The Utilization Report. Fantasy Takeaways for the Divisional Round.
Volume is king in fantasy football, and this report will help you understand which players are due more or less according to their roles. It is a great way to know who is overperforming (sell high) and underperforming (buy low) based on historical data tied to metrics we know drive volume.
- Overall offense: Which teams are enabling winning volume and efficiency across game scripts
- Quarterbacks: How involved is each QB in the running game, and who is unlocking upside for their weapons
- Running backs: Which backs are handling early downs, short-yardage and passing downs
- Tight ends: Who is running enough routes and meeting critical targets per route thresholds
- Receivers: Which receivers are in the most routes and operating broadly within the offense
For this season, Fantasy Life has partnered with PFF to collaborate on the Utilization Report.
Get access to the full Utilization Report, all the data tables, and team-by-team analysis by subscribing to PFF+
Wild Card Weekend Takeaways
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QB – Daniel Jones
From Weeks 1 through 10, the Giants trailed on an average of 43% of plays by four-plus points. Yet, they opted to pass only 55%. Since Week 11, their average pass-play rate is 64% despite trailing less (36%).
Jones’ performance is a key component of the Giants’ willingness to throw the ball more since Week 11.
Time Frame | PFF Pass Grade | YPA | Comp % | Big Time Throw % |
Weeks 1 to 10 | 62.3 (22) | 6.7 (20) | 66% (12) | 0.8% (29) |
Weeks 11 to Wild Card | 79.9 (7) | 7.1 (12) | 69% (3) | 1.8% (19) |
The veteran signal-caller averaged 26.3 passing attempts through Week 10, but that jumped to 33.8 over his last eight games.
On Wild Card Weekend, the Giants deployed Jones in the designed-run department a season-high 42% of the time, well above his already solid 16% on the season.
When Jones clicks in both phases of the game, he carries high-end QB1 upside.
QB – Brock Purdy
Purdy averaged 257 yards and 2.5 TDs over the last four games after a 332-yard and three-TD eruption in the Wild Card round.
The rookie QB is surrounded by arguably the best skill-position weapons in the NFL, and Kyle Shanahan’s scheme keeps defenses guessing. This passing attack wins via efficiency – Purdy has an 8.0 YPA average – and has additional upside if forced to open things up.
There is always a chance much of the 49ers' scoring comes via the ground game, thanks to the fifth-highest rush rate inside the five-yard line (63%), but the seventh-round rookie still has outs thanks to the big-play nature of the offense.
Purdy profiles more like a low-end QB1 moving forward.
RB – Travis Etienne
Etienne shared more of the backfield than usual in Week 18, with JaMycal Hasty taking 48% of the snaps. However, in the first round of the playoffs, the Jaguars erased any doubts about Etienne’s status as an every-down workhorse.
| Week | Snaps | Rush Att | Routes | Targets | TPRR | SDD Snaps | i5 Att | LDD Snaps | 2MIN Snaps | PPR |
| 16 | 71% | 63% | 54% | 10% | 15% | 71% | 67% | 50% | 83% | 14.2 |
| 17 | 38% | 34% | 35% | 11% | 27% | 60% | 0% | 20% | 50% | 22.5 |
| 18 | 56% | 50% | 38% | 7% | 17% | 100% | 0% | 40% | 0% | 5.4 |
| 28 | 86% | 95% | 75% | 2% | 3% | 86% | 0% | 78% | 81% | 13.1 |
| YTD | 62% | 52% | 51% | 7% | 12% | 58% | 38% | 58% | 77% | 12.3 |
The former first-round selection handled 86% of snaps, 95% of rushing attempts, and posted a sweet 75% route participation. He regained the majority of LDD (78%) and two-minute work (81%).
Etienne is back to low-end RB1 status.
WR – Ja’Marr Chase
Chase has led the Bengals in target share every game since his return from injury in Week 13. Over that span, the second-year WR averaged a 34% target share, which is 16 percentage points ahead of Tee Higgins (18%).
We are still dealing with a limited sample size, but Chase now carries a 25% TPRR versus 19% for Higgins. The second-year phenom has ascended to clear No. 1 status for the Bengals, rather than a 1A/1B situation with Higgins.
Chase and Stefon Diggs are battling for the title of No. 1 WR remaining in the NFL playoffs.
WR – Deebo Samuel
Samuel has underperformed this season thanks to a crowded run-first attack and injuries, but his 28.5 fantasy points on Wild Card Weekend are a reminder of his upside.
The veteran WR dominated with a 36% target share and pitched in with three rushing attempts for 32 yards. For the season, he leads the team in TPRR (24%) and points per game (14.3).
Samuel has plenty of competition for targets in San Francisco – especially with Christian McCaffrey battling for looks underneath against zone coverage. However, his knack for spike weeks is undeniable, making him a boom-bust WR2 with WR1 overall potential on any given Sunday.
WR – Gabriel Davis
Davis has target shares of 24%, 32%, and 24% over the last three contests and came through with a top-five WR fantasy performance of 23.3 points on Wild Card Weekend.
The third-year WR had a similar run in the middle of the season, with 30%, 15%, 25%, and 28% target shares from Week 8 to Week 11, but subsequently fell off and was only able to register one top-30 WR performance. At this point, we must be careful chasing target share data for Davis – his 16% TPRR is in line with his historical rates, making him a tertiary weapon on most offenses.
| Week | Routes | TPRR | Targets | ADOT | Air Yards | EZ Tgts | 3rd/4th Down Targets | PA Targets | PPR |
| 1 | 100% | 13% | 16% | 16.4 | 36% | 0% | 50% | 40% | 18.8 |
| 3 | 96% | 9% | 11% | 11.0 | 20% | 33% | 7% | 17% | 6.7 |
| 4 | 98% | 7% | 9% | 8.3 | 11% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2.3 |
| 5 | 85% | 18% | 18% | 28.0 | 36% | 25% | 25% | 33% | 32.1 |
| 6 | 96% | 12% | 14% | 17.6 | 31% | 0% | 33% | 20% | 16.4 |
| 8 | 88% | 27% | 30% | 13.6 | 30% | 0% | 75% | 14% | 5.5 |
| 9 | 98% | 12% | 15% | 24.4 | 31% | 0% | 25% | 0% | 5.3 |
| 10 | 98% | 20% | 25% | 15.7 | 41% | 50% | 30% | 20% | 21.3 |
| 11 | 94% | 25% | 28% | 13.6 | 46% | 0% | 33% | 14% | 11.8 |
| 12 | 89% | 11% | 14% | 12.6 | 19% | 0% | 33% | 20% | 7.8 |
| 13 | 90% | 21% | 21% | 16.1 | 39% | 67% | 9% | 14% | 9.5 |
| 14 | 95% | 13% | 15% | 7.5 | 14% | 0% | 0% | 50% | 6.1 |
| 15 | 100% | 15% | 19% | 16.9 | 27% | 0% | 22% | 29% | 9.6 |
| 16 | 92% | 21% | 24% | 18.2 | 38% | 100% | 20% | 50% | 13.5 |
| 18 | 84% | 33% | 32% | 18.2 | 39% | 43% | 50% | 10% | 6.8 |
| 28 | 82% | 23% | 24% | 21.0 | 32% | 25% | 13% | 33% | 28.5 |
| YTD | 87% | 16% | 18% | 16.7 | 30% | 24% | 21% | 23% | 12.3 |
Perhaps the more notable trend we should care more about is the uptick in ADOT over the last four games, with 16.9, 18.2, 18.2, and 21.0 yards. With Josh Allen nursing an elbow injury, he registered an ADOT below 16.0 in four of five games after Week 9 (the week Allen was injured).
Davis remains a boom-bust WR3 profile, but the boom is back with more downfield targets.
WR – T.Y. Hilton
Hilton’s route participation has climbed each week since he arrived in Dallas, and in the Wild Card game, he surpassed Noah Brown as the No. 3 option with a 51% route participation.
His 25% TPRR is extremely impressive and is at a level Michael Gallup and Brown haven’t been able to accomplish. He still isn’t in an ideal role, but for those playing in postseason contests, some won’t know Hilton has ascended the depth chart.
The veteran WR is an ascending WR5 option.
TE – Dalton Schultz
Schultz is a name you are probably tired of hearing if you read much of my writing on a weekly basis. But I will write about him anyway because his underlying route participation and TPRR give him a shot to be the No. 1 TE on any fantasy slate.
The fifth-year TE struggled with an MCL injury early in the season, but since Week 13, his average route participation is 90% and his TPRR is 21%. He has three top-4 finishes and averages 13 points per game.
Schultz is a high-end TE1 with 25-point potential.
Downgrades
RB – Joe Mixon
Mixon makes the downgrade section of the Utilization Report in consecutive weeks due to a season-low route participation (24%), excluding games with injuries.
| Week | Snaps | Rush Att | Routes | Targets | TPRR | SDD Snaps | i5 Att | LDD Snaps | 2MIN Snaps | PPR |
| 1 | 73% | 93% | 56% | 16% | 21% | 88% | 100% | 13% | 73% | 21.5 |
| 2 | 75% | 83% | 52% | 13% | 17% | 100% | 0% | 24% | 71% | 11.3 |
| 3 | 66% | 44% | 63% | 18% | 24% | 60% | 100% | 23% | 100% | 6.8 |
| 4 | 83% | 85% | 59% | 13% | 19% | 100% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 17.4 |
| 5 | 70% | 67% | 52% | 10% | 15% | 78% | 0% | 9% | 30% | 11.8 |
| 6 | 72% | 67% | 58% | 15% | 21% | 67% | 0% | 14% | 0% | 16.8 |
| 7 | 72% | 81% | 53% | 8% | 13% | 70% | 50% | 29% | 0% | 18.1 |
| 8 | 72% | 80% | 63% | 25% | 32% | 67% | 0% | 22% | 78% | 12.9 |
| 9 | 65% | 56% | 40% | 14% | 29% | 85% | 75% | 25% | 60% | 55.1 |
| 11 | 21% | 29% | 17% | 9% | 43% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 9.2 |
| 14 | 58% | 61% | 43% | 7% | 13% | 67% | 0% | 13% | 0% | 12.6 |
| 15 | 64% | 52% | 44% | 16% | 32% | 25% | 100% | 38% | 0% | 10.5 |
| 16 | 58% | 62% | 41% | 18% | 41% | 88% | 0% | 17% | 8% | 17.8 |
| 17 | 75% | 0% | 60% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.0 |
| 18 | 55% | 55% | 48% | 13% | 23% | 71% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 17.8 |
| 28 | 45% | 69% | 24% | 13% | 36% | 40% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 8.6 |
| YTD | 56% | 55% | 43% | 12% | 24% | 63% | 58% | 14% | 35% | 16.5 |
Samaje Perine has 38%, 43%, and 50% marks over the last three games and actually out-snapped Mixon 53% to 45% in the Wild Card game.
The 26-year-old Mixon remains the lead option on the ground (69%), but he is looking more and more like a game-script-sensitive back on a team that wants passing to be its identity. The Bengals are the most pass-heavy offense in close game scripts and are No. 4 in first-down pass rate on plays when the score is within three points in regulation play.
Mixon is a high-end RB2 but is becoming more and more TD dependent.
Monitoring
RB – Bills Committee
Devin Singletary regained the lead role from a snap standpoint (55%), but James Cook held onto the lead role on the ground, with 50% of the attempts. Singletary was also the top option on passing downs, with Nyheim Hines stealing a few opportunities.
Cook has now led the way in rush share two games in a row, but hasn’t distanced himself far enough from Singletary to upgrade our confidence level.
WR – Marvin Jones Jr.
In win-or-go-home mode, Jones saw his highest route participation (91%) since Week 4. It is possible the team will remove any snap count restrictions for Jones the rest of the way.
The veteran WR has taken a step back in TPRR (16%) and YPRR (1.07) this season – both his lowest marks since his rookie season, so we have to hold expectations in check. However, if his route participation sticks, he is a more interesting option in DFS as a punt play or WR5 in best ball heading into the Divisional Round.
Get access to the full Utilization Report, all the data tables, and team-by-team analysis by subscribing to PFF+
Data notes and acronyms:
- 1st/2nd = First and second downs
- LDD = long down and distance (third and fourth down with three or more yards to go)
- SDD = short down and distance (second, third and fourth down with two or fewer yards to go)
- i5 = inside the five-yard line
- 2MIN = two-minute offense (hurry-up offense)
- Close = score within three points
- Lead = leading by four points or more
- Trail = trailing by four points or more
- Plays = penalties included for utilization splits and rates
- Pass Play = all dropbacks (i.e., attempts, sacks and scrambles)
- ADOT = average depth of target
- Air Yards = ADOT multiplied by targets
- TTT = average time to throw
- PA = play action
- PA Targets = percentage of player's targets that came using play action
- Fantasy finishes = through Sunday night game
- YPRR = yards per route run
- TPRR = targets per route run
- EZ = end zone
- TOP = Time of possession
- Pass vs. Run Splits = based on the percentage of time a team throws or passes
- FAB = Free agent budget (based on home leagues; adjust percentages in more competitive formats)
