New on Sports Illustrated: Week 6 Touches, Targets, Volume & Regression Index
Two Washington Football Team players performed poorly in a loss while Dawson Knox was the model of efficiency against the Chiefs.
We’re now more than a third of the way through the fantasy football regular season. Check out this past week’s top performers in efficiency and the players who missed out on their opportunities.
Inefficient Volume Players
RB Antonio Gibson, Washington Football Team
Gibson was one of five running backs to handle 20 or more carries this week. He was the only one who did not break 100 yards. He took 20 carries for just 60 yards and added two catches for 12 yards. His outing was salvaged by a pair of red-zone rushing touchdowns from one and five yards out.
Gibson matched his season-high carry total in a game the WFT trailed for the entire second half, and J.D. McKissic saw his fewest touches since Week 1, both of which bode well for him. Another positive was the bump in rushing work after he came into the week with a questionable designation for a stress fracture in his shin. Getting nearly 18 touches per game keeps Gibson in the top 12 running backs range, but his efficiency (4.0 yards per carry) is a concern.
Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports
RB Miles Sanders, Eagles
Sanders' touches have been all over the place this season — he's seen as many as 19 and as few as five. In a come-from-behind win against the Panthers' stellar defense, Sanders didn't capitalize on 16 touches, his second-most this season. He took 11 carries for 45 yards and turned a season-best five catches into six yards, getting tackled at or behind the line of scrimmage often. Sanders played 75% of snaps, his highest mark this season while receiving threat Kenneth Gainwell played less than a quarter of snaps, his fewest.
Sanders' yards per rush and yards per reception so far this season are both career lows. The Eagles don't figure to be running out the clock with big leads in many games this season, so Sanders needs to be a more efficient rusher and receiver. Plus, he's yet to score so far this season. His stock is dropping after he inexplicably went out of bounds twice while Philadelphia was trying to run out the clock.
WR Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Team
McLaurin turned in his worst game of the season against the Saints. He saw 11 targets come his way, a 28% share, but only hauled in four for 46 yards. McLaurin was coming off a season-high 123-yard outing, but New Orleans truly neutralized Washington's top receiving threat. Adam Humphries and DeAndre Carter both finished with more receiving yards than McLaurin. There's no real concern for McLaurin's production moving forward, though. He leads the team in targets with 49 — the next closest is Humphries with 20. The only worry is a defense throwing everything at McLaurin in the secondary with Washington's other top receiving threats Logan Thomas and Curtis Samuel injured.
WR Robby Anderson, Panthers
Anderson’s seven targets were tied for the most on the team. It wasn’t a great day through the air for Carolina as a whole as Sam Darnold tossed three interceptions, but Anderson didn’t help. In the fourth quarter, he had a crucial drop and finished with two catches for 30 yards, his second-fewest this season. Anderson has played nothing like the 1,000-yard receiver he was a season ago. DJ Moore has a stranglehold on the receiving work, leading the team in all categories, but Anderson has completely regressed. A 57-yard touchdown he caught in the opener accounts for nearly a third of his receiving yards. The targets he’s seeing leave something to be desired, but Anderson isn’t making a case for himself to see more work.
Limited Volume Efficiency Players
RB Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers
Fournette, like a lot of running backs this season, enjoyed his best game against the Dolphins. He rumbled for 67 yards on just 12 carries and added 43 yards through the air on four catches. For the second consecutive game, Fournette surpassed 100 total yards, and he scored his first touchdown of the season against Miami. There’s a strong case for Fournette’s volume to increase as the season progresses if the Buccaneers ever stop passing while beating down their opponents — he’s averaging career-highs in yards per rush and yards per catch.
Benny Sieu/USA TODAY Sports
RB Aaron Jones, Packers
Jones breached 100 rushing yards for the first time this season against the Bengals. He did so on 14 carries, his second-fewest this season. He was unable to do anything with his four catches, managing only six yards, though. The lion’s share of Jones’ yards came on a 57-yard run. His previous season long was a 15-yard rush. Green Bay has somewhat surprisingly been in very close games the past few weeks. Jones may see more work in the next few games against the Bears and Washington, matchups the Packers should handle with relative ease.
WR Chase Claypool, Steelers
In Claypool’s return to action, he led Pittsburgh in receiving yards, aided in large part by a 59-yard bomb. Claypool hauled in five passes for a season-best 130 yards. He led the team in targets with six, which accounted for more than a 25% target share on a day Ben Roethlisberger threw the ball a season-low 25 times. In an offense that’s been largely dink and dunk, Claypool is averaging 17 yards per catch, and more work should be coming his way with the news that JuJu Smith-Schuster will miss the remainder of the season.
TE Dawson Knox, Bills
Knox has scored in four straight weeks. Touchdowns are generally random, and the tight end position is hugely reliant on scores, but Knox had a great all-around night against the Chiefs. The third-year player surpassed 100 yards for the first time in his career on just three receptions. He was on the field for a season-high 96% of snaps, and on a night where Josh Allen was feeling it, something good was bound to happen, and it did in the form of a 53-yard touchdown. Allen is spreading the ball around this season more than last year, and Knox has been one of the biggest beneficiaries.
Week 5 TTVR Index Performance Recap
Click here for last week's article
Inefficient Volume Players
Mike Davis: Opportunities stayed consistent (15 touches) as it has for much of the season. Efficiency improved dramatically (1.1 yards per carry up to 4.1). Davis finished with a season-high 53 rushing yards.
Latavius Murray: Opportunities fell off (season-low six carries), but Murray could not do much with those chances (ran for 17 yards, also a season-low).
Brandin Cooks: Opportunities decreased (season-low five targets down from seven a week prior). Production dropped off as well (season-low three receptions for 23 yards). Cooks wasn't a big factor in Davis Mills' career day.
George Kittle: Placed on injured reserve. Did not play in the 49ers' loss to the Cardinals.
Limited Volume Efficiency Players
Cordarrelle Patterson: Opportunities increased substantially (season-high 21 touches up from 11 a week ago). Efficiency lagged with a boost in touches (3.9 yards per carry, 8.6 yards per reception) but not a concern overall.
Chase Edmonds: Saw fewer opportunities (season-low nine touches coming off his best game of the season). Rushing efficiency (2.5 yards per carry) was poor, and receiving efficiency (6.3) was consistent with his season average.
Darnell Mooney: Opportunities were consistent with season average (five targets), but efficiency dropped off from last week's season-best outing (three catches for 35 yards).
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