NFL Snap Count Breakdown: Week 11

In this article we break down the snap counts of all the fantasy relevant players for each week.  Each team has a snap count chart with the percentage of total snaps played and below that you will find notes for each position group on anything that author Andrew Cooper found interesting (which running backs played more pass downs, whether tight ends ran routes or blocked on pass plays, which wide receivers lined up in the slot, who might have been injured, etc.).  For more analytics driven fantasy takes, follow Andrew Cooper on Twitter @CoopAFiasco.

San Francisco 49ers

BYE

*We don’t usually discuss teams on bye because they have no snaps to discuss but it’s worth noting that Deebo Samuel and Raheem Mostert are expected back this week*

Chicago Bears

BYE

Cincinnati Bengals

WR: As usual, Tee Higgins and A.J. Green were the guys on the outside with Tyler Boyd in the slot.  The real question is what happens now with Brandon Allen in and Burrow done.  In all likelihood it’s probably just a slight downgrade to everyone but it’s worth noting that, of players who threw at least 10 passes of 20+ yards, Joe Burrow was 33rd of 36 QBs in completion percentage and 32nd of 36 in passer rating on these type plays.  Allen probably won’t be any better but actually pretty hard for him to be much worse.

RB:  Both Samaje Perine and Giovani Bernard played exactly 26 pass plays this week though Gio got more carries.  Gio clearly the better play with Samaje only being an option for desperate times.

TE: Drew Sample wasn’t fantasy relevant with Joe Burrow.  Probably won’t be with Allen either but, given how bad he had been, at least a QB change gives him a shot at something new.  Maybe Allen decides he really likes slow tight ends, who knows.

Buffalo Bills

BYE

Cleveland Browns

WR: This is now two weeks in a row where Jarvis Landry has played only 50-60% of the snaps.  His 20 routes were second only to 22 for Khadarel Hodge so you have to wonder if maybe the hip is bothering him.  It was Hodge and Rashard Higgins on the outside with Jarvis in the slot as we’ve seen but this team is clearly run first.

RB:  Whelp, both players got carries but Nick Chubb dominated on the ground this week.  A touchdown did save the day for Kareem Hunt .  Hunt played 21 pass snaps to seven for Chubb so it’s likely that Chubb will have his best games in positive game script games like this and Hunt will have his in negative ones.

TE: The problem Austin Hooper faces is the same one as a lot of the WRs - run heavy game script.  Hooper actually played the same number of pass plays as Hodge (23) but Hooper was asked to block on six of those.  Blocking on six of 40 pass plays is fine but six of 23 leaves you with too few opportunities. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

WR: Antonio Brown is still the one that comes out for two tight end sets, so Godwin ran 51 routes, Evans ran 47, and Brown ran 35.  He’s missing mostly run plays, being asked to run block only seven times, but clearly it’s hurting his pass snaps a little too.

RB: Ronald Jones started and got the most carries but Leonard Fournette got the most snaps, largely on the back of 29 pass plays vs. 14 for Jones.  Clearly Fournette is the favorite in the pass and Jones in the run.

TE: Gronk is playing a full snap share but he’s also being asked to hang in and block on some pass plays - as we mentioned with Hooper thought, blocking on six of 38 pass plays isn’t the end of the world but for fantasy we want to see him out there.  The big issue for Gronk is all the other targets there.

Denver Broncos

WR: Tim Patrick and Jerry Jeudy on the outside and K.J. Hamler in the slot.  That’s how it’s been and how it will likely be.

RB: The run work was split evenly in this one, but Melvin Gordon got more passing down work.  Usually it’s Phillip Lindsay who struggles in pass protection, but this week Melvin actually let up two hurries.  That’s now four hurries in only three weeks allowed by Melvin.  That’s the reason they brought him in so he may be too entrenched but something to keep an eye on.

TE:  Noah Fant played more snaps than Jeudy and Hamler and ran more routes (28) than Patrick (27), Jeudy (25), and Hamler (22).  He’s one of a few tight ends that has top five upside ROS.

Arizona Cardinals

WR: As part of the “Air Raid” offense that Kliff Kingsbury brought to the NFL level, the Cardinals ran four receiver sets on 32% of their plays in 2019 - the next highest were the Jaguars and Seahawks at 8%.  This year they still lead the league, but that number is down to 20%.  DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk play the flanker and split end roles on the outside with Larry Fitzgerald in the slot.  Andy Isabella comes in as the second slot guy for four-wide.   

RB: I know I’ve used these a few times but there are a couple kinds of splits for running backs, the worst being the “nightmare” split where the job is split right down the middle leading to zero predictability (seen in Buffalo between Zack Moss and Devin Singletary at times).  Another common one is the “run vs. pass” split most prominently seen in New England but recently featured with a lot of teams.  This backfield is trending that way.  Over the last two weeks, since Kenyan Drake has returned, Drake has 27 carries to 12 for Chase Edmonds though Drake has only played 34 pass plays while Edmonds has played 58.  This would lead us to believe that Drake is the better play in positive or neutral game scripts but, if the Cardinals were ever likely to be losing or in a pass heavy game, Edmonds may be the better start.

TE: The fantasy stats the last two weeks look promising for Dan Arnold but below the surface he’s just not playing enough.  Hopkins and Kirk ran 47 and 48 routes respectively in this offense this week.  Arnold ran 18

Dallas Cowboys

WR: This one has been consolidated all year which we like.  Had Dak Prescott not gotten hurt, they very likely all would have all been on pace for 100+ targets with the volume they were throwing.  In this offense Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup play on the outside with CeeDee Lamb in the slot.   

RB: Ezekiel Elliott got all the running work but the passing down snaps were split with Zeke having 20 and Pollard playing 16.  That’s where they decide it give Zeke a break.

TE: Dalton Schultz is out there playing nearly every snap and running nearly every route (27 is only two less than Gallup and Amari and one less than Lamb).  The issue here is where he is on the target totem pole which caps his ceiling.  Again, the loss of Dak is brutal.

Los Angeles Chargers

WR: Keenan Allen was all over the field, but he played 45 of his 78 offensive snaps in the slot.  Mike Williams and Jalen Guyton played primarily outside but they also contributed 20 snaps each from the slot.  Highly consolidated snap share as well but only Allen can truly be trusted.

RB:  Kalen Ballage took the vast majority of the snaps in a near bellcow role.  Troymaine Pope mixed in on some pass plays and Joshua Kelley was a mere afterthought.  The Chargers designated Austin Ekeler to return but it’s still unclear if he plays.  Ballage is must start if he’s out and could be an okay start if you are desperate in case they ease Ekeler in.

TE:  Much better usage for Hunter Henry this week.  Last week we mentioned how he was asked to block on eight of 33 pass plays which capped his upside.  This week he played 57 pass plays and only blocked on three, 54 routes run tied him for second behind only Keenan Allen .  Given the tight end landscape, if you own Henry you start him.

Kansas City Chiefs

WR: Tyreek Hill played every snap except for heavy short yardage sets.  Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle manned the outside as Hill lined up primarily in the slot (43 snaps).  Mecole Hardman is basically just a backup for Tyreek Hill .  The Chiefs are optimistic that Sammy Watkins returns - given that none of the other guys have been particularly relevant, Sammy is the most interesting in fantasy after Hill.

RB:  Clyde Edwards-Helaire is clearly the starter and trusted back right now as he doubled Le’Veon Bell’s snaps in both the pass game (24 to 11) and run game (14 to 7).  Bell is in the category of “handcuff+” and is droppable if you need the roster spot.

TE:  Travis Kelce is an absolute force.  Worth taking a moment to mention that despite being inactive most days, Ricky Seals-Jones is most likely the handcuff for Kelce.  The other TEs on the roster are primary blockers and are not going to transform into pass catchers.  RSJ was clearly brought in as Kelce insurance and, despite not playing on game days, he should have a good enough grasp on the playbook from practice and meetings.  So just store that in the back of your mind because there is no player that could go from 0 to 100 faster than RSJ given an injury.

Indianapolis Colts

WR:  As we stated last week, this one is sorted.  Michael Pittman Jr. on the outside opposite T.Y. Hilton , Zach Pascal in the slot.  Pittman was a hot waiver pickup this week so double check to make sure he’s not still there.

RB:  Well, they decided to let Jonathan Taylor loose.  And he did admirably, carrying the load on his 22 carries.  If this is the plan moving forward, expect to see Taylor on run plays with Nyheim Hines mixing in on pass plays.

TE: Jack Doyle returned to the three headed monster that is Colts TE.  Doyle spent the most time blocking running 11 routes and blocking on 34 plays so he’s the least attractive for fantasy.  Mo Alie-Cox played only two snaps fewer than Doyle, so he ran 17 routes, 26 blocking in a balanced role.  Trey Burton is clearly the favorite for just passing down duties as he ran 23 routes on only 24 snaps.  The split of the work really doesn’t make any of them super appealing, but Burton is the guy you want most.

Miami Dolphins

WR:  Once again DeVante Parker played nearly every snap lending him a level of confidence in fantasy.  It’s unclear at this point if or when Preston Williams may return so, for the time being, Jakeem Grant plays split end and converted running back Malcolm Perry plays slot.  Both Grant and Perry are threats to take big chunks on end arounds or similar gadget plays but there isn’t much predictability in that making them better stabs in DFS than weekly starts. 

RB: So much for Matt Breida (seven snaps) stealing snaps from Salvon Ahmed.  Ahmed once again played the bellcow role.  Patrick Laird mixed in for 17 pass snaps, but he actually played three in slot and five out wide with only nine in the backfield so not much of a threat to Ahmed’s 34 backfield snaps.  The next big hurdle is Miles Gaskin if/when he returns.

TE: Mike Gesicki continues to be an anomaly “tight end”.  This week he played 39 snaps at WR (36 slot, three out wide) and only four in-line.  We had thought he would get the bulk of the slot work with the Isaiah Ford trade, but Malcolm Perry is the new thorn in his side. Given his usage he has a decent floor, especially in PPR, but his ceiling is capped unless they give him the full slot role.

Philadelphia Eagles

WR:  Travis Fulgham and Jalen Reagor played the outside roles in split end and flanker while Greg Ward came in to play the slot in three wide sets.  Alshon Jeffrey continues to just barely play.  Not an asset.

RB: This split this week looked kind of like what Green Bay does with Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams .  Miles Sanders, in the Jones role, got the bulk of the carries but split pass snaps (22 to 21) with Boston Scott in the Jamaal Williams role.  Obviously it would be better if Sanders just got all the work but, if it’s going to be split, this is the best split as Sanders gets the goal line work but still gets targets unlike say, Damien Harris on the Patriots.

TE: Dallas Goedert played every offensive snap this week and he only pass blocked on one pass play, running 42 routes.  He didn’t necessarily move into Ertz’s role, but he had played 11 slot snaps in each game the last two weeks so 17 this week is an improvement.  As long as Ertz is out, he should be a middle of the pack TE1 with top five upside from week to week.  When Ertz comes back, he’s more of a backend TE1 that needs to score, given how they use the two players.  You have to remember that it’s a two tight end system.  They aren’t going to play Richard Rodgers over Zach Ertz and they aren’t going to ask Ertz to block while Goedert runs routes. Goedert was the #2 graded run blocking TE last year.  When Ertz is back, he will slide back into his pass catching TE role.

Atlanta Falcons

WR:  Julio Jones suffered a hamstring injury and is now considered to be a game time decision.  Olamide Zaccheaus was limited in practice and is clearly a little banged up so Christian Blake stepped up.  In the past it’s been Zaccheaus as the next man up, so you’ll want to keep an eye on his practice week if you are looking to pick up any slack in the absence of Julio.  If he doesn’t practice all week you might be Blake but otherwise it’s Big Z.

RB: Not much opportunity to run in this one.  Brian Hill actually outsnapped Todd Gurley but not with useful snaps.  Gurley ran nine routes and was out there for eight run plays while Hill ran nine routes and was out there for four.  The difference is that Hill was asked to pass block on 13 plays compared to six for Gurley.  Which is estranged considering Brian Hill graded out as literally the worst pass blocking RB in the league last year at #164 of 164.  This year Hill grades out as RB #97 and Gurley at RB #93 in pass block.  Gurley is still the guy you want. 

TE: The biggest beneficiary of a Julio Jones injury may be Hayden Hurst .  His usage is ideal running routes on 41 of 43 pass plays - only three less routes than Ridley and one more than Gage.  Targets is what Hurst needs and no Julio frees some up.

New York Giants

BYE

Jacksonville Jaguars

WR: D.J. Chark and Chris Conley lined up on the outside with Keelan Cole in the slot.  When Laviska Shenault returns, he should take snaps from Conley.

RB:  James Robinson led snaps in all phases as he has.  Recent addition Dare Ogunbowale did pick up 13 snaps - all 13 in the pass game. He didn’t catch either of his targets so not sure how that bodes for more playing time.

TE: The Jaguars insist on using extra tight ends like Eric Saubert and Ben Elleson to block so Tyler Eifert was limited to 24 snaps despite running routes on 19 of them.  Just not enough for fantasy.

New York Jets

WR: At this point of the season the WR positions are locked down - it’s Breshad Perriman , Jamison Crowder , and Denzel Mims out there nearly every play.  Crowder lines up primarily in the slot.

RB:  They said Frank Gore would start but that they wanted to give La’Mical Perine more work to test him to see if he was truly NFL ready.  Perine unfortunately suffered a high ankle sprain after only 11 snaps.  He will undoubtedly miss time with that.  Gore will start and factor heavily on run downs while Ty Johnson will pick up the extra passing down work.  Johnson could be sneaky stash in very deep leagues and a potential DFS play after catching four passes on six targets - all 14 of his snaps were pass plays though so that move is specific to PPR formats.

TE: Do not be fooled by Christopher Herndon .  The info is summed up in this tweet.

Detroit Lions

WR: Kenny Golladay continues to practice on a limited basis then not play so hard to tell what’s going to happen this week. The Lions play every Thanksgiving so he has a short week.  Marvin Jones played his full snap share followed by Marvin Hall playing primarily across from him.  They used a lot of two tight end sets with the banged up WRs but return specialist Jamal Agnew helped out in the slot where needed.

RB: After a full workload for D’Andre Swift he was promptly missed the following week.  Kerryon Johnson got the better usage with the pass work.  Swift is trending up so he could be back - in his absence, Johnson is the play.

TE:  T.J. Hockenson’s snaps were limited but he at least ran 24 routes.  He’s limited again in practice.  It’s unknown exactly what the injury is but it’s starting to sound like turf toe which can linger.  You’ve likely been leaning on Hock so, if you don’t have a better option, roll him out.  Thanksgiving Day fantasy players are fun anyway.

Green Bay Packers

WR: As we predicted last week, Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling manned the outsides with Allen Lazard in the slot.  This should be the set up moving forward. 

RB: We alluded to this split earlier when talking about the Eagles, but this is what they do - Aaron Jones gets most of the running work including most goal line.  They split the pass down work down the middle: Jones had 18 pass plays and Jamaal Williams had 24.  Jamaal Williams only really becomes dependable in pass heavy matchups or when Jones is out.

TE:  Robert Tonyan continues to have good usage, 34 routes on 35 pass plays.  There was a lot to go around this week with 38 attempts from Rodgers, but his ceiling is capped by the presence of other options in the pass game. Lazard is just getting back up to speed.

Carolina Panthers

WR:  Last year this team had one of the most consistently consolidated snap shares.  There was concern that would change after the coaching change, but it hasn’t really.  D.J. Moore , Robby Anderson , and Curtis Samuel play pretty much the whole game with Samuel mostly in the slot.

RB: With no Christian McCaffrey it’s Mike Davis .  When CMC is back it’s CMC.

TE:  Ian Thomas continues to run a ton of routes.  His 314 routes run is eighth most for tight ends.  His 0.3 yards per route run is tied for 96th with Deon Yelder .  To say he’s not a factor would actually be an understatement.

New England Patriots

WR: In this offense, Damiere Byrd is clearly the split end.  He’s played 567 snaps out wide and only 42 in slot.  This week he played 62 snaps out wide and none in the slot. As far as I know, no one actually tracks the position of “split end” vs. “flanker” but we can assume that’s what’s going on with a little investigating: Byrd has lined up on the left for 412 of his 567 split snaps (72%).  Tight end Ryan Izzo has lined up on the right side for 381 of his 537 snaps (71%).  It’s reasonable to assume then that Izzo is typically the tethered man on the right and Byrd on the left.  That allows Jakobi Meyers and N’Keal Harry be a step back from the line, go in motion, and line up all over.  Both Harry (28 slot vs 23 wide) and Meyers (33 vs 32) played snaps in both the slot and at flanker.

RB:  As usual, Damien Harris was the go-to guy in the run game.  After a devastating injury to Rex Burkhead , James White picked up the slack in the pass game.  With Burkhead out, Damien Harris actually caught a pass - something he hasn’t done since Week 7.  Sony Michel was activated but he reportedly was not ready to play - he was activated to avoid losing him for the year to IR though so expect him to come back and eat into Harris’s workload to some degree. Someone will need to pick up Burkhead’s special teams stats - possibly JJ Taylor as Michel and Harris have played minimal ST.

TE:  Ryan Izzo is up there with Ian Thomas for the non-factor TE award.  He had 59 yards this week but 50 came on a Hail Mary that he caught and went right to the ground, ending the game.

Los Angeles Raiders

WR: Same as always – Henry Ruggs and Nelson Agholor outside with Hunter Renfrow mixing in the slot.  No one really plays a full snap share as the offense seems to mostly revolve around Darren Waller in the pass game and Josh Jacobs in the run.

RB:  Josh Jacobs is the guy you want.  Devontae Booker needs a heavily positive game script to be relevant.

TE: As I mentioned above, the pass attack goes through Waller.  He once again played more snaps and ran more routes than any of the wideouts.  He’s the TE2 after Kelce right now, especially in PPR.

Los Angeles Rams

WR: After Cooper Kupp took a backseat to two TE sets last week he played a lot more this week – Robert Woods 49 routes, Josh Reynolds 48, Kupp 42.  Even if he does lose snaps sometimes depending on game plan, you have to start Cooper Kupp if you have him.

RB:  This backfield continues to be fairly annoying.  Right now, Darrell Henderson is the guy you want but Malcolm Brown played 24 snaps to 22 for Henderson.  Cam Akers only played five pass plays but clearly they still want to give him a couple touches.

TE: Tyler Higbee played a good snap share but he blocked on eight pass plays which is always going to cap your upside.  Gerald Everett ran 22 routes which is only a couple less than Higbee despite playing 11 fewer snaps.  An injury to one would bring the other into fantasy relevance but they’d still be in a tough spot target wise because of the WRs.

Baltimore Ravens

WR: As crazy as it sounds, Dez Bryant played a decent snap share and actually looked good making some plays.  He’s an add in deeper leagues though hard to trust any pass catcher in this offense.  Marquise Brown has been the most reliable and he caught zero passes this week.

RB:  Following the Lions’ lead, JK Dobbins finally got a full workload. And just like Swift, was promptly OUT.  Dobbins tested positive for COVID meaning that he’s unlikely to play even though the game was pushed back from Thanksgiving to Sunday.  From my understanding, “close contact” players should be able to play but positive tests are highly unlikely.

TE: Mark Andrews played nearly every snap and ran a route on every pass play he was in for, blocking on zero.  Beautiful.  He led the team with 33 routes run and is the real top target here so Hollywood and Dez are realistically competing for second.

New Orleans Saints

WR: Michael Thomas played the whole game in his outside role.  Tre’Quan Smith started opposite him and moved to the slot for three wide sets with Emmanuel Sanders .

RB: For the first time in his career, Alvin Kamara was held without a catch.  That’s what running QBs can do at times.  He and Latavius Murray actually had the “nightmare split” we talked about earlier - Kamara played on 18 run plays (some of them Hill’s) and Murray played on 14.   Kamara played on 14 pass plays and Murray played on 19.  Yikes.

TE:  Same trend we’ve seen lately.  Adam Trautman is more of an every down TE but Jared Cook runs more routes.  Next year is when Trautman has a real shot at fantasy relevance.  With Jared Cook running only 13 routes, he’s not looking so hot this year either.

Taysom Hill : After all the crazy snap logs for Hill this year, this week was surprisingly boring.  64 snaps at QB and only two at WR.  Not as fun and you know what else isn’t fun? ESPN removed his TE eligibility. He’s just a QB now - one that’s far more valuable in four point passing TD leagues than six point passing.

Seattle Seahawks

WR: DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are dialed in as they have been all year.  Greg Olsen had been playing a good chunk of WR snaps, but he’s likely done so will be interesting to see if David Moore takes a step forward or if Jacob Hollister takes over.  In all likelihood it will be a combination of the two.

RB: Carlos Hyde was clearly the man here in his return.  However, Chris Carson is expected back so he’s likely the guy moving forward.

TE:  As we mentioned, Olsen is out.  Based on the usage we’ve seen so far, Will Dissly plays more of a blocking role while Jacob Hollister is more of a pass catcher.  Expect Hollister to pick up some loose snaps there.  Tough to trust, especially since the battle is for third target, but makes for an interesting deep league stash or DFS dart.

Pittsburgh Steelers

WR: They clearly like Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool on the outside with JuJu Smith-Schuster in the slot.  They are the three fantasy relevant options.  Johnson led with 46 routes followed by Juju (43) and Claypool (34).  It was reported that Juju slipped on a ref’s flag in a freak incident and hurt his toe but, with the game moved to Sunday, we don’t expect any problems.  

RB: James Conner got the lion’s share of the work once again and is the only Steelers RB you need to worry about.

TE:  Eric Ebron played 70 of 75 plays and ran routes on 43 of his 45 pass plays.  His usage is great - just needs targets in an offense with a lot of weapons.

Houston Texans

WR: Brandin Cooks and Will Fuller are mainstays on the outside - Cooks ran routes on all 47 pass plays the team ran and Fuller ran routes on 46.  Randall Cobb injured his toe, and it was Keke Coutee who stepped in to fill the slot role. There might not be enough targets there but worth mentioning.

RB: Duke Johnson was once again the man in town with no David Johnson .  C.J. Prosise mixed in on pass snaps but not enough for relevance.

TE:  The tight end snaps were once again highly split, but this time Jordan Akins ran 26 routes to 13 for Keenen Brown and nine for Darren Fells .  As we said last week, Akins is the guy you want if you must.

Tennessee Titans

WR: A.J. Brown and Corey Davis on the outside.  That’s all you need to know for fantasy on this run heavy team. 

RB:  Derrick Henry played a monster workload, and Jeremy McNichols is merely a breather back.

TE: Jonnu Smith saw better usage but still not ideal.  The elite tight ends will be out there for pretty much every pass play and they will run routes on the vast majority of them.  Jonnu was only out there for 28 of 38 pass plays and he blocked on four of them.  Once again, he salvaged an otherwise meh day with a touchdown.  He may technically be top five right now in scoring but he’s really a boom/bust back end TD dependent TE1 given his usage.

Minnesota Vikings

WR: They have pretty much only used Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen at WR for most of the year with Chad Beebe contributing some in the slot.  Well, Thielen was just added to the COVID list so our best guess would be that Olabisi Johnson picks up the extra snaps outside. 

RB:  Dalvin Cook . That is all.

TE: With Thielen out, Irv Smith Jr. becomes a sneaky interesting DFS play.  His 21 routes run were third on the team after Jefferson and Thielen so he may get extra work if Thielen is indeed out.

Washington Football Team

WR:  Once again, Terry McLaurin played every pass snap. Like clockwork.  Cam Sims was the other WR outside and Steven Sims contributed in the slot.  Steven Sims is the net most interesting to us after getting back from injury and getting ramped up.

RB: The split is clearly defined here.  They like Antonio Gibson for running downs and J.D. McKissic for pass work.  Plan accordingly.   

TE: Logan Thomas once again played every pass snap and he played 33 snaps at WR.  The usage is there, he just needs the ball.