NFL Snap Counts Breakdown: Week 8

We have reached the halfway point of the season.  The ravages of battle and the wickedness of inept coaching have no doubt left some of our teams grasping at the wire for hope.  Steeped in the dark and seemingly random cruelness of mid-season, it’s difficult to remember late August/early September when we had just drafted into the war with healthy troops full of potential.  Back then it seemed like it would be nothing but clear skies ahead for our fantasy platoons – little did we know the difficult road ahead. 

But even more difficult is to think back to the darkest of all times - the long and gloomy off-season – when wedesperately counted the days and were happy to have even the most flimsy of pre-season DFS lineups to call our own.  So rather than sulk over the fate of our IR casualties and busts, lets take the time to celebrate the fact that we still have a full half of the football season left and then playoffs.  The fooseball glass is more than half full and we’ll toast to that by giving you what to watch for in terms of snap counts moving forward so that you can acquire the last few weapons left on the battlefield before your enemies and bring home that elusive fantasy victory. 

Cheers comrades!

49ers

• With Emmanuel Sanders in town the question was which wide receivers might be worth owning alongside him and the answer so far seems to be Deebo Samuel.  Clearly Sanders (18 slot, 33 wide, 2 inline) and Samuel (14 slot, 30 wide, 2 inline) were the two who saw the field the most while the team ran lot of a two tight end sets (blocking tight end Ross Dwelley saw 34 snaps) and choosing the 3^rd wide receiver sporadically.  Kendrick Bourne ran 14 routes to Pettis’s 10 but the reality is neither of them will be particularly useful in this format.  Given his usage, Deebo might be worth a stash in deep league where available. 
• Coleman took full reins this week and drastically out-snapped Breida on pass snaps as well (18 to 6) which hasn’t necessarily been the case in the past.  At this point Coleman is a must start and Breida is just a handcuff+. 
• Also, a quick side note – the amount of time George Kittle spent pass blocking in past weeks had concerned us but those fears were alleviated this week with him only blocking on one of his twenty-six pass snaps.  Good news for Kittle owners moving forward. 

Bears

• After being eased back in last week Taylor Gabriel is back up to his large snap share on the outside.  At one point he was playing over 80% of the snaps and, in his absence, Javon Wims logged snap shares of ~94% and ~92% so he could be an interesting add on the outside opposite of ARob  - especially with Wims logging a big zero in the catch department this week.
• David Montgomery finally logged the game we had hoped all along and it seems he has finally claimed that bell cow role that Nagy had envisioned for him.  Much like the team they just lost to, the Chargers, the Bears have been playing well below their talent level but they’ve also battled injuries, including one to the quarterback, so the hope is still there. 

Bengals

• This team is quite the train wreck yet, unlike the Dolphins, it still seemed to have a decent amount of fantasy relevance in the passing game.  That may have come to an end with the benching of Andy Dalton for Ryan Finley but you never know – perhaps Finley will provide a spark or, even better, pick one or two guys and force them the ball.  
• Alex Erickson played a monster snap share last week (94%) but that fell back to earth at 61% this week with the Bengals opting for more two tight end sets against the brutal Rams pass rush.  If AJ Green had been traded, Tate would be much more interesting and Alex Erickson would still be in the mix but the Bengals opted to hang on to their aging star.
• Perhaps he was just being shopped for a potential trade but we saw real signs of life out of Tyler Eifert this week.  He played 57 snaps, ran routes on 46, and pass blocked zero times.  He didn’t get traded and, if that’s how he will actually be used moving forward, then he honestly might be a reasonable option if you are desperate.  We’d like to see another week of it. 

Bills

• We got a lot of what we already know from the Bills this week.  In negative game script against a tough run defense, Devin Singletary took the lead role.  Next week against the Redskins however, it could easily be a run heavy Frank Gore game.  Your wide receivers for fantasy purposes are still John Brown and, in a pinch, Cole Beasley. 
• Hopes were that Tyler Kroft would play a role similar to Tommy Sweeny/Lee Smith and primary block opening the door for one pass catching tight end in town.  Instead it seems Kroft will have duel role and Knox will primarily be used in passing situations as Kroft blocked 13 times and ran 20 routes while Knox blocked 7 times and ran 21 routes.  This set up is much less appealing as they will both sap each other’s value.  We want consolidated snaps and targets, not a share.

Broncos

• Courtland Sutton, DaeSean Hamilton, and Noah Fant owners got a big win last week with the Emmanuel Sanders trade but get a bit of an L this week with an injury to the starting QB.  He may even end up on season ending IR according to some reports.  Brandon Allen will start in his place so for now it will be tough to start anyone outside of Courtland Sutton until we see what the offense will look like.  I would still recommend holding Fant as inexperienced QBs have been known to lean on bigger targets like the tight end. 
• Last week Lindsay was allowed to pass block for the first time since week 4 and he let up three hurries on all three of his plays.  This week he inexplicably played 18 pass snaps to 22 for Freeman which is the most even split we’ve seen in the pass game since week 2.  The split seems to have trended back towards truly even which isn’t great for anyone.

Browns

• As of now this offense can barely support Odell and Jarvis but Antonio Callaway is your clear WR3 if things were to turn around.
• If you only looked at the box score you probably would not have realized that Demetrius Harris (6 routes) was outsnapped by both Ricky Seals-Jones (22 routes run) and Pharaoh Brown (12 routes run).  Harris escaped for a touchdown on bad coverage by Donta Hightower but his usage this week is not promising for a repeat.
• Despite the two fumbles, Nick Chubb once again looked good.  Only question is what, if anything Kareem Hunt’s week 10 return means.  We will be watching anxiously. 

Buccaneers

• From our Week 6 article
  • Chris Godwin  and Mike Evans  remain starts with the better week being matchup dependent. After two touch corners in Marshon Lattimore  and James Bradberry  back to back weeks, we may be in for an Evans week following the bye. 
• And boy did we get our Mike Evans game.  If things will truly play out like this the way we’ve seen, then we can probably help ourselves in predicting outcome by looking at PFF’s Shadow Cover Matrix to see who could cause Winston to look away from Evans.  Based on the Bucs upcoming schedule, the Seahawks do not shadow but the Cardinals (Patrick Peterson) and Saint (Marshon Lattimore) do.  If you are looking at must win weeks to stay alive, it could be a good sell high moment for Evans. 
• The time share continues in the Bucs backfield.  Peyton Barber at least ran 11 pass routes to Jones’s five though neither of them are great options. 

Cardinals

• David Johnson and Chase Edmonds owners lost the Kenyan Drake lottery as the back ended up landing with Arizona.  If neither DJ or Chase can go then Drake would be an interested play in an offense that normally manages a lot of snaps (albeit not this week).
• Christian Kirk returned to action and resumed his slot role opposite of Larry Fitzgerald, sending Pharoah Cooper and Andy Isabella back to the bench.  It was Demiere Byrd and Trent Sherfield on the outside with KeeSean Johnson a healthy scratch so we can assume this should be the configuration for the time being.  The two slot guys in Larry Fitz and Christian Kirk are the only two reliable pass catchers for the time being. 

Chargers

• The Chargers couldn’t get a lot going in this one which lead to a fairly low offensive snap count with only 45 offensive plays. 
• Andre Patton got the third wide receiver snaps but didn’t do a whole lot with them.   Allen, Williams, and Henry are your pass catchers.
• Melvin Gordon did not get traded as some had hoped so this time share will likely continue. 

Chiefs

• Sammy Watkins returned and rookie Mecole Hardman took the biggest snap hit though he continued to make plays even on the limited snaps, scoring another touchdown.  It looks like it will be Watkins and Robinson on the outside with Hill operating out of the slot but could be tough to keep Hardman off the field given what we’ve seen. 
• McCoy started but the split between them was fairly even.  Strangely, Williams actually outsnapped McCoy in the passing game running 16 routes to McCoy’s 11.  Odd considering pass catching has always been a fantasy plus for McCoy.  As long as they are both healthy they will hurt each other’s value.

Colts

• The Colts seem to have figured out what they want to do in terms of personnel – for the last couple weeks TY Hilton, Zach Pascal, and Chester Rogers have been your three wide receivers, Jack Doyle your primary tight end, and Marlon Mack your runningback.
• Eric Ebron at this point are merely obvious passing down specialists.
• With Deon Cain being a healthy inactive for this game, it might be time for Cain truthers to give up, even in deeper dynasty leagues.  The upside for a sixth round pick coming off an ACL tear was never going to be high anyway. 

Cowboys

• BYE

Dolphins

• And just like that, Drake is gone and Mark Walton has the backfield to himself.  Runningback is a tough position so, if he’s still out there somewhere, he should be owned, even if the team is brutal.
• The pieces that could become fantasy relevant remain obvious: DeVante Parker, Preston Williams, and Mike Gesicki.  They are playing the snaps and running the routes.  But the team is clearly tanking and the targets are pretty bad so none of them are reliable at this point. 

Eagles

• In another game that was well in hand, Jordan Howard outsnapped Mile Sanders dramatically as the Eagles leaned on the run.  Could be more of an even split in the Bears game this week and expect to see more Sanders in a tougher matchup with the Patriots the following week.
• Zach Ertz (f28 routes) continues to out-snap Dallas Goedert (20 routes) and run more routes than him yet Goedert once again was the better fantasy producer.  We could be seeing a situation similar to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin where, in a vacuum, Evans and Ertz are still the better receivers, but the extra attention they garner is causing their counterpart to be the more attractive target for the QB.
• DeSean Jackson is practicing on a limited basis this week and we could see a return soon.  His snaps would come at the expense of Mack Hollins. 

Falcons

• Last week we alluded to the days of Matt Schaub forcing it to Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins and he was up to his old tricks again this week, firing 12 targets at Julio Jones. 
• Russell Gage seems to be your chosen one to replace the snaps of Mohamed Sanu though he didn’t get Sanu’s full snap share.  Instead the Falcons opted to use more two tight end snaps than usual with blocking tight end Luke Stocker.  Will be hard for Gage to be fantasy relevant as the third wide receiver on a team that heavily targets the tight end and runningback. 

Giants

• Tate (operating out of the slot), Engram, and Barkley are likely locked into their snap shares for the rest of the season.
• Darius Slayton has gotten a fairly full slate of work for the third week in a row now.  It’s clear he’ll continue to have a role in some capacity but what we don’t know is what that will be when Sterling Shepard returns from his battle with a concussion. 

Jaguars

• Marqise Lee was formally put on IR – his time with the Jaguars has likely come to an end. 
• Dede Westbrook was questionable coming into the game with a shoulder injury and left midway through with an injury that appeared to be related.  If he can’t go this week, it would be Keelan Cole as your third wide receiver. 
• Seth DeValve once again played more snaps than rookie Josh Oliver though clearly in a more blocking oriented capacity (27 snaps blocking to 17 running routes).  Oliver actually ran more routes (19) than DeValve despite playing 15 less snaps so he’s clearly the more intriguing option as a primary pass catcher. 

Jets

• There were rumors of LeVeon Bell and Robby Anderson trades though neither inevitably came to fruition.  The Jets at this juncture have a fairly consolidated snap share of Bell at runningback, Anderson and DT on the outsides, and Crowder in the slot.  The one question remains – what will the return of Chris Herndon look like with incumbent Ryan Griffin.  Last week we gave you a full breakdown of what Herndon’s usage might look like even if he replaces Griffin’s snaps in full.  Safe to say, we are not as high on him as many other outlets. 

Lions

• Ty Johnson was the big waiver add this week and, in Belichickian fashion, Matt Patricia sent Tra Carson, who was only added to the roster 10 days before the game, out there to start and gave him the most carries.  Ty still played the most snaps and had the best mix of running and pass plays but it doesn’t seem the job will be given to him outright as many suspected.  Looks like Tra will be contributing on the ground and McKissic through the air as well which is much less appealing in fantasy. 
• TJ Hockenson blocked on 19.2% of his pass snaps which is much higher than we’d like for fantasy relevancy.  Need that number to be under 10 to be able to trust him but it doesn’t seem like that’s how the Lions want to use him, even with Jesse James blocking even more. 

Packers

• Aaron Jones turned this into a bit of a statement game with a commanding performance, especially in the waning moments of the game.  It’s all the more impressive considering he was seemingly hurt at one point yet they continued to go with him over Jamaal Williams.  They will still split time to a certain degree but things certainly are looking bright for Jones right now.
• For the second straight week, Allen Lazard was the top snap getter at wide receiver with Kumero going from a 70% share to 50%.  The ideal configuration still seems to project as Davante Adams, MVS, and Geronimo Allison though Lazard clearly has done something to earn the favor of Aaron Rodgers and it’s worth watching to see what his share is like when Adams returns. 

Panthers

• Our favorite snap count team has returned from bye week and they were right back to what they do best – play the same eleven guys for practically the whole game.  Your fantasy assets are McCaffrey, Moore, Samuel, and Olsen.  It’s as simple as that. 

Patriots

• The return of Rex Burkhead and the addition of Mohamed Sanu means that we can drop Gunner Olszewski and Brandon Bolden from our snap count report for the time being. 
• Mohamed Sanu in his first week in town already played more snaps than Jakobi Meyers.  As predicted, it looks like it will be Edelman, Sanu, and Dorsett as your main guys for time being.
• Ben Watson ran 24 routes and only pass blocked twice so it’s clear he’s there to be part of the attack, not the protection.  The other tight end who played, Eric Tomlinson, ran four routes on 31 snaps.  Watson is an add in leagues where you need a tight end.  

Raiders

• With the return of Tyrell Williams and the addition of Zay Jones, Keelan Doss and Marcell Ateman were your healthy inactives.  Tyrell Williams took the bulk of his snaps on the left side and Hunter Renfrow was in the slot most of the game so the battle seems to between Zay Jones and Trevor Davis for that right side flanker spot.  The reality is that Waller and Williams are really the only two pass catchers to get excited about. 
• Josh Jacobs has battled injury and sickness this season but continues to go out and perform.  None of the other runningbacks on the Raiders are fantasy relevant as long as Jacobs is active. 

Rams

• Based on the amount of 11 personnel the Rams runs, Josh Reynolds should be fantasy relevant as long as Brandin Cooks is out with his second concussion of the season.  Cooks was hurt after only three plays and Reynolds came in to play an 88% snap share.
• As we’ve seen in the past, any injury to any of the three starting wide receivers also typically means an uptick for Gerald Everett.  As we stated in our tight end series before the season, if one more of Woods, Kupp, Reynolds, or Higbee gets hurt, Everett might be truly unlocked for fantasy purposes.
• Unlike last year, the Rams are managing the snaps of Todd Gurley in blowouts so Darrell Henderson saw increased usage.  He looked decent in the role but it’s not anything that can be counted on. 

Ravens

• BYE

Redskins

• As we saw in the box score, 43 offensive snaps is not enough to get anything going for anyone.  Terry McLaurin remains your startable fantasy asset on this team.  Guys like Paul Richardson and Adrian Peterson are deep league emergency only fantasy options, as with Vernon Davis upon his return. 

Saints

• In the absence of Alvin Kamara, the Saints were not afraid to let Latavius Murray take the reins, giving him an 82% snap share.  The Saints go into their bye week this week which should allow Alvin Kamara time to heal. 
• Drew Brees returned this week and it was business as usual with Michael Thomas and the runningback getting the bulk of the work.  If you are in deeper leagues and are looking for upside stashes from this team hoping the Brees can support a third pass catcher, your best bets would be wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith and tight end Jared Cook who are both working their way back from injuries and could return following they bye.

Seahawks

• D.K. Metcalf continues to grow into his role, now playing the same snap share as Tyler Lockett in week 8.  The absence of Will Dissly also seems to be a plus for him as the de facto red zone target with two touchdowns this week.  Outside of those two, there isn’t much fantasy relevance at wide receiver or tight end.
• The Seahawks continue to want to pound the rock which allows for not only Chris Carson to get a full 20+ touches but for Rashaad Penny to also get 8 carries which he was pretty efficient with.  If anything were to happen to Carson, Penny would become a must add regardless of how talented or not you believe him to be.

Steelers

• Injuries to James Conner and Benny Snell left Trey Edmunds as the one healthy back on the team at the end of the game. Jaylen Samuels looks to return this week but Edmunds is a speculative add for the time being. 
• Though we didn’t get the result fantasy wise, Vance McDonald saw the usage we expected from him at the start of this season.  He played the highest snap share of any pass catcher and ran 38 routes – second only to JuJu Smith-Schuster’s 41.  This is promising usage for anyone hanging on. 

Texans

• With the absence of both Will Fuller and Keke Coutee, Kenny Stills was a popular play this week.  He played a full snap share but disappointed spectacularly with only two catches.  As long as there is no one else he’s the best bet for snaps.  DeAndre Carter filled in for Keke Coutee’s slot snaps.
• Darren Fells heavily outsnapped Jordan Akins this week including pass snaps and emphatically because the tight end to own for the Texans.  The debate between those two seems over at this point so feel free to add Fells wherever you may be desperate at tight end.

Titans

• As we predicted last week, Anthony Firkser (20 routes) did run more routes than Jonnu Smith (18 routes) but it didn’t matter as clearly Tannehill favored Jonnu in the passing game this week.  We’ll monitor their usage next week of course but for now Jonnu seems like solid add if he’s going to be playing that snap share.  The only concerns are A. the return of Delanie Walker and B. he still pass blocked on four of his 24 pass plays which is 16.7%.
• The Ryan Tannehill show rolls on with his second win and a three touchdown performance.  There is now light for Corey Davis and AJ Brown where before there was only darkness.

Vikings

• No Adam Thielen again.  The Vikings refuse to use a third receiver so, if he is out again, Stefon Diggs will be must start with Olabisi Johnson a potential spot start.
• If one of Irv Smith or Kyle Rudolph were to go down then the other would potentially be intriguing for us, especially with Thielen out.  Until then, neither are particularly interesting given the Vikings clearly would like to just run teams into the ground where they can.