Great job by the NFL schedule makers - six teams on bye last week, now we get zero teams on bye this week. Nice and even. At least we will get another look at every single team playing in a constantly evolving NFL landscape. There are some teams that have done the same thing for seven weeks now while others that are still trying stuff out so it’s our job to sort through that to tell you what’s what and what could be. So let’s get to it!

This article goes best with our snap count tool where you cans 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 8 Snap Count Preview

San Francisco 49ers - 53 Snaps

WR: Deebo Samuel was out so Jauan Jennings was the beneficiary though he only played 39 of 53 snaps. Brandon Aiyuk played 52 of 53 so no change for his route. They used Charlie Woerner as the TE to fill in.

RB:  When CMC is a go, he’s a go. He played 52 of 53 snaps. RB1 overall.

TE: George Kittle has essentially three good games. Three TDs on three catches against Dallas. A good game when Brandon Aiyuk was out. And a good game when Deebo Samuel was out. In the other four games, he has six or fewer PPR points. As long as Deebo is out, he’s a solid start but maybe a sell candidate.

Chicago Bears - 71 Snaps

WR: DJ Moore and Darnell Mooney both ran 30 routes so those are your best bets though Mooney has been hard to trust. Tyler Scott ran 22 of 33 so can’t do much there.

RB: As long as Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson are both out D’Onta Foreman is a viable option. Though Darrynton Evans got 17 carries and actually ran 13 routes to his 12 so it was a split. If you can trade Foreman, I would strongly consider it.

TE: Cole Kmet played 63 of 71 snaps but he fell victim to the Maxx Crosby treatment. They asked Kmet to stay in and block on eight pass plays which meant he only ran 24 of 33 routes.

Cincinnati Bengals

BYE

Buffalo Bills - 71 Snaps

WR: For the first time this year, this is interesting. They have used so many two tight end sets that we haven’t had a viable WR3. It’s been a mix of Khalil Shakir, Trent Sherfield, and Deonte Harty. But Dawson Knox is out so maybe we see more snaps here. My bet would be on Khalil Shakir but it’s likely they still rotate to some degree.

RB:  James Cook got the bulk of the carries and he scored the TD. But Latavius Murray gets pass down work and also is a goal line threat. Cook is still trusted in fantasy over Murray.

TE:  No Dawson Knox so we finally get a chance to see what Dalton Kincaid can really do. According to PFF, he has caught 25 of 26 targets the year. It’s on.

Cleveland Browns - 75 Snaps

WR: Up until now, all three WRs played virtually the whole game. But this week Donovan Peoples-Jones (22 routes) took a back seat to Amari Cooper (40) and Elijah Moore (38). Big downgrade for DPJ.

RB:  Jerome Ford will miss a couple of games here. Pierre Strong Jr is fast and more fun but the reality is Kareem Hunt is a veteran who knows the scheme so I imagine they lean on him on pass downs and goal line at least.

TE:  David Njoku played 72 of 75 snaps. If the QB situation was more stable, he’d be a lot easier to trust but he’s still not a bad option.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 73 Snaps

WR: No change here - Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are the dogs, Trey Palmer is the next man up. Palmer gets enough snaps these days to be worth a DFS dart honestly.

RB:  Rachaad White continues to dominate snaps but Chase Edmonds returns this week. I don’t expect Edmonds to take over but White has been inefficient enough that any hit to snap share would hurt.

TE:  Cade Otton plays virtually the whole game most weeks but his Achilles heel is pass blocking. This week he pass blocked on five snaps again. He needs an injury to Evans or Godwin for us to trust him.

Denver Broncos - 59 Snaps

WR: Here’s the hard truth - unless Courtland Sutton or Jerry Jeudy get traded, no other WR matters. Sean Payton did mention that it’s hard to get Jeudy and Marvin Mims on the field at the same time so a trade for Jeudy would be good for Mims.

RB: Javonte Williams played double the snaps of any other back with 31. Samaje Perine played 15, Jaleel McLaughlin played 10. So maybe Jaleel will go back in the bottle.

TE: Adam Trautman has five or fewer yards in five out of six games. There is no fantasy-relevant tight end here until Greg Dulcich gets back.

Arizona Cardinals - 67 Snaps

WR: They’ve settled into a routine here. Marquise Brown and Michael Wilson are the full time WRs on the outside. Rondale Moore comes in as the third man but also lines up at RB sometimes where he runs routes and gets carries (31 backfield snaps on the season).

RB: We talked about Emari Demercado getting all the pass work last week but we were surprised that he essentially got all the work this week (54 of 66 snaps). Keontay Ingram was relegated to special teams. We don’t know if this usage will continue but it’s intriguing to say the least.

TE: Zach Ertz was put on IR with a quad injury so Trey McBride will likely get that full pass catching role with Geoff Swaim as the inline tight end. Big opportunity here for McBride.

Dallas Cowboys - 64 Snaps

WR: Ceedee Lamb ran 40 routes, Brandin Cooks ran 36, and Michael Gallup ran 33. Those are your three starting WRs with Lamb being the only one we can really trust right now.

RB:  Tony Pollard is locked in. He played 51 of 64 snaps.

TE: Jake Ferguson has been such a strange player. We have faded him for his poor usage. This week he had his best usage yet, running 34 of 41 routes, yet hard one of his worst games with only one catch. I just don’t trust this guy.

Los Angeles Chargers - 63 Snaps

WR: Joshua Palmer is in the Mike Williams role so he played 62 snaps, Keenan Allen played 59. Quentin Johnston is a distant third with 34.

RB:  Austin Ekeler got the most work in both phases per usual while Joshua Kelley worked in as backup but Kelley did break off a long TD. Ekeler is must start as always, Kelley is not to be trusted.

TE: Gerald Everett suffered a hip injury and has yet to practice this week. If he were out, we would expect Donald Parham to play an inline role with Stone Smartt taking some slot snaps. Smartt is a former QB converted to WR converted to TE and he ran 16 routes to 12 for Parham last week making him a very sneaky DFS play.

Kansas City Chiefs - 68 Snaps

WR: Justin Watson is out and Justyn is in some trouble with the law so the WR snaps may be a little more consolidated than usual here. Marquez Valdes Scantling (47) almost always leads but this week Skyy Moore (41) and Rashee Rice (40) saw more action. Kadarius Toney (17) and Mecole Hardman (11) were on the outside looking in.

RB:  Isaiah Pacheco gets virtually all the run work and at least half of the pass work every week making him a great option. McKinnon plays the other half of the pass snaps.

TE: Travis Kelce is a super mega star and Noah Gray is a blocking TE that gets a target or two each week.

Indianapolis Colts - 70 Snaps

WR: Alec Pierce left last week with a shoulder injury but that is obviously fine as he played all 70 snaps. Pittman played 68 and Josh Downs was the third man operating out of the slot (50).

RB: Jonathan Taylor and Zack Moss split the snaps and carries right down the middle with 35 snaps and 18 carries. Browns last week and Saints this week is rough sledding.

TE: Kylen Granson was out so they used a mix of Drew Ogletree (17), Mo Alie-Cox (8), and Will Mallory (9). Will Mallory ran routes on all 9 of his snaps so we know he skews passing. The reality though is we are stashing Jelani Woods as none of these guys are interesting.

Washington Commanders - 69 Snaps

WR: Terry McLaurin (61) and Jahan Dotson (58) on the outside, Curtis Samuel (38) in the slot. Dyami Brown comes in as a field stretcher from time to time. It’s been like that all year.

RB: Brian Robinson gets the carries in good game scripts but, in bad ones, Antonio Gibson takes over for the two minute drill. This team is pretty predictable with their usage.

TE: Logan Thomas ran 31 of 50 routes which is the second week in a row his route participation has been a little down. I’m wondering if he’s dealing with some kind of ailment. We’ve got him slightly downgraded for now as we monitor.

Miami Dolphins - 67 Snaps

WR: Jaylen Waddle left briefly with a back issue which saw more snaps for Cedrick Wilson. But there are bigger issues as it’s been reported that Tyreek Hill could miss time with a hip injury. That could see more work for both Cedrick Wilson and Braxton Berrios but my money is on Wilson.

RB:  Raheem Mostert got the bulk of the carries but they did mix Salvon Ahmed in (which is probably smart given the injury history for Mostert). Jeff Wilson made his first appearance but only 7 snaps.

TE: Durham Smythe hasn’t gotten his hands on the football in three weeks despite a massive snap count.

Philadelphia Eagles - 72 Snaps

WR: AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith are the guys. Olamide Zaccheus has been playing slot with Quez Watkins out but I expected Julio Jones to slowly take over that third-man role.

RB:  D’Andre Swift dominated snaps again with 39, Kenneth Gainwell (23) just spells him.

TE: Dallas Goedert is one of the top tight ends in snap share and route participation so you never have to worry about that. Just about how the targets are distributed.

Atlanta Falcons - 65 Snaps

WR: Drake London is the only one playing a full snap share. If you wanted to stash someone, the best bet would be Van Jefferson. He only played 32 of 65 snaps but he’s still getting up to speed.

RB: Bijan Robinson hardly played with a headache, as we now know. They split the snaps between Cordarelle Patterson (26) and Tyler Allgeier (33) with Allgeier getting more carries, and Patterson playing more pass snaps.

TE: Same as it’s been lately - there were 29 total routes, Kyle Pitts ran 22 and Jonnu ran 19. Not ideal but what are you going to do?

New York Giants - 68 Snaps

WR:  They are finally using the guys we wanted them to use - it’s Darius Slayton (57), Jalin Hyatt (48), and Wan’Dale Robinson (41). No one else played more than 20 snaps.

RB: Saquon Barkley is back in full swing - 57 snaps.

TE: Darren Waller’s deployment has been among the top in the league and he played 56 snaps again this week. I’m confident in him.

Jacksonville Jaguars - 57 Snaps

WR: When Zay Jones is out they use Jamal Agnew (29) a little but it’s mostly Ridley (49) and Kirk (45). Jones will be back this week supposedly.

RB: Travis Etienne continues to play a huge snap share and play well. He is a top-five back the rest of the season.

TE: Evan Engram ran 34 of 36 routes with zero pass blocking snaps. Classic Engram.

New York Jets

BYE

Detroit Lions - 75 Snaps

WR:  Amon-Ra St. Brown played 73 of 75 snaps followed by Josh Reynolds with 55. For now, Jameson Williams is just a part time field stretcher with 33 snaps.

RB: David Montgomery is out and they really leaned on Jahmy Gibbs (65) as Campbell suggested they would. Craig Reynolds is dealing with a couple of ailments and only played 7 snaps.

TE: Sam LaPorta’s usage could have been better. He played 54 of 75 snaps and blocked on three pass plays. ARSB ran 59 routes, LaPorta ran 44 which was less than Gibbs and Reynolds. Still, he put together a decent game so not a big deal.

Green Bay Packers

WR:  Christian Watson (56) and Romeo Doubs (52) on the outside with Jayden Reed (31) in the slot. As we expected.

RB: Aaron Jones (23) returned but he was eased in while AJ Dillon played 36 snaps. Expect more Jones this week.

TE: Luke Musgrave took a dirty hit from Kareem Jackson then hurt his ankle. As of Wednesday, he has not practiced so prepare for life without him. Josiah Deguara is the next man up but not someone we care about for fantasy.

Carolina Panthers

BYE

New England Patriots - 60 Snaps

WR: Some changes here. Usually, DeVante Parker leads in snaps but this week he was third with 35 behind Demario “Pop” Douglas (37) and Kendrick Bourne (56). Bourne is locked in and Pop is a stash.

RB: Rhamondre Stevenson (39) got the most work, especially on pass downs, but Ezekiel Elliott (21) seems to be the preferred goal line back.

TE: Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki each played exactly 30 snaps. Gesicki ran 17 routes and Hunter Henry ran 19 but that was out of a possible 37 so can’t really use either.

Las Vegas Raiders - 65 Snaps

WR: Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers play virtually all the important snaps while Tre Tucker (32) is the third guy. They use a fullback and second TE so there isn’t really a full time WR3 role. Hunter Renfrow should be traded.

RB:  Josh Jacobs continues to get a large workload, this time 43 snaps. Zamir White is the next man up but they could use a committe with Ameer Abdullah.

TE:  Michael Mayer played 46 snaps to 22 for Austin Hooper. But Mayer still only ran 26 of 50 routes so he’s only a stash.

Los Angeles Rams - 68 Snaps

WR: Cooper Kupp (68) and Puka Nacua (63) play virtually the whole game, Tutu Atwell (50) is the field stretcher on the outside.

RB:  With no Kyren Willliams, Darrell Henderson led the charge (39) over Royce Freeman (29). He ran more routes and got more carries while Freeman had 8 pass blocking snaps to 6 for Henderson.

TE: Tyler Higbee played 61 of 68 snaps, 4 pass blocking, but it’s hard to use him while they have Kupp and Nacua.

Baltimore Ravens - 60 Snaps

WR: Zay Flowers (43) led as we’ve come to expect. Odell Beckham (34) was next followed by Rashod Bateman (29) and Nelson Agholor (22).

RB:  Gus Edwards and Justice Hill both played 30 snaps but the work was not split down the middle - Justice Hill ran 23 routes to 10 for Gus while Gus got more carries.

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

New Orleans Saints - 90 Snaps

WR: Chris Olave (73) and Michael Thomas (75) led but once again Rashid Shaheed got a big snap share (63). He’s becoming more reliable.

RB: Alvin Kamara plate d66 sanps so he’s the man. Jamaal Williams played 20 but that’s out of 90.

TE: Juwan Johnson is expected back so we’ll have to see if Taysom Hill continues to play some TE or if he just goes back to being the weirdest player in the league.

Seattle Seahawks - 59 Snaps

WR: With DK Metcalf out, Jake Bobo took his role on the outside and led with 45 snaps. Tyler Lockett (42) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (38) mixed and matched at slot and flanker.

RB: Kenneth Walker with 47 snaps played more than any WR or TE on the team. Locked in.

TE: These three dudes continue to rotate, it’s just not interesting for fantasy football. I’ll let you know if it ever is.

Pittsburgh Steelers

WR: Diontae Johnson returned so Calvin Austin went back to the bench. It will be George Pickens, Diontae Johnson, and Allen Robinson moving forward.

RB: Najee Harris got 15 carries and played 13 pass snaps, Jaylen Warren got 6 carries and played 15 pass snaps. So it goes.

TE: With Pat Freiermuth out, Connor Heyward is your best dart throw at TE. He did run 28 of 29 routes so not a bad dart throw in DFS honestly.

Houston Texans

BYE

Tennessee Titans

BYE

Minnesota Vikings - 70 Snaps

WR: Jordan Addison and KJ Osborn are the top dogs with Jefferson out, Brandon Powell (43) is the third man in.

RB: Alexander Mattison played 37 snaps while Cam Akers played 27. Closer than usual.

TE: T.J. Hockenson is the man as expected. Roll him out with confidence.