Hidden Stat Line: NFL Week 15 Recap

The big development last week was an onslaught of injuries, including potential season-enders for Mike Evans (hamstring), Calvin Ridley (abdomen), DJ Chark Jr. (ankle), Alshon Jeffery (foot), Derrius Guice (knee) and Rashaad Penny (knee). The rapid disappearance of so many snaps, targets and carries freed up opportunities for lesser-known players, and many of those guys took advantage with breakout performances Week 15.

Here's a list of highlights to look out for in the game recaps below:

1. Julian Edelman's balky knee creating an opportunity for Sanu and Harry?
2. John Ross stuck in a limited role.
3. Ty Johnson shows why he isn't trusted.
4. The Kansas City backfield shuffle.
5. Myles Gaskin showing no regard for famous social media personality Patrick Laird.
6. Albert Wilson passing Allen Hurns for Miami's No. 2 WR job.
7. Greg Ward comes through with both volume and heroics.
8. Who is Steven Sims and why did he get 11 targets? (Rhetorical question.)
9. The end of the Kyle Allen era?
10. Kenyan Drake's workhorse role finally pays off.
11. Hunter Henry, M.I.A.
12. Tyler Higbee breaking records, naturally.
13. Raheem Mostert holds the lead role for another week.
14. James Conner looks healthy, handles lead role.

Week 15 QB Leaders

(stats from NFL Next Gen Stats and ESPN)

2019 QB Leaders

(stats from NFL Next Gen Stats and ESPN)

Note: six-game minimum to qualify, excludes players on IR

Week 15 RB Leaders

(stats from RotoWire, PFF and airyards.com)

2019 RB Leaders

(stats from RotoWire, PFF and airyards.com)

Note: Target share and snap share only include games the player was active for (with his current team). Excludes players on IR. Elusive rating only includes qualified rushers (88+ carries).

Week 15 WR Leaders

(Stats from airyards.com and PFF)

2019 WR Leaders

(Stats from airyards.com and PFF)

Note: target share and air-yard share only include games the player played in. Excludes players on IR. Minimum of six games played to qualify. 

Week 15 TE Leaders

(Stats from airyards.com and PFF)

2019 TE Leaders

(Stats from airyards.com and PFF)

Note: Target share and air-yard share only include games the player played in. Excludes players on IR. Minimum of five games played to qualify. 

I'm happy to discuss anything I missed in the comments below or on Twitter (@RotowireNFL_JD).

Jets 21 @ Ravens 42

Jets

• Sam Darnold completed 56.3% of his passes, landing below 60% for a third time in as many weeks. His Thursday performance looks better in terms of PFF grade (71.6) and QBR (48.5), with production held back by his receivers' inability to get open — besides Jamison Crowder — against a stifling Baltimore secondary.
• Le'Veon Bell took 21 carries for a season-high 87 yards, adding two catches for one yard while playing 86% of snaps on offense. He accounted for 23 of the 26 backfield touches, with Bilal Powell (ankle) inactive, Ty Montgomery taking three touches on 20% of snaps, and Josh Adams technically active but not actually playing in the game.
• Robby Anderson played every snap on offense and caught four of six targets for 66 yards, earning most of his production on a 41-yard catch and a two-point conversion on the Jets' final scoring drive. He stayed #onbrand by celebrating the two-point play, apparently unfazed by a 21-point deficit with seven minutes remaining in the game.
• Crowder played 85% of snaps and broke out of his three-week slump with six catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns on 11 targets. He cost himself a touchdown in the first half with one of the worst drops you'll ever see, but he bounced back on the next snap to make an extremely difficult toe-tap catch for a four-yard score. He ran a route on 33 of Darnold's 34 dropbacks, per PFF.
• With Demaryius Thomas (hamstring) inactive, Vyncint Smith stepped in as the No. 3 receiver, catching three of five targets for 40 yards on 63% of snaps.
• Jeff Smith rotated with Vyncint early in the game, but Jeff finished with just one catch for 12 yards on 24% of snaps, suffering a high ankle sprain that's expected to end his season early. Meanwhile, Braxton Berrios played 8% of snaps on offense and didn't see any targets, though he did pick up 48 yards on three punt returns.
• Daniel Brown and Trevon Wesco played 49% of snaps apiece, splitting the TE job after Ryan Griffin (ankle) was placed on injured reserve. Brown caught one of two targets for four yards, while Wesco wasn't targeted. Per PFF, Brown ran 18 routes to Wesco's four, with the latter mostly blocking even when he was on the field for a pass play.

Ravens

• Lamar Jackson strengthened his MVP case, throwing for five touchdowns and breaking Mike Vick's single-season rushing record for a QB. Jackson has 21 TD passes and two rushing scores over the past six weeks, completing 69.7% of throws for 8.2 YPA in that stretch.

• Mark Ingram played 54% of snaps, after 55% and 55% the previous two weeks. He finished with a 13-76-1 rushing line and 1-10-1 receiving line on 10 targets. Ingram has landed in the range of 13-to-18 touches in 11 of 14 games this year, never going lower than nine or higher than 21. A mark of 5.0 YPC puts him seventh among qualified rushers but only third on the Ravens, well behind Jackson (6.9) and Gus Edwards (5.2).
• Edwards logged 29 percent of snaps Thursday, taking five carries for 35 yards. He had two carries for 29 yards on the final drive, so it was quiet night for him before garbage time. Meanwhile, Justice Hill played 16% of snaps and took four carries for 15 yards, also getting a pair of his chances on that final drive (plus another to run out the clock at the end of the first half). Long story short, Edwards still appears solidly ahead of Hill as a distant Option C behind Jackson and Ingram in the Baltimore rushing attack.
• Mark Andrews didn't appear bothered by the knee injury that knocked him out of the Buffalo game four days earlier. His 37% snap share was right in the range we've typically seen during the second half of the season, and he caught four passes for 52 yards and a touchdown on a team-high seven targets. The tight end was close to having a much bigger game, as Jackson overthrew a wide-open Andrews early in the fourth quarter on what could've been a 72-yard TD.
• Marquise Brown played 75% of snaps, his second-largest share of the year and largest since Week 4. He also played 72% a few days earlier in Buffalo, though he was completely shut down by the Bills. It was a different story Thursday night, with Brown catching each of his four targets for 45 yards and this impressive touchdown:

• Seth Roberts had his best game of the year with a 3-66-1 receiving line on three targets, but his snap share (57%) was only slightly higher than usual. Willie Snead (65%) still got a bit more playing time, and Miles Boykin (30%) also had a role. None of the WRs apart from Brown should be projected for more than three or four targets in any game.
• Nick Boyle played 76% of snaps, down from 90% and 92% the previous two weeks. He finished without a target, and he still hasn't seen more than five in any game this year, despite regularly leading Baltimore's skill-position players in snap share.
• Hayden Hurst didn't have much chance to build on his big game from the week prior, logging 29% of snaps and seeing just two targets. His lone catch, an impressive 19-yard gain where he bullied through multiple defenders, occurred on the Ravens' first offensive snap.
• Brown easily led the Ravens with 23 routes on 27 QB dropbacks, ahead of Andrews (18), Roberts (17), Boyle (15), Snead (14) and Ingram (10), per PFF.
• The Ravens produced just 60 of their 212 receiving yards after the catch (per PFF), with Jackson's 11.4 aDOT deepest in the league for Week 15 (he completed 15 of 23 passes, 65.2%).

Patriots 34 @ Bengals 13

Patriots

• Tom Brady attempted 29 passes, just the second time all season he's thrown fewer than 36. A 51.7% completion rate marked five games in a row below 56%, dropping him to 60.1% for the season (which would be a career low if it doesn't improve over the final two weeks).
• Sony Michel posted a 19-89-0 rushing line and 1-14-0 receiving line (two targets) on 42% of snaps, rebounding from six touches and 14% of snaps in a loss to Kansas City the previous week. Michel still hasn't found the end zone since Oct. 21, but he has crept up to 3.6 YPC for the season, averaging 4.0 in the seven games since he last scored a TD.
• James White got off to a fast start but ultimately saw just four targets (3-49-1) and three carries (for 13 yards) on 38% of snaps. He helped the Patriots build a nice lead, which led to his disappearance in favor of Michel and Rex Burkhead after halftime.
• Burkhead came through with a #RevengeGame, posting a 6-53-1 rushing line and 2-6-0 receiving line on 31% of snaps. He only had two touches at the end of the third quarter, padding his stat line in garbage time.
• Mohamed Sanu, on the other hand, had a rough day from an individual standpoint against one of his former teams, catching two of eight targets for 13 yards. He did play 86% of snaps, suggesting his ankle is finally healthy. Sanu played 100% of snaps in his 10-81-1 performance Week 9 at Baltimore, but he then dropped to 55%, 22% and 59% the next three games while batting the ankle injury. Sunday's win marked a return to the No. 2 role in terms of playing time, but his ugly stat line (which included a drop) could put him in danger of losing the job.
• N'Keal Harry finished third among the Pats' WRs with 58% of snaps, catching two of four targets for 15 yards and a TD and also taking two carries for 22 yards.
• Julian Edelman dropped off to five targets and 62% of snaps, ending an eight-game streak with double-digit targets and 89% or more of offensive snaps. His leg/knee injury is a real concern; not just the latest case of the Patriots listing every player with a boo-boo as "questionable".

• Matt LaCosse played 75% of snaps to Ben Watson's 52%. LaCosse drew three targets, while Watson didn't see any. The Patriots also used linebacker Elandon Roberts as a fullback, with his 10 snaps on offense a season high.
• Phillip Dorsett dropped to 14% of snaps and zero targets, even with Edelman limited. Dorsett is in the doghouse and far removed from fantasy consideration. In fact, it'll be hard to confidently start any Patriots player in fantasy lineups now that Edelman is legitimately hurt.
• Sanu ran a route on each of Brady's 31 dropbacks, followed by Edelman (28), Harry (19), White (19) and LaCosse (13), per PFF.

Bengals

• Andy Dalton tossed four interceptions and threw for 151 yards on 31 pass attempts. Ouch.
• Joe Mixon rumbled for 25-136-0 and 3-20-0 on three targets, logging 67% of snaps. He's averaging 21.7 carries for 100.8 yards and 0.5 TDs in six games since a Week 9 bye.
• Tyler Boyd caught three of seven targets for 26 yards, playing 86% of snaps.
• Alex Erickson was second among the WRs with five targets and 76% of snaps, but he caught just one pass for six yards and lost a fumble on the play, thus finishing with negative fantasy points in many leagues (not that anybody started him).
• Auden Tate (knee) going to IR didn't lead to more chances for John Ross, who played 38% of snaps and caught two of three targets for 24 yards. The speed demon posted a similar line on 49% snap share the previous week.
• No. 4 receiver Stanley Morgan played just 9% of snaps. Instead of relying on Ross or Morgan, the Bengals went heavy on multi-TE formations for the first time all year: 70% snap share for C.J. Uzomah, 55% for Tyler Eifert and 32% for the world-renowned Cethan Carter. Eifert led the group in pass-catching involvement with 3-44-0 on five targets, and Carter scored his first NFL touchdown on two targets.
• Boyd led the team with 29 routes on Dalton's 31 dropbacks, ahead of Erickson (25), Eifert (21), Ross (18), Mixon (13), Bernard (12) and Uzomah (11), per PFF.
• A.J. Green (ankle) reportedly wants to play Week 16 and/or Week 17, perhaps believing that a healthy appearance or two could boost his value as a free agent in the offseason.

Buccaneers 38 @ Lions 17

Buccaneers

• The Tampa backfield remained useless for fantasy purposes, with Ronald Jones putting up an 11-23-0 rushing line and 1-26-0 receiving line (three targets) on 45% of snaps, and Peyton Barber going for 10-17-0 and 2-23-0 (two targets) on 28%. Dare Ogunbowale handled his typical role on passing downs, with one carry and one target on 28% of snaps.
• Chris Godwin put up 5-121-0 on seven targets before exiting with a hamstring injury. He finished with 61% snap share, second to Breshad Perriman (89%) among Tampa Bay's WRs.

• Perriman took full advantage of his opportunity, bringing in five of six targets for 113 yards and three touchdowns.
• Scott Miller got off to a great start with three catches for 49 yards and a touchdown in the first half, but he aggravated his hamstring injury and was forced out of the game after 11 snaps.
• Even with Miller and eventually Godwin out of the game, Justin Watson only played 56% of snaps, catching both of his targets for 17 yards.
• O.J. Howard logged 88% of snaps and caught four of eight targets for 46 yards. He logged eight snaps as a pass blocker, thus running a route on just 28 of Winston's 44 dropbacks (64%), per PFF. Godwin ran 32 routes despite the early exit, and Watson ran nearly as many routes (26) despite handling a much smaller snap share.
• Cameron Brate played 41% and hauled in three of seven targets for 33 yards.
• Some guy named Ishmael Hyman played 17% of snaps and caught his lone target for a three-yard gain. The Bucs may need to go with Perriman-Watson-Hyman in three-wide formations Week 16 against Houston, so we could see more multi-TE sets with a combination of Howard, and Brate.
• No. 3 tight end Tanner Hudson suffered a concussion, further depleting Tampa's depth.

Lions

• David Blough finished with two INTs and two sacks, completing 55.9% of passes for 6.1 YPA.
• Wes Hills was called up from the practice squad and inserted into the starting lineup, finishing with a 10-21-2 rushing line and 2-1-0 receiving line (two targets) on 36% of snaps.
• J.D. McKissic left with a neck stinger after 12 snaps, while Ty Johnson played 45% of snaps but managed just 20 yards and a lost fumble on six touches.
• Danny Amendola caught eight passes for 102 yards on a team-high 13 targets, ending a six-game slump with fewer than 50 yards. His 86% snap share was a season high, though only a small bump up from 80% and 74% the previous two weeks.
• Kenny Golladay played 94% of snaps and caught three of seven targets for 44 yards, with all his production occurring after halftime.
• Chris Lacy operated as the No. 3 receiver with 66% of snaps, catching one of two targets for 48 yards.
• Logan Thomas led the tight ends with 66% of snaps, more than Jesse James (59%) and Isaac Nauta (19%). Thomas finished without a catch on four targets, while James hauled in three of five for 31 yards.
• Golladay led the team with 47 routes, followed by Amendola (43), Lacy (35), Thomas (23), Johnson (21) and James (19), per PFF.

Bears 13 @ Packers 21

Bears

• Mitchell Trubisky's 53 pass attempts were his second most of the season, as were his 334 passing yards. His mark of 6.3 YPA was a four-week low.
• David Montgomery dropped to 43% of snaps, following three straight weeks in the range of 61-to-64%. His snap share was 46% in Chicago's previous loss, so this was more about game script than a role change. In any case, he finished with a 14-39-0 rushing line and 1-10-0 receiving line on one target, remaining inefficient.
• Tarik Cohen bumped up to 65% of snaps, his largest share since Week 1 (also against Green Bay). He finished with 8-28-0 on the ground and 7-57-0 on 10 targets, with 85 total yards representing his best effort of the year, albeit with poor efficiency per carry/target.
• Allen Robinson played 95% of snaps and brought in seven of 14 targets for 125 yards.
• Anthony Miller played 94% and caught nine of 15 targets for 118 yards and a touchdown. Miller's averages over the past five games: 6.6 catches for 86.2 yards and 0.4 TDs on 10.4 targets. Robinson has also been productive in that span, averaging 6.0 receptions for 81 yards and 0.8 TDs on 10.0 targets.
• Riley Ridley played 49% of snaps, essentially splitting the No. 3 role with Cordarrelle Patterson (44%). Javon Wims dropped to 10%, perhaps limited by his knee sprain from the previous week. In any case, the three combined for six targets among Trubisky's 53 passes.
• The TEs also rotate, with Jesper Horsted (49%) and J.P. Holtz (45%) combining to catch two passes for eight yards on four targets. Horsted won't be popular with Chicago fans after he failed to get the ball to Robinson for what could've been a touchdown on a desperation lateral play on the final snap of the game. The tight end apparently preferred his chances to run directly through a trio of defenders 🤦.

Packers

• Aaron Rodgers completed a season-low 48.5% of passes for 6.2 YPA, finishing shy of 250 passing yards for a sixth straight game.
• Aaron Jones posted a 13-51-2 rushing line but finished without a target on 59% of snaps.
• Jamaal Williams played 41% of snaps and took nine touches (one target) for 33 yards. So much for my theory that the Packers might use more Jones and less Williams now that they're fighting for the potential difference between a No. 1 seed and a No. 6 seed.
• Davante Adams went for 7-103-1 on 13 targets, playing 93% of snaps. He even had gains of 29 and 34 yards, with the former going for a touchdown to convert a 4th-and-4 early in the game.
• Allen Lazard played 78% of snaps, his largest share since Week 7. However, he saw exactly three targets for a third week in a row.

• No. 3 receiver Geronimo Allison played 54% of snaps, marking his eighth straight game in the range of 66-to-68%. He hasn't gone above three catches, five targets or 33 yards in any of those games.
• Jake Kumerow played just 19% of snaps but brought in his lone target from a 49-yard gain. We've all heard this one before:

• Jimmy Graham played 42% of snaps, after 48%, 42% and 52% the previous three weeks. He finished with one catch for no gain on four targets, marking a seventh consecutive game with single-digit PPR points.
• Adams has seen 32% of Green Bay's targets in six games since he returned from a toe injury, while no other player has accounted for more than 11%. Williams and Lazard are tied for second in that span, averaging just 3.5 targets per game.

Texans 24 @ Titans 21

Texans

• Carlos Hyde played a season-high 67% of snaps, with a 26-104-1 rushing line but no targets. The Texans were ahead for most of the afternoon, which dropped Duke Johnson to 33% snap share with two carries and three targets. It was Johnson's first time since Week 9 playing less than half the snaps on offense.
• The Texans only used three wide receivers, with DeAndre Hopkins playing every snap, Will Fuller V getting 94% and Kenny Stills at 62%.
• Hopkins had gains of 35, 35 and 25 yards, continuing his late surge of big plays after he was a pure possession receiver for the first half of the year. He saw four targets of 10 or more air yards in Sunday's game, catching three of them for 95 yards, per PFF. Hopkins has seven gains of 30-plus yards this year, with five of them coming in the past four weeks.
• Fuller was second on the team with seven targets, catching five for 61 yards, i.e., no sign of being impacted by the hamstring injury.
• Stills scored his third and fourth TDs of the season, despite drawing just three targets. Prior to Week 15, he hadn't seen a single red-zone target all season, with his other scores coming from 35 and 37 yards out.
• Jordan Akins and Darren Fells drew two targets apiece. The playing time shifted back in Fells' favor: 83% to 60%, though Akins had a 22-to-15 advantage in routes, per PFF. (FWIW, Stills ran 21 routes, and Johnson ran 18. Hopkins had a team-high 32, with Fuller right behind at 30.)

Titans

• Ryan Tannehill's 61.1 completion percentage was his worst of the year, but he earned an excellent PFF grade (85.1) and solid QBR (55.7), throwing for 7.8 YPA and producing three touchdowns (one on the ground). His interception wasn't really his fault, as the ball bounced out of Anthony Firkser's hands, turning a potential touchdown into an 86-yard INT return:

• Random note: ESPN's Seth Walder wrote an interesting article about Tannehill last week.
• Derrick Henry played 59% of snaps, his smallest share since Week 9 (Tennessee's most recent loss prior to Sunday). Henry posted a 21-86-0 rushing line and finished without a catch on one target. Fantasy managers can't complain if this is his new floor, though the timing admittedly wasn't great.
• A.J. Brown played 91% of snaps and accounted for 13 of the team's 36 targets, catching eight for 114 yards and a touchdown.
• Corey Davis got 75% of snaps and brought in three of six targets for 57 yards.
• With Adam Humphries (ankle) out again, Tajae Sharpe saw two targets on 40% of snaps, and Kalif Raymond got two targets on 25%.
• Jonnu Smith played 81% of snaps, catching each of five targets for 60 yards and adding 57 yards on a toss play. He did all his damage in the second half, including 107 yards in the fourth quarter. Smith also had a big moment in the first half when he ran the entire distance of the field to make a touchdown-saving tackle on the long interception return.
• Brown led the team with 37 routes, followed by Davis (30), Smith (26), Sharpe (18) and Firkser (14), per PFF.

Pass Distribution in Ryan Tannehill's Eight Starts (Weeks 7-15)

Brown: 51 targets (23% 👀), 657 air yards (32%), 12.9 aDOT

Davis: 33 targets (16%), 420 air yards (23%), 12.7 aDOT

Smith: 32 targets (14%), 196 air yards (9%), 6.1 aDOT

Humphries: 20 targets (10%), 185 air yards (13%), 9.2 aDOT

Firkser: 20 targets (10%), 182 air yards (9%), 9.1 aDOT

Sharpe: 17 targets (9%), 191 air yards (11%), 11.2 aDOT

Henry: 13 targets (6%), -18 air yards (-1%), -1.4 aDOT

Broncos 3 @ Chiefs 23

Broncos

• Drew Lock struggled in the snow, completing 18 of 40 passes for 208 yards.
• Phillip Lindsay had season lows for snap share (39%), carries (seven), rushing yards (32) and total yards (32).
• Royce Freeman didn't fare any better, with a 5-12-0 rushing line and 4-14-0 receiving line on 54% of snaps. The Broncos have really scaled back his carries since the first half of the season, but it hasn't led to more work or production from Lindsay, instead being largely a product of the Broncos repeatedly running a small number of plays. The last time they reached 60 snaps was Week 11 at Minnesota, and only the Redskins and Steelers have run fewer plays on the season.
• Courtland Sutton played 92% of snaps, ahead of DaeSean Hamilton (83%) and Tim Patrick (68%). Sutton led the team in targets (10), catches (four) and receiving yards (79), but he's now gone four straight weeks without sniffing 100 yards. His averages in Lock's three starts: 4.3 catches for 62.3 yards and 0.67 TDs on 7.3 targets.
• Hamilton caught two of nine targets for 13 yards. Rotowire's Mario Puig has touched on Hamilton's incredible ability to pile up snaps and routes without ever turning them into production. The Broncos have some really talented players on their roster, but they're also giving a lot of snaps to guys that essentially just waste space.
• Patrick caught three of seven targets for 26 yards.
• Noah Fant caught two of three targets for 56 yards, playing a season-low 46% of snaps. He entered the game listed as questionable after he suffered foot and hip injuries the previous week, and he then missed part of Sunday's loss with a shoulder injury (he did return to the game). The rookie has done plenty to earn a prominent place in Denver's plans for the future, so I won't be surprised if his workload is limited over the final two weeks of the season while he nurses a slew of ailments.
• Lock didn't get much help from his pass catchers, with the team's five drops including two by Sutton, per PFF. The Chiefs, on the other hand, didn't have a single drop.

Chiefs

• Patrick Mahomes completed 27 of 34 passes for 340 yards and two TDs, unbothered by a snowy field.
• The KC backfield, as expected, was a three-way disaster. Spencer Ware got 40% of snaps, slightly ahead of Darwin Thompson (35%) and LeSean McCoy (25%). Thompson had eight carries and one target for 39 yards, with Ware getting seven carries and two targets for 35 yards, and McCoy seeing six carries and no targets for 16 yards. Damien Williams returning from his rib injury is probably the only hope for this backfield to provide fantasy value over the final two weeks of the season, and even that would be the furthest thing from dependable.
• Ware took six carries for 25 yards on the final drive, so he really had just four opportunities before the game got out of hand. McCoy, on the other hand, technically got the start and the first carry, but he didn't have any touches during the final 20 minutes of the game.
• Tyreek Hill played 84% of snaps, with Sammy Watkins at 76%, Demarcus Robinson at 56%, Mecole Hardman at 21% and Byron Pringle at 9%. Andy Reid still doesn't agree with public opinion (and common sense?) on Hardman deserving more playing time than Robinson. In any case, it was a quiet game for all the WRs besides Hill, who went 5-67-2 on seven targets.
• Travis Kelce dominated Mahomes' attention with an 11-142-0 receiving line on 13 targets, also earning 22 yards on a DPI penalty and having another deep target wiped out by a penalty.

Dolphins 20 @ Giants 36

Dolphins

• Patrick Laird and Myles Gaskin shared backfield work, logging 48% of snaps apiece. Laird took 12 carries for 46 yards and caught two of five targets for eight yards, while Gaskin was much more efficient: 9-43-0 on the ground, 2-29-0 on three targets. Gaskin piled up most of his stat line in the fourth quarter, but he did have four touches before halftime.
• DeVante Parker played 94% of snaps, followed by Albert Wilson (80%), Allen Hurns (46%) and Isaiah Ford (44%).
• Wilson and Mike Gesicki actually tied for the team lead with eight targets, but Parker once again was the productive guy: 4-72-2 on seven targets.
• Wilson does have at least five targets in four of his past five games, and the one game where he fell short was Week 14 when he suffered a concussion.
• The snap share for Hurns was his smallest since Week 9, ending a five-game streak at 79% or higher. He was only a borderline deep-league asset with a full workload, so there's no way he can survive in a timeshare with Ford.
• Gesicki's 77% snap share was a small bump from the previous two weeks (69%, 75%) but still not quite at the level from Week 11 (84%) or Week 12 (90%). He does have respectable averages in nine games since Fitzpatrick retook the starting job: 3.6 catches for 39.1 yards and 0.22 TDs on 5.8 targets.

Giants

• Eli Manning pulled his regular-season record back to .500 — 117-117-0. He also tossed a trio of interceptions against arguably the worst pass defense in the league.
• Saquon Barkley ripped off 24-112-2 on the ground and 4-31-0 on five targets, logging the vast majority of snaps (79% share in total) before Javorius Allen took over in garbage time. Wayne Gallman was a healthy scratch for the second straight week.
• Sterling Shepard led the WRs with 79% snap share, ahead of Darius Slayton (69%), Golden Tate (56%), Cody Latimer (24%) and Da'Mari Scott (13%). The numbers were impacted by the semi-blowout nature of the contest, though Shepard caught his final pass with less than six minutes remaining and the Giants holding a three-possession lead.
• Shepard easily led the team in targets (11), catches (nine) and receiving yards (111), but Tate scored from 51 yards out on his lone catch and Slayton had a five-yard TD.
• Kaden Smith played every snap on offense, once again handling a three-down role in the absence of Evan Engram (foot) and Rhett Ellison (concussion). Smith caught each of his three targets for 38 yards. His averages after four weeks in the starting job: 4.0 catches for 33.5 yards and 0.25 TDs on 5.5 targets... pretty similar to what Ellison did in the past when Engram was inactive.

Eagles 37 @ Redskins 27

Eagles

• Miles Sanders played 71% of snaps, exploding for a 19-122-1 rushing line and a 6-50-1 receiving line on six targets. It was his fourth straight game with at least a dozen carries and five targets.
• Boston Scott also was heavily involved, logging 45% of snaps and posting a 6-26-0 rushing line as well as a 7-39-0 receiving line on seven targets. The Eagles ran a bunch of plays with both Sanders and Scott on the field, getting creative to adjust to life without NFL-caliber wide receivers.
• Greg Ward, however, might just be a legit NFL receiver. He played 75% of snaps and caught seven of nine targets for 61 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Ward caught four passes for 40 yards and the touchdown on that final drive, begging the question of why he wasn't more involved earlier in the game (he got just two targets before halftime).
• Ward worked from the slot on 32 of his 58 plays (per PFF), catching four of five targets for 42 yards on those plays. He's shown inside-outside versatility the past two weeks with both Alshon Jeffery (IR-foot) and Nelson Agholor (knee) out of the lineup.
• J.J. Arcega-Whiteside actually played more snaps (92%) than Ward, but it didn't translate to production: zero catches on two targets.
• No. 3 tight end Joshua Perkins saw the same share of snaps (21%) as No. 3 receiver Robert Davis.
• Zach Ertz played 88% of snaps, only a tick ahead of Dallas Goedert (84%). Ertz finished with 5-61-1 on a team-high 10 targets, and Goedert added 5-55-0 on six targets.
• JJAW led the team with 43 routes, followed by Ertz (40), Ward (39), Goedert (37), Sanders (22) and Scott (20), per PFF. (Wentz had 47 dropbacks.)

Redskins

• Dwayne Haskins produced the best QBR (57.6) of his young career, along with the second-best completion percentage (67.9%) and best mark for YPA (9.3). It helped to have Terry McLaurin turn an intermediate completion into a 75-yard TD, aided by some shoddy tackling, but Haskins did make some other plays along the way, including a 23-yard run to convert a 3rd-and-1 late in the third quarter.

• Adrian Peterson played 60% of snaps, taking his usual workload plus the snaps that had been going to Derrius Guice (IR-knee). AD finished with 16-66-1 on the ground and 3-25-0 on three targets, while Chris Thompson saw just 34% of snaps and Josh Ferguson got 6%.
• Thompson caught two of three targets for 26 yards and didn't have a single carry. His averages in three games since returning from a prolonged absence: 4.3 targets, 1.0 carry and 32.7 yards from scrimmage.
• Steven Sims had another busy day filling in for slot man Trey Quinn (concussion), catching five passes for 45 yards and a touchdown. However, Sims needed 11 targets to pile up that stat line, and he dropped two passes along the way, per PFF. Still, the recent contribution is more than Washington had any right to expect from an undrafted rookie who started the season as a return specialist and occasional gadget player. Sims has averaged 4.0 catches for 38 yards on 7.3 targets over the past three weeks with Quinn injured.
• Kelvin Harmon was much quieter filling in for Paul Richardson (hamstring), who was placed on IR over the weekend. Harmon caught two of three targets for 22 yards, with 83% snap share representing his new normal (84% both of the previous two weeks). He now has five straight games with no more than six but no fewer than three targets, averaging 2.8 catches for 39.8 yards on 4.8 targets in that span.
• Terry McLaurin played 89% of snaps and squeezed every ounce out of his five targets, catching each of the five for 130 yards and the aforementioned touchdown. He also drew a 14-yard DPI penalty. The week-to-week production has been uneven, but it's crazy to see the discrepancy between his overall efficiency numbers — 60.7% catch rate, 9.9 YPT — and everything else that's happened inside of the Washington offense this year. Harmon is sitting at 8.3 YPT on 33 passes, but every other player on the team with double-digit targets is at 7.2 YPT or worse. McLaurin has done all this despite dropping seven passes, per PFF.

Seahawks 30 @ Panthers 24

Seahawks

• Russell Wilson completed 76.9% of his passes for 11.0 YPA, but he was limited to 26 attempts. He clinched the game by converting a 3rd-and-11 in classic Wilson fashion, buying a ton of time before hitting Tyler Lockett for a 14-yard gain.
• Chris Carson played 76% of snaps,  taking 24 carries for 133 yards and two touchdowns and catching one of two targets for four yards.
• C.J. Prosise saw five carries and one target on 15% of snaps, with Travis Homer adding two carries on 9%.
• DK Metcalf led the wide receivers, with 82% snap share, ahead of Lockett (79%), Josh Gordon (37%), Malik Turner (30%), Jaron Brown (16%) and David Moore (15%).
• Lockett finally broke out of his slump with 8-120-1 on a team-high nine targets. Metcalf scored his sixth TD of the year, but his four targets were his fewest in a game since Week 5.
• Gordon's one target was rather memorable, but he also threw an interception on a trick play, and he's now been suspended indefinitely for another violation of the NFL's drug policy.

• Jacob Hollister caught three passes for 26 yards on three targets, dropping to 69% snap share after 79% and 81% (with six and eight targets) the previous two weeks.
• Metcalf ran 27 routes on Wilson's 29 dropbacks, followed by Lockett (25), Carson (21), Hollister (21) and Gordon (16), per PFF.

Panthers

• Kyle Allen was intercepted three times in a span of four drives during the middle of Sunday's game, but he rebounded with back-to-back touchdown drives to close the deficit to six points with 3:14 remaining.

• Christian McCaffrey played every snap on offense for the sixth time this year, piling up 19-87-2 on the ground and 8-88-0 on 10 targets. He's drawn nine or more targets in five consecutive games, making up for a quasi-slump in terms of rushing (16 carries per game, 4.0 YPC in that span).
• D.J. Moore played 97% of snaps and caught eight of 12 targets for 113 yards, adding a carry for 10 yards. He's now at seven consecutive games with 75 or more receiving yards, with 133 targets ranking fourth in the NFL and 1,174 receiving yards good for third place.
• Curtis Samuel played 92% of snaps, with a 5-31-1 receiving line on eight targets and four carries for 23 yards. He's taken 11 carries for 80 yards over the past four games, also catching a pair of TDs in that stretch. However, he's averaging just 3.0 catches for 32.5 yards on 5.8 targets, i.e., the same inefficient receiving production we've seen all year (probably Allen's fault more so than Samuel's, to be fair).
• Ian Thomas played 96% of snaps but caught just two passes for 23 yards on four targets. His time in the starting role appears to be nearing an end, though the Panthers could rotate the second-year pro with Greg Olsen over the final two weeks of a lost season.

Jaguars 20 @ Raiders 16

Jaguars

• Gardner Minshew was brutal for most of the afternoon, but he finished with a 57.2 QBR and 6.9 YPA, leading back-to-back touchdown drives late in the fourth quarter. Minshew Mania, pt. 2?
• Leonard Fournette played 96% of snaps but still screwed up my fantasy team, posting a 15-42-0 rushing line and 5-31-0 receiving line on seven targets. He's down to 4.3 YPC for the season, despite ripping off three gains of 66 or more yards.
• With DJ Chark Jr. (ankle) sidelined, Dede Westbrook played a season-high 93% of snaps, up from 67% and 79% the previous two weeks. However, he was held to two catches for 14 yards on four targets, adding one carry for seven yards.
• Chris Conley played 88% of snaps, hauling in four of his team-high eight targets for 49 yards and a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. He ended up with a big fantasy line despite going 42 minutes of game time before he caught his first pass.
• Keelan Cole played 75% of snaps and caught three of six targets for 76 yards, earning most of his production on a 55-yard reception in the first quarter when he roasted a defender with a double move. He may or may not get another week in the No. 3 role:

• Tight ends Seth DeValve (51%), Nick O'Leary (37%) and Ben Koyack (35%) formed a rotation, combining for just two targets (both to DeValve) on Minshew's 29 pass attempts.
• The Jaguars ran just 53 plays in the game, with Oakland dominating the first half.

Raiders

• Remember a few weeks ago when people were taking the Raiders semi-seriously as a playoff contender? LOL. I'm partially bringing this up to be a jerk, and partially bringing it up as a reminder that point differential is a better predictive measure than W-L record for determining future W-L record. That's bad news for Seattle and Green Bay fans come playoff time.
• Josh Jacobs didn't seem to have any problem with his shoulder, playing 57% of snaps and taking 24 carries for 89 yards. He added two catches for 20 yards on three targets, but 109 yards and no TD was a disappointing output given how bad the Jags have been on defense the past couple months.
• DeAndre Washington had a 6-16-0 rushing line and 2-6-0 receiving on three targets, playing just 15% of snaps. Jalen Richard got 29% of snaps but only one carry and three targets.
• Darren Waller exploded for 8-122-0 on 10 targets, including five catches for 86 yards in the first quarter. He also drew a 33-yard DPI penalty followed by a 10-yard catch on the final drive, giving the Raiders a couple chances at a hail mary. Waller played 88% of snaps and now has an 80-1,001-3 receiving line for the year, with a 77.7% catch rate and 9.7 YPT. His target volume has recovered from a midseason slide, with six, nine, six and 10 targets the past four weeks.
• Tyrell Williams played 96% of snaps but saw just three targets, catching two for 45 yards and a touchdown. He's now at four consecutive weeks with three or fewer receptions, averaging 4.5 targets in eight games since he returned from a foot injury.
• Zay Jones played 67% of snaps, followed by Keelan Doss (47%) and Rico Gafford (19%). The trio remained irrelevant, combining for four targets.
• Waller was the lone Raider with more than three targets Sunday. Eight players had either two or three.
• Williams led the team with 38 routes, followed by Waller (33), Jones (23), Doss (20), Richard (15) and Jacobs (12), per PFF.
• Jon Gruden dropped a hint that Jacobs could be shut down for the final two weeks: https://www.raiders.com/video/coach-gruden-recaps-week-15-looks-ahead-to-the-chargers

Browns 24 @ Cardinals 38

Browns

• Nick Chubb played a season-low 50% of snaps but still came through with a big game, taking 17 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown and catching each of his three targets for 21 yards. It's extremely impressive that he's averaging 100.6 rushing yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry in a subpar-to-mediocre offense.
• Kareem Hunt played 61% of snaps, which actually was down from 63% and 67% the previous two weeks (Cleveland cut down on the two-back packages). Hunt finished with 4-14-0 on the ground and 8-62-0 on nine targets, piling up four catches for 43 yards on the final drive in garbage time. Hunt has landed between 11.8 and 17.5 PPR points in each of his six games with Cleveland.
• Chubb has remained productive, but his volume is taking a bit of a hit: 16, 15 and 17 carries the past three weeks, following six consecutive games with 20 or more. Also, he's averaging 2.3 targets since Hunt joined the offense, compared to 4.0 through the first eight games of the season.
• Jarvis Landry caught five of eight targets for 23 yards, logging 97% of snaps.
• Odell Beckham Jr. also got 97% snap share, catching eight of 13 targets for 66 yards. He dropped a deep pass, and Baker Mayfield then overthrew him for an interception two snaps later.
• With David Njoku a surprise scratch, Demetrius Harris led the tight ends with 60% snap share, but it was Ricky Seals-Jones who burnt his former team for a pair of TDs despite playing just 27% of snaps. Granted, RSJ also had a third target, which he caught but then coughed up for a lost fumble.
• KhaDarel Hodge played 43% of snaps and drew one target as the No. 3 receiver, slightly ahead of Damion Ratley (30%, two catches for 33 yards on two targets). Meanwhile, Rashard Higgins strictly played special teams.

Cardinals

• Kyler Murray completed a season-high 76% of his pass attempts, rebounding from mistake-filled performances the previous two weeks.

• Kenyan Drake stole the show with a quartet of touchdowns, posting a 22-137-4 rushing line and one catch for nine yards on 75% of snaps.

• Drake has played at least 64% of snaps in each of six games for Arizona, averaging 14.5 carries for 69.5 yards and 0.83 TDs, plus 3.7 catches for 21.7 yards on 4.5 targets. Granted, he's essentially had two monster games, one mediocre game and three duds.
• David Johnson played 21% of snaps and took three carries for six yards (no targets).
• Christian Kirk played 89% of snaps but caught just four of five targets for 33 yards, adding a carry for 28 yards. The five targets actually isn't an awful number, considering Murray threw just 25 passes. Kirk has seven carries for 78 yards in 11 games, and he's seen at least five targets in every appearance, averaging 8.5.
• Larry Fitzgerald played 77% of snaps and caught three of five targets for 42 yards. That's about what we should expect at this point... competence, but not much more.
• Damiere Byrd showed out with a 6-86-0 line on six targets, but he played just 34% of offensive snaps, barely ahead of Andy Isabella (25%) and Pharoh Cooper (20%). Meanwhile, Trent Sherfield saw just 3%.

Vikings 39 @ Chargers 10

Vikings

• Dalvin Cook entered the game with a chest injury and bowed out early with an unrelated shoulder injury. He finished with a 9-27-0 rushing line and 3-16-0 receiving line on 43% of snaps.
• With Alexander Mattison (ankle) inactive, Mike Boone stepped in as the lead runner, logging 32% of snaps and posting a 13-56-2 rushing line (albeit with no targets).
• Ameer Abdullah chipped in five carries for 25 yards and a pair of incomplete targets on 23% snap share, with four of his five carries coming on the final drive deep into garbage time.
• Adam Thielen was eased back in with 51% of snaps, catching each of his three targets for 27 yards.
• Stefon Diggs caught four passes for 76 yards on a team-high six targets, logging 71% of snaps.
• Kyle Rudolph dropped to season-low 54% snap share, down even from 64% the previous week. Rudolph had played at least three-quarters of offensive snaps in every game before Week 14. He did catch three passes for 48 yards despite the reduced role Sunday, and the blowout nature of the contest undoubtedly impacted his playing time.
• Irv Smith Jr.'s 65% snap share was a four-week low, but he did score his second TD as part of a 2-8-1 receiving line on three targets.
• No. 3 TE Tyler Conklin and FB C.J. Ham played 46% of snaps apiece. No. 3 receiver Bisi Johnson got 40%, and Laquon Treadwell got 17%.
• Diggs ran 23 routes on Cousins' 25 dropbacks, followed by Thielen (18), Smith (15), Cook (13) and Rudolph (13), per PFF. Looking at it from that standpoint, Thielen's role doesn't seem quite as limited.

Chargers

• Melvin Gordon played 40% of snaps, his smallest share of the year. He took seven carries for 28 yards and caught five of seven targets for 36 yards, but a pair of lost fumbles were the big story from his day. He did get some work after the second fumble, but only after watching Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson split snaps throughout the third quarter. Gordon didn't touch the ball again until garbage time.
• Ekeler finished with seven carries for 19 yards and 5-62-0 on seven targets, logging 48% of snaps.
• Jackson played 21% and took five carries for 15 yards, adding two catches for two yards.
• Keenan Allen's 9-99-0 line on 10 targets gave him his best marks for both receptions and yards since Week 3, though it was his eighth game of the year with double-digit targets. He's sitting on 90-1,046-5 through 14 games, essentially mirroring his per-game production from last year (97-1,196-6 in 16 games). It just doesn't feel like it because he had more yards Weeks 1-3 (404) than he had in the next eight games combined (392). Anyway, he played 94% of snaps in Sunday's loss.
• Mike Williams hit pay dirt for the second time all year and the second time in as many weeks, putting up 4-71-1 on nine targets and 84% of snaps.
• Andre Patton did his usual thing as the No. 3 WR: lots of snaps (74%) but not targets (one).
• Hunter Henry continued his December implosion, putting up a 2-29-0 receiving line with a lost fumble on two targets. He played 69% of snaps, up from 60% the previous week but still lower than the 76+ range he occupied throughout his October/November hot streak. Henry's past three games have yielded just six catches for 78 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. The good news? His failure to complete the 2019 breakout means we can include him on 2020 breakout lists!

Rams 21 @ Cowboys 44

Rams

• Jared Goff turned back into a pumpkin, producing just 5.6 YPA and a 45.5 QBR.
• Todd Gurley posted an 11-20-1 rushing line and 3-18-1 receiving line on seven targets, playing 96% of snaps and doing nothing besides the two touchdowns.
• Robert Woods played every snap on offense but finished with 4-17-0 on nine targets. It was his fifth straight game with nine or more targets, but his four-game streak with 95 or more yards came to a rather abrupt end.
• Cooper Kupp played 92% of snaps, recovering from 29% the previous week in a TE-heavy gameplan. He nonetheless had a similar stat line: 6-41-1 on six targets, after 4-45-1 on four targets the week prior.
• Brandin Cooks played 71% of snaps, up from 39% the previous week. A 4-46-0 line on eight targets was poor work relative to his long-term standards, but it's the best we've seen from him since Week 7. He hasn't reached 75 yards or scored a touchdown since Week 4.
• Tyler Higbee once again made the most of Gerald Everett (knee) being inactive, catching 12 of 14 targets for 111 yards while playing 86% of snaps. Michael Salfino of The Athletic relays that Higbee is the third TE since the AFL-NFL merger to record three straight games with seven or more catches and 100 or more yards, joining Travis Kelce (2016) and Jimmy Graham (2011).
• Woods ran a route on each of Goff's 53 dropbacks, followed by Kupp (50), Gurley (46), Higbee (39), Cooks (38) and Josh Reynolds (19), per PFF.

Cowboys

• Dak Prescott's 23 pass attempts were a season low, and he finished the afternoon without any sacks or turnovers.
• Ezekiel Elliott played 71% of snaps, his smallest share since Week 3. He piled up 24-117-2 on the ground and 3-43-0 on four targets before handing things over to Tony Pollard in garbage time.
• Pollard finished with 12-131-1 rushing and 2-12-0 on two targets across 33% of snaps, getting 12 of his 14 touches during the final 20 minutes of game time.
• Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and Randall Cobb combined for just three catches and 22 yards on seven targets. Gallup and Cooper handled their usual snap shares, while Cobb dropped to 41%, after 86% and 79% the previous two weeks.
• Jason Witten also saw a slight dip to 66% snap share in the blowout, but he caught four of five targets for 36 yards and a gorgeous, one-handed touchdown.
• Tavon Austin's lone target went for a 59-yard TD on a deep crossing route where his defender got lost/picked. He also took two carries for three yards and played 37% of snaps, up a tick from 21, 25 and 29% the previous three weeks.

Falcons 29 @ 49ers 22

Falcons

• Devonta Freeman played 79% of snaps, up from 66% and 65% the previous two weeks. His production, however, didn't match: 12-39-0 rushing and 2-16-0 on three targets.
• Qadree Ollison played just one snap on offense, but it was an important one for Freeman's fantasy owners, with the rookie "vulturing" a one-yard TD. Brian Hill otherwise handled the backup work: 15% of snaps, one carry for 16 yards, no targets. To be fair, Ollison didn't truly vulture his teammate, as Freeman had no significant contribution to the scoring drive. The term 'vulture' has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning, no?
• Julio Jones played 88% of snaps, his largest share in any game since Week 13 of last season. His 13-134-2 receiving line came on 20 targets, matching a career high (from 2015). He now has 16 career games with 15 or more targets, producing a minimum of eight catches and 92 yards in those games.
• Christian Blake replaced Calvin Ridley (IR-abdomen) in terms of playing time, but he finished with one target and no receptions despite playing 85% of snaps.
• Austin Hooper returned to his usual workload in his second game back from a knee sprain, playing 82% of snaps but catching just three of six targets for 20 yards.
• Russell Gage caught five of six targets for 27 yards and took a carry for six yards, logging 76% of snaps.

49ers

• Raheem Mostert led the backfield with 53% of snaps, which actually was a drop from 74% and 59% the previous two weeks. He posted a 14-54-1 rushing line and 1-5-0 on two targets, with his score coming from two yards out in the second quarter. His "lost fumble" was a lateral on the last play of the game.
• Tevin Coleman had an unsuccessful carry from Atlanta's 3-yard line toward the end of the second quarter, and FB Kyle Juzsczyk was stuffed from the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter (but scored on a two-yard catch the very next play).
• Coleman finished with 4-40-0 and one incomplete target on 30% of snaps, getting more snaps but fewer touches than Matt Breida (19%, 4-11-0 rushing, 2-6-0 receiving on two targets). Breida lost a fumble late in the third quarter and never touched the ball again.
• Emmanuel Sanders played 95% of snaps, followed by Deebo Samuel (89%) and Kendrick Bourne (53%). The 49ers have tightened their WR rotation to feature only those three players in recent weeks, but none was productive in Sunday's loss, combining for just four catches and 49 yards on nine targets.
• George Kittle, on the other hand, racked up a 13-134-0 line on 17 targets, playing 95% of snaps. He's now played four games since returning from the small ankle fracture, averaging 6.8 catches for 86.8 yards and 0.5 TDs on 8.8 targets. He's accounted for 32% of team targets in that stretch, far ahead of Sanders (18%), Samuel (15%), Bourne (10%) and Mostert (8%).

Bills 17 @ Steelers 10

Bills

• Josh Allen threw 25 passes, his third time in the past four week with that many or fewer. He's on pace to finish the year with 491 pass attempts and 102 carries.
• Devin Singletary played 71% of snaps, his fifth consecutive game at 70% or higher and his eighth in a row with two-thirds or more. His 21 carries matched a season high, but the Steelers limited him to 87 rushing yards and two catches for two yards on three targets. His rushing total was the third best from any RB against Pittsburgh this year, behind Marlon Mack (89 in Week 9) and Nick Chubb (92 in Week 11).
• Frank Gore played 29% of snaps and took 10 carries for 15 yards. He got only two carries in the first half but padded his total with seven in the final 17 minutes of the game.
• John Brown played 94% of snaps and caught seven of a team-high 10 targets for 99 yards. Each of those numbers was his best since Week 11, ending a three-game streak below 40 yards (he had 51 or more in each of his first 10 games this year). Brown is sitting on career highs for catches (71), targets (111) and yards (1,007), with two weeks left to play. It helps that he's played 91% of offensive snaps this season, rarely missing an opportunity to run a route.

• Cole Beasley dropped to 69% snap share, following four straight weeks at 81% or higher. He also came up empty on the stat sheet, catching one of six targets for six yards and dropping a pair of passes (per PFF).
• Beasley now has six drops this season, equaling his total from the previous three years combined, per PFF.
• Isaiah McKenzie played 46% of snaps, not so far ahead of Andre Roberts (26%). Meanwhile, Robert Foster strictly played special teams after struggling in a loss to Baltimore the previous week. McKenzie finished without a target or carry, while Roberts caught one of two passes of seven yards.
• Dawson Knox caught his lone target for 11 yards, playing 48% of snaps, his smallest share since Week 8 (and down from 72-to-77% in each of the previous four games). Blocking specialist Lee Smith also got 48%, up from 18%, 20% and 3% in the previous three games. Tyler Kroft played 29% and caught a 14-yard touchdown pass on his lone target.

Steelers

• Devlin Hodges tossed four interceptions, and while each of the four came on an inaccurate pass, he at least had a decent excuse for two of the decisions — one was a deep pass on 3rd-and-15, and another was thrown into the end zone on 4th-and-7. There's been some talk about the Steelers benching him for Week 16, but teammates seem to prefer Hodges over Mason Rudolph, for whatever that's worth.

• James Conner returned from his shoulder injury and led the backfield with 58% of snaps, taking eight carries for 42 yards and catching four of five targets for nine yards and a touchdown.
• Kerrith Whyte, Benny Snell Jr. and Jaylen Samuels got two carries apiece, with Samuels also seeing one target. Samuels led the bunch with 29% of snaps, well ahead of Whyte (10%), Snell (3%) and Trey Edmunds (2%).
• With Vance McDonald (concussion) inactive, Nick Vannett played 92% of snaps and caught five of six targets for 40 yards. Reserve tight end Zach Gentry caught his lone target for four yards on 24% of snaps, and sixth lineman Zach Banner actually saw less playing time (19%) than usual. (Banner played at least 31% of snaps each of the previous three weeks.)
• James Washington logged 85% of snaps and caught five passes for 83 yards on a team-high 11 targets. It was his first career game with more than seven targets but his ninth in a row with four or more.
• Diontae Johnson caught five of seven targets for 62 yards, playing 75% of snaps. He was charged with two fumbles, but the one the Steelers lost wasn't necessarily his fault — it was a wildcat play where a bad snap and missed block allowed a defender to knock the ball out of his hands before he had full control. Even so, Johnson has struggled with ball security, piling up five fumbles between his 47 receptions, four carries and 15 punt returns (66 total touches).
• Johnson has seen no more than eight and no fewer than four targets over the past six weeks. He's averaging 4.0 catches for 45.3 yards and 0.33 TDs on 6.7 targets in three games since Hodges took back the starting job. Washington has averaged 4.3 catches for 75.7 yards and 0.33 TDs on 6.3 targets during the same stretch, so they're essentially on even footing in terms of volume.

Colts 7 @ Saints 34

Colts

• Marlon Mack played 45% of snaps, barely ahead of Jordan Wilkins (43%) but far ahead of Nyheim Hines (16%). Mack took 11 carries for 19 yards and didn't see any targets, while Wilkins had 3-10-1 rushing line and 1-7-0 on three targets, and Hines had a 2-10-0 rushing line and 2-2-0 on two targets. Wilkins scored from one yard out with 3:56 remaining at the end of the blowout.
• T.Y. Hilton played only 52% of snaps and caught four passes for 25 yards on a team-high nine targets. He didn't record his first catch until the fourth quarter.
• Zach Pascal and Marcus Johnson played 80% of snaps apiece, with Dontrelle Inman getting 55% and Ashton Dulin at 16%. Pascal was the busiest of the bunch with four catches for 44 yards on six targets. Johnson caught two of four passes for 37 yards.
• Jack Doyle hauled in two of five targets for 21 yards while playing 82% of snaps. His first game with Eric Ebron (ankle) on IR was a major success, but Doyle has since caught just four passes for 48 yards on 11 targets in two games, logging 78% and 82% of snaps.
• Johnson ran a team-high 29 routes, followed by Pascal (28), Doyle (27), Hilton (22), Inman 922) and Wilkins (13), per PFF. (Brissett had 36 dropbacks.)
• Hilton's rate of 0.61 routes per dropback will make him tough to trust as a fantasy option for Week unless we see reports that he's ready to return to his full-time role from earlier in the year.

Saints

• Alvin Kamara played 63% of snaps, tied for his second-smallest share of the year. His five targets were his fewest since Week 4, while 14 carries were his most since Week 5. He finished with 14-66-0 on the ground and 5-23-0 through the air, held out of the end zone for a ninth straight games. He now has two TDs from 1,163 yards, which seems impossible for a guy in a top-five offense.
• Latavius Murray got 33% of snaps, taking nine carries for 29 yards and catching two of three targets for 20 yards. He didn't really benefit from garbage time, as the Saints kept Kamara in the game much longer than necessary and then switched to Dwayne Washington (three carries for 20 yards) after they took Kamara out.
• Tre'Quan Smith played 67% of snaps, further distancing himself from Ted Ginn (28%). Smith still only got one target, but he took it for a 21-yard TD, his third score in the past four games (on six catches). Ginn also drew one target, a 13-yard gain.
• Josh Hill played 70% of snaps to Jared Cook's 42%, but the latter had a 4-to-1 advantage in targets. Hill did score a five-yard TD on his lone opportunity.
• Michael Thomas was the only Saint with more than five targets, hauling in each of the 12 passes in his direction for 128 yards and a touchdown. He's having a pretty good season.

• Thomas ran a route on each of Drew Brees' 30 dropbacks, ahead of Smith (23), Kamara (20) Cook (18), Hill (14), Ginn (11) and Murray (8), per PFF.

Bonus Tweets

Editor's Note: Many stats that include a player's rank in a category don't account for the Monday game.