2015 Fantasy Football Snap Counts: Week 2

There's a classic football saying, “you can't make the club from the tub”. Well, in fantasy football it's hard to win the strap if your players aren't getting the snaps. Each Wednesday, in addition to reviewing how things are trending over the course of the season, I'll be taking a look at the snap counts from the previous week of action. We'll start this week by looking at the Cowboys and Colts, two teams trying to work through some very different issues.

Dallas Cowboys Snap Percentage

In their first of many games without Dez Bryant, it was the No. 2 tight end Escobar that got a massive boost in playing time. Not only did the Cowboys also lose Tony Romo in Week 2, but Witten sprained both ankles and a knee. The way things are going, Escobar may never be able to leave the field. This week, Dallas faces a Falcons defense under Dan Quinn that looks to be improving. Should the patchwork Cowboys offense and Escobar flash anything at all, stream away in Week 4 against the hapless Saints. With or without Romo and Dez, it doesn't look like Beasley is going to play enough snaps on offense to consider flexing in PPR. The fantasy value of Williams continues to take dramatic swings. The arrow was pointing up with Dez going down, now it's dropped back down with Romo out for an extended period of time.

Indianapolis Colts Snap Percentage (Wide Receivers)

The Colts offense has looked many shades of terrible on just about every drive so far against the Bills and Jets. Hilton is banged up. Johnson looks sluggish and saw a dip in playing time last week. The lone bright spot is Moncrief, who has scored in each game and provided the only real highlights on offense thus far. Things should, hopefully, get a lot better over the next five weeks facing a far more favorable schedule: at Titans, vs Jags, at Texans, vs Pats, vs Saints. While Andrew Luck and Hilton are the obvious buy lows, Johnson is another story. He's slow, old, and was never a big touchdown guy anyway. Look to sell if he puts together a good game or two over the next few weeks.

Backfields

Ravens (82 offensive snaps)

Justin Forsett 42 snaps

Lorenzo Taliaferro 34 snaps

After playing more than 70 percent of the offensive snaps in the opener, Forsett saw just over half that in Week 2 in what was supposed to be a great matchup against the Raiders. Last year, Forsett averaged 20 touches per game over the last seven starts and just fallen just shy of that mark in both games so far. Taliaferro returned to the lineup after a knee issue kept him out of Week 1 and played 41 percent of the snaps. He tallied seven carries for 34 yards and a touchdown, plus three receptions for 12 yards. The Ravens deployed very little shotgun last year, but have been using it more frequently under offensive coordinator Marc Trestman. Taliaferro played very well while in the gun at college and may ultimately prove to be a better fit than Forsett, who turns 30 in October. At the very least, Forsett's vanilla start to the season and dip in playing time with Taliaferro back should have owners somewhat concerned.

Bengals (66 offensive snaps)

Giovani Bernard 45 snaps

Jeremy Hill 20 snaps

A pair of fumbles that got Hill benched and allowed Bernard to dominate the snap count in Week 2. Hill remains the starter, but it's important to note Gio trailed Hill by only eight snaps in the opener. Currently averaging a sizzling 6.6 yards per carry, Bernard will remain a strong flex play. The buy-low window I mentioned last week for Gio is already slammed shut.

Giants (71 offensive snaps)

Shane Vereen 38 snaps

Rashad Jennings 20 snaps

Andre Williams 10 snaps

The G-Men aren't running the ball well, but are getting receiving production from Vereen, who has a dozen catches for 122 yards through two games. Vereen is the most dynamic back on the roster and with the defense playing so poorly, he'll be on the field when the Giants are playing from behind or find themselves in a shootout. So far, PPR owners are getting a sound flex option that will be chipping in on a consistent basis.

Titans (80 offensive snaps)

Dexter McCluster 47 snaps

Bishop Sankey 32 snaps

Terrance West 5 snaps

Sankey scored a pair of touchdowns in Week 1. McCluster compiled 124 yards of offense in Week 2. Both could be prove to be fool's gold, and that's unfortunate for this Sunday's matchup against a bad Colts defense. McCluster is the third-down back, but will see the field a lot assuming the Colts offense awakens now that the Bills and Jets are thankfully in the rear view. This is a Titans team that was down 21-0 to the Browns last week at halftime. A closer game would obviously favor the odds for Sankey to lead the committee. It's a sticky situation, to say the least.

Redskins (72 offensive snaps)

Alfred Morris 34 snaps

Matt Jones 31 snaps

Morris and Jones combined for 37 carries, nearly splitting the snaps and carries right down the middle. After Morris ran for 121 yards in the opener, Jones stole the spotlight with a monster performance in Week 2. Washington needs to run the ball to sustain their offense, so expect a productive yet frustrating running back committee after an impressive performance by the rookie.

Noteworthy

T.J. Yeldon RB JAX

Among all running backs, Yeldon is sixth at the position having played 74.3 percent of the offensive snaps through two games. The rookie is only averaging 3.3 yards per carry and has yet to record a run of 15 yards or more. However, backup Denard Robinson is out for several weeks with a knee injury, so Yeldon will continue to be among the leaders in snaps played. Diligent owners can navigate around the peaks and valleys in the Jags schedule to enjoy Yeldon as a volume flex option in those favorable matchups.

Torrey Smith WR SF

After only catching one pass in the opener, Smith was targeted seven times in Week 2. He hauled in six of those balls for 120 yards and a touchdown, plus caught a successful two-point conversion on the ensuing play. In addition to seeing his production come mostly in the second half with the game well out of reach, Smith only played 49 of the team's 90 offensive snaps. For much of his career, Smith's production has been a rollercoaster and very dependent on the big play. So far, things looks no different following the move to San Fran.

Roddy White WR ATL

After a nice Week 1 showing, White played two fewer snaps than Julio Jones in Week 2 yet as only targeted twice and was held without a catch. The No. 3 receiving option, Leonard Hankerson played 48 snaps and was thrown at 11 times, second only to Jones. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan coached Hankerson while in Washington and may continue to invest more trust in him, especially if White's struggles continue.

Crockett Gillmore TE BAL

Last week's friendly matchup against the Raiders likely played a part in Gillmore erupting for five catches, 88 yards, and two touchdowns. However, he's also been on the field for nearly 94 percent of the Ravens offensive plays through two games. If you are streaming the tight end position or need a budget option in DFS, Gillmore is player that you know will rarely be coming off the field.

Eric Ebron TE DET

Taking full advantage of a boost in playing time due to Brandon Pettigrew's hamstring injury, Ebron found the end zone for the second straight game. Ebron is playing better after struggling at times last year as a rookie. Some of his success has come later in games that had already been decided, so caution should be exercised.