Another absurd week with injuries to guys like CMC, D’Andre Swift, Dalvin Cook etc. Good thing we’ve been following along all season and tracking who gets the work and in what scenarios so that we are ready to make moves for the playoff push! Here are the important notes from this week regarding snap counts.
As a reminder, this year we have a brand new tool that lets you not only look at this week's snaps but the total snaps on the year and percentage played by each player. On top of that you can sort by team or position to see how your guy stacks up!
The best way to consume this article is to have that tool open in another window and then sort by “team” which will automatically sort the players from most to least snaps. Then in this article I'll give an explanation as to what happened as well as some additional underlying stats (slot snaps, pass blocking snaps etc.) and what sort of actionable data we can extract to help us win our leagues.
49ers
WR: This is one that hasn’t changed for weeks but the injury to Deebo Samuel should change things for at least this week. Jauan Jennings had been playing the second most snaps so he’s the candidate I like best to step up with the next being Trent Sherfield.
RB: Elijah Mitchell is back and is expected to be the lead back moving forward. He played a full snap share despite the injury.
TE: George Kittle is as locked and loaded as ever.
Bears
WR: The Bears were once again without Allen Robinson. Darnell Mooney led the show followed by Damiere Byrd. Marquise Goodwin played a little less than half the snaps.
RB: David Montgomery is the only RB that you need to worry about right now. It’s his job.
TE: Cole Kmet bounced back from some bad usage in week 11 to run 38 of 45 routes and only pass block once. Jimmy Graham scored a touchdown despite only running four routes.
Bengals
WR: Business as usual - Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase on the outside with Tyler Boyd in the slot.
RB: Joe Mixon showing once again that he’s the man this year.
TE: When healthy, this offense is fairly consolidated. CJ Uzomah ran 23 routes which was just behind the WRs who range from 25-27.
Bills
WR: Diggs and Sanders paced the WRs as always. Beasley operated out of the slot and Gabriel Davis was the fourth man in.
RB: Devin Singletary got the bulk of the work this week while Matt Breida was relegated to backup. Singletary is the most trustworthy at this point.
TE: Good usage again for Knox - he ran 32 of 38 routes. His targets have been inconsistent but he’s masked that pretty well with touchdowns.
Browns
WR: Jarvis Landry and Donovan Peoples-Jones played the biggest chunk of snaps and then the Browns used enough multi-TE snaps that no one else was even in the neighborhood of fantasy relevant.
RB: Kareem Hunt returned but Nick Chubb got work work in both phases. We expect it will eventually transition back towards Chubb on run downs, Hunt on pass downs.
TE: The snaps had been split fairly evenly but this week Hooper actually ran 30 routes to only 22 for Njoku. So of course Njoku was the one who scored. This guessing game is not worth it.
Buccaneers
WR: We could honestly just copy and paste this one each week, it’s been so consistent. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin play every snap. Tyler Johnson plays the Antonio Brown role which wasn’t a full time role anyway.
RB: It’s Leonard Fournette’s world and Ronald Jones is just living in it. As the backup.
TE: Rob Gronkowski is back so Cameron Brate and OJ Howard fall back to irrelevance.
Broncos
WR: At first glance it would seem that Jerry Jeudy played a lot less than Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick. Which is technically true. But most of those were run plays. The pass snaps went Patrick (24), Sutton (23),, Jeudy (21). So not that far off.
RB: Melvin Gordon has been dealing with shoulder and hip injuries but the split is still alive as long as he’s playing. This week Javonte Williams played 21 pass snaps to 8 pass snaps for Melvin though. Something to monitor.
TE: Noah Fant played his typical non-exotic tight end role. He played a good chunk of snaps but only 7 at WR (46 in-line). Not overly exciting.
Cardinals
BYE
Cowboys
WR: With the injuries, Noah Brown stepped into Cooper’s split end role, Michael Gallup played flanker, and Cedrick Wilson played slot.
RB: Pretty much everyone knows the narrative here - Zeke is the starter but he’s dealing with a knee contusion. He’s playing through it but Tony Pollard is contributing as well to keep the workload light. There are rumors about him resting but only rumors as of now.
TE: Dalton Schultz played 71 of 74 snaps. He is dialed in. He ran routes on 51 of 53 pass plays.
Chargers
WR: Mike Williams and Keenan Allen played identical full time snap shares - Keenan Allen has just been more effective as of late. Jaylen Guyton and Josh Palmer battle for a role that is insignificant for fantasy.
RB: Austin Ekeler is a locked in RB1.
TE: If you have to start one of their tight ends it would be Jared Cook. He played only 37 of 71 snaps but 36 of those were pass plays. On a side note, do you think defenses know it’s a pass play when Jared Cook is out there?
Chiefs
BYE
Colts
WR: Michael Pittman and Zach Pascal, every snap as usual. T.Y. Hilton once again started but only played 42 snaps. It’s not just run plays he comes out for either - he ran 14-15 less routes than the top two WRs.
RB: Jonathan Taylor is a stud. Nyheim Hines plays on some pass downs but that’s about it.
TE: Don’t be fooled by this game for Jack Doyle. He still split snaps with Mo Allie-Cox and the routes run were close too (26 to 22). Only running routes on 26 of 51 pass plays is bad news. This is no different from the split the Browns tight ends have that we hate.
Dolphins
WR: The use of tight ends (as detailed below) made it tough for any receivers beyond Jaylen Waddle to shine. DeVante Parker should return this week and change up that mix.
RB: Myles Gaskin is the guy. Phillip Lindsay being added to the roster is a bit annoying. But not overly concerning.
TE: The Dolphins had 74 offensive plays this week. Their tight ends combined for 149 snaps. The reality of course is that Mike Gesicki actually plays WR. But even then, that means Durham Smythe and Hunter Long combined for 90 snaps.
Eagles
WR: It seems pretty clear at this point that Quez Watkins is a better blocker than Jalen Reagor. Despite Watkins playing 10 more snaps than Reagor, Reagor actually ran 2 more routes than Watkins. DeVonta Smith is the easiest one to trust.
RB: Whelp, this is concerning. Miles Sanders was dealing with soreness so actually played fewer snaps than Boston Scott. Hard to trust that guy.
TE: Despite the output, Dallas Goedert played a full snap share and ran 32 routes. Expect better games in better matchups.
Falcons
WR: Still no Ridley so Russell Gage and Tajae Sharpe are your options. Not ideal.
RB: Cordarelle Patterson continues to be a stud and Mike Davis continues to just be the other guy.
TE: For all intents and purposes, Kyle Pitts plays WR. With Hayden Hurst out, Lee Smith and Parke Hesse combined for 53 snaps.
Giants
WR: This is one of the few teams we still haven’t seen the full WR corps in action. Kenny Golladay and Darius Slayton were out there but no Sterling Shepard or Kadarius Toney. If everyone were healthy, I think we’d see Kenny G at split end, Shepard at slot/flanker, and Toney and Slayton rotating. But who knows.
RB: Saquon Barkley played 52 of 60 snaps. The team just needs to be better.
TE: Evan Engram played 54 of 70 snaps including 34 of 36 pass plays. They just need to do a better job of getting him the ball. Maybe Mike Glennon can do it this week.
Jaguars
WR: Marvin Jones Jr. and Laquon Treadwell manned the outside while Laviska Shenault was the third man in playing the slot. Marvin Jones runs the most routes every week.
RB: James Robinson got more run work, Carlos Hyde got slightly more pass work. Robinson is the guy you want.
TE: Well, I guess that simplifies things. Dan Arnold suffered a knee injury which saw James O’Shaughnessy go right into that full time tight end role, actually running one more route than Laviska Shenault. O’Shaughnessy is oddly must add in fantasy if you are struggling at tight end.
Jets
WR: With Corey Davis out, it was Keelan Cole and Elijah Moore on the outside, Jamison Crowder in the slot. Corey Davis is trying to make it back for this week’s game - if he does, he should replace Keelan Cole’s snaps.
RB: We got some answers here - with Michael Carter out, they like Tevin Coleman on run downs and Ty Johnson on pass downs.
TE: Ryan Griffen plays a decent chunk of snaps but you aren’t going to get a better matchup than this Texans one and he didn’t give you much.
Lions
WR: The newly acquired Josh Reynolds has already seemed to declare himself the top dog. He and Kalif Raymond play the outside snaps with Amon-Ra St. Brown in the slot. ARSB did mix in a few snaps outside this week so something to keep an eye on.
RB: With D’Andre Swift out, it’s like the Jamaal Williams show. Will be interesting to see how much the other backs factor in.
TE: TJ Hockenson didn’t play his full snap share this week for some reason - there were no reports of him being banged up. Tough matchup this week but he’s likely still your best bet.
Packers
WR: Randall Cobb had been slowly carving himself out a solid role, especially in the red zone, so of course he would get hurt. It will be Davante Adams and MVS on the outside with Allen Lazard in the slot, if he is out.
RB: Aaron Jones came back but AJ Dillon retained a good chunk of the run down work as Jones was eased back in. Jones did play more pass snaps.
TE: Josiah Deguara played the most pass snaps of any tight end but still not enough for us in fantasy.
Panthers
WR: DJ Moore and Robby Anderson. That’s all that matters.
RB: Christian McCaffrey is done for the year. Ouch. Instead of Chuba Hubbard this time, it was actually Ameer Abdullah that carried the water but he mostly played pass plays. Perhaps that will be the split.
TE: Once again, not enough from either guy. Ian Thomas is technically running more routes.
Patriots
WR: Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor once again played the most snaps but Kendrick Bourne was the secret weapon. He pretty much only plays pass plays (29 routes run on 33 snaps) so his usage is deceiving.
RB: It’s what we feared last week. Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson splitting the run work and Brandon Bolden getting the pass work. Sigh.
TE: Hunter Henry ran 24 routes, Jonnu Smith ran 13. That’s how that works.
Raiders
WR: Same as it’s been - Bryan Edwards, Zay Jones, Hunter Renfrow.
RB: Josh Jacobs is hardly “sharing” this role with Kenyan Drake. Drake is the backup.
TE: With Darren Waller out, Foster Moreau absorbed pretty much all those snaps. Though he blocked on 13 pass plays.
Rams
WR: The Rams are running by far the most consolidated snaps this year. All three WRs (Kupp, OBJ, Jefferson) played at least 61 of 62 snaps.
RB: Darrell Henderson played 50 snaps to 12 for Sony. Sony is just a backup.
TE: Tyler Higbee played all 62 snaps. This team is easy.
Ravens
WR: Marquise Brown took his spot back as the top dog. Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay, and Sammy Wakins all rotated with none playing more than 36 of 80 snaps. Yikes.
RB: With Le’Veon Bell gone we saw Devonta Freeman get the bulk of the work and Latavius Murray in a backup capacity. I wonder if Murray will claw back some run down work or not.
TE: Mark Andrews once again led the team in routes run with 48 (next closest was Watkins with 40). He’s the guy.
Saints
WR: It continues to be Tre’Quan Smith and Marquez Callaway playing most snaps. Deonte Harris and Kenny Stills don’t play enough. Harris has a pending DUI suspension but he’s fighting it.
RB: Anytime Kamara is out, Ingram is worth a start.
TE: Neither tight end played nearly enough to be relevant but if you have to pick one, it’s Juwan Johnson.
Seahawks
WR: Another consolidated offense even if it’s struggling. Locket and Metcalf are the only ones to trust.
RB: Not only is there a split between Alex Collins and DeeJay Dallas but Rashaad Penny is coming back. Oh, and they signed Adrian Peterson to the practice squad.
TE: Gerald Everett is a desperation only play.
Steelers
WR: Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson are the heavy hitters in terms of snaps. James Washington and Anthony Miller split.
RB: Najee Harris continues to be the man.
TE: If Pat Freiermuth clears concussion protocol he’s a good start. If he doesn’t, avoid the Steelers tight ends.
Texans
WR: Brandin Cooks is the best bet but they have been letting the young guys play so Nico Collins is a dart throw.
RB: Hard to predict and even harder to trust between Rex Burkhead and David Johnson.
TE: For the second straight week Jordan Akins was a healthy scratch and Brevin Jordans was the pass catching TE. this week he tied for the most snaps.
Titans
WR: Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Cody Hollister led in snaps. Safe to safe, until AJ Brown is back, you don’t want anyone.
RB: Both D’Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard were leaned on heavily and both looked pretty good. If you need them, they are there.
TE: As always, no tight end played enough. Goeff Swaim led the tight ends in snaps and he ran 9 routes.
Vikings
WR: Thielen and Jefferson are both WR1s. Like we figured.
RB: Dalvin Cook is out which means Alexander Mattison is in your lineups. As a locked in RB1.
TE: Tyler Conklin blocked on 9 pass plays again. Not to be trusted.
Washington Football Team
WR: Terry McLaurin is a lock every week. DeAndre Carter has been involved but Curtis Samuel returns to threaten that. They both can’t be relevant but there is a chance that neither are.
RB: JD McKissic suffered a neck injury so it may be time for Antonio Gibson to show what he can do.
TE: Logan Thomas is a guy you roster and start in all leagues. In the first three games this season before getting hurt, he literally played every single snap.