It's always a bummer when injuries are the defining story of a week in the NFL. That's what we had in Week 6 with plenty of key names going down.

Whenever teams lose talented players, it does open up usage for others. But it also downgrades their expected efficiency, and that can hurt everybody involved. It'll be important to weigh both factors when looking at who could step up for each situation.

Let's dig into those key injuries first and identify what it should mean for our fantasy lineups in both the short- and long-term. Then we'll shift into cheerier topics and outline some players who had noteworthy roles across the action.

All snap-rate and average depth of target (aDOT) data is via Next-Gen Stats unless noted otherwise. A "deep" target here is a target 16-plus yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

Key Injuries to Track Entering Week 7

Travis Etienne

Everything about the Jacksonville Jaguars is messy, and the backfield is firmly part of that.

On Sunday, Travis Etienne suffered a hamstring injury and didn't return. That should have opened the door for big Tank Bigsby usage, but Bigsby lost a fumble on a kickoff return and effectively got benched. He played just one offensive snap after the fumble.

Instead, D'Ernest Johnson led the team with a 56.7% snap rate. This could have been partly due to the negative game script, but it's hard to ignore the timing with Bigsby having lost another fumble.

Bigsby has the highest upside if Etienne misses time. But Johnson figures to snag some passing-down work regardless, and he could steal early-down work if the team punishes Bigsby for his fumbles. It's a rough situation across the board.

Jordan Mason

Kyle Shanahan has already said that Jordan Mason is day-to-day after suffering a sprained AC joint in Week 6. Let's hope that's true because this backfield has headache potential if he can't go in Week 7.

Although Isaac Guerendo had the big play late, he was splitting work with Patrick Taylor. Taylor played 23.0% of the snaps versus 26.2% for Guerendo. Both players ran seven routes.

That's in addition to five backfield snaps for Deebo Samuel and a healthy number as a pass-blocker for Kyle Juszczyk, as well.

Guerendo would be the lead back on early downs, and it's enough to make him a quality waiver add next week. But I'd have real questions about his upside -- even in an offense this good -- given how many other guys can help duct-tape together that role if Mason is out.

Chris Olave

Chris Olave was ruled out early due to a concussion, which makes it more impressive that Spencer Rattler and the New Orleans Saints were able to put up 27 points in a chaotic game.

Bub Means and Alvin Kamara led the team with eight targets each, and then Rashid Shaheed had seven. Five of those targets for Shaheed were deep, so they were still chucking it up for him. We'd have to downgrade the entire offense significantly if both Carr and Olave can't go Thursday against the Denver Broncos, but at least Shaheed and Kamara would still be startable for season-long.

As for Means, I'd need a more efficient offense to take swipes at a team's third option, which is what he'd likely be. He's more of a name to keep in mind if you play Thursday's single-game DFS slate.

Marvin Harrison Jr.

Marvin Harrison Jr. sustained a concussion early for the Arizona Cardinals and did not return.

Not surprisingly, Trey McBride led the team with 8 targets for 96 yards. If Harrison misses time, we can treat McBride the same as we did last year when he was an absolute target hog.

None of the receivers did much, but Michael Wilson would likely benefit most. He ran 31 routes on 32 drop backs, and his target share for the season is at 17.8%. Wilson also has 32.4% of the deep targets, meaning he at least would have a path to upside in the right spots.

Anything beyond that would be a leap of faith. Greg Dortch and Xavier Weaver would project to run a bunch of routes, but this isn't an efficient enough passing offense to support much beyond McBride and Wilson.

Tyjae Spears

Tony Pollard already had a stranglehold on the Tennessee Titans' backfield. But with Tyjae Spears leaving early with a hamstring injury, Pollard's role grew.

Pollard played a season-high 74.5% of the snaps, his first time topping 70%. He had 17 carries and 3 targets for 88 yards from scrimmage, his 4th time at 88 or higher in 5 games.

It's not an offense we should love. But Pollard was a season-long starter and DFS option at $7,000 even with Spears healthy. If Spears misses time, Pollard will have the kind of role we should seek out in all formats.

Dallas Goedert

Dallas Goedert left Week 6 early and was declared out due to a hamstring injury. A.J. Brown's return helped soften the blow.

Brown led the team with 9 targets for 116 yards and a touchdown. In his two games this year, Brown has a 35.9% target share with sick productivity. He is what we expected him to be, and he does get a small boost without Goedert.

DeVonta Smith's touchdown was pretty fluky, but his outlook gets the bigger jolt with Goedert sidelined. When Goedert missed three games last year, Smith's target share was 30.0%. He won't approach Brown's level, but we can feel great about him in all formats for as long as Goedert is out.

If you're streaming tight ends, you could do worse than Grant Calcaterra. Calcaterra's four targets were nice, but more importantly, he ran 23 routes on 26 drop backs. Getting a good athlete on the field that much is always enticing, so while his ceiling will be capped with Brown, Smith, and Saquon Barkley within the offense, he can do enough to be worth a look.

Dontayvion Wicks

Right when the Green Bay Packers' pass-catchers got healthy, Dontayvion Wicks suffered a shoulder injury and missed most of the game Sunday.

Even with Wicks down, no Packer garnered more than six targets. Jayden Reed led at that number, and everybody else was at four or lower.

Reed is a guy we can feel good about even on muted volume because of how good he is and how creative his touches are, so he remains pretty close to status quo.

Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, and Tucker Kraft all had four targets, and the routes were close enough between the trio. Doubs scored twice, but Watson matched him with two deep targets and scored himself, as well. I'd prefer Watson because a lot of Doubs' routes are intended to clear space for Reed and others underneath, but both are start-worthy if Wicks is out.

As for Kraft, you can justify him at tight end even when everyone is healthy because the position is so rough. The appeal of him just goes up with each piece you remove.

Jerome Ford

With Nick Chubb slated to return in Week 7, this one matters a bit less. But the Cleveland Browns' backfield depth took a hit with Jerome Ford sustaining a hamstring injury.

Pierre Strong Jr. led the backfield with a 52.8% snap rate in a largely neutral script, meaning he'd be the top alternative to Chubb. He'd also likely mix in for some late-down work.

D'Onta Foreman played 35.8% of the snaps and led with 10 targets. He'd likely need a blowout script to get work ahead of Chubb, and it's hard to foresee many of those in the Browns' future.

Hayden Hurst

All three of Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, and Hayden Hurst missed at least some time to injury for the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday. Hurst was the lone guy who didn't return, and it actually does seem like his absence would matter.

Will Dissly would be on the map on Monday Night Football in a plus matchup against the Cardinals. He played 66.7% of the snaps, finishing second on the team with 5 targets. He didn't do much with them, but we can't too picky at the position. Dissly's a desperation streamer if Hurst can't go next week.

Fantasy Football Role Changes

Chase Brown

It's hard to tell for sure, but we may have seen a changing of the guard in the Cincinnati Bengals' backfield.

In the third quarter Sunday night, Zack Moss lost a fumble. After that, he played just two offensive snaps (omitting kneel downs). That's compared to 17 snaps for Chase Brown after the fumble. Brown fumbled, himself, but he housed a 30-yard rush on the very next play. It's safe to say all was forgiven there.

In total, Brown played 61.5% of the snaps, his first time topping 45% this year. Despite the low snap rates, he has three targets in all but one game and double-digit carries in three straight.

The Bengals may still hesitate to use Brown on late downs as they do seem to trust Moss more in pass protection. But Brown has shown he can still get targets, and he brings a lot of juice to the ground game. Although we'll want to proceed with caution, we should give Brown a healthy bump up while pushing Moss way down our lists heading into Week 7.

Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker

Both Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker blew up in Week 6. The biggest impact here is what it does to Rachaad White's outlook once he returns from injury.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' rush offense has struggled for a long time. Seeing it blow up with White on the sideline is going to make it tough for White to regain early-down work once he returns. He should still get targets because he's a talented receiver, but we'll want to keep expectations in check once he's able to suit back up.

Irving led the backfield with a 63.9% snap rate, besting Tucker's rate of 37.5%. Irving's snap rate likely would have been higher, but Tucker kept making plays as he had 192 yards from scrimmage on 14 carries and 3 targets. Irving had 14 and 2, respectively.

Tucker has been in this offense for more than a year. They've known what he is and still hadn't expanded his role. Thus, I'd still assume that Irving holds the edge over Tucker going forward. Tucker just made that less clear than we'd have though it'd be going in.

If we get another game without White, I'd be inclined to go back to Irving in all formats. It'd just be key to keep in mind that Tucker played well enough to get at least some work, which does downgrade Irving a bit from where he could have been.

JK Dobbins

Even with Kimani Vidal scoring a long touchdown, J.K. Dobbins was a featured back in the first game without Gus Edwards.

Dobbins had 25 carries and 2 targets on a 73.3% snap rate. He also handled 5 of 11 red-zone chances (45.5%), his second-best rate of the year.

The Chargers got starting tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt back for this game, and they moved the ball well against a stout Denver Broncos defense. They've faced a bunch of tough opponents so far, and Dobbins has still produced. Now's a good time to buy in given the usage he got here.

As for Vidal, he's well worth an add in season-long due to Dobbins' injury history, but you'll want his role to expand before plugging him into your lineup.

Austin Ekeler

With Brian Robinson sidelined, Austin Ekeler was the Washington Commanders' clear lead back.

Ekeler played 73.2% of the snaps, recording 9 carries and 5 targets. It went for just 68 yards from scrimmage, but that's forgivable against an elite Baltimore Ravens rush defense.

It's unclear if Robinson will miss more time. But if he does, Ekeler's passing-game usage plus the additional early-down work is enough to make him a season-long starter and a DFS option in a fun offense.

Noteworthy Fantasy Football Usage

The Texans' Skill Players

In his first game without Nico Collins, C.J. Stroud not only shredded, but he funneled work to the Houston Texans' top players. Bless him.

That obviously includes Joe Mixon, who had 13 carries and 3 targets on just 28 snaps in his first game back. Had the game been closer, that snap rate likely would have been higher. He looks like a guy who's about to go on a fantasy-point binge.

We also saw all three of Tank Dell (29.0%), Dalton Schultz (25.8%), and Stefon Diggs (22.6%) get at least a 20% target share with multiple deep targets. When tied to a quarterback as good as Stroud, that's a dream come true.

Given Diggs' red-zone role -- and overall production this year -- he'd be the top choice. But the gap between him and Dell isn't that large, so I'd like to buy into both.

Schultz becomes a streaming option at tight end. I'm not positive he has the yardage upside we want for DFS, but the two deep targets Sunday are a positive. I'm at least willing to give him a shot next week in what could be a shootout with the Packers.

The Jaguars' Pass-Catchers

Evan Engram returned from a four-game absence and immediately got fed.

Engram led the team with 10 targets. In the two games he has played, Engram has easily been the top target-earner.

That makes Engram an every-week starter in season-long and someone we can definitely consider in DFS even when the Jags aren't in great spots.

I'd still rank Brian Thomas Jr. highest of the three receivers despite a big game out of Gabriel Davis. Thomas has been too good to not get him looks. The return of Engram does downgrade Thomas a bit, though, as it gives Trevor Lawrence another viable option when he drops back.

The Patriots' Pass-Catchers

Unsurprisingly, Drake Maye provided a spark in his New England Patriots debut. It means -- for the first time this year -- the Patriots' pass-catchers are worth discussing.

Demario Douglas led with nine targets, the only guy to get more than five. His aDOT was 7.7, and Douglas has just three deep targets the entire season, so his upside is limited enough where I wouldn't want to go there in DFS. He can definitely work in season-long, though, given all the injuries.

I'm a bit higher on Hunter Henry even though Henry had just five targets Sunday. If Maye's more efficient, it'll generate more scoring drives for the offense, and touchdowns are the primary catalysts of points at tight end. Additionally, Henry's season-long target share is 18.3%, which isn't awful. It's a boost for a guy who was already good enough to warrant fantasy consideration.

Additional Notes

• Tyrone Tracy Jr.'s role without Devin Singletary -- once again -- was really, really good. He had 17 carries and 6 targets on an 83.8% snap rate. If Singletary misses more time, we should treat Tracy like a featured back. And if Singletary returns, I really hope we get to see Tracy remain heavily involved.
• Kenneth Walker III's passing-game usage continues to be extremely strong. He had 8 targets Thursday night, pushing his target share to 14.6% in the games he has played (including a 24.0% target share in the red zone). I know the production hasn't always been there, but we should be buying Walker stock right now.
• D'Andre Swift had another big game Sunday, posting 100-plus yards from scrimmage for the third straight game. I was skeptical after the first big showing, but Swift is cooking, and the offense looks good. It's time to fully buy into Swift's role going forward.
• Tyler Allgeier's two scores weren't fluky given they came on nine red-zone chances. His red-zone share for the year entering that game was 22.6%, and it was 45.0% here. We can continue to be high on Bijan Robinson, who also had a quality game, but Allgeier's not going away any time soon.
• I wouldn't worry too much about James Conner's 29.1% snap rate. The Cardinals were down big, and Conner was trying to get stretched out on the sideline. If he wasn't 100%, there wasn't much reason to toss him back into the fire, so unless the injury winds up being more serious, he should slot back into his typical role next week.
• Without Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson's role was merely fine. He had 13 carries and 4 targets but on a 50.8% snap rate. He's a desperation play at best.
• Noah Brown has emerged as the Commanders' No. 2 receiver. He ran 25 routes and earned 8 targets on Sunday, well clear of the other contenders. Brown was solid when on the field for the Texans last year, so he's a waiver-wire option with byes and injuries mounting.
• Jalen McMillan ran just four routes in his first game back. It's possible he was being eased back in, but for now, Sterling Shepard remains the No. 3 receiver in the Bucs' offense.

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