Quarterback injuries are sweeping the league - first we saw Trey Lance go down and now we are likely without Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones, and Jameis Winston. Justin Herbert is nicked up but continues to battle through. Quarterback, of course, is easy to assess -  when the starter goes down, the next guy comes in. Wide receiver, running back, and tight end are a little more tricky. So we are here to help you navigate that landscape in terms of who is playing the most snaps, who is running the most routes, and who is getting the touches. That way you can stay ahead of the waiver wire and dominate your fantasy football leagues!

 

NFL Snap Count Breakdown: Week 3

49ers

WR: This trend is clear after three weeks - Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk play every snap but a mixture of fullback usage and tight ends means no third WR plays a full share. Jauan Jennings is next up.

RB: Jeff Wilson Jr. played 41 of 56 snaps - no one else played more than 5.

TE: George Kittle is back and he played 51 of 56 snaps, only pass blocked 3 times. He should be in your lineup wherever you have him. 

Bears

WR: Darnell Mooney once again played virtually every snap. Equanimeous St. Brown layed a full snap share opposite him and Dante Pettis played 36 of 63 which is not enough to consider. In another world with a better offense, we would be talking about starting Mooney or even EQSB in lineups…

RB:  David Montgomery left the game with an injury and Khalil Herbert took full advantage. With Montgomery already ruled out this week, Khalil Herbert is in an absolute smash spot.

TE: Cole Kmet continues to play a big snap share and he’s also run 76% of the routes which is actually sixth among all tight ends. But the offense is too anemic for that to matter.

Bengals

WR: In a bit of a change from last year, all three wide receivers are playing fairly full snap shares (last year Tyler Boyd was playing significantly less than Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase). Boyd owners should be happy. 

RB:  Joe Mixon is getting about as full of a workload as you can get. He hasn’t been terribly efficient but you start him every week. Samaje Perine is the next man up.

TE: Hayden Hurst actually played fewer snaps than Mitchel Wilcox but Wilcox is just a blocker. 21 of 41 pass plays isn’t ideal for Hurst though.

Bills

WR: Gabriel Davis played 87 of 91 snaps opposite of Stefon Diggs. Diggs was used heavily so he took some breathers but he typically would play a full snap share. Isaiah McKenzie and Jamison Crowder each only played about 50% of the snaps which is hard to trust. It’s fine in a week like this where the Bills run 91 plays but they only played 45-46.

RB:  Devin Singletary has run away with the job and he has quietly run the 3rd most routes of any back in the league. 

TE:  Dawson Knox once again blocked on seven pass plays. That’s what is holding him back and it’s been three weeks in a row now. Have to look elsewhere in fantasy. 

Browns

WR: Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones are your full time outside wide receivers. David Bell played only 40 of 72 snaps, primarily from the slot. 

RB:  Business as usual. Nick Chubb skews run downs, Kareem Hunt skews pass downs. 

TE:  David Njoku finally had a breakout game here and he blocked on only 2 pass plays after blocking on 17% of his pass plays over the first two weeks. Harrison Bryant played his typical 50% share as the TE2.

Buccaneers

WR: Mike Evans and Chris Godwin return this week which makes some of these snap shares irrelevant. Those are the guys along with Russell Gage. Julio Jones has been limited in practice but he’s the fourth guy at this point. 

RB: Leonard Fournette has played so many snaps that he actually told Rachaad White and Ke’Shawn Vaughn they should expect to play more. You start Fournette wherever you have him. 

TE: Cameron Brate played 58 of 65 snaps and only blocked one time. With the wide receivers returning he’s not a super viable option though. 

Broncos

WR: Courtland Sutton played virtually the whole game though Jerry Jeudy only played 44 of 74 snaps. He has been a little banged up. Kendall Hinton comes on as the field stretcher but doesn’t play enough.

RB: The split here was relatively even as we’ve come to expect though Javonte played slightly more than Melvin (32 snaps to 28). They probably need an injury to the other for high end upside. 

TE: Very strange tight end usage. Eric Saubert and Eric Tomlinson both played 35 snaps compared to 24 for Albert Okwuegbunam. But Albert ran routes on 23 of his 24 snaps while neither of the Erics ran more than 11 routes. Odd. But 23 of 44 routes for Albert O is not enough.

Cardinals

WR: AJ Green left with a knee injury so this group gets even weaker. They need DeAndre Hopkins back badly. Marquise Brown plays every snap and Greg Dortch is filling that slot role. No one else plays enough snaps to be relevant but keep your eye out for Rondale Moore.

RB: Even with a bum ankle, James Conner was the dude. Eno Benjamin played more than Darrel Williams. 

TE: Zach Ertz is basically playing wide receiver at this point. He played 54 snaps out wide. Start him where you have him in fantasy. 

Cowboys

WR: CeeDee Lamb and Noah Brown continue to operate as the every down guys while we wait for Michael Gallup.

RB:  Ezekiel Elliott continues to play more than Tony Pollard and get more work in the pass game and goal line despite Pollard looking explosive. That’s how they like it.

TE: Jake Ferguson was the blocking tight end with Peyton Hendershot running routes (only 15 of 31 though). Just wait for Dalton Schultz.

Chargers

WR: Keenan Allen is expected to return so your three wide receivers should be Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Josh Palmer. DeAndre Carter will likely go back to mostly return duty.

RB:  Austin Ekeler plays all the meaningful snaps. Joshua Kelley and Sony Michel just mix in sporadically. Better games are coming for Ek.

TE: Gerald Everett is playing a full snap share - he will be a safe but boring option when Allen returns. 

Chiefs

WR: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Mecole Hardman are your three wideouts and they move around all over. Skyy Moore and Justin Watson barely play. 

RB:  We alluded to this before but they like Jerick McKinnon on pass downs. Clyde Edwards-Helaire played 8 fewer snaps than him based on the game script.

TE: Travis Kelce is a stud that you start every week.

Colts

WR: Michael Pittman and Parris Campbell both play virtually every snap - just need Matt Ryan to get it going. Next up is Alec Pierce but he played about half the snaps. 

RB:  Jonathan Taylor is the dude. Nyheim Hines plays almost exclusively pass snaps and he pretty consistently gets a couple targets.

TE: This is now a complete mess. Mo Alie-Cox plays the most but primarily blocks. Kylen Granson comes in to run routes. Then this week Jelani Woods plays only 16 of 71 snaps yet manages to score two touchdowns. Can’t trust Jelanie as of now but maybe worth a stash. 

Commanders

WR: This is an easy one. Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson play outside, Curtis Samuel in the slot.

RB: Antonio Gibson gets the run work while JD McKissic gets the pass work. The return of Brian Robinson will throw a wrench into that soon though.

TE: Logan Thomas seems to have stalled out at about 60-70% snap share which is a far cry from the 90-100% we used to see. He’s a hold for now.

Dolphins

WR: Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill play the big snaps, Trent Schefield rotates with Mike Gesicki in the slot.

RB: Raheem Mostert had the hot hand coming in but Chase Edmonds scored twice. This backfield could remain difficult to predict. 

TE:  Durham Smythe is really the tight end but he just blocks (32 snaps, 20 spent blocking). Mike Gesicki only played 17 snaps and ran 9 routes.

Eagles

WR: The only wide outs you can trust are AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. 

RB:  Miles Sanders continues to start with Gainwell helping on pass downs. Jalen Hurts stealing all the touchdowns is the real problem. 

TE: Dallas Goedert only ran 26 of 43 routes which is not ideal. He’s still a safe option but keep looking for upside with a bench spot. 

Falcons

WR: Drake London is the one guy playing a full share. Olamide Zaccheus ran 19 of 28 routes but Kyle Pitts is the defacto WR2. 

RB: Cordarelle Patterson  is the man. Rookie Tyler Allgeier just spells him from time to time.

TE: Parker Hesse is the inline tight end with Kyle Pitts mostly playing wide receiver. Pitts is finally coming to life. 

Giants

WR: Tough break for Sterling Shepard. He is out for the season again. Richie James and David Sills will likely continue to play full snaps until Wan’Dale Robinson and/or Kadarius Toney return. Kenny Golladay is out to lunch.

RB: Saquon Barkle is the lone bright spot here. He is BACK.

TE: Daniel Bellinger might be the starter but he’s splitting the pass work. Here is a breakdown of his split with Tanner Hudson through three games. 

Jaguars

WR: Christian Kirk played 70 of 76 snaps - they are certainly getting their money’s worth. Zay Jones played 58 and Marvin Jones 52.

RB: James Robinson is not going away quietly - he’s been a beast so far. Travis Etienne is playing fewer pass and run snaps but he’s mixing in.

TE: Evan Engram once again had good usage but he also ran into Derwin James (and had a touchdown waived off). He is 7th in routes run per dropback. His day will come.

Jets

WR: Elijah Moore is the clear snap leader - in fact, he has run the fifth most routes of any WR (partially because the Jets have thrown more than any team). Corey Davis is next. Garrett Wilson played 49 of 78 snaps but not every game will have 80 snaps). 

RB: Michael Carter and Breece Hall continue to split fairly evenly. Which isn’t bad for a rookie but it’s not good for fantasy football. 

TE: Tyler Conklin’s success so far has been almost entirely volume based as he is blocking on a lot of pass plays and running very low aDot routes. So be careful with him - especially with Zach Wilson returning. 

Lions

WR: Down the stretch it should be DJ Chark, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Jameson Williams. With ARSB and Jameson out, expect to see Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond.

RB: D’Andre Swift is out. Jamaal Williams will lead with Craig Reynolds helping on run downs. 

TE: TJ Hockenson should be in line for a bigger workload based on the injuries. Solid option this week.

Packers

WR: Allen Lazard and Romeo Doubs ran virtually every route so those are the players for now. Need to see what it looks like with Christian Watson back but Randall Cobb is just a part time player.

RB: The carries are split fairly evenly but Aaron Jones gets more pass work. Both are viable.

TE: If Robert Tonyan ever actually played a full snap share he would be a lot more interesting for fantasy. We will continue to monitor him to see if that happens but hard to trust these 50% snap shares.

Panthers

WR: DJ Moore and Robby Anderson played most snaps - Shi Smith fell back into a part-time role. Baker has not played well enough to trust any of them but DJ Moore is your best bet as he ran all 29 routes.

RB: Christian McCaffrey was at practice but is questionable. So have a backup plan ready.

TE: You can’t start either guy in fantasy.

Patriots

WR: DeVante Parker and Jakobi Meyers play most of the snaps but Meyers has been banged up. He’s back at practice now but we don’t know if he will be a full go. Nelson Agholor should play his outside role and, if Meyers is out, Lil’Jordan Humphrey would be the guy.

RB: They are splitting the run work but Rhamondre Stevenson played 28 pass snaps to 14 for Damien Harris so he’s likely the better start.

TE: Hunter Henry ran 29 routes to 16 for Jonnu Smith so he’s the better start if you are desparate.

Raiders

WR: With no Hunter Renfrow, Mack Hollins went OFF. Even when Renfrow returns, Davante Adams, Renfrow, and Hollins are the three starters. The targets are just a little thin.

RB:  Brandon Bolden returned and played 22 of his 25 snaps on pass downs. But Josh Jacobs dominated the carries.

TE:  Darren Waller continues his good usage, playing 90% of his snaps out wide. Have to start him where you have him.

Rams

WR: Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, Ben Skowrenek. Van Jefferson went on IR so that won’t change for another four more weeks.

RB: Cam Akers on run downs, Darrell Henderson on pass downs. It ended up being an even 24/24 snap split in the win. Annoying. 

TE: Tytler Higbee continues his good usage. He’s another sale albeit boring start in fantasy. 

Ravens

WR: Rashod Bateman played 27 of 34 pass plays, Devin Duvernay played 22 of 17. No one else played more than 11.

RB:  It’s really impossible to make conclusions about this backfield until we see JK Dobbins back. Worth noting that Justice Hill played slightly more than Kenyan Drake.

TE: Mark Andrews has arguably the best usage of any tight end and Isaiah Likely’s 16 snaps was fourth behind Andrews and the two WRs above. If anything happens to Andrews, Likely is the guy. They are both top three in the league in percentage of routes run from a WR spot. 

Saints

WR: Michael Thomas is OUT and Jarvis Landry is questionable so Chris Olave is the top dog here. Unfortunately Andy Dalton will likely be the QB. 

RB: Alvin Kamara is questionable but he should be good to go. Mark Ingram will pitch in.

TE: Juwan Johnson become interesting here, especially if Jarvis Landry can’t go.  He’s a converted WR that is playing ¾ of his snaps at WR and you can start him at tight end. 

Seahawks

WR: DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are all you need to worry about. Marquise Goodwin is a distant third.

RB: Rashaad Penny has run away with this job - DeeJay Dallas only played 15 of 71 snaps.

TE: Will Dissly and Noah Fant have split down the middle all season and now Colby Parkinson is in the mix too. Not good.

Steelers

WR: They had 37 pass plays. Diontae Johnson (37) and Chase Claypool (36) are locked in. George Pickens isn’t far behind though (33). 

RB: Najee Harris is the guy. 47 of 59 snaps.

TE: Pat Freiermuth only ran 27 of 37 routes and he blocked on 7 pass plays. That will happen sometimes with a tough pass rush. Better matchup this week with the Jets.

Texans

WR: Brandin Cooks ran 34 of 35 routes, Nico Collins 27 of 35. No one else is in the neighborhood.

RB: Dameon Pierce has taken over the run work (20 carries to 4 for Burkhead) but Rex Burkhead seems to be the pass down guy (16 routes run vs. 9 for PIerce). Game script might determine who has the better game but Pierce is the better option out the gate.

TE: Brevin Jordan is out so it will be a mix of Pharoah Brown, Jordan Akins, and OJ Howard again. Yuck.

Titans

WR: Treylon Burks didn’t play every snap but he ran 29 of 30 routes and that’s what we care about. Robert Woods ran 26 of 30, no one else ran more than 20. 

RB: Derrick Henry is the only guy you consider here.

TE: Geoff Swaim is the blocking tight end, Austin Hooper is the pass-catching tight end. Neither ran more than 12 routes. Not viable. 

Vikings

WR: The team ran 72 snaps. Justin Jefferson played all 72. Thielen played 70. KJ Osborn 54.

RB: Dalvin Cook has a shoulder injury but he plans to play through. Both he and Alexander Mattison are high risk plays. 

TE: Irv Smith continues to run about 50% of the routes which is simply not enough. His usage is similar to someone like Albert Okwuegbunam which is hard to trust. 

 

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