Welcome to 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 look at different usage trends across the NFL to help us prepare for the rest of the season and beyond. Football is back, so let’s talk about Week 1.
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Targets & Touches & Passes… OH MY!
Jadarian Price | RB, Seahawks — Committee Back
If you drafted Jadarian Price, you were hoping for a better outing than what you got in Week 1, although you shouldn’t have. The Seahawks made it clear this offseason they wanted Price in a role similar to what Kenneth Walker had last year, and if you remember correctly, we hated that role until Zach Charbonnet got injured.
Jadarian Price every touch in his NFL debut
He’s a natural fit in the Seahawks wide zone offense, averaging 5.2 yards/carry Wednesday night. His excellent change-of-direction ability allowed him to make a nice cutback for 12yds on his first ever rep, and it was on from there: pic.twitter.com/HFfHRqBSAy
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) September 10, 2026
Price played 50% of the snaps and had 52.2% of the backfield opportunities, finishing with 7.8 PPR points. George Holani, a thorn in Price’s side, played 43.8% of the snaps, had 39.1% of the backfield opportunities, and played 90.3% of the third downs. Price isn’t as good a player as Walker, who averaged only 11.3 PPR PPG in 2025.
I wouldn’t expect more than that for Price, and it could be worse when Charbonnet returns.
Terrance Ferguson | TE, Rams — Glass Half Full
Terrance Ferguson‘s opening game is a Rorschach test. He ended the game with only one target, but he ran 53% of the routes, and that number was 73% in the first half. Additionally, he played 50.8% of the snaps. Last year, he only ran 32.5% of the routes while playing 38.5% of the snaps.
Even though he had a fantasy “goose egg,” and we’d like his snaps and route percentages to be even higher, this is encouraging. It shows Ferguson’s role has expanded since his rookie season, and it could keep growing. The Rams offense will bounce back and score plenty of points this season. We want the right pieces in this offense, and Ferguson looks like he’ll matter.
Kenyon Sadiq’s Intriguing Day (TE, Jets)
We normally expect rookie tight ends to start slow. It’s a difficult position to learn in the NFL because of the responsibilities. Kenyon Sadiq didn’t have immense usage in his first outing, but it was interesting. He played 41.8% of the snaps and ran 46.2% of the routes on his way to a 12.5% target share, but most intriguing was that he got a carry on a quick sweep at the goal line for a touchdown.
I put a first round grade on Kenyon Sadiq in this pre-draft evaluation: https://t.co/tG6psF0EJ8
Here he is scoring his first NFL touchdown for the Jets.
🎥 https://t.co/LsGtnUJKAp pic.twitter.com/322QVvLbvY
— FIRST ROUND MOCK (@firstroundmock) September 14, 2026
Sadiq is one of the best athletes we’ve ever seen at the position, so it makes sense to try to use him in different ways; however, rational coaching isn’t as common as we’d like. It’s nice to see the Jets already getting Sadiq involved like this.
It’s Bhayshul Tuten’s Backfield (RB, Jaguars)
The Jaguars backfield was a divisive position group among fantasy gamers as we argued over who was the better investment. If you followed my content this offseason, you know it was always Bhayshul Tuten for me, and if Week 1 is any indication, that was the correct choice. Tuten played 49.1% of the snaps and earned 59.3% of the backfield opportunities on his way to 9.2 PPR points.
PFF’s highest graded rushers in Week 1:
1. D’Andre Swift
2. Bucky Irving
3. Bhayshul Tuten
4. Woody Marks
5. Jonathan Taylor— Dataroma (@ffdataroma) September 14, 2026
Chris Rodriguez, on the other hand, played 40.3% of the snaps and got only 22.2% of the backfield opportunities, scoring 2.3 PPR points. This looks like it’s Tuten’s backfield, and he’s a locked-in top-24 RB for the rest of the season. The usage rates are good, and you should know the Jaguars ran only 55 offensive plays because they dominated. In a more competitive game, Tuten would have produced more.
Jaylen Warren vs. Rico Dowdle (RB, Steelers) — The Steel City Rumble
Last year, Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell were both able to have valuable seasons in this backfield. With Rico Dowdle in for Gainwell this season, let’s see how things shook out.
Warren played 36.8% of the snaps, got 55.2% of the backfield opportunities, and had a 15% target share, scoring 10.3 PPR points with a lost fumble. Dowdle played 57.4% of the snaps, got 44.8% of the backfield opportunities, and had a 12.5% target share, scoring 4.1 PPR points.
It’s clear the running backs will still be a heavily featured part of this offense and be heavily used in the passing game. Warren and Dowdle both have fringe top-24 upside each week, and if either got hurt, the other would be in line for a great role.
Bucky Irving (RB, Bucs) is Still a Good Pass-Catcher
When Kenneth Gainwell signed with the Buccaneers, there was concern he wouldn’t leave much pass-catching for Bucky Irving. Today, however, Irving showed people had nothing to worry about. He earned a 25% target share today while also getting 71.4% of the backfield opportunities on his 61.4% snap percentage. Gainwell was his clear backup, playing 45.6% of the snaps, but only getting 28.6% of the backfield opportunities and 1 target.
Sean Tucker was inactive today, but the Buccaneers’ offseason moves suggest he’s not in their plans. It looks like we’ve got rookie-year Irving back.
Chuba Hubbard vs. Jonathon Brooks (RB, Panthers) — Easy Does It
One of the bigger offseason storylines was how the Panthers clearly planned to have Jonathon Brooks be a big part of their plans. They let Rico Dowdle walk via free agency despite his big performances, and didn’t make any important additions at the position.
Everyone was excited to see what Brooks’ role would be in his first game back after missing all of 2025. Our answer: he was eased in. Brooks played only 19.1% of the snaps and was given 25% of the opportunities. Chuba Hubbard handled most of the rest, with AJ Dillon getting some carries at the end of the game when it was over.
Jonathon Brooks just exploded downfield for a 48 yard reception
Brooks looks great!
— RotoLegends (@RotoLegends) September 13, 2026
We did get to see Brooks’ explosiveness, though, with a 48-yard reception. Brooks may still pay off drafters at some point, but it may take a few games. Don’t plan to start him until his role increases.
Chargers Tight Ends — Triple-Threat Match
Figuring out which Chargers tight end, if any, to invest in this offseason was a little difficult. Oronde Gadsden had a solid rookie season, but the Chargers signed Charlie Kolar to a big contract and added David Njoku as well.
After Week 1, we may have an answer. Njoku led the group across the board with an 18.5% target share while running 51.4% of the routes on 54.5% of the snaps. Kolar also played 54.5% of the snaps, but ran only 25.7% of the routes and did not receive a target. Gadsden had a lowly 17.5% snap share and caught both passes thrown his way.
This makes me uninterested in any of them. Gadsden still has the greatest receiving talent, but it looks like they don’t plan to use him much. I don’t want to rely on Njoku, and Kolar is a blocking tight end.
Packers Wide Receiver Room — Fewer Mouths + More Pie
With the Packers moving on from Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks this offseason, the hope was that the routes and targets would condense to Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Matthew Golden. In Week 1, that’s exactly what happened.
Watson played 77.4% of the snaps, ran 81.4% of the routes, and had a 19% target share. Second-year wideout Golden had 85.5% of the snaps, ran 88.4% of the routes, and had a 28.6% target share. Reed was last with 58.1% of the snaps, ran 67.4% of the routes, and had a 16.7% target share.
Christian Watson 81-yard catch-and-run!
GBvsMIN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/SVOKajdaok— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026
Watson had a huge game, catching 6 of his 8 targets for 147 yards and 2 touchdowns, but Golden had a solid outing too, with 87 yards on 5 receptions. Watson is a must-start, Golden is a good flex option, and Reed is a boom/bust flex.
Are there Worthwhile Dolphins Pass Catchers?
Entering the season, the Dolphins may have the weakest set of pass catchers we’ve seen on an NFL team. But that doesn’t mean none of them are fantasy-viable. If someone steps up, we could get some cheap production.
The good news is they kept things condensed. Malik Washington, Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell, and Greg Dulcich all played the most, with snap percentages of 98.2%, 90.9%, 50.9%, and 76.4%, respectively. Additionally, they had route percentages of 100%, 86.5%, 54.5%, and 78.4%.
Washington is a low-ceiling player, but his full-time role gives him a floor for deep leagues. Douglas had a good day, catching 5 passes for 94 yards, and is someone I’m paying attention to. Bell is likely still being worked in slowly since he’s coming back from a torn ACL. I was hoping for more from Dulcich, but he earned only 2 targets, and now I’m not really interested in him anymore.
