With another week in the books, we have plenty of new stats to look over this week. We will continue our weekly deep dive into player usage to help break down market shares of team targets, carries, and more. It’s still too early to start looking into averages with just two weeks’ worth of data, but with context we have solid clues now.
Editor’s Note: The premium stats in this article are provided by Pro Football Focus along with our own manual charting.
Team Stats and Week 1 Comps
Before we get into players, I want to take a second to look at some team totals and league averages. As I mentioned last week, we came into this league expecting it to be very pass-heavy. Expectations were in the neighborhood of a 65/35 pass/rush ratio.
Week 1 fell a little short of that with a 59% pass to 41% rush split. Week 2 took a step in the wrong direction again coming in at a 56% pass to 44% rush ratio.
Dallas is the most pass-heavy offense so far this season throwing it 69.7% of the time despite having inept Phillip Nelson at QB for Week 1. Houston is a close second at 68%. On the other side of that, St. Louis is the most run-heavy unit, rushing 57.4% of the time through the first two weeks. When it comes to total offensive plays, St. Louis dramatically led the league with 80 last week. The second best was Tampa Bay all the way down at 66.
Red-zone efficiency has been a bugaboo for many teams to start the season, especially Tampa who are 0/7 on converting red-zone drives into a TD so far this season. The league average red-zone conversion rate last week was a meager 36.4%, down from 40.7% in Week 1.
Now let’s get to the team-by-team recaps.
Seattle Dragons
At QB, Brandon Silvers was able to make the start after battling an ankle injury all week. Backup QB B.J. Daniels didn’t even see snap in special packages this week. Even if Silvers misses some practice time again this week it’s pretty safe to assume he’s starting and there is no QB controversy here.
Week 2 Team Target and Snap Leaders
- Keenan Reynolds – 8 targets (44.4% MS%), 100% snap share
- Austin Proehl – 4 targets (22.2% MS%), 46.3% snap share
- Dontez Byrd – 2 targets (11.1% MS%), 50% snap share
Seattle opted for a low-volume pass attack in this one by only throwing it 18 times. Keenan Reynolds was well-fed in Week 2 and even found the end zone for the first time this season. He was the only WR to see 100% of his team’s snaps in Week 2 and ranks second in the league with a 96.7% snap share this season. Austin Proehl reportedly injured his hip on the first drive of the game which could explain his lower snap share in Week 2. He was in on 69.6% of snaps in Week 1. Tight ends predominantly made up the backend of the target share here as the team has opted for 12 personnel (two TE sets) often.
Week 2 Team Backfield
- Trey Williams – 11 carries (35.4% MS%), 31.5% snap share
- Kenneth Farrow – 10 carries (32.3% MS%), 37% snap share
- Ja’Quan Gardner – 10 carries (32.3% MS%), 31.5% snap share
This backfield continues to be a three-headed dragon where each player is cannibalizing each other’s value. With the low-volume in the passing game in Week 2 as well there really was no ceiling to be had here. This backfield is best avoided in DFS unless a lead back emerges.
DC Defenders
Cardale Jones continued to look like one of the sharpest QBs in the league last week as DC trounced New York 27-0. Jones finished the game with 276 yards with two TDs and one INT.
Week 2 Team Target and Snap Leaders
- DeAndre Thompkins – 9 targets (26.5% MS%), 63.8% snap share
- Eli Rogers – 8 targets (23.6% MS%), 88.4% snap share
- Rashad Ross – 5 targets (14.7% MS%), 56.5% snap share
DeAndre Thompkins missed Week 1 due to a foot injury, but quickly found himself as the favorite target in Week 2 despite playing on just 63.8% of snaps. RB Donnel Pumphrey actually tied Rashad Ross with five targets in this game. It’s also worth noting that TE Khari Lee was second on the team with an 87% snap share, though that translated to just one target and catch for no yards.
Week 2 Team Backfield
- Donnel Pumphrey – 12 carries (42.9% MS%), 50.7% snap share
- Jhurell Pressley – 11 carries (39.3% MS%), 39.1% snap share
Jhurell Pressley was inefficient again in Week 2 which led to Donnel Pumphrey taking over the backfield. We haven’t seen Pressley look quite the same yet in the XFL as he did in the AAF. Luckily, he should continue to get opportunities to be in a near 50% time share with Pumphrey going forward at worst as Khalil Abdullah doesn’t look like a threat to push for more carries after averaging 1.7 YPA on three carries in mop-up duty in Week 2. Both Pumphrey and Pressley rank inside the top five for most routes run by RBs so far this season.
Los Angeles Wildcats
Getting Josh Johnson under center for LA in Week 2 was definitely a breath of fresh air for the team even if they lost 25-18 against Dallas. His Week 2 performance (196 yards, two TDs) was nothing to write home about, especially considering he rushed four times for just three yards, but he gives this team a chance to be competitive at least going forward.
Week 2 Team Target and Snap Leaders
- Nelson Spruce – 9 targets (26.5% MS%), 79.7% snap share
- Jordan Smallwood – 6 targets (17.6% MS%), 94.9% snap share
- Adonis Jennings – 5 targets (14.7% MS%), 79.7% snap share
The top two are clear as day here with Spruce and Smallwood looking like solid weekly plays, especially if Johnson can shake off some rust. Nelson Spruce leads the league with 24 targets and a commanding 31.6% target market share this season. Behind the top two wideouts, there is a bit of a logjam for targets with Adonis Jennings leading the way with a 68.6% snap share this season. This offense can only support two WRs right now. Note that Saeed Blacknell was out injured for this game, allowing the Top-3 to become more clear-cut. Blacknell’s Week 3 status is unclear.
Week 2 Team Backfield
- Elijah Hood – 10 carries (56% MS%), 64.4% snap share
- Larry Rose – 3 carries (16.7% MS%), 37.3% snap share
Elijah Hood continues to be virtually the only RB in the league with a backfield mostly to himself. He leads the league with a 52.4% market share of his backfield’s carries and his 22 carries this season is tied for fourth-most amongst RBs. He has done virtually nothing with the opportunity though and ran for just 31 yards on 10 carries in Week 2. Perhaps a more mobile version of Josh Johnson will help unlock this backfield going forward.
Houston Roughnecks
P.J. Walker continued to look like the most pro-ready QB in the league in Week 2. He only threw for 170 yards but found the end zone three times while looking great on the move rushing for 27 yards. Houston has scored the most points in the league through two weeks and has converted seven-of-eight red-zone drives into TDs.
Week 2 Team Target and Snap Leaders
- Cam Phillips – 10 targets (32.3% MS%), 98.2% snap share
- Kahlil Lewis – 7 targets (22.6% MS%), 72.7% snap share
- Nick Holley – 5 targets (16.1% MS%), 89.1% snap share
Cam Phillips was unstoppable in Week 2 hooking up with Walker for all three of his TDs. Phillips leads all WRs with a 99.1% snap share this season, having only missed one total snap over the span of two games. He’s second only to Nelson Spruce with a 27.1% target MS% this season. Nick Holley has been a nice surprise for Houston as he gives sure hands in the middle of the field, something Sammie Coates can’t do. Coates has caught just three of the 13 targets thrown his way through two games.
Week 2 Team Backfield
- James Butler – 7 carries (41.2% MS%), 65.5% snap share.
- Andre Williams – 5 carries (29.4% MS%), 27.3% snap share
This backfield is an afterthought in June Jones’ pass-first offense. James Butler continues to be the man to own here but the lack of volume most weeks will make him very TD dependent. While Butler did get that receiving TD in Week 1, you should keep in mind that it was just the second non-WR TD in the last 86 passing TDs on a June Jones offense. De’Angelo Henderson’s injury status will be one to watch for Week 3 as he missed this game.
Tampa Bay Vipers
As expected, we saw a QB rotation with the Vipers last week with Aaron Murray out of action. Taylor Cornelius was the primary passer as he logged 71.2% of the snaps while Quinton Flowers continued to mix in for the rest. Neither QB offered us much of an upgrade from what we saw of Murray in Week 1. As mentioned earlier, Tampa is a mess in the red zone this season having completed none of their seven drives there into a score.
Week 2 Team Target and Snap Leaders
- Reece Horn – 8 targets (23.5% MS%), 75.3% snap share
- Nick Truesdell – 5 targets (14.7% MS%), 79.5% snap share
- Seantavius Jones – 5 targets (14.7% MS%), 37% snap share
After being one of the more consolidated passing corps in Week 1, Tampa spread it out a lot more in Week 2 with Seantavius Jones and Tanner McEvoy deployed. Jones caught just one of his five targets for 12 yards while McEvoy caught one-of-two targets for 11 yards. Daniel Williams seemed to take the biggest hit in value with Jones on the field. After Williams saw the field for 100% of the snaps in Week 1, his count dropped all the way down to 58.9% in Week 2. Jalen Tolliver continues to mix in regularly having the third-highest snap share in Week 2 at 65.8% though he caught just two passes for six yards. With the QB situation a mess here and more bodies rotating in at receiver, pegging a top dog could be challenging going forward.
Week 2 Team Backfield
- Jacques Patrick – 14 carries (43.8% MS%), 50.7% snap share
- De’Veon Smith – 11 carries (34.4% MS%), 50.7% snap share
Things got interesting in this backfield in Week 2. After De’Veon Smith out-touched Jacques Patrick in carries out of the backfield 16-8 in Week 1, the two saw a dead-even split in the backfield in Week 2. Patrick had the leg up with 14 carries to Smith’s 11 and also outperformed him averaging 5.2 YPA to Smith’s 4.2. Smith ran slightly more routes (15) than Patrick (12), though Patrick turned his one catch into 18 yards while Smith turned his into 12. Both backs rank inside the top five in carries and Smith has run the second-most routes amongst RB this season, so at least volume is there. Both have also been efficient all-around but with virtually no true workhorse backs in the league, this duo joins the masses by employing a timeshare.
New York Guardians
After getting carried by their defense to a win in Week 1, the Guardians ugly offense reared its head in Week 2. Matt McGloin looked at least respectable in Week 1 in a limited role but he was flat out bad in Week 2. He completed just 42% of his passes for an abysmal 2.3 YPA while tossing two picks. Marquise Williams stepped in after McGloin was yanked and mas marginally better completing 50% of his passes at 6.4 YPA. Williams could be an electrifying fantasy option thanks to his rushing ability if he can steal the job here.
Week 2 Team Target and Snap Leaders
- Mekale McKay – 6 targets (24% MS%), 90% snap share
- Colby Pearson – 4 targets (16% MS%), 56% snap share
- Joe Horn Jr. – 3 targets (12% MS%), 52% snap share
The receiving game was an obvious mess here given the QB play. Mekale McKay looks locked into a featured role here with a 92.1% snap share on the season. The next best is Colby Pearson at 76.2% of snaps. In Week 2, third-string RB Matt Colburn actually tied Pearson with four targets but he did that on just six snaps, making him an afterthought on this offense. There’s not much to get excited about here right now.
Week 2 Team Backfield
- Tim Cook – 10 carries (62.5% MS%), 76% snap share
- Darius Victor – 3 carries (18.8% MS%), 10% snap share
This backfield was about dead even in snaps and touches in Week 1 but Tim Cook emerged as the leader in Week 2. This was thanks to Darius Victor getting knocked out of the game with a potential concussion. Victor has already cleared the protocol and is ready for Week 3 which should shift this back into a timeshare. The team refuses to use one of the shiftiest scat backs in the league, Justin Stockton, as he was inactive for Week 2.
Dallas Renegades
The Renegades were certainly happy to have Landry Jones under center for his debut in Week 2. Jones became the league’s first 300-yard passer in his first game throwing for 305 yards with just one TD and two INTs in the matchup.
Week 2 Team Target and Snap Leaders
- Donald Parham – 11 targets (27.5% MS%), 73% snap share
- Jeff Badet – 9 targets (22.5% MS%), 68.9% snap share
- Lance Dunbar – 6 targets (15% MS%), 52.7% snap share
WR is a wasteland for Dallas as their top four receiving options in Week 2 consisted of two RBs and one TE. Donald Parham tied for the league lead in targets in Week 2 despite missing some snaps with an injury scare. We have loved Parham’s potential here, at 6’8″ and 240 lbs he’s a mismatch nightmare. Jazz Ferguson was a surprise last-minute inactive in Week 2. The second-most targeted wideout was Flynn Nagel who saw just three looks on a team-high 82.4% of snaps. Josh Crockett showed up with two catches for 57 yards, trailing Parham in second place for receiving yards while seeing the field for 71.6% of the snaps. The options are still pretty scattershot here but hopefully, with more experience under center from Landry Jones, we will get more clarity moving forward.
Week 2 Team Backfield
- Cameron Artis-Payne – 14 carries (58.3% MS%), 66.2% snap share
- Lance Dunbar – 6 carries (25% MS%), 52.7% snap share
This backfield made a lot more sense in Week 2 with Cameron Artis-Payne taking control of the game. he ran for 99 yards with two rushing TDs while hauling in all five of his targets in the passing game for an additional 32 yards, putting him over 100 yards from scrimmage on the day. Lance Dunbar continued to mix in with a healthy workload as well and with both backs used heavily in the passing game, this backfield can support two fantasy-relevant RBs. Artis-Payne leads all RBs with 43 routes run this season while Dunbar ranks third with 34.
St. Louis Battlehawks
Jordan Ta’amu looked sharp for a second-straight week as St. Louis showed that it’s Week 1 upset victory over Dallas was no fluke. Ta’amu completed 81% of his passes in Week 2 while throwing for 284 yards with three TDs and two INTs. He continued to be a high-ceiling fantasy option by rushing for 32 yards and another TD on the ground and finished with 30.56 fantasy points at DraftKings.
Week 2 Team Target and Snap Leaders
- De’Mornay Pierson-El – 11 targets (30.6% MS%), 59.1% snap share
- L’Damian Washington – 8 targets (22.2% MS%), 85.2% snap share
- Alonzo Russell – 6 targets (16.7% MS%), 85.2% snap share
The Battlehawks gave us one of the more defined WR corps in the league in Week 2 with three clear leaders. De’Mornay Pierson-El tied for the league lead with 11 targets in Week 2 and turned that into a 9-50-1 line. L’Damian Washington wasn’t far behind with 6-77-1 on a team-high 85.2% of the snaps. Alonzo Russell tied Washington with an 85.2% snap share of his own but was held out of the end zone this week.RB Matt Jones caught the first TD of the day from Ta’amu in Week 2.
Week 2 Team Backfield
- Matt Jones – 16 carries (37.2% MS%), 43.2% snap share
- Christine Michael – 15 carries (34.9% MS%), 48.9% snap share
Matt Jones came into this game questionable with a knee injury, but that didn’t stop him from leading the league with 16 carries in Week 2. He wasn’t alone this week though as Christine Michael was second in the league with 15 carries. This team ran the ball 43 times in Week 2 while continuing to be the most run-heavy unit in the XFL. Jones will probably miss practice time again this week but I would anticipate him continuing to play until we’re told otherwise.
