It’s crunch time now ladies and gentlemen. No more fooling around. We’re only stashing guys for the playoffs and because, at the end of the day, that’s all that matters. So let’s look at who is actually playing so we can put ourselves in a position to succeed. 

 

Arizona Cardinals

WR: So much for Marquise Brown being “limited” - he led the Cardinals by playing 63 of 65 snaps. DeAndre Hopkins played 48, AJ Green, 34, and Robbie Anderson 28.

RB: With Eno Benjamin out of the picture it was all James Conner. 63 of 65 snaps.

TE: Trey McBride has not been Zach Ertz but he’s at least playing that role. He played 52 snaps and only pass blocked on time. With Hollywood back it’s a little cramped for targets though.

Atlanta Falcons

WR: Even with Kyle Pitts out, the Falcons insist on running multiple. So Drake London and Olamide Zaccheus are the only guys that play anything even resembling a full snap share.

RB: They seem pretty content on splitting the running work - 11 carries for each Patterson and Allgeier. Patterson ran 16 routes to 7 for Allgeier so he still gets the nod for me between the two.

TE: This is now a nightmare situation. Here were the snaps: Parker Hesse 35, MyCole Pruitt 32, Anthony Firkser 22. But the routes run were: Hesse 9, Pruitt 4, Firkser 13. That’s on 26 drop backs…

Baltimore Ravens

WR: The Ravens are really hurting at WR without Bateman. Devin Duvernay led running 32 of 40 routes while Demarcus Robinson ran 27. The real leader for this team is Mark Andrews (38).

RB: They love Gus Edwards. He came back and took over running down duties though Kenyan Drake ran 13 routes to 7 for Gus. At some point JK Dobbins will return to further complicate the backfield.

TE: Mark Andrews played his usual monster snap share leading the team in routes. He’s locked in. The question is whether Isaiah Likely can return and become viable (or at least a DFS dart throw). He’s back from the ankle this week so we’ll monitor his usage.

Buffalo Bills

WR: Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis are your outside wide receivers while Isaiah McKenzie mans the slot. The issue for McKenzie is that they still like using tight ends and fullbacks so he rarely plays the entire game the way Davis and Diggs do.

RB: The trade for Nyheim Hines seems to be special teams based on Devin Singletary remains the man with James Cook mixing in on some pass snaps.

TE: The usage for Dawson Knox continues to be solid with 42 of 55 routes run. The main problem is that he’s not really a focal point of the offense so they need these games with 55 pass plays to get him going.

Carolina Panthers

WR: DJ Moore has the second highest snap share of any WR in the league this year at ~97% so you can at least count on him to play. Terrace Marshall ran 18 of 20 routes then they used too many tight ends for anyone else to pop. The next man up would likely be Laviska Shenault. Shi Smith had a role but fumbled in Week 11 and was given the doghouse treatment.

RB: D’Onta Foreman continues to be the lead dog though Chuba Hubbard got a bump in work this week. Neither back is really featured in the pass game.

TE: Neither tight end is viable in most formats but, if you ahd to pick one, it would be Tommy Tremble. He runs more routes than Ian Thomas.

Chicago Bears

WR: Darnell Mooney is officially out for the season which makes a bad situation worse. Chase Claypool led in snaps so he’s our bet to be the top dog. Byron Pringle is likely to play opposite Chase on the outside with Dante Pettis in the slot. EQSB should be in the mix as well so hard to really trust anyone.

RB: With Khalil Herbert on IR, Darrynton Evans emerged as the new compliment to David Montgomery. Monty is now a fairly safe option for fantasy.

TE: Over the last two weeks, Cole Kmet has played every single snap. He’s also only been asked to pass block twice in each game. So he’s actually in a pretty solid spot in terms of usage.

Cincinnati Bengals

WR: Even if Ja’Marr Chase is limited, we’ll be back to the world where it’s the same six guys you can consider for fantasy: QB, 3 WR, 1 RB, 1 TE. At wide receiver, it’s obviously Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd.

RB: As long as Joe Mixon is out, Samaje Perine is the man. When Mixon gets back, we pivot back to Mixon. Pretty simple.

TE: Hayden Hurst doesn’t really play the full game (46 of 70 snaps which is about usual). But he ran 36 of 45 routes (Mitchell Wilcox ran 9 despite playing 25 snaps) so Hurst is a safe, albeit boring, option for fantasy.

Cleveland Browns

WR: They ran 79 plays this week - Amari Cooper (73) and Donovan Peoples-Jones (76) played virtually all of them. David Bell (50) is the slot guy who comes out for two WR sets.

RB: It used to be a split where Nick Chubb gets more run work and Kareem Hunt gets more pass work but as of late it’s looked more like Nick Chubb gets the run work then they split the pass work fairly evenly. This could be a week for both of them to get work vs. a lowly Texans defense.

TE: David Njoku has been ruled OUT for this week so Harrison Bryant will be the top dog. He’s a risky play but could pay off with the QB change.

Dallas Cowboys

WR: CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup on most snaps, Noah Brown comes in for three WR sets. That’s locked in unless the Odell Beckham Jr. rumors end up being true.

RB: On paper it looks like they split things down the middle with 18 run plays for Pollard, 17 for Zeke and 12 routes for Pollard, 13 for Zeke. But it’s clear that Pollard is their guy they like to use in space and on clear pass downs while Zeke is the bulldozer in the goal line and short yardage.

TE: Slightly concerning for Dalton Schultz - he played 63 of 75 snaps but he was asked to block on 10 pass plays so only ran 21 of 36 routes. Tight end is a tough position so you start him but we don’t like seeing that. Jake Ferguson ran five routes and Peyton Hendershot ran six so they can’t be trusted.

Denver Broncos

WR: Out of 60 plays, Cortland Sutton played 56 and Kendall Hinton played 55. Should remain that way until Jerry Jeudy or KJ Hamler return. The third WR was Brandon Johnson (42).

RB: With Melvin Gordon gone, Latavius Murray is the man. 49 of 60 snaps.

TE: Greg Dulcich is playing a large snap share and he actually played more snaps at slot than he did in-line. His usage is good but the offense is bad.

Detroit Lions

WR: DJ Chark returned so Josh Reynolds went on the back burner. Jameson Williams is close to making his debut and, when that happens, Kalif Raymond should see a similar fate. Amon-Ra St. Brown will keep his slot role.

RB: Even if D’Andre Swift is fully healthy, it’s pretty clear they like Jamaal Williams doing the dirty work in the short yardage game. So the split should remain though Swift might do enough in the pass game to make it work your while in fantasy.

TE: This has developed into a split tight end situation - Brock Wright played 48 snaps but ran only 14 routes while Shane Zylstra played only 17 snaps but ran 15 routes. James Mitchell played 17 routes ran 9. So you really can’t start anyone.

Green Bay Packers

WR: Christian Watson and Allen Lazard played virtually the whole game - and, if Christian Watson can produce against Darius Slay/ James Bradberry, he’s a good bet to produce against anyone. Romeo Doubs is expected to return soon to likely be the third WR.

RB: Aaron Jones  continues to play more than AJ Dillon is all phases. Makes it hard to trust Dillon though Dillon does have four carries inside the five yard line this season to only one for Jones.

TE: We say this every week - Robert Tonyan doesn’t play enough. He played 25 of 49 snaps this week.

Houston Texans

WR: Nico Collins and Brandin Cooks are the guys on the outside, Chris Moore plays the slot. Can’t really trust any of them in fantasy but Cooks and Collins lead in snaps.

RB: Dameon Pierce is getting the work but he is really starting to look like he needs good matchups to produce. The Browns are the best matchup he will get (since only his Texans are worse vs. the run) so, if Pierce can’t get it done this week, he will be hard to slot in moving forward.

TE: Teagan Quitoriano technically led in snaps but Jordan Akins is clear the better pass catcher (and ran more routes at 26 to 22).

Indianapolis Colts

WR: This has been the same for weeks now. Michael Pittman is the split end playing every snap. In two wide receiver sets, Parris Campbell plays flanker. When they go three wide, Alec Pierce comes into the game and Campbell moves to the slot. Campbell is being used kind of how Chris Godwin or Cooper Kupp are used (though obviously, not as efficiently).

RB: Jonathan Taylor is locked in - 59 of 64 snaps.

TE: Jelani Woods with the breakout game out of nowhere! He had yet to play more than 38% of the snaps in a game but this week he comes out and plays 64%. This could be a sign of things to come under Jeff Saturday so he’s worth the stash. When Kylen Granson gets back it could go back to a committee though.

Jacksonville Jaguars

WR: Same as always - Zay Jones, Christian Kirk, and Marvin Jones are your three WRs that play. When one comes out for two-WR sets, it’s Marvin Jones.

RB: Travis Etienne was out so JaMycal Hasty stepped up and played 49 of 63 snaps. Etienne is expected back though so Hasty goes back to his sporadic usage.

TE: Evan Engram continues to play a ton (his 81% route participation was top five among tight ends last week). But Zay Jones and Christian Kirk are the top targets. This week Engram gets a good matchup vs. the Lions with a 51.5 point over/under so, if he can’t flash this week, he can be dropped in most leagues.

Kansas City Chiefs

WR: The Chiefs have quietly used two tight end sets on 60%+ of the snaps the last two weeks which limits the snaps for WRs. Justin Watson played 64 of 76 snaps, MVS played 44, Skyy Moore played 35, Juju played 29. Makes it hard to lean into any one guy.

RB: Isiah Pacheco is clearly the starter and early down back while Jerick McKinnon handles the pass work. Game script decides who plays more.

TE: Travis Kelce is locked in but, as we mentioned, Noah Gray has been getting some additional work. If this game is a shootout, he might not play as much but could be a sneaky DFS play because he’s practically free.

Las Vegas Raiders

WR: Davante Adams (77 of 77 snaps) and Mack Hollins (74) don’t really come out of the game. Keelan Cole (50) is filling in for Hunter Renfrow in the slot.

RB: Josh Jacobs is an absolute beast - the only thing that can hold him back at this point is injury but, if he’s active at all, you have to get him in there.

TE: Foster Moreau plays a ton of snaps with Waller out but he’s really not that good. This should have been a slam dunk matchup for him against one of the worst TE defenses in the league but, on 77 snaps while throwing 39 times, he only caught three passes. Another safe but boring option as he’s never had more than 67 yards in a game.

Los Angeles Chargers

WR: The starters are Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Josh Palmer but Mike Wiliams is out so DeAndre Carter steps up. When Williams returns, he goes back to primarily kickoff and punt return duty.

RB: Austin Ekeler has the fourth most receptions of any player in the league - not just RB, anyone. The other backs just spell him sporadically

TE: Gerald Everett returned and played 38 of 66 snaps. He honestly never plays the full game anyway as, even when healthy, he’s only played more than 70% of the snaps one time. He’s a decent option but doesn’t have tremendous upside because of that.

Los Angeles Rams

WR: This team is a mess - with Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson out, it was Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell, and Lance McCutcheon. With backup quarterbacks playing Van Jefferson is the only one worth discussing.

RB: Kyren Williams got a 70% snap share to Cam Akers who only played 16 of 54 snaps. The team isn’t really good enough to support any RB option but Williams is the play if you are desperate.

TE:  Tyler Higbee only ran 11 of 29 routes and was not targeted. The switch from Bryce Perkins to John Wolford could help him a bit but he’s clearly risky coming off no catches.

Miami Dolphins

WR: This was a blowout so some guys like Cedrick Wilson and River Cracraft got more work than usual. But the set up is typically Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle every snap, Trent Sherfield rotates in the slot with Mike Gesicki.

RB: Jeff Wilson has gotten the bulk of the work as of late but Raheem Mostert should be active this week and there is the revenge game narrative vs. his former team.

TE:  Durham Smythe plays in-line tight end, Mike Gesicki rotates at the slot. Gesicki ran 31 routes, Smythe ran 9 despite them having similar snap counts.

Minnesota Vikings

WR: Justin Jefferson (66) and Adam Thielen (63) played their typical full snaps out of 68. KJ Osborn mixed in the slot with 38.

RB: Dalvin Cook is the man, Alexander Mattison is the handcuff.

TE:  TJ Hockenspn is getting a full workload since changing teams - he’s as good of a start as any tight end not named Kelce.

New England Patriots

WR: It’s hard to trust any wide receiver here but, when healthy, Jakobi Meyers is the best bet. DeVante Parker is the only other one trusted to play enough snaps as everyone else rotates.

RB: Rhamondre Stevenson has been responsible for nearly a third of the production for this offense this year. Damien Harris is banged up so that should continue.

TE:  Hunter Henry came close to two touchdowns this week - he ran 31 routes compared to only 9 for Jonnu so he’s the better option. That said, they threw 42 times which is high for this team so Henry isn’t running all the routes either.

New Orleans Saints

WR: This week no wide receiver really played all the snaps (Chris Olave led with 38 of 57). But Olave did run 32 of 37 routes. The next highest were Jarvis Landry (26) and Rashid Shaheed (25).

RB: Alvin Kamara is the only back playing meaningful snaps.

TE: This gets more convoluted by the week. Taysom Hill actually lined up in a tight end type capacity 19 times this week. Adam Trautman led the team with 35 snaps but only ran 15 routes. Juwan Johnson ran 21 routes but only on 27 snaps. Yucky.

New York Giants

WR: Darius Slayton is the de facto top dog right now with the issues they’ve had this year. Isaiah Hodgins and Richie James are your next best options. Kenny Golladay only played 19 of 64 snaps.

RB: Saquon Barkley is the lone bright spot here really - no running back in the league plays a higher percentage fo snaps than Barkley on average.

TE: Daniel Bellinger should make his return which puts the rest of the tight end speculation to bed. Now let’s see how effective Bellinger can be.

New York Jets

WR: Garrett Wilson is the clear leader on this team running 28 of 30 routes. Corey Davis ran 23 and no one else ran more than 13. They used two tight ends often instead.

RB: Michael Carter got nicked up so Zonovan Knight took over the run duties with Ty Johnson operating on pass downs. The injury to Carter isn’t as bad as initially reported which pours some cold water on the hype there.

TE: Tyler Conklin played 50 snaps and ran 22 routes, CJ Uzomahplayed 49 and ran 18. Pretty heavy two tight end sets but not really heavy usage in the pass game.

Philadelphia Eagles

WR: AJ Brown (77 of 80 snaps) and DeVonta Smith (74) are the guys on the outside. They went heavy three WR sets here so Quez Watkins also played 66 snaps.

RB: Miles Sanders is the starter and looks good, Kenneth Gainwell helps out primary on pass plays. The issue is Jalen Hurts having the second most carries inside the five yard line of any quarterback in the league.

TE: There really is not a viable pass-catching tight end here until Dallas Goedert returns. Jack Stoll is the dart throw but he’s more of a blocker.

Pittsburgh Steelers

WR: Diontae Johnson and George Pickens are your two full time outside wide receivers. They used a lot of two tight end sets so no other WR played even 50% of the snaps.

RB: Najee Harris was limited all week in practice but now doesn’t have an injury designation. Jaylen Warren practiced all week but is now listed as questionable. Very strange, but sounds like Najee is good to go.

TE: As we mentioned, they used a lot of two tight end sets but Pat Freiermuth ran 28 routes to only 11 for Zach Gentry.

San Francisco 49ers

WR: Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel are the dudes. For Jauan Jennings to play a bigger snap share he honestly needs an injury to Kyle Juszczyk. They use the fullback too often at the expense of the slot WR.

RB: Elijah Mitchell is out and Christian McCaffrey is banged up (but is going to play). You start CMC regardless. Next man up seems to be Jordan Mason.

TE: George Kittle continues to play his typical usage, the Saints are just the toughest matchup for a tight end. Better games ahead.

Seattle Seahawks

WR: Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf are the dudes. Marquise Goodwin plays around 50% of the snaps which is not enough. They use Noah Fant and Will Dissly too much.

RB: Kenneth Walker is the only Seattle back you need to worry about. 46 of 65 snaps.

TE: Noah Fant and Will Dissly continue to split snaps - it’s usually Fant but this time Dissly got the edge with 28 routes to 26. But they threw 45 times so neither is being used enough.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

WR: Mike Evans is the split end. Chris Godwin plays flanker in two WR sets then moves to slot for three WR sets when Julio Jones comes in (and Julio then lines up out wide). This results in Evans and Godwin playing full snaps, Julio playing somewhere between 50-75%.

RB: Rachaad White has looked good but Leonard Fournette returns this week. We don’t know what the split will be but it’s not the best matchup vs. the Saints. White has looked good in the pass game so he might be the better option of the two.

TE: Cameron Brate is sick so he might miss this week - that would create a trap play in Cade Otton. His usage has been good when Brate is out but the Saints are the best team in the league vs. the tight end.

Tennessee Titans

WR: Technically Robert Woods and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine played more snaps than Treylon Burks but the routes were: Woods (32), Burks (31), Westbrook-Ikhine (29). So Burks is about as ramped up as he’s ever going to be.

RB: Derrick Henry is the man. Dontrell Hilliard mixes in on some pass plays.

TE: Austin Hooper is your best bet but he still only ran 28 routes on 38 pass plays. And 38 pass plays is a lot fo this team.

Washington Commanders

WR: They only threw 24 times which gives us a limited sample. Terry McLaurin ran 20 routes, Jahan Dotson ran 15, Curtis Samuel ran 15. Those are the three starters.

RB: Brian Robinson skews run snaps, Antonio Gibson skews pass snaps. That’s the set up with JD McKissic banged up.

TE: Logan Thomas actually ran the second-most routes (18) behind Terry McLaurin. You could do worse than that kind of participation but of course John Bates (11 routes) scores the touchdown.

 

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