Statistics are the engine that makes fantasy football go. Every week, we’re looking at stats to try and gain an advantage over our opponents. Diving deeper, we can uncover nuggets of information through stats that are intriguing, allowing us to make sound fantasy football decisions. Below are 10 different numbers from Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season that are both eye-opening and may go overlooked.
The yards before contact per rush by Jahmyr Gibbs on Sunday. David Montgomery was not much better with 0.18. The Lions lost more than just Ben Johnson calling plays this offseason, as 2024 Pro Bowl offensive linemen Frank Ragnow and Kevin Zeitler left Detroit following the end of last year. Behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL in 2024, Gibbs recorded 2.31 yards before contact per attempt, third to only Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry (who both benefitted by having rushing quarterbacks).
Yes, Green Bay has a great defense, but if Detroits offensive line cant complete a 180 under new playcaller John Morton, everything else crumbles with it. Morton was previously on the Lions coaching staff in 2022 and was not expected to make any wholesale changes to the offense. However, if you cant run the ball the way Ben Johnson did, you cant run play action like he did either, or get weapons in open space to lead the NFL in YAC/reception again.
The fantasy opportunities (carries + targets) that Dylan Sampson earned in Week 1. Only seven running backs have more so far, all seven being drafted inside the top-20 fantasy RBs. Sampson was drafted as the RB53.
Even more intriguing is that 18 of the 20 came after the first quarter. After seeing 40% of the RB touches in the opening quarter, he received 72% the rest of the game. The offense isnt great, but Sampsons receiving volume makes him interesting with the Browns uncertain running back situation.
The number of screens Marvin Harrison Jr. caught in Week 1. That number was zero in 2024. One of a few small changes in the right direction. Although he only saw six targets, he caught five of them, extra important for a WR who ranked last in catch rate among wideouts with over 100 targets last season.
The alignment was very similar (78% of routes outside), and targets were on the low end. Outside of that, the high route share and air yards paired with a once-rare crossing route at the goal line bode well for his Week 1 production continuing.
Speaking of air yards, the number DK Metcalf got to begin the year. In 2024, Metcalf ranked 10th among wideouts with 1,540 air yards (the number of intended yards downfield a WR is targeted). Although Metcalf turned his targets into great production due to his playmaking versus the New York Jets, the signs of Arthur Smith and Aaron Rodgers can still be spotted.
Metcalf ran 94% of his routes from the outside, sticking to a very one-dimensional role to start. Rodgers played lights out, but in an Arthur Smith offense that doesnt focus on volume for top talent, Metcalf saw one downfield target of 10+ air yards to Calvin Austins five. Multiple screens are a plus that DK took advantage of, but its hard to trust a Steelers pass-catcher if the volume doesnt improve.
Routes run by David Njoku, the second-most by a TE in Week 1. Shocking stat if you knew that he was out-targeted by rookie TE Harold Fannin Jr. The third-round NFL Draft selection from Bowling Green ran 32 routes on Sunday, seeing nine of the 15 targets at tight end.
However, only 51% of Fannin’s snaps came as a true tight end, often lining up in the slot or out wide as a WR. He is another weapon Njoku has to compete with, particularly in terms of designed targets and red-zone work, but not a death sentence as a threat to take over at TE. I still recommend proceeding with caution after Fannins multiple screens in Week 1, a 28% target share per route, and a silly 125 yards per game back in college.
Kyle Pitts snap share versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Why am I bringing up snap shares? In Michael Penix Jr.s three starts last season, Pitts snap share was a mere 45.2%. You cant score fantasy points on the bench.
The worry is weve seen this trick before. The Bucs defense may be rostering Pitts in fantasy as well, as hes now scored 17.9 PPR PPG vs. Tampa Bay since 2024 and 6.0 vs. every other team.
The percentage of Spencer Rattlers throws to Alvin Kamara. Almost half (50.6%) of Kamaras 2024 fantasy points came from receiving. So yes, for a 29-year-old RB on a poor offense, who led all backs in targets per game last year, this raises alarms.
He is not and has never been a player who dominates the carries. So 61% of RB attempts wont be enough to sustain Kamara in 2025. In a world where he didn’t score his 18-yard rushing TD, the Saints star wouldve ended up with 5.9 fantasy points due to his lack of passing-game usage. This wouldnt be the first time his targets dropped with Rattler, as in the young quarterbacks three 2024 starts, Kamaras share fell from 20.9% to 12.0%.
The time remaining in the third quarter when Tank Bigsby had his first touch of the game. In the first half, before the score was 20-3, Travis Etienne Jr. handled 71.4% of the RB touches. Liam Coens running backs in Tampa Bay saw this high of an amount one time in 2024 in 17 games.
Rachaad White and Bucky Irving combined for 26.9 fantasy PPG in 2024. Of that number, 71.4% would be 19.2. Etienne scored 18.6 fantasy points Sunday, while giving Bigsby a chance to play in the second half. Just some fun math.
Cooper Kupps route percentage from his natural slot position. In 2024 with the Rams, the former triple crown winner ran 63.2% of routes out of the slot. Throw in a new offensive coordinator and Jaxon Smith-Njigba and that number suddenly drops.
In Week 1, Kupp ran 12 routes out wide. He had zero targets. Smith-Njigba ran 22 routes in total and had an earth-shattering 59% target share.
The percentage of routes run by Tucker Kraft. Is this my third TE snap/route stat? Oh well, its important. This was not only the highest of any Packer but wouldve ranked second behind only Trey McBride in 2024. Green Bay only threw the ball 22 times in a blowout game script, but for a talented TE who is seemingly volume away from fantasy stardom, jumping from 10th in route rate to second is a big deal.
George Kittle had 7.1 YAC/Rec in 2024. He always seemed to lead the position. Until Kraft put up a monstrous 9.6 YAC/Rec to top him. If he can get even close to the volume of other top-10 tight ends, hell be dangerous.