Week 3 Fantasy Football Market Share Report: Odell Beckham's Return Was a Promising One
In Week 3, we saw some offenses and players make a return to prominence, while a couple of others were tripped up by the injury bug.
Now, as we have three weeks of data to go on, we need to determine if we trust the usage and the opportunities moving forward, or whether it's best to capitalize on the current value of some players and makes some trades.
Let's dive into some usage trends.
Rushing Market Shares
Chuba Hubbard, Panthers
Chuba Hubbard may have a short shelf life as a fantasy starter after the Carolina Panthers declined to put Christian McCaffrey on IR for his strained hamstring. But if it’s only a few games for Hubbard, with potential handcuff value after, he’s worth a big FAB bid.
After McCaffrey left the game in Week 3, Hubbard handled 73% of the snaps, playing 38 while Royce Freeman logged 10. In addition to the promising snap rate, Hubbard was in on 100% of the Panthers’ two-minute offense and saw 5 total targets.
In McCaffrey’s absence, Hubbard is an easy plug-and-play RB2 with RB1 upside.
Saquon Barkley, Giants
The debate over Saquon Barkley's effectiveness and usefulness is one thing. But we know this -- his usage is on the rise.
In Week 3, he played 86% of the New York Giants' snaps and handled 16 of 19 running-back carries. He totaled 51 rushing yards in addition to 43 receiving yards and notched his first touchdown of the year.
Barkley's seven targets tied for the team lead and were good for a 20% target share. With Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton getting injured mid-game, Barkley could be in for a lot of targets -- especially if Kenny Golladay isn't 100%.
After playing 48% of the snaps in Week 1, Barkley has now played 84% and 86% of the snaps in the past two weeks. The efficiency will probably be lacking behind the Giants' poor offensive line, but the volume is going to be there.
Receiving Market Shares
Brandin Cooks, Texans
Brandin Cooks is tied to a blah Houston Texans offense -- possibly a really bad one until Tyrod Taylor gets back -- but his volume has been absolutely elite.
In Week 3, he totaled 9 receptions for 112 yards on 11 targets. He recorded a 44% target share for the game, and it was a continuation of what he did in the first two weeks.
His 37.6% target share for the year is tops among all players, and his 55% air yards share ranks second.
Cooks is being used like an unquestioned number-one receiver, and he's on a team that should see plenty of negative game scripts. He needs to be treated like an every-week WR1 until that changes.
Odell Beckham Jr, Browns
Odell Beckham's return to the Cleveland Browns' offense was as successful as we could have hoped for.
He garnered 5 receptions for 77 yards on 9 targets. It added up to a 34% target share. Beckham also added 1 rush for 10 yards.
He did all that while playing just 64% of the snaps, a number that will likely rise in the coming weeks.
There’s no telling how long the dominant target share will last, but enjoy it while you can. With no Jarvis Landry right now, Beckham is the only show in town at wideout for Baker Mayfield. OBJ's ceiling is a promising one in a solid Cleveland attack.
Red-Zone Market Shares
Melvin Gordon, Broncos
Melvin Gordon was supposed to be supplanted by Javonte Williams this season, but it's not happening right now -- particularly in the red zone.
Gordon currently paces the Denver Broncos with 10 red-zone rushing attempts and a 40% red-zone rushing share. Williams, meanwhile, has seven red-zone carries and a 28% share.
Not only has Williams been poor with his red-zone volume (-3 total yards on three carries inside the five), the rookie also fumbled near the end zone this past week -- something that could lead to even more red-zone work for Gordon.
Gordon is a solid target in trades as the preseason narrative that he'd eventually fade the background may still be swirling in the minds of some, and it doesn't look likely to play out that way anytime soon.
Cole Beasley, Bills
Maybe the most overblown Week 1 storyline was the ineptitude of the Buffalo Bills.
As we have seen, Buffalo has turned things around, and their offense should continue to flourish. The Bills were at their best this past Sunday in a drubbing of a Washington Football Team team that was supposed to be one of the league's better defenses.
One of the key cogs for the Bills has been Cole Beasley.
He leads the Bills in red-zone receiving targets (6), with Stefon Diggs (4) right behind him. Diggs is the number-one wideout in this offense, but if Beasley can carve out a red-zone role in addition to his duties as a chain-moving maven, Beasley can have a better ceiling than what he usually offers.
