Week 14 Fantasy Football Usage Report: Luther Burden, Jakobi Meyers, Blake Corum and More

This is it. In the vast majority of fantasy football leagues, the playoffs begin this week, Week 15. It's more important than ever to be locked into the latest trends, to know which players you can (and can't) trust with your season on the line.

With this in mind, here is the fantasy football usage report from Week 14. 

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Positive Usage Players

TE Kyle Pitts Sr., Atlanta Falcons

With Drake London sidelined, Pitts has taken over as the focal point of the Falcons' passing offense. In four games with London (Week 8 and then the most recent three weeks), Pitts has seen target shares of 29%, 22%, 24%, and 30%. He has also averaged a 31% air yards share in this sample, an absolutely elite number for a tight end.

In Week 14, Pitts turned this usage into points, catching six of 10 targets for 90 yards (12 half-PPR points). He has now scored double-digit points in three of four outings without London. Atlanta's usual WR1 has been ruled out for their Week 15 matchup with the Buccaneers (which takes place on Thursday night). In his absence, Pitts will be a borderline elite TE1. 

RB Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams

I've always been skeptical of Corum. Many in the fantasy community have insisted since he was drafted that he is constantly on the brink of stealing Kyren Williams' job, but there has never really been any reason to believe that. Don't get me wrong, there still isn't, but Corum is trending in the right direction.

If we eliminate Ronnie Rivers' carries (which all came in pure garbage time), Corum had a 48% RB rush share in Week 14. Technically, that's not his highest mark of the season, as he reached 50% in Week 7. But most of his carries in that 35-7 demolition of the Jaguars came when it was all but over.

This week, Corum was involved early and often, while Rivers came in to take mop-up duty. Corum also posted a new season-high route participation rate on Sunday. That number was still just 23% while Kyren was at 45%, but it is more evidence of this overall upward trend. 

Obviously, these numbers still aren't great. But if we zoom out for a second and look at the numbers that matter most, Corum looks a lot more appealing. Thanks to three TDs and some very efficient work on the ground, he scored 14.1 half-PPR points in Week 13 and followed up with 25.6 on Sunday.

I still wouldn't feel great starting him against the Lions in the fantasy playoffs this week, but another week of good usage will officially upgrade him from “pure handcuff” to “handcuff with fringe standalone value.” 

WR Jakobi Meyers, Jacksonville Jaguars

Brian Thomas Jr. is back, but Meyers is clearly the Jaguars' WR1 at this point. If we exclude his first week with the team after arriving via trade, Meyers has averaged a 25% target share, with zero weeks below 20%. On Sunday, he was all the way up at 29%, easily leading the offense with nine looks. 

And, although he has previously had a reputation as a low-ADOT merchant and/or for being allergic to the end zone, Meyers has been seeing valuable targets in Jacksonville. His air yards share over the last four weeks is a solid 23% and he has an excellent five end zone targets. The Jaguars are even getting him involved in the rushing game, with four carries over the last two weeks.

With this usage, Meyers is a solid weekly fantasy starter. 

Negative Usage Players

WR Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos

Franklin actually appeared in last week's Usage Report as a negative usage player … then things got even worse. Franklin ran a route on just 40% of Bo Nix's dropbacks in Week 14. That's an incredible fall from grace for a player who was legitimately Denver's WR1 just a few weeks ago. It's also a number low enough to make him completely unplayable for fantasy. 

In super deep leagues, you can hold Franklin and hope he rides Sean Payton's usage rollercoaster back up. But in most formats, the chances of that happening in time for him to earn his way back into your lineup are essentially nil. He's a no-doubt drop candidate. 

RB David Montgomery, Detroit Lions

I also could have listed Jahmyr Gibbs as a positive usage option, but you don't need me to tell you that he is a must-start elite RB1. However, some fantasy managers might need to hear the harsh truth that Montgomery is rapidly slipping out of fantasy relevance. 

Over the last four weeks, Montgomery has averaged just a 30% backfield rush share in the Lions' offense. Through Week 10, that number had been 44%. His target share has remained more stable at around 6%, but 30% of carries and 6% of target simply isn't a fantasy viable workload.

Especially heading into a matchup with the Rams' excellent defense, Montgomery is not someone you can trust in the fantasy playoffs.

WR Luther Burden III,  Chicago Bears 

It's official: Burden isn't going to break out in 2025. The second-round rookie has some intriguing peripheral stats for the future, but he's not going to be a worthwhile fantasy starter this season. 

I say this for one simple reason: even with Rome Odunze out, Burden posted just a 64% route participation rate in Week 14. Olamide Zaccheaus returned from the dead to serve as Chicago's WR2 with a 72% participation rate. 

On the bright side, Burden did still lead Chicago's offense with six targets (he caught four for 67 yards). Burden truthers (of which there are many) will likely argue that he is an explosive enough playmaker to be relevant even in a part-time role. 

But the season leader in fantasy points per game at the WR position with a route rate at or below Burden's 64.1% Week 14 mark (which was his new career high) is … Marquise Brown, with 7.7 points per game. No other WR in a role that small has averaged even seven half-PPR points this season.

Unless you think the Bears will suddenly increase his role (which they've shown no inclination toward doing) or want to bet on him being a complete outlier, Burden is headed toward an underwhelming finish to his rookie year.