NFL Usage Report for Week 7: Notable Shifts in Usage (AFC)

In this week’s Usage Report, I’m performing a team-by-team breakdown and identifying one player from each roster who’s seen the most notable change in their usage – either up or down. To make this analysis work across all positions, I’m looking at snap counts to see who’s earned more time on the field. Last week’s breakdown was for the NFC, and this time around I’m looking at the AFC.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills – Devin Singletary

If you haven’t already hopped on the Devin Singletary bandwagon, you may be too late. The fear of a committee backfield in Buffalo may be vanishing as Singletary has logged north of 85% of backfield snaps in two of the last three weeks. He’s still not getting the carry and target totals some of the league’s top workhorses are seeing, but simply being on the field as a part of the Bills offense is going to pay dividends more often than not. Singletary should be viewed as a confident RB2 moving forward.

Miami Dolphins – Chase Edmonds

We’ve seen Raheem Mostert pop up as a buy candidate in recent weeks on the Usage Report, and that’s come at the expense of Chase Edmonds. After much hype this offseason, Edmonds hasn’t seen above a 50% snap share since Week 2. Weeks 4 and 5 were particularly daunting where he saw just 28% and 15% respectively. It didn’t take long to realize that Edmonds isn’t the workhorse many hoped he would be, and now we’re realizing his role may be getting even smaller. 

New England Patriots – Rhamondre Stevenson

After an underwhelming Week 1 (25% snap share), Rhamondre Stevenson has seen a steady uptick in snap share, and he really exploded these last two weeks with Damien Harris nursing an injury. The Patriots backfield has been notorious for up and down usage rates, but at least for as long as Harris is sidelined, Stevenson can be started with confidence. How long that lasts is anyone’s guess, but his on field performance has warranted the increased usage – it’s not all due to the Harris injury.

New York Jets – Elijah Moore

After serving as the Jets’ No. 2 receiver (as measured by snap share) through the first four weeks, we may have seen Elijah Moore receive a demotion these past two weeks. In Weeks 4-5, Moore lagged behind Corey Davis in snap share, and it’s possible that Davis has now surpassed him on the depth chart. Pair this with zero targets last week, and it may be time to sound the alarms on Elijah Moore.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens – J.K. Dobbins

Injuries at key fantasy positions have caused quite a few shake ups on the Ravens roster, yet amid all the chaos we’ve probably learned the most about J.K. Dobbins. After missing the first two weeks of the season after recovering from a knee injury, Dobbins showed flashes in his return in Week 3, but he’s yet to log more than a 50% snap share. Baltimore is clearly easing him back into the fold, and the question we still need to find answers to is when – if ever – will he step into more of a lead back role. If Dobbins can attain that status by season’s end, he has league winning upside in a high-powered Ravens’ rushing attack, but it’s fair to question whether that’ll happen at all this year. 

Cincinnati Bengals – Samaje Perine

The Bengals don’t rotate their personnel very much, so Samaje Perine’s place on this list is less so a change and more so a confirmation. Heading into the season, there were rumblings of Chris Evans coming for the No. 2 role in Cincinnati’s backfield, but Evans has logged just 2% of snaps compared to Perine’s 26%. The 26% number isn’t anything to get excited about, but it does tell us that he’s the clear handcuff to own in the event Joe Mixon ever misses time.

Cleveland Browns – Kareem Hunt

Much like with Cincinnati, we haven’t seen much change in the usage rates in Cleveland this year. Even though the difference is minor, Kareem Hunt has seen a slight decrease in snap share this year. Considering Nick Chubb has been dominant to start the season, it’s easy to see why Hunt’s been slightly less involved in recent weeks. Still, Hunt has logged a 48% snap share on the season and it’s not hard to envision some ebbs and flows going in his favor as we progress through the season. The fantasy points have not yet matched his usage rates, which makes Hunt a sneaky buy low candidate for a potential late-season push.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Najee Harris

After serving as the workhorse of all workhorses in 2021, Najee Harris has logged just 67% of backfield snaps in Pittsburgh this year. The one thing fantasy managers were supposed to be able to hang their hat on with Harris was an elite workload, but that seems to have changed in 2022. Jaylen Warren has demanded some snaps, and Harris has largely disappointed in the Steelers’ underwhelming offense. You’re still starting Harris because the workload remains high compared to most other backs, but if someone’s willing to buy based on name value alone, I’d gladly sell at this point.

AFC South

Houston Texans – Nico Collins

The Texans have been about as bad as advertised this year, but at least one player appears to be trending upward in their uninspiring offense. Nico Collins has seen his snap share increase every week going from 67% in Week 1 to 81% in Week 5 (bye in Week 6). There may not be a ton of appeal to owning the No. 2 option in Houston, but as we enter the portion of the season where bye weeks become a major factor, adding Collins as a depth piece who’s already seen his bye would be a savvy move to help build depth.

Indianapolis Colts – Jelani Woods

Rookie tight end Jelani Woods has slowly but surely started carving out a role for himself in the Colts’ offense. After logging no snaps the first two weeks, Woods has seen an uptick every week since as he’s averaged 28% of snaps overall. The 28% number indicates there won’t be a ton of value this year, but the arrow is pointing up for Woods overall and he could be a good candidate to buy on the cheap and stash in dynasty leagues.

Jacksonville Jaguars – James Robinson

After logging 57% of snaps in the first three weeks of the season, James Robinson’s usage has dipped down to just 44% in the last three weeks. This has largely come at the expense of Travis Etienne who appears to be coming into his own in his first healthy NFL season. The arrow pointing up on Etienne means now may be the time to sell Robinson before it gets too late, and the rest of your league catches on to the trend.

Tennessee Titans – Robert Woods

Robert Woods is far from an exciting fantasy option in 2022, but he has slowly seen an uptick in usage through the Titans’ first five games (bye in Week 6). Week 5 was his most involved week of the year with 84% of snaps, and he appears to be the No. 1 option in Tennessee’s passing game. Woods isn’t the sexiest acquisition of all time, but he’s a solid depth player who you’re OK with starting whenever you find yourself in a pinch.

AFC West

Denver Broncos – Albert Okwuegbunam 

After much offseason buzz, Albert Okwuegbunam has slowly seen his fantasy value disappear. After logging 67% of snaps in Week 1, Okwuegbunam has seen a 0% share in two out of the last three weeks. Last week in particular came at the expense of rookie tight end Greg Dulcich, and it’s looking less and less likely Okwuegbunam ever experiences the breakout many were hoping for. He can be cut with confidence.

Kansas City Chiefs – Skyy Moore

The Chiefs’ snap shares have largely been stable through the first six weeks, but we are starting to see a more conscious effort to get rookie receiver Skyy Moore more involved in the offense. Moore averaged just 12% of snaps through the first three weeks, but that number jumped up to 31% over the last three weeks. Even though 31% is too small to be fantasy relevant in the short term, the positive trend is worth monitoring in dynasty formats.

Las Vegas Raiders – Josh Jacobs

Josh Jacobs’ usage hasn’t seen a drastic change, but we can say with confidence now that the fear of a committee is no longer. Through the first three weeks of the season, Jacobs averaged 65% of snaps, but then in Weeks 4 and 5 (bye in Week 6) he saw 89% and 81% of snaps, respectively. His fantasy points followed suit, and it appears Jacobs may have officially stepped into a workhorse role.

Los Angeles Chargers – DeAndre Carter

Following a 37% snap share in Week 1, DeAndre Carter has averaged 68% of snaps over the last five weeks. How high that number remains once Keenan Allen returns from injury remains to be seen, but there’s no denying that Carter brings one element to the Chargers’ receiver room that is severely lacking elsewhere – speed. We all know speed kills in the NFL, and it’s possible that even when Allen returns Carter could continue to log meaningful snaps due to his complementary skill set.