If you aren’t still in the mix for playoffs, fear not - we still have DFS to keep us in the game on weekends. And there is no bigger way to get an advantage then looking at the behind the scenes trends to identify which low-priced player is ready to POP. Let’s take a peak at the usage from this past week to see how we can get an advantage for fantasy playoffs or daily fantasy!

 


 

Arizona Cardinals

BYE
 

Atlanta Falcons

WR: Drake London and Olamide Zaccheaus continue to lead this team in snaps and route - they both ran 22 routes out of 25 drop backs this week. They use a lot of two tight end sets so the next highest WR in terms of snaps is Damiere Byrd (19 of 54 snaps). 

RB: The snaps are fairly evenly split both overall and from a pass/run perspective. Allgeier played 28 snaps while running 12 routes while Cordarelle Patterson played 25 snaps and ran 11 routes.

TE: With no Kyle Pitts, no one has really emerged as the pass catcher. Anthony Firkser only played 14 of 54 snaps but his 12 routes actually led the tight ends. MyCole Pruitt and Parker Hesse are primarily blockers.

 

Baltimore Ravens

WR: With Rashod Bateman out Devin Duvernay has stepped into the WR chair (68 of 72 snaps). Demarcus Robinson also played fairly large snap share (55 of 72). After that they used a fullback and second tight end enough that no one else even played 50% of snaps.  

RB: Gus Edwards is the starter and is featured on run plays but Kenyan Drake skews passing and this week the game script called for more Drake. Soon JK Dobbins will be back to further muddle the offense.

TE: Mark Andrews once again played a huge snap share, led the team in routes, and didn’t pass block on one play (which he hasn’t don’t all year). Isaiah Likely only ran 16 of 48 routes so just a DFS dart throw.

 

Buffalo Bills

WR: Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis are your featured pass catchers on the outside. Isaiah McKenzie plays in the slot but he comes out for two WR sets (he played 39 of 75 snaps). 

RB: Devin Singletary (33 snaps) got a little shook up so James Cook (32) and Nyheim Hines (23) contributed a bit more than usual. Singletary is still the top dog but Cook seems to have carved himself out a bit of a bigger role as of late.

TE: Good usage again for Knox (63 of 75 snaps, 35 of 40 routes, 3 pass block plays). It’s targets that he needs.
 

Carolina Panthers

BYE

 

Chicago Bears

WR: With Darnell Mooney out, this was just a big rotation. No one played a full snap share. Here is how it broke down out of 52 snaps: Dante Pettis (34), Chase Claypool (33), Equanimeous St. Brown (30), Byron Pringle (20). 

RB: With Khalil Herbert out, David Montgomery is locked in. Darrynton Evans is the handcuff. 

TE: Cole Kmet is LOCKED in right now. He’s played literally 100% of the snaps three weeks in a row.  

 

Cincinnati Bengals

WR: Ja’Marr Chase is back and he played 59 snaps so no worries there. It’s Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd. 

RB: When Joe Mixon plays, he’s the guy. When he’s out, Samaje Perine is the guy. Will be interesting to see if they split at all this week.  

TE: Hayden Hurst is out for the foreseeable future. It’s really not worth starting Mitchell Wilcox given his usage and profile. Don’t do it. 

 

Cleveland Browns

WR: Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones are locked in as the every snap WRs. DPJ actually lead with 60 of 63 snaps. Kevin Stefanski loves his two tight end sets so no other WR played enough snaps to rely on. 

RB: The split of yesteryear where Nick Chubb would get the run work and Kareem Hunt would get the pass work seems to be over. Nick Chubb now gets double the run work of Hunt and they split the pass work evenly which makes Hunt tough to trust. 

TE: David Njoku is expected to return this week after being out. It’s hard to trust him as last time they eased him in (last time he returned from injury he played only 19 snaps to 40 for Harrison Bryant). 
 

Dallas Cowboys

WR: The three WRs are set here: CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, and Noah Brown. Lamb and Gallup are obviously the most fantasy friendly. 

RB: Ezekiel Elliott continues to get the short yardage work while Tony Pollard excels in open space and on pass downs. This week they get the Texans who are allowing 158 yards per game to rushers on average so both are guys you start.

TE: Dalton Schultz blocked on 10 pass plays in Week 12 but this week he blocked on zero and ran 30 of 33 routes. So that’s nice. 

 

Denver Broncos

WR: Jerry Jeudy was already banged up and now Courtland Sutton is dealing with an injury as well. Kendall Hinton led the pass catchers (41 of 53 snaps) followed by Brandon Johnson (25 snaps).  

RB: Latavius Murray is the lead dog here but the offense is brutal. Mike Boone is the backup. 

TE: Greg Dulcich is the one bright spot right now in this offense. He’s a converted WR that plays a ton of snaps at WR which is appealing in fantasy. 
 

Detroit Lions

WR: They are close to realizing their vision. When all is said and done this offense should be DJ Chark at split end, Amon-Ra St. Brown at the slot, and Jameson Williams at flanker.

RB: D’Andre Swift is finally fully healthy and he led the team with 39 of 76 snaps (Jamaal Williams played 23 of 76). Jamaal is likely still the short-yardage back where he’s been highly effective but it’s good to see Swift back. 

TE: There is no viable option here. On 45 drop backs, no tight end ran more than 13 routes.

 

Green Bay Packers

WR: Allen Lazard and Christian Watson are locked in. Randall Cobb mans the slot but he only played 50% of the snaps. 

RB: Aaron Jones got hurt so AJ Dillon took control. They have the bye week now so maybe Jones could get back - otherwise Dillon is must start.

TE: Robert Tonyan continues to play 50-60% of the snaps at best which makes him impossible to trust for fantasy football. 
 

Houston Texans

WR: With Brandin Cooks out, Phillip Dorsett stepped up to play opposite Nico Collins, as we’ve seen in the past. Chris Moore is the third WR playing roughly half the snaps. 

RB: Dameon Pierce is the guy and this was a good matchup. He will continue to be the guy but the Cowboys this week are a bad matchup. So keep that in mind. 

TE: Teagan Quitoriano continues to lead the team in snaps but he also continues to run fewer routes than Jordan Akins (21 to 25). They dropped back 42 times so neither is that great but Jordan Akins is the best bet. 

 

Indianapolis Colts

WR: Michael Pittman Jr. is the man here and he leads in snaps every week. Parris Campbell almost always outsnaps Alex Pierce so he’s generally a better bet, especially in PPR. 

RB: Jonathan Taylor played 59 of 72 snaps so he’s the man. Deon Jackson only played 8 snaps and Zack Moss played 5. 

TE: Jelani Woods broke out last week then promptly went back to playing fewer snaps than anyone else (15). Kylen Granson ran 22 routes, Mo Alie-Cox only ran 10. 

 

Jacksonville Jaguars

WR: Christian Kirk and Zay Jones are clearly the top WR options. Marvin Jones comes in for three WR sets but he only played 38 of 56 snaps. 

RB: Darrell Henderson was released so it’s Travis Etienne and JaMycal Hasty now. Etienne played 49 of 56 snaps so it’s really just Etienne. 

TE: Evan Engram continues to have a good route participation and snap share - he had a good game in a good matchup this week but might be matchup dependent moving forward. 
 

Kansas City Chiefs

WR: Juju was fully healthy so he and Justin Watson led in snaps. Marquez Valdes Scantling played 31 of 55 and Skyy Moore played 23 of 55. 

RB: Isiah Pacheco is the starter and he gets most of the run work. In game scripts that call for passing, Jerick McKinnon can outsnap and outplay Pacheco since they lean into him on pass downs. 

TE: Travis Kelce is the man. Noah Gray has quietly played ~60% of the snaps three weeks in a row now so could be a DFS stab. He’s caught at least one ball in eight straight games and he’s fairly cheap. 
 

Las Vegas Raiders

WR: Davante Adams and Mack Hollins are the split end and flanker on the outsides. Keelan Cole is holding down the slot until Hunter Renfrow returns. 

RB: Josh Jacobs locked in

TE: Foster Moreau plays a lot but he’s really just not that good. We need Darren Waller back. 
 

Los Angeles Chargers

WR: Mike Williams is expected to return this week which should send DeAndre Carter back to the bench. The WRs will be him, Keenan Allen, and Josh Palmer. 

RB: Austin Ekeler is the man - he’s got the fourth most receptions of any player. Joshua Keley contributes on some sporadic run downs. 

TE: Gerald Everett is an interesting case. He has only played more than 70% of the snaps one week. And there is concern that he could fall on the back burner with Mike Williams back. But this matchup this week is a tantalizing spot for him vs. the Dolphins. If he doesn’t produce this week, it will be hard to trust him. 

 

Los Angeles Rams

WR: Van Jefferson played literally every snap so his role is clear. Ben Skowronek played all but 2. Tutu Atwell and Brandon Powell split the slot snaps so can’t really trust either of them. 

RB: After Kyren Williams got a huge snap share, Cam Akers bounced back to double his snaps this week. Akers seems to be the guy now but that could flip given the small sample size. 

TE:  Tyler Higbee has been blocking on way too many pass plays as of late. He blocked on 31.3% of his snaps in Week 12 and 31% in Week 13.
 

Miami Dolphins

WR: Jaylen Waddle got banged up here so monitor his status. He and Tyreek are the guys you want but, if Waddle is out, Trent Sherfield could be interesting. 

RB: And just when we think we have it figured out, Raheem Mostert comes out and plays more than Jeff Wilson. I think this was more of a desperation move with the tackles hurt (throwng the speedster out there) than something we can expect moving forward. 

TE: Mike Gesicki played 9 snaps. Durham Smythe is a blocking tight end. Nightmare.
 

Minnesota Vikings

WR: Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen play all the snaps, KJ Osborn is the third man in. Been that way all year.

RB: Dalvin Cook is the man, Alexander Mattison is the handcuff. 

TE:  TJ Hockenson is getting the full workload and the revenge games this week vs. the Lions (who are terrible vs. the tight end) makes him one of the most attractive options this week. 
 

New England Patriots

WR: Jakobi Meyers was the one guy we could trust and now he’s banged up. DeVanter Parker will play a good number of snaps then it should be a mix of Nelson Agholor, Tyquan Thornton, and Kendrick Bourne.

RB: With Damien Harris out, Rhanondre Stevenson played 53 of 54 snaps. He IS the offense. 

TE:  Hunter Henry has been pretty involved lately with back to back five target games and he gets a great matchup with Arizona this week He ran 32 of 41 routes this week. 
 

New Orleans Saints

WR: They dropped back 33 times. Chris Olave ran 27 routes, Rashid Shaheed ran 25, and Jarvis Landry ran 24. So those are your pass catchers right now. 

RB: Alvin Kamara is the lead back while Mark Ingram contributes sporadically. Ingram was banged up a bit so keep an eye on that.

TE: Juwan Johnson was out so Adam Trautman led with 46 of 58 snaps but only ran 18 routes. Taysom Hill played 2 in-line snaps, 8 at WR, and 8 at slot so some actual real tight end usage as opposed to usual.  
 

New York Giants

WR: Darius Slayton is the clear top guy followed by Isaiah Hodgins and Richie James. Slayton is really the only consistent one. 

RB: Saquon Barkley is a star - 58 of 66 snaps. 

TE: Daniel Bellinger made his return in a big way with 64 of 66 snaps. After catching 5 of 5 targets, he needs to be on your radar. 
 

New York Jets

WR: Garrett Wilson played 78 of 85 snaps so he is dialed in. Corey Davis played 69 snaps and Elijah Moore played 58. 

RB: Zonovan Knight was the lead back here. Michael Carter is expected back but the word is that Knight should retain a role. Will be interesting to see what that looks like. 

TE: Tyler Conklin ran 38 routes out fo 62 but blocked on 8 pass plays. CJ Uzomah ran 21 routes. 
 

Philadelphia Eagles

WR: AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith on the outside, Quez Watkins rotates in the slot with Zach Pascal. 

RB: Miles Sanders is the starter and he’s been great - the only thing holding him back is Jalen Hurts taking a ton of the goal line carries (second most carries inside the five yard line behind only Jamaal Williams). 

TE: Jack Stoll is starting with Dallas Goedert out but he’s not a fantasy football option. We’re just waiting for Goedert.
 

Pittsburgh Steelers

WR: Diontae Johnson typically leads the team in snaps but he’s questionable this week. If he’s out, George Pickens will be a focal point and we should seem more of Steven Sims and Gonner Olszewski. Though they will likely lean into multiple tight ends. 

RB: Najee Harris is back and he played 43 of 65 snaps. He’s the guy. 

TE: Zach Gentry actually played more snaps than Pat Freiermuth (48 to 36) but Muth still ran more routes (17 to 12). Muth is one of the safer tight end options. 
 

San Francisco 49ers

WR: This team uses Kyle Juszczyk on so many snaps that only two WRs can play full snap shares. Of course, those are Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. 

RB: Christian McCaffrey played 69 snaps. He’s a top option running behind Trent Williams.

TE: George Kittle played 81 of 84 snaps. It’s all up to Brock Purdy now.
 

Seattle Seahawks

WR: As usual, Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf play the whole game. They use the two tight ends a ton so Marquise Goodwin was next up with 25 snaps of 67. 

RB: Kenneth Walker got hurt, as did DeeJay Dallas. Dallas might play but, otherwise, it will be Travis Homer and Tony Jones Jr.

TE: Noah Fant and Will Dissly continue to split snaps. Last week Dissly got the edge with 28 routes to 26. This time Noah Fant ran 23 routes to 20 for Dissly. But they dropped back 46 times so can’t really trust Fant. 
 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

WR: The usage this week was the same as it’s been since Julio Jones came back. Mike Evans is the split end. Chris Godwin plays flanker in two WR sets then moves to slot for three WR sets when Julio Jones comes in (and Julio then lines up out wide). This results in Evans and Godwin playing full snaps, Julio playing somewhere between 50-75%. 

RB: Leonard Fournette returned and he played 48 snaps to 33 for White. Fournette also played 38 pass plays to 22 for White. White looks good but it’s a tough matchup to start split backs vs. the 49ers this week. 

TE: Whenever Cameron Brate is out, Cade Otton is interesting but the 49ers are one of the best defenses in the league. So hard to start this week. 
 

Tennessee Titans

WR: Treylon Burks started but left the game with injury after a hit to the head. He’s been ruled out already for this week so it will be Robert Woods and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine as your possible fantasy options. 

RB: Derrick Henry is the man. Dontrell Hilliard mixes in on some pass plays.

TE: Austin Hooper is the starter and he led with 22 routes but Chig Okonkwo has burst on the scene (he ran 20). The offensive coordinator indicated that they want to find ways to get Chig the ball more so he’s trending up. 

 

Washington Commanders

WR: Terry McLaurin (77) and Jahan Dotson (67) are the outside guys, Curtis Samuel (56) is your slot WR. 

RB: Brian Robinson skews run snaps, Antonio Gibson skews pass snaps. It’s been like that since JD McKissic went on IR.

TE: Logan Thomas ran 28 routes but they dropped back 48 times. That’s really not enough to trust. 

 

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