Welcome to the Weekly Fantasy Football Usage Report, Week 8 Edition. 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.
Let’s take a look at Week 8.
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Fantasy Football Usage Report | Week 8
The Packers Are Still a Pass-First Team
With a poor offensive line and Josh Jacobs on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, the Packers were the pass-heaviest team in the NFL through the first six weeks. Now we’ve got two games of data with Jacobs returning, and the Packers have stuck to their pass-heavy ways.
Over the past two weeks, the Packers have called a pass play 65.9% of the time. Jacobs is better than what Green Bay was getting from their running backs before, but it’s not enough to change their offensive identity. The offensive line isn’t able to consistently create space for the backfield, and the Packers know that their offensive success has to come through the air. We can have confidence this is who the Packers are.
Mike Washington Jr. is Getting More Run
It’s no secret that Ashton Jeanty has been an inefficient runner in the NFL thus far. Mike Washington Jr. has slowly taken on a larger role in the run game this season. Still, despite Washington’s growing opportunities and low-sample-size efficiency, Jeanty was the clear leading rusher until this week.
Mike Washington’s Advanced Metrics
In Week 8, Washington led the Raiders backfield with 60.3% of the snaps and 83.3% of the backfield opportunities. Jeanty still handled the receiving role in the backfield, getting three targets while Washington had none, but Jeanty had only two carries on the day. Jeanty also dealt with ankle issues, which I’m sure was a factor here, but head coach Klint Kubiak said the reduced workload was a coaching decision. Either way, two carries is concerning for Jeanty managers. On the flip side, Washington is approaching weekly starter consideration if he continues to have a similar workload.
D.J. Moore Picks Up Where He Left Off
D.J. Moore has been missing in action since Week 4. Before that, in his two full games, he was Josh Allen’s clear top receiver, posting target shares of 24.1% and 38.5%, and scoring 21 and 12.7 PPR points in those games. In his first game back, we got more of the same.
Against the Ravens, Moore played 65.9% of the snaps. Buffalo was on the field for 82 snaps, so I wouldn’t expect any skill player to play the whole game. More importantly, Moore ran 89.5% of the routes while earning a 20.6% target share. He turned that into seven targets for four receptions, 82 yards, and a touchdown for 18.2 PPR points. He also got one carry, which is nice to see. Not bad for a return. Moore is a fringe WR2/3 while healthy.
Adonai Mitchell Says “Not So Fast!”
Over the last two weeks, we’ve witnessed the Omar Cooper Jr. breakout. The first game was without Adonai Mitchell, but the second was with him, making it look like Mitchell was firmly behind Cooper. In Week 8, however, Mitchell came back to life.
Adonai Mitchell leads all receivers in receiving yards in Week 8 with 142 (and counting) against the Raiders 😳🔥 pic.twitter.com/BXvJScejVO
— Covers.com Football (@Covers_Football) November 1, 2026
Mitchell was second on the Jets with a 28.1% target share in Week 8 while running 80% of the routes on 60.9% of the snaps. He turned that into 27.2 PPR points after catching seven of his nine targets for 142 yards and a touchdown. With Mitchell’s return to prominence, however, Cooper was a no-show — literally. Cooper didn’t earn a single target despite playing 78.1% of the snaps and running 74.3% of the routes. It looks like both Mitchell and Cooper are now boom/bust flex plays, as it will be hard to predict who stands out week to week.
Harold Fannin Jr.’s Rollercoaster Season
It seems as though every couple of weeks Cleveland remembers that it has one of the most talented young tight ends in the NFL. Harold Fannin Jr. had another good game in Week 8, but his usage and performances have been inconsistent. The inconsistency has reached a point where it’s hard to explain.
Through eight weeks, Harold Fannin Jr. has four games in which he’s scored at least 12.7 PPR points, but also has three games under five. On the season, Fannin is playing 86.6% of the snaps, running 83.5% of the routes, and has an 18.9% target share. The playing time is great; however, we’d love for the target share to be higher, and the Browns should want it to be. Unfortunately, his target volume may not be as consistent as we’d like, but you have to keep starting him to capture his boom weeks.
Who Is Joe Fagnano?
If you’re like me, you hadn’t heard the name “Joe Fagnano” before today and looked into who he was. But after Lamar Jackson injured his thumb on Baltimore’s first offensive play and Tyler Huntley exited in the second quarter with a toe injury, Fagnano got his first action in the NFL.
Fagnano went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft after playing seven years in college, starting at Maine and ending at UConn. His biggest strength is his experience and ability to work through to his progressions. That’s where his upside ends, though. Fagnano has average arm strength, inconsistent accuracy, and isn’t much of an athlete. In his first game action, he completed an awful 47.6% of his passes, threw an interception, had no touchdowns, and was sacked three times. If Fagnano has to start more games, it will be difficult to start any Baltimore pass-catchers.
The Buccaneers Don’t Want to Pass
The Buccaneers versus the Falcons had one of the worst combined passing performances of all time. Michael Penix Jr. and Baker Mayfield combined for eight completions, and Penix had all of them. Even accounting for the rain, the Buccaneers at no point looked like they wanted to pass the ball.
Wild, but true
Baker Mayfield is 0-3, yet has a higher passer rating (39.6) than Michael Penix (0.0) today pic.twitter.com/dNS0NEZm3e
— PFF (@PFF) November 1, 2026
Mayfield attempted only three passes in his second game after returning from his thumb injury. However, much of that had to do with the extreme rain and wind the teams had to deal with. Still, Tampa Bay has only attempted 14 passes over past two weeks. Until we see a change, I’m not expecting anything out of Mayfield and the Buccaneers’ passing game.
Ladd McConkey Gets Back on Track
We were getting a great game from Ladd McConkey in Week 1 before he went down with an injury, and since then, he’s been in and out of the lineup. Week 8 was back to looking like a normal game for McConkey, and he was able to have a good game.
Against the Rams in Week 8, McConkey played 90.2% of the snaps, ran 94.6% of the routes, and tied for the team lead with a 15.6% target share. It’s worth noting that the target share is a little wonky, as McConkey didn’t have a target in the second half as the Rams seemingly did their best to take him out of the game. With all the trouble the Chargers have had on offense, McConkey is the one player who’s shown real ceiling. I’m cautiously optimistic and ranking him as a WR3 while he’s healthy.
Rashee Rice Returns
In Week 4, Rashee Rice suffered a hamstring injury and has been out since. Without him, the Chiefs’ passing game has struggled with consistency. Even though Rice isn’t the most complete receiver, we know he’s productive in the role he has for the Kansas City.
In Week 8, Rice’s snaps were monitored, but he still managed to have a good game. Rice played only 52.9% of the snaps and ran 62.8% of the routes, but he led Kansas City with a 20% target share. Rice turned that into 18.3 PPR points, catching seven of his eight targets for 53 yards and a touchdown. Rice’s role should grow from here, and he is poised to lead this passing game again. He projects as a high-end WR2 moving forward.
Blake Corum Is Trending Up
Seeing how much of the backfield Blake Corum would get this season has been interesting to watch. He showed in 2025 that he was a highly talented runner deserving of opportunities. But Kyren Williams has earned Sean McVay’s trust and continued to lead the backfield. However, we’re seeing now that when the Rams are in a winning game script, Corum will get more usage, and they’re playing well as of late.
Blake Corum’s Advanced Metrics
In the four games the Rams have won, Corum is averaging 10.9 PPR points per game on 13 opportunities per game. It’s clear they want to use him more when they want to close out games. We can also look at another trend: he’s averaging 15.2 PPR points per game over his last four, also on 13 opportunities per game. However, he had more pass-game usage during that time, and that’s less predictable, as we know the Rams prefer Williams there. Corum has entered flex starter territory even while Williams is healthy.
