• Malik Nabers scores twice: The New York Giants rookie wide receiver was already top-five in fantasy points at the position heading into the week and now he might be the top player at the position.

• Saquon Barkley dominates for the Philadelphia Eagles: While most running backs struggled to gain many yards in the early window, Barkley averaged nearly 10 yards per carry and scored a touchdown, leading the Eagles to the road victory.

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Estimated reading time: 20 minutes

PFF’s fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2024.

New York Giants @ Cleveland Browns

• Malik Nabers: 8 receptions, 78 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 carries, 4 yards
• Amari Cooper: 7 receptions, 86 yards, 2 touchdowns

Jerome Ford leads the Browns backfield again: Ford led the team in rushing attempts in Weeks 1 and 3 while D’Onta Foreman led in Week 2.

Ford set career highs in snaps and percentage of Cleveland’s offensive snaps in Week 1, but last week, Foreman ran the ball 14 times to Ford’s seven. Foreman only played 1 snap in Week 1 and was injured during training camp, so it seemed like what happened in Week 2 would be the new normal.

Pierre Strong Jr. suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2 and missed this week, so we at least knew it would be a two-man backfield. This week ended up being more like Week 1, except Ford played an even higher percentage of Cleveland’s offensive snaps, setting a new career high at 79%. While some of this was gamescript-related, Ford started the game and was dominating the snap share even when the Browns had a lead. The one scenario where we most expect to see Foreman is at the goal line, but during the Browns’ two-point conversion attempt, wide receiver Elijah Moore was in the backfield.

This didn’t lead to much fantasy production. Ford gained 37 yards on 10 carries and caught three passes for 33 yards. Even last season, we had some of these dramatic shifts in usage between Ford and Kareem Hunt. It wouldn’t be surprising if this backfield is one of the hardest to predict for fantasy football purposes going forward.

Tyrone Tracy’s role expands: Tracy tied his career-high in offensive snaps by halftime.

During the first two weeks, Devin Singletary dominated the snap share in all situations outside the goal line. This week, Tracy was playing a higher percentage of snaps. This includes a little more work on early downs, a little more on late downs and all of the two-minute drill snaps. Tracy ultimately played 28% of New York’s offensive snaps, which was up from the 21% he played each of the first two weeks.

The bright side for Singletary fantasy managers is that Singletary received most of the goal-line work, including a touchdown, which wasn’t the case the previous two weeks. The Giants were facing a strong Browns defense, but it’s worth noting Tracy’s 4.6 yards per carry was higher than Singletary’s 4.1. Tracy was consistently gaining a few yards on his carries, while Singletary had one run for 43 yards to close out the game and a 1.5-yard-per-carry average over the rest of the game. Tracy may continue to play more snaps going forward.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Giants rookie tight end Theo Johnson ran a route on 80% of the Giants’ passing plays, a career-high. He played a slightly higher percentage of offensive snaps, but the big difference was the Giants’ tight ends were asked to pass block less often. Over the first two weeks, both Johnson and Chris Manhertz were the clear league leaders in pass blocks among tight ends. Johnson will need a higher target share to seriously consider him in fantasy leagues.
• David Njoku missed his second straight game due to an ankle injury. He didn’t practice all week.
• Rookie wide receiver Jamari Thrash was inactive for a second straight week. James Proche II was the fifth wide receiver. Thrash was on the injury report due to an illness but wasn’t given an injury status.

Chicago Bears @ Indianapolis Colts

• Jonathan Taylor: 23 carries, 110 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 reception, 25 receiving yards
• Cole Kmet: 10 receptions, 97 yards, 1 touchdown

Coming soon!

Houston Texans @ Minnesota Vikings

• Aaron Jones: 19 carries, 102 yards, 5 receptions, 46 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
• Justin Jefferson: 6 receptions, 81 yards, 1 touchdown

Coming soon!

Philadelphia Eagles @ New Orleans Saints

Coming soon!

Los Angeles Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Chargers adjust without Joshua Palmer: The Chargers lead outside wide receiver missed this week due to both elbow and calf injuries.

Palmer didn’t practice all week, but there was some optimism he would play considering he was initially listed as questionable.

This left Quentin Johnston as the Chargers’ clear lead outside wide receiver. He was only targeted twice on 20 passes but did catch a touchdown. The Chargers only ran 45 offensive plays in total. Considering he’s scored more in the last two games than he did all of last season while two of his top five games in receiving yards are the last two games, he’s worth targeting off the waiver wire.

Ladd McConkey continued to be the Chargers’ primary slot receiver and received more work than usual in two-receiver sets, playing just over 50% of the snaps in those groups. Simi Fehoko surprisingly served as the team’s third wide receiver. He played 75% of his snaps in the slot in the preseason, but in this game, he was primarily playing on the outside. His snap share was similar to the other wide receivers because he was the primary wide receiver in 22 personnel, playing five-of-seven snaps there. This is worth noting in really deep leagues in case Palmer misses another game. 

While Brenden Rice was active and a clear outside receiver in the preseason, it looks like it would take at least one or two more injuries for him to play in the near future.

J.K. Dobbins leads snaps for the Chargers: Dobbins played nearly two-thirds of the Chargers’ offensive snaps after sharing the backfield with Gus Edwards.

Edwards led the team in offensive snaps in early down situations each of the first two weeks, but this time around, Dobbins was the clear lead running back. In all three games, Dobbins had a clear lead after two drives, and then Edwards would start to get established. This week, Dobbins continued to play the majority of the snaps.

While the Chargers lost by 10 points, the distinction between the two didn’t seem to be game-script related. The Chargers had a lead at halftime and weren’t losing until the fourth quarter. Dobbins was consistently leading in snaps at a 64-67% rate throughout the game. Dobbins’ didn’t have much production in this game while he averaged less than three yards per carry, but this is a pretty clear sign he will continue to be the lead back going forward.

Edwards can be dropped in some leagues because he doesn’t have any standalone value going forward. He is still Dobbins’ handcuff, but even if Dobbins suffers an injury, the Chargers would still likely use a committee. This means there are better handcuff options.

Monitor Van Jefferson’s health: The Steelers starting wide receiver suffered an eye injury and didn’t return.

Jefferson was averaging over 50 offensive snaps per game the first two weeks but only caught three passes for 15 yards as the outside wide receiver opposite George Pickens. Even before the injury, the Steelers made a slight change at wide receiver. Cordarrelle Patterson played three snaps as a true slot receiver in the first quarter, taking playing time away from Calvin Austin III.

Jefferson’s injury occurred on the first play of the second quarter. Scott Miller took over as the outside wide receiver opposite Pickens. Throughout the season, Miller has been the team’s fourth wide receiver, playing significantly with 13 personnel. Patterson continued to mix in throughout the game, primarily at wide receiver, as he only took snaps away from Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren at the end of the game to run out the clock.

An eye injury that takes a player out for an entire game is unusual, so hopefully, it’s not a long-term issue for Jefferson. If he does miss time long-term, we can expect Miller to be the Steelers’ starter next week.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Justin Herbert was questionable for this game due to an ankle injury and in the middle of the third quarter, he seemed to aggravate the injury. He didn’t return with Taylor Heinicke taking over for the rest of the game.
• Roman Wilson was a full participant in practice both Thursday and Friday and wasn’t given an injury status, but he was still inactive. He has yet to play a snap in either the preseason or regular season for the Steelers.
• Steelers blocking tight end MyCole Pruitt was inactive with a knee injury. Connor Heyward replaced him as the third tight end, while Rodney Williams was the team’s fourth tight end.

Denver Broncos @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tyler Badie enters the running back rotation: Badie led the team in rushing attempts and rushing yards.

The Broncos utilized a two-man running back rotation the first two weeks. Audric Estime only played three snaps in Week 1 before landing on injured reserve, and Badie played three snaps in Week 2 as the new third back in the backfield.

This week, Badie played only slightly more often over the first three quarters, playing four snaps on the first 58 plays of the game. Javonte Williams played 35 and Jaleel McLaughlin played 16. The Broncos were up 23-7 with 10 minutes left, so Badie played in nine of the last 10 possible snaps. He ran seven times for 63 yards in the quarter.

While a running back playing in 7% of his team’s snaps in the first 50 minutes and 90% in the last 10 minutes of a blowout win should usually not be concerning, it’s worth noting the Broncos have been pretty unpredictable with their usage this season, and Badie played much better than the two other running backs who combined for 19 yards on 10 carries. Badie may mix in a little bit more next week, as he did mix in slightly more early this week. This will make it harder to trust either of the Broncos other running backs.

Bucky Irving leads the Buccaneers in rushing attempts: White led the team in rushing yards and yards per carry each of the first two weeks.

The Buccaneers haven’t made any significant changes to when their running backs are on the field through the first three weeks. White is clearly leading in most situations. This was the first time we’ve seen them in true two-minute drill situations, and Irving played a decent amount there.

The difference is the Buccaneers have become more and more likely to give Irving the ball when he’s on the field and less likely to give it to White when he’s on the field. Through three weeks, Irving has 25 carries for 154 yards, while White has 31 carries for 67 yards.

At this point, White is still the better option in PPR leagues because White is catching more passes, but that might not last for much longer. Irving remains one of the top waiver wire options because it wouldn’t be surprising if Irving eventually leads the team in offensive snaps on early downs.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Buccaneers rookie wide receiver Kameron Johnson was inactive due to an ankle injury, leading Sterling Shepard to be the Bucs’ fifth wide receiver.
• Lil’Jordan Humphrey ran more routes and saw more targets than Josh Reynolds. Still, it’s worth noting Reynolds was on the injury report due to an Achilles injury, which likely limited his playing time. It’s also possible Humphrey is the Broncos’ second wide receiver for Denver going forward.
• Similarly, Greg Dulcich was on the injury report due to both a knee and ankle injuries, potentially limiting his time. The game script also could have heavily influenced Dulcich’s playing time. It will be hard to start him unless the Broncos are heavy underdogs.
• Devaughn Vele was a limited participant on Wednesday and a full participant on Thursday and Friday. He wasn’t given an injury designation, but he was inactive. This was particularly surprising after he caught eight passes in Week 1.

Green Bay Packers @ Tennessee Titans

• DeAndre Hopkins: 6 receptions, 73 yards, 1 touchdown
• Emanuel Wilson: 12 carries, 50 yards, 2 receptions, 35 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown

Coming soon!

Carolina Panthers @ Las Vegas Raiders

Coming soon!

Miami Dolphins @ Seattle Seahawks

Coming soon!

Detroit Lions @ Arizona Cardinals

Coming soon!

Baltimore Ravens @ Dallas Cowboys

Coming soon!

San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams

Coming soon!

Kansas City Chiefs @ Atlanta Falcons

Coming soon!

Table Notes

• Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.
• Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
• Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.