Hopefully you were able to survive the first scary set of bye weeks where we were without Cooper Kupp, Justin Jefferson, Stefon Diggs, AJ Brown, Gabriel Davis, Adam Thielen, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and Tyler Higbee. This week we only have the Chiefs and Chargers off but Week 9 is the Bye-pocalypse with SIX teams off - Browns, Cowboys, Broncos, Giants, Steelers, and 49ers. We’re going to have to dig deep to make it work and the best way to do that is to see which of the deep guys are actually getting time on the field. So let’s take a look!

 


NFL Snap Counts - Week 7

Arizona Cardinals

WR: DeAndre Hopkins is back and in a big way. With Marquise Brown out, he and Rondale Moore were the two outside WRs playing virtually all of the snaps. They then used enough two WR sets with Zach Ertz and Trey McBride that no one else played a full snap share (Greg Dortch was next highest at 34 of 65. The question now is whether Robbie Anderson works his way up to a full snap share eventually - he only played 12 snaps this week.

RB: As long as James Conner is out, Eno Benjamin seems like a solid start. He played 48 of 65 snaps this week and handled almost all of the pass down work. Rookie Keaontay Ingram contributed a bit on the ground but is more of a TD dependent dart throw given his usage.

TE: Zach Ertz is the man - 52 of 65 snaps and ran 32 routes on 36 drop backs (on pass block snap). Trey McBride blocked on 20 of his 34 total snaps.

 

Atlanta Falcons

WR: Arthur Smith leaned into the multiple WR sets here - of the 21 drop backs, Drake London played 40 of 47 snaps but guys like Olamide Zaccheaus (29) and Damiere Byrd (16) only played partial snap shares. Mariota only actually threw the ball on 13 of 21 drop backs so who cares anyway.

RB: With Patterson out, Tyler Allgeier is clearly the favored back in all phases. He played almost triple the snaps of the next highest RB (Caleb Huntley).

TE: Parker Hesse (32) is the in-line tight end, Kyle Pitts (37) plays a lot of slot and out wide. Pitts quietly has the second highest target share of any tight end but they just don’t throw enough.

 

Baltimore Ravens

WR: As expected, Rashod Bateman took his job back and Demarcus Robinson went back to the bench. Devin Duvernay and Bateman are the only two viable WRs since fullback Patrick Ricard played an absurd 56 of 64 snaps.

RB:  Gus Edwards (23 snaps) returned and flashed here but Kenyan Drake (17) and Justice Hill (20) factored in as well. This backfield could be a big mess when JK Dobbins gets back. 

TE: Mark Andrews was out there for a ton of snaps but seemingly only in spirit as he was ineffective while dealing with an injury. If he were to miss time, Isaiah Likely would be must start. Likely is a direct backup to Andrews with similar usage in terms of lining up at WR and running routes. Over 85% of his snaps have been at slot or out wide.

 

Buffalo Bills

BYE

 

Panthers

WR: DJ Moore has played virtually every snap and he’s run literally every route. Yes, he has a 100% route participation per Player Profiler. In the absence of Robbie Anderson, Terrace Marshall played 43 of 50 snaps, Shi Smith played 25 out of the slot. So Marshall is on the radar.

RB: We didn’t really get the clarity we had hoped for here as Chuba Hubbard started but then rolled an ankle giving way to moe work for D’Onta Foreman. Best guess at this stage is that the work will be split.  

TE: Don’t e fooled by the Tommy Tremble touchdown - he is still splitting snaps with Ian Thomas (32 to 31). If you HAVE to pick one, Tremble did run more routes.

 

Chicago Bears

WR: Darnell Mooney (57 of 71) and Equanimeous St. Brown(42 of 71) are the starters but N’Keal Harry (30) and Dante Pettis (22) have crept into the equation a bit. The reality though is only Mooney is viable in normal leagues and he’s a tough play.

RB:  David Montgomery continues to get the bulk of the snaps with 40 to Khalil Herbert’s 29 but they do split to a certain degree. Not ideal but Monty is still a reliable start and Herbert a handcuff+. 

TE: Cole Kmet played 68 of 71 snaps which is great. He was out there for all 28 pass plays but was asked to block on five which is 17.8%. That pass block rate combined with the low pass volume in general is a bad formula. 

 

Cincinnati Bengals

WR: Big news here - Ja’Marr Chase will miss 4-6 weeks with a hip injury. Now, there are two schools of thought when it comes to backups. Some teams have the “next man up” where they have a fourth WR that would come in regardless of which of the three starters are hurt. Some teams have individual backups for each role (split end, flanker, and slot). Higgins is the split end, Ja’Marr is flanker, and Boyd is slot. Last time Tee Higgins got hurt, Mike Thomas stepped up and played the snaps so he is the best bet. The depth chart shows Morgan Stanley Jr. as the possible Chase understudy and Trent Taylor as the backup for Boyd but Morgan Stanely Jr. is ALSO injured right now. So our money would be on Mike Thomas getting increased reps but there is an outside chance that Trent Taylor gets them. This game should reveal a lot about how the Bengals handle it but Thomas is the stash.

RB:  Joe Mixon is the man, Samaje Perine mixes in for some pass plays to spell him. Worth noting that Mixon has graded out poorly in pass blocking the last three weeks per PFF which we don’t want to see - don’t want to open that door for Perine.

TE: Hayden Hurst typically splits some snaps with a blocking tight end - with Drew Sample out it has been Mitchell Wilcox. Of 68 snaps, Hurst played 42 and Wilcox played 26 but, of the 47 pass plays, Hayden Hurst ran 35 routes and Wilcox ran 10. Hurst could see a bump in usage with Chase out.


Cleveland Browns

WR: No change here - Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones play full snap shares on the outside and they both did again. David Bell typically plays about half the snaps but, with David Njoku out, let’s keep our eyes peeled this week to see if he gets increased usage.

RB:  The classic narrative: Nick Chubb skews run downs, Kareem Hunt skews pass downs. That hasn’t changed.

TE:  David Njoku is likely out 2-4 weeks now which means Harrison Bryant will move into his role and Pharaoh Brown will be the second tight end (though he should skew blocking). Bryant becomes interesting for fantasy immediately. 

 

Dallas Cowboys

WR: It’s Noah Brown, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb. Just like the prior week, no one else is playing double digit snaps. 

RB:  Word on the street is that Zeke is dealing with a knee sprain and is sitting out this week - Jerry Jones suggested that’s likely the case given they bye week next week. So the Tony Pollard truthers will get at least a week of a full workload. 

TE: Dalton Schultz was tackled awkwardly again which re-aggravated his knee injury, causing him to miss some snaps once again. He’s expected to start after being limited all week but expect Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot to mix in as well. 

 

Denver Broncos

WR: This offense has operated the same way for a couple weeks now - Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy play pretty much all the snaps in two WR sets when they use two tight end. KJ Hamler then comes on for three WR sets but plays around 50-60% of the snaps. No one else is relevant. 

RB: As expected, Melvin Gordon got the start after a “good conversation” with the head coach. Mike Boone left the game with an ankle injury so it will likely just be Melvin and Latavius Murray.

TE: Greg Dulcich once again had solid usage in terms of lining up at WR for some snaps and only pass blocking once but he did only run 36 routes on 50 drop backs. Would like to see that number go up.

 

Detroit Lions

WR: When all is said and done this offense should be DJ Chark, Jameson Williams, and Amon-Ra St. Brown. For now they’ve been dealing with injuries so it’s been Kalif Raymond, Josh Reynolds, and Tom Kennedy. Amon-Ra St. Brown should at least be back so Kennedy goes back to the bench.

RB: D’Andre Swift has no injury designation so he will likely start and Craig Reynolds will go back on the backburner. Jamaal Williams will likely continue to contribute in some short yardage capacity as he did when Swift was healthy.

TE: TJ Hockenson continues to play a full snap share - he ran 29 of 33 routes. He’s got a good matchup this week as well. 

 

Green Bay Packers

WR: Interesting times over here. First, Aaron Rodgers mentions mental mistakes and having guys “reps cut” because of it. My feeling is that was pointed at rookie Romeo Doubs who plays a big snap share but has drops in back to back games. But, with Randall Cobb OUT and Allen Lazard trending towards OUT, they don’t have many places to turn. I expect Sammy Watkins and Romeo Doubs to get the most snaps. Christian Watson is questionable but he would be third. Dart throw options are Amari Rodgers and Samori Toure.

RB: Aaron Jones played 40 snaps and AJ Dillon plays only 16. Jones is a guy you start. Dillon, only if you don’t have many other options., 

TE: Robert Tonyan played a ton of snaps in week 6 but came back to earth playing only 30 of 54 this week. With the WR injuries and a decent matchup, maybe we see a little more Tonyan this week. But still hard to rely on.

 

Houston Texans

WR: With trade rumors swirling, Brandin Cooks did get a full practice in but he’s listed as questionable. Nico Collins on the other hand didn’t practice all week so he’s trending towards out. The next guys up are Chris Moore and Phillip Dorsett if they need them.

RB: Dameon Pierce has been one of the loan bright spots here. He gets virtually all the carries while Rex Burkhead contributes on some pass downs.

TE: The snaps were split between Brevin Jordan (30), OJ Howard (28), and Jordan Akins (23). But it was Akins who ran the most routes (23) compared to Jordan (17) and Howard (5). Hard to trust any of them but I guess we would chase the routes run by Akins. 

 

Indianapolis Colts

WR: There were 64 snaps available. Michael Pittman played 64. Parris Campbell played 63. Alec Pierce played 62. Locked in.

RB: Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines are back from injury so they resumed their complementary roles with Taylor getting most of the run work and Hines helping on pass downs. 

TE: This has been a huge mess all year. The Colts dropped back 48 times. Kylen Granson ran 18 routes. Mo Alie-Cox ran 15. Jelani Woods ran 14. Can’t use any of them.

 

Jacksonville Jaguars

WR: Zay Jones and Christian Kirk both ran 47 of 47 routes while Marvin Jones was eased back a little in his first game back (32). Those are the only three you need to worry about.

RB: Big news here - James Robinson traded to the Jets. Travis Etienne is free to eat though they did mention mixing JaMycal Hasty in a bit.

TE: Evan Engram is the top pass catching option here but he did block on seven pass plays this week which is a rare sight for him. Over the last three weeks, only Travis Kelce has more targets so he remains a solid option.

 

Kansas City Chiefs

WR: Another big trade here - Kadarius Toney is on his way to Kansas City. For now JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling play full snap shares with Mecole Hardman and Skyy Moore rotating. Expect Toney to work his way into that rotation and likely phase Hardman and Moore out.

RB:  Isaiah Pacheco started but the work was still split. Jerrick McKinnon continued to play pass downs and actually led the team in snaps (28). Pacheco played 19 and CEH played 17.

TE: Travis Kelce is the best in the business. They have a bye this week but after that you just start him every week, as always.

 

Las Vegas Raiders

WR: Davante Adams and Mack Hollins are the full time guys outside while Hunter Renfrow comes in to play slot. He only played 32 of 56 snaps but did run 21 of 28 routes so still viable where you need him. Upside is capped though.

RB:  Josh Jacobs continues to be THE MAN. He plays one of the highest snap shares of any RB.

TE: Darren Waller is expected back this week so Foster Moreau goes back to his part time role. Waller is a risky play but the upside is there.

 

Los Angeles Chargers

WR: Keenan Allen remains out and could be out through the bye. Mike Williams, Josh Palmer, and DeAndre Carter are the guys anytime he is out. Carter is likely the odd man out when he returns. 

RB:  Austin Ekeler is the guy. Joshua Kelley got banged up and might miss multiple weeks so Sony Michel is the new change of pace back.

TE: Gerald Everett ran 39 of 67 routes with Tre McKitty (20) and Donald Parham (12) mixing in. When Keenan Allen gets back, he won’t be nearly as exciting. 

 

Los Angeles Rams

BYE

 

Miami Dolphins

WR: Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill are locked in to full snap shares, Trent Sherfield rotates with Mike Gesicki and fullback Alec Ingold for snaps making him hard to trust.

RB: Raheem Mostert is getting the bulk of the work - he played two thirds of the snaps. Chase Edmonds is merely a backup.

TE:  Mike Gesicki continues to only play a partial snap share because they like Durham Smythe in-line. The two touchdown game came when Durham Smythe was OUT.

 

Minnesota Vikings

BYE

 

New England Patriots

WR: Jakobi Meyers played every single snap, DeVante Parker played all but four, and Tyquan Thornton played 44 of 52. For the time being, those are the guys. 

RB: Rhamondre Stevenson played 40 of 52 snaps with Damien Harris being eased back in (9). Harris will need to earn his snap share back and, as of now, cannot be trusted. 

TE: Hunter Henry played 44 of 52 and ran 28 routes while Jonnu Smith played 17 of 52 and ran 6 routes. Henry is the guy.

 

New Orleans Saints

WR: No Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry again and they are once again unlikely to play. Chris Olave is the clear top dog. After that, Marquez Callaway and Tre’Quan Smith round out your three WRs. 

RB: Alvin Kamara played 52 of 72 snaps, Mark Ingram was just used to spell him.

TE: Adam Trautman was banged up so Juwan Johnson played 53 of 72 snaps. He’s the preferred pass catching tight end anyway and he has a good matchup this week.

 

New York Giants

WR: They traded Kadarius Toney but I guess that doesn’t matter here since he wasn’t playing anyway. Marcus Johnson led in snaps but the big news is Wan’Dale Robinson got ramped up from 15 to 53 (out of 76). Darius Slayton was the third guy as David Sills fell to a backup role.

RB: Saquon Barkley is locked in. He played more snaps than any WR or TE on the team.

TE: Daniel Bellinger left the game with an eye injury and is set to miss time. Expect Chris Myrarick to play an in-line blocking role with Tanner Hudson playing as the “move” tight end.

 

New York Jets

WR: Elijah Moore was crying about targets during a four game win streak so he was benched for their most recent win. That said, he is set to return this week where he should play opposite Garrett Wilson with Corey Davis battling injury. Braxton Berrios will play a part time role out of the slot. 

RB: Ouch. Breece Hall done for the season. They then immediately traded for James Robinson. Once Robinson is up to speed, I expect a split similar to Nick Chubb/ Kareem Hunt with Robinson operating on run downs and Michael Carter skewing pass. 

TE: CJ Ucomah had been outsnapping Tyler Conklin then Conklin bounced back to play 44 of 59 snaps adn run 26 of 34 routes. Still wouldn’t start either in most formats. 

 

Philadelphia Eagles

BYE

 

Pittsburgh Steelers

WR: The top three guys are locked in here. There were 53 drop backs this week and here were the routes: Diontae Johnson (51), George Pickens (48), Chase Claypool (46). 

RB: Najee Harris is the main dog once again with 58 of 75 snaps. Jaylen Warren is the next man up but only played 17. 

TE: On paper it looks like Pat Freiermuth (44 snaps) and Zach Gentry split (34) but not really for fantasy football as Muth ran 40 routes to 12 for Gentry.

 

San Francisco 49ers

WR: Typically Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk play full snap shares with no one else getting more than 50% of the snaps because of how often they use the fullback. But Deebo Samuel has been ruled out for this week with a hamstring injury. The next man up is most likely Juaun Jennings who will now be asked to play outside and Ray-Ray McCloud should move into the slot role Jennings was playing.

RB: They stuck to their word and Christian McCaffrey played a partial snap share of 22 snaps while Jeff Wilson Jr. played 26. But you don’t trade for CMC to not feature him so it should be his show from here on out. 

TE: For weeks now we told people not to panic about George Kittle. His usage has been fine. And now you are seeing the results. He played 69 of 78 snaps, ran 46 of 51 routes, and only pass-blocked one time. Doesn’t get much better.

 

Seattle Seahawks

WR: DK Metcalf left with an injury so Marquise Goodwin had to step up. He should have that role opposite Tyler Lockett for the time being. Dee Eskirdge played slot. 

RB: It’s the Kenneth Walker show here. DeeJay Dallas is a distant backup.

TE: They went heavy on the tight ends with Will Dissly played 54 snaps and Noah Fant playing 52. Yet, on 37 drop backs, Dissly ran 22 routes adn Fant ran 21. Not good for fantasy. 

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

WR: Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are the top gys. Russell Gage left with an injury but Julio Jones is expected to return anyway so he’ll likely be the third guy. 

RB: Leonard Fournette is the starter but Rachaad White did mix in (40 snaps for Fournette to 29 for White). Can’t really utilize White with that usage tho. 

TE: Any time Cameron Brate is out, Cade Otton is worth a potential spot start. He’s played large snap shares (94% and 82%) in the two games Brate has been out. 

 

Tennessee Titans

WR: Treylon Burks remains out so the starting WRs are Robert Woods and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. THey use so many tight ends that the third WR doesn’t matter but technically it was Cody Holister with about a 37% snap share.

RB: Derrick Henry is that man. Dontrell Hilliard plays sporadically on pass downs but not enough to matter.

TE: None of these guys play enough - too much of a split. If you had to throw a dart at one it would be Austin Hooper as he at least ran 17 routes. The other two combined for 12.

 

Washington Commanders

WR: The starters are Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, and Jahan Dotson. Dotson is still out though so as is Dyami Brown so Cam Sims got the start.

RB: Brian Robinson is the starter and he gets the bulk of the carries. Actually got his first receptions to. Antonio Gibson and JD McKissic split most of the pass work which is a tough set up.

TE: With Logan Thomas is back which puts both John Bates and Cole Turner on the backburner. I’d like to see one game of Logan before trusting him to start for my fantasy team. 

 

 

 

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