With one week of utilization data, player usage offers opportunities on the dynasty landscape. Here is an early look (expect multiple check-ins throughout the season) at the key players on each NFL team and their usage.
Running Back Utilization
Pittsburgh: Najee Harris is a big winner after Week 1 with his 77% rushing share of the backfield, and Harris and Jaylen Warren were nearly even in routes. The confidence in starting Harris and benching Warren is higher for Week 2. There is no committee here.
Tennessee: Tony Pollard is a big winner with the lead role in Week 1. Pollard's 77% rushing market share is an overt positive. Tyjae Spears had an edge in routes, but Pollard still ran 38%, which is good enough to be a strong RB2 with upside.
San Francisco: Christian McCaffrey was a massive curveball on Monday evening with his inactive status. The 49ers used Deebo Samuel as their RB2, but among traditional running backs, Jordan Mason surged to 100% rushing and 70% route share, plus a monster game of production. McCaffrey is unlikely to play in Week 2 by mid-week reports.
Cincinnati: Zack Moss was the clear starter with 75% rushing and 50% route shares. Chase Brown is an injury-away option only until further notice.
Baltimore: Derrick Henry saw 100% of the rushing market share, but the negative game script brought Justice Hill into focus with a 55% route share and six targets. Hill will be a flex option if Baltimore is predicted to be in a competitive or comeback mode game script.
Carolina: In addition to looking horrific on offense overall, Chuba Hubbard was a weak starter with 38% rushing and 45% route share. Despite being the starter, Hubbard is not a quality fantasy option until Carolina looks more functional on offense.
Miami: Raheem Mostert will miss Week 2, and De'Von Achane had a higher rushing and route share than Mostert in Week 1. Achane has strong RB1 upside even if possessing half of the backfield, like Week 1. Jeff Wilson and Jaylen Wright are strong pickup-and-hold options until Mostert returns.
Jacksonville: Travis Etienne Jr. was a workhorse last season but far from it in Week 1. Tank Bigsby took 50% of the rushing market share, and Etienne's 61% of routes were also on the low side versus expectations.
Chargers: J.K. Dobbins is rising with more than triple the routes of Gus Edwards and a 43% rushing market share. Edwards was already a flimsy start and even more so now.
Cleveland: Jerome Ford was a significant starter with 88% and 67% rushing and route market share figures. Ford is tough to keep out of lineups until Nick Chubb is back.
LA Rams: For all the hand-wringing and conjecture Kyren Williams would be in a committee with Blake Corum, the Week 1 result was the opposite. Corum did not see an offensive snap, and Williams' market share was 90% rushing and 75% of routes. 2024 looks a lot like 2023 through one week.
Dallas: Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle was the most competitive committee split in the NFL last week. Both were 45-50% in rushing share and 27-32% in route share. Neither is a good start without a better advantage. Dalvin Cook remains a darkhorse to be Dallas' best option in a future week.
Wide Receiver Utilization
Green Bay: Dontayvion Wicks was the clear WR4 with less than 50% of routes. Jayden Reed and Christian Watson were on the low side for WR2/3 types, around 75%.
Miami: Malik Washington was out, and Braxton Berrios was a weak streamer, accruing less than 50% of routes and largely ignored behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Arizona: Greg Dortch's strong streaming performance came on 68% of routes and invisible games from Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson. Dortch will have a tough time being consistently relevant on that level of routes.
Chicago: The offense overall struggled, but Rome Odunze's 83% route share in his debut was an overt positive.
Atlanta: Kirk Cousins needs to play better, but a 100% route share from Drake London is a positive despite the poor game overall for the Atlanta passing game and London.
Houston: Tank Dell notably saw more than 85% of routes, a positive considering he was viewed as the WR3. Also, Nico Collins is pretty good.
Cincinnati: Even with Tee Higgins out, Jermaine Burton was buried as the WR4 and sparsely on the field. His viability feels a long way off. This is another passing game that needs to play significantly better to consider fantasy options beyond Ja'Marr Chase.
Denver: Josh Reynolds was a strong 84% of routes and available on plenty of waiver wires for streaming. Devaughn Vele was also a target magnet even with only 61% of routes.
Tampa Bay: Jalen McMillan's 89% of routes was a positive sign and the WR3 in the pecking order. McMillan will be a quality streamer if Mike Evans or Chris Godwin is out in a future week.
Detroit: Jameson Williams' 94% of routes were a sign of sustaining his production from Week 1.
LA Rams: Puka Nacua is out for at least four weeks. Demarcus Robinson had a 93% route share, and Tyler Johnson zoomed up to 66% in a partial game where Nacua missed time. Both (and Jordan Whittington, who had a goal-line rushing touchdown called back) are viable pickups, stashes, and streamers.
Tight End Utilization
LA Rams: Colby Parkinson is firmly on the streaming radar with 81% of routes in Week 1, and Puka Nacua out for a stretch.
LA Chargers: Hayden Hurst is a 'hold your nose' streamer with 80% of routes, clearly the TE1 over Will Dissly.
Baltimore: Isaiah Likely's monster performance came on 63% of routes, an unsustainable threshold. Likely is a quality sell candidate in advance of Week 2.
Green Bay: Tucker Kraft was the clear starter with 77% of routes to Luke Musgrave's 21%. Kraft is a weak streamer with passing-deficit Malik Willis set to start until Jordan Love returns.
Chicago: Cole Kmet was one of the big market share losers of Week 1. A 34% route share (and nine fewer routes than Gerald Everett) takes Kmet off the fantasy radar until further notice.
New Orleans: Juwan Johnson had a solid fantasy day, but running fewer than 50% of the team route share is concerning to trust as anything but a flyer start unless the route share improves.
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