Each Monday, Yahoo fantasy analyst Joel Smyth will go over 10 important stats that you may have overlooked from Sunday. With so much going on, what keys to fantasy football success do you need to know that your leaguemates may have missed?
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38.9%
George Pickens’ red zone target share this season. It gives him incredible touchdown upside, and although it’s just three games, it is clearly purposeful. The issue lies outside the red zone, where the target share falls off a cliff to 13.5%. Even without CeeDee Lamb (ankle) for most of Sunday, that target share before the 20-yard line was a low 18.9%.
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Jake Ferguson does not have that problem. The Cowboys TE had 14 targets in Week 3 and served as the main replacement option for Lamb. Pickens runs nearly every route from the outside, while a majority of Lamb’s usage comes out of the slot, where 44% of Ferguson’s snaps have also come from. When Lamb exits, Ferguson’s 4.8 average depth of target can become more beneficial as a safety valve for QB Dak Prescott. That rang true vs. the Bears as he saw a target on 48% of his routes with no Lamb.
Pickens will be amazing for standard leagues, while Ferguson can continue to kill it in PPR leagues.
-0.06
Chase Brown’s yards before contact per attempt, the lowest in the NFL. His average dropped after being hit -0.80 yards behind the line per rush in Week 3, a game in which his total rushing yards matched the week number. The offensive line isn’t great, but I blame a lot of the lack of room on the loss of Joe Burrow.
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With an explosive, dynamic offense in 2024, Brown faced eight-man boxes (when there are eight defenders lined up close to the line of scrimmage) only 26.8% of the time. That has shot up to 46.8% so far in 2025. Most of the running backs with a higher rate against stacked boxes are power backs, such as Derrick Henry or Josh Jacobs. Without a passing attack that can push the ball downfield, the productivity of the Cincinnati running game will stay minimal.
83.9%
TreVeyon Henderson’s snap percentage after the Patriots’ third RB fumble. Mistakes have gotten Henderson off the field early. Now, mistakes can get him back on. With the ball in his hands, good things have happened. He’s held onto the football and has the lowest percentage (5.9%) of carries going for negative yardage in the NFL, key for a rookie back fighting for more playing time.
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This is not the first time Rhamondre Stevenson, in particular, has had this issue, as he led the NFL in fumbles last season with six. Henderson had a majority of the routes run as the more talented receiving back, but was still off the field for nine of the 11 pass blocking snaps. The next step to being the clear No. 1 option is to be trusted in not just some, but all areas.
8
The number of Jalen Hurts throws traveling 10+ yards downfield, both in the first two weeks combined and in the second half of Week 3 alone. A flip was switched. After going down 26-7 vs. the Rams, Philadelphia was forced to become more aggressive. When the Eagles chose to throw the ball downfield, great things happened, with a touchdown and over 15 fantasy points each for star receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
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The question will be whether this is a trend broken or a one-off adjustment. Through three games, Hurts’ average depth of target is 4.2 yards downfield when the Eagles are tied or winning the game. That number jumps to 8.2 when trailing. Speaks for itself.
1
Fourth-quarter touch for Ashton Jeanty. The problems increased. The offensive line is a major concern, but plenty of running backs make it work in fantasy without a top offensive line. Why can’t a talent like Jeanty? The answer is the role he’s been given (so far). Jeanty had zero targets on Sunday, has run under 50% of routes this season and has not had a screen pass to date. The lack of passing-game usage becomes an even bigger problem when the team is consistently trailing late in games. Although talking up his passing-game role over the offseason, Chip Kelly’s offense has not utilized him in this key area.
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In college, not only did he lead all RBs in the nation in rushing as a junior, but also led the nation in RB receiving as a sophomore. The ability is there, but not the offense. Mix in the lack of trust to pass block, and a big hole in Jeanty’s game gets bigger. With low scoring chances, not much room to run and no passing-game usage, 16 carries per game doesn’t amount to much.
0
Travis Hunter routes in two WR sets. Not just in Week 3, but all season. To start his young career, Hunter has been more of a role player than a focal point in Jacksonville. He runs 66% of his routes out of the slot once the Jaguars aren’t running two WR sets, as he is a short-area only target. With other receivers having a downfield focus, Hunter has a steady 6.6 average depth of target with zero receptions on throws 10+ yards downfield.
Liam Coen’s slot WR in 2024 was Chris Godwin, ranking second in fantasy points before his injury. However, Godwin wasn’t one-dimensional, playing in two WR sets and receiving downfield targets on top of his high-volume slot role. We saw high volume in Week 1, but ever since Hunter started playing more defense (41 snaps in Week 3), his offensive snaps have primarily been extra cardio rather than extra opportunities.
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63
Snaps for Omarion Hampton in Week 3, the most among RBs. Following the Najee Harris injury, Hampton stepped up when his team needed him, taking on 100% of the RB touches. He scored 21.9 half-PPR fantasy points, good enough for RB3 going into MNF, but one more number is even more important.
Seven targets. The Chargers are running one of the more pass-heavy offenses in the NFL with an injured offensive line. Hampton may not get 20 carries per game, even if he gets 100% of the team’s carries, but it won’t matter if he can keep the receiving we saw on Sunday. His 32 routes are the most by a Chargers running back since 2024, with his 25 routes in Week 1 being the second-most. It doesn’t need to be seven targets, but say 4-5 per game, and his fantasy stock will skyrocket.
7
Targets for Cam Skattebo following the Tyrone Tracy Jr. injury. He’s another rookie RB being asked to step up, and similar to Hampton, saw 100% of the RB targets with seven. Skattebo has already cemented himself as the goal-line back, but in this sub-par offense, being out-targeted by Tracy 13-6 was enough to keep him on the fantasy bench.
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If Tracy were to miss extended time, Skattebo can vault into the RB2 conversation on volume alone. His volume jumped to 77% of the RB touches to help him score over 19 half-PPR points against the top fantasy RB defense of 2024. That last part is key as the Giants have one of the more difficult schedules in the league over the next month, where the rookie will have to rely on top-level passing-game usage to be a fantasy value.
33.8%
The difference between Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor’s passing plays. It’s the main answer to people asking, “Is Taylor just that much better for Garrett Wilson?” It’s not that Fields is much worse; it’s that, although similar in style, the Jets went from the most run-heavy team in the league, calling a pass play 44.0% of the time, to pass-heavy at 77.8% with Taylor on the field.
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When the Jets are down, they aren’t afraid to abandon the run with Taylor. Wilson has a target share north of 37% with either quarterback, but increases his routes substantially when Fields is sidelined.
130
The number of Saints pass plays in 2025, one fewer than the Browns’ leading 131. One fantasy player comes to mind more than anyone else: Chris Olave. In his four games with Spencer Rattler starting, Olave’s targets are as follows: 14, 13, 10, 14. His 37 targets this season lead the NFL as a part of an offense that I’ll humbly project to continue to find themselves in pass-first game scripts.
The fantasy scoring has been just okay so far, considering he’s first in targets, but even on an offense that is struggling, I’d expect more from the Saints wide receiver. Olave is one of seven wideouts to have four or more end zone targets on the year, but the only WR of the group without multiple touchdowns (he has zero).
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