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. Like every week, Week 6 brought changes to what we thought we knew about fantasy football. Let’s dig in.
PlayerProfiler is home to award-winning dynasty rankings and tools. Our Dynasty Deluxe package includes complete Dynasty Rankings, Rookie Rankings, Trade Analyzer, Draft Planner, Mock Drafts, and more. Check it out.
Week 6 Fantasy Football Usage Report
Cam Skattebo, Workhorse
While Tyrone Tracy Jr. was out with an injury, Cam Skattebo had a full-time role for the Giants. With Tracy returning for Week 6, the question was how much of that role he would retain. The results are in, and Skattebo can officially be considered the Giants’ three-down workhorse for the rest of the season.
Skattebo ceded almost nothing to Tracy, playing 71% of the snaps and handling 75% of the backfield opportunities. Not only that, he was fantastic with his opportunity, as he has been all season. Skattebo scored 31 PPR points in Week 6 and is now up to 16.6 PPR PPG for the season.
The conversation around Cam Skattebo at this point should be whether he’s a top 12 running back. His role and efficiency say yes. Perhaps the biggest concern for Giants’ running backs this season was that New York’s offense could be bad, but with Jaxson Dart at the helm, that isn’t a concern either.
Evan Engram Inspiration
Suffering an injury in Weeks 1 and 3, Evan Engram has been in and out of the Broncos’ lineup. While playing, he’s rotated constantly, bringing down his production and outlook. Before Week 6, Engram had only played 40% of the Broncos’ snaps and run 51.7% of the routes. During that time, he averaged a disappointing 6.9 PPR PPG on a 13.2% target share.
In Week 6, we saw a slight improvement. Engram ran 56.7% of the routes while playing 46.7% of the snaps. He turned that into a 16.7% target share for five targets, catching all of them for 42 yards, giving him 9.2 PPR points on the day. It’s not much, but it’s a trend in the right direction.
It’s all about perspective here. A few weeks ago, Evan Engram looked to be a massive miss. Now, there’s reason to believe Engram can be a streaming tight end. Streaming-level production is still disappointing given where Engram was drafted, but at least he’s helping at that point.
Chargers Backfield Update
With Omarion Hampton put on the injured reserve, the Chargers entered Week 6 with Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins manning their backfield. How they would be deployed was one of the bigger storylines heading into the weekend. Vidal represented pass-catching and unknown upside after seeing the field sparingly as a rookie. Haskins, on the other hand, we knew was a hard-nosed, two-down grinder, who doesn’t offer much past that. Vidal separated himself, receiving 75.9% of the opportunities and having a 67.2% snap share. He was productive too, scoring 22.8 PPR points. Haskins lagged behind with 31.3% of the snaps and 24.1% of the opportunities, only scoring 3.3 PPR points.
It’s clear Kimani Vidal is the better running back and will be valuable as long as it’s just him and Hassan Haskins in the backfield. However, there were reports this week that the Chargers could be trying to trade for a running back, which could change things. Vidal is a low-end RB2/RB3 for as long as the backfield remains the way it is now.
Ryan Flournoy Depth Piece
In Week 5, Ryan Flournoy surprised everyone by catching six passes for 114 yards on nine targets, helping to fill in for CeeDee Lamb‘s absence. He played 56.7% of the snaps and ran 63.6% of the routes. Flournoy had done very little in the NFL before then, so we needed to question how real his breakout was. We shouldn’t expect production like that every week, but it looks like he has earned himself a relevant role for the Cowboys. In Week 6, Flournoy ran 73.5% of the routes on 69.1% of the snaps. He turned that into six targets for three catches and 30 yards. That’s a far cry from his Week 5 production, but it shows he’s a part of the Cowboys’ game plan.
CeeDee Lamb could be returning as early as next week. When he does, there will be fewer snaps, routes, and opportunities for every other Dallas wide receiver. Lamb will always be the top guy, George Pickens will get his as well, and opportunities after that could be up for grabs. Jalen Tolbert has done little in the NFL over a longer period of time than Ryan Flournoy. Flournoy should play over Tolbert. In deep leagues, Flournoy is worth the bench stash.
Jaylen Warren Returns
Jaylen Warren was a last-minute inactive in Week 5, leaving Kenneth Gainwell to handle a large role. Gainwell played well, too, having an amazing day and scoring 31.4 PPR points. It was the kind of performance that makes you question if the split between Warren and Gainwell would now be different while both are healthy. In the first three weeks of the season, Warren outpaced Gainwell in snaps, 60.5% to 40.1%, and in opportunities, 54 to 23. In Week 6, their split thinned.
Warren played 52.5% of the snaps and handled 52% of the opportunities between them. Gainwell received 48% of the opportunities between them and played 33.9% of the snaps. It is worth noting that Kaleb Johnson was involved late in the game with the Steelers handling the Browns easily; otherwise, Warren and/or Gainwell would have played more.
Jaylen Warren still has a solid role as an RB2 for the Steelers. It’s not quite as good as it was in the first few weeks, but it’s still valuable. Kenneth Gainwell is a playable flex player as well. Plus, we know that they both have significant injury contingent upside if the other were to miss time.
Taysom Hill is Inevitable
Week 6 was Taysom Hill‘s second game in return action after his 2024 season ended due to a torn ACL. In his first game back in Week 5, Hill played only nine snaps but was given six opportunities, making it clear he’s still a part of the Saints’ offense. In Week 6, his role stayed similar. He played 12 snaps, but only received one opportunity, a goal-line carry he turned into a touchdown.
With usage this low, Taysom is highly unlikely to be a reliable fantasy option at any point this season. What he does do, however, is interfere with other players’ opportunities. As long as Hill is healthy, he slightly lowers the ceilings of the other skill players. Chris Olave is safe from any Taysom Hill shenanigans, but everyone else could be affected. Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller, in particular, get knocked. Hill’s most valuable role at this time in his career is his ability in short yardage, meaning there will be fewer goal-line carries for the Saints’ traditional RBs to split.
Updating the Cardinals Backfield
Last week, I wrote about how the Cardinals’ backfield played out with Trey Benson on the Injured Reserve. Until right before game time on Sunday morning, it seemed like Arizona’s backfield roles were clearly defined, with Michael Carter as the clear RB1. Then we got the report that Zonovan Knight would be the starting running back, throwing a wrench in things.
In Week 6, Knight played the most snaps in the backfield with a 50.7% share. Carter followed closely behind with 43.8%. However, Carter slightly led the backfield in opportunities, with a 48.1% share; Knight had 44.4% of the opportunities. Emari Demercado was almost nonexistent, playing only three snaps before exiting with an ankle injury.
Zonovan Knight was able to punch in a touchdown, helping him have the best fantasy day with 12.4 PPR Points, but with the backfield split up the way it was in Week 6, it will be difficult for anyone to be relied upon. Both Knight and Michael Carter are worth flex consideration, but nothing more.
Joe Flacco with the Bengals
With Jake Browning failing to produce at the level the Bengals wanted, they traded for Joe Flacco to be their new starting quarterback. Flacco, while with Cleveland, also wasn’t producing as well as anyone hoped. But the Bengals have much better weapons to work with, and Flacco sees the field better than Browning, so there was hope entering Week 6.
The Bengals had full confidence in Flacco in his debut. He dropped back for 45 pass attempts as Cincinnati had a 74.2% pass rate. With that, Ja’Marr Chase had a great week, going for 25.4 PPR points. Tee Higgins lagged with only 11.2 PPR Points, but based on what he’s done in 2025, that’s a good day. Flacco, himself, had his best game this season, scoring 18.76 fantasy points.
There’s a chance 2025 Joe Flacco is similar to 2023 Joe Flacco, who helped fantasy players everywhere. At a minimum, he’s brought some stability to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Cam Ward Never Quits
Cameron Ward‘s rookie season so far has been a mixed bag, with more bad than good. He’s averaging only 5.4 yards per attempt, has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns, and is completing just 55% of his passes. But he has flashes of making incredible throws due to his extreme arm talent. The Titans did their best to improve their offensive line and add weapons for Ward this offseason, but it hasn’t mattered much. What’s good is that the Titans have not tried to neuter him. Ward has attempted at least 38 passes in half his games, with the Titans having a 64.1% pass rate.
There’s a long way to go before Cam Ward can be considered for our fantasy lineups. But the Titans’ commitment to the pass is a bit inspiring for his outlook. If Ward can get comfortable, and his weapons can step up, Ward could find himself in streaming territory.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Domination
In 2024, Jaxon Smith-Njigba broke out with a season of 100 receptions and 14.9 PPR PPG. Rightfully, Smith-Njgiba had high expectations for 2025. Thus far, he’s smashing those expectations into smithereens. Week 6 was just another highly productive week in Smith-Njigba’s historic season.
For the season, JSN has a 31.4% target share, is averaging an astounding 4.4 yards per route run, and is scoring 21.5 PPR PPG. He has elevated his game while working downfield more than ever: He has an average depth of target of 12.6, up from 9.2 in 2024.
When thinking about who the rest of season WR1 in fantasy football is, the conversation is between Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba; that’s it. That’s how impressive Smith-Njigba’s season has been so far. Any chance to acquire him would be rare, but worth it.
For more articles from PlayerProfiler, check out the fantasy home page – NFL Fantasy | PlayerProfiler – Fantasy Football News & Media
