Alright folks it’s here - fantasy playoffs. You really can’t be starting guys that you can’t trust to get it done and ideally they are guys that can get it done for you in back to back to back weeks. So we’ll try to focus on that here and key in on the guys that you can trust for normal leagues while mentioning the next best thing for deep leagues.
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: Deebo Samuel is back so you are starting Deebo and, where necessary, Brandon Aiyuk. With George Kittle soaking up targets, there is no room for a third WR. There’s hardly room for two.
RB: Jeff Wilson clearly got the bulk of the running down work with Elijah Mitchell out - 13 of JaMycal Hasty’s 14 plays were pass plays. If Elijah Mitchell is a go, he’s the guy. Otherwise, you likely want Wilson.
TE: There was a scary stretch for Kittle there but boy are you happy that you have him now.
Bears
WR: Allen Robinson returned though it was just more of the same of what we’ve come to expect. Darnell Mooney also didn’t give you much despite those two playing the bulk of the snaps. Really hard to trust anyone with Justin Fields as the QB.
RB: At least we know for sure David Montgomery is the guy here. Roll him out where you need him.
TE: Once again Cole Kmet got the bulk of the snaps but Jimmy Graham had a set of packages in the red zone. If Andy Dalton were the quarterback then perhaps we may like Kmet in PPR leagues but just not a good scene.
Bengals
WR: Business as usual - Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase on the outside with Tyler Boyd in the slot. Boyd’s role is the least inspiring for fantasy football as he’s running low aDot routes.
RB: Joe Mixon is locked and loaded.
TE: This is always and interesting one because Uzomah plays a lot of snaps and runs a lot of routes. This is really just a case of there only being one ball. An injury to one of the WRs would up his appeal though.
Bills
WR: The big news here is that Emmanuel Sanders is hurt and will be out for an indeterminate amount of time. That means they will likely use a lot of 11 personnel with Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis, Cole Beasley, and a tight end moving forward.
RB: After being in flux for a few weeks, Devin Singletary seems to have clearly established himself as the lead dog. Let’s see if Zack Moss will once again be inactive.
TE: Dawson Knox once again played a huge snap share 75 of 78 snaps. The only thing holding him back moving forward are some potential rough matchups.
Browns
WR: This team is just a big mess right now with COVID so you will have to try and stay updated on the latest news. Jarvis Landry is on the list which leaves Donovan Peoples-Jones as the most trustworthy option. With Case Keenum at QB…
RB: Kareem Hunt suffered an ankle injury vs. the Ravens which makes him fairly difficult to trust. It’s all systems go for Nick Chubb.
TE: After David Njoku and Harrison Bryant didn’t play last week, now Austin Hooper shows up on the list. Njoku would normally be appealing but the team is going to be without their QB and coach which is always risky.
Buccaneers
WR: Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are locked in. With Antonio Brown out, Tyler Johnson was the next man up, then it was Breshad Perrriman, and this week it was back to Johnson. I wouldn’t even mess around with that.
RB: Leonard Fournette has a case for the draft pick of the year in fantasy football at this point. He’s dialed in.
TE: Rob Gronkowski is playing a fairly full snap share. As long as Tom Brady is the QB and Gronk is healthy, you find a way to get him in the lineup.
Broncos
WR: It’s Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick on the outside with Jerry Jeudy in the slot. Hard to trust Sutton at this point given his production so you can likely find better options. Jeudy offers a decent floor but isn’t particularly exciting either.
RB: Melvin Gordon returned and got his starting job back though they did split snaps evenly. Oddly, Javonte Williams played more pass snaps this week than Melvin. Both guys are honestly viable where you need them.
TE: Noah Fant drastically outsnapped Albert O but oddly only ran 18 routes to Albert’s 15. Fant is hard to trust as well though he does have a decent schedule.
Cardinals
WR: The big news here is that DeAndre Hopkins is banged up and looks like he may be out. That shifts things in the favor of AJ Green and Christian Kirk. Last time Antoine Wesley played more snaps than usual so Rondale Moore might still be on the outside looking in.
RB: It’s all about James Conner right now. He may be a little banged up too though - if he can’t go, Eno Benjamin is likely the next best option.
TE: Zach Ertz continues to get great deployment in terms of snaps and routes run. He’s a pretty solid option down the stretch with his schedule.
Cowboys
WR: This week things kind of reverted to what we saw last year with this offense. Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup played full snap shares on the outside while CeeDee Lamb primarily played slot (this is the first week this season that CeeDee Lamb played single digit snaps out wide). Probably not permanent but still not ideal for Lamb for him to be coming off the field for two WR sets.
RB: Ezekiel Elliott is just going to play hurt it seems and, as long as he’s the feature back, you start him - even with Tony Pollard returning to practice.
TE: Dalton Schultz is still playing his full snap share like normal but there are just a lot of mouths to feed now that Gallup is back. He doesn’t have a super high ceiling anymore.
Chargers
WR: Well at least we know what happiness when Keenan Allen is out. Josh Palmer was the one who stepped into his role in the slot in three wide and outside in two wide. Jaylen Guyton played his normal snap share but made the bigger play. Allen should be back but good info to have.
RB: Keep an eye on the Austin Ekeler news. He should probably be a go for this week but, if not, you might need to go with Justin Jackson.
TE: Jared Cook is the only one playing enough pass snaps to matter. Sure McKitty played more snaps but he only ran 7 routes to 25 for Cook.
Chiefs
WR: The rubber has met the road at this point and only Tyreek Hill can be trusted for fantasy football. Everyone else is just a dart throw at WR.
RB: This was a blowout so we didn’t get a good look. Normally CEH would get more run work and Darrell Williams more pass work.
TE: Travis Kelce is a guy you start every single week. Don’t overthink it.
Colts
BYE
Dolphins
BYE
Eagles
BYE
Falcons
WR: Same as it’s been - Russell Gage and Tajae Sharpe play the whole game and the next WR is Kyle Pitts.
RB: Cordarelle Patterson and Mike Davis continue their split and this is the second week in a row that Mike Davis has played more pass plays than Patterson. Kind of strange.
TE: Kyle Pitts played a good chunk of his snaps at WR like usual but he played a surprisingly low snap share. No injury is noted but something to consider. Still start him where you have him though as the targets are there
Giants
WR: They finally have some WRs healthy so it was Golladay, Shepard, and Slayton on most snaps. Will be interesting to see if Kadarius Toney affects that rotation at all.
RB: Saquon Barkley is playing a pretty full snap share and it’s difficult to go away from him given the running back landscape.
TE: Evan Engram is another guy who is playing a ton of snaps but just isn’t doing much. The offense isn’t consolidated enough and the QB play isn’t good enough.
Jaguars
WR: It’s been enough weeks in a row that the trend is confirmed - it’s Marvin Jones and Laquon Treadwell on the outside with Shenault in the slot.
RB: After being benched in previous weeks, James Robinson got back into the swing of things. There wasn’t much running to be done in a game where they got shut out but still - he’s the guy at least. Maybe more running will go down vs. the Texans.
TE: James O’Shaughnessy lined up at WR for 23 snaps and played 17 in-line. Can’t argue with that.
Jets
WR: With Elijah Moore out it was Jamison Crowder playing the most snaps followed by Keelan Cole. After that they were doing live tryouts with guys like Braxton Berrios, Denzel Mims, Vyncint Smith, and someone named D.J. Montgomery.
RB: Ty Johnson got a nice snap share but that was short lived with Michael Carter returning. Johnson should still mix in on some pass plays.
TE: They ran 66 pass plays. Ryan Griffin ran 17 routes. That is all.
Lions
WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown continues to not only play slot but also flanker which makes him mildly intriguing. No one else is though.
RB: You aren’t starting Craig Reynolds or Godwin Igewbuike. So it’s Swift or nothing.
TE: TJ Hockenson has a mysterious hand injury that kept him out. With his matchups, he’s a tough start even if he plays unfortunately.
Packers
WR: Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, and MVS. Those are the guys. Would be nice if one of Lazard or MVS could offer any kind of consistency.
RB: Aaron Jones was more efficient but they showed they are willing to split the load with the young guy. Both could be viable in the right matchups.
TE: Josiah Deguara is the closest thing to a pass catching TE here. The snaps were close between he and Lewis (37 vs. 36) but Deguar ran 25 routes to Lewis’s 13.
Panthers
WR: Robby Anderson and DJ Moore - those are you guys. No one else is playing nearly enough.
RB: We expected this split. Chuba Hubbard was the running down back, Ameer Abdullah the passing down back.
TE: Neither tight end is doing much. Even if one of them got hurt it wouldn’t mean the other was viable.
Patriots
BYE
Raiders
WR: Hunter Renfrow is the focal point here. You can’t trust any other WR.
RB: With Kenyan Drake out it is the Josh Jacobs show.
TE: Anytime Darren Waller is out, Foster Moreau does get a massive snap share. And he ran the second most routes besides Renfrow. He’s not Darren Waller though so still risky.
Rams
WR: Highly consolidated once again among the top three wideouts. If Odell misses with COVID, it’s Ben Skowronek next.
RB: If Henderson is in, he’s the guy. If he’s out, Sony Michel is the guy. Hard to start Sony with an activer Henderson though.
TE: Kendall Blanton filled in for Tyler Higbee. Higbee could be interesting if Odell is out.
Ravens
WR: Hollywood Brown can be trusted. Rashod Bateman didn’t play many snaps but his 43 routes run was actually not far off from Hollywood (54) and Andres (51). So he’s a maybe.
RB: Devonta Freeman is the guy here. A pleasant surprise.
TE: You start Mark Andrews every week.
Saints
WR: You are picking between Tre’Quan Smith and Marquez Callaway if you need one. They play the most by far.
RB: Kamara is the man.
TE: Nick Vannett actually played a good chunk of snaps and ran 21 routes of 29. More of a DFS play than anything but in deeper leagues - maybe
Seahawks
WR: It’s still just Metcalf and Lockett for fantasy.
RB: Out of the mess here, Rashaad Penny was the guy to emerge with the big game. Hard to trust but he’s the guy if you need to trust one.
TE: Gerald Everett is the third fiddle in this offense. Okay floor but mediocre ceiling.
Steelers
WR: Big story this week is Chase Claypool’s attitude causing him to lose snaps. Diontae Johnson is a full go whole Claypool is a risky one.
RB: Najee Harris continues to be the man.
TE: Pat Freiermuth has proven to be a reliable redzone target. But he had one target through 55 minutes of the game. In standard leagues or ½ PPR leagues he’s much better than PPR>
Texans
WR: Brandin Cooks is a guy you start. Nico Collins is close but just hasn’t quite shown us enough.
RB: David Johnson should return this week but this is the worst rushing team in the league.
TE: Brevin Jordan is the best option in the passing game at tight end. TD dependent so more of a DFS play than anything.
Titans
WR: You take your life in your hands starting either Julio Jones or AJ Brown when they are available. No one else is worth the risk.
RB: D’Onta Foreman was the preferred back for run downs, Jeremy McNichols on pass downs. Game script will determine who is most effective.
TE: No one here is worth utilizing in fantasy.
Vikings
WR: With no Thielen it was KJ Osborn that answered the bell opposite Justin Jefferson. He becomes an intriguing start.
RB: Dalvin is back. Boy is he back.
TE: We have explained in depth why Tyler Conklin is a risky start. He’s not a guy who does well in man to man and he’s not a focal point of the offense.
Washington Football Team
WR: With Terry McLaurin banged up they used a big rotation of guys. Terry is the only guy you can really play in a real fantasy league if he’s ready to go.
RB: Antonio Gibson on the other hand is a guy you can start because JD McKissic is out and he’s getting the full role.
TE: We wanted Ricky Seals-Jones to jump right back into his full role. Clearly based on the snap share, he didn’t. He has an amazing matchup this week but still a risky start. He should be rostered everywhere though.