Fantasy soccer analyst Sal Vetri will use this area to ship his keys to victory each week of the 2023 NFL season.
Discovering 1: The most effective RB spot of the week belongs to Miles Sanders
He solely noticed 14 touches in Week 3 however was in a position to produce 17.2 factors on this utilization. Sanders quietly has top-of-the-line roles in soccer. In Week 3, he earned 64% of the snaps and 18 alternatives.
He leads all RBs with 18 targets by way of three video games. He’s on tempo for a career-high 102 targets. We’re getting the workhorse utilization we had been promised this offseason. Via three video games, Sanders has commanded a robust 16% goal share and averaged 19.7 alternatives.
Sanders will face the Vikings’ No. 27 run protection at dwelling this week. He’s a top-five projected working again for Week 4.
Discovering 2: The sketchy spot of the week belongs to Jerome Ford
Ford performed 55% of the snaps in Week 3. This led to a 19.1-point efficiency on 12 touches. There’s some concern that Kareem Hunt could make this a break up backfield. Hunt was reportedly on a snap depend in Week 3 and nonetheless earned 36% of the non-garbage time alternatives.
Hunt doubtlessly incomes extra work makes Ford a sketchy possibility in Week 4, however so does his matchup. Ford is taking over the Ravens’ No. 2 run protection. Baltimore is permitting simply 3.7 yards per contact to opposing backs.
Ford ranks second in yards after contact per try this 12 months. That is the place he finds plenty of his success. However the Ravens are fourth finest at tackling and don’t enable many yards after contact.
This recreation has the bottom whole on the week at simply 41 projected factors. Count on a low-scoring, defensive battle. In case you have a viable alternative, I’d sit Ford.
Kenneth Walker has scored the third-most factors amongst RBs this season. Solely Raheem Mostert and Christian McCaffrey have extra. This nice manufacturing makes it straightforward to miss a regarding development.
Walker has seen his snaps lower in three straight video games. He performed simply 49% of the snaps in Week 3. Walker is conceding snaps to the rookie Zach Charbonnet. Charbonnet’s snaps have elevated all three weeks, topping out at a season-high 44% in Week 3. Charbonnet is getting used because the clear passing-down again as he’s performed 100% of the two-minute offense snaps the previous two video games. In Week 3, he ran extra whole routes than Kenneth Walker and was extra environment friendly on the bottom as a rusher.
That is nonetheless Walker’s backfield, however Charbonnet must be rostered in all leagues. He’s at present out there in 42% of Yahoo leagues.
Discovering 4: Breece Corridor is trending up
He’s slowly rising on the actual time many medical doctors predicted he would. Corridor noticed considerably extra utilization in Week 3, taking part in 48% of the snaps and incomes 57% of the carries. This was significantly better than his earlier run of 33% of the snaps and 36% of the carries.
It’s not fairly full steam forward simply but for him, although. The Jets are nonetheless utilizing three RBs. Dalvin Cook dinner performed a season-low 27% of the snaps in Week 3 however nonetheless noticed over 10 alternatives. Michael Carter continues to mess around 25% of the snaps, and though he’s not incomes touches, he’s working sufficient routes to chop into Corridor’s upside.
However right here’s the excellent news: Corridor is trending up and these different RBs are seeing their utilization development down. He won’t produce this week because the Jets are a 14-point underdog in opposition to the Chiefs, however he has robust matchups developing. The Jets face the Broncos, Giants, Raiders and Chargers over the subsequent six weeks.
In case you forgot how good Breece Corridor is, he has led all RBs in yards per contact because the begin of 2022.
Discovering 5: The Decide Up and Play of the week is Matt Breida
He’s not the horny possibility, however Breida’s Week 3 utilization was robust. With Saquon Barkley out in Week 3, Breida performed an elite 80% of the snaps and dealt with 100% of the two-minute offense work. His general stat line wasn’t something loopy, seven touches for 18 yards and one TD, however this was a brutal matchup on a brief week in opposition to the 49ers No. 1 ranked protection.
Barkley has admitted he suffered a excessive ankle sprain which is usually a three-week restoration. If Breida begins this week in opposition to the Seahawks, he’s price including. Seattle ranks twentieth in tackling and this recreation options the second-highest whole on the week at 47 projected factors. Breida is offered in 74% of Yahoo leagues.
Stevenson noticed attention-grabbing utilization in Week 3. He performed a season-low 65% of the snaps and solely earned 49% of the push makes an attempt. He additionally performed 0% of the two-minute offense. Regardless of the low utilization, Stevenson nonetheless noticed 22 alternatives in a nasty climate recreation in opposition to a troublesome Jets crew.
But it surely was Ezekiel Elliott who was extra concerned, seeing a season-high 38% of the snaps. He earned 87 yards on 17 touches. Should you watched the sport, it appeared like Stevenson had a nasty drop in a key second. This will have led to Zeke incomes the two-minute snaps. This probably received’t proceed as Stevenson earned 95% of the two-minute work earlier than Week 3 and has been nice on this function.
Now could be the time to purchase low in case your league-mate is panicking over the backfield break up from Week 3. Stevenson remains to be taking part in 71% of the snaps this 12 months and has averaged an elite 19.3 alternatives per recreation.
Discovering 7: The brand new No. 1 general WR is Keenan Allen
Allen is my No. 1 projected WR for Week 4 and he’s a top-10 participant the remainder of the season. Allen has earned a 33% goal share this season, rating high three within the NFL. This contains eight quarters of Mike Williams competing with him for targets.
It’s tough to say Allen will see extra utilization with Mike Williams out for the 12 months. He simply had 20 targets in a single recreation; it doesn’t get significantly better than that. However what this Mike Williams harm will do is make Allen a extra constant participant. He’ll probably have extra increase weeks now. Since Justin Herbert took over in 2020, Allen has averaged 15.7 factors and 10 targets with out Mike Williams.
Now, examine this out: since coming back from harm in Week 12 final season, Allen has averaged 11.4 targets and 22.9 factors. That is extra factors than Justin Jefferson averaged final season.
Discovering 8: Rachaad White is a real workhorse RB
We had questions coming into the 12 months about White’s function and now we now have solutions: it’s implausible. White has top-of-the-line roles in fantasy. In Week 3, he noticed a season-high 91% of the snaps and earned 17 whole touches. He had simply 7.2 factors however this was to be anticipated; White had a troublesome matchup in opposition to the Eagles’ top-five run protection.
However right here’s probably the most encouraging takeaway from his efficiency: White ran 90% of the routes with the Bucs trailing. That is an elite quantity; something over 70% is sweet for RBs. This implies regardless of the sport script he’s going to place up factors.
Main? He’ll get carries. Trailing? He’ll earn targets. Contemplate White a top-20 RB for the remainder of the season.
Discovering 9: Issues aren’t nearly as good as they appear for D’Andre Swift
In Week 3, Swift performed 54% of the snaps and earned 18 alternatives. He was as soon as once more extremely environment friendly whereas incomes 138 yards on 17 touches (8.1 yards per contact). Swift ranks top-five in yards per contact this season after rating second on this metric final 12 months.
He’s productive and now he performs behind the Eagles’ No. 1 run-blocking unit in response to PFF. It is a match made in heaven for fantasy.
However there’s nonetheless one problem: Kenneth Gainwell returned in Week 3 and performed 46% of the snaps. He additionally earned 16 alternatives and performed seven of eight two-minute drill snaps. This backfield was utterly break up regardless of Swift’s 181-yard recreation in Week 2.
However this could’ve been anticipated. Nick Sirianni hinted earlier than the sport it was going to be a break up backfield. Sirianni loves Gainwell; that doesn’t bode properly for Swift. We additionally don’t know if this break up will worsen as soon as Boston Scott is lively; he missed Week 3 with harm. Scott performed 18% of the snaps on this offense final season.
Keep in mind, Miles Sanders was the lead again in Philly, incomes over 1,300 yards and 10 TDs final season and nonetheless wasn’t a top-20 fantasy RB. Swift was nice in Week 3, however he was nonetheless in a 50/50 break up with Gainwell. Mood expectations shifting ahead — and doubtlessly be ready to promote excessive on Swift.
He’s a top-10 RB for the remainder of the season. Williams put up simply 8.5 factors in Week 3, nevertheless it’s his utilization that’s price discussing. Williams performed 100% of the snaps and dealt with each single RB alternative. No different again noticed a rush try or goal for the Rams. Christian McCaffrey is the one different RB to play 100% of the snaps this season. That utilization is nearly as good because it will get.
Via three weeks Kyren Williams ranks first in RB utilization. He has the final word cheat codes for fantasy: passing recreation work and red-zone utilization. Williams leads all RBs in routes run with 109 and is second in red-zone touches with 18.
Williams will face good run defenses in Indy and Philly within the subsequent two video games. So long as the elite receiving and red-zone roles proceed, he’s a top-10 RB in every recreation.