It was another wild week in the NFL. Bryce Young scored over 30 fantasy points and threw for 448 yards (130 of them went to Tetairoa McMillan and 83 to Xavier Legette), three touchdowns and no interceptions against the Atlanta Falcons. Bijan Robinson rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns in the game. Josh Allen accounted for six touchdowns for the Bills and led the league in fantasy points in a bounce-back win over Tampa Bay in Week 11.

While the Bucs lost, Sean Tucker broke out in a big way. TreVeyon Henderson may have solidified himself as the Pats’ lead back, and Christian McCaffrey continues to rack up PPR points. Kenneth Gainwell stepped up for Pittsburgh after Jaylen Warren left the game, and Aaron Rodgers reportedly sustained a left wrist fracture. Backup quarterback Davis Mills has won two straight for the Texans, and the Chargers collapsed against Jacksonville. And that’s only a taste of Week 11 action.

But here, we discuss the data behind the results, shocks, surprises, stalwarts — touches, air yards, team target percentage and more — the predictive stats that can show how often a player is being utilized by his NFL team to get ahead of future trends. Broken down by skill position, this report analyzes the meaningful metrics that can help you with the waiver wire, start/sit decisions and much more. We’ve included the full usage report for additional research in each positional breakdown.

Let’s get to it!

Stats are via TruMedia unless otherwise stated. Players must be rostered at or under 50% on Yahoo for waiver-wire and streaming consideration. 

* Denotes a suggested waiver wire addition or streamer for the coming week.

Quarterbacks

The top-five quarterbacks in Week 11 were Josh Allen, Bryce Young, Dak Prescott, Jacoby Brissett and Justin Fields. Who could’ve predicted that lineup? Allen heroically led the Bills past the Bucs. Young proved that he may be better than past performance, while the Falcons proved they need to shore up their defense. Prescott led the Cowboys to a win on Monday Night Football, and Brissett broke the NFL record for pass completions with 47. Fields played as expected — terribly among a broken offense, but secured fantasy points with his legs. While a top-five finish may matter to fantasy managers, going 15-for-26 with 4.5 yards per attempt won’t cut it, and Fields has been benched by head coach Aaron Glenn.

Spotlight
Michael Penix, *Kirk Cousins, ATL | 7.2, 4.8 Yards Per Attempt (YPA): Michael Penix may miss the rest of the season after sustaining a knee injury against Carolina, which means Kirk Cousins (1% rostered) will take over starting duties. While the Falcons are 3-7 and Penix hasn’t been particularly “good,” his underlying metrics in 2025-26 are in most ways better than Cousins’, though the latter hasn’t seen as much run or work with the first team in practice. Cousins has started one game and subbed in for two. In those games, he’s only passed for 4.8 yards per attempt, the lowest mark in the league, below Dillon Gabriel, Tyrod Taylor, Cooper Rush and Cam Ward. Cousins’ passer rating (73.4) is over 10 points lower than Penix’s (88.5), and the veteran’s expected points added per dropback (EPA/DB) of -0.17 is lower than the second-year QB’s already dismal 0.0 mark. However, Cousins does have lower sacked and pressured percentages because he has a quicker release; his completion percentage of 61.5 is higher than Penix’s 60.1, and Cousins throws fewer off-target passes. In 2024, Cousins completed 66.9% of passes with 7.7 yards per attempt, a passer rating of 88.6, and an EPA of 0.05, which puts him slightly above Penix in underlying metrics. If he can return to his previous form, Cousins could perform better than Penix, but if not, there’s no upgrade here for receivers. However, he does get the Saints in Week 12, who are ranked 27th in completion percentage against, 23rd in yards per attempt against and 26th in passer rating against. So, he could be a decent streaming option, though he’ll be without his No. 1 receiver, Drake London. TE Kyle Pitts might benefit the most, and perhaps Darnell Mooney, if he can create chemistry with Cousins that he didn’t have with Penix.
Additional usage notes
*Tyrod Taylor, NYJ | 36 Pass Attempts in Last Start (Week 3): The Jets have officially benched Justin Fields, and Taylor (1% rostered) will be under center in Week 12. Because Garrett Wilson is injured, TE Mason Taylor is the primary beneficiary of Fields’ benching. Taylor doesn’t use his legs like Fields, so his fantasy floor is lower, but he passes more, which will benefit Adonai Mitchell and John Metchie, though neither is a starter. In Week 3, when Tyrod Taylor started, he attempted 36 passes. Since Week 6, Fields has averaged 19.6 attempts per game. Taylor gets the Ravens in Week 12, who surrender 232.6 passing yards per game (24th) and average only 1.5 sacks per game (28th). He’s not a primary streaming option, but it’s not the worst matchup for desperate deep-leaguers.
*Jacoby Brissett, ARI | 57 pass attempts in Week 11: Brissett (35% rostered) set the league record for completions (47) and did so on 57 attempts, which amounts to an 82.5 completion percentage — phenomenal. Somehow, two of his 10 misses went for interceptions, and the Cardinals lost 41-22. Still, he passed for 452 yards with a healthy 7.9 yards per attempt and helped all Arizona pass catchers cash in. In Week 12, this prolific passer gets Jacksonville. Stream him.
Brock Purdy, SF | 0.0 Off-Target Passes (OffTgt%); 133.5 Passer Rating in Week 11: Purdy was incredibly efficient in his return from injury. He completed 19 of 26 passes, none of them off target, for 200 yards and three touchdowns, and he finished as fantasy’s QB6 with 19.3 points. Purdy can be started against Carolina’s middle-of-the-pack defense in Week 12, especially with a healthy Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall and George Kittle.
*Bryce Young, CAR | 448 Passing Yards in Week 11: Young (13% rostered) tore apart Atlanta’s defense in Week 11, going 31-for-45 with 448 yards passing and three touchdowns. Tetairoa McMillan displayed his extraterrestrial potential, and Xavier Legette benefited as well. In Week 12, Young will face a 49ers defense ranked 28th in passer rating allowed and passing yards allowed, 29th in Comp% allowed, second-to-last in TD/INT allowed and last in sacks per game.
Running backs

Sean Tucker, TreVeyon Henderson and Kenneth Gainwell were top-five fantasy RBs this week, along with mainstays Christian McCaffrey and Bijan Robinson. Tucker broke out in a big way in Week 11, while Henderson benefited from another Rhamondre Stevenson absence. Surely he’s done enough to get New England’s backfield touches by now. Right, Mike Vrabel? Gainwell’s big week came when Jaylen Warren exited the game with an ankle injury. Most of Gainwell’s fantasy points came via receptions out of the backfield.

Spotlight
*Sean Tucker, TB | 34.0 PPR points; 4 red zone touches in Week 11: Tucker’s breakout game in Week 12 may have secured him a spot in Tampa Bay’s backfield, even after Bucky Irving returns. With three touchdowns and 140 total yards, Tucker (27% rostered) finished as fantasy’s RB2 in Week 11, behind only Christian McCaffrey, while facing a loaded box 42.1% of the time. He also finished fourth in yards before contact per rush (3.21), had 5.6 yards per rush and saw four red zone touches (tied for 12th with Bijan Robinson). His 0.11 EPA per rush, 15.8% of rush attempts for zero or negative yards and 2.37 yards after contact per rush were not particularly impressive, and the Bills’ rush defense has allowed 5.4 yards per carry and has a defensive rush EPA of -24.1, both of which rank second-to-last in the NFL. Still, he has good patience, lateral quickness and is incredibly athletic. NFL Next Gen Stats ranked his athleticism second among the RBs in the 2023 draft class.
Week 11 usage notes
*Emanuel Wilson, GB | 70.6 Offensive Snap Percentage (OffSnap%): Wilson (8% rostered) ranked 12th among RBs in offensive snap percentage in Week 11 and saw 11 carries after Josh Jacobs left the game due to injury. Jacobs’ injury isn’t significant and won’t require surgery, but if he misses any time, Wilson is the RB to roster. While he wasn’t particularly efficient (0.91 yards before contact per rush, -0.02 EPA/rush), he could see bell-cow snap and touch percentages if Jacobs sits.
*Kenneth Gainwell, PIT | 8 targets: Jaylen Warren left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, but he seems confident he won’t miss time. However, Gainwell (33% rostered) had 16 touches, seven receptions, 81 yards receiving and two receiving touchdowns with Warren out. His 2.7 yards per rush can’t compare to Warren’s 6.2, but Gainwell could stay more involved in the passing game if Pittsburgh pulls back on Warren’s usage following the injury.
*Devin Singletary, NYG | 10 red zone touches: Singletary’s 10 red zone touches led the league in Week 11, yet he is rostered in only 21% of leagues. He’s the goal-line back for the Giants and secured 45.7% of RB rushes (and 42.5% of RB touches) in Week 11. This backfield is nearly an even split, and Singletary can be flexed most weeks for those with injury-riddled rosters.
TreVeyon Henderson, NE | 90.3 OffSnap%: Henderson finished with the highest snap percentage among all RBs in Week 11. Without Rhamondre Stevenson, Henderson once again made his lead-back case. Facing a loaded box 52.6% of the time, Henderson still had two rushing TDs and a receiving score with eight red zone touches (behind only Devin Singletary and Travis Etienne). He also secured 15.2% of team targets and scored 32.3 PPR points. Even if Stevenson returns, Henderson can be an RB2 in Week 12 against the Bengals, who allow 5.2 yards per rush (30th), 1.2 rushing TDs per game (26th) and have a defensive EPA of -2.40 (30th). If Stevenson sits, Henderson enters the RB1 conversation.
Wide receivers

Arizona’s Michael Wilson, rookie Tetairoa McMillan, George Pickens, Nico Collins and Deebo Samuel were the top-five fantasy WRs in Week 11 — a lineup not even the most talented fantasy analyst could have forecasted. Christian Watson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba tied for sixth, while Jameson Williams and Buffalo’s Tyrell Shavers found themselves inside the top-10. Justin Jefferson was WR26 with a lowly -0.66 EPA per target, while Ja’Marr Chase was WR56 with 25.6% of team targets. It was a weird week.

Spotlight
Tetairoa McMillan, CAR | 33 PPR Points, 27.3 Team Target Percentage (TeamTgt%) in Week 11: McMillan is the real deal. Congratulations to anyone who drafted him in dynasty. He tied with Michael Wilson (WR1 in Week 11) for the most routes, was targeted 12 times (tied for second) and was responsible for seven first downs (tied for fourth). He also secured over a quarter of the team’s targets for 130 yards and was targeted four times in the red zone (and twice in the end zone), which led to two receiving touchdowns. Imagine McMillan’s fantasy point average if Bryce Young played as well as he did in Week 11 every week. The Panthers’ No. 1 WR is averaging 13.89 PPR points in an offense that has scored 16 points or less in six games. His average team target share is 26.9%, and he’s run over 45 routes twice. He’s the most utilized pass catcher in Carolina’s offense and finally achieved his fantasy ceiling this week. The Panthers’ Week 12 matchup against the 49ers won’t be quite so easy, and Young is likely to return to earth, as he’s wont to do, but I doubt many managers will have him on their benches. He’s still a little of a boom-or-bust due to Carolina’s offensive struggles. But he’s more boom than bust.
Week 11 usage notes
*Michael Wilson, ARI | 33.5 PPR points, 32.1 TeamTgt%: Wilson (48% rostered) was fantasy’s WR1 without Marvin Harrison on the field, but keep in mind that Jacoby Brissett set an NFL record for completions in Week 11. Without such a pass-heavy game plan, it will be hard for Wilson to repeat his performance. Still, he’s an obvious waiver wire target and streaming option ahead of the Cardinals’ Week 12 matchup with the Jags.
*Christian Watson, GB | 20.0 TeamTgt%: Since his return from injury, Watson (35% rostered) has been an integral part of Green Bay’s game plan. But the Packers spread the ball a ton, and Jordan Love hasn’t been particularly consistent. For the first time, Watson reached a 20% team target share, scoring two TDs and 20.6 PPR points. Romeo Doubs and Watson have emerged as Love’s primary targets. Green Bay could be without Josh Jacobs against a stout Minnesota rush defense, so Love could be forced to pass more. Add and stream Watson as a flex.
Jakobi Meyers, JAX | 27.3 TeamTgt%: Meyers operated as Jacksonville’s No. 1 WR without Brian Thomas on the field in Week 11, securing 27.3% of team targets with one target of 20+ yards. If Thomas returns, Meyers could return to the No. 2 role, but Thomas has struggled with drops this season, and Meyers has been dependable (four first downs in Week 11). Unfortunately, Trevor Lawrence hasn’t been as dependable, and only 83.3% of Meyers’ targets were on-target in Week 11 (73rd among WRs with one target). Still, he’s operating from the slot and out wide, and his versatile deployment makes him an asset for the Jags, who face a flimsy Cardinals’ defense in Week 12. While he’ll likely never be a WR1 or WR2 this season, he has a better floor with Jacksonville, a much higher ceiling and can be flexed this week.
Tight ends

Trey McBride did it again. He led all tight ends in fantasy scoring for the second consecutive week. He’s a league-winner. Some other tight end stalwarts — George Kittle, Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews — also were among the top-five scorers. Seattle’s second-year TE AJ Barner joined them with 17.1 PPR points on 10 receptions. But outside of the top five, only four TEs (Brock Bowers, Jake Ferguson, Dalton Schultz, Darnell Washington) scored over 10 PPR points. Everyone else, the cellar. Gotta love tight ends.

Spotlight
Travis Kelce, KC | 24.1 PPR points, 39 Routes in Week 11: Kelce had a throwback performance with nine receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown while hauling in 30.2% of Kansas City’s targets — the second-highest team target rate of the week (behind only Bowers). He also finished tied for first in first downs, second in fantasy scoring and third in routes run. All of this he did without a single red zone target.
*AJ Barner, SEA | 5 First Downs in Week 11: More and more, first downs have been used as a measure of success for pass catchers, and the four tight ends who finished with five first downs were also among the top-five fantasy scorers. A player who consistently gets first downs is a reliable target with field awareness and someone a quarterback often turns to in a pinch. Barner (9% rostered) has been hot and cold this season. He’s scored over 10 PPR points in six games but under 5 in four. His 26.2% team target share in Week 11 was his highest, but it also came during Sam Darnold’s worst game. While Darnold’s reputation had many pointing to this game as the norm, rather than the outlier, it is, in fact, the outlier in 2025. Outside of Week 11, Barner has only secured +20% of targets one other time, also during a loss. Still, against Tennessee in Week 12 (a matchup PFF rates as “good”), Barner is a decent option for deep-leaguers.
Additional usage notes
Trey McBride, ARI | 18.48 PPR points per game: This season, McBride is fantasy’s TE1, averaging 18.48 PPR points per game — over 3 points more than Brock Bowers. He also leads the league in targets, routes, receptions, red zone targets, end zone targets, first downs and team target percentage. He’s “him.”
*Dalton Schultz, HOU | 22.5 TeamTgt% in Week 11: Schultz (49% rostered) has secured just under 20% of team targets this season, but he exceeded his average in Week 11, securing 22.5% while sharing the field with Nico Collins. Schultz has now topped 10 PPR points in five of his six last games, including two +15-point performances. Unfortunately, he faces the Bills in Week 12, who have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends (2.6). But in Week 13, he faces the Colts, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to TEs (10.2). The waiver wire is thin. Juwan Johnson faces the Falcons, who have allowed only 3.8 PPR points to tight ends; Cade Otton is heavily rostered. Harold Fannin will have an unknown Shedeur Sanders under center. So, even though Schultz is not a top streaming option based on matchup this week, he can be valuable for the rest of the season and could still pop against Buffalo.