Box scores lie. Usage tells the truth.
We dug into the playing time, routes, carries, and targets behind the fantasy points to identify the biggest buy-low opportunities, sell-high candidates, and rankings movers.
Here are the 8 biggest fantasy takeaways from Week 6 usage.
1. Cam Skattebenched
| Snap Rate | 7.8% | 40.3% | 37.7% | 14.3% |
| Route Rate | 3.4% | 41.4% | 20.7% | 3.4% |
| Carry Share | 0.0% | 20.0% | 30.0% | 20.0% |
| Target Share | 0.0% | 2.3% | 7.0% | 0.0% |
The Athletic’s Dan Duggan reported before Sunday’s game vs. the Saints that we’d get more Najee Harris and less Cam Skattebo. That was half right.
Harris played just 11 snaps and carried 4 times. But that was more action than Skattebo got. He played 6 snaps and didn’t touch the ball.
Devin Singletary led the backfield in snaps and routes, while Tyrone Tracy led in carries, targets, and fantasy points.
HC John Harbaugh lied straight to our face after the game, saying “it wasn’t by design” that Skattebo had no carries. It’s been clear for a while that this coaching staff isn’t particularly fond of Skattebo. Remember that the Giants were in the market for both Kenneth Walker and Jeremiyah Love this offseason.
Harbaugh did tell the truth in his post-game press conference when he said “nobody has really taken the bull by the horns” in this backfield.
The Giants’ running game has been anemic, ranking 23rd in RB rushing yards and 30th in yards per carry. None of the team’s 4 RBs has averaged more than 3.6 yards per rush.
The best we can say for Skattebo at this point is that he’s been the least bad Giants RB. He leads in yards per carry and most advanced metrics, including rush yards over expected per attempt, missed tackles forced per attempt, and EPA per carry.
Harris was released on Tuesday, but ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote Wednesday that “it wouldn’t be shocking” to see the Giants add another RB or give Tracy more work going forward.
Fantasy impact
Skattebo is worth keeping rostered for now while we wait to see whether this was a one-week blip. Tracy is a viable add in deeper leagues in case he emerges as the lead back. But neither guy is likely to turn into a fantasy difference-maker in this situation.
2. Jaylen Warren Keeps Comfortable Lead Over Rico Dowdle
| Snap Rate | 74.7% | 26.6% |
| Route Rate | 45.8% | 11.9% |
| Carry Share | 63.6% | 31.8% |
| Target Share | 9.1% | 9.1% |
This was about as good as Jaylen Warren owners could have hoped for in Rico Dowdle’s first game back. Warren easily led Pittsburgh’s backfield in snaps, routes, and carries. Both guys saw 4 targets.
It wasn’t the workhorse role Warren played over the previous 3 weeks, but that was never a realistic expectation. Warren’s role was still much better than it was in the opener, when we last saw a healthy Dowdle. In that game, Warren registered a:
- 37.3% snap rate
- 31.9% route rate
- 47.6% carry share
- 16.2% target share
His 74.7% snap rate ranked 10th among all RBs in Week 6; his 63.6% carry share was good for 11th.
It’s also worth noting that with this game in the balance in the fourth quarter and overtime, Warren played 31 of 37 snaps. The Steelers clearly know who their best RB is.
Fantasy impact
Despite the strong Week 6 usage, Warren finished just RB23 in PPR points against a stout Buccaneers run defense. That could make him a trade target this week. Warren looks like a mid- to high-end RB2 going forward.
3. Kyle Pitts Back From The Dead
| Week 1 | 78.6% | 5.3% |
| Week 2 | 41.5% | 9.7% |
| Week 3 | 70.0% | 8.7% |
| Week 4 | 45.5% | 15.0% |
| Week 5 | 72.5% | 17.6% |
| Week 6 | 72.7% | 21.2% |
Kyle Pitts ranked 53rd among TEs in expected PPR points per game and 66th in actual points per game over the first 3 weeks of the season. Over the last 3, he’s up to TE15 in expected points per game and TE4 in actual.
The big jump, of course, coincides with competent QB play from Michael Penix. But his role has also improved. Pitts has topped a 72% route rate in 2 straight, and his 18.2% target share over the last 3 weeks ranks 11th among all TEs.
He’s essentially getting Dalton Kincaid usage (in a much worse offense).
Fantasy impact
Pitts’ TE15 ranking in expected points over the last 3 weeks is a good approximation of his fantasy value going forward. He remains the clear No. 2 target in a run-leaning offense. But it’s a lot better than he looked a few weeks ago.
4. Good News, Bad News On Luther Burden
| Week 1 | 72.5% | 19.2% |
| Week 2 | 71.1% | 23.3% |
| Week 3 | 76.3% | 32.4% |
| Week 4 | 72.5% | 19.4% |
| Week 5 | 79.6% | 15.0% |
| Week 6 | 44.4% | 24.2% |
Luther Burden got QB Caleb Williams back in Week 6 and registered his second-biggest target share and second-most PPR points of the season.
So what’s the bad news? It came on a disturbingly low 44.4% route rate.
The Bears went heavier than usual on 2-TE sets vs. Atlanta, boosting Cole Kmet’s route rate (53.3%) ahead of Burden’s. WR Kalif Raymond (62.2%) also ran more routes than Burden.
I’m as into playing time as anyone … but I remain bullish on Burden going forward.
HC Ben Johnson’s weekly game plans are tough to predict, but Burden has consistently been a big part of them. He’s drawn a 15+% target share in every game and topped 19% in 5 of 6 games. He leads the Bears in targets (43), target share (20.7%), and first-read target share (26.2%).
Burden also leads Chicago and ranks 26th among all WRs in expected PPR points per game.
Fantasy impact
It’d be nice to see Burden run more routes, but we ultimately care about targets and fantasy points. And Burden has been seeing steady volume and scoring as a low-end WR2. That’s how I’d treat him going forward, especially now that QB Caleb Williams is back.
5. Is Corey Kiner A Problem For Rhamondre Stevenson And TreVeyon Henderson?
| Snap Rate | 60.3% | 23.5% | 17.6% |
| Route Rate | 42.9% | 20.0% | 0.0% |
| Carry Share | 38.9% | 19.4% | 30.6% |
| Target Share | 0.0% | 3.3% | 0.0% |
It wasn’t a big surprise that TreVeyon Henderson was limited vs. the Jets coming off his Week 5 high-ankle sprain. He didn’t help his cause with a third-quarter fumble, playing just 4 snaps and carrying twice more after the giveaway.
The surprise was that Corey Kiner, not Rhamondre Stevenson, picked up most of Henderson’s work. Stevenson’s snap rate and carry share stayed right in line with his averages over the first 5 games. Kiner played 12 of 29 snaps (41%) and tallied all 11 of his carries after Henderson’s fumble.
Kiner was New England’s most effective runner against the Jets, averaging 5.2 yards per carry compared to Henderson’s 4.4 and Stevenson’s 2.6. And Kiner leads the trio in multiple metrics over the course of the season, including:
- Yards per carry
- Rush yards over expected per attempt
- Yards after contact per attempt
- Success rate
“He runs hard,” HC Mike Vrabel said of Kiner after the Jets game. “He runs hard, and it’s the same way he’s selling the kickoff returns. We got three capable backs and you ride the hot hand.”
Fantasy impact
The answer to the question I posed at the start of this section is probably “no.” Kiner’s Week 6 will likely look like a small-sample blip by the end of the season. But it at least looks like Kiner could keep either Stevenson or Henderson from taking on a workhorse role if the other gets hurt.
6. Brian Thomas Jr. On The Outs In Jacksonville?
| Week 1 | 56.0% | 14.3% |
| Week 2 | 66.7% | 28.6% |
| Week 3 | 48.5% | 3.7% |
| Week 4 | 66.7% | 8.7% |
| Week 5 | 58.7% | 7.9% |
| Week 6 | 29.5% | 4.9% |
Even the biggest Brian Thomas proponents would have to admit that this is a total waste. A first-round pick who went for 1,282 yards and 10 TDs as a rookie running 13 routes in a game. Thomas didn’t play a single snap in the second half of Sunday’s game vs. the Texans.
Something is clearly up here.
HC Liam Coen was asked about Thomas’ lack of playing time after the Houston game. His response: “We’re just week to week. Week to week. Guys have to step up and make plays.”
The Jaguars have reportedly shown no interest in trading Thomas so far, but that could (and probably should) change between now and the November 10 trade deadline.
Fantasy impact
I’d try to keep Thomas stashed through the trade deadline. But a new team seems like his only chance at 2026 fantasy value. He’ll be droppable if he remains in Jacksonville past November 10. WRs Travis Hunter and Josh Cameron are deep-league stashes while we wait on a potential Thomas trade. Hunter’s 4-59-1 line vs. Houston came on just 7 routes, but Thomas’ departure could clear the path for a bigger role. Cameron finished third among Jaguars WRs with a 43% route rate in Week 6.
7. Conservative Matthew Stafford Limiting Rams Passing Game
| aDOT | 8.4 | 8.7% |
| Deep Throw Rate | 11.3% | 9.6% |
| Hero Throw Rate | 5.9% | 2.8% |
| Checkdown Rate | 6.6% | 11.2% |
Matthew Stafford has always been known as a gunslinger. And the numbers back it up.
Over his first 5 seasons with the Rams, here’s where Stafford ranked among 40 qualifying QBs:
- 14th in average target depth
- 16th in deep throw rate
- 2nd in hero throw rate
- 39th in checkdown rate
He’s been a different QB this year. While Stafford’s average target depth is actually up a tad, his deep throw rate and hero throw rate are way down. And his checkdown rate has nearly doubled, ranking eighth-highest among 33 qualifiers.
It’s not a pass protection problem. Stafford’s pressure rate is down from 28.8% from 2021-2025 to 27.4% this year. He’s hanging on to the ball longer, with a 2.68-second average time to throw, up from 2.54 over the previous 5 seasons. Yet he’s checking down more
What’s going on? It could be a small-ish sample size blip. Maybe defenses have covered the Rams’ downfield routes better so far this season. Or maybe a 38-year-old Stafford knows his arm can’t cash those deep-ball checks anymore.
Stafford’s fantasy production has been fine so far. He ranks 11th among QBs in fantasy points and has finished top-13 in 4 of 6 weeks.
But he’s benefited from a league-high 249 pass attempts, including 3 games with 51+ attempts. Stafford ranks just 16th among 33 qualifying QBs in fantasy points per dropback.
Fantasy impact
Between his reluctance to let it rip and the loss of WR Davante Adams for at least the next 6 weeks, I’d treat Stafford as just a fringe QB1. The big boost in checkdowns has been a boon to RB Kyren Williams’ target count, though, and could also help the Rams’ TEs going forward.
8. Stick With Woody Marks In Week 7
| Snap Rate | 77.8% | 22.2% |
| Route Rate | 57.5% | 7.5% |
| Carry Share | 60.0% | 24.0% |
| Target Share | 9.4% | 3.1% |
Woody Marks delivered just 10.1 PPR points with David Montgomery sidelined in Week 6. Jawhar Jordan led Houston’s backfield with 12.0 points, thanks largely to a 25-yard TD run in the third quarter.
But Marks’ usage was exactly what we were hoping for. Among all RBs last week, he ranked:
- 8th in snap rate
- 7th in route rate
- 14th in carry share
- 20th in target share
Marks’ 12.1 expected PPR points ranked 19th at the position. He simply ran into an elite Jaguars run defense and got unlucky when 1 of Jordan’s 6 carries went for a TD.
Fantasy impact
Marks finds a much better spot in Week 7, with the Texans 10-point home favorites with a 26.75-point implied total vs. the Giants’ 25th-ranked RB defense. He’s a strong RB2 start in season-long leagues and a potentially sneaky play in daily contests.