Every Monday during the NFL season, I want to give you a blitz of usage stats, scheme changes, and oddities from the previous week of the NFL. The goal is to give you a rapid fire, unfiltered look at how we digest a Sunday’s-worth of action and try to start deciphering what is valuable and what is not.
I wrote a 10 Usage Trends primer article before the season if you want more detail about some of the statistics and examples from the past. This data supplied in the article is noted under each statistic.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This data includes games played from Thursday-Sunday and does not include MNF games.
Personnel Updates from Week 3
*Data from Sumer Sports organized by Yards per Play
- The Vikings are the only team over the last 45 years to start 3-0 averaging less than 4.3 yards per play.
- The 49ers rank 30th in 11-personnel usage but 2nd overall in total EPA (+26.01) on just 53 total plays run in the set!
- On the other hand, the Chargers have been utterly dreadful with 3 WRs on the field ranking dead last in EPA per play while Justin Herbert‘s 49% completion rate is ahead of only Jameis Winston.
- The Browns have quietly been respectable in a number of areas including Deshaun Watson ranking 7th in fantasy points per drop back in 11-personnel.
- The Raiders have mixed in a surprisingly high number of 21-personnel sets to go along with their 2TE looks. Kirk Cousins leads the league with five passing TDs if you combine those two sets.
Per-Route Metrics
Through three weeks, these were the league-leaders at WR organized by target share:
*Data from FantasyPoints
- Perhaps we don’t truly appreciate Chris Olave‘s greatness. Putting up 3.00 YPRR while averaging almost 42 routes per game is ridiculous. He also ranks 4th among all WRs in 1st downs per route run (16%).
- Michael Wilson‘s 34% target share and 50% air yardage share was eye-popping. On the season, his 35% 1st read target share ranks 7th among all players and he has the greatest delta (-8.5) between his fantasy points (10.4) and expected fantasy points (18.9) of any WR.
- 2nd on that list: George Pickens at -7.7 fppg. His TPRR (26%) and 1st read tead target share (26%) are ahead of where he was three games into his 2025 season.
- KC Concepcion has the 8th highest target share (22.9%) of any rookie WR since 2021 through the first 3 games of their career. Unfortunately, that has amounted to just 1.01 YPRR thanks to an aDOT of 3.8.
- Drake London has now overtaken JSN for highest % of team’s receiving yards.
- Speaking of JSN, here are the WRs with 400+ receiving yards and 6+ TDs through 1st 3 games of a season: 1999 Marvin Harrison Sr. 2026 Jaxon Smith-Njigba End of list.
Slot WR Metrics
*Data from Fantasy Points
This chart shows WRs with 50+% of their routes coming in the slot so far this season. A lot of the group looks pretty grim on a production basis. Taking a look at the last five years, we can see that slot WRs have been less and less involved:
Slot WRs being targeted at lowest rate since 2021 per @FantasyPtsData pic.twitter.com/FVCdLV84jC
— Kyle Borgognoni (@kyle_borg) September 28, 2026
- The only WRs targeted on 23+ percent of their routes while predominantly (50+ %) playing in the slot: Wan’Dale Robinson (23%), Josh Downs (27%), KC Concepcion (24%), Stefon Diggs (30%), Roman Wilson (23%), and Khalil Shakir (25%). Luther Burden III will be pending MNF.
- It is wild that a 32.8 year old Stefon Diggs is pacing the slot WRs in 1st downs per route run, fantasy points per route run, and fantasy points per game.
- Devaughn Vele has been on the field for 148 passing plays and run 137 routes through three weeks. That is the most since Justin Jefferson (146 routes) and K.J. Osborn (140) teammed up for the 2023 Vikings to start the season per Pro Football Focus.
- Jaylen Waddle and the Broncos offense continues to underwhelm. Waddle’s 22% target share is fine but consider the context. Bo Nix is completing only 60% of his passes and 77% of his passes are < 10 air yards, the highest rate in the league.
RB Metrics
*Data from Sumer Sports above includes RBs with 80+ snaps this season
I’ll start with some historical numbers that I love digging out:
- RBs over the last 40 years with 18+ receptions and 6+ TDs through 1st 3 games of a season: 2000 Marshall Faulk, 2020 Alvin Kamara, and 2026 Jahmyr Gibbs.
- RBs averaging 5+ yards per carry AND carrying a 22% target share through 1st 3 games: 2002 Priest Holmes and 2026 Bijan Robinson.
- Rookie RBs over the last 40 years with 90+ rushing yards, 5+ receptions and a receiving TD within their 1st 3 NFL games: Kareem Hunt, Jeremiyah Love. End of list.
- Jaylen Warren is breaking the spreadsheets at 5.89 yards after contact per attempt due to an astounding -8 yards before contact on the season! After seeing 90% of snaps last week with Rico Dowdle out, his
- On 68% of David Montgomery‘s runs this season, he was hit at or behind the line of scrimmage, the highest rate in the league.
- Among 39 qualifying RBs, Jadarian Price ranks 39th in EPA per rush, 32nd in rush success rate, and 8th in Yards AFTER Contact.
- Bhayshul Tuten leads all RBs in runs reaching 15+ MPH per SumerSports.
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