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

Tarik Cohen (42) matched his season high snap total in this one and was on the field for eight more snaps than Howard. He wasn’t able to get much going on the ground as he finished with eight carries for 30 yards, but he exploded in the passing game with 12 receptions for 156 yards on 14 targets. He also threw a one yard touchdown on a trick play. Cohen is just a better fit in this offense, especially when Chase Daniel is quarterbacking. Trubisky is expected to return this week though, so keep your Cohen expectations in check.

DeAndre Carter (44) set a new season high in snaps and by a wide margin as his previous high was just 12. He operated as the Texans number three receiver with Coutee out of action this week and he finished with six receptions for 32 yards on six targets. The six receptions and six targets were a solid volume, but the team stated after the game that they are worried about his ball security after he fumbled twice (the Texans recovered both). He’s not worth owning, even if Coutee misses further time.

Jamaal Williams (34) for some reason had a big uptick in snaps this week as he played 25 more than he did in Week 12. While his huge snap count was surprising, his awful production was far from shocking. He finished with seven carries for 13 yards and four receptions for 14 yards. That is seven carries and four receptions that should have went Aaron Jones ’ way. Hopefully this is the last time we have to deal with this silliness now that Mike McCarthy has been fired. Start Jones in fantasy.

Jeff Wilson (55) set a new season high in snaps and was on the field for 30 more snaps than the week prior. The undrafted rookie out of North Texas had a huge game, finishing with 15 carries for 61 yards and hauling in eight passes for 73 yards. Breida left the game with an injury and will sit out Week 14, meaning Wilson should once again be in line for another huge workload as the 49ers take on the Broncos. After catching eight-of-nine targets, Wilson should have fantasy value even if the 49ers get blown out.

Fallers

Mike Davis (10) played his fewest snaps since Week 3 and it was also the first time since Week 3 that he played fewer snaps than Penny. Davis and Penny have been battling for backup duties behind Carson and it seems to be a battle that Davis is losing. He finished with four carries for 10 yards in Seattle’s blowout 43-16 win over the 49ers. He is slowly being fazed out of the offense and he can be dropped in all leagues. Penny is the handcuff.

Notable Snap Counts

Spencer Ware (49) easily set a new season high in snaps in the Chiefs first game post-Hunt. He operated as the lead back – as expected – and had a solid fantasy game. He finished with 14 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown while hauling in one pass for five yards. He wasn’t very efficient with his touches, but the touchdown saved his day. He has a much tougher test on the schedule in Week 14 against the Ravens and will carry some risk in fantasy even though he is the featured back.

Kenneth Dixon (17) returned to action this week for the first time since he suffered his injury in Week 1. He was third in snaps in the Ravens backfield, but played a solid 21% of the snaps. He finished with eight carries for 37 yards and one reception for six yards. He is the handcuff to Edwards with Montgomery operating in a change of pace role. Shallow leagues can leave him on the wire.

With Gordon out this week, Austin Ekeler (49) took over lead back duties for the Chargers.  He really struggled though, finishing with 13 carries for 21 yards (yikes) and was severely outplayed by Justin Jackson (19). Jackson finished with eight carries for 63 yards and a touchdown. Jackson was also more efficient in the passing game as he hauled in his lone target for 19 yards, compared to Ekeler’s five receptions for 22 yards on eight targets. If Gordon is forced to miss another game, expect these two to be in more of an equal timeshare than this week.

Rex Burkhead (17) was on the field for 23% of the Patriots snaps in his first game since Week 3. He had pretty solid volume with seven carries and two receptions, but he struggled to get much going on the ground as he finished with just 20 yards (2.9 YPC). As I stated at the beginning of the year, it’s hard to see Burkhead having a big role as he is worse than Michel on the ground and worse than White in the passing game. He is only worth owning in deep leagues.

Chris Thompson (29) was on the field for 64% of the Redskins snaps in his first game back from injury (he hadn’t played since Week 8). He led Washington’s backfield in snaps, but he struggled to get much going in this one as he finished with three carries for three yards and hauled in three-of-five targets for 18 yards. Despite the rough game, he still has value in full PPR leagues, but not much outside of that. Unless you are in a desperate situation, he is someone you will want to wait and see with.