Unless we’re analyzing workhorse running backs or alpha wide receivers, a player’s usage can fluctuate from week to week. Some will shine and some will ruin your week. Remember, targets and opportunities are earned. In this series, I will provide weekly target shares, rushing attempt shares, and snap shares of SIX players (or groups of players) to help you understand the value of each of them and decide whether to start ‘em, roster ‘em, or trade ‘em.
New York Jets RB Room
Tevin Coleman vs Ty Johnson vs Michael Carter
Snap Share: 10% vs 45% vs 45%
Rushing Attempts Share: 16.1% vs 38.7% vs 35.5%
Target Share: 0.0% vs 0.0% vs 9.1%
The Jets’ offense was AWFUL in week 2. Bill Bellichick has been historically good against rookie QBs and this game was not an exception. Zach Wilson was sacked four times and had four interceptions. They scored zero TDs and only six total points. The offense was a mess but we have started to see some roles carved out. People hyped Michael Carter all off-season and then felt disappointed when they saw him buried as the RB3 on the depth chart. His first week’s usage was sad, to say the least, but in this week 2, he was on the field for almost half of the snaps and was the only RB to have any target. Tevin Coleman is an afterthought, but Ty Johnson is still relevant in the competition. In both rushing attempts and snaps, they had an almost even split. The lead RB role is up for grabs and each week will be important to watch. Both RBs are worth a bench roster spot and hope for someone to win the lead role soon.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, KCC
Snap Share: 65%
Rushing Attempts Share: 72.2%
Target Share: 0.0%
Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been one of the biggest disappointments this season. He was drafted as a third-round pick in most leagues and has underperformed. He has been on the field a lot of time but the volume hasn’t been there. Yes, he got over 70% of the rushing attempts this week but that was only 13 rushing attempts, and one of those ended up in a fumble. CEH also had 0 targets and an okay snap share. Some people still believe in him and blame his underwhelming performance on the ankle sprain he suffered in pre-season. I don’t fully buy that excuse, but in the meantime, he is probably going to the bench on all my teams until he proves me wrong. His value right now is at an all-time low, that’s why I wouldn’t recommend selling him, I rather wait and hope for the best.
Saquon Barkley, RB, NYG
Snap Share: 84%
Rushing Attempts Share: 46.4%
Target Share: 9.4%
Saquon Barkley RB1 season officially starts on Sunday and you are all invited to watch it. His snap share jumped from 48% to 84% and saw four more touches against a strong defense. He managed to have 2 receptions against a front seven that wouldn’t leave him alone and didn’t allow a single reception to Austin Ekeler one week ago. Running 46.4% of rushing attempts seems low, but if we remove Daniel Jones’ carries, he had almost 70% of the carries. In week 3 he gets a terrible Atlanta defense that was destroyed by both Tampa Bay and Philadelphia. This is your last chance to buy Barkley in all formats.
Pittsburgh Steelers WR Room
Diontae Johnson: 88% snap share, 12 targets, 30.0% target share
JuJu Smith-Schuster: 96% snap share, 7 targets, 17.5% target share
Chase Claypool: 77% snap share, 9 targets, 22.5% target share
Diontae is easily the WR1 on Pittsburgh. He consistently gets over 10 targets a game and has now forgotten his drop problems. JuJu no longer offers that deep-throw upside he had in his first two years in the NFL, but he is a good flex play in 2021. He has been on over 90% of the snaps on both games and saw 25% and 17.5% target share on the first two weeks. Yes, I know his usage is only on short passes and his ADOT is not even over 7 yards, but he still offers a safe 9-point floor that should not be overlooked. He is an easy player to target on a trade for WR-needy teams.
People hoped Claypool would surpass JuJu on the depth chart and this has not yet happened. Nevertheless, Claypool’s usage grew from week 1 to week 2, he had more snaps and target share. He has been earning more targets week by week and there is a buy window that might open (especially in Dynasty), you should not forget JuJu is a free agent after this year.
Dallas Cowboys WR Room
Amari Cooper: 97% snap share, 5 targets, 18.5% target share
CeeDee Lamb: 97% snap share, 9 targets, 33.3% target share
The fight for WR1 in Dallas is hot. With Michael Gallup’s injury, CeeDee saw a bump in his time on the field and he is absolutely making the most out of his chances. He had almost twice as many targets as Amari and 57 more yards. I still believe Amari is the alpha receiver in Dallas and will outscore CeeDee this season, but it seems like both will be amazing. Dak has been making his contract worth its expense and that’s positive for everybody in that Cowboys offense. The divisional game against Philadelphia is coming and it is expected to be a hard challenge for the Dallas offense, this game will prove if CeeDee and Amari are matchup-proof starters.
Minnesota Vikings WR Room
Justin Jefferson: 87% snap share, 10 targets, 31.3% target share
Adam Thielen: 100% snap share, 7 targets, 21.9% target share
K.J. Osborn: 59% snap share, 6 targets, 18.8% target share
Adam Thielen laughs at our TD regression theories and is now on pace for 26 TDs. Ignoring the TDs, he still has a really good target share that should keep him inside the WR2 threshold. Justin Jefferson hasn’t been amazing these first two weeks, but don’t worry, his target share will stay around 30% on a weekly basis. If the owner in your league is panicking, you should be targeting him on a trade. Over 85% snap share in both games and 19 total targets. He is still dynasty WR1 and a top-10 WR for this season.
KJ Osborn is no longer on your waiver wire (probably), as he has been emerging as the third receiving threat on the team. Remember the Vikings lost Irv Smith, so there is space for three fantasy-relevant WRs. Osborn also has some crazy upside in case of an injury, imagine what he could do as the WR2 and over 80% snap share. If he is still available go grab him NOW.
Hey, thanks for reading the article. My DMs are always open to any question, critic, or fantasy advice in any format. You can find me on Twitter @MisterMartinez9. Please consider our yearly DFF subscription.
