Fantasy Football Player Notes

The 49ers' usage of their players was weird in some aspects in Week 1 because of the one-sided nature of the game, as they crushed the Rams. Mike Evans finished as the WR14 in weekly scoring, but he had only a 63.9% route share. This could also be related to the fact that Evans dealt with some nagging soft tissue stuff during camp, and San Francisco didn't want to run him out there for a 90% route share in Week 1. Evans still tied for the team lead with a 20.6% target share while producing 49 receiving yards (2.16 YPRR) and seeing a team-leading 24% first-read share. Evans was second on the team with two red zone targets. I don't expect the Miami Dolphins' youthful secondary to be able to contain Evans in Week 2. The Raiders didn't have to test them much in Week 1 and don't have the players to do so even if they wanted to. If Evans had his way with the Rams, I don't expect the Dolphins to be much of a problem.

Deebo Samuel was also only a part-time player in Week 1. Samuel finished as the WR13 for the week, but he had only a 44.4% route share. He made the most of it with a 20.6% target share (tied for the team lead), 48 receiving yards (3.0 YPRR), and a 20% first-read share (tied for second on the team). Samuel got in the end zone while leading the team with three red zone targets. He also got his customary rushing usage, adding a carry for 12 yards on the ground. I expect Samuel to have another strong game in Week 2 against a hapless Miami defense.