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 take a look at different usage trends throughout the NFL to help us prepare for the rest of the season and beyond. Let’s dive into the most important usage trends from Week 15, the first week of the fantasy playoffs.
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Week 15 Fantasy Football Usage Report
Kyle Pitts Dominates
This season, Kyle Pitts has upped his game. He is playing 87.1% of the Falcons’ snaps, running 92% of the routes, and has earned a 20.7% target share. With Drake London missing time, Pitts has become the Falcons’ number one pass catcher to end the season. He had been solid in that role, scoring 11.6 PPR PPG with London out over the three games before Week 15.
Then Thursday night happened. Pitts had one of the greatest tight end games in history, scoring 45.6 PPR points. Pitts earned a 27.3 % target share for 12 targets, catching 11 of them for 166 yards and three touchdowns.
You can’t expect Kyle Pitts to duplicate his Week 15 performance, but for as long as Drake London is out, he’s a mid to high-end TE1. Pitts’ rookie contract is up at the end of the season, and the Falcons are expected to retain his services one way or another. Pitts will be back to being drafted as a TE1 next season, and it’s warranted.
Mike Evans’ Big Return
After missing the last six games due to a collarbone injury, Mike Evans returned in Week 15, picking right up where he left off. Evans led the Buccaneers’ pass catchers with a 29.4% target share, giving him 10 targets on the day. He caught six of them for 132 yards, giving him 19.2 PPR points. The Buccaneers played it smart, limiting Evans’ snaps somewhat but not his opportunities. Along with leading in targets, Evans ran only 70% of the routes and played 55.1% of the snaps on Thursday night, which were second and third among Tampa’s wide receivers.
Mike Evans doesn’t seem to age. He looks just as good as he always has. You can confidently start him as a WR2 for the rest of the season. In 2026, you’ll have to decide if you think Father Time finally catches up.
Brady Cook Gets a Chance
With both Tyrod Taylor and Justin Fields injured, the undrafted rookie free agent quarterback got his first start in the NFL. Predictably for Brady Cook, it didn’t go well. While Cook completed a good percentage of his passes, 66.6% to be exact, he had minimal production on his 33 attempts. Cook threw for only 178 yards and one touchdown while tossing three interceptions. He did add as a runner, though, gaining 39 yards on six carries.
All in all, Cook went for 12.1 PPR points on the day. The glass-half-full outlook of his first start was that the Jets still managed 68 offensive plays with him at the helm. The Jets’ offense didn’t crater quite as much as I thought it would with Brady Cook at the helm, but it was still bad. As long as he’s starting, I don’t have interest in starting anyone on the offense if I can help it.
Kenny Pickett’s Mini Audition
After taking over for an injured Geno Smith in Week 14, Kenny Pickett got his first start as a Raider in Week 15. As a former first-round pick, any time he gets a chance to start, it’s a little audition for teams who could be looking for a quarterback. Unfortunately for Pickett, he showed why he flamed out of Pittsburgh and is on his fourth team. Pickett completed 60% of his passes and managed a measly 64 passing yards on his 25 attempts, throwing an interception as well. Pickett managed only 1.6 fantasy points on the day. The Raiders were only able to run 42 offensive plays. It was a disaster. The Eagles have a good defense, but this was ugly.
If Kenny Pickett is starting, the Raiders’ offense is going to be terrible. Ashton Jeanty becomes a flex player. Brock Bowers stops being a must-start. Pickett might have trouble finding even a backup job after this year.
Chargers Backfield Rotation Update
Week 15 marked Omarion Hampton‘s second game back from injury, giving us a small sample of time to analyze. Kimani Vidal played well in Hampton’s absence, so the expectation was that Hampton wouldn’t get the backfield to himself when he returned, and that’s what happened. Hampton is playing 33.6% of the snaps, has handled 50% of the backfield opportunities, and has a 3.7% target share. Vidal is playing 66.4% of the snaps, has handled 50% of the backfield opportunities, and has a 7.4% target share.
The Chargers are clearly limiting Omarion Hampton in his return. That, along with the Chargers’ offense being hampered by their offensive line injuries, has made both Hampton and Vidal nearly unusable. I’m not relying on either of them.
Dallas Goedert, League Winner?
For several years, Dallas Goedert was in no man’s land in fantasy football. He was routinely drafted as a mid to low-end TE1 and produced as such. The problem was that he would be drafted in the middle rounds, but he wasn’t a value for his cost, and he didn’t separate from tight ends drafted rounds later.
This year was different. Goedert was normally drafted in the double-digit rounds and is having the best year of his career. On the season, Goedert is playing 84.7% of the snaps, has earned a 19.2% target share, and is averaging 12.5 PPR PPG.
He’s been a little boom/bust, but Dallas Goedert was one of the best tight end picks you could make this year. It will be interesting to see where his ADP ends up in 2026 drafts. If it jumps back up where it used to be, I’ll be out on him.
Tony Pollard Finds the Fountain of Youth
Don’t look now, but over the last two weeks, Tony Pollard has looked like his prime self. Over that time, he’s averaged 23.2 PPR PPG while handling 20.5 opportunities per game, and ran for over 100 yards in both games. On the season, Pollard is averaging 11.1 PPR PPG while playing 64% of the snaps and handling 66.8% of the backfield opportunities. Before Week 15, it was a season to forget for Pollard. Now he has a chance to finish strong.
Both Tony Pollard and the Titans’ offense have played better as of late. You couldn’t start Pollard before; now you have a decision to make. He gets the Chiefs next week, which is a matchup to avoid, but he gets the Saints in Week 17. That’s attractive.
Philip Rivers Unretires
In the most bizarre news of the 2025 NFL season, after losing their top three quarterbacks to injury, the Colts signed Philip Rivers out of retirement to start for them. In his first start, he looked like what you’d expect. He was immobile before, so that remained unchanged, and nearly every pass was close to the line of scrimmage. Rivers completed 18 of his 27 pass attempts for only 120 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The Colts also predictably ran more than they passed, which, combined with Rivers’ inability to push the ball down the field, led to them managing only 58 offensive plays.
Jonathan Taylor is the only Colt you want with Philip Rivers starting, and even he doesn’t look great. The Colts’ offense has little scoring opportunity with Rivers, and defenses can crowd the line of scrimmage to stop Taylor. He’s a mid-range RB2 for the rest of the season, and I’m benching the pass catchers.
Ricky Pearsall Shows Life
Since returning from injury in Week 11, Ricky Pearsall has been mostly a no-show. During that time, Pearsall had only nine total targets, giving him a 10.2% target share in those weeks. He was still running nearly all the routes at 90.3%, but he wasn’t getting opportunities like he was to start the season. Week 15 was different for him. Pearsall led all 49ers with 96 receiving yards on six catches. His seven targets gave him a 23.3% target share and 15.6 PPR points on the day.
Ricky Pearsall is a talented wide receiver; it was only a matter of time before he produced again. It’s still a crowded offense in San Francisco, so Pearsall can be seen as a WR3 to finish up the season. His 2026 ADP is one I’m quite interested to see. His second season being so up and down means there will be very little consensus on him.
Tyler Shough Making A Name
Not many people gave Tyler Shough a chance. He wasn’t a high-profile prospect, and his advanced age entering the NFL meant he’d be an outlier if he found success. But Shough has now put together a good string of games. Over his last 5 games, Shough is averaging 17.9 PPG, with each of his last two being over 20. During that time, he’s averaging 236 passing yards per game, is completing 70% of his passes, and is averaging 24.8 rushing yards per game. Additionally, the Saints are 3-2 in that span.
Tyler Shough‘s rushing floor has really helped his fantasy performances, and his passing numbers continue to get better. Shough is a high-end streaming option for the rest of the season. Also, with the 2026 quarterback draft class looking weak, the Saints are likely to move forward with Shough as their starter next year.
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