Week 5 NFL Usage Report for Fantasy Football

With so many star players dealing with serious injuries, taking a deep dive into usage rates is going to be as important as ever for fantasy football.

Each week our usage report will look at one utilization stat that was noticeable and explain what that might mean for fantasy football moving forward.

Fantasy Football Usage Report Through Week 5

AFC East

Buffalo Bills: James Cook Productive, Not a Bell Cow

It’s possible this will change once the games get more important, but through the first five weeks, James Cook has not been on the field for more than 61% of the snaps. Even in a very close game against the Texans, Cook only saw 59% of the snaps (36). Considering we’ve seen him get vultured time after time at the goal line, he might be a trade candidate for those who have depth at the RB position and need to improve elsewhere.

Miami Dolphins: Raheem Mostert Gets Most of the Snaps with De’Von Achane Out

De’Von Achane was ruled out with a concussion after just 11 snaps against the Patriots. From there, Raheem Mostert took the majority of the snaps, getting to the 56% mark (44), while Jaylen Wright only saw 32% (25). As long as the Dolphins are fighting for a playoff spot, Wright is unlikely to get enough touches to justify a roster spot in redraft leagues.

New England Patriots: Ja’Lynn Polk Sees 100% of the Snaps

Last week, I said Ja’Lynn Polk’s time has come, and … well, his 100% snap rate (60) confirms it has indeed come. Unfortunately, Jacoby Brissett was only able to connect with Polk for 1 reception on 6 targets, including a late touchdown that got called back. It’ll be interesting to see if the change to Drake Maye at QB makes much of a difference in the passing attack.

New York Jets: Garrett Wilson Leads All Week 5 WRs in Targets, Receptions

Garrett Wilson was pummeled with targets and especially so in the second half of the Jets’ defeat to the Vikings. He ended his day with a whopping 22 targets and 13 receptions — clearly cementing himself as Aaron Rodgers’ No. 1 target.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens: Justice Hill Outsnaps Derrick Henry 3 of 5 weeks, But…

For the third time this season, Justice Hill saw more snaps than Derrick Henry. While Henry continues to get virtually all of the goal line carries, Hill is still quite viable in PPR thanks to his usage in the passing game. Again, he’s viable in PPR. If you are rostering him in non-PPR, his lack of carries and lack of goal line touches makes him nearly unplayable.

Cincinnati Bengals: Zack Moss Outsnaps Chase Brown While Dealing with Injury

It’s very possible Zack Moss’ ankle injury is troublesome enough to keep him out for a week or two, but regardless of that, it’s very interesting to see that Moss still outsnapped Chase Brown while dealing with the injury struggles. He also got 3 red zone touches including 2 goal line carries compared to Brown’s 1 red zone touch and no goal line carries. Brown might be a sell-high candidate if you have depth at the RB position.

Cleveland Browns: David Njoku Back, Splitting Reps with 3 Other TEs

David Njoku made his return to the lineup and saw just 42% of the snaps (26) in a blowout loss to the Commanders. The most concerning thing about Njoku’s return, outside of Deshaun Watson’s existence, is the fact that Njoku was just one of four Browns TEs who got offensive snaps. With that in mind, it’s difficult to consider Njoku playable until the snap count increases, and possibly until Watson is benched.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Najee Harris Has No Competition with Jaylen Warren/Cordarrelle Patterson Injured

Najee Harris had his highest snap percentage against the Cowboys, taking 74% of the offensive snaps (43). Both Aaron Shampklin and Jonathan Ward saw action but did not stand out in their limited touches. It’s very possible that Harris will see a boost in production if/when Russell Wilson takes over as the Steelers QB.

AFC South

Houston Texans: Dare Ogunbowale the No. 1 RB with Joe Mixon Out

For a while, it appeared Dare Ogunbowale would remain the third-down/passing-down back for the Texans, regardless of Joe Mixon’s status. Sunday against the Bills, Ogunbowale took two and a half times as many carries as he had the first four weeks combined — ending with just 30 yards on 15 rushes. Still, he is still showing a ton of impact in the passing attack, catching 6 passes for 57 yards.

Indianapolis Colts: Joe Flacco Loves Josh Downs

Josh Downs continues to see fewer snaps than both Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce, but once again, led all Colts receivers with 9 receptions on 12 targets. It’ll be interesting to see if he continues to produce if and when Anthony Richardson returns to the lineup, but considering he did have a good rapport with Richardson before he got hurt in 2023, I think he must be added if he’s available on your waiver wire (he’s only rostered in 41% of Yahoo leagues).

Jacksonville Jaguars: You’re Not Loving It If You Have Shares of Travis Etienne Jr.

Tank Bigsby has looked like the best RB on the Jaguars roster, and that has helped him increase his snap count to the point where he outsnapped Travis Etienne Jr. by 1 snap in the Jaguars win over the Colts. Again, even D’Ernest Johnson is still getting a good number of snaps out of the backfield, taking 22% of the snaps (13) and getting 3 touches. If you have other options available at RB, you might even need to start considering keeping Etienne on the bench depending on the opponent.

Tennessee Titans: Bye Week

AFC West

Denver Broncos: You Don’t Want Any Broncos WRs in Your Lineup

Bo Nix has certainly had some standout moments through the first five games of his NFL career, but if you’ve rostered any of his receivers throughout the season, you’re probably hating everything about the former Oregon QB. Against the Raiders, the Broncos took 60 offensive snaps, yet no Broncos receiver ended their day with more than 2 receptions. Instead, Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin combined for 8 catches for 53 yards and a touchdown.

Kansas City Chiefs: Kareem Hunt Undoubtedly the No. 1 RB

Last week, we saw Carson Steele get benched due to a fumble, and yes, his snap count definitely suffered. Instead, Kareem Hunt took 63% of the snaps out of the backfield (53), getting carries in over 50% of those snaps — ending with 27 rushes for 102 yards and a touchdown. If you’re still hanging on to Steele, you may want to consider other options.

Las Vegas Raiders: Alexander Mattison Gets Majority of the RB Touches

To no one’s surprise, with Zamir White out, Alexander Mattison got the majority of the touches out of the backfield. It’s tough to determine if he’ll continue to get RB1 work once White returns, but based on head coach Antonio Pierce’s previous comments, and White’s lack of production, I think he has a real shot.

Los Angeles Chargers: Bye Week

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys: Jalen Tolbert in a Great Situation with Brandin Cooks on IR

Jalen Tolbert led all Cowboys receivers in snaps, seeing an 89% share (68), and also came home with 7 catches for 87 yards and the game winning touchdown. With Brandin Cooks out of the picture, it’s going to be Tolbert’s time to shine. WR2s have produced great numbers behind CeeDee Lamb, so Tolbert might be worth taking a shot on if you have a roster spot available.

New York Giants: Darius Slayton and Theo Johnson Show Signs of Life with Malik Nabers Out

It does appear Malik Nabers will be back in the Giants lineup sooner rather than later, but it’s a promising sign for the offense to see production from both Darius Slayton and Theo Johnson In the case of Johnson, his 5 catches for 48 yards was more production than he’s had in each of his first four games combined. As for Slayton, his 8 receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown made for a great showing for him, especially since it has been largely the Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson show leading up to Week 5. We’ll have to see how it goes with Nabers back in, but you have to feel good about the Giants offense after what we saw against the Seahawks.

It was very surprising to see Austin Ekeler receive the most snaps and touches out of the backfield for the Commanders after missing a week of play due to a concussion. Remember, former Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn is the running backs coach and run game coordinator, so it wouldn’t surprise me if this trend continues moving forward.

NFC North

Chicago Bears: Cole Kmet the Clear TE1

The Bears started their season with Gerald Everett seeing the majority of the snaps from the TE position, but Cole Kmet has now outsnapped Everett in each of the last four weeks. On top of that, Everett had his lowest snap count percentage against the Panthers, seeing just 29% of the snaps (22) compared to Kmet’s 84% (63).

Detroit Lions: Bye Week

Green Bay Packers: Tucker Kraft Outsnaps Everyone but Jordan Love

It’s very possible Tucker Kraft is the No. 1 receiver in a very crowded Packers locker room. He saw 85% of the snaps (50) against the Rams, which was more snaps than any Packers RB or WR. He also had the most impact on the field, catching 4 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown. Even with Luke Musgrave likely back in the lineup, I can’t see him taking too many snaps away from Kraft, who has a great rapport with Jordan Love.

Minnesota Vikings: Jordan Addison Might Be 100%

Jordan Addison saw 89% of the snaps (65) in the Vikings victory over the Jets in London. He hadn’t seen that many snaps since Week 18 last season. He’ll certainly continue to be the No. 2 option for Sam Darnold in the passing attack, at least until T.J. Hockenson returns.

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons: Kyle Pitts Shows Signs of Life

Against the Bucs, Kyle Pitts saw the most snaps he’s seen this season since Week 1, and even outsnapped Drake London 85% to 84% (74 snaps to 73). He’s still behind London and Darnell Mooney in terms of targets and receptions, but it’s certainly providing at least a glimmer of hope that Pitts will be able to live up to his high expectations heading into his first season with Kirk Cousins as his QB.

Carolina Panthers: Jalen Coker Sees More Snaps Than David Moore

With Xavier Legette missing most of the game with a shoulder injury, Jalen Coker actually ended up seeing 53% of the snaps (32) in his place. Legette’s status for Week 6 is unclear, but Coker is definitely intriguing in very deep leagues after we saw him catch all 4 of his targets for 68 yards.

New Orleans Saints: Jamaal Williams Seeing Less and Less Usage

Alvin Kamara saw 89% of the snaps (47) in the loss to the Chiefs. That 89% snap rate is his highest of the season and the most he’s seen in his entire career. That’s certainly appealing to those who roster Kamara, but pretty rough for anyone with shares of Williams, who only saw 15% of the snaps (8).

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Evans Continues to See End Zone Targets; Chris Godwin Continues to Not

Mike Evans saw yet another end zone target and caught another end zone pass against the Falcons. That brings him to a whopping 7 end zone targets and 4 end zone touchdowns. On the other hand, Chris Godwin had another week without an end zone target, which means he only has just 1 end zone target for 1 touchdown this season. That’s somehow tied with Trey Palmer, and less than Sterling Shepard, who has 2 end zone targets and 1 end zone touchdown.

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals: Trey McBride Outsnaps All Cardinals Receivers

In his first game back after suffering a concussion against the Lions, Trey McBride saw 88% of the snaps (51) in an upset victory over the 49ers, which was enough to top all Cardinals receivers, including Marvin Harrison Jr. McBride’s 6 catches on 9 targets was also enough to top the box score.

Los Angeles Rams: Blake Corum Finally the RB2

Blake Corum finally outsnapped Ronnie Rivers in a game where he wasn’t featured in mop-up time. In fact, Corum saw meaningful carries in a close contest against the Packers. While Kyren Williams continues to see elite usage and continues to be phenomenal in short yardage situations, Corum’s role in the Rams offense should continue to grow with the team’s playoff hopes likely becoming out of reach.

San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Aiyuk Arrives, Future Looks Promising

After getting off to a slow start to his 2024 campaign, Brandon Aiyuk had his best game of the season where he caught 8 passes on 12 targets for 147 yards. In fact, he and George Kittle both caught 8 passes on 12 targets while Deebo Samuel Sr. and Jauan Jennings saw a combined 7 targets, leading to just 2 receptions.

Seattle Seahawks: Kenneth Walker III Underutilized on the Ground, But…

Somehow, someway, the Seahawks decided their game plan was to let Geno Smith cook with the passing attack, and do so the entire game. That led to just 7 carries split between Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet throughout the entire game. Fortunately, Walker did get 7 additional touches in the passing game where he caught those 7 balls on 8 targets for 57 yards. There’s definitely no need to worry about Walker. If anything, Seattle’s inexplicable loss at home to the Giants should be enough for the Seahawks coaching staff to understand that something needs to change.