• Roschon Johnson and Khalil Herbert lead the Chicago Bears‘ rushing attack: Both running backs are competing for playing time this season and were utilized throughout the first half.
• John Metchie III leads the Houston Texans‘ wide receiver rotation: The Texans rested their top five wide receivers. Metchie led a four-man rotation of players competing for one or two roster spots.
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PFF's fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2024.
Houston Texans @ Chicago Bears
Don’t read too much into the Bears' backfield rotation: Roschon Johnson and Khalil Herbert rotated throughout the first half.
• D’Andre Swift was signed to be the starter for Chicago, with Johnson and Herbert fighting for snaps and a role in the offense. It seems concerning that two players considered draft-worthy in some leagues played until halftime, but the Bears had limited options.
• Travis Homer and undrafted rookie Ian Wheeler were the only other halfbacks on the team's depth chart a week ago. Both are dealing with injuries and didn’t play tonight. The Bears also signed Demetric Felton just four days ago, so it wouldn’t have been ideal for the team to make him play the entire game. Felton played throughout the second half. Both Johnson and Herbert played as long as they did out of necessity, not because either is in trouble of losing a roster spot.
•The usage indicated that the two backs are likely close on the depth chart, with Johnson possibly slightly ahead. Johnson ended up with 15 first-half snaps, while Herbert had 10. However, this was partly due to who was in on longer drives. Both received several consecutive snaps before being rotated out rather than being used in specific situations. They will likely be used more situationally in the regular season, so this game didn’t provide much insight.
The Texans' backup wide receivers battle for one or two spots: The Texans used a four-man rotation of wide receivers in the first half.
• The Texans rested starting wide receivers Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell, along with backup wide receivers Noah Brown and Robert Woods. The team will likely keep six wide receivers, so one spot is up for grabs. The team may move on from one of its veteran backups to keep two of the younger receivers.
• John Metchie III and Xavier Hutchinson, who were the fifth and sixth wide receivers on the roster last season, started the game. Ben Skowronek served as the third wide receiver tonight, while Steven Sims also got significant playing time in the first half. The snap counts suggest Metchie is the favorite, followed by Hutchinson and Skowronek. Metchie caught only one pass for 4 yards, while Hutchinson recorded five catches for 56 yards and Skowronek tallied two catches for 31 yards, so it’s possible that Hutchinson and Skowronek closed the gap a little tonight. Skowronek and Sims continued playing into the second half.
• This was also a good example of what the wide receiver rotation could look like this season. Houston substituted wide receivers in and out throughout the 2023 season, and they kept the same philosophy in the first half of this game. In the first half, the receivers played 86%, 70%, 59% and 38% of snaps, respectively. It was a half where they rarely used two-tight-end sets. It’s even possible none of the starters consistently reach 86% of the snaps in the regular season.
Monitor Teagan Quitoriano‘s health: The run-blocking tight end suffered a lower-body injury early in the game.
• The Texans rested starter Dalton Schultz and backup Brevin Jordan, who is reportedly banged up. This left Quitoriano and rookie Cade Stover as the only tight ends on the roster.
• Quitoriano started the game and took the first five plays, then Stover came in for a few plays. Quitoriano returned to score a touchdown. Both played back-to-back in two-tight-end sets on the second drive, but Quitoriano didn't return after that. Stover was the only tight end for the rest of the game.
• Hybrid fullback/tight end Andrew Beck also had the night off, so backup fullback Troy Hairston ended up lining up at tight end at times so that the Texans could use a few two-tight-end sets.
• This gave us minimal information about the potential tight end rotation. When healthy, Quitoriano is the current favorite in two-tight-end sets, but it’s possible the well-rounded Stover can overtake him for that role on the depth chart. If Quitoriano’s injury is serious, then Stover will see a lot more opportunities immediately, like he did tonight.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Bears starting wide receivers D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze all sat the game out.
- Tyler Scott is likely the Bears' fourth wide receiver after starting at times last year. He played only on the first drive, and then his night ended. Similarly, DeAndre Carter played only the first drive, making him the likely fifth receiver at the moment.
- Cole Kmet, Marcedes Lewis and Gerald Everett are expected to be the Bears' top three tight ends, and all of them took the night off.
- Joe Mixon, the Texans' new starting running back, is dealing with a soft tissue injury that kept him out, although he likely would not have played if he were 100%. There are currently no concerns about his health for the regular season.
- The Texans also rested backup halfback Dameon Pierce, which is generally a positive sign for his chances of remaining the team's primary backup.
- Dare Ogunbowale and J.J. Taylor both played ahead of Cam Akers, but Akers has been on the roster for just one week, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Akers move up the depth chart.
- Wide receivers Xavier Hutchinson and Steven Sims Jr. were the Texans' two kick returners to start the game.
- Wide receiver Tyler Scott and defensive back Greg Stroman Jr. were the Bears' two kick returners to start the game.
Table Notes
• Snaps include all plays, even those that were called back due to penalties like offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats exclude these penalized plays.
• Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy occurs with clear thrown-away passes, as the NFL might attribute the target to the nearest receiver, whereas our data does not.
• Carries are only counted on designed rushing plays. Quarterback scrambles are not included in the total number of carries in the game.
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