Each week, SportsLine's Fantasy expert Jacob Gibbs will provide a data-driven deep-dive into Sunday's games to help provide a better understanding of what we learned and how it will impact the Fantasy outlook of specific teams and players.
Below, you can find full team-by-team data on snap counts, target share, routes run, red-zone usage and more for every Fantasy relevant wide receiver and tight end. Check back later in the week for What We Learned, where Gibbs will break down all the takeaways you should have from Week 2, pulling largely from the information in this usage report.
If you have questions about any stats, players, or situations covered or not covered in this article, feel free to reach out to Gibbs on Twitter.
Even though the production hasn't been there for Tyler Higbee yet, his underlying numbers suggest that he should be one of the most valuable Fantasy TE available outside of the big six at the position. He exemplifies why digging deeper into each player's usage is so important -- with a sample size as small as two weeks, several players will have Fantasy results that simply don't match up with their volume-based expected value.
The names that stand out here are Rondale Moore and Michael Carter. Both rookies nearly doubled their snap rate from Week 1 to Week 2.
Understanding route depths is an important part of contextualizing pass-catcher production. Extremely high average route depths often lead to fewer targets and a lower catch rate, but they also bring an expected increase in per-target efficiency. We've seen guys like Tyler Lockett and Terry McLaurin produce elite efficiency on downfield targets, so their increase in average route depth is exciting. Meanwhile, someone like Parris Campbell is at his best when working around the line of scrimmage. Seeing him moved to the perimeter with T.Y. Hilton sidelined was a disappointing development for his Fantasy outlook.
Lower average route depths typically result in a higher catch rate and sometimes coincide with an increase in targets per route run. JuJu Smith-Schuster exemplifies the worst of both worlds -- his average route depth has been continually shortened by the Steelers over the years, but it hasn't corresponded with any increase to his targets per route run rate. As a result, he's left as a touchdown-dependent and minimally Fantasy viable player.
Targets per route run is one of the most important stats available for evaluating pass-catchers in Fantasy. I wrote about it in more detail here, if you are unfamiliar with the stat.
My research shows that slot targets have been worth roughly 10 percent more in Fantasy than perimeter targets.
Route involvement refers to the percentage of the team's dropbacks that the tight end ran a route on. It is one of the most important stats available at the TE position. Snap counts can be misleading, as some tight ends are asked to block far more than others.
Marvin Jones, Marquise Brown, and Mecole Hardman are the names that really stand out from this group. The Ravens did everything they could to take away Tyreek Hill in Week 2, which led to big games for the rest of Kansas City's pass-catchers -- particularly, Hardman's involvement was at an all-time high. I don't feel quite as confident in his usage persisting as the season pushes forward as I do in Marvin Jones and Hollywood Brown's usage. Their teams have gone out of their way to find creative ways to get the ball in their hands.
Chris Godwin also led the NFL in pre-snap motion routes in 2020. Another familiar face at the top of the leaderboard is Darren Waller, who was used as the motion man far more often in his second year as a starting tight end than in Year 1.
A.J. Brown was only used as the motion man 12 times during the entire 2020 season. He's already almost matched that total in two games. It's also worth noting that Brown's slot snap rate is doubled from last year, almost up to 30 percent through two games. He has been one of the most efficient catch-and-run players in the NFL, so the fact that Tennesee is attempting to find creative ways to get him the ball in space is great news for his Fantasy outlook.
So which receivers have seen notable route tree changes in 2021? And what do you need to know about how every receiver was used this past week? ... Join SportsLine here to see Jacob Gibbs' Wide Receiver Usage Report, all from one of the nation's most accurate experts as graded by FantasyPros!
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