Tracking snap counts is a good way to get an indication of how much a player is on the field, and what their future usage outlook could look like. We are going to dive into some of the more interesting situations around the league regarding snap count numbers. You will also see risers and fallers; which is a useful tool for valuing a player’s fantasy stock. The notable snap counts section is based around injuries sustained in the previous week.
Texans RB
Lamar Miller continues to operate in a featured role for the Texans as he played 56 snaps this week compared to D’Onta Foreman’s 9 and Alfred Blue’s 0. Miller played well, finishing with 74 yards on 15 carries and he added 2 receptions for 15 yards. Foreman did make the most of his opportunities though, as he was able to scamper for 34 yards on just 4 carries. Foreman owners who are hoping for him to take over the lead role may be waiting a while. Miller is worth plugging into your starting lineup every week, but is only a must-start in good matchups.
Patriots RB
The Patriots continue to use a full rotation at running back. James White finished with 35 snaps, followed my Mike Gillislee’s 24 and Dion Lewis who finished with 18. Gillislee and Lewis were running well on the ground combining for 105 yards on 19 carries. White, despite playing the most snaps, did very little on the ground finishing with just 2 carries for 3 yards, but continues to be extraordinary in the passing game; finishing with 7 receptions for 57 yards. White is the only one that can be fully trusted on a week-to-week basis and that’s only if you are playing in a PPR league. Gillislee appears to be a boom-or-bust back fully dependent on touchdowns. Lewis is working in a kind of in-between role but not doing enough of anything to warrant starting in fantasy.
Risers
Cameron Brate played 49 snaps this week, after playing 35 in the previous week. It was also the first game this season where Brate out snapped rookie TE O.J. Howard. Brate finished the game with 5 receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown; O.J., in comparison, finished with 0 receptions. For the season, Brate has a 15-205-3 line and Howard has done very minimal with just a 4-92-1 line. Brate is currently 6th in fantasy points among TE despite having a week 1 bye week. He is worth starting each and every week in all leagues/formats.
Jalen Richard played a season high 25 snaps, one week after playing just 6 snaps. Marshawn Lynch continues to struggle to get anything going on the ground as he is averaging just 3.4 yards per carry on 57 rushing attempts. Meanwhile, Richard has managed to run for 5.3 YPC on his 24 attempts. It would not be surprising to see this become a weekly thing in an attempt to keep Lynch fresh. Neither of these guys is really worth starting right now. Lynch has less than 200 yards rushing on the season and does almost nothing in the pass game.
Danny Amendola had a jump in snap count from 36-to-55 this week and made the most of it with 8 receptions for 77 yards. He did the majority of his damage in the slot and is a solid play in PPR formats. His touchdown upside is very minimal making him a weak play in standard leagues. It is also important to keep in mind that Rob Gronkowski was out this week, which led to a jump in targets and playing time for Amendola. The Patriots offense is very fluid making it difficult to depend on similar results each week from any of their players not named Tom Brady.
Fallers
Ameer Abdullah played just 22 snaps this week, a week after rushing for a career high 94 yards on 20 attempts and 33 snaps. This was mainly due to game flow. The Lions were playing from behind and chose to use pass catching back Theo Riddick in an attempt to make an epic 4th quarter comeback. Riddick finished with 8 yards on 2 carries, but also caught 4 passes for 45 yards. Abdullah will have a great chance to bounce back in week 6 as the Lions face the Saints defense. The Saints are allowing over 100 rushing yards per game on 4.5 yards a clip. Start him with confidence in week 6.
Jacquizz Rodgers played a season low 13 snaps in the return game of teammate Doug Martin. Martin looked fantastic in his return as he finished with 74 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries. Rodgers finished with 3 carries for 2 yards and operated as the third back in the rotation; behind Martin and Charles Sims. Martin jumped right back into his role as the featured back and that is what should be expected going forward. Rodgers is now nothing more than a weak handcuff, and can be dropped in nearly all formats.
Notable Snap Counts
It was the first full week for the Vikings without rookie sensation Dalvin Cook, but Jerick McKinnon was able to spark the offense. Latavius Murray drew the start and was in for 22 snaps, but struggled to the tune of 31 yards on 12 carries. McKinnon took full advantage of his 47 snaps as he finished with 95 yards on the ground on 16 carries including a 58 yard TD. He also added 6 receptions for 51 yards and is a must add this week after the breakout performance. Murray will surely still see his fair share of carries and short-yardage work, but McKinnon has the bigger playmaking ability and is great in the pass game. He will likely see a lot of love this coming week in DFS given his PPR upside, cheap price, and solid matchup.
Much like the Vikings, the Seahawks were dealing with their first week without their own rookie running back Chris Carson. Eddie Lacy drew the start but finished second on the team in snaps with 19. Thomas Rawls played 32 snaps and pass catching back J.D. McKissic finished with 18. The trio of backs struggled mightily on the ground finishing with a combined 39 yards on 19 carries. Rawls found the most success, finishing with a measly 20 yards on 8 carries; yes that pathetic stat line was the most successful one of the three. This backfield is wide open and Head Coach Pete Carroll will likely ride the hot hand until one of these guys shows deserving of more work. None of the players can be trusted as of right now.