Fantasy Football Usage Report Week 1: Key metrics and trends about the utilization of NFL players

If you've been playing fantasy football for a little while, you may remember the "Free Aaron Jones" movement. The year was 2018 and Jones had flashed as an exciting young talent, but the Packers' coaching staff simply wouldn't make Jones the featured back in front of Jamaal Williams. Fantasy managers begged and pleaded for Jones to get more work, but his role in the offense simply wasn't large enough to sustain consistent fantasy production. 

No matter how talented we believe a player is, if they're playing a complementary role in the offense, they will have a hard time producing fantasy points (as Kyle Pitts managers learned the hard way the last couple of years, thanks Arthur Smith!). This is why monitoring player usage is so important for fantasy football. It sounds simple, but the players who see more touches (and valuable touches) are going to have the easiest path to producing fantasy points.

For most NFL fans and fantasy players, reviewing the data on player usage is far too difficult and time-consuming. But there's no need to look any further. We've got you covered with the Sporting News Usage Report, where we'll take you through some of the most significant trends regarding player usage and discuss how it will impact players' fantasy values.

WEEK 2 FANTASY PPR RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers

Fantasy Football Week 1 Usage Report: Biggest running back utilization trends

Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams

The offseason discussion surrounding Kyren Williams was, quite frankly, exhausting. How will Blake Corum chip away at his workload? Does it mean anything that Williams was named the punt returner? After months of discourse, we were treated to the same old Kyren Williams in Week 1. He dominated the backfield opportunities, and his 91-percent snap share was second among RBs, behind only Jonathan Taylor.

This could just be a case of Sean McVay being uninterested in leaning on a rookie in a game where the Rams were playing from behind for most of the evening. For the time being, Williams has a firm grip on this backfield and will continue to hold one of the most valuable roles in fantasy football.

Zamir White and Alexander Mattison, Las Vegas Raiders

If you're a Zamir White manager, it may be time to panic already after just one week. White was drafted as a bottom-tier RB2 in the hopes that he would consolidate the rushing work in the Raiders' offense. This could not have been further from reality. To the chagrin of fantasy managers worldwide, White was in a full-blown timeshare with Alexander Mattison. To make matters even worse, Mattison was stealing touches on early downs, a role that White was supposed to have locked down.

Those who have White on their rosters may find some solace in the fact that Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce indicated that the team would be utilizing the "hot hand" approach at running back. So there is still a chance that White recovers and becomes the go-to guy in Las Vegas. But if White remains in a committee with Mattison, his fantasy value is crushed.

WEEK 2 FANTASY ROSTER MANAGEMENT ADVICE
Waiver Wire Picks | Waivers FAAB Report | Trade Recommendations

Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys

A report came out shortly before kickoff on Sunday stating that Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott would split reps for the Cowboys. This was exactly the case; Dallas's running back duo traded off drives and had nearly identical snap counts.

Elliott "looked" better, leading the way for Dallas on the ground with 40 yards compared to Dowdle's 26. Elliott also had the better fantasy performance due to the fact that one of his drives resulted in a punch-in score. Elliott may have the edge over Dowdle at the moment, but it's safe to assume that this backfield is a 50-50 split. This will definitely be a situation to monitor in the coming weeks.

Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs made it quite clear this offseason that they felt confident in Isiah Pacheco's ability to play on all three downs. There had never been questions surrounding Pacheco's rushing ability, but he had never been heavily utilized as a pass catcher. Pacheco went out on Thursday night and owned the Chiefs' backfield, playing 80 percent of snaps and handling nearly every backfield opportunity.

Considering that the Chiefs' offense is returning to form, a bell cow running back alongside Patrick Mahomes would create a highly valuable role for fantasy football. Like the backfield in Dallas, this is a situation to monitor. Samaje Perine is known as a strong pass protector and pass catcher, so it would not be shocking if his third-down role continues to grow as he becomes more familiar with the playbook in Kansas City.

Fantasy Football Week 1 Usage Report: Biggest wide receiver and tight end utilization trends

Keenan Allen and Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears

The "Fat Keenan" narrative from the preseason may have been overblown. Keenan Allen went out there and dominated in Week 1. His 0.35 targets per route run and 42-percent air yards share are both elite marks. Allen will now benefit from the absence of Rome Odunze for the next few weeks while he recovers from a knee injury. Caleb Williams' play will have to improve for Allen to rack up fantasy points, but his role in the offense in Week 1 was elite.

Cole Kmet, on the other hand, may as well have turned to dust for fantasy football. Kmet was rotating with Gerald Everett throughout the preseason, and the rotation unsurprisingly carried over to the regular season. A 27-percent route participation is a far cry from what he would need to be fantasy-relevant. Kmet can't even be considered a starter in the deepest of leagues unless something changes. But as long as Everett is healthy and Shane Waldron is the offensive coordinator, things are unlikely to shift in Kmet's favor.

Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions

"Attention passengers, Jameson Williams has been cleared for takeoff." Lions' head coach Dan Campbell had been raving about Williams throughout the offseason and allowed him to go out and put on a show in Week 1. Williams set career highs across the board in a game where he made the Rams' secondary look foolish on multiple occasions.

Fantasy football is a game where excuses often have to be made for bad players. In the case of Williams, the excuses appear to be legitimate. Williams can reasonably be a WR3/Flex option if he continues to see high-end usage. However, don't anticipate him to out-target Amon-Ra St. Brown or even Sam LaPorta on a regular basis.

Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

You don't really have to look into the advanced metrics to know that Cooper Kupp had a jaw-dropping game in Week 1. If you looked at the box score or watched the game, you'd likely come to the same conclusion. It's still fun to marvel at what he was able to do though.

A 43-percent target share and a 51-percent air yards share are truly bonkers. The big question throughout the offseason was whether Kupp's troubling 2023 campaign had more to do with his age or health. The answer is quite clear after Sunday's game against the Lions. With Puka Nacua now on IR (non-season-ending), Kupp has ascended to the upper tier of fantasy receivers once again.

DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans

Fantasy managers who didn't watch the Titans game may be confused as to why DeAndre Hopkins only saw one target on Sunday. Taking a quick glance at his route participation (24 percent) provides an answer.

Hopkins has been recovering from an MCL injury in recent weeks. He was active for Week 1, but he was quite clearly on a snap count. The Titans aren't pushing it with the veteran receiver, and he will likely be in a ramp-up period for the next several weeks. Until his route participation stabilizes and he is in a full-time role, Hopkins will have to remain on the bench. Treylon Burks is operating as the backup to Hopkins, and he could be started in pure desperation while Hopkins is still limited.