Fantasy Football Week 5 Usage Report: Jameson Williams, Mason Taylor and More

The fantasy football season just keeps chugging along! While it's easy to get lost in the week-to-week madness of byes and injuries, it's important to also keep an eye on the big picture. 

At the end of the day, usage is by far the most important predictor of fantasy production. We need to know who has seen what usage for the whole season, and whose usage is trending away from previous norms. Without further ado, let's dive into the most interesting usage results from Week 5. 

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Positive Usage Players

WR Deebo Samuel Sr., Washington Commanders

Samuel has had great usage for the entire season, with a 26% target share and a 22% air yards share in the Commanders' offense. Even in games where Terry McLaurin was active, the former 49er was operating as the Commanders' WR1, with 18 targets to just 13 for McLaurin in Weeks 1 and 2.

But with Scary Terry inactive with a quad injury (and Jayden Daniels back), Samuel took things to another level on Sunday. Not only did he lead the week with an absurd 42% target share, but he also earned a massive 45% of the Commanders' air yards. That's not bad for a player who is normally known for underneath targets and YAC work. 

As the cherry on top, Samuel is also seeing some of his old rushing work — he ranks second among wide receivers with seven rushing attempts, which he has turned into 46 yards and a touchdown. Right now, Samuel is the WR7 in half-PPR formats. He'll probably cool down slightly, especially when McLaurin returns, but it's not absurd to think he can be a WR1 or at least a high-end WR2 for the rest of the season while this usage lasts. 

TE Mason Taylor, New York Jets

Five weeks into his career, the second-round rookie hasn't made much of a fantasy impact. He ranks as just the TE23 in half-PPR formats. That number is even worse than it sounds, given the lack of reliable fantasy tight ends we are currently faced with. 

However, Taylor has quietly had some promising usage indicators all season. He ranks seventh among all tight ends with a 75% route participation rate. In the last two weeks, those routes have turned into targets: he saw seven targets in Week 4 and a position-leading 12 on Sunday for a 26% target share over the last two weeks. 

There are still some potential red flags here, most notably the fact that Justin Fields has looked like Justin Fields in his early performances as a Jet. But we can't ignore a rookie TE seeing this usage. That's especially true given that Taylor could actually realistically be the Jets' second target. If you need help at the tight end position (who doesn't?), check if Taylor slipped through the cracks on this week's waiver run.  

WR Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins

This week, we got our first look at the Dolphins' offense without Tyreek Hill. Although Miami eventually lost to the Panthers, Waddle's usage didn't disappoint. He saw nine targets for a 25% target share, easily leading the team. Combined with his 14.6-yard ADOT, that was good for an elite 46% of the team's air yards.

Going forward, we can expect Waddle to continue posting excellent marks in both target share and especially air yards share. Aside from 33-year-old Darren Waller and former Titan Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, there is no one else on this Miami offense who can reliably stretch the field. I love Malik Washington, but he has mostly been used as a gadget and underneath target so far in the NFL. And De'Von Achane is an excellent receiver for a running back, but he's still a running back. 

Unless Mike McDaniel wants to resort to last year's plan of dinking and dunking down the field on a barrage of screens, he has to rely on Waddle. And, from everything we've seen in his career, Waddle is talented enough to step up to the plate. I don't think it's overreacting to say he could be a legitimate WR1 for the rest of the season. 

Negative Usage Players

RB Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

Kamara's days as a true fantasy superstar are long behind him. But he has gotten by in recent years on absolutely elite volume, especially through the air. Unfortunately, even that seems to be slipping away from him.

On Sunday, the veteran played just 53% of the Saints' offensive snaps — that was his first time below even 70% for the season.

Week 5 was also the first time that Kamara didn't lead the Saints' backfield in carries, as he saw just eight to Kendre Miller's 10. Miller has been more involved all season, but he had always clearly played second fiddle to Kamara prior to this game. And Kamara's backfield share was even worse than that, as Taysom Hill also returned to his gadget role with six carries, mostly in short-yardage situations.

On the bright side, Kamara's receiving usage is still roughly intact. Although his 12% target share is only 16th among running backs, the Saints' high-volume offense means he ranks seventh in total targets. Even on a lower snap share this week, he still saw six for a 19% target share. As long as this continues, Kamara still has fantasy value, but his range of outcomes is shifted massively downward if he is no longer New Orleans' lead rusher.

RB Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals

Another running back trending in the wrong direction is Brown. Obviously, Brown's fantasy production has been tanked so far this season thanks to the Bengals' offensive incompetence. But to start the season, he at least still had absolutely elite usage to hang his hat on. Recently, that seems to be changing.

In Weeks 1 and 2, Brown recorded all 37 carries in the Bengals' backfield, a 100% RB rush share on 71% of their offensive snaps. Over the last three weeks, those numbers have dropped dramatically to a 67% RB rush share on a 60% snap share. On the bright side, Brown's target share has trended upward, but that is more a result of Jake Browning's cautious approach than anything else — his route participation rate has remained steady at 43%. 

Going forward, Brown's value will depend greatly on whether new Bengal Joe Flacco can bring some semblance of competence to Cincinnati's offense. Now that he has fallen back to a more normal RB1-level workload instead of seeing literally every carry, things have to change for Brown to be a reliable fantasy producer. 

WR Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions

Speaking of reliable fantasy producers, we have Williams … just kidding. After a breakout 2024 season in which he racked up big plays on a low-volume role for Ben Johnson's offense, the hope heading into this season was that the former first-rounder would also become a more consistent target-earner in Detroit's offense. If he could combine steady volume with his explosive playmaking ability, Williams could be a legitimate fantasy game-changer.

So far, that hasn't been the case. If anything, the opposite has happened. In 2024, Williams averaged an 18% target share, a 23% first-read target share, and a 30% air yards share in the regular season. In 2025, his air yards share is up to 40%, but those first two numbers have fallen to just 14% and 15%. Aside from a deep shot or two per game, he is simply not a priority in this offense.

To be fair, those deep shots are valuable. It's probably unlucky that Jameson has only hit on one of them so far, a 44-yard TD in Week 2. What isn't unlucky is that that Week 2 outing was his only game with more than 5.3 half-PPR points.

Without volume, Williams needs to hit on a big play to provide fantasy value. If he does, he'll have a big day. If he hits twice, he'll win you a week. But in most other weeks, he'll probably be disappointing, meaning his overall value is that of a boom/bust WR3/flex option, not a reliable starter.