Volume is the lifeblood of fantasy football success. The Workload Report was created to help visualize the crucial snaps, targets, touches, air yards, and other advanced usage metrics that matter.
The Workload Report is broken into three distinct sections: opportunity, production, and results. The ultimate goal is to dive in and discover where these coveted fantasy points are coming from in Week 2 for every team. Each week, we’ll highlight several categories and dive into which players showed up and why. Then, at the bottom, I’ll give one important takeaway for all 32 NFL teams.
In addition to the screenshots below, check out the full version of The Workload Report to dig into all the data yourself.
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DOWNLOAD: THE WORKLOAD REPORT – WEEK 2
(By Team, How to Use, Team Totals)
WEEK 2 FANTASY ALL-STARS
Dedicated to the players who break 30 PPR points each week
Somehow, Puka Nacua topped his phenomenal Week 1 Rookie performance with an even better 15 catches for 147 yards against the 49ers. The man has the second-most fantasy points in the league right now and still hasn’t scored a touchdown. Sheesh.
Preseason reports and speculation of Mike Evans being unable to be a fantasy producer with Baker Mayfield as his quarterback are largely proven to be false here after the first two weeks. Totaling 171 yards against the Bears should speak for itself (and also speak to how bad the Bears are).
SAVED BY THE ENDZONE
These players may have a high fantasy score, but most of it was due to TD “luck”
Anytime you catch two passes, and both are TDs, you are definitely going to make this list. That’s exactly what Brandon Johnson did against Washington, including one very long and flukey Hail Mary pass. There is no need to chase his 45% snap share and 11% target share.
Jake Ferguson, Logan Thomas, and Kylen Granson make the list as tight ends this week. However, this is the position that I’m least concerned about showing up here. These are all late-round TE picks anyway, and at that point of the draft, we are literally just looking for touchdowns. Thomas and Ferguson have the preferred usage metrics out of the bunch.
A TOUCHDOWN AWAY FROM BREAKING THE SLATE
Had any of these guys hit paydirt, we may have been hearing a lot more about them this week.
I was lucky enough to watch CeeDee Lamb and Tony Pollard live in person on Sunday as they combined to thoroughly dismantle the Jets in Dallas. A 35% target share for Lamb and a combined 33 touches for Pollard is true alpha stuff. With this defense, the sky is the limit for the Cowboys this year.
Bijan Robinson has started making the rounds on Twitter, as many people share some of his best runs against the Packers. The skillset is evident, and it’s only a matter of time before he has a two-TD day to really blow the roof off his ceiling. It’s coming.
DOMINATING THE DOMINATOR RATING
(Rec. Yds + Rush Yds)/(Team Rec. Yds + Team Rush Yds) + TD Share + Air Yd Share (WR/TEs)
When I review this list, I like to focus on the players who made it with the least amount of touchdowns scored. DeVonta Smith makes the list again this week, and while it may be too early to say that he’s becoming the Alpha WR on his team, it sure seems that a Year 3 breakout is underway. Speaking of breakouts, Marvin Mims Jr. only saw 16 snaps but was involved in 25% of the team total. Add in a long TD for 37% of the receiving yard share and 33% of the TDs, and it seems like he is ready to burst on the rookie scene.
Christian McCaffrey is pretty dang impressive to start the year, but no one needs me to explain that. On the other hand, Raheem Mostert is performing like a mid-round steal. Of course, the two touchdowns gave him a nice boost this week, but the 121 rushing yards with an 83% rushing share are great to see from what was once thought of as a muddy backfield. Kyren Williams is the lead back for the Rams now that Cam Akers is back on the trade block, and I’m really hoping you followed my tweets this summer and loaded up for Best Ball bags with Williams. It’s looking like a fantastic payout.
AIR YARDS= FUTURE PRODUCTION
Who saw Air Yards > 35%, but fantasy share < 20% this week?
This is arguably the most impactful section each week, and in Week 1, we hit on Tee Higgins and Keenan Allen, both of whom exploded this past weekend.
In Week 2, we’ve got Michael Pittman topping the list. However, a couple of things give me pause. First of all, his aDOT is only 5.6 yards right now, and while his Air Yards share is high, the actual number (67 yards) is pretty low. I still think they are easing Anthony Richardson into this offense, so I don’t think it’s quite wheels-up time yet on Pittman. His early usage is very comforting, though, and I think he’s an easy choice to start every week.
We can return to the well in Week 3 with Tyreek Hill. Yes, I know his matchup with Pat Surtain II is a bit daunting, but if Surtain doesn’t travel like he did against Washington, the Dolphins should be able to scheme open Hill for some big plays. His stats are roughly the same from Week 1 to Week 2 and the only thing that changed is his RACR (conversion rate), which we would expect to bounce back up in the long run.
On the other hand, I think the jury is still out on Brandon Aiyuk and his RACR. He absolutely ran hot in Week 1 with a RACR of 1.18. Whereas, against the Rams, it was basically cut in half at 0.53. The Air Yard share is still in the 35%+ range, which is great. But, which side of the RACR spectrum will he ultimately land on? This is worth tracking in future weeks.
RECEIVING ALPHA DOGS
Anything above a 0.8 WOPR is considered ‘ELITE‘
We’re starting to get some really good “small sample size” trending data here. As you can see, Tee Higgins, Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, and Tyreek Hill made this list for the second straight week in a row. That alone is enough not to give me pause about any of these guys. Barely missing the list, but having consistent outcomes over both weeks so far are DeVonta Smith, Justin Jefferson, and Mike Evans. Looking around here, Puca Nacua finds himself amongst some elite peers.
The drumbeat gets a bit louder for Michael Pittman in this section. I still have the same worries about overall yardage potential in this early Anthony Richardson offense, but there’s no question about who is the Colts’ WR1.
It’s just another bog ‘ol box to check for CeeDee Lamb here. After a mediocre WOPR outing in Week 1, he bounces back extremely strong against the Jets and is right on track to pay off that hefty Round 1/2 turn draft capital. I love what we are seeing out of Lamb.
RUSHING WORKHORSES
Which players commanded more than 80% of their team’s rushing yards?
All of the focus (rightly so) is on Alexander Mattison‘s two fumbles on Thursday night, and while that is definitely concerning, Mattison’s usage is great. He is the only player besides Christian McCaffrey to make this list both weeks. Like Pittman above, I am concerned with the amount of raw yardage he produces. Still, it’s hard to deny that the opportunity and the division of labor aren’t extremely clear.
SNEAKY PASS-CATCHERS
Non-WRs who saw a hefty receiving share this week
What I love most about this group is that they all caught five or more passes in Week 2, which means they likely aren’t just flash-in-the-pan, one-week wonders. I’m especially intrigued by Josh Jacobs, who saw a 29% target share in Week 2. We talked last week about how the trio of Jacobs, Davante Adams, and Jakobi Meyers combined for 90% of the Raiders Week 1 fantasy points. We can lean on this trend because, with no Meyers, the Raiders simply doubled Jacobs’ target share. This week, both Adams and Meyers are dealing with concussion issues. I think you know what to do.
The most surprising name on this list is probably Zach Ertz, who has commanded a ~30% target share for the Cardinals to start the season. He’s on the field a ton (70% snap share), however, his fantasy production is nothing to write home about just yet. I would proceed more cautiously than not with Ertz.
LOSING GRIP ON RB1 STATUS
These RBs are all seeing decreases in their USG rating
If Zack Moss is healthy, it’s clearly his backfield to lose in Indianapolis. Just a week after logging 71% of the snaps, Deon Jackson did not even touch the field when Moss returned. Now you just have to dodge Anthony Richardson goal line TDs and you are off to the races with Moss.
Tank Bigsby and Elijah Mitchell are two other players who make the zero snaps list this week, as both RB1s ahead of them look pretty good. I will note that Kyle Shanahan did outright mention in his press conference this week that he wants to get Elijah Mitchell more involved to lighten the load on CMC.
ONE THING FOR EACH TEAM
A quick takeaway for all 32 teams in the league based on this week’s games
ARI – It may not be sexy, but James Conner is a fantasy must-start if you have him.
ATL – It’s still very condensed, and Mack Hollins will have a big week soon. The only problem is he won’t be able to replicate it again due to passing volume in this offense, and you will just be chasing it all season.
BAL – Slight nod to Justice Hill over Gus Edwards in the first game without JK Dobbins.
BUF – James Cook had a big game against the Raiders, but the 49% rushing attempt share has been a little nervous about his true ceiling.
CAR – No data yet (MNF game), but Adam Thielen looked to be Bryce Young’s most trusted target out there.
CHI – A big DJ Moore week is coming. It may have to have a ton of YAC, but it’s coming soon.
CIN – The Bengals are in a world of hurt right now, especially if Joe Burrow can’t lace ’em up on Monday. Look to Joe Mixon to continue with some receiving targets here.
CLE – Wheels up for Jerome Ford. Prayers up for Nick Chubb.
DAL – The Cowboys appear to have a pretty illustrative offensive running approach this season. Tony Pollard takes most of the carries while Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn mix in. Dowdle is worth a waiver add (low bid) if you have room.
DEN – Jerry Jeudy wasn’t eased in too much in his 2023 debut, seeing 68% of the snaps and a 19% target share.
DET – Craig Reynolds will likely be a thorn in Jahmyr Gibbs’ side while David Montgomery is out.
GB – The Packers desperately need Christian Watson to come back. No one is converting Air Yards very well right now.
HOU – We called the Nico Collins explosion here last week. Robert Woods had a great outing as well in Week 2. CJ Stroud might not be too shabby.
IND – More on the Zack Moss stranglehold. 98% of the snaps for 78% of the rushing attempts and 70% of the rushing yards. Great waiver priority.
JAX – Evan Engram is running pretty hot here on YAC with a RACR up near two each of the last two weeks. He hasn’t had the greatest fantasy results, and I wouldn’t say that trend is very sustainable.
KC – Travis Kelce was eased in a little bit in Week 2 with only 64% of snaps and nine targets. I’d expect both of those to go up this week.
LAC – Joshua Kelley led the backfield with 79% of snaps and 76% of rushing attempts, with Austin Ekeler sidelined.
LAR – Kyren Williams with ten targets. Are you serious?! It’s obviously not sustainable, but if that’s the ceiling…wow. Puka Nacua is getting all the hype, but Tutu Atwell is quietly crushing it, and Van Jefferson is quietly running wind sprints out there.
LV – The Raiders desperately need Jakobi Meyers back to give them a third option. They did not get anybody else involved besides Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams in Week 2. Jacobs’ target share looks good.
MIA – Jaylen Waddle separated himself a bit from River Cracraft and Braxton Berrios this week, which was good to see after a quiet Week 1.
MIN – Jordan Addison Week 1 snaps =56%. Jordan Addison Week 2 snaps = 69%.
NE – DeVante Parker looked good in his season debut, but don’t sleep on Kendrick Bourne. The dude saw 184 Air Yards in Week 2 against the Dolphins. Of course, he’s never gonna have an elite RACR, but it should be better than 0.16 moving forward.
NO – With Jamaal Williams on the shelf, it was the Tony Jones Jr. show. I would be a bit hesitant to pick him up on waivers with Kendre Miller set to come back this week, and Alvin Kamara returning in Week 4.
NYG – Darren Waller had a really nice 6-76 day against the Cardinals. All of his advanced receiving metrics stayed consistent week over week. If he adds a TD or two, he will have a big game soon.
NYJ – Garrett Wilson will live and die by Zack Wilson’s performance. However, I’m not willing to sell G Willy just yet.
PHI – This should be D’Andre Swifts’ backfield for good, but knowing Philly, Rashaad Penny will get the start in Week 3.
PIT – It is a straight-up split backfield between Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren right now.
SEA – Tyler Lockett posted a miserable RACR in Week 1, but bounced back in Week 2 for 25.9 PPR points. We shouldn’t expect the 2 TDs, but we should expect this efficiency.
SF – I am definitely concerned about George Kittle’s lack of Air Yards so far in 2023.
TB – Rachaad White has 72% of the snaps and 65% of the rushing yards in Week 2. Very pleased.
TEN – A little bit more typical backfield split of 75/25 with Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears in Week 2. Feel free to fire away on the Big Dog.
WAS – Curtis Samuel, Jahan Dotson, and Terry McLaurin might all be good enough to each be a thorn in the side for the other two players each week. Very spread out production in Weeks 1 & 2.
