Volume! That’s what we want in our NFL fantasy world. Targets, attempts and opportunities create scoring. If we can position our lineups to maximize all of the above, we have a significant advantage over the competition. Each week we’ll break down snap count trends at the skill positions to see who’s seeing the field the most and if they’re making the most out of that time.

RUNNING BACKS

Most of the time, backs who see the most snap counts tend to deliver fantasy points. That was not the case for this week’s snap count leader T.J. Yeldon, who saw 63 snaps and tallied just 39 rushing yards on 21 attempts. He did throw in a TD and four catches for 30 yards, but was a disappointment when you consider his abundant opportunities. If Chris Ivory returns in any capacity this week expect, even less from Yeldon. The rest of the leaders, Lamar Miller (60 snaps), David Johnson (58), Carlos Hyde (57) and DeAngelo Williams (56) all delivered the goods.

Tevin Coleman (32) and Devonta Freeman (36) saw almost equal time, but Coleman was the all-purpose stud. That time share will likely continue in Week 2, but if Coleman trumps Freeman again by a wide margin, this time share could go from 50/50 to 70/30 in a heartbeat. Christie Michael saw the most snaps (52) with the least amount of return while Ryan Mathews was carried the ball 22 times over his 37 snaps. Surely, Todd Gurley will see the biggest increase in Week 2 after that Week 1 blowout destroyed his fantasy value.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Once again, just because they’re on the field doesn’t automatically make them useful. Torrey Smith (78) and Dez Bryant (75) were quite present, but their QB’s didn’t seem to notice sporting just 11 targets between the two of them. DeAndre Hopkins (73), Amari Cooer (72) and Jordan Matthews (71) all made the most of their exposure. Matthews was a pleasant surprise. After an offseason of questions if he could adjust to the outside followed by a rookie QB, Mathews’ outing was encouraging. Week 2 against the Bears looks equally tempting. 

Allen Robinson had the highest percentage of targets (14) per snaps (68) of the elite WR’s, but didn’t haul in a TD. Expect a huge output from him in Week 2 versus the porous Chargers and at least a TD. The same can be said for T.Y. Hilton as the Colts will once again be forced to play catchup. John Brown of the Cardinals had just 35 snaps compared to his teammates Larry Fitzgerald (59) and Michael Floyd (58). After an awful loss, Bruce Arians may force the issue a bit more and Brown could up that number into the 40’s.

TIGHT ENDS

Gary Barnidge was on the field for 51 snaps and saw just 2 targets for ZERO receptions for ZERO points. Colby Fleener’s 56 snaps and four targets with catch wasn’t much better. Forget this happened. Fleener will be more involved against the Giants in New York this week. Barnidge has Josh McCown back under center and there’s no way he doesn’t bounce back in Week 2.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins fans slow your roll! He played just 18 snaps and had one target that he caught for a TD. That’s not enough volume to get excited about. Greg Olsen’s 73 snaps are worth paying for in DFS as he continues to be a top target for Cam Newton. Jason Witten had a solid day with 78 snaps, 12 targets and 9 catches for 66 yards. It appears in the early going that rookie QB Dak Prescott feels comfortable with the old veteran.

Joe Pisapia (@JoePisapia17) is the eight-time best-selling author of the Fantasy Black Book Series for baseball and football. He hosts Fantasy Sports Tonight on Sirius/XM Fantasy Sports Radio and The Fantasy Black Book/Sunday GameDay on FNTSY Network Radio.