Fantasy Football Trends from Week 1
“Lies, damn lies, and statistics,” Mark Twain once wrote, citing former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, regarding how misleading statistics can sometimes be.
It’s very easy to misconstrue data, and with a plethora of fantasy numbers bombarding us, it’s equally easy to get lost. My hope here is to draw attention to some key data points from the first week of games, provide actionable insights, and highlight ongoing trends to track. Here are some of my favorite Fantasy Football Trends from Week 1.
1) Snap share: Kenneth Walker (40%) vs. Zach Charbonnet (58%)
Zach Charbonnet Seizing Seattle Backfield
— RotoLegends (@RotoLegends) September 10, 2025
Charbonnet has taken over the Seahawks’ run game, outsnapping Kenneth Walker III in Week 1 and showing elite efficiency with over 50% of his carries going for 5+ yards.pic.twitter.com/2Ohf3A3Pd3
One of the biggest Fantasy Football Trends from Week 1 surprises was the split in the Seattle backfield, with Zach Charbonnet leading the way with 58% of offensive snaps, compared to Walker, who played on just 40%. Charbonnet was also more efficient, turning his 12 rushing attempts into 47 yards and a touchdown, compared to Walker’s ten attempts for just 20 yards. Importantly, Charbonnet also saw touches close to the endzone. Seattle had two rushes inside the five-yard line on Sunday, both of which were given to Charbonnet.
The question now is whether this shift sustains. Walker had been dealing with foot injury issues during the off-season, yet was not on the injury report in the lead-up to the 49ers game. Next up in the schedule is the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that just allowed the Jets to rush for a total of 182 yards, the fourth most in the league. Both backs are risky flex options this week, given the uncertainty over their usage, but I’m going to feel more comfortable with Charbonnet in my lineup rather than Walker.
2) Omarion Hampton’s 94% RB rush share
There have been sky-high hopes for the first-round rookie coming into the year. And despite an impressive Friday night win over the Chiefs in Brazil, Hampton finished with just 8.1 PPR fantasy points, a disappointment given where you drafted him. Hampton rushed 15 times, amassing just 48 yards, adding a further 13 yards through the air on two catches (two targets).
There are plenty of underlying numbers when examining his, however, to give us hope. Among the running backs, Hampton handled 15 of the 16 carries, equating to 94%, with Najee Harris handling the only other attempt. While Harris will likely see a slight uptick in carries as he continues to recover from his off-season eye injury, don’t expect Hampton to cede significant work. The Chargers are clearly comfortable giving Hampton the majority of the carries and were not concerned about bringing in additional bodies. Don’t panic, better days are ahead for the rookie.
3) Kayshon Boutte’s team-leading 82% snap share
While many have predicted Drake Maye will take a leap in his second year in the NFL, few have raised Kayshon Boutte’s name as playing a key role. On Sunday, Boutte saw the joint-most targets with eight, which he turned into six receptions for 103 yards.
A key point to note is that this isn’t a complete outlier. His performance against the Raiders carries on from a strong end to 2024, hitting 95 receiving yards and a touchdown on five receptions (seven targets) in week 16 and 117 yards and a touchdown from seven receptions (seven targets) two weeks later. Since week 8 last year, Boutte has seen fewer than five targets just once.
The question now is whether we can see any consistency in fantasy production. Outside Stefon Diggs, who should see increased touches as he recovers from his season-ending knee injury last year, the wide receiver room is wide open. If Maye can take that step, Boutte is in line to take advantage. At least for this week, he is a flex consideration in deeper leagues against a poor Dolphins team.
4) Dylan Sampson’s 19% target share
Dylan Sampson DOMINATED as a pass catcher on Sunday 📈 pic.twitter.com/6wesnsXwkt
— PFF Fantasy (@PFF_Fantasy) September 8, 2025
Rookie Dylan Sampson was immediately thrown into action in week one, seeing both the majority of rush attempts and a significant target share. Sampson had eight targets, equating to a 19% target share and only one target behind fellow rookie Harold Fannin Jr. He turned this into eight catches for 64 receiving yards, adding a further 29 yards on the ground from 12 attempts.
Some parts of last week’s performance are unsustainable, with Sampson only running a total of 14 routes. That number will need to increase if we are to see continued production in the passing game. At the time of writing, second-round rookie Quinshon Judkins is still not practicing, which should allow Sampson to carve out a significant workload again.
This week, the Browns face a tough test against division rivals the Ravens. With a double-digit spread at present, the Browns look set to face a negative game script for most of the game. It may work in Sampson’s fantasy manager’s favor, allowing plenty more passing opportunities for the rookie, and setting him up to be a PPR flex option this week.
5) Tetairoa McMillan’s 26.5% target share
Buccaneers rookie Emeka Egbuka rightly received all the headlines after his two-touchdown performance on Sunday. It’s important, however, not to overlook Tetairoa McMillan’s first outing as well.
Despite Bryce Young’s struggles, McMillan finished with a team-high nine targets, which he turned into five receptions for 68 yards. This represented a 26.5% target share and 1.94 yards per route run. In comparison, teammates Hunter Renfrow and Xavier Legette reached only 0.33 and 0.32, respectively, in yards per route run. McMillan accounted for 44.2% of the team’s receiving yards. McMillan’s upside naturally depends on Young’s ceiling and level of consistency. Yet we can take comfort in the relatively safe floor the rookie has, given the early usage.