In fantasy football, you have to look back to move forward. Fantasy points are the goal, but how a player gets there is the key. Yahoo analyst Joel Smyth breaks down 11 usage notes from Week 1 in order to win your matchup in Week 2 and beyond.
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69%
Of routes run in Week 1 for Dalton Kincaid, higher than any mark in 2025. This is good for most TEs, but incredible and notable for Kincaid. As a first-round TE talent, Kincaid has been limited throughout his career due to run blocking and injuries. Last season before his knee injury, he was right at 60% of the routes, good enough to be a mid-level TE1, although not ideal. After the injury, it dropped to 44%. If a ~70% route share holds, Kincaid can be the TE value of the year. His yards per route were top-three in the NFL (not just TE) and he is a part of one of the best offenses in the league. He had a nice start to the season with 130 receiving yards against the Texans defense.
7-1
The RB target split for Bucky Irving compared to Kenny Gainwell in Week 1 (and would’ve been eight without penalties). Gainwell was a backup RB that wasn’t a focus of the offense, with only 18% of snaps resulting in a touch (Irving: 47%). Not to mention, Irving got both red-zone carries, one resulting in a touchdown. Sean Tucker is still out for now, but Irving looks to be a workhorse RB with elite receiving potential.
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3
Gold opportunities for Chuba Hubbard: two red-zone targets and a goal-line attempt. They’re the best opportunities for a touchdown for a RB, and it resulted in two here. Chicago’s defense may need some help, but the workload should keep him as a weekly play as long as he holds off Jonathon Brooks. With 71% of the RB touches, anybody can have value. Before his injury last season, Hubbard began the 2025 season with nearly 20 touches per game over the first few weeks. I trust the stability of his volume going into Week 2 as a central role of the red-zone offense.
90%
Of routes run for Jameson Williams. Only six WRs that were drafted above him had a higher percentage. While 6.5 fantasy points can be scary to see in your starting lineup, it’s something you can take advantage of if leaguemates are scared. We know what Williams is, and it’s good enough to have him drafted as a top-30 WR one week ago. His usage, at minimum, showed that his draft round is correct. 90% is a top-10 route share and was a huge part of his success last season, jumping from under 80% in 2024 to near 90% in 2025. He was one yard away from a touchdown that would’ve resulted in zero panic across the community. It’s a bummer he didn’t score, but it gives you a window if you need a WR2 or WR3.
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37%
Routes run for Travis Etienne Jr. For what was supposed to be a bellcow RB, I’m nervous. The rushing split is one thing (Nine attempts for Etienne, nine for Kendre Miller), and is even worse considering the red zone, but the passing-game work may be fool’s gold. I think he can have a solid receiving role, but he only had eight targets because the Saints dropped back to pass 62 times! If QB Tyler Shough only dropped back 40 times (still high, but likely given their offense) Etienne would have ~15 routes run. So the eight targets is nice, but Noah Fant also had eight targets, Juwan Johnson seven, Devaugh Vele nine; you get the point.
21%
Of routes run via the slot for Drake London. Kevin Stefanski enters with a new offense, and London’s valuable slot usage took a decent-sized dip. His volume out of the slot in 2025 was better than any player on a per-route basis, and his yards per route ranked third. This was partially expected, and not a problem for everyone, but it does make London much more volatile as long as Michael Penix Jr. is out. Once his QB is back, he’ll be okay, but as an outside WR 80% of the time, I don’t trust Cooper Rush or Tua Tagovailoa to get London a consistent amount of easy targets. If you’re team looks stacked after a Week 1 win, I don’t mind buying London while he waits on his QB to return healthy. If you do have him on your roster, I don’t have much faith for now after failing to perform versus a Steelers team without CB Joey Porter Jr. in Week 1.
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45-41
Jalen Coker’s targets versus Tetairoa McMillan’s since Week 13, 2026. A deliberate break-off point, maybe, but starting at a point where Coker began to get healthy in his second season, and it shows that his volume hasn’t been much different over the past seven games.
In fact, he’s outscored him in fantasy in six of those seven games. This isn’t meant to be an anti-McMillan statement; I actually like him overall this season, but the point is Coker is legit. He’s still available on waivers in about 40% of leagues and I believe his production continues.
5-5
The red-zone touch split between Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier. In my opinion, this is a win! A rookie RB coming off injury is already getting half the red-zone work. This should only increase, but at worst, he’ll have valuable touches on top of being the lead back. Love’s talent is clear to see, and less and less is looking to be holding him back this season. Even on a limited 43% snap share, Love had 15 fantasy opportunities, churning out a dozen points.
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13-21
The RB route split between Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle. Warren’s 13 routes got him six targets, which is great, but it’s worrisome going forward. Pittsburgh went pass-heavy, 40 attempts, and Warren was limited to under 40% of the snaps. The fumble doesn’t help his case early, but Warren’s usage looks a little dimmer after Week 1, even in a much better performance compared to Dowdle.
11
QB runs for Jaxson Dart in Week 1. This is huge for his long-term outlook after the end of last season. With Brian Daboll calling plays, his designed runs were at 4.4 per game. After his firing, that dipped to 1.8. The risk of concussions and multiple blue tent visits caused some growing concerns. He had five designed runs in Week 1, a great start that led to a big fantasy day. His passing production looked great as well, firmly putting himself as a top-10 QB going forward with weekly top-five upside. The Rams are a more difficult defense in Week 2, but after Los Angeles, the Giants will have a very favorable schedule over the next month of football.
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65%
Of the Packers’ RB touches went to Marshawn Lloyd. In the first half, the carries were split four-to-four. Once halftime hit, Lloyd secured more work, getting nine of the final 12 carries. The benefit of Chris Brooks being a great pass-protecting back was a key part of his increased playing time versus a Minnesota defense that causes more pressure than any other defense in the NFL. Zero receptions, shaky offensive line play, and a more pass-heavy offense in Week 1, put together, makes Lloyd a flex at best for the moment. The Jets defense will be a better opponent for Lloyd’s sake after playing a Brian Flores defense in Week 1.
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