NFL Takeaways: Week 1

Week 1 of the NFL is in the books! It’s important to monitor the week-by-week changes that occur from NFL teams regarding playing time, target share and overall personnel decisions. Being “in the know” helps make informed decisions, whether it be for prop betting or fantasy football. Below are several nuggets of information that may help you build your game plan for Week 2.

• Allen Robinson (PIT) led the Steelers with 8 targets. He played almost exclusively out of the slot. Diontae Johnson is expected to miss time with a hamstring injury.
• Jalen Warren (PIT) played 39% of snaps and saw six targets with the caveat being PIT was being blown-out. This is one to monitor for another week to see what usage looks like in a close game.
• Raheem Mostert (MIA) saw 74% of the total snaps for Miami. The next closest had 19% (Ahmed).
• Zay Flowers (BAL) had a 40% Target share and had 9 catches on 10 targets for 78 yards. The next closest WR (Beckham) had 2 catches on 3 targets for 37 yards. It looks like Zay is WR1 in Baltimore.
• Kayshon Boutte (NE) had a bad stat line in week 1 (0 yards on 0 catches), but ran the second most routes for New England. He didn’t get targeted in the 1st half, but was targeted 4 times in the 2nd half. 3 of those 4 targets were deep shots down the left side of the field.
• Jamal Williams (NO) saw 95% of the running back share. He’s the only RB to monitor in NO until Kamara returns.
• Tyjae Spears (TEN) played 33 snaps (more than Derrick Henry) and ran seven routes. He was targeted four times.
• Travis Etienne (JAX) saw 80% of the snaps and 15% of the total target share.
• Calvin Ridley (JAX) was targeted on 32% of his routes.
• Kyren Williams (LAR) played 26 snaps in the first half, compared to Cam Akers, who had four. Williams saw 65% of the total snaps and was in on 74% of the passing downs. The big takeaway is that Kyren was the clear RB1. Cam was able to pad some stats late in the game when the lead was big.
• Joshua Kelley (LAC) played 49% of the total snaps, rushed 16 times and racked up 91 yards on the ground with a TD. Ekeler also rushed 16 times. This is a situation to watch moving forward.
• Jordan Addison (MIN) was in for 66% of the passing downs. That number should go up as the season progresses, but he seems like the clear WR3 in Minnesota, behind Jefferson and Osborn.
• Christian McCaffrey (SF) played 88% of the snaps. regardless of the blowout. The timeshare in SF may not be as prevalent as expected.
• Brian Robinson (WSH) played 61% of the snaps and played 51% of the passing downs.
• DeAndre Hopkins (TEN) is the clear number one WR in Tennessee. He was targeted 13 times and had 7 catches for 65 yards.
• Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (TEN) may be another Titan to monitor. He received 7 targets and caught four passes for 58 yards.
• Michael Pittman (IND) saw 27% of the target share for Indy. He was heavily targeted during the Colts attempt to come back in the second half.
• Both Nico Collins (HOU) and Robert Woods (HOU) saw 10 plus targets. Nico’s stat line was 6-80, while Wood’s was 6-57.
• The Texans WR3, Noah Brown, who received 4 targets and had 3 catches for 20 yards was placed on IR this week. Brown ran routes on 76% of the passing plays, which led the team.
• Brown’s injury likely means that rookie WR Tank Dell (HOU) will get extended playing time. In week 1, Dell played 46% of the snaps and caught 3 balls for 34 yards on 4 targets.
• Luke Musgrave (GB) ran routes on 85% of the passing plays. He had 4 catches for 50 yards. He is definitely one to watch in the GB offense.
• Zach Ertz (ARI) saw 10 targets from Joshua Dobba. He finished with 6 catches for 21 yards.
• Chuba Hubbard (CAR) played every third down. He finished with 9 carries for 60 yards and 2 receptions for 9 yards.
• R Stevenson (NE) led the NFL for running backs with 34 routes run. He was targeted 6 times and caught all 6 balls for 64 yards.
• On designed runs, Anthony Richardson (IND) carried 27% of them. The Colts want him to run and are building the offense around his legs. He could be a breakout fantasy star.
• Puka Nacua (LAR) had a breakout game, with 10 catches for 119 yards on 15(!) targets. He will be involved in this offense until Kupp returns, and likely after Kupp returns.
• Don’t sleep on Tutu Atwell (LAR) though! He also had 119 yards on 6 catches and was targeted 10 times.
• Elijah Moore (CLE) may be one of the most overlooked players of Week 1. He didn’t produce a huge stat line, with 3 catches for 43 yards on 7 targets, but he was in on almost every single passing play and received 23% of team targets.
• Jahan Dotson (WSH) received 25% of the target share during a close game in Washington. He finished the game with 5 catches for 40 yards on 7 targets.
• Chris Olave (NO) had 8 catches for 112 yards on 10 targets. The NO offense has several weapons who could put up big years, but none bigger than Olave.
• Kenneth Walker (SEA) was the clear-cut RB1 in Seattle. He also received 18% of the target share, which is something we haven’t seen a ton of during Walker’s career. He caught 4 balls for 3 yards, but if he gets 5+ targets per game on top of what he does in the running game, he could have a special year.