Football is back, and it’s the most wonderful time of the year. This is the first edition of the weekly Fantasy Football Usage Report. Volume is paramount in fantasy football, and a player’s usage determines the type of volume they receive. Each week, I’ll take a look at different usage trends throughout the NFL to help us prepare for the rest of the season. Let’s dive into Week 1 and tune in all year.
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Week 1 Fantasy Football Usage Report
Javonte Williams Leads the Cowboys
After struggling for the Broncos in 2024, Javonte Williams signed with the Cowboys on a modest contract to be their starter, as they continue to invest very little in the running back position. Williams was an interesting player as he was projected to lead the backfield in opportunities, but expected to do little with them. In Week 1, that’s essentially what happened. Williams received 18 of the 23 running back opportunities while playing 77% of the snaps and totaled just 64 yards on them. But he did manage to fall in the end zone twice, giving him a valuable fantasy day.
That will be the question every week. Can he get into the end zone? Because his performance was uninspiring otherwise. The good news for him, and anyone who drafted him, is that the Cowboys are a good offense and will be in scoring position often. Stock up a little bit for Javonte Williams.
Isiah Pacheco’s Role is in Question
This offseason, the question with Isiah Pacheco was whether he was back to full health after suffering a broken fibula to start 2024 and looking like a shell of his former self once he came back. When healthy, Pacheco commanded the lion’s share of the Kansas City backfield. As the summer went on, all signs pointed to Pacheco having no setbacks. He climbed draft boards with the expectation that he’d yet again own the backfield. In his first game of 2025, however, Pacheco disappointed. He played just 48% of the offensive snaps and had the same number of opportunities, 10, as Kareem Hunt.
There was no report of any setbacks before or during the game, so we’re left to wonder if this is just how the Chiefs want to operate. If it is, Isiah Pacheco will end up being one of the worst picks you could have made. We’ll have to monitor this backfield in Week 2.
Tyler Warren Makes a Statement
The Colts have been looking for a pass-catching tight end that they can keep on the field at all times for years. After selecting highly thought of Tyler Warren in the first round of the NFL Draft, the drumbeat from the Colts has been nonstop. They were sure they got their man and that he would be a big part of the offense. This was a drumbeat that held as Warren started off his NFL career, leading the Colts in targets and receptions. Warren ended his day with nine targets, catching seven of them for 76 yards, giving him 14.6 PPR Points. This gave him a 31% target share on the day, an absurd number for a tight end.
Perhaps even more importantly, it was clear the Colts wanted to get him involved early. On the Colts’ first drive, Tyler Warren was targeted three times on Daniel Jones‘ six attempts. With this kind of beginning to the season, you can feel confident in Warren being a must-start tight end as long as Jones is the quarterback. If Anthony Richardson ever starts, he’ll still be worth starting; we just don’t know how efficient he’ll be until we see it.
Omarion Hampton Could be Anything
Omarion Hampton‘s first game in the NFL is a Rorschach test. You can find whatever you want from it. On one hand, Hampton had 52 of the available 65 offensive snaps, a great number for any running back. Additionally, he accounted for 17 of the 19 running back opportunities. On the other hand, he gained only 61 total yards and didn’t score a touchdown. On the day, Hampton scored just 8.1 PPR Points. The hope when Hampton was drafted was that he’d take over the backfield. With Najee Harris‘ eye injury, his timeline for doing so was expedited to the first week. That’s great news!
But the Chargers and Omarion Hampton struggled to run effectively against a top rushing defense in the Chiefs. Also, watching Hampton, he runs a bit too upright at times, which makes it harder for him to break tackles. I’m going to chase the volume here and believe the rookie will improve over the course of the season. Don’t panic, and if your league mate who has Hampton is panicking, attack.
Emeka Egbuka Proves His Worth
Few players have had as much steam behind their name as Emeka Egbuka has since he joined the Buccaneers. Egbuka entered the NFL as a pro-ready prospect capable of playing inside and out. With Chris Godwin‘s injury and Mike Evans‘ age, there was already reason to believe Egbuka could produce highly as a rookie. Godwin’s slow recovery, paired with Jalen McMillan‘s preseason injury, meant Egubka was almost guaranteed to be a big part of the Buccaneers’ plans in Week 1, and that’s exactly what happened. Egubka led the Buccaneers in routes run and was second on the team in targets with six. He caught four of those targets for 67 yards and two, count ’em two, touchdowns on his way to 22.7 PPR Points.
There’s a real possibility Emeka Egbuka is the Buccaneers’ WR1 sooner rather than later. They raved about him since the moment he was drafted, we don’t know when Godwin will be back or how he’ll perform when he returns, and Evans is nearing the end of his career. Egubka is the future and the present.
Browns Running Back Committee
With two new rookies and a reliable veteran already in town, the Browns’ backfield was one to watch entering the season. Many expected Jerome Ford to have a decent role, at least to start the season, due to his history with the team. Dylan Sampson, however, had other ideas. Ford actually played more snaps with 52% to Sampson’s 45%, but Sampson led the backfield in opportunities. Sampson totaled 20 opportunities on the day, including eight targets, while Ford mustered up just seven. It’s worth noting, though, that Ford played 11 of the 16 available snaps on third down. Interestingly, Raheim Sanders also got in the mix as the Browns’ short-yardage back, earning three carries and scoring a goal-line touchdown.
On Saturday, Quinshon Judkins signed his rookie contract and could play as early as Week 2, making this messy. Judkins projects to be Cleveland’s early down grinder and short-yardage back, nullifying any role for Rahiem Sanders. Dylan Sampson clearly is a weapon for them in the passing game, but if Jerome Ford continues to play the third downs, this will be a three-headed monster. Keep watching this backfield. Hopefully, Sampson can take third downs from Ford and clean this up.
Kaleb Johnson No Shows
After drafting Kaleb Johnson, the Steelers’ brass wouldn’t shut up about how much of a “volume back” he was. If Week 1 was any indication, either they were lying or Johnson is not who they thought he was. In his first game, Johnson played only two snaps. The backfield was instead led by Kenneth Gainwell, playing 52% of the snaps, while Jaylen Warren had 46%. Warren had the most opportunities with 13 in all, although he only saw two targets. Gainwell was next with 11 total opportunities, including four targets as he operated as the Steelers’ third-down back, playing all but one of those downs. Johnson had one measly carry on the day. This performance isn’t a total kill shot for Johnson, but it’s not far off.
You can still stash Kaleb Johnson on your bench if you drafted him, just know that you may not be getting anything out of him. This does make Jaylen Warren more intriguing, though. He handled all of the inside the five-yard line work, meaning he has the most touchdown equity of the bunch. Kenneth Gainwell is going to get some opportunities, but he’s frankly just not talented enough to really matter.
Geno Smith in a New Offense
Projecting how much the Raiders would pass and how fast-paced the offense would be was a big discussion this offseason with the new coaching staff. As we know, fast-paced and pass-heavy offenses breed fantasy points. The hope was that Chip Kelly would continue his trend from when he was in the NFL previously, when his offense fit that mold perfectly, instead of his time with Ohio State, in which the run was the focus. We may have got our answer in Week 1. In a game where the Raiders led for most of it, they ran 62 total plays while losing the time of possession battle and passed 61.3% of the time. In even better game environments, the Raiders can have even more pass attempts.
If the Raiders continue to run their offense this way, Geno Smith could be a streaming quarterback week in and week out while bringing along his teammates. We’ve already seen Smith turn in a QB1 season before; this might be the right environment for him to do it again.
Breece Hall Reminds Everyone
The talk from Jets’ camp all offseason has been about how they love all their running backs and expect to use them all, game in and game out. Braelon Allen especially got some serious buzz as the young second-year back. Meanwhile, Breece Hall was starting to fall down draft boards as people became worried about his workload, despite it being one of the best in the NFL whenever he’s been healthy. While the Jets’ backfield was a bit more of a committee than it has been, it didn’t matter much for Hall. For snaps, Hall played 37, Allen had 20, and Isaiah Davis had eight. Hall got the goal-line work, and third downs were split up. The big difference came in opportunities, where Hall had 21, easily besting Allen’s six and Davis’ two. Hall was great on his opportunities too, totaling 145 yards on his way to 16.5 PPR Points.
The split backfield just may be a good thing for Breece Hall, keeping him fresher for his opportunities. I’m expecting things to continue in this way. Fewer snaps than we’re used to for Hall, but the same number of opportunities he’s always earned. If you drafted Hall, you should be very happy.
Harold Fannin Jr. makes an Impact
Harold Fannin Jr. was possibly the most productive tight end in college football history. But, because he did it while playing for a small school in Bowling Green, and he was a little small while being a little less athletic than we wanted, Fannin didn’t get selected until the third round of the NFL Draft. Landing on the Browns, who already have an established tight end in David Njoku, meant targets could be hard to find for Fannin. Luckily for him, the Browns’ depth chart at wide receiver is weak behind Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman. Fannin is essentially a big wide receiver anyways. So with the Browns not having a slot wide receiver to speak of, it would make sense that Fannin could assume that position.
In his first game, Fannin led the Browns in targets with nine, catching seven of them for 63 yards, giving him 13.3 PPR Points on the day. Meanwhile, Njoku lagged behind him with six targets for three receptions and 37 yards. Even with Njoku running 85.4% of the routes, Fannin ran 66.7% himself, showing they aren’t battling for snaps. Fannin is now squarely on the streaming tight end radar.
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