Fantasy football buzz: Travis Hunter plays D, Burrow injured

Sep 15, 2025, 09:25 AM ET

Everything that happens in the NFL has some additional context when viewed from a fantasy football perspective. From position battles to injuries and so much more, the news cycle will constantly affect player values in fantasy football.

Our fantasy football buzz file, with contributions from our ESPN fantasy writers and our NFL Nation reporters, aims to provide fantasy managers with the intel they need as news breaks around the NFL.

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Sept. 15: Who got the ball on Sunday? Usage notes beyond the box score

Notebook by Eric Moody

• Travis Hunter’s six targets and 5.2 fantasy points against the Bengals were disappointing considering both teams combined for 58 points. However, context is important: Hunter played 58% of the Jaguars’ offensive snaps but also 60% of the defensive snaps following CB Jarrian Jones’ injury.

• Quinshon Judkins‘ season debut against the Ravens thrust him into a three-man committee alongside Dylan Sampson and Jerome Ford. Despite missing all of training camp and the preseason, the rookie finished with 13 touches for 10.1 fantasy points and played 20 offensive snaps, the second most behind Ford (36).

• Travis Etienne Jr. finished with 16 touches and 16.9 fantasy points, playing 66.7% of the offensive snaps — the most in the Jaguars backfield — and running the most routes. Bhayshul Tuten, meanwhile, had 10 touches for 15.4 fantasy points despite playing just 25% of the snaps. This gives us a clear picture of what the Jaguars’ backfield usage may look like moving forward.

• Juwan Johnson has stockpiled 20 targets so far this season and has scored at least 15 fantasy points in both games. He’s played 97.8% of the Saints’ offensive snaps and run 74 routes, the most of any tight end in the league. Chris Olave leads the Saints with a 30.7% target share but has caught just 56.5% of those passes. He has still scored 11 or more fantasy points in back-to-back games while playing 92.0% of the Saints’ offensive snaps. Better days are likely ahead. New Orleans faces tough matchups against the Seahawks and Bills secondaries in Weeks 3 and 4 but gets a favorable matchup in Week 5 against the Giants, who just allowed big games to both CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.

• Cam Skattebo finished with 13 touches and 13.9 fantasy points against the Cowboys, while Tyrone Tracy Jr. had nine touches and 9.1 fantasy points. What stands out is that Skattebo played more snaps than Tracy and Devin Singletary in the second half and overtime, which could be a first step to becoming the top runner in this committee.

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Liz Loza: Rhamondre Stevenson very much the Patriots’ RB1

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• TreVeyon Henderson (5) finished with fewer touches than Rhamondre Stevenson (16) and Antonio Gibson (6) against the Dolphins. Stevenson appears to be the Patriots’ lead back for now, while Henderson has played just 33.3% of the offensive snaps this season.

• The Patriots’ wide receiver group is the definition of a committee, with Stefon Diggs (32), Kayshon Boutte (45), and Mack Hollins (41) all playing similar snaps and running a similar number of routes. To make matters worse, Stevenson actually led New England in receiving yards against the Dolphins.

• Tony Pollard has played 90% of the offensive snaps so far this season in a Titans backfield without Tyjae Spears, which isn’t surprising. What is surprising is that he has only two targets after averaging four per games last season.

• De’Von Achane played 92% of the Dolphins’ offensive snaps in Week 2 and scored 26.2 fantasy points on 19 touches. This is significant because, among running backs, only Jonathan Taylor and Pollard had a snap share above 90%, and all three saw 19 or more touches.

• Breece Hall led the Jets’ backfield against the Bills with 12 touches as New York struggled to get anything going offensively. He’s firmly entrenched as the lead back, playing 64% of the offensive snaps in Week 2, an increase from Week 1.

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• D’Andre Swift has played 70.4% of the Bears’ offensive snaps through two games and has accumulated 15 or more touches in each contest. Most importantly, Chicago’s offensive line has performed well and currently ranks first in run block win rate. Even while trailing for most of Sunday’s game against the Lions, the Bears still rushed for 134 yards as a team and averaged 5.0 yards per carry.

• Isiah Pacheco played 57% of the offensive snaps against the Eagles, while Kareem Hunt played 41%. Pacheco had 11 touches and Hunt had nine, with both scoring fewer than five fantasy points. Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs in rushing yards, which is suboptimal, and the Chiefs’ offensive line currently ranks 31st in run-block win rate, which is officially concerning

• James Conner has had 11 or more rushing attempts in two consecutive games, averaging 3.2 yards per carry. This is surprising given that the Cardinals’ offensive line currently ranks third in run-block win rate.

• DeAndre Hopkins has scored 11 or more fantasy points in two straight games, that’s the good news. The bad news is he’s played just 29 offensive snaps and run only 18 routes in that span, catching all four of his targets. That level of fantasy production isn’t sustainable without significantly more volume.

• Cooper Kupp was much more involved in the Seahawks’ offense in Week 2. He finished with 3.3 receiving yards per route run, similar to teammate Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and saw a comparable trend in targets as well.

• Elic Ayomanor played 73% of the Titans’ offensive snaps in Week 2. He outperformed Calvin Ridley in both receiving yards per route run and fantasy points.

• Hunter Renfrow finished with nine targets and 23.8 fantasy points against the Cardinals. However, the Panthers trailed most of the game and relied heavily on 11 personnel, which is important because Renfrow primarily plays in three-receiver sets.

• Zay Flowers has a 42.6% target share this season. The only other receiver with a team target share over 40% is Smith-Njigba.

• RJ Harvey played 31.7% of the Broncos’ offensive snaps in Week 2, up from Week 1, but he recorded just six touches.

• Troy Franklin played 83.3% of the Broncos’ offensive snaps, finishing with nine targets and 24.0 fantasy points against the Colts. He has solidified his role as Denver’s No. 2 receiver.

• J.J. McCarthy posted a Total QBR of 6.2 against the Falcons, the lowest by a Vikings quarterback since Teddy Bridgewater’s 3.8 in Week 17 of 2015 against the Packers. McCarthy also had an off-target rate of 28.6%, threw two interceptions, and lost a fumble. The early returns are concerning for the fantasy outlook of key Vikings offensive players Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones Sr. and T.J. Hockenson. This will be important to monitor moving forward.

• Brenton Strange has nine total targets and 14.6 fantasy points so far this season for the Jaguars. He’s also been on the field for 86.5% of their offensive snaps and has run 55 routes. Better days are ahead for Strange.

For more observations, see Tristan H. Cockcroft and Matt Bowen’s Week 2 fantasy football winners and losers

Joe Burrow was forced out of Sunday’s game, but Jake Browning showed he can keep the Bengals’ fantasy playmakers afloat. Sam Greene/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Sept. 14: Bengals withstand injury to Burrow, Lions offense roars

Notebook by Tristan H. Cockcroft

Fantasy managers of Cincinnati Bengals players will be monitoring their injury updates over the next 24 hours and throughout the practice week, after Joe Burrow was forced to leave the team’s Week 2 contest with a toe injury. The star quarterback, the fifth most-started player at his position in fantasy (90.5% of ESPN leagues), scored 7.04 fantasy points before exiting at around the midpoint of the second quarter.

Aggressive-but-erratic backup Jake Browning kept the offense afloat in relief of Burrow, scoring 17.74 points of his own and fueling big scores by Ja’Marr Chase (36.5 PPR fantasy points) and Tee Higgins (14.6). Nevertheless, Burrow’s accuracy is practically impossible for Browning to match, and there’s little doubt that further absences will heighten the challenge for Bengals offensive players — yes, including running back Chase Brown, since the team’s defense grades well below-average.

Browning would be a matchups-oriented streaming option in the event he’s needed to make future starts.

More Sunday takeaways

• What a difference a week made for the Detroit Lions, who went from totaling 13 points and 246 yards against the Green Bay Packers in their season opener, to scoring 52 with 511 total yards against the Chicago Bears … who, by the way, are coached by their former offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson (in case you hadn’t yet heard). Jared Goff‘s turnaround was particularly notable, as he scored a position-best (through the 1 p.m. ET games) 33.96 fantasy points, while showing greater willingness as well as accuracy on deeper throws this week than last. It’s suddenly seeming that Week 1 was much more about the Packers’ defensive strengths than it was Lions deficiencies, with Thursday’s Packers win over the Washington Commmanders providing further evidence of that. The Lions are in for a challenge against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3, but their output should be much closer in resemblance to this week’s (or the Buffalo Bills’ Week 1 against the Ravens).

• After Zach Charbonnet out-snapped (58%-40%), out-carried (12-10) and outscored for fantasy purposes (10.7-5.4 PPR points) Kenneth Walker III in Week 1, it appeared a backfield battle was on. Week 2 wasn’t much different in terms of usage — Charbonnet still led in snap rate (55%-36%) and carries (15-13) — but Walker was the superior performer of the two, with 18.8 points to Charbonnet’s 1.0. It was the rebound performance Walker sorely needed to keep afloat in what’s shaping up as a backfield timeshare, and it aligns nicely with a supremely favorable Week 3 matchup ahead against the New Orleans Saints.

• No Brock Purdy, no problem for the San Francisco 49ers offense. Mac Jones filled in and put up 21.76 fantasy points, his fifth-best single game score, completing passes to eight different receivers and totaling three passing scores. The matchup certainly contributed — the New Orleans Saints have one of the league’s worst defenses — but Purdy’s absence, a result of a toe injury, comes at an opportune time on that front, with the Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, all of them plus matchups for passing, the next three games on the Niners’ schedule. Jones’ success alleviates most concerns about the offense while Purdy heals, so start Christian McCaffrey and Jauan Jennings with confidence next week.

• Kaleb Johnson‘s fantasy stock continues to plummet, particularly after he committed gaffes on special teams in each of the season’s first two weeks. A top-25 running back selected as early as the ninth round during the early stages of the preseason, Johnson has seen his roster rate dip to 67.4% in ESPN leagues. Primarily returning kickoffs, Johnson lost a fumble in Week 1, then on Sunday failed to return a kickoff that immediately led to a New York Jets touchdown. It appeared he was unfamiliar with the new rule. At running back, the Pittsburgh Steelers have given Jaylen Warren 52% of the offensive snaps, Kenneth Gainwell 47% and Johnson 4%, and Warren 25 of the carries, Gainwell 12 and Johnson 2. While, yes, injuries often create opportunities at the NFL level and Johnson’s career is hardly derailed as a result of his poor start to the year, he’s a cut in fantasy at this stage.

Stephania Bell’s injury update

Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals: Burrow was taken down with a sack roughly halfway through the second quarter and sustained a toe injury in the process. Burrow’s toe portion of his shoe remained engaged with the turf as his body weight shifted forward and he went to the ground, forcing hyperextension through the toe region. After being examined on the field, Burrow was helped inside the tunnel with the assistance of the medical staff, protecting his left foot by not bearing weight through it. Not every facility has MRI imaging on site, but according to Joe Danneman of Fox19 Now in Cincinnati, Burrow had an MRI at the stadium, shortly after leaving the field. The Bengals initially ruled Burrow questionable to return with a left toe injury and he was ruled out of the game within an hour.

According to ESPN’s Ben Baby, Burrow was using crutches to leave the locker room while wearing a walking boot on his left foot. Coach Zac Taylor had no update on Burrow’s status after the game. There will hopefully be more information in coming days, but as San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s absence in Week 2 due to a (variant of) turf toe injury indicates, it is difficult to successfully play the position with any acute toe injury. Whether it is driving through the front leg to throw, dropping back to pass, pivoting to hand the ball off or, perhaps most importantly, having enough mobility to protect oneself, the toe plays a critical role.

Washington fears it may be a long time before Austin Ekeler returns to the huddle after Thursday night’s Achilles injury. Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Eric Moody: Austin Ekeler’s injury is a massive shakeup for both the Commanders and fantasy managers alike. Washington fears he suffered a season-ending Achilles tear, which would remove one of the league’s most versatile backs from the offense and fantasy lineups.

Through the first two weeks, Ekeler handled every snap on the first two drives, but Jacory Croskey-Merritt took over early-down work for the remainder of each game. Jeremy McNichols mixed in on passing downs and fully assumed third-down duties after Ekeler’s injury. Even with the Commanders frequently trailing and leaning on QB Jayden Daniels and the passing game, Croskey-Merritt averaged a respectable 4.3 yards per carry.

Croskey-Merritt, rostered in 83.2% of leagues, should become the Commanders’ lead back. He accumulated 10 touches for 14.2 fantasy points in Week 1 and could see 15-plus touches in neutral or positive game scripts. He profiles as an RB2 with upside, especially in PPR formats.

McNichols should maintain a steady role as the passing-down back, offering sneaky value in deeper leagues, particularly in games where Washington is trailing. Chris Rodriguez Jr., a healthy scratch in Week 1 and 2, could now be incorporated in short-yardage and goal-line situations. He will likely see limited action initially, but is worth monitoring in deep leagues.

Deebo Samuel may also pick up additional rushing attempts, providing a creative way for Washington to balance its offense. He’s averaged 2.9 carries and 16.0 yards per game since 2021. The Commanders could also explore the free-agent market, with options like Ezekiel Elliott, Cam Akers, or D’Onta Foreman available. Fantasy managers should monitor this situation closely, as any addition would alter the current depth chart and usage patterns.

Stephania Bell: When Ekeler went to the ground untouched in the fourth quarter, the sequence was all too familiar. While running a route on a pass play, he turned to cut inside and his right leg extended behind him in a lunge position. That lunge position — with the back leg extended, heel to the ground and the body weight leaning forward about to push off — places maximum stretch on the Achilles, the largest tendon in the body.

Pushing off with that leg to propel the body forward results from the calf muscle forcefully contracting, then transmitting that force through the tendon to lift the heel. That extreme of going from maximal lengthening (or stretch) of the tendon to maximal contraction subjects the Achilles to significant strain and is a classic mechanism of injury.

Ekeler went to the ground immediately and reached instinctively for his right lower leg, as is often the case with Achilles injuries. Commanders medical staff evaluated him briefly on the field and then helped escort him off the field with Ekeler bearing no weight on his right leg. Moments later he was seen on a cart heading into the tunnel for further evaluation.

The next steps for Ekeler likely include further physical evaluation, including imaging, to better appreciate the full extent of the injury but reports already indicate the team suspects a torn Achilles. Expect Ekeler to undergo surgery in the near future but sadly his 2025 season has come to a premature conclusion.

Other Thursday night notes

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Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers: With a defender falling on top of him, Reed landed hard on his right shoulder while making a beautiful end zone catch and came up in pain. Unfortunately the touchdown was negated by a penalty. Worse yet, Reed was obviously in significant discomfort, right arm dangling at his side, as he was escorted into the locker room area for X-rays. He would not return to the game and afterward coach Matt LaFleur announced that Reed suffered a broken clavicle (collarbone).

There will be more information to come as to whether it will be allowed to heal on its own or whether Reed will require surgery to repair the fracture. The size and location of the break will factor into course of treatment. Either way, he will no doubt be placed on Injured reserve as this will be a multiple-week recovery. — Bell

Tucker Kraft of the Packers was an afterthought in many fantasy drafts this summer as the TE11. He exploded against the Commanders, catching six of seven targets for 124 yards and a touchdown. His 57-yard reception from Jordan Love marked his third catch of 50-plus yards since the start of last season, the most by any tight end over that span. Kraft is seeing a rising target rate, making him a TE1 option with top-five upside moving forward. — Moody

Jayden Daniels of the Commanders finished with 19.7 fantasy points, but the box score only tells part of the story. He struggled in the vertical passing game against the Packers’ ferocious defense, facing pressure on 24 of 52 dropbacks (46%), the highest of his career, up from 22% last week. That constant pressure largely explains his lack of downfield success, a trend fantasy managers should watch in future matchups. — Moody

Packers CB Keisean Nixon has been phenomenal so far this season. According to Next Gen Stats, he was targeted six times as the nearest defender in coverage against the Commanders and allowed just one reception for nine yards. He also recorded five pass breakups, the most by any player in a single game since 2021. Fantasy managers should take note if one of their receivers faces the Packers in upcoming weeks. — Moody

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Stephania Bell details injured reserve process for fantasy managers

Stephania Bell issues a reminder to fantasy managers about what happens when players are placed on injured reserve.