Fantasy Football Usage Report: Key metrics and trends about the utilization of NFL players to use in Week 12

When making adjustments to how we perceive players in fantasy, it's important to consider how a player is utilized within their offense. Opportunity is what drives fantasy production after all. Talent can only carry a player so far.

No matter how gifted we believe a player is, if they're playing a secondary role in the offense, they will have a hard time producing fantasy points. It sounds simple, but the players who are on the field and see more touches are set up best to contribute to your fantasy team. Monitoring usage trends will keep you informed on which players are (or will be) in the best position to accumulate fantasy points.

For most NFL fans and fantasy players, reviewing the data on player usage is far too difficult and time-consuming. But there's no need to look any further. We've got you covered with the Sporting News Usage Report, where we'll take you through some of the most significant trends regarding player usage and discuss how it will impact players' fantasy values.

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Fantasy Football Week 11 Usage Report: Biggest running back utilization trends

Denver Broncos running backs

Sean Payton is back in business, spreading misinformation regarding how he plans to use his players. After utilizing Audric Estime as the Broncos' lead back in Week 10, Payton said the rookie would continue to get reps, leading fantasy managers to believe he would hold onto the 1A role. In reality, Javonte Williams was in the driver's seat, leading the backfield in every relevant usage metric.

Moving forward, it's hard to rely on anyone in the Denver backfield in fantasy. It seems like their usage can change on a whim and Payton has indicated that he plans to use all three backs. Unless each player's role becomes more consistent, all three belong on fantasy benches or even the waiver wire.

Aaron Jones, Minnesota Vikings

Heading into Week 11, Aaron Jones had regularly operated as a bell cow back for the Vikings, something he had not traditionally done throughout his career. Between Weeks 4 & 10, Jones played at least 70 percent of snaps in every game in which he did not leave with an injury. Week 11 marked the first time since Week 2 that Jones played less than 60 percent of snaps in a healthy game.

Frankly, it had been shocking to see Jones regularly cracking a 70 percent snap share. As previously mentioned, Jones had never really been a true workhorse in his career. Coupled with the fact that the Minnesota coaching staff had said throughout the preseason that they planned to use multiple backs, it was surprising to see Jones with this workload. It truly seemed like the Minnesota coaching staff did not feel comfortable with Ty Chandler on the field, and they felt that they were forced to heavily lean on Jones. Well, with Cam Akers now in the picture, the Vikings have found their 1B. Jones is still an RB2 in fantasy, but fantasy managers would certainly prefer Jones to return to his highly-efficient self down the stretch given his reduced workload.

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Brian Robinson Jr., Washington Commanders

At this point, Austin Ekeler has been too good to keep off the field. He leads all running backs in yards per touch and has been a legitimate asset of the Washington offense. With Ekeler playing so well, it will require an enormously positive game script for the Commanders for Brian Robinson to push for 65 percent of the snaps. It looks like we'll be dealing with a truly split backfield moving forward.

Following a couple of highly efficient games to start the year, some people were beginning to talk about Brian Robinson as a fringe RB1 option. Robinson has since regressed and settled in among the RB2 ranks for the rest of the season. Robinson's value is driven by his goal line role, and he'll really only be able to push for weekly RB1 status in premium matchups.

James Cook, Buffalo Bills

James Cook has never been an every-down back in the NFL. Throughout the 2024 season, he's consistently hovered around a 55-percent snap share while handling the majority of the backfield touches. Week 11 marked the first game this season in which Cook did not lead the backfield in the snaps. This was also the first time his snap share fell below 45 percent.

These numbers are puzzling, but this isn't something that should have fantasy managers up in arms. Cook remains a strong RB2 option, and his Week 11 usage will likely be a blip in an otherwise successful season. However, this is a situation to keep an eye on in the off chance that these trends hold up moving forward.

Fantasy Football Week 11 Usage Report: Biggest wide receiver and tight end utilization trends

Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins

It's really hard to put a finger on what's happening with Jaylen Waddle. This has undoubtedly been the worst season of his career and he's found himself at No. 4 on the Dolphins' target totem pole. This isn't an exaggeration either; Waddle's 14.8-percent target share ranks 4th among Miami's offensive weapons. Waddle has now held a single-digit target share in two of the last three weeks. That is simply not something managers expected to be a possibility when drafting Waddle in August.

The emergence of Jonnu Smith has absolutely crushed Waddle's fantasy value. Last season, the tight ends were virtually non-existent in the Miami offense, accounting for just 9.5 percent of the team's targets. In 2024, this number has jumped to 26.1 percent, with Smith drawing 16.1 percent of the targets. As long as Smith remains on this heater, it's hard to feel comfortable with Waddle in lineups.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks

Jaxon Smith-Njigba absolutely exploded in Week 10 for a 7/180/2 stat line in the best game of his young career. The one caveat was that this game came without DK Metcalf on the field. This led to questions regarding what Smith-Njigba's role would look like with Metcalf back in the lineup. The biggest question surrounded his usage as a deep threat. JSN's explosive day in Week 10 came on an 18-yard aDOT, a far cry from the sub-10-yard aDOT he's seen throughout his career.

We were given some answers in Week 12. Smith-Njigba returned to his underneath role with an 8.5-yard aDOT, but it's clear his Week 10 outing had a lasting impression. He was targeted on 33 percent of his routes last Sunday, and it seems that he's pulling farther away from Tyler Lockett. Although Smith-Njigba is unlikely to be peppered with downfield looks like we saw in Week 10, he can be a valuable fantasy asset in PPR leagues if he can continue to be a high-level target earner.

DeAndre Hopkins, Kansas City Chiefs

DeAndre Hopkins has officially played his fourth game in a Chiefs uniform, and it hasn't exactly gone how fantasy managers had hoped. Overall production aside, Hopkins' role in the offense isn't what managers want to see. With JuJu Smith-Schuster back in the lineup, Andy Reid rotated a handful of receivers and Hopkins' route participation fell to just 51 percent.

There aren't many receivers in the NFL who could deliver meaningful fantasy production with a route participation that hovers around 50 percent. There is certainly a chance that Reid's WR deployment changes down the stretch, but this is a bearish sign for Hopkins' future value. If he remains stuck in this rotation, he'll likely be nothing more than a touchdown lottery ticket.

Green Bay Packers wide receivers

The Green Bay Packers are another team that has utilized a heavy rotation of receivers throughout the year. However, we're finally starting to see some level of stability for three of these receivers. Jayden Reed has always played in a slot-only role that leads to him playing almost exclusively in 11 personnel. The biggest change has to do with Christian Watson's usage. This was the first time this season that Watson's route participation crested 70 percent. Watson's increased role came at the expense of Dontayvion Wicks, who's now held a route share in the range of 30 percent in two of the last three weeks.

Considering Watson took advantage of his opportunity and went for 150 yards last Sunday, there's a real chance that these splits hold up down the stretch. Wicks has also struggled with drops throughout the season, further building Watson's case to be the primary WR3. If Watson can hang onto this role, he can be a high-upside Flex for the rest of the year.