Week Nine is in the books and Week Ten features some of the top teams on bye week (and also, the Rams). No Chiefs, Dolphins, or Eagles this week. Moving forward with this article we are going to really start focusing on the playoffs so there will be less talking about speculative stashes and more talking exclusively in terms of who you should roster and who you shouldn’t. 

Of course, there could be some guys like rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown that break out from Week 11 on so we’ll make sure you are aware of anyone getting that kind of opportunity but it’s hard to roster guys who haven’t cracked a 50% snap share all season. And that’s what we will focus on.

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 Three.

 

Fantasy Football Week 10 Snap Count Preview

San Francisco 49ers

BYE

Chicago Bears - 67 Snaps

WR: DJ Moore is obviously a guy that is fantasy-relevant and Darnell Mooney at least plays a good amount of snaps (57) making him a consideration. The third man is Tyler Scott (39) but he doesn’t play nearly enough.

RB: This is one of the last few frontiers with uncertainty. D’Onta Foreman has primarily handled the run work with 21 carries while Roschon Johnson led on pass plays. Khalil Herbert returns which should see Darrynton Evans be inactive. Will Herbert get his starting job back?

TE: Cole Kmet continues to get good deployment (57 snaps, 34 of 39 routes) and Tyson Bagent has liked him in recent weeks. Hopefully, that continues with Justin Fields back.

Cincinatti Bengals - 70

WR: This one is easy when everyone is healthy - it’s Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the outside, Tyler Boyd in the slot.

RB: Mixon continues to play a ton of snaps (51 this week). Doesn’t matter that he’s been inefficient when you get that big of an opportunity in an offense like this.

TE: There is no fantasy-relevant tight end on this team. Irv Smith is the closest, he ran only 23 of 49 routes.

Buffalo Bills - 58 Snaps

WR: Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis play the whole game on the outside. As long as Dawson Knox is out, Khalil Shakir (41) plays enough to be a DFS draft throw but can’t trust him in redraft.

RB:  Is this the week we see what Leonard Fournette’s role will be to cook? Right now James Cook starts (32 snaps) but Latavius Murray gets the high-leverage goal line and two minute drill work which makes them both tough starts.

TE:  I wish Dalton Kincaid could simply have the job to himself for the rest of the year but Dawson Knox is expected back at some point. Hopefully, he’s just been too good to put back in the bottle. He actually led the Bills pass-catchers running 46 of 47 routes.

Cleveland Browns - 73 Snaps

WR: Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore retained their roles but the surprise here was that, after trading Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cedric Tillman took over that full role playing 54 snaps which was only four less than Amari and 9 more than Elijah Moore. He could be worth a stash but DPJ wasn’t relevant in that role either.

RB:  Jerome Ford was the preferred back in all phases except one - Kareem Hunt does seem to skew short yardage which may include the goal line. But Ford is the better bet.

TE: David Njoku, after a couple of weeks of great deployment, was asked to block on seven pass plays this week which is less than ideal. Hopefully, that was a game script decision to protect Watson in a blowout but it does have us a little worried. Check back next week.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 66 Snaps

WR: Trey Palmer has really carved himself out a role here and once again played a solid snap share (48 snaps). He’s still the third man to Chris Godwin and Mike Evans but it could be worse. He and Godwin rotate at flanker and slot while Evans plays split end.

RB:  Rachaad White has gotten huge workloads all year and this week it finally paid off in a plus matchup. Cheers to those who stuck with him.

TE:  We’ve been telling you guys how much Cade Otton plays and the high number of routes he runs. This week he played all 66 snaps and ran 34 of 37 routes. He’s absolutely viable in fantasy.

Denver Broncos

BYE

Arizona Cardinals - 67 Snaps

WR: No Michael Wilson meant someone had to step up. And that someone was Zach Pascal though he only ran 21 of 34 routes. Marquise Brown ran 33 and Rondale Moore ran 27 (with his usual carries mixed in).

RB: James Conner is expected back soon which should relegate everyone back to backup duty. Until then, Keaontay Ingram remains your best bet.

TE: As long as Zach Ertz is out, Trey McBride is a decent option. Not this past week vs. the best TE defense with Clayton Tune at QB. But with Kyler Murray in better matchups, yes.

Dallas Cowboys - 75 Snaps

WR: CeeDee Lamb led the charge with 70 snaps followed by Brandin Cooks with 58. Michael Gallup (36) rotated with Jalen Tolbert (31) so, for now, neither is usable in fantasy.

RB:  Tony Pollard continues to get the bulk of the work (58 snaps) so you just hold your nose and start him. He honestly hasn’t been terrible and should have better games to come.

TE: We talked about how Jake Ferguson’s deployment has gotten better and better and this week he played 67 of 75 snaps and ran 50 of 57 routes. Have to feel good about that.

Los Angeles Chargers - 60 Snaps

WR: With Mike Williams and Joshua Palmer both out, Keenan Allen (50) and Quentin Johnston (48)were the top two dogs with Jalen Guyton (33) as the next man up. Johnston is finally interesting.

RB:  Austin Ekeler is the man and Joshua Kelley spells him. That’s the deal.

TE: Gerald Everett has played 23 games over the last two years and in 20 of those games he’s played less than 70% of the snaps. Regardless of how many WRs get hurt, he is a part time player. This week he played 32 and Donald Parham played 31.

Kansas City Chiefs - 60 Snaps

WR: Rahsee Rice is the top dog for snaps with 41 but he oddly only ran 22 routes (Justin Watson ran 28 and MVS ran 25). Rice is still the only interesting WR for fantasy football.

RB:  Isiah Pacheco once again in both run and pass downs. He played 41 snaps and the next highest was Jerick McKinnon with 15. 

TE: It was the rare down game for Travis Kelce but what are you going to do? Bench him?

Indianapolis Colts - 71 Snaps

WR: Josh Downs left the game with an injury so Isaiah McKenzie took over the slot. Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce played their usual full snaps outside.

RB: Jonathan Taylor is back. 45 snaps for him, 13 for Zack Moss. Let’s go!

TE: There’s really no option here outside of maybe a deep DFS shot on Kylen Granson. Who knows if/when Jelani Woods will be back.

Washington Commanders - 78 Snaps

WR: No Curtis Samuel saw Jamison Crowder (37) take over that slot role again. Terry McLaurin (67) and Jahan Dotson (59) are your guys on the outside.

RB: Good game script = Brian Robinson. Bad game script = Antonio Gibson. This was a BRob game.

TE: Logan Thomas ran 44 routes which was actually more than Dotson (42) and just one fewer than McLaurin. Good to see him back fully involved.

Miami Dolphins - 63 Snaps

WR: Jaylen Waddle continues to work through back issues but, when everyone is healthy, it’s him and Tyreek Hill. Braxton Berrios plays slot but his role doesn’t change when a top guy is banged up - Cedrick Wilson gets that outside role. Keep that in mind.

RB:  Raheem Mostert is the man but De’Von Achane could be back after the bye week. So we’ll have to see how that shakes out.

TE: Durham Smythe was asked to stay in and block on 10 pass plays this week. That is not going to cut it.

Philadelphia Eagles - 62 Snaps

WR: AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith are the dogs. With the Goedert injury, there would be opportunity for the third fiddle if it was one guy (last year Quez Watkins went from 2.1 targets per game to 4.3). But the role is split between Olamide Zaccheaus (26 snaps) and Julio Jones (19).

RB:  D’Andre Swift dominated snaps again, Kenneth Gainwell operated as backup. Same as usual.

TE: Dallas Goedert broke his arm here so expect Jack Stoll to get the starting nod with Albert Okwuegbunam mixing in, maybe a screen here or there. I don’t expect either to be fantasy-relevant but will keep you posted.

Atlanta Falcons - 69 Snaps

WR: With Drake London out, it was KhaDarel Hodge (46) and Van Jefferson (45) taking the lead. And they proved to us that no one matters for fantasy but Drake London.

RB: Bijan Robinson once again played 42 snaps to Tyler Allgeier’s 24 but they insist on using Bijan as a decoy and feeding Allgeier. Frustrating.

TE: Kyle Pitts (39 snaps, 28 routes) slightly had better usage than Jonnu Smith (39 snaps, 24 routes) but it sure didn’t feel that way.

New York Giants - 75 Snaps

WR:  With Darren Waller out, Isaiah Hodgins (31) seems to be back in the mix more. Darius Slayton (51) plays the most then Jalin Hyatt (37) and Wan’Dale Robinson (34) rotate. But it doesn’t matter if they don’t have a QB.

RB: Saquon Barkley is back in full swing but the offense might just be a disaster.

TE: Darren Waller is out so Daniel Bellinger played -  54 snaps, 33 of 43 routes. But can’t trust him.

Jacksonville Jaguars

BYE

New York Jets - 81 Snaps

WR: Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard are the only two that play a relevant snap share. Next closest would be Xavier Gibson who played just over 50% of the snaps.

RB: Breece Hall has taken over. Michael Carter mixes in some pass snaps while Dalvin Cook is an afterthought.

TE: Can’t trust either tight end here. Tyler Conklin would be the best bet for a DFS dart throw if you have to.

Detroit Lions

BYE

Green Bay Packers  - 72 Snaps

WR:  It’s Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs on the outside with Jayden Reed playing a partial snap share from the slot (28 snaps). If Watson is hurt, Dontayvion Wicks will step up in his spot.

RB: Aaron Jones finally got the bulk of the work and he looked great doing it. AJ Dillon is back to being a part-time fill-in.

TE: Luke Musgrave gets plenty of snaps (60) but the targets have been thin ever since Christian Watson got back.

Carolina Panthers - 67 Snaps

WR: The only two WRs we can really consider are Adam Thielen and Jonathan Mingo. DJ Chark and Terrace Marshall risk a timeshare from week to week.

RB: Chuba Hubbard got the start again and the bulk of the work though Miles Sanders carved himself out a little role. Not enough to start though.

TE: There is no fantasy-relevant tight end here, even if Stephen Sullivan misses time. They don’t want to use one guy.

New England Patriots - 64 Snaps

WR: Life after Kendrick Bourne saw Demario Douglas (53) as the top dog followed by Jalen Reagor (49 snaps). No one else played more than 25.

RB: Rhamondre Stevenson gets the work in space, and Zeke contributes some short yardage and a sporadic screen here or there. Same as usual.

TE: Bit of a change here. Before this week, neither player was running more than half the routes. This week Mike Gesicki led in routes with 41 followed by Henry with 40. Pop Douglas was actually third with 39. 

Las Vegas Raiders - 60 Snaps

WR: Davante Adams (53) and Jakobi Meyers (49) still ran the show. No one played enough after them to consider.

RB:  Josh Jacobs has been dialed in for snaps this whole time, just needed to shake things up it seems.

TE:  Michael Mayer just doesn’t run enough routes even if he’s “ahead” of Austin Hooper. 15 of 25 isn’t cutting it.

Los Angeles Rams - 58 Snaps

WR: Cooper Kupp, Tutu Atwell, and Puka Nacua. No change here.

RB:  Still a fairly even split between Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman. They are on bye this week then Kyren Williams could be back.

TE: Tyler Higbee plays a bunch and does very little with it. A tale as old as time. He also blocked on five pass plays which is not good.

Baltimore Ravens - 76 Snaps

WR: Zay Flowers leads per usual (31 routes). Next was Odell Beckham (25), Rashod Bateman (23) and Nelson Agholor (16). That’s out of a possible 38.

RB:  Player Three has entered the game. Keaton Mitchell only played 14 snaps but he looked good doing it. Gues played 14 as well and Justice HIll played 48 but most of that was mop up duty in the fourth.

TE: Mark Andrews is a star. Isaiah Likely is the next man up.

New Orleans Saints - 63 Snaps

WR: Olave (45), MT (40), Shaheed (32). Same as always.

RB: Alvin Kamara’s snaps have been dwindling a bit as he played 31 of 63 this week but the backups got a lot of time. Taysom Hill is the real problem.

TE: Juwan Johnson led with 47 snaps and 26 routes but Taysom Hill is a one-man red zone machine so everything goes through him. He only ran 14 routes of 37 but it doesn’t matter.

Seattle Seahawks - 49 Snaps

WR: We learned that, when playing from behind, they are willing to go three wide which means Jaxon Smith-Njigba (31 routes) plays just as much as DK Metcalf (31) and Tyler Lockett (33). So JSN fans want the Seahawks playing from behind.

RB: The negative game script saw Zach Charbonnett (27 snaps, 22 pass plays) operate head of Kenneth Walker technically (24 snaps, 15 routes). But Walker gets more carries.

TE: The three way split is the TE killer which means there is no fantasy TE here.

Pittsburgh Steelers - 64 Snaps

WR: Diontae Johnson (56), George Pickens (57), Allen Robinson (46). That’s the deal.

RB: Najee Harris once again played more run plays (19) and pass plays (19) than Jaylen Warren (12 and 14) but Warren continues to look good. Should still split to some degree.

TE: Connor Heyward’s usage took a tumble this week after two good weeks. Only ran 23 of 34 routes. That is not good.

Houston Texans - 72 Snaps

WR: Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Noah Brown. That’s the set up when Robert Woods is out. Noah Brown operates out of the slot.

RB: Devin Singletary should start again this week and get a full workload again. This matchup vs. the Bengals should be a little easier on him.

TE: Dalton Schultz played 57 snaps and ran 43 of 52 routes. Not every game will see C.J. Stroud go crazy like this but his usage is good. Just beware of Schultz’s schedule down the stretch.

Tennessee Titans - 74 Snaps

WR: DeAndre Hopkins led. Treylon Burks apparently got hurt again so Nick Westbrook-Ikhine-Ikhine (43) and Kyle Phillips (22) stepped in. Hard to trust either but NWI should play more.

RB: Derrick Henry gets the run work with Tyjae Spears on pass downs. That’s the new normal.

TE: Chigoziem Okonkwo has had decent deployment (his 40 routes was second only to 42 for Hopkins). Just needs to connect with Will Levis.

Minnesota Vikings - 72 Snaps

WR: Justin Jefferson is out, KJ Osborn went down. Jordan Addison will lead followed by Brandon Powell and Trishton Jackson if those guys miss time.

RB: Cam Akers suffered a torn achilles so Alexander Mattison is the guy and Ty Chandler should step up as the next man up.

TE: T.J. Hockenson is locked in. Be happy to have him.