The Utilization Report. Everything You Need For Fantasy Football In Week 11.

Volume is king in fantasy football, and this report will help you understand which players are due more or less according to their roles. Based on historical data tied to metrics we know drive volume, it is a great way to understand who is over-performing (sell high) and underperforming (buy low).

• 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 run (TPRR) thresholds
• Receivers: Which receivers are in the most routes and operating broadly within the offense

1. Kyler Murray returned to action and looked healthy.

In his first game since January ACL surgery, Murray scrambled around like his old self and delivered 18 fantasy points. He handled four designed runs (17%) for 13 yards and scrambled twice (6%) for 20 yards. 

It is a small sample, but those numbers align with Murray’s 15% and 6% career averages. Clayton Tune stole a QB sneak attempt at the goal line, but Murray also had one rushing attempt that he converted into a TD inside the five-yard line.

The fifth-year QB was a little rusty in the passing attack with a 59% completion rate, but that should improve with time — he has never completed less than 69% of his passes in a season. Despite the accuracy woes, it was still the Cardinals' second-best passing yardage output (249) and YPA (7.8) of the season.

It is hard to know if the Cardinals will stick with Murray if he continues to help them win games since the 2023 season is over, and they want a good draft pick. However, his rest-of-season schedule is enticing, with only one tough matchup remaining based on our DvP tool:

• Week 11 – Texans: 17.8 (21st)
• Week 12 – Rams: 16.2 (18th)
• Week 13 – Steelers: 14.4 (13th)
• Week 14 – Bye
• Week 15 – 49ers: 10.6 (2nd)
• Week 16 – Bears: 20.7 (32nd)
• Week 17 – Eagles: 20.0 (28th)

If Murray is still in the lineup come Week 16 and 17, he could pop for huge totals during the fantasy playoffs. The Cardinals have a borderline WR1 profile in Marquise Brown, who earns targets and offers big-play upside, plus Trey McBride has emerged as one of the best young TEs in the game — Murray has enough weaponry to make noise.

Finding QBs that can throw for 300-plus yards and run for 50-plus isn’t easy, making Murray a high-upside option the rest of the way. He has averaged at least 18 points every season and has reached 22 or higher twice, and it looks like the latter is within his range of outcomes, given how well he moved in Week 10.

Outlook: Murray UPGRADES to low-end QB1 status and has high-end QB1 upside.

2. Jahmyr Gibbs wasn’t pushed aside in David Montgomery’s return.

Gibbs exploded for 220 yards and two TDs rushing and 95 yards receiving on 14 grabs with Montgomery out of the lineup for two weeks — and the Lions' coaching must have taken note. 

In previous games with a healthy Montgomery, Gibbs’ season highs were 38% of snaps, 21% of attempts and 45% route participation. He crushed those numbers in Week 10 at 58%, 45% and 64%.

From a rushing perspective, the two rotated every series. We could easily see attempts flip depending on who gets the longer drives (Montgomery had a 75-yard TD run). However, Gibbs rotated in to steal routes on every drive except two.

And perhaps most importantly, Gibbs saw work inside the five-yard line — he had two attempts that went for TDs. Previously, all of those looks had gone to Montgomery, who also had two carries inside the five.

It was Montgomery’s first game back from injury, so we don’t want to overreact on a small sample, but at a minimum, it appears the workload will be distributed more evenly. If Gibbs maintains most of the passing-down work — which makes sense given his No. 3 ranked TPRR (24%) for backs with at least 200 snaps — he could push for a top-six fantasy finish down the stretch. We saw Alvin Kamara post a top-three finish as a rookie despite a strong season from Mark Ingram.

Montgomery remains a strong fantasy play, but the upside of a 32-attempt game like Week 4 is likely a thing of the past. If Gibbs retains a significant portion of the passing-down work, Montgomery will become more TD and game-script-dependent.

Outlook: Gibbs UPGRADES to low-end RB1 status and Montgomery downgrades to high-end RB2 status.

3. Jonathan Taylor dominated the Colts backfield again.

Over the last two games, Taylor has 47 combined attempts and targets versus only eight for Zack Moss. Taylor rarely left the field in Week 10, playing 89% of the snaps.

Unfortunately, the inefficiency challenges continued, with Taylor averaging only 3.0 yards per carry on his 23 totes. A rushing TD got the fourth-year back to 15 points, saving the day for fantasy managers.

However, even if we factor in heavy inefficiency, Taylor’s comp group based on the last 12 years is still strong. The average finish is RB12 with 15.4 points per game.

Outlook: Taylor UPGRADES to low-end RB1 territory and offers high-end RB1 upside if his efficiency rebounds.

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4. James Conner reclaimed his role as the top RB in Arizona.

Conner missed the last four games with a knee injury but returned to action in Week 10 against the Falcons and stepped back into the lead role with 16 attempts for 73 yards. The veteran RB garnered a 63% snap share and bogarted 67% of the rushing attempts.

Conner hasn’t seen the high-end usage in the passing game like in past seasons, and that continued with only a 36% route participation despite Emari Demarcado missing the game. However, he did take all seven snaps in the two-minute offense, so there is a chance he will get more passing-down work in the future.

For Conner to make fantasy noise, he needs those valuable passing downs. Excluding Week 1, when he was in a full-time role, and Week 5, when he was injured, he has only averaged one target per game. Based on the last 12 years of data, the average finish for an RB with his profile is RB28 with 11.6 points per game.

Outlook: Conner is a game-script-dependent, low-end RB2 with RB1 upside if he regains passing-down work.

5. Is Arthur Smith caving on Bijan Robinson?

First, the fans and fantasy community pushed Smith to bench Desmond Ridder (although he will never admit it), and now it appears he could be tired of all the Robinson utilization questions.

The No. 8 NFL draft pick handled a season-high 22 rushing attempts versus only nine for Tyler Allgeier against the Cardinals. Robinson also continued to dominate route participation (85%) and snuck in a carry inside the five-yard line — and scored. After failing to register a top-12 finish over the last five contests, Robinson got off the schneid with an 18-point performance.

Nov 12, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) scores a touchdown in the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

However, from a utilization standpoint, we saw similar outings in Weeks 3 and 4 before Arthur gave us the good ole’ rug pull.

Robinson’s Week 10 utilization is encouraging, but we need another strong data point to upgrade his rest-of-season outlook back to RB1 status. However, we can’t always wait for the following data point before making our move — if he has another strong utilization outing, the price will increase.

Atlanta gets a tough rushing matchup against the Saints in Week 12 coming out of the bye, but after that, their schedule is juicy with tilts against the Jets, Panthers, Colts and Bears over the final five games. Robinson carries risk but offers league-winning upside if this role sticks.

Outlook: Robinson UPGRADES to high-end RB2 territory and offers league-winning upside if his Week 10 utilization becomes the new norm.

6. Devin Singletary finally got the Houston running game going.

Singletary dominated the Texans backfield with Dameon Pierce out again, toting the rock a whopping 30 times for 150 yards and one TD. The veteran back also logged two targets, catching one for 11 yards.

Singletary’s utilization started trending up in Week 6 when he forced a split with Pierce –— meaning there is a better than 0% chance that he retains a lead role even once Pierce is healthy. With the Texans’ offense looking like a healthy environment for scoring TDs, that could be a lucrative role for fantasy.

The Texans convert 43% of their drives into points, which ranks sixth, but only 21% of their scores come via TDs. There is a lot of meat left on the bone if this running game starts punching in more TDs.

FAAB recommendation: 20-30%

Outlook: Singletary is a mid-range RB2 with upside until Pierce returns.

QB Utilization Bytes:

• Dak Prescott: Prescott is on an absolute heater, averaging 339 passing yards and 29.8 fantasy points over the last four games. Since the bye week, the Cowboys have made CeeDee Lamb the centerpiece of their offense, and now Jake Ferguson and Brandin Cooks are stepping up as secondary options. Dallas has a schedule full of good matchups or games that should carry high point totals after their Week 11 tilt against the Panthers. Prescott looks like a mid-range QB1 the rest of the way.

RB Utilization Bytes:

• Aaron Jones: Jones disappointed fantasy managers with only nine but retained the same workload we saw in Week 9. Jones is a mid-range RB2.
   
• Austin Ekeler: Ekeler has three consecutive top-five finishes with 25, 21 and 22 fantasy points and is quietly taking on a more significant workload on the ground. Over the last three seasons, the veteran RB has averaged 12.2 attempts per game. That number has climbed to 15.3 in 2023, and the veteran RB has accounted for 75% of the carries inside the five-yard line. Ekeler is locked in as a top-three RB the rest of the way.
   
• Brian Robinson: Robinson erupted for 28 fantasy points despite only eight carries for 38 yards. He did most of his damage through the air, converting six targets into six receptions for 119 yards and a TD. His 43% route participation tied a season-high, and the second-year back has taken almost half of the snaps in the two-minute offense over the last two games. The Commanders have a lot of weapons to feed in the passing game, making this feel fluky, but there is a chance Robinson retains his slightly larger role in the passing game after this performance. Robinson remains a low-end RB2 for now.
   
• Chuba Hubbard: Hubbard’s snaps fell from 65% to 47% as he lost much of the passing down work. He still dominated attempts (69%), but his route participation hit a four-week low at 30%, with Miles Sanders in an increased role. We are now dealing with a volume-dependent back on a team that can’t hold a lead. Hubbard DOWNGRADES to high-end RB3 status.
   
• Keaton Mitchell: The undrafted rookie out of East Carolina remained in a limited role with only a 22% snap share but maximized his touches. Mitchell’s angle-eliminating speed was on full display once again on a 39-yard TD, and he just missed a TD on a deep pass from Lamar Jackson. The rookie was questionable heading into the game with a hamstring injury, and we didn’t see him much in the second half. Mitchell remains a boom-bust RB4 with RB2 upside if he can carve out more playing time — he is a priority waiver wire option that shouldn’t be available in 53% of leagues.
   
• Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet: Charbonnet once again took all of the LDD and two-minute snaps, while Walker was the lead option on early downs, handling 76% of the rushing attempts. It appears like this trend is here to stay. Walker remains a high-end RB2 but is game-script-dependent. Charbonnet UPGRADES to low-end RB3 status. 
   
• Miles Sanders: After Frank Reich told us he saw Sanders and Hubbard as more of a rotation, the veteran RB saw an uptick in snaps from 25% to 40%. Sanders saw his highest route participation (43%) since Week 4 but remained uninvolved in the ground attack with only 15% of the attempts. Sanders remains an RB5 but could regain control of the backfield, given his contract and Hubbard’s struggles.
   
• Travis Etienne: Coming out of the bye, Etienne saw his lowest snap share of the season (63%) in a blowout loss to the 49ers. While game conditions might have been a factor, the third-year back was at 65% at half-time. D’Ernest Johnson saw season-highs in snaps (20%) and route participation (21%). Etienne remains locked in as a top-six RB, but Johnson’s role is worth monitoring. 
   
• Tony Pollard: Despite a game script and matchup that should set up an RB for success, Pollard struggled against the Giants. He has RB41, RB25 and RB36 finishes over the last three games as the Cowboys continue to cap his workload. Those 33 and 26 opportunity games in Weeks 2 and 3 feel like a million years ago. On a positive note, Pollard has accounted for 65% of the attempts inside the five-yard line and is due for TD regression. Pollard remains a mid-range RB2 with RB1 upside if he can turn things around, given how well the Cowboys offense is playing.

WR Utilization Bytes:

• Adam Thielen: The veteran WR only managed 10 fantasy points but led the team with nine targets (27%). The Panthers' passing attack only averages 214 yards per game (22nd), but Thielen is the only game in town. Thielen is a high-end WR2 and a solid BUY-LOW target.
   
• Brandin Cooks: Cooks exploded with nine receptions for 173 yards and a TD on 10 targets against the Giants. He has three receiving TDs in the last four games. However, he only had a 68% route participation before the Cowboys pulled their starters in the fourth quarter. The 30-year-old now sits at 67% route participation on the season and has reached 80% in only four games. While he accounted for 23% targets in Week 10, he is at 14% for the year, and his 16% TPRR is at a career-low. Cooks UPGRADES to WR4-territory thanks to his career pedigree and a Cowboys attack that is vibing — he is worth a 15 to 25% waiver wire bid but has plenty of flop potential.
   
• Chris Olave: After Derek Carr exited the game with concussion and shoulder injuries, Olave went nuts with Jameis Winston. Olave registered a 35% (8) target share and 52% air yards share on his way to 18.9 fantasy points. Olave remains a mid-range WR2, but we could see more upside if Winston has to start in Week 12 after the bye.
   
• Davante Adams: Adams registered an eye-popping 48% target share against a tough Jets defense but could only register 15 fantasy points. The Raiders could struggle to reach 200 yards passing per game with Aidan O’Connell under center. With Jakobi Meyers also vying for targets, it’s getting hard to ignore Adams’ lack of a top-12 finish since Week 3. Adams DOWNGRADES to mid-range WR2 status.
   
• D.J. Moore: Moore has WR44, WR34 and WR30 finishes over the last three contests but should get Justin Fields back in Week 11. While his 20 points per game (PPG) with Fields was never sustainable, Moore isn’t the 10.5 PPG player we have seen with Tyson Bagent. Moore is a low-end WR2 when Fields returns and offers WR1 boom potential, making him a great BUY-LOW option.
   
• Elijah Moore: Moore scored a season-high 15 points in Week 10. In a different simulation, the third-year WR might have been a WR3 in fantasy this season, but the runout has been brutal. Deshaun Watson has only played five full games and hasn’t been good, leading to the sixth-worst passing offense (207 yards per game). That isn’t enough when Amari Cooper and David Njoku are eating part of the pie. If Watson can find his old magic, Moore could become relevant, but that is a longshot — Moore remains a low-end WR5.
   
• Jalen Guyton: Guyton has 73% and 85% route participation marks over the last two games with Joshua Palmer on IR. Guyton scored 14 fantasy points in Week 10 with a 15% target share. The veteran WR hasn’t ever been a high-end target earner, but the Chargers are a pass-first operation, so he could walk into a spike game. Guyton is UPGRADES to WR5 status.
   
• Jakobi Meyers: It’s hard to imagine the Raiders becoming more than 200-yard-per-game passing attack with Aidan O’Connell. That makes life tough for Meyers, with Davante Adams also fighting for targets. Meyers DOWNGRADES to mid-range WR3 status.
   
• Jayden Reed: Reed had his second-highest fantasy outing with 19 points. However, he has crested a 70% route participation only twice this year and resides in a volatile passing attack with Jordan Love at the helm. Reed remains a WR5 until he gets more playing time.
   
• JuJu Smith-Schuster: Smith-Schuster only scored two fantasy points in Week 10, but he registered a 100% route participation. This was a huge jump from the 41% we saw in Week 9. There isn’t much to like in this passing attack, but JJSS could be a top option after the Week 11 bye. Smith-Schuster UPGRADES to WR6 stash status in deep leagues.
   
• Marquise Brown: Brown never left the field in Week 10 but was the forgotten man with only three targets in Murray’s return. The Cardinals reached their second-highest passing yardage total of the season in Murray’s first game, and the passing schedule is favorable through the fantasy playoffs. That means Brown’s Week 10 dud gives us one last chance to make a trade. Brown remains a mid-range WR2 and is a BUY-LOW candidate.
   
• Michael Wilson: Wilson hasn’t been a high-end target earner (14% TPRR), but his 48.3 receiving yards per game ranks 49th among all pass catchers. With Murray back, the Cardinals’ pass catchers get a bump in the ROS ranks, and the rookie is no exception. Wilson UPGRADES to WR5 status.
   
• Odell Beckham Jr.: Beckham had one grab for 40 yards and a TD and looked like vintage OBJ. However, his route participation fell to a four-week low of 40%. Beckham remains a WR5 until he gets more consistent playing time.
   
• Rashid Shaheed: Michael Thomas suffered a knee injury that could force him to miss time after the bye. A.T. Perry took over most of the routes left behind by Thomas, but Shaheed saw the target share bump. That could open up more opportunities for Shaheed, who tied Chris Olave with a 23% (9) target share in Week 10. Shaheed UPGRADES to mid-range WR4 status if Thomas misses time.
   
• Rondale Moore: Moore tied for the team lead with nine targets in Murray’s first game back. He has a 75% route participation on the season — playing primarily in 11 personnel packages. Moore UPGRADES to WR5 status and could offer value similar to Curtis Samuel down the stretch.
   
• Rashod Bateman: Bateman saw a season-high 77% route participation and 20% target share, working as the No. 2 receiver behind Zay Flowers. Bateman UPGRADES to WR6 stash status.
   
• Tyler Boyd: With Tee Higgins out of the lineup (hamstring) and Ja’Marr Chase battling a back injury, Boyd led the team with a 31% target share on his way to 20 points. Boyd is a mid-range WR3 if Higgins misses more time.

TE Utilization Bytes:

• Trey McBride: The second-year TE has the second-highest TPRR (27%) out of all TEs with at least 150 routes — second behind only Travis Kelce. The only TEs since 2011 to post a 25% TPRR or better with at least 20 routes per game: Aaron Hernandez, Darren Waller, George Kittle, Delanie Walker, Jimmy Graham, Jordan Reed, Mark Andrews, Rob Gronkowski, Kelce and Zach Ertz. In McBride’s first game with Murray, he corralled nine targets (30%) to deliver eight receptions for 131 yards. At this point, it is hard to imagine Ertz returning to anything more than a reserve role when eligible to return in Week 12. But coaches do weird stuff, so we will monitor the situation. McBride UPGRADES to mid-range TE1 status and is a top-six option.