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. There have been a lot of injuries in the NFL coming into Week 5. Let’s see how that affected situations.
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Week 5 Fantasy Football Usage Report
Dillon Gabriel’s First Start
It was only a matter of time before the Browns gave one of their rookie quarterbacks a shot as a starter, and for Week 5, Dillon Gabriel was up first. Gabriel came into the NFL as a limited quarterback. He’s small and has a weak arm. But he’s also a quick processor and accurate within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage. Kevin Stefanski made sure the offense played to Gabriel’s strengths in his first start.
The game plan focused on quick, short passes, which Gabriel routinely completed. On the day, Gabriel completed 19 of his 33 attempted passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns, leading to 16.1 fantasy points. With all the short passes, Browns’ tight ends thrived. David Njoku and Harold Fannin Jr. combined for a 39.4% target share while scoring 18.7 and 11.3 PPR points, respectively.
With his physical limitations, Dillon Gabriel isn’t going to be finding himself starting in 1-QB leagues anytime soon. But in Superflex leagues, you could do much worse. The biggest takeaway here is that the Browns’ tight ends get a bump.
The Ravens Without Lamar Jackson
Due to a hamstring injury, Lamar Jackson had to sit out Week 5 and will potentially miss next week as well. While Jackson is out, Cooper Rush is the Ravens’ starting quarterback. We have a good sample size of Rush playing from his time in Dallas. He’s a serviceable quarterback who can be a decent distributor, but he doesn’t elevate an offense.
This week, we saw why Rush is a backup. Granted, it was against a tough Texans’ defense, but Rush struggled mightily. He passed for just 179 yards and threw three interceptions. Due to his struggles, the Ravens only ran 40 plays on the day, hurting everyone. Zay Flowers managed to find his way to 12.6 PPR points, but the rest of the Ravens’ skill players struggled. Even with a touchdown, Derrick Henry failed to cross 10 fantasy points.
As long as Lamar Jackson is out, the Ravens’ offense will struggle. Cooper Rush is a significant downgrade, changing the way the offense operates. Derrick Henry has less room to run, and the offense won’t consistently get first downs, leading to fewer turnover plays.
Jaylen Waddle WR1
In Week 4, Tyreek Hill suffered a devastating knee injury, leaving Jaylen Waddle as the de facto top wide receiver for the Dolphins. We’ve seen Waddle in this position before during his rookie season. But that was also before the Dolphins had De’Von Achane, who has become such a large part of their passing offense.
Week 5 was a great start to Waddle’s second era as Miami’s WR1. Waddle led the Dolphins in routes run and targets with nine, giving him a 25% target share for the day. On those nine targets, Waddle had six catches for 110 yards and a touchdown, giving him 23 PPR points. We’ve known Waddle was highly talented; his last two seasons were just disappointing due to injury and the Dolphins’ offensive struggles.
There’s still some concern that the Dolphins’ offensive line will hamper the offense, but at least we know Jaylen Waddle‘s role is what we want, and he’s healthy. Waddle should be considered a fringe WR1 moving forward.
Rico Dowdle Handcuff Hero
After a solid season for the Cowboys in 2024, Rico Dowdle signed with the Panthers this offseason to be Chuba Hubbard‘s handcuff. Dave Canales has always preferred to have a running back whom he can count on in all facets, which Dowdle has proven himself to be.
With Hubbard dealing with a calf injury, Dowdle got his first start for the Panthers, and you couldn’t have asked for a better day. Dowdle was the Panthers’ workhorse and had immense production. He played 67.1% of the snaps, earned 83.9% of the backfield opportunities, adn gained 234 total yards and a touchdown on his way to 32.4 PPR points. DeeJay Dallas did play in pure passing situations, but it was only for blocking purposes.
The question now for Rico Dowdle is what happens when Chuba Hubbard returns? Dave Canales normally wants a workhorse, but Dowdle has earned more opportunities. Hubbard’s job and opportunities while healthy are on shaky ground, and Dowdle, at a minimum, is one of the best handcuffs in fantasy football.
Rachaad White vs. Sean Tucker
After a stellar Week 4 performance, we found out that Bucky Irving was dealing with multiple injuries. Before Week 5, we got news that Irving could be out multiple weeks, leaving Rachaad White and Sean Tucker to man the Buccaneers’ backfield. Tucker has always been an intriguing player, while White has a history of production and role. With White’s normal inefficiency as a runner, many thought Tucker could earn a bigger role.
Based on this week, White still has the more worthwhile role. He played 80.3% of the snaps and gained 75% of the backfield opportunities. Tucker, on the other hand, only played 21.3% of the snaps and gained 25% of the backfield opportunities. White also produced with his opportunities, going for 23.1 PPR points on the back of 2 touchdowns.
We don’t know how long Bucky Irving will be out for, but multiple weeks is likely. As long as he’s out, Rachaad White is a borderline RB1, and Sean Tucker is White’s handcuff.
Alvin Kamara’s Shrinking Role
Week 5 makes two weeks in a row where Alvin Kamara‘s role has diminished, with Kendre Miller earning more opportunities. I wrote about Miller last week, and his upward trend continued into this week.
Kamara played 56.1% of the snaps, a new season low, while getting 56% of the backfield opportunities. Kamara is still the clear receiving back, but this was the first game where he was out-carried by Miller, 10 to eight. Additionally, Miller played in all short-yardage situations, which is a new development in the backfield. With his diminished role, Kamara was a disappointment for fantasy, scoring under 10 PPR points for the second time this season.
Before this season, despite Alvin Kamara no longer being in his prime for a couple of years, his role remained constant. That’s no longer the case. There is a clear trend happening in this backfield, making for a true split between Kamara and Kendre Miller. Don’t count on Kamara to be anything more than a flex.
RJ Harvey Fake Out
In Week 4, it seemed as though Harvey was finally starting to see his role grow. He played 40.1% of the snaps and earned 50% of the backfield opportunities, both of which were season highs. A slow start to the season for a rookie isn’t unheard of, and growth was expected, so this looked like the beginning of Harvey’s ascension. Joke’s on us, though. Sean Payton is going to Sean Payton.
In Week 5, Harvey’s role dipped back down. He saw only 22.3% of the backfield opportunities on 20.3% of the snaps. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to do much with his chances, either, gaining 30 total yards and scoring 3.3 PPR points.
It’s getting hard to believe that RJ Harvey will ever have a consistent role we can get excited about this season. J.K. Dobbins continues to play well, and Sean Payton insists on including Tyler Badie in the mix. You can’t start Harvey until an injury happens or we see multiple games in a row of a worthwhile role.
The Cardinals’ Backfield
Week 5 brought more change for the Cardinals’ backfield as Trey Benson was surprisingly placed on IR in the middle of the week. Now with no clear workhorse, any potential outcome for the backfield was possible. Before the game, the Cardinals’ coaching staff wouldn’t commit to one person, mentioning that all of Emari Demercado, Michael Carter, and Zonovan “Bam” Knight would have a role. That’s exactly what happened, too.
Michael Carter was the lead back, getting 73.3% of the backfield opportunities on 57.4% of the snaps. Demercado was the third-down back, playing 27.9% of the snaps and earning 10% of the opportunities. Knight mixed in on 16.2% of the snaps, receiving 16.7% of the opportunities. As a trio, they performed well, scoring 18.3, 6.1, and 9.4 PPR points, respectively.
They all played, but the roles were clear. We can work with that. Michael Carter is the most valuable and can be viewed as an RB3/flex. Emari Demercado is a desperation flex/bench depth piece. Bam Knight shouldn’t be rostered in anything other than the deepest of leagues, as he will require an injury to have a worthwhile role.
Tyjae Spears’ Return
Returning from a preseason high ankle injury that landed him on IR to start the season, Tyjae Spears made his 2025 debut in Week 5. In his career thus far, Spears has been a complementary piece in the Titans’ backfield, contributing mostly as a pass catcher. The hope for Spears in 2025 was that he’d grow into a larger role. After his first game back, it looks like Spears will be worked in a little slowly. Spears played on just 25.4% of the snaps, getting four carries on the day and zero targets. Now we will need to watch to see if his role increases, as there is reason to believe it will.
Tony Pollard has been the Titans’ lead back since joining the team, and in Tyjae Spears‘ absence, he has been a workhorse, but hasn’t been able to produce much. Spears could earn more opportunities if Pollard continues to be inefficient. You can’t start Spears right now, but he’s a nice depth piece to have on your bench.
Chris Godwin’s Second Game Back
Chris Godwin returned to play from the ankle injury that ended his 2024 season in Week 4, playing a surprising amount. Godwin ran 100% of the routes and earned a 25% target share. Unfortunately, though, he struggled to produce. Godwin caught just three of his 10 targets for 26 scoreless yards. Week 5 was similar for Godwin, running 93.9% of the routes. However, this week, he earned only a 12.1% target share. Interestingly, even though he had just four targets, he had the same production as he did in Week 4, catching three passes for 26 yards without a touchdown.
As long as Mike Evans is out, Chris Godwin will be an every-down player with Emeka Egbuka. That doesn’t mean he’s someone you want for fantasy football, though. He’s clearly still hampered by his injury, and Egbuka is now the WR1 in the offense. When Evans returns, I would expect to see Godwin’s role diminish. I’m not cutting Godwin, but I’m not expecting anything for the time being.
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