Fantasy Football Usage Report: Key metrics and trends about the utilization of NFL players to use in Week 6

Have you ever checked in on your fantasy team to see that one of your players has not even registered a single statistic in the box score? Nothing is more infuriating as a fantasy manager than when a player who you believe to be talented is used in a limited capacity.

No matter how gifted we believe a player is, if they're playing a secondary role in the offense, they will have a hard time producing fantasy points. It sounds simple, but the players who are on the field and see more touches are set up best to contribute to your fantasy team. Monitoring usage trends will keep you informed on which players are (or will be) in the best position to accumulate 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.

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Fantasy Football Week 5 Usage Report: Biggest running back utilization trends

Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons

Week 5 was yet another game in which Tyler Allgeier cut into Bijan Robinson's workload to a larger degree than fantasy managers would have liked. In terms of snaps and carries, Robinson is seeing 2/3 of the work. For him to pay off his RB2 (or RB3) overall price tag, you'd like both of those numbers to be pushing 80 percent.

This "limited" usage could be a symptom of a short week (Falcons played on TNF) and the fact that Robinson has been on the injury report in each of the last two weeks. So there's some hope that the backfield split swings back in Robinson's favor.

It's already hard to view Robinson as the top-5 running back that he was drafted to be, and he will likely continue to slip down the rankings if these usage trends keep up.

Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville backfield is now trending far closer to a 1A/1B situation than it ever has been with Travis Etienne as the starter. Tank Bigsby actually saw more opportunities than Etienne (14 vs. 13) in Week 5. It's important to note that the bulk of Bigsby's touches came in the second half when Etienne was being rested due to a shoulder injury, according to head coach Doug Pederson.

Pederson may have said this was injury-related, but it's hard to believe when you dig a little deeper here. Bigsby leads all running backs in yards per carry, rush yards over expected per attempt, explosive rush rate, and yards after contact per attempt. Etienne on the other hand has looked rather pedestrian as a runner and has not yet rushed for 70 yards in a game. Based on Bigsby's play, it wouldn't be shocking if these splits hold up to some degree even when Etienne is healthy.

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Kareem Hunt, Samaje Perine, Carson Steele, Kansas City Chiefs

After Carson Steele fumbled early in Week 4, this backfield shifted to where Kareem Hunt handed the early-down carries, Samaje Perine played on passing downs, and Carson Steele mixed in sporadically. This trend held up in Week 5 with Hunt leading the charge and the other two acting as complementary pieces.

At this point, Hunt is the only member of this backfield with any real fantasy value. He didn't exactly "look good" in Week 5, averaging 3.8 YPC and had no gain longer than eight yards on the ground. Even if it isn't the prettiest product, Hunt is the No. 1 option in this backfield and can be played as a volume-based RB2 in fantasy.

Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys

It only took five weeks, but someone has finally emerged from the Cowboys' backfield. That player is Rico Dowdle. He led the backfield in snaps, carries, and targets in Dallas' victory over Pittsburgh. It was also very encouraging to see that he was Mike McCarthy's preferred back at the goal line, a role that many people expected to go to Ezekiel Elliot.

Based on his play (more so the poor play for Elliot), Dowdle seems likely to maintain this usage in the coming weeks. As long as he is regularly afforded goal line opportunities, Dowdle will be a part of the RB2 conversation. However, fantasy managers with Dowdle on their roster should wait to see how this plays out for another week. Dallas squares off with a Detroit defense that ranks 27th in fantasy points allowed to running backs.

Fantasy Football Week 5 Usage Report: Biggest wide receiver and tight end utilization trends

George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers

George Pickens' usage was quite troubling in Week 5. His 21-percent target and air yards shares were nothing to get worked up about, but his 61-percent route participation is a cause for concern. Pickens did not play a single snap in which fewer than three WRs were on the field.

Head coach Mike Tomlin stated that the reduced workload for Pickens was an effort to consistently get quality reps out of him. Everything about this situation is a glaring red flag that Pickens is in the doghouse due to lack of effort. It's already looking like it will be difficult for Pickens to be a meaningful fantasy contributor in an offense that ranks 28th in pass rate over expectation and has thrown the ball more than 30 times just twice this year. If Pickens is going to continue to play limited snaps, his value will be severely diminished.

Jalen Tolbert, Dallas Cowboys

Brandin Cooks was placed on IR prior to the Cowboys' Week 5 game, thrusting Jalen Tolbert into the WR2 role in Dallas. He was a full-time player and more than filled Cooks' shoes. Tolbert led the team and targets and saw the ball thrown his way on 27 percent of his routes.

Tolbert passed the eye test, and his utilization paints the picture of someone who can be a serviceable Flex option in the near future. Dallas no longer has a dominant defense, and this (along with a poor rushing attack) has forced Dallas to throw the ball on 65 percent of its plays. With defenses regularly shading over to CeeDee Lamb, Tolbert will be given space to work. He's shown that he can produce given this new role and could very easily continue to function as the WR2 when Cooks returns.

Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell, Houston Texans

Nico Collins left this game late in the first quarter after tweaking his hamstring on a 67-yard touchdown reception. This opened the door for other pass catchers to step up, namely Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell.

It was all Diggs after Collins left, with a little bit of Dalton Schultz sprinkled in. Dell did a bit of a disappearing act, which has happened at a concerningly high rate this season. Across the full game, Diggs accounted for 21 percent of the targets and 31 percent of the air yards, while Dell hit just 11 percent and 10 percent in these metrics. With Collins considered week-to-week, Diggs gets a significant boost to his fantasy outlook over the next few games. If Dell is quiet in the box score once again, the hopes for a truly massive breakout season may be crushed.

Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

Ja'Marr Chase has been the talk of the town in Cincinnati in recent weeks, and it's well deserved; he's averaged 29.5 PPG across his last three contests. Chase has been outstanding, but let's not let that distract us from the fact that Tee Higgins is playing a massive role in the Bengals' offense.

Higgins has now seen double-digit targets in two straight games and has been a member of the coveted 30-30 club (30 percent target share and 30 percent air yards share) across these two weeks. The Bengals are one of the few truly pass-heavy teams in the NFL, coming in at a 4.8-percent pass rate over expectation. Given the state of their defense, Joe Burrow will continue to sling the rock at a high clip. Higgins is the No. 2 option in this offense and will continue to benefit from elite play from Burrow.