Welcome to the Week 1 Stat Pack! In this column, I’ll go team by team and post any interesting stats and data points from the week that was. This recap article is a big data dump, so feel free to jump around or come back and reference this piece during the week. Reading it from top to bottom in one sitting probably isn’t the best way to absorb all of the information. And it might make your eyes go cross.
Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta was the second-most pass-heavy team last week (73%). They were the most pass-heavy team in 2019 (67%).
The Falcons called 25 passes to 0 runs in the fourth quarter against Seattle.
Julio Jones (188) ranked second in air yards among all wide receivers behind DeSean Jackson (214) in Week 1.
Per PFF, Ito Smith ran more pass routes (18) than Todd Gurley (16) in Week 1.
In the 10 games since Mohamed Sanu was traded, Russell Gage has averaged 7.8 targets per game.
Arizona Cardinals
Kenyan Drake played on 71% of Cardinals snaps in Week 1. Last year, he played on 79% of their snaps.
DeAndre Hopkins saw 43% of Arizona’s targets in the opener, leading all wide receivers.
Hopkins got 31% of Texans targets last year, which was second-most behind Michael Thomas (33%).
Baltimore Ravens
After running a route on just 62% of Lamar Jackson’s dropbacks last season, Mark Andrews led the team in routes in the opener (27; on-field for 90% of dropbacks). This type of involvement gives Andrews the TE1 upside.
Marquise Brown saw 45% of the Ravens’ air yards in the opener. Last year, he saw 23% of the team’s air yards.
The Ravens Week 1 snap shares at RB were: Dobbins (39%), Ingram (36%), and Edwards (25%).
Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen has scored 20 or more fantasy points eight times over his last 17 games, which is fifth-most behind Lamar Jackson (14), Dak Prescott (10), Drew Brees (8), and Deshaun Watson (8).
Allen’s 312 passing yards marked a career-high.
Devin Singletary out-snapped Zack Moss 51 to 39 but only out-touched him 14 to 12.
Buffalo used play-action on 44% of Allen’s dropbacks in Week 1, which was second-most behind only the Chiefs (45%).
Per SIS, the Bills had 4 wide receivers on the field on 29% of their plays in Week 1, leading all teams.
Carolina Panthers
D.J. Moore received 9 targets in Week 1 while both Curtis Samuel and Robby Anderson got 8.
Even though he only saw 4 targets, Christian McCaffrey still easily led all RBs in routes run in Week 1 with 35.
Chicago Bears
Per SIS, just 63.6% of Mitch Trubisky’s targets were charted as on target -- which ranked last among all quarterbacks in Week 1.
Just five of Allen Robinson’s 9 targets were on target. (He caught all five).
Tarik Cohen played on 46% of Bears’ snaps in Week 1 while David Montgomery played on 45%.
The Bears have scored just 8 first-half touchdowns since the start of the 2019 season, which is the fewest in the league in this span by far.
Cincinnati Bengals
A.J. Green easily led the Bengals in targets (9) and air yards (45% share) in Week 1.
Over his last nine games dating back to the Bengals bye week last year, Joe Mixon has handled 21.8 carries per contest.
Cleveland Browns
Kareem Hunt out-snapped Nick Chubb 36 to 35 in Week 1.
Hunt got 9 first-down carries to Chubb’s 7 as well.
Just four of Odell Beckham’s 10 Week 1 targets were on target, per SIS.
Dallas Cowboys
Dallas went 60% pass-heavy on first and second downs against the Rams, which was the 7th-highest rate in the league for Week 1.
Last year, the Cowboys were only 52% pass-heavy on early downs.
CeeDee Lamb lined up in the slot on 93% of his snaps in his debut.
Denver Broncos
Without Courtland Sutton (shoulder), Jerry Jeudy led Denver in targets (8) in his debut.
Before Phillip Lindsay (toe) got hurt, he evenly split carries (7) with Melvin Gordon.
Detroit Lions
The Lions Week 1 snap split was: D’Andre Swift (44%), Adrian Peterson (31%), and Kerryon Johnson (26%).
Over his last nine healthy games dating back to last year, Matthew Stafford is averaging 310.7 yards per game.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers absolutely dominated time of possession over the Vikings, holding the ball for 41:16 in-game clock.
Dating back to 2018, Davante Adams has seen 7 or more targets in 27 of his last 30 games.
Over his last six games (including postseason), Adams has dropped 7/103/1, 13/116, 7/93/1, 8/160/2, 9/138, and 14/156/2.
Adams is averaging 13.5 targets per game in this span.
Houston Texans
David Johnson played on 81% of the Texans snaps in Week 1. In 2016 when he finished as fantasy’s RB1, Johnson had an 84% snap rate.
Will Fuller saw a monster 31% of the team’s targets and 50% of air yards in the opener.
Last year, Fuller saw a 20% target share and got 29% of the team’s air yards.
Indianapolis Colts
T.Y. Hilton and Parris Campbell both saw very similar levels of usage in Week 1. Both had 9 targets and saw 37% of Colts’ air yards.
Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines split snaps evenly in the second half of Week 1 after Marlon Mack (Achilles) was ruled out. (Both backs played 20 snaps).
Taylor had 10 carries while Hines had just 2 in the second half.
Jacksonville Jaguars
James Robinson played on 68% of Jaguars snaps, which led all rookie running backs in Week 1. (Clyde Edwards-Helaire was second a 67%).
Laviska Shenault was third on the team in routes (18) behind Keelan Cole (22) and D.J. Chark (27).
Kansas City Chiefs
Even though he didn’t see a target, Clyde Edwards-Helaire still easily out-snapped Darrel Williams on passing downs (18 to 11).
CEH’s 25 carries ranks sixth-most all-time in a rookie's first game while his 138 yards ranks third-most.
Mecole Hardman was on the field for just 29% of Kansas City’s snaps in the opener, well behind Robinson (48%), Watkins (80%), and Hill (86%).
Las Vegas Raiders
Josh Jacobs set career-highs in snaps (78%), routes (18), and targets (6) in Week 1.
Jacobs ran more routes than Joe Mixon, Dalvin Cook, and Todd Gurley in the opener.
Jacobs led all running backs in broken tackles forced with 8 (per SIS).
Just four of Derek Carr’s 30 pass attempts traveled 15 or more yards in the air in Week 1 (13%). Three of these looks went to Henry Ruggs.
Los Angeles Chargers
Austin Ekeler’s 19 carries in Week 1 were a career-high.
Even though he only caught one pass, Ekeler still ran 22 routes in Week 1. For reference, Alvin Kamara ran 25 (per PFF).
Mike Williams led the team in both targets (9) and air yards (45% share) in the opener. He faces the Chiefs and Panthers next.
Los Angeles Rams
Malcolm Brown was on the field on 60% of the Rams snaps in Week 1 while Cam Akers was at 33%.
Brown also out-snapped Akers on passing downs (21 to 10).
Over their last eight games played together, Robert Woods has out-targeted Cooper Kupp 87 to 49.
Miami Dolphins
- Myles Gaskin led the Dolphins in snaps (39) over Matt Breida (14) and Jordan Howard (9).
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings ran 49 plays in the opener, which was the fewest among all teams.
Adam Thielen got a 32% target share and saw 54% of the Vikings air yards in Week 1. Both of these figures ranked top-6 among wide receivers.
New England Patriots
The Patriots went 63% run-heavy on first and second downs, which was the highest rate of Week 1.
The Patriots used play-action on 41% of Cam Newton’s dropbacks, which ranked as the third-highest rate of Week 1.
14 of Newton’s 15 carries in his Patriots debut were designed runs, per PFF.
New Orleans Saints
Michael Thomas’ 17 yards in Week 1 were the second-lowest total of his career.
Alvin Kamara has seen at least 16 opportunities (carries + targets) in 14 of his last 16 games.
New York Giants
Saquon Barkley just became the sixth running back since the merger to have fewer than 10 rushing yards on 15 or more carries. Interestingly, Emmitt Smith and LaDainian Tomlinson are also both on this list.
Daniel Jones has rushed for at least 20 yards in eight of his 13 career starts so far.
Unfortunately, Jones has at least one turnover in 12-of-13 starts as well.
New York Jets
Over his last three games against the Bills, Jamison Crowder has gone for 14/99, 8/66/1, and 7/115/1 on a combined 40 targets.
For some reason, Chris Herndon ran a route on just 22 of Sam Darnold’s 41 routes.
The Jets have just 25 total first-half scores (TDs + field goals) since the start of 2019 -- which is tied with the Bears for the fewest in the NFL.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles went with a full rotation at wide receiver in Week 1. Their snap rates were: Jalen Reagor (59%), DeSean Jackson (54%), Greg Ward (44%), and JJ Arcega-Whiteside (41%). Note that Alshon Jeffery didn’t play.
Carson Wentz was under pressure on 40% of his dropbacks, which was the 5th-highest rate of Week 1.
Pittsburgh Steelers
After James Conner (ankle) was sidelined for the game, Benny Snell handled 16 of the Steelers 17 carries.
JuJu Smith-Schuster has eclipsed 60 yards or scored a touchdown in 15 of Ben Roethlisberger’s last 18 full starts dating back to 2018.
Despite making a few mental errors, Diontae Johnson led the Steelers in targets (9) and air yards (30% share).
Smith-Schuster was on the field for all 36 of Roethlisberger’s dropbacks in Week 1 while Johnson was second on the team in routes (34).
San Francisco 49ers
Tevin Coleman’s snaps (sickle cell) were likely limited because of poor air quality in San Francisco, but it appears Jerick McKinnon has already carved out a role as a receiver. McKinnon ran 14 routes in Week 1 while Raheem Mostert ran 17 (per PFF).
After hyper-extending his knee near the end of the first half, George Kittle didn’t see a single target in the second half of Week 1.
Seattle Seahawks
Is Seattle actually going to Let Russ Cook this year? Seattle went 60% pass-heavy on first and second downs, which was the sixth-highest passing rate of Week 1.
Last year, Seattle was 51% run-heavy on first and second downs.
Since 2017, Russell Wilson has averaged 27.8 fantasy points per game when he has at least 35 pass attempts. (Wilson threw it 35 times in Week 1).
Lamar Jackson averaged 27.7 fantasy points per game last season.
Chris Carson obviously had the two rushing scores, but it is notable that he and Carlos Hyde split snaps nearly evenly (28 to 21 in favor of Carson).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Ronald Jones out-snapped Leonard Fournette 33 to 9 in the opener. LeSean McCoy also played 25 snaps. This is going to turn into a gross three-man committee once Fournette is up to speed in a few weeks.
Brady targeted 10 different Bucs’ receivers in Week 1.
Tennessee Titans
Derrick Henry ran 22 routes in the Titans opener, which was a new career-high.
Over his last 10 games, Henry has averaged a ridiculous 25.3 carries per contest.
Obviously, the box score was disappointing (5/39), A.J. Brown still saw eight targets and just barely missed out on a touchdown on an end-zone fade to close out the game. He gets the Jaguars and Vikings secondaries next. Buy low if you can.
Washington
Per PFF, J.D. McKissic ran 21 pass routes while Antonio Gibson ran just 8.
Gibson didn’t play a single snap on third-down, either.
Per SIS, Dwayne Haskins had 11 attempts of 10 or more yards downfield in Week 1. Just 3 were charted as on target.
