The NFL trade deadline has now come and gone.
The first week of November is upon us, and while that finally means the end of political ads and the unofficial start of the Holiday season, it also means some big names were on the move across the league. So far this season we’ve seen several star players leave for greener pastures, the likes of Diontae Johnson (BAL), Amari Cooper (BUF), DeAndre Hopkins (KC), and Davante Adams (NYJ) all moving to AFC contenders, and on the deadline date itself the likes of Mike Williams (PIT), Khalil Herbert (CIN), Jonathan Mingo (DAL) all find life with new teams.
On top of all of the movement, injuries have continued – with Drake London, CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott, Keon Coleman, Chris Olave, and A.J. Brown all missing time in their respective matchups and questionable now going forward. Another coaching dismissal has occurred, with former Saints head coach Dennis Allen receiving the news Monday morning that he would no longer be with the team following their road loss to the NFC South basement-dwelling Carolina Panthers.
Such is life in the league, and at the midpoint of the season, with some teams rising and others slipping, it’s a next-man-up mentality, and that is especially true with fantasy rosters.
It pays to be precise with your starts, and to that end, it’s important to dive right into the numbers to better decide who represents your team from week to week. Again, this series’s focal point is to highlight specific snap shares across the league that are trending in the right (or wrong) directions, helping you make decisions with your waivers and lineups. Seeing not only WHO received the lion’s share of opportunities but WHAT they did with them can forecast the players with the highest chances of balling out each week and helping you rack up your wins.
To do this, I’ve scoured PFF snap counts, as well as targeted statistics courtesy of ESPN, to get an overall usage percentage (carries and targets divided by snap count) to find out who to target in your fantasy lineups and what to make of weekly good or bad situations across the league.
Cheers to a great November – let’s jump right into it.
Baltimore Ravens
Wide Receivers
vs. Denver Broncos (vs. WR – 9th)
Previous Matchups:
| Player | Week 7 Snap Count & Trend | Week 7 Usage Percentage & Trend | Week 8 Snap Count & Trend | Week 8 Usage Percentage & Trend |
| Zay Flowers | 42 (-12) | 4.76% (+15.24) | 59 (-29) | 20.34% (-0.34) |
| Nelson Agholor | 28 (-9) | 7.14% (-1.88) | 30 (-11) | 16.67% (-11.41) |
| Rashod Bateman | 45 (-10) | 8.89% (+2.54) | 57 (-22) | 8.77% (+2.66) |
| Diontae Johnson | N/A (CAR) | N/A (CAR) | N/A (CAR) | N/A (CAR) |
Week 7: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (27th)
Week 8: at Cleveland Browns (28th)
The first week following the Diontae Johnson trade was interesting, to say the least.
Namely, because Zay Flowers chose this game against the Broncos to absolutely go off, recording 127 total yards and two TDs on the afternoon. You would think that this was because Johnson’s presence perhaps lightened the coverage on him, but no – Johnson played a mere 17 snaps the entire game and never had QB Lamar Jackson look his way. It was simply a dominating performance by Flowers against what had been a stout secondary for opposing wideouts to this point in the season. Considering he did all of this on fewer snaps shows the booming nature of the game he had in Baltimore.
Across the board, the rest of the Ravens’ receiving corps saw fewer snaps but didn’t have nearly the day that Flowers did – though in Rashod Batemen‘s case, his usage had been trending upward slightly over the last three weeks. It’s an encouraging sign, even if his fantasy numbers are far from ideal.
Given the small sample volume of Johnson’s debut, the jury is still out on what his numbers will look like and how they will affect the rest of the WR corps in Baltimore. I suspect Flowers will continue to have good days, while the rest of the room suffers under the run-happy nature of the Ravens as a whole.
Los Angeles Chargers
Wide Receivers
at Cleveland Browns (vs. WR – 28th)
Previous Matchups:
| Player | Week 7 Snap Count & Trend | Week 7 Usage Percentage & Trend | Week 8 Snap Count & Trend | Week 8 Usage Percentage & Trend |
| Quentin Johnston | N/A (Injury) | N/A (Injury) | N/A (Injury) | N/A (Injury) |
| Ladd McConkey | 57 (-9) | 12.28% (+2.30) | 41 (+7) | 14.63% (-0.05) |
| Joshua Palmer | 39 (-4) | 12.82% (-1.39) | 51 (-16) | 7.84% (+3.59) |
| Jalen Reagor | 15 (-4) | 13.33% (-2.80) | 20 (-1) | 10.00% (+0.53) |
Week 7: at Arizona Cardinals (20th)
Week 8: vs. New Orleans Saints (21st)
Looking at the Chargers’ wide receivers in the offseason, it would’ve been hard to fault you if you thought this may end up as one of the worst units in the league in 2024. Through nine weeks of the season, however – they’re fighting.
Quentin Johnston, almost finding himself amongst the worst 1st-Round draft picks in history, has suddenly come alive. He had missed the prior two weeks due to an ankle injury, but had no trouble against a reeling Browns’ secondary that let him and Chargers QB Justin Herbert have their way through the air. His 66-yard bomb TD catch was an absolute burner, and he filled the rest of the day going 80% on his targets and leading LA in almost every receiving category.
Ladd McConkey saw the most targets in the game and continued to be one of the more reliable options in the Charger’s offense. The rookie has made himself invaluable to head coach Jim Harbaugh and his scheme, and they’ve had no problem showcasing that over the last few weeks. Couple the two young receivers with the veteran presence of Joshua Palmer (a solid third option on any team) coupled with a potent running game and it’s no real wonder why LA finds themselves competitive at 5-3 on the year.
Any of the three are solid options, and if they still find themselves on waivers in your league it should be well worth taking a flyer out for your lineups. It remains to be seen if the pecking order stays consistent with every option healthy, but starting any of them in a pinch won’t likely steer you wrong.
Washington Commanders
Running Backs
at New York Giants (vs. RB – 17th)
Previous Matchups:
| Player | Week 7 Snap Count & Trend | Week 7 Usage Percentage & Trend | Week 8 Snap Count & Trend | Week 8 Usage Percentage & Trend |
| Chris Rodriguez Jr. | N/A (Practice Squad) | N/A (Practice Squad) | N/A (Practice Squad) | N/A (Practice Squad) |
| Austin Ekeler | 28 (-1) | 21.43% (+30.29) | 42 (-13) | 23.81% (+27.91) |
| Jeremy McNichols | 17 (-7) | 41.18% (-3.68) | 5 (-19) | 20.00% (+17.5) |
Week 7: vs. Carolina Panthers (32nd)
Week 8: vs. Chicago Bears (21st)
The Washington Commanders have a solid running game, regardless of who’s at the forefront, apparently.
Against the Giants in Week 9, starting RB Brian Robinson Jr. was held out with a hamstring injury, and as such it was a practice squad call-up and a star veteran that paved the way. Austin Ekeler lived up to his signing this season, leading the backfield in snaps, total yardage, and 1 TD. His carry total was even-paced with the rest of Washington’s backs in this one, but he was effective through the ground and in the air as a top option for rookie QB Jayden Daniels in his passing attack.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. was the surprise fill-in here. He’s been called up three total times this season from the practice squad, and certainly made it count for the third and final time before requiring elevation to the active roster. His 4.7 YPC average and 52 yards rushing helped push the Commanders to their best start in 28 years, and he looked flashy doing it with physical carries. He wasn’t involved whatsoever in the passing game – that’s more Jeremy McNichols‘ element (though he registered a meager target in this game).
Robinson Jr. will return eventually, and likely push the other three down the ladder given his success over the midpoint of the 2024 season. Either way, the options Washington has at its disposal are solid and should continue to push the Commanders to relevance down the stretch.
Chicago Bears
Wide Receivers
at Arizona Cardinals (vs. WR – 26th)
Previous Matchups:
| Player | Week 7 Snap Count & Trend | Week 7 Usage Percentage & Trend | Week 8 Snap Count & Trend | Week 8 Usage Percentage & Trend |
| Rome Odunze | Bye Week | Bye Week | 47 (+18) | 17.02% (-6.25) |
| Keenan Allen | Bye Week | Bye Week | 61 (+8) | 11.48% (+3.01) |
| D.J. Moore | Bye Week | Bye Week | 60 (+13) | 10.00% (+2.33) |
Week 7: Bye Week
Week 8: at Washington Commanders (16th)
For all of the improvement the Bears and their number one overall pick have had this season, since the bye it’s fallen by the wayside.
Two straight losses have hit Chicago after going a healthy 4-2 to start the year, and while the team has regressed all over the field, focusing on the struggles of their rookie signal caller and the star-studded weapons on the boundary is a great place to start.
Caleb Williams had a middling statline against the Cardinals, going a meager 22/41 for 217 yards and no TDs on just 5.3 yards a completion. Both Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore were peppered with targets, but neither could rake in even half of them. This effort amounted to poor showings for both talented veterans, with both failing to crack 40 yards on a suspect Arizona secondary.
Fellow rookie Rome Odunze was a bright spot at least, registering 100+ yards on the day and accounting for the majority of what Williams was slinging around yardage-wise. It’s been an up-and-down season for the pair but at least in this game, the connection was on full display.
Williams and the Bears have the offensive firepower to go toe-to-toe with anyone in the NFL, but until they can ALL get on the same page, it’s ridiculous trying to guess who’s going to go off – plain and simple.
Photos by Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Aaron Polcare (@bearydoesgfx on X)