The NFL Numbers Game Week 7: The Stats You Need to Know
National TE Day was Sunday, which means tight ends got their one day in the spotlight. Some made the most of it, some had other plans, and at least one performance has me asking questions. The NFL never misses an opportunity to make things weird. Nick Muse had a career day, Mason Taylor showed up, and Sam LaPorta gave us a reason to put on our tinfoil hats. What a time to be alive.
Of course, the tight ends weren't the only ones keeping things interesting. Joe Burrow apparently decided the first half was just a warm-up, Kenneth Walker's revenge game didn't go quite as planned, and the Seahawks' passing offense is looking a little too dependent on one guy. Seven weeks into the season, we've got plenty of numbers to get through, some eyebrow-raising performances, and a few things worth a closer look. Let's get into this week's NFL Numbers Game.
The NFL Numbers Game Week 7: The Stats You Need to Know
D'Andre Swift: A Backfield of His Own
In Week 6 (the first game without Kyle Monangai), D'Andre Swift played 58.9% of the snaps, handled 55% of the RB carries, and ran 19 routes. Backfield mate Roschon Johnson complemented him with a 39.7% snap share, 45% of the RB carries, and ran 11 routes.
In Week 7, Swift played 86.4% of snaps, 91.7% of RB carries, and ran 19 routes. Johnson played 13.6% of snaps, had 8.3% of carries, and ran only 4 routes.
Rhamondre Stevenson: Reliable to a Fault
In Weeks 1-4, TreVeyon Henderson handled 39.6% of the RB carries for New England, averaging 3.71 YPC, while Rhamondre Stevenson carried the ball 45.8% of the time and averaged 3.70 YPC.
In Weeks 5-7, Henderson carried the ball for 20.6% of the total RB carries, for a 4.43 YPC. Stevenson carried the ball 48.5% of the time, still averaging 3.70 YPC.
I'm…actually impressed at Stevenson's consistency in YPC.
Saints: Les Misérables
In three games played, Travis Etienne exceeded 40 yards rushing in two of them, including the one he left early with a hamstring injury. Kendre Miller is the only other Saints RB to exceed that mark for the Saints this season, doing it once in Week 6.
To add insult to injury, no New Orleans player could even reach the 10-yard mark for rushing in Week 7. QB Tyler Shough led the team in rushing with 7 yards on 3 scrambles.
42-year old Aaron Rodgers has more rushing yards today than any Saints player:
- Aaron Rodgers: 8 yards
- Tyler Shough: 7 yards
- Kendre Miller: 6 yards
- Alvin Kamra: 5 yards— Carly Manger (@cincodemanger.bsky.social) October 25, 2026 at 12:28 PM
Jaylen Warren: Same Work, Different Results
In Weeks 1 & 2 before Rico Dowdle got hurt, Jaylen Warren averaged 10.5 carries and 5 targets/game, finishing as RB25 and RB26.
In Weeks 3-5 that Dowdle missed with a toe injury, Warren averaged 16.3 carries and 5.3 targets/game, scoring his only 2 TDs of the season in Week 5. He finished as RB8, RB22, and RB2 over that time.
In Weeks 6 & 7 with Dowdle back in the lineup, Warren is averaging 16 carries and 4 targets/game. He finished as RB23 and RB19, respectively.
Brock Purdy: The Curious Case of the Missing Receivers
Brock Purdy with WRs (ie, before Mike Evans got hurt with Deebo Samuel already on the shelf): 115/164 (70.1% completion) for 1,402 yards and 14 passing TDs, chipping in 1 rushing TD. That works out to 21/30 for 255 yards and 2.5 passing TDs on average during that 5.5 game span.
In the second half of Week 6 & all of Week 7, Purdy was 31/47 (66.0% completion) for 338 yards and 1 passing TD. That works out to 21/31 for 225 yards and .7 passing TDs over the same span.
Come back soon, Mike and Deebo.
Nick Muse: A Holiday Miracle
You can call National TE Day a superfluous holiday that doesn't really exist, but TE Nick Muse (if you said "Who?!" you're not alone) ran his most routes of the season (19), saw his only targets (2) of the season, caught his only receptions of the season (2), and even scored a TD.
Maybe the holiday isn't real to you, but it sure is to Nick Muse. Nick, we salute you on your career day!
K.C. Concepcion: The Watson Experience (Derogatory)
In the first half of Week 7, K.C. Concepcion tied for the NFL lead with 9 targets, earned the sixth most air yards with 80, and tied for second in receiving yards with 129.
Concepcion finished the game with 10 targets (tied for 7th), 110 air yards (tied for 9th), and 129 receiving yards (5th).
This is what can happen when your QB is Deshaun Watson (derogatory).
Elic Ayomanor: The One Where He Takes Over
Wan'Dale Robinson hasn't exceeded an 80% snap share since Week 1, when he played 81.6% of snaps. Over the 6 games since, he's played an average of 62.6% of snaps, with a high in Week 5 against Baltimore with 72.4%. In Week 7, he played 61.3%
Elic Ayomanor averaged a 61.3% snap share over the first six weeks of the season, and that even includes an 82.5% in Week 3. In Week 7, Ayomanor led all Tennessee WRs with a 90.3% snap share, tying Carnell Tate for the team lead in targets for the week with 7.
Jonathan Taylor: The Plot Thickens
In Week 7, Jonathan Taylor played his lowest snap share (69.7%) of the season and played the fewest number of snaps overall in any game this year as well (41). His previous lows before Week 7 were a 71.2% snap share in Week 4 and 47 snaps (tied) in Weeks 1 & 4.
Seth McGowan had his season high in snap share (30.5%) in Week 7, while playing 18 snaps. McGowan hasn't played fewer than 16 snaps since Week 3, when he played 11.
Vikings: A Quiet Place
The Vikings have not allowed a QB to throw for more than 100 yards since Baker Mayfield threw for 186 in Week 3. Tyler Shough, Malik Willis, and Daniel Jones combined for 228 yards passing over three games since.
Ollie Gordon: In Good Company
Since Week 3, when Ollie Gordon took over as the starting RB for Miami after De'Von Achane's torn ACL, Gordon has never scored fewer than 14.5 PPR points and is RB12 in terms of average points/game in that span.
The only RBs ahead of Gordon who can make that same claim are Jahmyr Gibbs (RB1), Christian McCaffrey (RB4), James Cook (RB5), and technically Josh Jacobs (one game, RB7 in terms of points/game).
Mason Taylor: On the Rise
Over the first 5 weeks of the season for Mason Taylor (3 games; he missed 2 with injury), he averaged a 5.9% target share. In Weeks 6 & 7, he earned an identical 20% target share in both weeks, with an identical 6 targets in each.
On National TE Day, Taylor turned those 6 targets into a TE2 overall finish for the week, accounting for 42.6% of the team's air yards.
Jets HC Aaron Glenn expects second-year TE Mason Taylor to take a big step forward and have "a hell of a year," per @RichCimini https://t.co/KmJiM8Kuiu
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) March 31, 2026
Bucky Irving: The Workload Revolution
Bucky Irving had 20 opportunities (carries plus targets) in the 1st half of Week 7, and he finished the game with 26. 18 of those first-half opportunities were carries.
Irving only had three games in each of 2024 (17 games played) and 2025 (10 games played) with at least 18 carries. Week 7 was Irving's third game in a row in 2026 with at least 18 carries.
Panthers: An Offensive Offense
Carolina had exactly one good play happen in Week 7, when Darren Waller caught his second and final target (30 air yards) and ran for a 50-yard TD.
Outside of that one play, Carolina gained 201 total yards on the day, with no player exceeding Tetairoa McMillan's 40.
It brings me no joy to give you these numbers.
Joe Burrow: A Tale of Two Halves
In the first half of Week 7, Joe Burrow was 25th of 28 QBs in Success Rate, the percentage of plays with an Expected Points Added of more than 0, at 33.3%.
The Bengals trailed 13-0 at halftime.
In the second half of Week 7, Burrow was 1st in Success Rate at 88.9%!
The Bengals won 35-13.
Derrick Henry: Coincidence? I Think Not
Derrick Henry's average PPR points/game without Lamar Jackson in 2026: 10.63, good for RB32 in terms of average (RB22 in total points).
Henry's average PPR points/game with Lamar Jackson in 2026: 22.7, good for RB4 for both total and average.
Lou mutters something about correlation and causation
Malik Nabers: Nine Nine!
In Weeks 1-6 (through 3 quarters of Week 6), Malik Nabers earned 55 targets from the gone-too-soon Jaxson Dart and fantasy darling Jameis Winston. He was able to turn those targets into 392 yards for an average of 7.1 yards/target.
In the 4th quarter of Week 6, J.J. McCarthy took over as QB. He then started in Week 7. In that span, Nabers earned 16 targets and turned them into 213 yards, for an average of 13.1 yards/target.
Maybe it wasn't McCarthy holding Justin Jefferson back….
100+ yard games with JJ McCarthy at QB:
Malik Nabers (2)
Justin Jefferson (1)— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) October 25, 2026
Texans: The Return and the Arrival
In his first game back after yet another devastating leg injury, Tank Dell was able to play 11 snaps, run 5 routes, catch his lone target for 43 yards, and even carried the ball once for 2 yards.
And yes, I worried so much when he got that carry.
In his second game with the team, Marvin Harrison Jr. was able to turn his first target in Week 7 into a TD. While he didn't catch another pass after that, he did lead the Texans in air yards in Week 7 with 82, while Nico Collins was second with 49.
Bo Nix: The Real Deal or a One-Week Wonder?
Bo Nix had a 62-yard TD rush (12.2 points) in Week 7. That rush alone outscored Nix's total scores in Weeks 1, 5, and 6.
Nix also averaged 10.7 air yards/passing attempt. Not only was this his season high, but it was only his second time over 7.0 AYA since Week 2, when he had 9.4 vs. Jacksonville.
Bo Nix Week 7
- 26.28 fantasy pts
- 62-yard rush TD equated for 46% of points, more than scored in 3 seperate games
- 10.7 air yds per attempt (season high)— Michael F. Florio (@michaelfflorio.bsky.social) October 25, 2026 at 7:36 PM
Cardinals: You May Not Like It, But This Is the Peak RB Form
RB Zonovan "Bam" Knight has a positive rushing yards over expectation in every single game (4 games) that he's played in so far. His +27 RYOE in Week 7 was good for 8th in the NFL. His lowest finish was Week 5 when he rushed for +5 RYOE, good for 16th in the NFL that week.
Josh Jacobs: The Bar Is on the Floor
Josh Jacobs played his first game of the season in Week 7, playing 53.8% of the team's snaps, carrying the ball 11 times for 36 yards (3.27 YPC). He also earned 7 targets, catching 5 for 55 yards and 1 TD.
Compare that to the other Green Bay RBs in Weeks 1-6. No other Green Bay RB has earned more than 6 targets in a game (Pierre Strong, Week 6), or exceeded 55.7% of snaps in a game (again, Strong in Week 6), and Green Bay RBs have only been able to surpass his rushing total twice this season. Once when Marshawn Lloyd ran for 37 yards in Week 1, and then again in Week 4 when Kaleb Johnson set the current season-high in rushing yards for the Packers with 42.
Sam LaPorta: The Contract Conspiracy
In Weeks 1-6 (5 games), Sam LaPorta averaged 1.84 yards per route run and averaged 7.4 targets/game. He was TE4 in PPR points/game over this span.
LaPorta then made an appearance on Pardon My Take on 10/21, talking about his desire for a new contract.
X-Files music plays eerily
In Week 7, after that appearance, LaPorta played the most snaps he's played all year (64), while earning the fewest number of targets (2), finishing as the TE42
Rams: A Tale of Two Game Scripts
In Weeks 1 & 2 plus 6 & 7, the carry share for Kyren Williams and Blake Corum were 42.6% and 41.7%, respectively. In Weeks 3-5, they were 66.2% and 22.5%, respectively.
Now, how about we look at the percentage of the time when the Rams had a 3+ score difference, either positive or negative, between them and their opponent? In Weeks 1 & 2 plus 6 & 7, it was 58.1% of the time. In Weeks 3-5? 19.8% of the time.
Tre Tucker: From Zero to Hero
Through the first five weeks of the season, Tre Tucker was WR31 in PPR. Over that span, he was only a top-40 WR once in Week 2 when he was WR7.
Over Weeks 6 & 7, he's earned 19 targets, has 200 receiving yards, 3 TDs, and has finished as a top-12 WR (WR2 and WR11, respectively) in both games.
Kenneth Walker: The Revenge Game That Wasn't
Kenneth Walker, Weeks 1-6 (5 games): 655 rushing yards (1st in the NFL), 8 total TDs (tied 2nd), and 760 total yards (2nd). So an average game for him during this span was 131 yards rushing, 21 yards receiving, and 1.6 TDs.
In Week 7, Walker rushed for 36 yards on 14 attempts for an average of 2.57 yards/carry. This was down from his Week 1-6 average of 6.18 YPC.
The Kansas City Chiefs entered Week 7 as the No. 1 offense in the NFL, averaging 414 yards per game.
The Seahawks held them to 213 yards, 11 first downs, and only 3 points.
— Kole Musgrove (@kolemusgrove.bsky.social) October 25, 2026 at 11:21 PM
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: A League of His Own
Through 7 weeks, Jaxon Smith-Njigba has accounted for 50.2% of his team's receiving yards, at 123.9 yards/game. If you took that away, Seattle would average only 122.7 passing yards/game, good for 32nd in the NFL.
So what happens if we took every team's top pass catcher? Seattle would climb all the way to 31st, ahead of only Tennessee now that they'd be missing Carnell Tate and only managing 109.4 passing yards/game.
Eagles: Can't Live With Him, Can't Run Without Him
At last, Saquon Barkley returned, kinda. He was clearly dealing with managing his hamstring injury, and it apparently led to a back injury that limited him to only 9 total opportunities in the game. Even so, he was able to turn his 7 carries into 62 yards along with a rushing TD, chipping in another 9 yards on his 2 receptions.
That 62 yards rushing is more than any Eagle has had since, well, himself, back in Week 3 before he got hurt.
Javonte Williams: History Repeats Itself
Through the first 7 weeks of his breakout 2025, Javonte Williams had 592 yards rushing and caught 23 passes for another 85 yards, scoring 7 total TDs. He was RB7 at 18.67 PPR points/game through those 7 games.
Through the first 7 weeks of 2026, Williams is RB9 at 18.64 PPR points/game. He has 472 yards rushing and has caught 19 passes for another 103 yards to go along with his 9 total TDs.
Fin:
Lou Brunson serves as a Senior Analyst and designer of the Two Rivers, GUTS, and Injury Response Protocol projection systems used across Optimus Fantasy.