PFF Breaks Down NFL Week 1 Usage, Highlighting 150-Yard Zay Flowers Injury

Q: Will Colston Loveland’s massive snap rate translate to fantasy points, or is his zero-catch debut a warning sign for managers?

Loveland’s Week 1 usage is much more encouraging than his zero-catch line, so fantasy managers should view it as a buy-low signal rather than a major warning. The strongest evidence is his role. He ran a route on 92.1% of Chicago’s pass plays, led the team in routes, and handled all third-down snaps. That is elite deployment for a fantasy tight end, especially in an offense that clearly wants him on the field in high-value situations. Usage like that is usually a better predictor of future production than one bad box score. The zero catches do matter, but the context softens the concern. Reports from the game indicate Caleb Williams missed Loveland when he was open over the middle and nearly connected with him in the end zone. That suggests the opportunity was there even if the stat line did not show it. Cole Kmet did score, but he ran only about half the routes, which still points to Loveland as the primary receiving tight end. There is some risk. Chicago has a crowded pass-catching group, and Ben Johnson’s offense uses multiple tight ends, so weekly target totals could fluctuate. If Loveland keeps seeing only two or three targets, the snap rate alone will not guarantee starter-level fantasy output. Still, the early signs are positive. A tight end with near-full route participation and every third-down snap is usually headed for fantasy relevance. Managers should be more concerned if the usage drops in Week 2 than if the catches did not come in Week 1.

3 articles · Updated · Pro Football Focus · Sep 13

PFF’s Week 1 fantasy recap spotlighted usage trends over box scores, led by Zay Flowers’ 5-catch, 150-yard, 1-touchdown day before a hamstring injury cut it short.
Trevor Lawrence’s 4-touchdown outing on just 23 attempts, Jahmyr Gibbs’ 156 rushing yards and two scores, and DJ Moore’s 100-yard Bills debut headlined the biggest immediate fantasy takeaways.
The report also flagged role shifts that could reshape lineups, including Chuba Hubbard controlling 78.7% of Carolina’s non-garbage-time snaps, Dalton Kincaid posting 130 yards, and David Montgomery beating Woody Marks 23 touches to 10 in Houston.
Several splash performances came with caution signs: Mike Gesicki’s 78 yards and touchdown were called unsustainable, Travis Etienne played under 60% of Saints snaps, and Kyle Pitts’ rotation pointed to a reduced Atlanta role.
Across the league, PFF emphasized early-season snap shares, route participation and personnel usage as the clearest signals for fantasy managers weighing waiver claims, buy-low targets and injury fallout.