.
Stevenson’s 110 touches trail only Derrick Henry‘s total in the past five weeks. Stevenson is averaging 4.8 catches per game over that span, giving him the edge in expected fantasy points.
New Orleans Saints
Juwan Johnson ran a route on 83 percent of the Saints’ passing plays.
Adam Trautman was active for this game, but Dennis Allen rolled with Johnson as his starting tight end. He was rewarded with a 41-yard touchdown thanks to some Baltimore defenders seemingly thinking Johnson stepped out of bounds. Johnson hasn’t been targeted often, but he has made plays with the ball in his hands. There are worse streaming options at tight end.
New York Jets
Garrett Wilson has a 28 percent target share over the past two weeks.
His air yards share sits at 29 percent and he has taken the field for 90 percent of the Jets’ offensive plays. Wilson has caught 14 balls for 207 yards in his past two appearances. With Elijah Moore buried on the depth chart and Corey Davis injured, Wilson has emerged as the Jets’ top receiver.
Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts led all quarterbacks with a 17.9 completion percent over expected.
Hurts hasn’t just been running the ball well. He is also one of the most accurate quarterbacks this year. Hurts ranks second in PFF passing grade, sixth in CPOE, and second in yards per attempt.
Seattle Seahawks
Ken Walker set career-highs in snaps (56), routes (21), and targets (four).
No one is questioning Walker’s chops as a runner at this point, but he has failed to make much of an impact through the air. That could be changing as of Week 9. He led the Seattle backfield in routes and targets. If he adds even a modest amount of receiving work to his elite rushing lines, Walker will be a top-five fantasy back.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cade Otton has reached an 80 percent snap share in each of his past three games.
He has at least five targets in all three of those games. Otton has also topped 60 yards twice and scored his first career touchdown in Week 9. It’s safe to have Otton in the low-end TE1 mix this week.
Tennessee Titans
Dontrell Hilliard ranks top five in yards per target and yards per carry among running backs.
You have to extend the minimum number of attempts and targets down to 15 for Hilliard to qualify, but he has been an impressive playmaker nonetheless. He won’t play a massive role with Derrick Henry soaking up 25 touches per game, but Hillard has played on 24 percent of the Titans’ snaps this year. He is a solid stash in dynasty leagues.
Washington Commanders
Taylor Heinicke leads the NFL in turnover-worthy play rate (8.6 percent).
The gap between Heinicke and the No. 2 quarterback in this metric is as large as the gap between No. 2 and No. 25. No one is making more costly mistakes than Heinicke right now and it is not a close race. Expect Washington’s offense to continue struggling as long as he is under center.