Strength in Numbers: Actionable Week 5 Stats

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We’re going to get a lot of stuff wrong, but sifting through usage metrics can help us work through what matters and what doesn’t. That’s the goal of this article: to break down the most actionable takeaways from each week in a concise, numbers-filled format and work through what’s important. Let’s get right to it:

1. One week after Sean Tucker scored a goal-line touchdown and converted on another fourth-and-1 snap, the Bucs used Bucky Irving in some goal-line situations. Bucky scored a 5-yard receiving touchdown early and later converted on a 2-yard rushing score. It was a monster game overall for Bucky, who controlled 21 of 30 RB carries and turned that volume into 165 rushing yards. Running backs also accounted for seven of Jalon Daniels‘ 25 targets, a welcome sign after Daniels threw to backs just 7.4% of the time in his debut. While the week-to-week short-yardage opportunities could vary, it appears Bucky isn’t drawing dead for goal-line work despite Tucker’s strong Week 4 outing.

2. Jake Ferguson set season highs in snap rate (83%) and route participation (31 routes on 42 dropbacks). It will be interesting to see whether his role drops off next week after he had multiple drops on Thursday, including one that cost Dallas the game late in the fourth quarter.

3. With Dallas in negative game script, Javonte Williams played a season-high 85% of snaps (Tyler Goodson played just three snaps). Javonte handled 12 of 13 running back carries, with FB Hunter Luepke getting the only non-Williams carry.

4. Dallas Goedert played 69% of snaps, ran 29 routes on 43 dropbacks, and led the Eagles with nine targets for a 22.5% target share, though he only managed 38 receiving yards on that volume. The Eagles’ passing game looks awful at the moment (Jalen Hurts was at 5.5 yards per attempt in this game), but the volume should be solid for Goedert moving forward. Zach Ertz ran just five routes with Goedert back as the primary pass-catching tight end.

5. Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby were out. Will Shipley started and scored a rushing touchdown early but left in the first half. The Eagles also had Carson Steele up (and they still have Jaydon Blue on the practice squad), but instead of playing Steele, they just gave Dameon Pierce the full workload without Shipley. Pierce managed just 14 yards on 11 carries, but he was the only non-Shipley RB with a carry, and he got five targets (the result: two catches for -2 yards) while running 24 routes on 43 dropbacks. Shipley’s injury could give Saquon the pass-down role once he’s back, which would be legitimately meaningful for his fantasy outlook. But if Saquon and Shipley are both out next week, expect a big Pierce workload in Week 6.