I love football. I love fantasy football. So I’m going to cherish each and every one of these weeks we have left. If I’m eliminated from my fantasy football playoffs then who cares? I’ll play daily fantasy on DraftKings, Yahoo, or FanDuel. I’ll do Pick’em contests on Underdog and Sleeper. I’ll make an FFPC lineup. Heck, when the regular season is over, you better BELIEVE I’ll be playing in the FFPC playoff challenge. And when all that is done? Well, it’s time for dynasty leagues, free agency, and the draft. Football NEVER sleeps here at Fantasy Alarm. So let’s win those trophies and get that money then gear up and do it again next year!  

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 15.

 

NFL Week 15 Snap Count Report

San Francisco 49ers - 54 Snaps

WR: Same as always here. Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are locked in. They use Kyle Juszczyk for enough snaps that we don’t need to worry about a WR unless one of those three gets hurt.

RB: Christian McCaffrey is obviously dialed in. Jordan Mason has been the handcuff but there have been rumblings that Elijah Mitchell could return for Week 15 which throws a wrench in things.

TE: George Kittle’s usage has never been a question. He plays a massive snap share (50 of 54 this week). It’s the target distribution. But there simply aren’t enough good tight ends to bench him and he can do more with less given his athleticism.

Chicago Bears - 71 Snaps

WR: DJ Moore you can trust. Darnell Mooney quietly plays about as many snaps as Moore in most weeks but he is more of a DFS dart than a guy we want to start. After that, no one played even half the snaps - Tyler Scott was WR3 with 26 of a possible 71.

RB: This situation is as much of a nightmare as you can get. Coach Matt Eberflus told reporters that the snaps were dictated based on who had the best week in practice. So this week D’Onta Foreman led but and he’s our best guess but that’s not necessarily a guarantee. Foreman played 29 to 20 for Roschon Johnson and 12 for Khalil Herbert.

TE: Cole Kmet ran 37 of 45 routes which is good for him. He also only blocked on three pass plays. The concern is that sometimes they have him block on pass plays (four games of 6-8) and that hurts production.

Cincinnati Bengals - 60 Snaps

WR: Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the outside with Tyler Boyd in the slot. That’s the deal when everyone is healthy.

RB: Chase Brown has popped off on a few plays but Joe Mixon still gets the bulk of the work which includes goal line work. Brown is certainly appealing in dynasty and as a “handcuff plus” but Mixon is still the guy you want to start in fantasy playoffs. 

TE: Tanner Hudson is clearly the preferred pass-catching tight end but he routinely only runs 10-15 routes. This week he ran 11. That caps his upside but he isn’t a terrible desperation or DFS play.

Buffalo Bills - 77 Snaps

WR: Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs are the full outside guys. With the return of Dawson Knox, thye used more two tight end sets so Khalil Shakir went from 80% of snaps to 60%. Not a guy we can trust.

RB: James Cook has had fantastic usage ever since Joe Brady took over as OC, especially in the passing game. It’s hard not to get him in lineups moving forward.

TE: We were worried about the return of Dawson Knox but Dalton Kincaid actually had the highest snap share (78%) that he’s had in four weeks. As long as the shoulder is healthy, Kincaid should be dialed in so keep an eye on that.

Cleveland Browns - 71 Snaps

WR: Amari Cooper plays the majority of his snaps on the outside (54 out of 64 this week) while Cedrick Tillman and Elijah Moore rotate at slot and flanker. Moore is the better bet than Tillman.

RB:  They split the carries but Jerome Ford gets more pass work so he’s the better bet.

TE: David Njoku had a heck of a game this week with two touchdowns. He ran 39 of 48 routes, blocking on five pass plays. He’s not a bad option with how they are throwing.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 68 Snaps

WR: Mike Evans and Chris Godwin play full time snap shares while Trey Palmer is the third man. Evans and Godwin each ran 29-30 routes, Palmer ran 24.

RB:  Rachaad White continues to be one of the more reliable players in terms of usage. Monster workload every week at the very least.

TE:  Cade Otton bounced back with 29 of 32 routes run. Besides the one tough matchup with Carolina, he has been fairly reliable.

Denver Broncos - 67 Snaps

WR: Cortland Sutton is the only player I trust at this stage. He played 50 snaps and gets red zone loo. Jerry Jeudy and Lil’Jordan Humphrey each only played 38 snaps. Marvin Mims played only 25.

RB:  Javonte Williams had good usage for the third straight week, leading the RB group in carries and routes run. We are IN on Javonte.

TE:  There’s really no fantasy relevant tight end here. Lucas Krull as a random dart throw in DFS could be kind of fun be he only ran 11 routes.

Arizona Cardinals

BYE

Dallas Cowboys - 82 Snaps

WR: No change from recent weeks - CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks play full snaps while Michael Gallup rotates with Jalen Tolbert.

RB:  Tony Pollard played 59 snaps which is great though Rico Dowdle vultured a goal line TD after Pollard couldn’t punch it in. Hopefully that doesn’t become the norm.

TE: Jake Ferguson passed a big test with Peyton Hendershot returning and only running five routes. That was a problem early on but Ferg ran 36 routes out of a possible 49 which isn’t amazing but isn’t terrible.

Los Angeles Chargers - 68 Snaps

WR: Not only is Justin Herbert out but Keenan Allen will also reportedly also be out tomorrow. So now it’s Easton Stick playing with Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston. Yikes. Only in desperation would I use these guys.

RB:  Austin Ekeler has lost some work to backups but it’s hard to keep him out of lineups, especially against the Raiders. It seems Isaiah Spiller is now the preferred backup as he played 12 snaps to 7 for Joshua Kelley.

TE: We’ve said this before - Gerald Everett is a part-time player. He played 68% of the snaps again this week. So his upside is capped, especially with a backup QB.

Kansas City Chiefs - 66 Snaps

WR: FINALLY. It happened. For the first time since Week 2 of this season, a Chiefs WR played more than 70% of the snaps. And it was the guy we wanted. Rashee Rice played 85% of the snaps this week. It’s wheels up. The next closest was Justin Watson at 55%.

RB:  With Isaiah Pacheco out, Clyde Edwards-Helaire started and played 32 snaps (12 carries, 20 pass plays). Jerrick McKinnon got five carries and played 25 pass plays. The split, for now, favors CEH - especially in positive game scripts like the one we expect this week.

TE: Travis Kelce is the king. Start him every week.

Indianapolis Colts - 64 Snaps

WR: Michael Pittman is locked in. Alec Pierce (58) continues to play over Josh Downs (50) which makes both of them hard to trust.

RB:  Whenever Jonathan Taylor is out, Zack Moss is set for a big workload. That was the case again this week.

TE: The best bets for fantasy are Kylen Granson (19 routes) and Will Mallory (17 routes). But that’s out of a possible 45 so more DFS dart than anything.

Washington Commanders

BYE

Miami Dolphins - 72 Snaps

WR: Tyreek Hill says he’s going to play through his injuries so we’ll have to see how that goes. Jaylen Waddle is a full go. If Tyreek misses time, Cedrick Wilson has stepped up on the outside in past games.

RB: De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert continue to split work with Mostert skewing run downs, and Achane skewing pass downs. Start them both.

TE: Durham Smythe has not been particularly relevant. If Tyreek Hill gets ruled out for future games, then maybe we can talk Smythe in redraft. Until then, maybe DFS dart.

Philadelphia Eagles - 55 Snaps

WR: DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown are the dudes. The others rotate in the slow and don’t play even half the game.

RB: Kenneth Gainwell gets more work in negative game scripts but, based on the schedule, D’Andre Swift should be the better start in most games.

TE: Dallas Goedert is back and he’s back to his solid usage with 28 of 31 routes run. Not a bad option.

Atlanta Falcons - 72 Snaps

WR: Drake London is the only WR we can trust here in fantasy football. That is all.

RB: Bijan Robinson is getting ramped up at the right time with 56 snaps this week. Tyler Allgeier still spells him at times.

TE: That’s two weeks in a row now with Kyle Pitts running over 90% of the routes. He’s now a legitimate option once again.

New York Giants - 56 Snaps

WR: Darius Slayton returned and led with 52 snaps followed by Wan’Dale Robinson (44) and Jalin Hyatt (36). Can’t start these guys in real leagues.

RB: Saquon Barkley is a guy you can start. 48 snaps out of 56.

TE: There are rumors that Darren Waller could return so stash him where you might need a tight end. Hard to trust him even if he plays this week but Eagles and Rams down the stretch are great matchups.

Jacksonville Jaguars - 76 Snaps

WR: With Christian Kirk out, Parker Washington took over the slot but he only played 47 of 76 snaps as Evan Engram worked in as well with Luke Farrell inline.

RB: Travis Etienne is a stud and you have to start him if he’s going to play 59 snaps like this.

TE: Evan Engram was crushed in a very difficult matchup this week. He is dialed in now that Kirk is done. 68 snaps, 51 routes run.

New York Jets - 68 Snaps

WR: Garrett Wilson is the only guy you would consider in a real league. Allen Lazard plays opposite him with Xavier Gipson and Randall Cobb splitting slot duty.

RB: Breece Hall played 42 of 68 snaps. Dalvin Cook only played 16 with 5 for Izzy Abanikanda. It’s Hall’s backfield.

TE: Another part time day for Conklin with 27 of 44 routes run. Jeremy Ruckert and Kenny Yeboah mixed in as well.

Detroit Lions - 65 Snaps

WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown is the man. Everyone else kind of rotates with 38 snaps for Jameson Williams, 36 for Josh Reynold, 23 for Kalif Raymond, etc. Yawn.

RB: They split the carries. David Montgomery is the preferred goal line back, and Jahmyr Gibbs preferred pass-down back. That’s the deal. 

TE: Sam LaPorta is going to be just fine - he ran 36 of 41 routes. Eddie Jackson is just a tough matchup for him. 

Green Bay Packers  - 68 Snaps

WR:  With no Christian Watson and possibly no Dontayvion Wicks either, we could see Malik Heath on the outside opposite Romeo Doubs with Jayden Reed in the slot. Good news for Reed and Doubs, bad for the Packers.

RB: AJ Dillon got the bulk of the carries and split the pass work with Patrick Taylor again. That’s been consistent when Aaron Jones is out.

TE: Tucker Kraft played literally every snap but once again blocked on five pass plays. That is 13 pass block snaps over two weeks which has us a little nervous.

Carolina Panthers - 81 Snaps

WR: Last week DJ Chark played a partial snap share but this week he (71), Jonathan Mingo (71), and Adam Thielen (65) played virtually the whole game.

RB: Chuba Hubbard has gotten monster workloads the last two weeks with 20+ carries. Miles Sanders is merely an afterthought.

TE: I don’t know how many tight ends would need to get hurt for one to run more than 50% of the routes but apparently it’s more than two. Stephen Sullivan led with 22 of 45 routes run.

New England Patriots - 57 Snaps

WR: Injuries have ravaged this group. DeVante Parker and Demario Douglas missed the game but logged limited practices on Wednesday. Douglas has been the best be in fantasy. If they both return, it would hurt Tyquan Thornton the most.

RB: With Rhamondre Stevenson out it is the Ezekiel Elliott show for the foreseeable future. He looked solid this past week.

TE: With the WR injuries. Hunter Henry ran 27 of 34 routes. He made the most of his three targets with two scores. Mike Gesicki only ran 14 of 34.

Las Vegas Raiders - 54 Snaps

WR: Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers play the most but the QB play is dicey. Adams is worth a start still. Hunter Renforw only played 26 snaps.

RB: Josh Jacobs is questionable for Thursday Night Football. If he’s out, it should be Zamir White starting and playing run down with Ameer Abdullah helping on pass downs.

TE: Michael Mayer is the starter but he still rotates so he only ran 27 of 37 routes. Not enough for fantasy.

Los Angeles Rams - 77 Snaps

WR: If Tutu Atwell is out, Demarcus Robinson could be a sneaky DFS dart in an intriguing matchup. You start Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua where you can.

RB:  Kyren Williams is locked in. 69 snaps this week.

TE:  Folks will be chasing Davis Allen if Tyler Higbee is out again but both players are slow and block on too many pass plays. I’m not interested in either.

Baltimore Ravens  - 72 Snaps

WR: This is a strange team. Zay Flowers ran every route like he often does - all 54. Next up was Nelson Agholor with 36 followed by Odell Beckham with 31 and Rashod Bateman with 25. Beckham is a risky play but he’s getting looks.

RB:  Hate this set up too. Keaton Mitchell operates in space. Gus Edwards gets the goal line work. Justice Hill gets the two-minute drill. It’s hard to run on the Jaguars but you can catch passes against them. But is it Mitchell or Hill? Hill let in routes run and snaps this week.

TE:  I’ve said it enough times now, I am IN on Isaiah Likely. And he’s been showing people why the last two games. He ran 49 of 54 routes, what’s not to like?

New Orleans Saints - 52 Snaps

WR: As long as the other WRs are hurt it will be AT Perry, Chris Olave, and Lynn Bowden. That’s two weeks in a row now.

RB:  Jamaal Williams took some of the short yardage work vacated by Taysom Hill but Alvin Kamara still started and got the bulk of the pass work.

TE: Just can’t trust Juwan Johnson if he’s only going to run 13 of 27 routes. Taysom Hill is dealing with a foot issue but he’s not really a tight end anyway. Jimmy Graham only ran 4 routes.

Seattle Seahawks - 59 Snaps

WR: DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are on the outside, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is in the slot but they’ve been using a lot of three WR sets lately. Metcalf ran 40 routes, Lockett 35, and JSN 32. We don’t mind JSN.

RB: Kenneth Walker returned and started, Zach Charbonnett went back to playing mostly obvious passing downs. We’re back to the split before the injury.   

TE: Noah Fant led with 22 of 42 routes. Not interested.

Pittsburgh Steelers - 70 Snaps

WR: George Pickens, Diontae Johnson, Allen Robinson. This has been consistent for weeks.

RB: Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren continue the same split. They both work in with Najee getting more run work and Warren skewing towards pass downs.

TE: Only 68% snap share for Pat Freiermuth here though he did run 39 of 46 routes. The bigger problem is the QB play.

Houston Texans - 56 Snaps

WR: When Nico Collins went down, the big-bodied Xavier Hutchinson picked up those split-end snaps. Robert Woods and Noah Brown mixed and matched at slot and flanker with John Metchie playing 28 of 56 snaps. Noah Brown is the most interesting but Xavier Hutchinson might be next.

RB: Dameon Pierce only played eight snaps here. Can’t use that guy. Devin Singletary played 32 but it’s not a good matchup for RBs, even through the air.

TE: Whether it’s Dalton Schultz or Brevin Jordan, I’m not starting them against the Titans this week. There are too many better options. Check my rankings here.

Tennessee Titans - 71 Snaps

WR: DeAndre Hopkins has been playing well as of late so get him in there. Treylon Burks (46 snaps) and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine-Ikhine-Ikhine (63) are merely DFS dart throws.

RB: Derrick Henry scored twice for the second week in a row. Historically he does well against the Texans so try to find a spot to start him.

TE: Chigoziem Okonkwo ran 32 of 44 routes which isn’t great but it’s good for him. He gets a few plays dialed up for him each week so we are hoping he breaks off the big one at some point.

Minnesota Vikings - 72 Snaps

WR: If Justin Jefferson is back, it’s him, Jordan Addison, and KJ Osborn. Will be interesting to see if Osborn or Addison plays more. If JJ is out, Brandon Powell is the guy.

RB: If Alexander Mattison is in, it’s him. If he misses, Ty Chandler is an interesting spot start.

TE: I don’t care who the QB is, you can’t bench T.J. Hockenson at this stage. He’s just too good and he carried you this far.