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. Now in Week 3, we’re getting good data samples to work off of. Let’s dive into the top trends and advanced fantasy football stats from the first three weeks of the season.
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Fantasy Football Usage Report Week 3
Keon Coleman’s Sophomore Season
Keon Coleman came into the NFL as a wide receiver with raw physical talent that needed refining. A former basketball player, Coleman came to football full-time later in life. His rookie season was inconsistent, but he provided some reasons for optimism. Coming into 2025, the hope was that Coleman would continue to grow and be able to take on more opportunities.
In Week 1, it looked like that would be the case as Coleman earned a 23.9% target share while playing 88% of the snaps. But over the last two weeks, Coleman has played as many total snaps in two games as he played in Week 1 alone. Additionally, he’s earned just a 13.2% target share during that time.
While we got to see Keon Coleman‘s potential in Week 1, we need to understand that he’s still not a complete player. Because of this, Coleman will continue to be an inconsistent player. He’s a boom/bust WR3 moving forward, and the decision to start him will depend on whether you need to swing for the fences.
TreVeyon Henderson’s Slow Start
TreVeyon Henderson has no shortage of fans. The explosive rookie was a highly thought-of prospect coming into the NFL, and he landed on a team where he had a path to opportunities. Henderson showed out in the preseason, causing his ADP to soar. Expectations were high entering the season. Unfortunately, that preseason hype has not translated.
Through his first two games, Henderson played only 33.6% of the snaps and received 32% of the backfield opportunities. In Week 3, with Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson both fumbling the ball away, Henderson saw his usage increase. Henderson received 50% of the backfield opportunities on 45.9% of the snaps this week. Additionally, he received 76% of the snaps after Stevenson had his second fumble. Henderson was only able to turn this into 7.7 PPR points, though.
I was very high on TreVeyon Henderson entering the season, and while my expectations have been lowered, I still believe he can provide immense fantasy value this season. Although the fantasy points didn’t come, his usage in Week 3 was encouraging. Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson aren’t special. Henderson could be.
Jordan Mason Takes Over
In 2024, Jordan Mason was a big value to start the season for fantasy managers as he filled in for Christian McCaffrey. Mason was one of the most efficient rushers in the NFL while he had the 49ers’ starting job. This offseason, the Vikings traded for Mason to pair with the aging Aaron Jones. Through the first two games of 2025, they split the backfield, with Mason getting more carries and Jones getting more pass game usage.
But with Jones missing Week 3, Mason got the backfield to himself. Through three quarters, before the Vikings began pulling starters in the blowout win, Mason received 77% of the snaps and 69.6% of the opportunities. Mason thrived against the Bengals’ defense, rushing for over 100 yards and scoring two touchdowns on his way to 23.6 PPR Points.
As long as Aaron Jones is hurt, Jordan Mason will project as a fringe RB1. He’s a powerful and efficient runner on an offense that can score a lot of points, who will earn a good workload. When Jones is active, Mason is a potential flex player who will be reliant on a touchdown.
Brian Thomas Jr. is a Disappointment
After having one of the best rookie wide receiver seasons of all time, Brian Thomas Jr. was rightly expected to have a big season in 2025. Through the first two weeks, Thomas was a massive disappointment. In those two weeks, he averaged only 9.0 PPR PPG and looked like he lacked rapport with Trevor Lawrence. The one reason for optimism was that Thomas was still getting the amount of opportunity we wanted, with a 26% target share during that time. With his proven talent evident from his rookie year, it made sense to practice patience with Thomas heading into Week 3.
Well, things didn’t get better. Despite running the most routes on the team, Thomas earned a 15% target share this week on his way to 7.5 PPR Points. Brian Thomas Jr. has also seen his average depth of target increase by two yards from 2024 to 2025. Outside of short, quick-hitting throws, which Thomas isn’t getting many of, Trevor Lawrence has been a poor passer. They can’t seem to get on the same page. I still believe in Thomas’ talent, but I worry it won’t matter. Right now, Thomas can’t be counted on as anything more than a WR3.
Daniel Jones’ Career Resurgence
The story of the season thus far is Daniel Jones and the Colts. Signing with Indianapolis in the offseason, Jones was brought in to battle with Anthony Richardson. For a bit during the preseason, it seemed like he was losing that battle. Ultimately, Jones was named the starter, and he hasn’t looked back. Jones has led the Colts to a 3-0 start, with them being one of the best offenses in the league. Jones isn’t simply along for the ride either; he’s the reason for the Colts’ success. Danny Dimes is completing 71.4% of his passes while averaging 9.3 yards per attempt. He’s thrown a touchdown pass in each game and has three rushing touchdowns in total. All three rushing touchdowns have come while the Colts were on the goal line, too, opening the potential for many more across the season if he continues to be used that way. Even with how efficient the Colts’ offense has been, they’re still averaging 63 plays per game.
Daniel Jones has his limitations, but this looks real. Shane Steichen has a history of building great offenses around his players’ strengths, and he’s doing it again with Jones. The former Giant projects as a streaming quarterback at worst for the rest of the season, and another QB1 finish could be in the cards.
Kyle Pitts Gets Back on Track
Kyle Pitt’s career thus far has been interesting. He burst onto the scene as a rookie, going for over 1,000 receiving yards and making good on his prospect profile. But in his second season, Pitts started slow before having a season-ending injury. Since then, he’s been fine for a tight end, but nowhere near what everyone thought he could be. Pitts’ uniqueness at tight end, essentially being a big wide receiver, had become a hindrance. A liability as a blocker, Pitts ceded snaps to other players as he couldn’t be used in all situations in the offense. Going into 2025, Pitts had never been valued lower. But through three games, maybe his future is a little brighter. Pitts now has a 17.9% target share through three games while playing 79.8% of the snaps. He’s turned that into 9.5 PPR PPG.
This is legitimately encouraging for Kyle Pitts. Pitts is playing a near full-time role and contributing as a blocker. It may seem counterintuitive, but we want our tight ends to at least not be liabilities as blockers, as it will help them play more snaps and be in on more play-action plays, especially around the goal line. Pitts is a low-end TE1 for the rest of the season.
Matthew Golden Plays More
Perhaps the biggest riser during the NFL Draft process was Matthew Golden. The speedster didn’t have much of a production profile, but his film excited many. When the Packers drafted Golden, a wide receiver, in the first round, something they don’t do, expectations grew. Unfortunately for Golden, his first two weeks in the NFL were quiet. Golden saw just four total targets for a 7.5% target share while playing 54.3% of the snaps. Despite his draft capital, Golden was just another part of the Packers’ wide receiver rotation.
In Week 2, though, Jayden Reed broke his collarbone, opening up time and opportunity to be seized moving forward. Week 3 brought increased usage for Golden, as he earned four targets for a 16% target share on a 71.2% snap share. Golden caught all of those targets for 52 yards. That’s just 9.2 PPR Points, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Even before Jayden Reed got hurt, Matthew Golden should have been earning more playing time and targets. Reed being out helps Golden’s cause, but you still can’t count on him yet. At some point, Golden may grow to a level where we are comfortable with him in our lineups. For now, he’s a depth piece and a flex player when you’re in a pinch.
Juwan Johnson, THE Late-Round TE
Every year, there’s a tight end drafted towards the end of drafts who finishes highly. So far, Juwan Johnson looks to be that player for 2025. The converted wide receiver has had spurts of success in his career before now, but he’s never seen the kind of opportunity he’s had this season. In previous seasons, Johnson had topped out at a 14.1% target share and a 65.4% snap share. Through three games this season, Johnson has a 23.1% target share on an incredible 95% of the Saints’ snaps. Johnson has been able to turn this increase in opportunity into 14.2 PPR PPG.
Juwan Johnson has a real chance to finish in the top five at his position this season. With his role and how much the Saints are passing, game in and game out, he has the potential to lead all tight ends in targets this season. There are very few tight ends I would take over Johnson for the rest of the season.
Quentin Johnston is Undeniable
Quentin Johnston had one of the worst rookie seasons we’ve seen for a first-round wide receiver. Going into his second season, little was expected of him. But Johnston surprised many by being a real contributor for the Chargers and fantasy teams. Although many would tell you he did it off the back of broken plays. Heading into 2025, after the Chargers drafted Tre Harris and added Keenan Allen back to the team, the question was which Johnston we’d get?
So far, it’s been neither. Johnston has been significantly better than anyone thought. Through three weeks, Johnston has played 82.8% of the Chargers’ snaps while earning a 22.2% target share, and he has been effective with those targets. Johnston is currently averaging 18.6 PPR points as he’s been highly efficient to start the year.
He’s looking like the real deal. I could nitpick Quentin Johnston and say things like I still think he body-catches the ball too much, but the results are what they are. He’s a vital part of this offense, which is now one of the most pass-happy in the league. Johnston can be considered as a WR2/WR3 type moving forward.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is the Same
Marvin Harrison Jr.‘s rookie season had its ups and downs. On the surface, it was a good season for the average first-round rookie wide receiver. Harrison wasn’t just your average first-round rookie wide receiver, though. He entered the NFL already anointed as the next big thing at his position based on his NFL lineage and incredible prospect profile. The expectation for 2025 was that Harrison’s rapport with Kyler Murray would grow and that his usage would expand.
To an extent, that’s been true. Harrison has been used on more horizontal-type routes so far this season than last year, leading to his average depth of target dropping. In Week 1, we saw this change to its full effect, and he went for 18.1 PPR Points on a 20.7% target share. But he wasn’t able to follow it up in his next two games. He’s playing nearly all the snaps, but Harrison only has an 18.3% target share on the season. If it wasn’t for a couple of bad drops today, he could have still had a good fantasy day, but the usage isn’t helping.
I was worried about Marvin Harrison Jr. for 2025 based on his cost. He was priced as though his situational concerns were already fixed instead of hoping that they would be fixed. Through three games, Harrison looks similar to the player he was in 2024 —a borderline WR2/WR3. I don’t expect that to change.
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