Top 8 Fantasy Football Takeaways from Week 11 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 8 fantasy football takeaways from Week 11 usage:

1. R.J. Harvey In A J.K. Dobbins+ Role

Harvey scored just 8.0 PPR points in his first game without Dobbins. Blame the matchup against the Chiefs’ eighth-ranked RB defense.

Harvey’s role was solid -- a bit better than the one Dobbins had been playing as Denver’s lead back. The rookie’s 61% snap rate and 48% route rate were both higher than Dobbins’ averages through Week 10. In fact, Dobbins topped those marks just once all season.

Harvey’s 52% carry share fell a bit short of Dobbins’ 57%. But Harvey doubled up Dobbins’ target share.

The most glaring negative from Harvey’s Week 11 was losing a four-yard TD to RB Jaleel McLaughlin. That was Denver's only carry inside the five in this game. But Harvey matched McLaughlin with one snap inside the five and out-snapped McLaughlin three to two inside the 10. We'll continue to monitor the situation, but I don't expect McLaughlin to be the Broncos' designated goal-line back.

How To Value Harvey Going Forward

Harvey's 11.5 expected PPR points ranked 28th among RBs on the week and would rank 26th for the season. That's a good starting point for his rest-of-season value.

But Harvey's role could still grow, particularly coming off the Week 12 bye. And I think he's talented enough to out-score his volume.

Don't bank on Harvey turning into a league-winner. But he has a chance to be a mid- to low-end RB2 the rest of the way.

2. Let’s Talk About Puka Nacua …

I almost wrote about Nacua in this space last week, but I didn’t want to prematurely sound any alarms. My hand is a little closer to that alarm after Week 11.

It's not full-blown panic mode, but we should at least talk about fantasy's No. 2 WR in points per game running a route on just 67% of his team's pass plays over the last three weeks. That ranks 70th among WRs over that span. 70th! Behind stalwarts such as Mack Hollins, Isaiah Williams, and Tim Patrick.

Nacua's problem? Los Angeles' increase in '13' personnel usage (one RB and three TEs). The Rams have thrown 29% of their passes out of '13' over the last three weeks. Nacua has run a route on precisely zero of those plays.

He's still drawn a target on an elite 32% of his routes over the last three. But his 23% target share ranks just 23rd among WRs. And his 11.4 expected PPR points per game ranks 29th.

I don't care how awesome Nacua and his QB are. He's not going to post elite fantasy numbers on WR3-level usage.

Will Nacua's Usage Bounce Back?

Will the Rams continue with this personnel usage? Impossible to say for sure. It's worth noting that L.A. averaged just 2.7 yards per play out of '13' in the Week 11 win over the Seahawks, which might mean less '13' and more Puka going forward.

But it's certainly a risk factor that didn't exist a month ago. I'd ultimately bet on Nacua's usage and production rebounding at least back into the top 10 at the position.

He's a hold in most cases. But I'd flip him straight up for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Christian McCaffrey, or Jonathan Taylor. And I'd consider trading Nacua for De'Von Achane, Jahmyr Gibbs, CeeDee Lamb, or Amon-Ra St. Brown, plus an upgrade at another spot.

3. Jahmyr Gibbs Rebounds Sans Sam LaPorta

We wrote last week about Gibbs' diminished role in HC Dan Campbell's first game of the season calling offensive plays. We got a complete 180 in Week 11.

Gibbs' 72% snap rate and 69% route rate in the loss to the Eagles were both season highs. His 57% carry share was well above his 49% through Week 10. And his 22% target share was his second-biggest of the season.

There were a couple of variables in play here that likely led to the usage boost:

1. The Lions were in trailing script for much of Sunday night's game. They were down 13-6 at halftime and 16-6 early in the fourth quarter. That typically means more Gibbs.
2. TE Sam LaPorta was out. That removed 18% of Detroit's targets and likely led to a bigger passing-game role for Gibbs. In fact, he played a season-high eight snaps out wide or in the slot.

Is Gibbs A Top-3 Fantasy RB Again?

So which version of Gibbs will we get going forward? The Lions are favored in each of their next six games, so we probably won't get much trailing script. But LaPorta is out for at least another three games.

Expect something in between Week 10 and 11's usage for Gibbs -- but probably closer to Week 11 until LaPorta is back. He gets smash matchups against the Giants in Week 12 and Cowboys in Week 14.

The Lions have the toughest RB schedule from Weeks 15-17: at Rams, vs. Steelers, at Vikings. But all three of those games are indoors, so the Lions figure to score plenty of points.

Ultimately, Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Taylor are the only RBs I'd rather have than Gibbs the rest of the way.

4. Luther Burden Primed For A Break Out?

Step one for Burden is complete. He (finally) iced Olamide Zaccheaus for Chicago's No. 3 WR job in the win over the Vikings. Burden ran 22 routes to Zaccheaus' seven.

That 61% route rate is still short of where it needs to be for Burden to have a shot at reliable fantasy value. But, as Underdog's Josh Norris astutely pointed out, the Bears had three WRs on the field for just 35% of their plays in Week 11 -- down from 60% through Week 10.

I'd bet on the three-WR usage bouncing back going forward, which would mean more routes for Burden. And that's exciting considering how efficient the rookie has been on per-route basis. His 2.39 yards per route leads Bears WRs and ranks seventh league-wide among 107 WRs with 20+ targets.

Is Chicago's Passing Game Good Enough?

The only question left is whether this passing game can support a Burden breakout. The Bears rank 12th in WR PPR points per game on the season, but they've fallen to 21st over the last five weeks as the offense has turned run-heavier. And consistency continues to elude QB Caleb Williams, who ranks 28th among 38 qualifiers in completion rate over expected.

Burden probably needs to surpass WR D.J. Moore as the No. 2 target in this passing game to emerge as a bankable fantasy starter. That's possible, but I wouldn't consider it likely.

Burden remains just a stash for now. But he's a more exciting stash than he was a week ago.

5. Chris Rodriguez Takes Over Washington Backfield

Rodriguez played ahead of Croskey-Merritt back in Week 10, before leaving with a shoulder injury. He was able to suit up for Sunday morning's game vs. the Dolphins and spent the entire contest as Washington's lead back.

Rodriguez out-carried Croskey-Merritt 15 to nine and was again the more efficient runner, averaging 5.3 yards per carry to the rookie's 3.1. Here's how they stack up over the last five games:

Expect Rodriguez to remain Washington's lead back at least until Croskey-Merritt gives the team a reason to make a change. Of course, Rodriguez is playing in a subpar offense with a scant passing-game role, leaving him as no better than a RB3.

Croskey-Merritt is just a handcuff at this point -- and not a must-hold through the Commanders' Week 12 bye.

6. Bellcow Chase Brown Is Back

Samaje Perine's ankle injury has Brown back in the role that made him a league-winner down the stretch last year.

Over the last three weeks, Brown ranks:

• 1st among RBs in snap rate
• 1st in route rate
• 4th in carry share
• 2nd in target share
• 1st in expected PPR points per game
• 9th in actual PPR points per game

Perine, who reportedly had a high-ankle sprain, figures to be back within the next 1-3 weeks. That'll hurt Brown's role. But don't be surprised if he owns a bigger piece of the backfield than he did before Perine's injury. Brown has been a much more effective runner over his last five games than the first five:

Brown is a locked-in RB1 for however long Perine remains out. Bet on him producing as a solid RB2 even when Perine returns. The Bengals have the ninth-easiest remaining RB schedule, with their only negative matchup coming in Week 12 vs. New England. And the offense might get QB Joe Burrow back for the final few games of the fantasy season.

7. Buy Ricky Pearsall

Pearsall's long-awaited return resulted in one catch for zero yards. Womp womp womp.

The good news is that Pearsall was very close to full playing time, falling just short of the 94% route rate he posted over the first three games of the season.

He drew just three targets for a 12% share and an 11% target-per-route rate. For comparison, Pearsall tallied a 21% target share and 19% targets per route over the first three games of the season.

TE George Kittle missed two of those three games and WR Jauan Jennings one, so Pearsall faces more target competition now. But he also didn't separate as well in his Week 11 return as he did over the first three weeks. Here are the numbers, per Fantasy Points Data tracking:

Expect those metrics to improve as Pearsall puts that knee injury further behind him.

He's a low-floor fantasy play until we see the production return. But I'm optimistic about Pearsall's chances of providing at least WR3 value down the stretch.

The 49ers get negative matchups by adjusted fantasy points allowed vs. the Panthers and Browns the next two weeks, followed by a Week 14 bye. But from Weeks 15-17, San Francisco has the third-easiest WR schedule, with games against the Titans, Colts, and Bears.

8. Buffalo’s WR Wasteland

WR Keon Coleman was scratched for Sunday's game vs. the Buccaneers after showing up late to a team meeting, and the Bills deployed their ugliest WR rotation of the season.

Davis and Hardman made their 2025 debuts and turned this into a six-man committee. Only one WR topped a 51% route rate. And even Shakir's 67% route rate was his third lowest mark of the season. He ran a route on 76% of pass plays through Week 10.

We'll see what this WR corps looks like when Coleman (presumably) gets back into the mix in Week 12. But Shakir is the only Bills WR worth rostering in fantasy football -- and even he looks like no better than a WR3 going forward.

Next Up

Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups: RB Help Headlines the Week

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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.