Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) scores a touchdown on a pass from quarterback Kirk Cousins (not pictured) against the Green Bay Packers during the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
• Philadelphia Eagles WR A.J. Brown made his debut with the Eagles and helped them to victory with 155 yards on 10 catches.
• Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill also found success with his new home, catching eight passes for 94 yards on his way to a Dolphins victory.
• New Orleans Saints QB-turned-TE turned runner Taysom Hill gained 81 yards on four carries and scored a touchdown in one of the most surprising performances of the day.
PFF’s fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2022.
Add Kenneth Gainwell: Gainwell served as the No. 2 back behind Miles Sanders and saw more playing time against the Lions than in any game last season when all of the Eagles’ backs were healthy.
Add Jamaal Williams: The Lions continued to use a two-back committee, similar to last season, with Williams seeing the majority of the goal-line work en route to two touchdowns.
Monitor the Damien Williams injury: Williams injured his ribs in the middle of the first quarter and did not return. PFF injury expert Mario Pilato doesn’t expect him to miss significant time, but he potentially could be out 2-4 weeks.
Let someone else pick up Taysom Hill: Hill put up great fantasy points for a tight end with one touchdown, but his usage is unlikely to produce many great fantasy performances.
Add Juwan Johnson: Johnson was the clear receiving tight end for the Saints. He ran a route on 80% of their pass plays and finished third in targets.
Start Michael Thomas: The former All-Pro receiver had a great return for the Saints, and his usage could lead to more big games in the future.
Add Robbie Anderson: The Panthers wide receiver led the team in targets (8) and caught a 75-yard touchdown pass.
The return of Christian McCaffrey: McCaffrey had a relatively quiet return, with 33 rushing yards on 10 carries and four catches for 24 yards.
Add Donovan Peoples-Jones in deeper leagues: He led the team in routes run (35), targets (11), receptions (6) and receiving yards (60)
Monitor the Elijah Mitchell injury: Mitchell suffered a knee injury in the second quarter. PFF injury expert Mario Pilato believes it’s an MCL sprain, which depending on the severity could keep him out 1-to-6 weeks.
Add Jauan Jennings in deeper leagues: The 49ers’ third receiver led the team in targets (6), receptions (4) and receiving yards (62).
Add Khalil Herbert: Herbert led the team in rushing yards with 45 despite having roughly half the carries of David Montgomery. He also scored the team’s only rushing touchdown.
Don’t Start Cole Kmet: The Bears’ tight end ran a route on under 70% of the Bears’ pass plays and received just one target, which fell incomplete.
Monitor Tee Higgins’ injury: Higgins was removed from the game in the middle of the second quarter after suffering a concussion.
Monitor the Najee Harris injury: Harris suffered what PFF’s Mario Pilato believes to be a high-ankle sprain, which will likely keep him out for 2-to-3 weeks but could linger the rest of the season.
Start Pat Freiermuth: The Steelers tight end led the team in receiving yards (75) while finishing second in targets (9).
Add Hayden Hurst: The Bengals tight end was running a route on the vast majority of pass plays, leading to seven targets.
Add Rex Burkhead: Burkhead was both the lead rusher and receiving back for Houston, including playing the vast majority of snaps in some key situations.
Don’t Add O.J. Howard: Howard may have caught two touchdowns, but he ran a route on only six of the Texans’ 41 pass plays.
Monitor the Colts’ tight ends: Kylen Granson led the Colts’ tight end room in pass routes en route to six targets.
Start Chase Edmonds: The former Cardinal split offensive snaps with Raheem Mostert while dominating snaps on third down, giving him a large enough role to be a must-start player.
The Patriots’ Same-Old Backfield: There was much talk of the Patriots potentially using Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson more on third downs compared to seasons past. Instead, Ty Montgomery handled the vast majority of third downs.
Monitor the Patriots’ receiving usage: The Patriots used significantly more two-tight end sets in passing situations compared to last season.
Don’t start Mike Gesicki: The once-consistent fantasy starter has moved fully to tight end and ran a route on less than half of the Dolphins’ pass plays.
Monitor the Mac Jones injury: Jones played every snap but was said to be dealing with a back injury. It’s unclear if it is serious.
Drop Mike Davis: Davis fell to third on the depth chart for a team that will soon have more healthy running backs.
Let someone else add Devin Duvernay: The Ravens receiver caught two touchdowns but barely played more than 50% of the team’s offensive snaps or pass routes.
Monitor the Jets backfield: Breece Hall saw more work with the Jets’ starters compared to the preseason, but there are still obstacles to overcome before he can be a fantasy starter.
The Jets’ frustrating receiving room: The Jets gave all four of their top wide receivers between six and nine targets, while also giving significant targets to the running backs.
Monitor the Jaguars’ backfield: The Jaguars had both James Robinson and Travis Etienne together for the first time. The two saw an almost even split in snaps, which could lead to headaches for fantasy mangers going forward.
Start Christian Kirk: Kirk was the clear favorite target, catching six of nine passes thrown his way for 117 yards.
Sell High on Antonio Gibson: Gibson caught the ball seven times for 72 yards to go along with his 58 rushing yards on 14 carries, but it’s unlikely he sees that many targets again.
Add the Commanders’ wide receivers: Curtis Samuel put up double-digit targets, while rookie Jahan Dotson scored two touchdowns in his first NFL game. Both players should at least be on rosters in case things continue to go well.
Add Logan Thomas: The Washington tight end was questionable coming into the game but played significantly. He was targeted on 20% of his routes.
Start JuJu Smith-Schuster: The Chiefs wide receiver wasn’t among the lucky players to score a touchdown, but he did finish second in targets (8), receptions (6) and receiving yards (79)
Sell High on Isiah Pacheco: The backup running back led the team in rushing attempts (12) and yards (62), and he scored the team’s only rushing touchdown. But much of that came late in the game.
Add Eno Benjamin in deeper leagues: Benjamin was the clear backup running back in this game and ended up with significant touches in his limited playing time.
Don’t add Greg Dortch: The backup receiver led the Cardinals in receiving yards (63) and targets (7)
Monitor the Keenan Allen injury: Allen suffered a hamstring injury. There is a wide range of outcomes for how many games he might miss, depending on the severity of the injury.
Some reason for concern with Austin Ekeler: There was talk of Ekeler seeing a slightly decreased role, but he ended up playing only about 50% of offensive snaps.
Monitor the Raiders’ backfield: The Raiders’ backfield was destined to be a three-man committee when Josh McDaniels became head coach, but those three players have changed and could continue to do so.
Keep but don’t start Irv Smith: Smith didn’t catch a pass and played limited snaps, but that is likely due to a thumb injury he’s still recovering from.
Follow a similar plan with Robert Tonyan: Tonyan is similarly recovering from an injury. For him, it’s a knee ailment that kept him limited in practice and the game.
Don’t start the Packers receivers, but add the rookies: The Packers didn’t have Allen Lazard, which left them using four different wide receivers running a route on roughly two-thirds of the pass plays each.
Monitor the Wan’Dale Robinson injury: The rookie receiver suffered a knee injury and was quickly ruled out. The severity is unclear, but the fact that he was ruled out quickly isn’t a great sign.
Add Kyle Philips: The late-round rookie led the Titans in both receptions (6) and receiving yards (66).
Add Dontrell Hilliard, but only as a handcuff: He scored two touchdowns and is the clear backup to Derrick Henry, but don’t spend too much FAAB on him.
Monitor the Chris Godwin injury: Godwin was questionable coming into the game due to his knee injury. He played for most of the first half but then suffered a hamstring injury and was ruled out of the game shortly after.
Consider cutting Jalen Tolbert: Tolbert was a healthy inactive for the Cowboys, while undrafted rookie Dennis Houston was the team’s third wide receiver.
Leonard Fournette has RB1 potential: Fournette dominated playing time in the Buccaneers’ backfield in a way that could give him RB1 potential each week he keeps the role. He played 43 of 47 offensive snaps in the first three quarters.
Monitor the Dak Prescott injury: Prescott suffered a right-hand injury late in the fourth quarter and quickly left for the locker room.
• Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.
• Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
• Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.
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