FANTASY FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK. You made it. Congratulations. Now it’s time for one last matchup that ends in valiant glory or crushing defeat. In matchups like these, you have crucial decisions to make that could be legendary or they could haunt you for the rest of the offseason. 

Lucky for you, we are here to guide you through who is trustworthy and who isn’t via the behind-the-scenes snap numbers. That way you can avoid the landmines while identifying the “high risk, high reward” plays that might not be as risky as they seem. Or, even better, maybe you just confirm that your team is a juggernaut and you steamroll your opponent!

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 17.

 

NFL Week 17 Snap Count Report

San Francisco 49ers - 70 Snaps

WR: Same as always - with Kyle Juszczyk playing a ton of snaps there is no room for a fantasy-relevant WR3. It’s Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.

RB: Christian McCaffrey played all 70 snaps this week. There is no more locked-in player for fantasy lineups.

TE: George Kittle always plays a ton and, given this tight end landscape, you are very likely starting him. The upside is always there with him even if the floor has been scary at times.

Chicago Bears - 70 Snaps

WR: DJ Moore and Darnell Mooney play the big snap shares but the only one you can really trust in your championship is DJ Moore. Mooney is a DFS dart at best.

RB: With D’Onta Foreman out it was Khalil Herbert on run downs with Roshon Johnson leading in pass downs (19 to 15). Roschon has been the more exciting player but it’s still hard to trust either one for sure with them splitting.

TE: Cole Kmet left the game with a knee injury so we need to monitor that first and foremost. He didn’t practice Wednesday so I would make other plans.

Cincinnati Bengals - 64 Snaps

WR: Ja'Marr Chase is out so it’s Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd playing the full snap shares. When Tee Higgins was out, Trenton Irwin stepped into his role at split end but, with Ja'Marr Chase out, it was Andrei Losivas playing 46 snaps behind the 51-52 played by Higgins and Boyd. Losivas is an interesting DFS dart throw and maybe even a deep league start with this info.

RB: Every week it seems like Chase Brown is getting a lot of looks but Joe Mixon continues to play a lot more snaps - this week 38 to 14. Mixon is still the guy with Chase being more of a deep league or DFS hail Mary.

TE: Tanner Hudson has run more routes as of late. He was only running 10-15 but in the last two weeks, he’s run 23 of 48 and 32 of 48. Still not a part-time player though and we’ve seen what can happen with that but he’s the best option on this team.

Buffalo Bills - 55 Snaps

WR: Stefon Diggs has been struggling as of late with the Bills leaning into the run game. Diggs ran 20 of 26 routes while Gabe Davis ran 22 of 26. Khalil Shakir was the third fiddle with 16. It’s hard to run on the Patriots so they should hopefully throw more.

RB: James Cook has been dialed in. The Pats are a top team vs. the run in DVOA but he’ll still be involved in the pass game, as he has been as of late.

TE: This has been a sad development for Dalton Kincaid. The first week Knox returned he played a ton of snaps but he hurt his shoulder and thumb. Since then he has yet to practice in full once. With the run-heavy game scripts they have leaned on Knox so Knox played 26 snaps to 23 for Kincaid. Can’t trust him right now.

Cleveland Browns - 82 Snaps

WR: Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, and Cedric Tillman are the starters - it’s been like that since Donovan Peoples-Jones was traded.

RB:  This split has constantly evolved throughout the year so why wouldn’t it keep changing? Usually, Jerome Ford plays more pass downs but this week Kareem Hunt did (22 to 19). Ford got more carries but Hunt scored the touchdown. It’s anyone’s guess who scores more points this week but I still lean Ford as the starter.

TE: David Njoku has been rock solid, even if he blocked on seven pass plays last week. The matchup isn’t that great this week but there are still only a couple better options in this current landscape.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 74 Snaps

WR: Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are the full-time guys with Trey Palmer operating as the third fiddle (39 snaps). That’s been consistent.

RB:  Also very consistent is Rachaad White playing a huge role. Though a beat writer did mention he looked like he might have been nursing an injury at practice so keep an eye on that.

TE:  Cade Otton played 72 of 74 snaps but, with a healthy Godwin, he’s not really getting a lot of targets. He’s basically in that Durham Smythe category.

Denver Broncos - 67 Snaps

WR: Yeesh. Russell Wilson is being benched over contract language. Courtland Sutton might not be cleared to play. That would see Brandon Johnson likely covering the split end for Sutton, Jerry Jeudy in his role as flanker, then some sort of rotation of Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Marvin Mims. There are DFS plays in there but not much for championship week.

RB:  Javonte Williams gets the bulk of the carries but, as of late, Samaje Perine has been getting more pass work. Perine played 23 pass snaps to 13 for Javonte. Not ideal.

TE:  Lucas Krull technically led the tight ends in routes run with 19 of 47. He’s a fun DFS dart but not an option for real leagues.

Arizona Cardinals - 62 Snaps

WR: Marquise Brown remains sidelined meaning it’s Michael Wilson (56), Rondale Moore (51), and Greg Dortch (49) leading the charge until he returns from his heel issue. Dortch is likely to take the backseat when he does.

RB: James Conner gets the carries then splits the pass work with Emari Demercado. Michael Carter really only plays in garbage time.

TE:  Trey McBride played 60 of 62 snaps and ran 39 of 44 routes. He’s always an option, especially in full PPR.

Dallas Cowboys - 66 Snaps

WR: No change from recent weeks - CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks play full snaps while Michael Gallup rotates with Jalen Tolbert. Lamb is locked in, Cooks is a WR3 or flex option and you can forget the others.

RB:  Tony Pollard played 46 snaps, and Rico Dowdle played 11. Pollard has struggled, especially in short yardage, but it’s still his show.

TE: Jake Ferguson’s usage has been great down the stretch here and eight targets per game is all you need in this world.

Los Angeles Chargers - 70 Snaps

WR: If Keenan Allen plays, you start him. Beyond that it’s dicey. Joshua Palmer should have a full-time role regardless but it’s putting a lot of trust in Easton Stick. Quentin Johnston should probably remain a DFS dart.

RB:  After the firing of Brandon Staley, Austin Ekeler pretty much got the full workload. Isaiah Spiller mixed in some but Ekeler got the bulk of work in all phases.

TE: With Donald Parham out, Gerald Everett got up to what is realistically his max snap share - which is still only 70%. It’s a good matchup but his ceiling isn’t particularly high, especially if Parham is back.

Kansas City Chiefs - 76 Snaps

WR: Rashee Rice has been playing a full snap share finally and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The next best options would be Marquez Valdes-Scantling (60) and Justin Watson (49).

RB:  Isaiah Pacheco is in concussion protocol. If he clears, you play him. If he doesn’t, you play Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Jerrick McKinnon is on IR.

TE: Travis Kelce has been struggling as of late but this week he gets one of the best possible matchups for a tight end. So you play him.

Indianapolis Colts - 71 Snaps

WR: Michael Pittman needs to clear concussion protocol to play but you start him if he does. If he doesn’t, it will be Alec Pierce playing every snap. What they did after that was Josh Downs (66) played slot and DJ Montgomery (61) played on the outside. Downs played the most snaps he’s played all year which is intriguing.

RB:  Jonathan Taylor got the bulk of the work with Zack Moss out and is looking like a great option once again this week.

TE: Out of 49 possible routes, Will Mallory ran 22 and Kylen Granson ran 18. If one of them ran 40 routes, that would be a lot better for fantasy.

Washington Commanders - 61 Snaps

WR: Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson operated on the outside with Curtis Samuel in the slot. We are getting Jacoby Brissett this week which throws a bit of a wrench in things. In his limited snaps this year, McLaurin got five targets, Dotson, Samuel, and John Bates for four then Logan Thomas got three.

RB:  Even with Brian Robinson out, the backfield is split. Chris Rodgriguez skews run downs with Antonio Gibson skewing pass downs. This feels like a Gibson matchup with SF.

TE: Logan Thomas ran 31 of 40 routes but he’s not a lock every week to be involved making him a risky play for fantasy championships.

Miami Dolphins - 65 Snaps

WR: Tyreek Hill returned but now Jaylen Waddle might be out which keeps Cedrick Wilson lined up on the outside. Braxton Berrios operates out of the slot as a part-time guy.

RB: As is tradition at this point, neither Raheem Mostert nor De’Von Achane practiced on Wednesday. We need to watch this as Moster did get banged up but he’s the best bet of the two if he plays. Mike McDaniel claims he will play.

TE: Durham Smythe plays a lot but he’s used mostly for his blocking. If Waddle is out he could be a DFS player but not for championships.

Philadelphia Eagles - 76 Snaps

WR: It’s AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith on the outside with guys rotating in the slot. Julio led in the slot with 21 snaps so not promising.

RB: D’Andre Swift is the starter and will do well in good gamescripts, which this should be. Gainwell really only played a lot in the few games they were playing from behind.

TE: Dallas Goedert plays a ton of snaps and he’s solid in PPR but has never really been an endzone threat. The Tush Push really doesn’t help.

Atlanta Falcons - 64 Snaps

WR: Drake London is the only WR who plays more than half the snaps because of all the tight ends and fullbacks. He’s the one option for us.

RB: Bijan Robinson played 48 snaps to 13 for Tyler Allgeier yet Allgeier still has nine carries. They just love giving him carries and then taking him right out.

TE: Kyle Pitts ran 31 of 35 routes. The Panthers game was a washout but in his three other most recent games he has run 90%+ of the routes. He’s all of a sudden a pretty decent option. Jonnu Smith ran 26 of 35 routes so maybe a DFS play.

New York Giants - 62 Snaps

WR: Darius Slayton (58) continues to lead followed by Wan’Dale Robinson (44), and Jalin Hyatt (35). The most targetted players for Tyrod Taylor this season have been Darren Waller (24), Wan’Dale Robinson (17), and Saquon Barkley (14).

RB: Saquon played 56 of 62 snaps to no limits there. And the QB change should be a good one for him. I’m not scared to start him this week.

TE: Darren Waller played ~40% of the snaps in his first game back and this week he was at ~63%. The bet is that he plays even more this week and his buddy Tyrod feeds him, just like earlier this year.

Jacksonville Jaguars - 66 Snaps

WR: No Christian Kirk and no Zay Jones meant that Parker Washington and Tim Jones took over their roles. Calvin Ridley maintained his role. If Zay returns, Tim Jones takes the hit.

RB: Travis Etienne has a great role when the offense is working. Hopefully, we get Trevor Lawrence rather than C.J. Beathard but Beathard isn’t the end of the world.  

TE: With Christian Kirk out, Evan Engram has played a ton of slot snaps (34 this week). Not a great matchup but he’s been so locked in.

New York Jets -  Snaps 90 Snaps

WR: This one is simple - Garrett Wilson is the only guy you could possibly trust for championship week. For DFS, Jason Brownlee played 74 snaps and would be sneaky if he didn’t score last week already.

RB: Breece Hall went OFF here. Hopefully, he can get a ton of catches again because it’s not easy to run on the Browns.

TE: Tyler Conklin is difficult to trust as he doesn’t run a full route share so it would need to be a deep league to consider him. The Browns are not a good TE matchup.

Detroit Lions - 79 Snaps

WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown is locked in. After that no one actually played a ton - Josh Reynolds played 47 snaps and Jameson Williams played 46. Can’t trust either in real leagues.

RB: They split the carries with Montgomery the preferred goal line back and Jahmyr Gibbs the preferred pass-down back. Gibbs is the better option right now with that pass work.

TE: Sam LaPorta has had some scary usage the last two weeks, blocking on seven pass plays last week and eight this week. He should be fine but that explains the down weeks to some degree.

Green Bay Packers  - 66 Snaps

WR:  We have to see what happens with all the injuries to Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks. The preferred order for snaps based on health is Watson, Romeo Doubs, Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath, Bo Melton. That’s the pecking order so let’s monitor injuries.

RB: AJ Dillon returned but he hardly played, only 12 snaps. Aaron Joens played 34 and Patrick Taylor played 20, mostly on pass downs.

TE: Another one to monitor. If Luke Musgrave is out, Tucker Kraft is a solid option. If Musgrave returns, now they are both risky and I would look elsewhere.

Carolina Panthers - 66 Snaps

WR: DJ Chark had the big day but he once again didn’t play a full snap share with 48 snaps. Jonathan Mingo (61) and Adam Thielen (58) led the charge. I’d still go with them over Chark if I had to.

RB: Chuba Hubbard is the starter and got the bulk of the carries. They split the pass work though with Miles Sanders running 18 routes to his 15.

TE: If you have to throw a dart at one, it would be Tommy Tremble who ran 28 of 42 routes.

New England Patriots - 58 Snaps

WR: DeVante Parker (54), Jalen Reagor (50), and Demario Douglas (43) played the most snaps but Douglas actually ran 34 routes which led the team (he came out mostly for run plays). Douglas is the best bet followed by Parker.

RB: Rhamondre Stevenson was officially put on IR meaning Ezekiel Elliott is the guy the rest of the way. And he has been a great option for fantasy.

TE: Hunter Henry missed the game so Mike Gesicki ran 32 of 37 routes and found pay dirt. More of a DFS option than anything but worth noting.

Las Vegas Raiders - 55 Snaps

WR: Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers are the top dogs. Tre Tucker and Hunter Renfrow simply don’t play enough.

RB: If Josh Jacobs plays, he’s the man. If he doesn’t, it’s Zamir White once again.

TE: Michael Mayer left the game with an injury which moves Austin Hooper into the receiving TE chair and Cole Fotheringham was the blocking tight end. Yes, Cole Fotheringham. Migh have to sneak him into a DFS lineup if Mayer is out just for the memes. I mean, he did catch a six yard pass.

Los Angeles Rams - 70 Snaps

WR: Cooper Kupp (70) and Puka Nacua (69) play the whole game. Tutu Atwell returned but only played four snaps so Demarcus Robinson is still on the menu.

RB:  Kyren Williams has been so good. Locked into lineups.

TE:  Tyler Higbee continues to give up some snaps to rookie Davis Allen. We already didn’t like Higbee but this makes it worse.

Baltimore Ravens - 68 Snaps

WR: Zay Flowers always leads in snaps. The second route runner is always Isaiah Likely as well. After that, it can be a mixed back. This week Nelson Agholor led with 29 followed by Odell Beckham with 28 and Rashod Bateman with 21. That’s out of 44 possible.

RB:  With Keaton Mitchell out it was Gus Edwards on short yardage duty and Justive Hill on pass downs. Justice Hill played 42 snaps to 29 for Edwards.

TE:  Isaiah Likely ran 36 of 44 routes which was second only to Zay Flowers as we mentioned. He’s absolutely viable in a plus matchup.

New Orleans Saints - 60 Snaps

WR: Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed are the clear two two in routes run with over 40. Next up was AT Perry with 31 so not an option.

RB: Alvin Kamara played 44 of 60 snaps and got the most carries and ran the most routes. All you can really ask for. Jamaal Williams and Taysom Hill are both just hanging out as vultures - neither played more than 13 snaps.

TE: Juwan Johnson has touchdowns in back-to-back games but his usage has been suspect. He usually runs only half the routes, this week he was at 33 of 44. Much more of a DFS play than someone I would use in a real matchup.

Seattle Seahawks - 62 Snaps

WR: DK Metcalf (55) and Tyler Lockett (50) played the full outside roles with Jaxon Smith-Njigba (39) in the slot. He’s been an okay option but the rookie is not a full-time player this year.

RB: Kenneth Walker is back and he’s obviously the guy on run-downs. Zach Charbonnett played 24 pass plays to 19 for Walker. That makes Walker the clear preferred fantasy option.  

TE: Noah Fant is the starter but he still rotates quite a bit. He ran 29 of 43 routes.

Pittsburgh Steelers - 59 Snaps

WR: George Pickens was clearly a preferred target of Mason Rudolph. And he led the team with 27 routes. Diontae Johnson ran 21 and Allen Robinson ran 19. Doesn’t look good for Diontae.

RB: Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren continue to split with Warren preferred on pass downs and Najee on run downs. Who knew this would be a positive game script and a good game for Najee?

TE: Pat Freiermuth played 37 of 59 snaps and ran 24 of 30 routes but was not targeted. Need Kenny Pickett back for Muth it seems.

Houston Texans - 75 Snaps

WR: Nico Collins returned but was eased back in. It should be Nico Collins and Noah Brown as the outside WRs with Robert Woods in the slot if everyone is healthy. And it’s a good matchup. And C.J. Stroud could be back.
RB: Devin Singletary is the clear starting back here. Dare Ogunbawale helps on pass downs (31 snaps). Dameon Pierce hardly plays (11 snaps).

TE: Dalton Schultz played 59 snaps and ran 42 of 60 routes so he’s still heavily involved. It’s not the best matchup but, if you lost T.J. Hockenson, maybe he’s on waivers?

Tennessee Titans - 66 Snaps

WR: DeAndre Hopkins led in snaps and is quietly on pace for a 1,000-yard season. Chris Moore (49) operated out of the slot and Treylon Burks (48) played on the outside.

RB: Derrick Henry struggled last time against the Texans for the first time in his career. But he still gets the carries and is worth a look, especially in standard leagues. Tyjae Spears gets the pass work.

TE: Chigoziem Okonkwo has been playing a bigger role as of late but still only ran 29 of 37 routes (Hopkins ran 35 of 37). Chig isn’t a bad DFS play or spot start if desperate.  

Minnesota Vikings - 68 Snaps

WR: Jordan Addison might miss this game so it would be Justin Jefferson, KJ Osborn, and Brandon Powell. Powell is the odd man out if Addison goes.

RB: As the coach suggested, Ty Chandler kept the job with Alexander Mattison serving as depth. That makes Chandler an appealing flex option potentially.

TE: T.J. Hockenson is officially done for the year. That means Josh Oliver should step up in a pass-catching capacity with Johnny Mundt as the blocking tight end. Though Mundt did run 18 routes to only eight for Oliver which has us not really wanted to trust either.