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Top 10 Fantasy Football Takeaways from Week 1 Usage

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Playing time and touches are the backbone of fantasy scoring. 

Chasing one-week box scores can be dangerous. Investing in players who are on the field and getting the football is more reliable.

That’s why we study playing time and usage every week during the season. It can give us a tangible edge in start/sit decisions, waiver moves, and trades.

Here are the top 10 takeaways from Week 1 usage:

1. Is The Seahawks Backfield Really An Even Split?

We’ll get the bad news out of the way first -- at least if you were on Ken Walker as a 2025 breakout player.

Walker drew the start in the opener but essentially rotated series with Zach Charbonnet. But Charbonnet was the go-to guy in two specific situations:

1. Goal-line/short-yardage (Charbonnet out-snapped Walker 4 to 1)
2. Third downs/two-minute drill (Charbonnet beat Walker 14 snaps to 4)

That resulted in Charbonnet beating Walker in snaps, routes, and carries. Walker saw the only three RB targets, but Charbonnet will be the better target bet if the Week 1 usage holds.

If you’re a Walker owner, you’re hoping the underwhelming Week 1 was a result of the foot trouble that cost him much of August. But the more likely outcome is that this remains a committee/hot-hand situation.

Here was HC Mike Macdonald on his backfield after the opener:

“We're not tallying reps as the game goes on, but a lot of it's based on how the game's going and what plays guys run better and things like that, but it'll be adjustable as the season unfolds.”

Fantasy impact: Treat Walker and Charbonnet as RB3 or Flex plays for now. Both guys still boast RB1 upside if the other misses time.

2. Bucky Irving Gets Workhorse Usage

Tampa Bay’s offense was largely underwhelming in the opener. That included Irving, who totaled just 45 yards.

But there was nothing underwhelming about Irving’s role. He dominated backfield work in all phases: early downs, passing downs, and short yardage.

In fact, Irving’s 77% snap rate in the opener was a new career high. His 78% share of designed rush attempts was his third-highest mark. The two times he beat it last year came over his final four games (including the playoff loss).

In short, Irving’s 2025 role appears to be similar -- maybe even better -- than the role he played over his final eight healthy games last year. Irving ranked fifth among RBs in PPR points per game over that stretch.

Fantasy impact: Irving looks like a locked-in top-12 fantasy RB with upside into the top five if this usage holds. You might be able to acquire him for cheaper than that after a disappointing Week 1 box score.

3. Did The Patriots Forget About TreVeyon Henderson?

Ok, the Patriots probably didn’t forget about their second-round rookie. But this was surprisingly scant playing time for a guy who was the team’s best offensive player throughout August by all accounts.

Stevenson out-snapped Henderson on early downs, third downs, and in short-yardage/goal-line situations, per Pro Football Focus.

The Patriots at least made it a point to get Henderson the ball when he was on the field. He tallied five carries and six targets on his 25 snaps. And, not surprisingly, Henderson was the team’s most effective runner. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry to Stevensons’ 2.1.

I’m expecting Henderson’s role to grow quickly from here, especially considering the Patriots scored just 13 points in their Week 1 loss to the Raiders.

Fantasy impact: Henderson is a risky fantasy start until we see his usage improve. But I expect it to improve quickly. Consider making a trade offer for Henderson this week.

4. Harold Fannin A Focal Point For Browns (And David Njoku Will Be Fine)

Fannin holds the FBS single-season records for catches and receiving yards. And now he holds the record for most catches by a rookie TE in Week 1.

Fannin tallied seven grabs for 63 yards in the opener. His nine targets led the team and were a 20% share. Fannin ranked second among Browns with a 24% first-read target share, per Fantasy Points Data.

In other words, Fannin was featured in Cleveland’s game plan. In his very first game.

Fannin essentially served as the Browns’ No. 2 TE (behind David Njoku) and No. 3 WR (behind Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman). 

Here’s where he played his snaps:

• Inline: 53%
• Slot: 29%
• Wide: 11%
• Backfield: 7%

His 65% route rate is lower than we typically see from fantasy TE1s. And it’s rare for a team to produce two fantasy-viable TEs.

But Fannin already has some outlier-ish traits. And he’ll be helped by a Kevin Stefanski offense that tends to run a lot of plays and lean pass-heavy when it has a serviceable QB. The Browns ranked third in plays and second in neutral pass rate in Week 1.

Njoku will also benefit from those factors. And, despite Fannin’s busy debut, Njoku still ranked fourth among TEs league wide in route rate.

Fannin presents more competition for targets. But Njoku remains a big part of this offense.

Fantasy impact: I’d want to see strong usage for Fannin for at least one more week before trusting him in a starting lineup. But he should be rostered in all leagues of 12+ teams and has upside into the top-12 at his position. Njoku gets a slight downgrade but still looks like a low-end TE1.

5. Travis Etienne Lays Claim To Jaguars Backfield (For Now)

Etienne controlled Jacksonville’s backfield in the opener, leading in early-down snaps, short-yardage snaps, and two-minute snaps. Bigsby and Tuten mixed in on early downs, while Allen played almost exclusively on third downs.

Etienne parlayed that role into 143 rushing yards on 16 totes (8.9 YPC). HC Liam Coen’s scheme created big lanes, and Etienne looked explosive.

The outing all but guarantees that Etienne will remain Jacksonville’s lead back for now, especially after Bigsby was dealt to Philadelphia on Monday.

Two reasons to tap the brakes on Etienne, though:

1. The big Week 1 came against a Panthers run defense that figures to be one of the worst in the league.
2. We’ve seen Etienne get off to hot starts before -- and then fade. Here’s his career yards per carry by month:

• September: 4.9
• October: 4.8
• November: 3.6
• December: 3.8

Fantasy impact: Etienne is a RB2 at least in the short term. He has a history of fading over the second half of the season, though, so he could turn into a sell-high at some point. The Bigsby trade leaves Tuten as the handcuff to Etienne -- and one of the highest-upside stashes in fantasy.

6. Surprise: Breece Hall Is The Jets’ Best RB!

Can you feel the sarcasm??

There was never much doubt in my mind that Hall is the Jets’ best RB. There were a flurry of reports this offseason, though, that had Allen primed for a big role in this backfield

Allen was certainly involved in the opener. But Hall was the clear lead back -- and easily the team’s best runner. He ripped off 107 yards on his 19 carries (5.6 YPC), while Allen mustered just six yards on his nine attempts. Hall also dusted Allen in advanced metrics:

Hall’s role wasn’t perfect. He got just two of the Jets’ six red-zone carries and played only two of nine third-down snaps. But Hall controlled early-down work and got four of the six snaps inside the five-yard line.

If he continues playing like he did in the opener, you gotta imagine that his role expands.

Fantasy impact: Fantasy drafters who bet on Hall’s talent are about to be rewarded. He’s an upside RB2 in his current role, but don’t be surprised if he captures a bigger piece of the backfield and turns into a borderline RB1.

7. Tyler Badie Is Annoying

HC Sean Payton’s backfields have long been some of the most productive in fantasy football. There’s enough to go around to support two RBs.

But the equation changes when you get a third RB in the mix. That was the case in Week 1, with Badie surprisingly playing a significant role in the passing game. He logged a 50% snap rate on third downs and 67% in the two-minute offense. He didn’t record a single carry but led Broncos RBs and tied for second on the team with six targets.

Badie turned those six targets into two catches for 16 yards. Hopefully that starts the process of removing him from this backfield.

Outside of Badie’s snaps, Dobbins led Harvey 28 to 16 in early-down snaps, while Harvey edged Dobbins three to two on third downs. Both guys were key to Denver’s close win, with Harvey snapping off a 50-yard run in the fourth quarter and Dobbins scoring from 19 yards out a few plays later.

Payton said afterward that he needs to run more going forward, which is obviously good news for both guys.

Fantasy impact: Badie stole valuable RB targets in Week 1, but don’t expect that to last long. Dobbins and Harvey are just RB3 or Flex plays for now. But both guys -- especially Harvey -- could eventually emerge as RB2s.

8. James Conner Is Still Arizona’s Clear Lead Back

I’ve heard a lot of fantasy managers and even analysts concerned about Conner’s role after Week 1. And the box score does look worrisome, with Conner out-carrying Benson just 12 to eight.

But Conner’s playing time was actually better than it was in his 15 healthy games last year.

Note that RB Emari Demercado, who siphoned 21% of the routes last season, did not play at all in this year’s opener.

This looks to me like a case of Benson just getting the ball quite a bit on his limited snaps. He did bust off an impressive 52-yarder in the third quarter, but he averaged just 2.4 yards per carry on his other seven attempts.

Conner, meanwhile, averaged just 3.3 yards per carry for the game. But he beat Benson in Pro Football Focus rushing grade.

Conner also drew four targets and got the team’s only carry inside the five-yard line. He ranked 10th among RBs in expected PPR points on the week.

Fantasy impact: Conner remains Arizona’s clear lead back and a solid RB2 in fantasy lineups. He could be a trade target this week if his owner is panicking over Benson’s carries. Benson remains a high-end handcuff but still falls short of standalone fantasy value.

9. Isiah Pacheco Losing Valuable Work

This was ugly.

Pacheco controlled early-down work, registering a 63% snap rate. But he played just two of six short-yardage snaps and none of the eight third-downs. 

Hunt got the vast majority of short-yardage and third-down work, with Smith mixing in on passing plays.

Pacheco at least looked much more explosive than Hunt, averaging 5.0 yards per carry to Hunt’s 3.2. 

And the Chiefs ran just 58 plays with 10 total RB carries in this one. Both marks will be significantly higher in most games going forward.

Fantasy impact: Pacheco remains the top fantasy RB in Kansas City. But he’ll be hard-pressed to ascend beyond RB3 status if he continues to lose most of the short-yardage and third-down work.

10. Travis Hunter’s Week 1 Role Was Awesome

The Week 1 returns on Hunter were very bullish.

He played exclusively in three-WR sets, but that’ll be Jacksonville’s predominant personnel grouping this season. Hunter’s 82% route rate in the opener was plenty high.

And he was a focal point when he was on the field, drawing a target on eight of his 27 routes (29.6%). Hunter’s 28% first-read target share tied WR Brian Thomas Jr. for the team lead.

He also lined up in the slot for 69% of his snaps and ran 71% of his routes from the inside. That’s a valuable spot to be in HC Liam Coen’s offense (see: 2024 Chris Godwin).

Fantasy impact: Hunter has a real shot at WR2 production if his Week 1 usage sticks. Just beware that his deployment on offense vs. defense could shift from week to week.

Next Up

Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups: Marquise Brown's Volume Reigns Supreme

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Jared Smola, Lead Analyst

Jared has been with Draft Sharks since 2007. He’s now Lead Analyst, heading up the preseason and weekly projections that fuel your Draft War Room and in-season tools. He currently ranks ninth among 173 analysts in draft rankings accuracy.