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. Next to each player’s name you will see a number inside of parenthesis, for example John Smith (2), that 2 would represent how many snaps he played this week. We are going to dive into some of the more interesting situations around the league regarding snap count numbers.
Risers
D.J. Moore (33) played a season high in snaps and was on the field for 49% of the Panthers plays. Coming into the game his season-high snap total was 17 with a season-high percentage of 25%. He wasn’t able to do much with the extra playing time though, finishing with just one reception for three yards. The rookie wide receiver was only targeted two times and has just four targets on the season, but if he continues to see more playing time he should start to produce more too.
Antonio Callaway (69) continues to see more and more snaps each week. He was on the field for 90% of the Browns plays and led the team in that category (yes even higher than Landry). While he finished with a poor stat line of four receptions for 20 yards, he did have 10 targets and looks like a guy you want to try and trade for while the price is still low. He is without a doubt the number two option in the Browns passing attack, a passing attack that should have more volume now that they have turned over the QB reigns to Baker Mayfield .
Nyheim Hines (43) set a new career high in snaps and was on the field for 73% of the Colts offensive plays. Marlon Mack was out this week (part of the reason Hines played so much), but Hines dominated playing time over fellow rookie Jordan Wilkins (17). Despite being on the field a lot, he didn’t really do much with the playing time as he finished with five carries for 18 yards and five receptions for 25 yards. He appears to be heading towards the role of a pass catching back for the Colts more so than featured back duties. He has 14 carries and 13 receptions thus far.
Fallers
Rashaad Penny played just 10 snaps this week as the Seahawks finally rewarded Chris Carson (50) with the playing time he deserved. The rookie Penny had three carries for five yards and spent the majority of the game watching Carson run the ball. Carson finished with 32(!) carries for 102 yards and a touchdown and also caught two passes for an additional 22 yards. Thus far this season Penny has only managed to rush for 43 yards on 20 carries (2.2 YPC) and is not a very desirable fantasy asset in redraft leagues.
Jesse James was on the field for a season low snap total of just 33. He was on the field for just 50% of the plays and only played one more snap than Vance McDonald . He was extremely outplayed by McDonald as he finished with just one catch for seven yards, compared to McDonald’s line of four receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown.
Dante Pettis was on the field for a season-low 25 snaps this week. Marquise Goodwin (42) made his return to the 49ers and that bumped Pettis into a much smaller role (as expected). Pettis finished the game with 0 targets and can be dropped at this point. With Goodwin back and Jimmy Garropollo done for the year, Pettis is very unlikely to produce many fantasy points on a consistent basis. Goodwin is the only receiver with any kind of a positive outlook and his value takes a big hit with C.J. Beathard operating the offense.
Notable Snap Counts
Joe Mixon was out this week with his knee injury and Gio Bernard (57) stepped up admirably in his place. He was on the field for 88% of the snaps and was the only running back worthy of note for Cincinnati. He had 12 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown while also catching five passes for an additional 25 yards. No other running back was given a carry or even a touch for that matter and Bernard can be looked at as the workhorse back in any game Mixon is forced to miss.
With LeSean McCoy out this week the Bills turned to Chris Ivory (54) to handle the majority of the snaps. He came into the game with a season-high of just nine prior to the game. Marcus Murphy , on the other hand, who played 23 snaps in both weeks one and two with McCoy active, only played 16 in this game. Ivory struggled to get much going on the ground, – 56 yards on 20 carries – but he did excel in the passing game as he hauled in three passes for 70 yards. Murphy finished with eight carries for 33 yards and caught one pass for one-yard.
Aaron Jones was on the field for 17 snaps in his return from suspension. Jones is the most talented running back for Green Bay and he showed it in this one, rushing for 42 yards on just six carries. Meanwhile, “starter” Jamaal Williams finished with five carries for 29 yards and his fantasy value is taking a cliff dive. Jones is the back to own on the Packers.
The Vikings used Latavius Murray (38) and Mike Boone (13) in place of the injured Dalvin Cook this week. The two backs combined for just four carries though as the Vikings were completed dismantled by the Bills in a 27-6 loss. Murray did manage to haul in five passes for 30 receiving yards, but his performance was a huge disappointment to DFS players who were expecting a 20 touch day in a blowout Minnesota win (who would have thought it would actually be Buffalo with the blowout win in this one).
Cameron Meredith (34) made his debut for the Saints and played in his first regular season game since 2016. He only had one reception, but it did go for an 11-yard touchdown. Meredith showed some nice flashes of talent in 2016 with the Bears and there is room for him to become the number wide receiver in the Saints offense. For now though, he is just a stash in fantasy as a guy with only one target is not someone you can plug into your lineup.