Strength in Numbers: Actionable Week 10 Stats

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.

Jonathan Taylor’s usage spikes even further in Germany game

For the sixth consecutive game, Taylor’s snap share increased — this time all the way up to 88%, as Zack Moss operated in a pure backup role. Taylor controlled 23 of 24 RB carries for the Colts and ran 21 routes on 28 Gardner Minshew dropbacks. He was only able to turn those routes into one catch for six yards, but 75% route participation is elite for a running back and bodes extremely well for his pass-catching output moving forward. With a monopoly on RB touches in all situations including passing downs and goal-line work, Taylor has established himself as a high-end RB1. From a pure volume standpoint, this could be the biggest workload Taylor has ever had in his career considering he historically has ceded receiving work to another back. And while the Colts aren’t an efficient offense under Minshew, they are among the fastest teams in the league, which offsets the offensive mediocrity slightly.

Moss’ role has dissipated now that Taylor is up to speed, but he should still be rostered in all fantasy leagues. He had a 98% snap share in Week 2 and remains just one injury away from an RB1 workload. If you are likely to make the playoffs in your league and Moss is available on the waiver wire or you can get him for cheap, he’s a wise addition. There aren’t many RBs in this day and age that are truly one injury away from elite production; Moss is in that select group.

Bijan Robinson has career-high 22 carries (including a goal-line TD) as pressure mounts on Arthur Smith

With pressure from fans and media mounting on Arthur Smith to use Robinson more, he finally relented in Week 10, giving the rookie 22 touches to Tyler Allgeier‘s nine. Perhaps more importantly is that Allgeier didn’t dominate usage in the red zone as usual — Robinson had Atlanta’s only carry within the 5-yard line and had another carry from the 6-yard line negated by a holding penalty. Allgeier was in the game late when Desmond Ridder scampered in for a 9-yard score, but it’s encouraging nonetheless to see that Allgeier no longer has an iron grip on the goal-line role for the Falcons. Entering Week 10, Allgeier was out-attempting Robinson 10-2 from within the opponent’s 10-yard line, and Robinson had yet to record a carry from the 5-yard line or closer. Robinson may not have the goal-line role fully to himself, but even a 50/50 split in that area would be a major positive considering how ATL used their backs in the first nine weeks.

While the receiving work hasn’t been there for Robinson lately — he has three catches for 19 yards over his past four games combined — his utilization in that area remains strong. Robinson ran 25 routes on 32 Falcons dropbacks for an amazing 78.1% route participation figure. He still has a respectable 13.6% seasonal target share and is running routes at a high clip, so you’d expect the pass-catching production to return sooner rather than later. It seems like Smith has capitulated at least somewhat on the red-zone usage too, so Robinson’s workload could be back in the RB1 tier after a few weeks of head-scratching metrics. The Falcons also lost to a Cardinals team that was 1-8 going into Week 10, so the pressure on Smith isn’t going to slow down anytime soon. It’s been a frustrating month for fantasy gamers who spent a first-round pick on Robinson, but his Week 10 numbers are a step in the right direction.

Keaton Mitchell stays hot with 66 total yards and a touchdown on four touches