I’m going to be straight with you - this is flat out the most important article I write for fantasy football each week. It makes me a better fantasy player simply to write it so you better believe it will make you a better fantasy gamer to read it. All my weekly fantasy rankings are based on this and all of my waiver wire decisions as well. It is literally a review of every position for every team for each week. The next best thing to watching every single game. 

This article goes best with our snap count tool where you can see all of the raw snap numbers. But I take it a step further letting you know who got the pass snaps, two minute drill, who pass blocked, who played slot, who played two WR sets. I do my best to let you know who is getting the work and who isn’t. So, without further ado, here is Week One!

 


NFL Snap Count Breakdown for Week 1

49ers - 68 Snaps

WR: This team uses fullback Kyle Juszczyk on so many snaps they don’t really have a full time WR3. Makes our life easy - it’s Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk then who cares.

RB:  We thought Elijah Mitchell might have more of a role but Christian McCaffrey played 58 snaps to on;y 10 for Mitchell. So Mitchell is more of a pure handcuff than a handcuff plus.

TE: George Kittle has been banged up but he played here - only 47 of 68 snaps so not the full Kittle experience but good enough to throw in lineups. 

 

Bears - 74 Snaps

WR: The Bears have a lot more weapons so they deployed more three WR sets. DJ Moore (68), Darnell Mooney (62), and Chase Claypool (58) are the guys. It was actually Mooney that primarily operated out of the slot (36 snaps) with Cole Kmet mixing in and no other WR playing double digits.  

RB:  Ugly spit here. Khalil Herbert started and played 27 snaps, Roschon Johnson played 29 which included mop up, and D’Onta Foreman got 21. Herbert obviously led in carries while Roschon led in pass snaps (23 for Roschon, 15 for Herbert, 16 for Foreman) but the fact that they were winning towards the end might have skewed that. We are rooting for Roschon but might just be a full timeshare. 

TE: Usage was pretty good for Cole Kmet outside of him blocking on six pass plays (about 10%). He played 72 of 74 snaps and played 43 of them from a WR spot which makes him more relevant than we expected.   
 

Bengals - 56 Snaps

WR: Despite the terrible game, it was what we expect at WR. Ja’Mar Chase and Tee Higgins as the full time guys on the outside, Tyler Boyd in the slot. 

RB:  Joe Mixon played 35 snaps but got the bulk of the work before the starter were pulled. After that it was Trayveon Williams. 

TE: Irv Smtih Jr mixed and matched with blocking tight end Drew Sample and additional WRs, playing 30 of 56 snaps and running 25 of 36 routes. Not enough to matter to us. 
 

Bills - 69 Snaps

WR: Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs were your outside guys. Bradon Beane told us they would be using two tight ends sets (or really, just starting Kincaid at slot WR) so there was no reason to roster guys like Deonte Harty, Trent Sherfield, or Khalil Shakir. 

RB:  Great news for James Cook owners - he played 41 snaps and dominated in both phases. It was actually Latavius Murray next (16 snaps) followed by Damien Harris. 

TE:  There is a new slot wide receiver in Buffalo and his name is Dalton Kincaid. He played 47 snaps at WR, eight inline. And we can start him at tight end. Dawson Knox also played a ton of snaps - he played 38 at WR and 19 inline so they are moving guys all over. Good news for tight end enthusiasts. 
 

Browns - 74 Snaps

WR: Amari Cooper got nicked up but he was clearly the top dog before the ankle issue. Donovan Peoples-Jones actually led with 66 snaps but Elijah Moore, operating primarily out of the slot on 18 of his 51 snaps, got the targets. Will be interesting to see how this shakes out, especially if Amari misses time. 

RB:  The final snap counts for Nick Chubb (36) and Jerome Ford (30) don’t paint the full picture as Jerome Ford mostly played during garbage time. It’s finally wheels up for Nick Chubb with no Kareem Hunt. 

TE:  David Njoku should have had a favorable matchup here but instead he blocked on 17.2% of his pass plays and only ran 24 of 35 routes. Not what we like to see but he’s worth holding to see another game. 
 

Buccaneers - 68 Snaps

WR: Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are your top dogs as expected. Trey Palmer (23) and Deven Thompkins (18) didn’t play nearly enough to matter, they used a blocking tight end too often.

RB: There were rumors that this backfield could be split but then it ended up being Rachaad White (54) then everyone else (Sean Tucker - 10, Chase Edmonds - 8). White didn’t look amazing but it’s his job for now. 

TE: Cade Otten played 66 of 68 snaps which is nice but he blocked on 7 pass plays which we don’t like. They have a blocking tight end in Ko Kieft so I wish they would let Otton run free. He needs an injury to Godwin or Evans to be trustworthy anyway.  
 

Broncos - 64 Snaps

WR: With Jerry Jeudy out there was an opportunity for someone else to step up but no one really did. The rookie Marvin Mims was fourth (17 snaps) behind Courtland Sutton (55), Lil’Jordan Humphrey (45), and Brandon Johnson (32). Jeudy should slide right back into his role when he gets back. 

RB: Both Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine got 29 snaps a piece - Javonte skewed run downs, Perine pass. Now Javonte just needs to prove he deserves the snaps in all phases.

TE: Greg Dulcich is going to miss multiple weeks here but we aren’t going to chase Adam Trautman who is more of an inline blocking tight end. 
 

Cardinals - 61 Snaps

WR: We liked the idea of Michael Wilson with a last pick and we love the fact that he led the team in snaps with 56. Marquise Brown played 52 and Ronald Moore was the odd man out with 42. 

RB: James Conner is the full time back here - 52 snaps. He’s injury prone so keep an eye on Keaontay Ingram though Ingram only played 7 snaps.

TE: Zach Ertz showed he’s ready to go off the knee injury - 48 snaps, 33 of 38 routes, only 1 pass block snap, 10 targets. One of the top waiver adds. 
 

Cowboys - 58 Snaps

WR: This game was a mess so we didn’t quite get to see this offense in full swing. CeeDee Lamb led in snaps and routes. Michael Gallup played 39 snaps to 34 for Cooks but Cooks ran 22 routes to 21 for Gallup. Need another week to fully decipher.

RB:  Tony Pollard is the big man on campus now - he got all the meaningful work. Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn split the scraps. 

TE: Jake Ferguson started and played 42 snaps but only ran 14 routes. Peyton Hendershot ran 12. Still, the game was a mess so might not be meaningful but would sure love to see Ferguson run more routes than 50%. 
 

Chargers - 80 Snaps

WR: Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are your full time WRs as expected. Joshua Palmer played 52 snaps to only 22 for Quentin Johnston so the rookie has some work to do to flip that before we can utilize him. 

RB:  Austin Ekeler was unreal until he got banged up. Now with him questionable, Joshua Kelley is the next man up and a waiver add if you lost JK Dobins, Ekeler, or Aaron Jones. 

TE: Gerald Everett is likely a few injuries away from being startable. He only ran 24 routes out of 46. Donald Parham scored but he ran 20 of 46. 
 

Chiefs - 65 Snaps 

WR: Bit of a mess here. Skyy Moore (45) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (41) led the charge. Kadarius made an incredible number of bad plays for a guy that only played 16 snaps. Richie James and Rashee Rice were only part time players, playing less than half the snaps but the rookie Rashee Rice is intriguing. 

RB:  We expected Jerick McKinnon to get more work in the pass game but he split the pass snaps with Isiah Pacheco while Pacheco got most of the carries. Pacheco is the guy to own. 

TE: Noah Gray was used fairly similarly to Travis Kelce - he’s just not as good. Worth a stab whenever Kelce is out but obviously he’s not a long term option.
 

Colts - 72 Snaps

WR: Michael Pittman led all WRs in snap share last year and he’s right back at it with 70 snaps this week. Alex Pierce played opposite him (66) with Josh Downs in the slot (57). Easy as that.

RB:  Deon Jackson got the bulk of the work with 51 snaps and Evan Hull was injured and put on IR. So it’s Deon Jackson, Jake Funk, and maybe Zack Moss if he’s healthy. 

TE: Jelani Woods is on IR. Andrew Ogletree started but got hurt. A sneaky play here is Kylen Granson who played a bunch of snaps at WR. More of a DFS play but worth a stab. 

 

Commanders - 71 Snaps

WR: Terry McLaurin (63) seems fine coming off the turf toe. He and Jahan Dotson (62) played a ton of snaps. Curtis Samuel was third with 46, mainly out of the slot. 

RB: They just don’t like Antonio Gibson for some reason. Brian Robinson not only started and played the most snaps but he even played 24 pass snaps to 22 for Gibson. He’s the guy you want. 

TE: Logan Thomas played 58 snaps including 30 from a WR spot. He might not have crazy upside but could be solid for bye weeks or injuries. 
 

Dolphins - 67 Snaps

WR: The use of a fullback usually limits the snaps to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle as the full time guys. Players like Braxton Berrios and River Cracraft mix in but are not dependable. 

RB:  With Jeff Wilson on IR and De’Von Achane nursing a shoulder injury, Raheem Moster played 49 of 67 snaps. We’ll have to see what it looks like with Achane back but not a bad bet.

TE: Durham Smythe played every snaps - he did block on five pass plays but ran 42 routes. He’s not terribly athletic but that kind of usage will make him a serviceable option at times. Not vs. New England this week. 
 

Eagles - 66 Snaps

WR: DeVonta Smith (65) and AJ Brown (60) out wide, Quez Watkins (52) in the slot. Quez Watkins was marginally relevant when Dallas Goedert was hurt last year but that’s about it. 

RB:  Kenenth Gainwell was used like the bellcow here with 41 snaps to 19 for D’Andre Swift though Nick Sirriani mentioned Swift should get more work. Rashaad Penny was a healthy scratch. 

TE: Dallas Goedert played his usual snaps and ran 38 of 42 routes but Kyle Dugger is a tough matchup. He will have better days. 

 

Falcons - 51 Snaps

WR: Drake London led with 46 snaps and Mack Hollins was next with 32 making him no more than a DFS play. In fact, if this team is going to throw 18 times a game like this, no one is worth starting. Need to see a tougher matchup.

RB: Bijan Robinson looked awesome and skewed pass, Tyler Allgeier did some heavy lifting on the ground and scored the TDs. Not what we wanted from Bijan as a first round pick. 

TE: Kyle Pitts did play 23 of his snaps at WR with 8 inline which is nice but this team just doesn’t throw enough. So his high aDot, high target share etc. doesn’t mean much. 

 

Giants - 70 Snaps

WR: This game was gross. And no one really separated themselves. Parris Campbell and Darius Slayton led with only 47 snaps each followed by Isaiah Hodgins with 42 and Jalin Hyatt with 25. Might just want to stash Wan’Dale Robinson. 

RB: Saquon Barkley is a guy you start every week, Matt Breida is the next man up. 

TE: Darren Waller is the guy but clearly he was not healthy as he’s dealing with a hamstring injury. Need him full strength. 

 

Jaguars - 70 Snaps

WR: The rumors were true - Christian Kirk was relegated to a slot guy while Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones played on the outside. That could hurt Kirk’s upside if it doesn’t change. 

RB: The Travis Etienne/Tank Bigsby split was over exaggerated this offseason as Etienne played 56 snaps while Bigsby only played 15. 

TE: Evan Engram might not have a crazy upside with Ridley in town but he is a solid option in a barren landscape. 
 

Jets - 54 Snaps

WR: Yeesh, the Aaron Rodgers injury hurts bad. Zach Wilson and Allen Lazard were the top guys and they used a lot of two TE sets so Randall Cobb (22) was a distant third. 

RB: All of Dalvin Cook (27), Breece Hall (17), and Michael Carter (12) played but Breece was certainly the most explosive, even coming off the knee injury. 

TE: It was a bad matchup in general and the QB got hurt but I have no interest in Tyler Conklin or CJ Uzomah. If you had to pick one it was Conklin who ran 20 of 27 routes. 

 

Lions - 70 Snaps

WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown is the sun god - after that Josh Reynolds and Marvin Jones did their best but are tough to trust. If you have to go with someone it’s Reynolds but I’m stashing Jameson Williams.  

RB: We knew this split would be possible but it’s looking like David Montgomery (55) for short yardage with Jahmyr Gibbs (19) in space and pass downs. But those were 19 of the most impressive snaps I’ve seen in a while so expect that to even out. 

TE: Sam LaPorta looked rock solid for a rookie though we’d like it better if he didn’t block on five pass plays. He played 58 snaps but ran 27 of 37 routes - would like that to have been 32. We will keep an eye on that.  
 

Packers - 60 Snaps

WR: This game was a bit of a blowout plus not everyone was healthy. Of 30 pass plays, the leaders in routes were Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs with 20 and Dontayvion Wicks with 19. When all is said and done it should be Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs on the outside with Reed in the slot. 

RB: Aaron Jones was more efficient but they showed they are willing to split the load with the young guy.  Both could be viable in the right matchups. 

TE: Luke Musgrave actually led all pass catchers with 24 routes and he played 16 routes at WR. With him, Kincaid, and LaPorta there are THREE promising rookie tight ends this year.
 

Panthers - 77 Snaps

WR: HEAVY 11 personnel usage here. Terrace Marchall (69), Adam Thielen (68), and Jonathan Mingo (67) played virtually the whole game. Which would be nice if DJ Chark wasn’t coming back at some point to disrupt that. Will be interesting to see how he fits in.

RB: Miles Sanders got the bulk of the relevant work including the two minute drill and pass work. Chuba Hubbard looked okay though when he mixed in sporadically - we’ll have to see if he can carve out some work but Sanders is also coming off a groin injury. 

TE: Hayden Hurst was clearly the pass catching tight end running 30 routes while Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas both ran less than 10. But Hurst only played 41 of 77 snaps which isn’t ideal, we want more. 
 

Patriots - 80 Snaps

WR: With Juju Smith-Schuster banged up (43) and DeVante Parker/ Tyquan Thornton out, Kendrick Bourne led the charge with 73 snaps. No one really played enough to matter for fantasy next week. 

RB: Rhamondre Stevenson has dealt with some issues but he still played 58 snaps through Ezekiell Elliott saw 7 targets on his 28 snaps. 

TE: Mike Gesicki is working his way back from a separated shoulder and played only 33 snaps - virtually all from a WR spot with only 1 inline snap. Hunter Henry was the guy
 

Raiders - 59 Snaps

WR: Davante Adams is a must start always but Jakobi Meyers established himself as the clear WR 2 this week playing 47 of 59 snaps. No other WR, including Hunter Renfrow, played more than 13 snaps as they used extra tight ends and a fullback. 

RB:  It’s the Josh Jacobs show. Ameer Abdullah was second with 7 snaps. 

TE:  As of now there is no fantasy option here. 31 snaps for Austin Hooper (18 of 32 routes) and 29 for Michael Mayer (9 routes). Gross.
 

Rams - 81 Snaps

WR: With Cooper Kupp out your top three wide receivers were Van Jefferson (75), Tutu Atwell (64), and Puka Nacua (63). Nacua stole the show in that Cooper Kupp role. The only question is what happens when Kupp comes back.

RB:  Cam Akers started and was the early down back but Kyren Williams played 53 snaps to his 28 including most of the pass work. He’s a sneaky waiver add.

TE: Tyler Higbee should have been a viable play this week but he blocked on six pass plays. That has killed him his whole career. 
 

Ravens - 64 Snaps

WR: Rashod Bateman has been nursing a foot injury and that may still be the case as he only played 25 snaps while Odell Beckham Jr played 59 and Zay Flowers played 54. Flowers looked explosive out there. 

RB:  JK Dobbins once again is done for the year, this time with an Achilles. They reportedly won’t add anyone so it’s looking like Gus Edward as the short yardage back with Justice Hill in the Dobbins role. 

TE: Isaiah Likely did his best to be Mark Andrews but only Mark Andrews is Mark Andrews. We anxiously await his return. 

 

Saints - 65 Snaps

WR: Michael Thomas (52) and Chris Olave (51) led in snaps with Rashid Shaheed (35) as a part time field stretcher who made his play worth it. I still trust Olave and MT over Shaheed.

RB: Alvin Kamara is suspended and Kendre Miller is hurt so Jamaal Williams was the guy with 49 snaps. Next up is Tony Jones

TE: Juwan Johnson played 49 snaps and ran 32 of 39 routes which isn’t bad but there is a bit of a target crunch in New Orleans. 
 

Seahawks - 50 Snaps

WR: DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett were the outside guys playing nearly all the snaps with Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the slot (29 snaps). Lockett might miss time though which opens the door for the rookie. 

RB: We thought the rookie Zach Charbonnett (11) could split the snaps but he played the same number of snaps as DeeJay Dallas. It’s Kenneth Walker’s backfield (32 snaps). 

TE: These guys all rotated with Noah Fant (25) then Colby Parkinson (21) then Will Dissly (16). No one you can trust.
 

Steelers - 63 Snaps

WR: With Diontae Johnson set to miss time, it will be George Pickens, Allen Robinson, and Calvin Austin. Pickens is the most interesting but can’t rule out ARob. 

RB: Najee Harris played 33 snaps to 25 for Jaylen Warren. Najee maintained his role in the two minute drill which is important but Warren continues to threaten to take away some work. 

TE: Pat Freiermuth was playing his typical role but suffered a chest injury on a tough hit. We’ll have to monitor his status but next man up is rookie Darnell Washington. 
 

Texans - 77 Snaps

WR: Robert Woods (58), Nico Collins (55), and Noah Brown (52) led the charge with Tank Dell behind (37). John Metchie was out for this once so it’s not finalized yet but Collins and Woods got double digit targets each. 

RB: We thought Devin Singletary could be the pass down back but it was actually Mike Boone, who played 25 snaps to 36 for Dameon Pierce. Both Pierce and Boone played 25 pass plays. 

TE: Dalton Schultz led the team in routes with 51 and only blocked on one pass play. That is promising usage despite the mediocre results.
 

Titans - 63 Snaps 

WR: Treylon Burks managed to recover quickly from a knee issue - he, DeAndre Hopkins, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine played big snap shares. 

RB: For the first time, this team actually did use a separate pass catching back in Tyjae Spears. He played 34 snaps to 30 for Henry and played 26 pass plays to Henry’s 14. Henry was still awesome, of course.

TE: Chigoziem Okonkwo played a goo snap share and ran 33 of 43 routes. He was just missed on a flea flicker that should have been a touchdown. With Burks and Hopkins, his upside is capped. 
 

Vikings - 64 Snaps

WR: Justin Jefferson is a star obviously - 63 of 64 snaps. The battle is between KJ Osborn (58) and Jordan Addison (36) for second. Osborn might not be able to hold Addison off for long.

RB: ALexander Mattison got the big dog share with 47 snaps and is looking like a highly viable option for fantasy football.

TE: With everything going on at tight end, you have to be happy to have TJ Hockenson. 37 routes run, only blocked on one pass play. That’s nice.