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. This week I'm going into detail on eight pass catchers. The first four are players who should be owned and are on the rise thanks to increased snaps and opportunities. The final four receivers are deeper pickups, streaming options and GPP-angled DFS considerations.
Michael Floyd AZ WR
Last week, I suggested Floyd may ultimately take back the No. 2 wide receiver job from John Brown. After all, Floyd was the preferred deep target last year and played nearly 90 percent of the offensive snaps. In a home loss to the Rams last week, Floyd played a season-high 72 percent of the snaps. His seven targets, five receptions and 59 yards were also new high marks now four games into 2015. Meanwhile, Brown was on the field 92 percent of time. He also set season-high numbers with nine targets, seven receptions and 75 yards. Indeed, Brown looks safe for the time being.
Per Pro Football Focus, Larry Fitzgerald has caught five of the six deep passes completed to Arizona wide receivers that traveled 20 yards or more downfield. That figure seems a little fluky considering it matches all of Fitz' deep ball production from last year as well as 2013. As for Floyd, he's caught 13 and nine deep passes over the last two years, respectively.
The Cardinals' passing game needs Floyd making plays downfield to maximize their production. So far, Floyd has been targeted on five deep passes. Brown has seen only three such looks. The scale of snaps played still tips in favor of Brown, but the deep passing game is best when things are clicking with Floyd. I wouldn't be willing to give up on him yet. Certainty not with Floyd's playing time increasing each week.
Leonard Hankerson ATL WR
After catching four passes for 84 yards in the opener, things have gotten really ugly for Roddy White. Over the last three games, he's been targeted just four times. Last week against the Texans, he played just 65 percent of the offensive snaps -- easily White's lowest usage of the season. Hankerson, meanwhile, is coming off his best game of the season: eight targets, six receptions and 103 yards. Hankerson struggled with dropped passes the previous two games, but played clean this week. White has been droppable for a few weeks now, while Hankerson's need to be owned has steady climbed during that time.
Tavon Austin WR STL
It might be time to believe in Austin. He was given four carries in each of the first two games, while only catching three balls for four yards. Now over the last two games, he's caught 11 passes for 134 yards. Last week against the Cardinals, Austin was the on the field for nearly 90 percent of the game, up from 85 percent in Week 3. He broke out with six catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Austin also recorded two carries for 20 yards. The next two weeks aren't ideal matchups against the Packers and Browns, however, Week 8 against the 49ers is a game to circle as one to exploit.
Richard Rodgers TE GB
The easiest way to identify a tight end that's about to see a big jump in snaps is by following the injury bug. Prior to being knocked out of action on Monday night, Eric Ebron's recent surge came during a large spike in snaps with Brandon Pettigrew out of commission. Now it's Rodgers benefiting from Andrew Quarless being placed on IR -- designated not to return until at least Week 12. Rodgers played 61-70 percent of the snaps in the first three games, but saw his playing time skyrocket to nearly 91 percent last week against the 49ers. In addition to scoring his second touchdown of the year, his stat line featured season highs of six targets, five receptions and 45 yards.
Marquess Wilson WR CHI
If Alshon Jeffery can't go in Week 5, Wilson has serious sleeper value against a Chiefs pass defense that has allowed 80 or more receiving yards to a pair of wide receivers from the opposing team in all four games. Last week against the Raiders, Wilson set season highs across the board with eight targets, six receptions and 80 yards. Prior to that performance, Wilson has been fairly quiet despite playing nearly 85 percent of the offensive snaps.
Kenny Stills WR MIA
For some reason, the Dolphins have been giving Greg Jennings more than 61 percent of the offensive snaps. Through four games, he has just seven catches for 54 yards to show for it. Rishard Matthews has been the other starting outside receiver. He came into last week's London game against the Jets with consecutive 100-yard efforts, but was limited to one catch for six yards.
Despite playing just 43 percent of the snaps -- his lowest rate of deployment since the opener -- Stills was the lone bright spot with 81 yards on five catches. On the season, Matthews has six targets of 20 or more yards downfield while Stills is right behind him with five. The Dolphins are on a bye this week and have made a change at head coach. It will be interesting to see if playing time of the Dolphins wide receivers is altered. Stills showed flashes last year prior to being traded during the offseason by the Saints and could be a big part of the solution.
Willie Snead WR NO
You know the New Orleans passing game is struggling when Snead leads the team with 240 yards through four games. Last week against the Cowboys, Snead paced the Saints with six catches for 89 yards. The last three weeks have seen Snead's playing time jump 50 percent of the snaps to nearly 66 percent. His rise has come at the expensive of Brandon Coleman. After playing 78 percent of the snaps in the opener, Coleman has lost significant playing time. His snap count plummeted to under 28 percent last week. This uptick for Snead comes at just the right time for a friendly matchup against the Eagles.
Stefon Diggs WR MIN
I already mentioned how bad the Chiefs have been against wide receivers. Well, Diggs is a dart to throw if Charles Johnson remains sidelined with his rib injury following this week's bye. After being inactive for the previous three games, Diggs played 56 percent of the snaps against the Broncos. Facing a tough defense, Diggs caught eight passes on 10 targets while leading the team with 87 yards. Surprisingly, Adam Thielen led the Vikings wide receivers in snaps played and was targeted seven times.